A Desperate Plea and a Cunning Plan

[What’s the matter at this late hour?]
“I have a favor to ask.”
[What, are you asking me to find a good restaurant in Narita? They’d all be closed by now.]
“It would be nice if you could, but I’ve already had a hearty dinner today.”

The person I had called was Im Suho.

‘As expected, in that short time…’

In that short time, Im Suho had found out that I was in Japan, and Narita at that.
But instead of showing my agitation, I answered playfully.

[I know you went to Narita, but what could you possibly have to call me about from Narita?]
“I’d like you to look into someone.”
[Huh.]

Im Suho laughed as if he were dumbfounded.
I kept my eyes fixed on the back of Lee Ilwoo, who was walking ahead but never strayed too far, and spoke again.

“Is it a difficult task?”
[That’s not a favor, that’s a request. And I have no intention of listening to it even if it is a request. I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a while, but do you know how expensive my fee is?]
“I know. That’s why I’m asking for a favor instead of making a request.”
[Huh?]

Because not only the information Im Suho handled, but also Im Suho himself was a high-class talent of a different level.

[Hey, Mr. Cha Yohan. I let it slide with that funny old man last time because it was funny, but if you’re going to make a request or a favor to me, then at least take on a high-fee case.]
“Hmm.”
[If not that, then you’d have to sell the deposit on your officetel.]

‘This means he’s already figured out my financial situation.’

But I didn’t feel particularly unpleasant.
And it wasn’t like my spirit was broken either.

“So did you handle the case I previously requested properly? I thought you had completely forgotten about it since I haven’t heard from you, but now that I’ve heard from you, it seems like you haven’t forgotten.”
[…….]

Im Suho said nothing.
A considerable amount of time had already passed.
At that time, it was autumn just as summer was passing, and now it was the end of the year, with the new year just around the corner.
But with his own honor on the line, he would not have neglected my request.

‘Rather, it must be that he’s a difficult person to find.’

The fact that he couldn’t find a single trace in a situation with more than one or two pieces of evidence must have stimulated that great pride of his.

‘Using people as weapons is not really my forte.’

Im Suho was one of the excellent cards I had.
And he was one of the most dangerous people when turned into an enemy.
But now, I was gently prodding Im Suho’s honeycomb-like pride.
Because I would not be in the direction of the bees that would pour out of it.
At least, not now.

“Or is it because of the fee? Or did I just have too high of expectations?”

These were the two things that Im Suho was most sensitive to.
A sincere sense of mission that was not moved by money, and doubting his own abilities.

[…….]

The silence remained, but the sound of breathing over the phone had subtly changed.

“As you’ve been watching, I’ve solved a considerable number of cases in the meantime. What I offered you was my now-higher legal fee. I’ve acted in a way that befits those words.”
[Haa…]
“I don’t doubt your abilities. I also expected that he would be a difficult opponent.”

It felt as if I could hear the sound of Im Suho’s pride cracking over the phone.
I continued to speak as if nothing was wrong.

“So I was trying not to contact you first if I could help it, but the situation is what it is now. I have a case, and the incident happened in Japan. I’d like to request an investigation of the suspect.”
[…Is the suspect Japanese?]
“He’s Korean. I’ve looked into him on my own, but he’s clean on the surface.”
[The world needs to know that you, Lawyer Cha, are actually this annoying, unlike on the broadcast. Send it to me via text.]

Beep, beep.

The call was disconnected.
I smiled and immediately sent a text message.
It was a rough summary of Kim Jeonghyeon’s information.

[He’s a dangerous person, is there a need to provoke him like this?]

‘I’m not particularly happy about it either, but I have no choice. Sometimes there are people who are moved by a competitive spirit.’

[How much does it cost to hire Im Suho?]

‘You heard him earlier. You really have to sell your deposit for one request. It’s not a joke, that.’

The hologram that had appeared before my eyes disappeared.
I didn’t really want to provoke Im Suho either.
But no matter how much Jeong Donghyeok investigated Kim Jeonghyeon, there were no peculiarities to be found other than the superficial parts.

‘The more that is the case, the more it means he’s hiding something.’

When it came to finding something out, Im Suho was an irreplaceable person.
There’s no one who doesn’t have a little dust on them, but Im Suho had the ability to find even the other dust attached to that dust and magnify it with a microscope.
I shook my head once out of habit and moved my legs a little faster.

Thump.

And so, I stood next to Lee Ilwoo, who had been walking a few steps ahead of me.

“Are you done with your call?”
“Yes, we should be there soon.”

In the distance, I saw the entrance of the night market, which had become familiar after having been there once.

We headed for the room next to the one that Jeong Donghyeok had reserved, not the one he had reserved.
Because there happened to be a vacancy.
It was a piece of luck I had gotten from asking at the front desk when we entered the hotel, just in case.

“[Is the room next door vacant by any chance? There were no vacancies when I made the reservation, but could you please check? I’d like to use a separate room from my companion.]”
“[It is currently vacant. However, it is quite late, would you still like to check in? The check-out time is the same.]”
“[Yes, I just need to sleep separately. I don’t want to bother my companion with my snoring.]”

The hotelier, who saw my genuinely apologetic face, nodded and proceeded with the check-in.

“…Do you really snore that badly?”

