“I’m sorry. I just need one more day.”
Seongyu’s shouting blasted through the receiver.
Yieum held the phone away from his ear for a long while.
Seongyu had thrown a fit, asking if Yieum was seriously doing this to him when he had a date tonight, but the moment Yieum offered double pay, he accepted without hesitation.
After ending the call, Yieum rubbed both hands over his tired face and replayed the video on his computer.
He had been reviewing CCTV footage from nearby stores and black-box recordings from parked cars, working outward from the crime scene, but nothing useful had turned up.
“Drink some coffee while you work.”
Namsu set a takeout coffee beside him and pressed both hands firmly into Yieum’s shoulders.
“Get some rest. I’ll take over.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll do it. You go organize the report for the Mansik case. The team leader wants it on his desk by tomorrow morning.”
Namsu dragged a chair over and sat close beside him, eyes fixed on the screen.
The black-box footage showed hikers heading up the mountain, but none of them carried anything large enough to hold a body.
“That’s weird. It’s not like they dropped the corpse out of the sky.”
“It would’ve been possible in the middle of the night. It rained hard a few days ago too.”
“Ah, when it poured? Still, wouldn’t it be hard to move alone?”
“Maybe he wasn’t alone.”
As Yieum kept his gaze locked on the screen, Detective Lee Yong-bok walked in.
“You’re here, Detective Lee.”
“Traffic was insane. This is why I hate Fridays.”
Lee Yong-bok handed him a manila envelope.
Yieum accepted it and pulled out the contents.
The first photo showed the dismembered body laid out on an autopsy table. An elaborate tattoo covered the victim’s back, stretching from his shoulders all the way down to his buttocks.
“They didn’t just butcher him. They practically minced him. Crazy bastard.”
Yieum turned to the next page, where the victim’s personal details were listed.
Before he could read them, Lee Yong-bok explained.
“Name’s Yang Taek-il. Thirty-seven. You remember that incident at the Grace Hotel a while back? Dozens of gangsters got into a knife fight. Three dead, I think.”
“I saw it on the news.”
“After that, their group expanded fast. Swallowed up most of the nightlife businesses nearby. Then some Busan guys came up and joined them, and they turned into a nationwide organization. Yang Taek-il was one of theirs. Mostly handled the businesses.”
“What are they saying?”
“That they don’t know anything. But who knows what goes on in gangsters’ heads? Backstabbing is practically their specialty.”
“What about the last place his phone signal was picked up?”
“A bar. I stopped by on my way here. They said he got dead drunk that night, so they put him in a taxi. We’ve already issued an alert for the cab. I’ll go by his house tomorrow. But the bar madam said something strange.”
“What?”
“Apparently he kept bragging that he was about to come into a lot of money. He’s the type who boasts whenever he drinks, so she thought it was just his usual nonsense.”
“I’ll stop by there. Send me the address.”
As Yieum received the address from Detective Lee, his phone vibrated.
It was a message from Noh Seongyu.
I fed him, and he took a bath by himself.
He had even sent a picture of himself and Yeongsik looking oddly friendly.
A small laugh escaped Yieum.
But he couldn’t simply laugh it off.
He had already sent an official request to the station in the jurisdiction where Yeongsik had been found. He had even made a personal appeal. Still, there had been no news.
Does he really not have any family?
Lost in thought, Yieum organized what he knew so far and turned back to the monitor.
In the pitch-black footage, his eyes gleamed with sharp focus as he searched for even the smallest clue.
“Kim Yieum, are you even human? You said you’d be early. Do you know what time it is—”
“I sent the money. Check.”
Seongyu immediately checked his bank balance.
A smile spread across his face.
“Aww, my dear Detective Kim. Why send so much? You work so hard protecting the safety of our citizens. As your friend, how could I not help with a tiny little favor like this?”
“Then send it back.”
“Never mind that. About Yeongsik. That kid’s weird.”
“Why? Did his memory come back?”
“Memory, my ass. The second he opens his eyes, he wants to go to the playground.”
“Kids like playgrounds. You just don’t know because you don’t have nephews.”
“They play all day? Kids?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit. I’m never having kids.”
With that, Seongyu gathered his bag and clothes.
“I’m leaving. Jiyeon’s waiting.”
“Tell Ms. Jiyeon I’m sorry. I’ll buy you two dinner later.”
“What dinner? You don’t even have time to come home. Just take care of yourself.”
Seongyu waved him off and left.
Yieum headed into the bedroom.
Yeongsik was lying perfectly straight on the bed, asleep.
Good. He stayed on his side.
Yieum undressed, went into the bathroom, filled the tub, and soaked for a long time.
After only snatching naps at the station, every inch of his back and waist ached.
Freshly washed and changed, he returned to bed and lay down quietly.
The moment he closed his eyes, sleep pulled him under.
He didn’t know how long he’d been out.
