No Place to Hide

The conversation at the cafe ended sooner than I thought.
It was because I had chosen the direct approach once again.
I slowly pushed aside my bewilderment and carefully opened my mouth.

“Detective Choi didn’t call me; I was the one who requested it. To let me check inside.”
“So, a lawyer, at the scene of a terror attack on the Prosecutor General, why?”
“A client came to see me a while ago.”

I explained what had happened as concisely as possible.
The reason why I had to come here.

“He works at Korea Defense, and the company offered to compensate him appropriately if he took the fall for the company’s wrongdoing.”

As my words continued, Yoon Gayeong’s eyebrows rippled like waves.

“While handling and investigating that case, I found out that Prosecutor General Nam Eunsuk had received bribes from Chairman Jo Hyeokjun of Korea Defense.”

Choi Suhyeok quickly turned his head and looked at me.
Lee Ilwoo looked at me with anxiety.
Because it was an act of violating a lawyer’s duty of confidentiality and revealing a crucial case all at once.

‘It’s okay.’

I nodded at him once and continued.

“If it became known that my client had hired a lawyer, we could not guarantee his safety.”
“If Chairman Jo is involved… that makes sense.”

Choi Suhyeok sighed as if in understanding.

“Yes, so I needed to divert Chairman Jo’s attention to a more urgent matter.”
“And that means was Prosecutor General Nam Eunsuk?”
“I won’t deny it. As soon as I leaked the information about Chairman Jo’s ledger to the Prosecutor General, the prosecution immediately raided HanDi.”
“Ah, so that’s why, so suddenly…”

Yoon Gayeong let out a low exclamation.

“While keeping a close watch on Chairman Jo for my client’s safety, I discovered a strange movement. I immediately informed Prosecutor General Nam to be careful, and then his house exploded.”

Choi Suhyeok took a deep breath, and Yoon Gayeong studied me as if observing me.
Neither of them seemed to think I was lying.

‘Choi Suhyeok I can understand, but Gayeong’s reaction is unexpected.’

Though Lee Ilwoo’s complexion had grown even darker.
He was now holding his forehead.
Nevertheless, I had to speak.

“Based on these circumstances, I judged this situation to be a terror attack, not an accident, and I asked Detective Choi for a favor to investigate it more thoroughly.”

With every word I spoke, Choi Suhyeok’s face had grown pale, and now he was ashen.

“…Why are you only telling me this now?”
“There was no time. I was going to tell you if I found something, but, well. This is what happened.”

Unlike me, who shrugged nonchalantly, Lee Ilwoo’s expression was still not good.
Though only I could tell, Lee Ilwoo was a person who knew what power information held and what kind of repercussions it could bring.
So his reaction was also understandable.

“Are you really okay with revealing… all of this?”

I answered Lee Ilwoo and Yoon Gayeong at the same time.
Because the way both of them looked at me was very direct.

“Because if there was even one thing that was not convincing, Inspector Yoon would not have believed me. On the contrary, the suspicion would only grow. Isn’t that right?”

I met Yoon Gayeong’s piercing gaze directly.

“Eunho, people who are afraid to make eye contact are usually people who have secretive lies. So become a person who is not afraid of others looking into your eyes.”

More things than you’d think are revealed in a person’s gaze.
Innocence, lies, emotions, love…
Just as there are things that are impossible to deny or admit with words, but possible with the eyes.

“……”

After a few seconds, Yoon Gayeong nodded her head coolly as if agreeing with my words.

“Yes, you’re probably right. This is a series of unexpected stories. So in the end, you deliberately started a fight between big shots to save your client, is that what I’m understanding?”
“Yes. Your summary is excellent.”
“Then I will organize my thoughts for a moment. The three of you can talk comfortably.”

While Yoon Gayeong was lost in thought, Choi Suhyeok just stared at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How can I not look at you like this? Things that other people wouldn’t experience even once in their lifetime, you experience every few days.”

His voice was slightly angry, but his eyes were filled with worry.

“No matter what your profession is, I’ve never seen anyone who attracts incidents like you do.”
“As a lawyer, that might be a blessing.”
“Are you serious right now? If things had gone wrong this time, you would have been caught up in it. You have to think about the people around you too.”

Choi Suhyeok glanced at the seat where Lee Ilwoo, who had gone to take a call, had been sitting until just a moment ago, and continued.

“A bodyguard’s duty is to protect. Not to be unable to leave a spot because he’s worried about you, like now.”
“Are you worried too, Detective Choi?”
“Of course I’m worried. Is that even a question?”
“Still, we have to catch the bad guys.”
“Are you a detective? The police are over here, and you are a lawyer, Attorney. Please don’t forget that fact.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”

Yoon Gayeong naturally joined in our usual bickering.
It seemed she had organized all her thoughts in a short time.

“Then this detective will help too.”

Her cool declaration surprised Lee Ilwoo, who had just returned from his call, and made Choi Suhyeok, who had picked up his coffee with all the ice melted, flinch.

Clink!