I didn’t know that Lee Ilwoo would be genuinely curious about that.
Lee Ilwoo asked with eyes full of curiosity as soon as we got on the elevator.
I smiled and waved my hand.

“What? Ah, no. I don’t have any sleeping habits. I just needed a plausible excuse.”

Even though I answered so confidently, I wasn’t so sure in a corner of my mind.

‘…I don’t have any sleeping habits, right?’

[Yes. Though you sometimes sleep so quietly that I wonder if you’re dead.]

‘That’s a relief. I thought I was lying.’

Ding.

As soon as the elevator arrived, we immediately headed for the room where the incident had occurred.
Not only had the incident occurred there, but since it was a hotel, it would be cleaned every day, but…
Still, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see the scene myself.

‘I have a few tricks up my sleeve too.’

Creak.
Thump.

The lights came on when I inserted the card key.
The room was excessively clean.
Really excessively.

Swish.

Lee Ilwoo ran his fingertip along the corner of the table, where there was mostly dust.
Nothing came off on his fingertip.

“There’s not a single speck of dust. I don’t know if we can find anything like this.”

I shook my head slightly at Lee Ilwoo’s words.

“We’ll be able to find it.”
“How can you be so sure? I’m curious.”
“Because the decisive evidence hasn’t been found.”
“Decisive evidence… do you mean the murder weapon?”
“Yes.”

I checked the shoe closet first.
I also turned on my phone’s flashlight and shone it in various places.

“The client, Ms. Lee Juyeong, clearly stated that there were needle marks on the victim, Ms. Lee Jimin’s arm. This was also clearly revealed in the autopsy.”

I knelt on the floor and bent down to check under the bed.

“But if you look at the case file I checked at the police station, there’s no mention of a syringe anywhere.”

Swish.

Following my lead, Lee Ilwoo checked the drawers throughout the hotel room.
He didn’t forget to completely pull out the drawers and check beyond them with a flashlight, just as Choi Suhyeok had done at the motel.
Generally, when people look for something, they usually only check inside the drawers.
Lee Ilwoo’s action just now was like a reflex of a well-learned behavior.
The way he looked back at me for a moment was also like that.
I pretended not to see and lifted the mattress, calling out to Lee Ilwoo.

“Mr. Lee Ilwoo, can you help me lift this?”
“…Yes.”

Of course, there was nothing under the mattress either.

Thud!

“On the day of the incident, the suspect never left the hotel even after reporting Ms. Lee Jimin’s death.”

Furthermore, a syringe would be caught at immigration without a proper doctor’s note.
Both when leaving and when entering.
I roughly tidied up the scattered blankets and opened my mouth.

“Do you remember when we met Mr. Kim Jeonghyeon at the cafe?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Kim Jeonghyeon is overly obsessive-compulsive. He tried not to show it, but he would put the cup down at the same angle every time he took a sip. The same went for the desk. It was excessively neat.”

Lee Ilwoo looked at me with a surprised expression for a moment.

“Would a person like that break the murder weapon? Or would he throw it away?”
“Hmm… I don’t think so.”
“Yes, such an obsessive type would be more likely to hide or keep the murder weapon in a place only they know, rather than breaking or getting rid of it. That way, they feel at ease.”

Of course, it’s different in an urgent situation.
But Kim Jeonghyeon had a meticulous personality.
The autopsy report said there were signs of CPR on Lee Jimin even after she had died.
He must have put on an act to look like a husband who had lost his wife.

‘After killing her, hiding it, reporting it, and acting as if nothing happened…’

I thoroughly searched the entire hotel room with Lee Ilwoo.
From behind the TV to behind the closet, behind the desk, behind the nightstand next to the bed, and I didn’t forget the bathroom, really everything.
After even moving the king-size bed frame, we were literally soaked in sweat.

“Haa…”

Even Lee Ilwoo, who rarely sweated, had beads of sweat on his forehead.

“It’s already been two hours.”

I muttered, checking the clock on the wall.
Lee Ilwoo’s gaze also briefly went to the clock.
The time was already past midnight and it was dawn.

‘Am I really not going to find it this time…’

Actually, I had been quite lucky so far.
So much so that I couldn’t deny it.

[You’ve worked hard. But it’s been a long time, and it’s a hotel… It’s not your fault, lawyer.]

The hologram whispered slowly in my ear, but I didn’t feel at ease.
The victim was only twenty-one years old.
And it was her first trip abroad.
The late-born younger sister who had whispered to her older sister that it was a secret, afraid that her parents would not let her go if they found out.
And the youngest daughter who never returned…
The incomprehensible death of a beloved family member…

Thump.

I lay down on the bed where Lee Jimin must have last lain.

‘What was she thinking here. At the end…’

There are so many forms of death in the world.
So much so that it might be a kind of blessing to have a natural death.
As soon as I lay down on the bed, the tension that had been building up for the past few days was released, and my eyelids became heavy.
I covered my eyes with my hand and let out a sigh.
I could feel Lee Ilwoo’s quiet gaze on me.
I forced my heavy eyelids open and spoke to Lee Ilwoo.

“Let’s just call it a day, we…”

At that moment, a shiver ran through my body.
I couldn’t even think of rubbing the back of my neck, which had goosebumps, and I just stayed frozen with my head up.

“Lawyer? What’s wrong?”

A corner of the ceiling was glowing red.