When he finally stirred, it was because he felt strangely trapped.
Yieum forced his eyes open.
A pair of firm limbs were wrapped around him like vines.
He pushed the arm away and turned his head.
Yeongsik was staring at him, dazed and half-asleep.
“Uh… you’re awake?”
His face was far too close.
Uncomfortable, Yieum subtly shifted back.
Yeongsik immediately burrowed into his arms.
Yieum stiffened and looked down at the top of the man’s head.
The man was at least a handspan taller than him, yet there he was, burying his face against Yieum’s chest.
He must have used Yieum’s shampoo, because he smelled faintly familiar.
“Mister… where did you go…? I was scared…”
His voice was absurdly low.
Yieum grabbed his shoulders and tried to gently push him away, but Yeongsik didn’t budge. Instead, he hugged him even tighter.
Yieum wanted to shove him off and ask what the hell two grown men were doing like this, but considering Yeongsik had the mind of a child, it wasn’t that simple.
“Mister, why didn’t you come yesterday?”
Yeongsik lifted his head and looked up.
In the dark, his gaze was slow and sleepy.
“Are you a police officer, Mister? Your friend said you were. He said police officers are busy every day.”
“That’s right. It’s busy and exhausting.”
“But it’s cool. I want to be a police officer too when I grow up.”
“…”
“Oh. Right. I’m already grown up.”
He giggled.
His sharp eyes curved softly, making him look like an enormous, strangely cute dog.
Yieum took the chance to pry Yeongsik’s arm off him.
“Can you let go now? I don’t like being held.”
“Pat me…”
“What?”
“Pat, pat…”
Yieum squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again and patted the man’s shoulder.
He took back what he’d just thought.
Not cute.
Creepy.
Please regain your memory and go home, he prayed silently.
Preferably to a family that was desperately searching for him.
A moment later, everything went quiet.
When Yieum nudged him, Yeongsik didn’t react.
Carefully, Yieum slipped free, grabbed a pillow, and left the room.
There was no way he’d get proper sleep beside him.
He went to the guest room, lay down, and closed his eyes.
It felt like only a moment had passed before his alarm rang.
Morning had already come.
Yieum sat up groggily and lowered his feet toward the floor.
Then he froze.
Yeongsik was curled up on the floor beside the bed, fast asleep.
Why is he here…?
A sigh escaped him automatically.
The man was sleeping curled up like a caterpillar, without even a blanket.
Yieum considered waking him, then silently covered him with his own blanket instead.
He closed the door carefully and stepped out.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Who would come this early?
Curious, he checked the intercom.
His older brother stood outside.
Yieum opened the door, and his brother immediately walked in.
“What took you so long?”
“What are you doing here this early?”
“Let me sleep. I’m dead tired.”
“Why are you sleeping here?”
“I got kicked out by your sister-in-law.”
“What? Why?”
“She caught me taking cash from her wallet.”
He said it so brazenly that Yieum thought he’d misheard.
For a moment, he could only stare.
Yieum’s brother was a prosecutor.
A capable and fairly respected one at that.
The problem was that this same man, known at the prosecutors’ office as a cold-blooded bastard, acted like he had a screw loose the second he left work.
According to him, it was because he used up all his energy on the job.
Yieum had never understood it.
“You’re a prosecutor, for God’s sake…”
“I didn’t plan it. The wallet was just sitting there, so I peeked inside, and before I knew it—”
“That’s exactly what thieves say. ‘I didn’t mean to.’”
His brother ignored him and headed straight for the small room.
Worried he might wake Yeongsik, Yieum hurried after him.
“What’s this? You had a friend over? You should’ve said something.”
“Not a friend. He’s staying here for a while because of certain circumstances.”
“Then why is he on the floor when there’s a perfectly good bed?”
His brother moved closer and looked Yeongsik over with open admiration.
“Damn, he’s built. Does he work out? Look at those arms. He could probably take down a bull.”
He reached out as if to touch him.
Yieum quickly stopped him and dragged him back.
“Leave him alone and sleep in the master bedroom. Don’t wake him up.”
His brother ignored the warning and tilted his head.
“That’s weird.”
“What is?”
“Why does he look so familiar?”
Yieum’s heart gave a small jump.
“Have you seen him before?”
“No, not him. But he looks a lot like someone I know. That guy was shorter and skinnier, though.”
“Who?”
“Some bastard. Screwed me over last year.” His brother clicked his tongue, suddenly irritated. “Just thinking about it pisses me off again. I’m going to catch that son of a bitch someday and throw him in jail myself.”
His brother stormed off into the master bedroom.
Left alone, Yieum looked down at Yeongsik, still deep asleep.
He doesn’t seem like a bad person.
He couldn’t imagine Yeongsik as some villain.
Besides, he was sleeping so peacefully, not even twitching.
Yieum watched him for another moment, oddly fascinated, then left the room and started making breakfast.