Yoon Gayeong deftly caught the glass cup falling from Choi Suhyeok’s hand and held it out to him.
Choi Suhyeok took the cup with a bewildered face.
Yoon Gayeong shook the water from her hand and spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Two detectives would be more helpful, don’t you think?”
“Inspector Yoon, what do you mean by that right now?”
“He says he’s catching bad guys. Isn’t that what police officers like us are supposed to do?”

It seemed I was the only one who found this situation natural.
Lee Ilwoo was looking at me as if asking for an explanation of the situation, and Choi Suhyeok was sending me a look as if to say, ‘do something.’
But it was a reaction I had already expected.

[…This situation?]

‘The situation is what it is. And she’s always been like this.’

On the contrary, the fact that she hadn’t changed over time made me happy.

‘So it’s a relief.’

Living a righteous life is so exhausting.
Injustice tries to break justice countless times, and you have to hold on with all your might each time.
I was genuinely glad that Yoon Gayeong had endured the past few years.

[There must be the blood of justice flowing in your family, Attorney.]

‘Is it just my imagination? Your tone is kind of playful.’

[Not at all. I mean it with respect.]

‘Gram, you seem to have changed a bit. You were so stiff, and now you’re flattering me.’

[That’s all because of you, Attorney,]

Instead of replying to Gram, who was saying something more, I posed a question to Yoon Gayeong.

“It could be really dangerous. Will you be okay?”
“Yes. You don’t have to worry about that. I’m a detective. How can I help from now on?”
“Then there’s something I’m going to do now, and I’d appreciate your utmost help. Let’s go back to the house.”

We all stood up from our seats together.

“Inspector Yoon, as you requested, I’ve called the household staff back.”
“Oh, thanks. Good work.”
“Not at all.”

Yoon Gayeong patted the junior detective’s back once and nodded at us.

“Let’s go.”

Choi Suhyeok went to call the people, and Lee Ilwoo and I followed Yoon Gayeong.
We arrived at the front yard, the only decent-looking place in the ruined house.
In front of us was a large tree, most of its branches gone and its trunk blackened.

“This is the tree that saved Prosecutor General Nam Eunsuk’s family. Do you see the wall behind it? They apparently hid there.”

As Yoon Gayeong said, the stone wall surrounding the tree was relatively intact.
Behind it, there was a space where three or four people could hide.

‘I don’t know if it was luck or what.’

“They were lucky.”

Yoon Gayeong said, as if reading my thoughts.

“In fact, it’s unbelievable that they survived an explosion of this scale. The whole family only got a few scratches from the flying debris.”

Yoon Gayeong turned her head and gestured somewhere. I turned my head as well.

“Ah, here they come. The housekeeper and the gardener.”

As Yoon Gayeong said, Choi Suhyeok and a middle-aged woman and man were approaching.

“Hey, I already told you everything at the police station, why are you calling me again? I’m going crazy as it is!”
“I’m busy too! Can you just order people to come and go like this?”
“I’m sorry, you two. But the situation is what it is, so I’d like to check one more time. Instead, you can just tell us here. Briefly.”
“Sigh…”

I approached them and immediately got to the point.

“Thank you for your cooperation. I’ll just ask a few questions. Did you see a gas tank in the garage or the backyard on the day of the incident or the day before?”
“A gas tank? Huh, that’s different from what they asked at the police station. I haven’t seen anything like that.”

The housekeeper tilted her head and then shook it.

“Then you didn’t think at all that an explosion would occur?”
“Isn’t that obvious? It’s not something that happens easily. Who in their right mind would come to work at someone else’s house knowing they’re going to die?”

The housekeeper looked at me as if to say, ‘what kind of ridiculous question is that.’
I nodded at Choi Suhyeok, sent the housekeeper away, and then questioned the gardener.

“I heard you came once a week to take care of this tree. It must be a shame to see the tree you cared for end up like this.”

As if it was not a question he had expected at all, the gardener was flustered for a moment, then glanced at the completely burned tree and opened his mouth.

“Well… I’m just glad the tree I tended to saved people.”
“Did you see a gas tank while tending to the garden?”
“I haven’t seen anything like that either.”
“Then you couldn’t have imagined that an explosion would occur?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I didn’t know!”

The gardener suddenly raised his voice. It was a similar reaction to the housekeeper’s.
This time too, Choi Suhyeok just looked at me silently.
Instead of nodding at Choi Suhyeok, I narrowed my eyes, glanced at him once, and questioned the gardener again.

“Did you receive money to place the gas tank? From whom?”

The moment I asked that question, the atmosphere around us changed.
Lee Ilwoo strode towards me, and Yoon Gayeong blocked the gardener’s retreat.

“Who said I received money!”

The ringing in my ears, which had been lightly sounding until just a moment ago, stopped.

‘So he did see the gas tank, but he didn’t receive money.’

I shook my head lightly once and took another step forward.

Thud.

“Then were you threatened instead of money?”
“W-what do you mean by that? What threat!”
“What was the threat? A threat against you, Mr. Geum Changhyeon, or a threat against your family? Or was it both?”

With every syllable I uttered, Geum Changhyeon’s face grew pale.
Choi Suhyeok grabbed the shoulder of Geum Changhyeon, who was stumbling backward to avoid me.

“I think we need to have a detailed conversation in a quiet place. Don’t you agree?”