Chapter 134: Laughing?

TL: Aniea

‘This fucker....’

Kang Woo-ju, staring this way from beyond the glass with eyes full of contempt.

On top of that, even after being harshly criticized. Kim Hee-tae did not carelessly open his mouth.

No, to be precise, he couldn’t. The eerie energy emanating from Kang Woo-ju had sewn his mouth shut.

‘What the hell is this guy?’

His first impression was unmistakably that of a softie. At most in his late twenties, with the appearance more suited to a gigolo celebrity than a detective.

He didn’t know why someone like this had come to see him, but that didn’t matter.

Years of solitary confinement had been unbearably boring, and even visits weren’t allowed for him.

No matter who the other person was, if he could forget this boredom even for a moment. That was enough. But then.

‘...he suddenly changed.’

The softie who had silently listened while he rambled on. At first, he thought it was because he was terrified.

Even those so-called profilers or violent crimes detectives who had interrogated him couldn’t suppress their gag reflex once he started talking.

Let alone someone who threw out silly questions like, ‘Don’t you feel guilty?’ He believed they’d be plagued with nightmares and lose sleep over it.

He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought, so he’d gotten a bit carried away with his words. But he didn’t think it would be a problem.

-Pathetic.

That is, until Kang Woo-ju, who had just been quietly listening, opened his mouth.

Suddenly letting the strength drain from his body, he slowly raised his index finger and pressed the microphone.

Even though he didn’t speak loudly, his low voice filled the entire visitation room. It echoed in his ears like a reverberation.

‘More than anything, that look in his eyes bothers me.’

Like staring into the eyes of a doll, with no warmth whatsoever. In them was an unmistakable boredom that couldn’t be hidden.

Something very familiar yet unfamiliar. Kim Hee-tae soon realized what it was.

“You're one of us too, huh?”

-.......

Kang Woo-ju remained silent, but the unwavering look in his eyes said everything.

Smiirk-

The corners of Kim Hee-tae’s mouth reached his ears. He relished the electrifying sensation flowing through his entire body.

“Ahhh....”

It had been such a long time.

He was so excited he couldn’t stand it.

How long had it been since he’d felt emotions like this?

Shiver-

Kim Hee-tae crossed his arms and hugged his own shoulders. His whole body heated up with uncontrollable trembling.

‘He’s different from the others!’

This guy ‘understands.’

Not some clumsy fake empathy or leading interrogation to extract the truth, but truly evaluating his actions as art!

How joyful it was to be able to share pure appreciation with another human being!

“...Heuuuhh.”

At the same time, it hurt his heart.

Such a scathing evaluation.

He didn’t care what the noisy monkeys said to criticize him. Those fools would never understand him, even if they died and came back to life.

But this guy was different. Perhaps he was the only one in this lonely world who understood him.

His evaluation was the pure truth, stripped of all unnecessary human emotions.

-I had a feeling, but you’re no different from the other morons. That’s why you got caught by the pigs and are jerking off in here. Dumbass piece of shit.

No, that’s not true!

Don’t lump me in with those idiots who acted out of blind lust!

He wanted to shout that. But Kim Hee-tae knew better than anyone how pointless such a plea would be to the man in front of him.

-It’s a story I already know.

He had known everything and still evaluated him that way. The reason Kim Hee-tae couldn’t easily refute it was because, to some extent, he agreed with him.

He hadn’t even reached his target double digits. Like a monkey, he got swept up in the moment and made a fatal mistake.

He was a death row inmate without parole. No matter what he did now, he could never get out of here. The story of ‘Kim Hee-tae’ was already over.

‘...What should I do?’

Tap tap tap-!

Kim Hee-tae began biting his nails. Already worn to the point of uselessness, they no longer served their function, and blood spurted from his fingertips.

He glanced at Kang Woo-ju, but instead, the look in his eyes had grown even colder than before.

“......!?”

As expected.

He saw him rise from his seat.

Just from the sight of him turning his back without hesitation, he realized that tricks like before would no longer work on him.

‘No no no no...!!’

Kim Hee-tae screamed internally. He knew that if he let him leave like this, he would never get the chance to see him again.

How rare it was to meet someone like him. The idea of remaining in his memory as just another idiot was unacceptable.

Tremble tremble tremble-

As anxiety surged to the top of his head, Kim Hee-tae’s legs began to shake, and his panic-stricken eyes darted back and forth frantically.

‘...Should I tell him?’

His greatest masterpiece.

Something not even the police knew about, never revealed to anyone until now. Something he alone had kept to himself, its existence.

Of course, strictly speaking, it was nothing more than an experimental piece created in pursuit of a more perfect tenth, but even so, it was on another level compared to the other failures.

He didn’t know what this guy’s collection looked like, or how many pieces he possessed. But something of this quality had to be rare.

‘...If it’s that, he’ll definitely see me differently.’

And maybe, after being moved by his work, he might even fulfill the dream that he himself couldn’t complete.

Click-!

While he was hesitating, Kang Woo-ju was already turning the doorknob. At the same time, the guards waiting outside entered the room.

Seeing this, Kim Hee-tae's eyes rolled back, and he violently pushed back his chair and grabbed the microphone.

The guards reached out with firm hands to pull him away, but they couldn’t stop a man consumed by madness.

“...Number 8! I have Number 8!”

“This bastard! He won’t let go!?”

One of the guards, unable to bear it any longer, pulled out the truncheon from his belt, but Kim Hee-tae clung desperately to the microphone and screamed.

“You know what it means, don’t you!? Once you see it, you’ll regret comparing me to those other idiots!? Aren’t you curious!? If you’re curious, come find me again.... Urk!”

“Get him out of here now!”

Under the beating of the guards, even the strength in Kim Hee-tae’s hands gave out. Yet, his gaze remained fixed beyond the glass.

Though Kang Woo-ju did not turn back and left the visitation room despite the desperate screams, Kim Hee-tae saw it, the momentary pause in his step.

‘Got him!’

Smiirk-

Even as he was dragged out by the guards, Kim Hee-tae smiled brightly like a child.

***

“...Wait a moment. Woo-ju ssi, what are you talking about? You’ve found a new victim? Did I hear that correctly?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

After finishing my visit with Kim Hee-tae and leaving the prison, I headed straight to Mirae Department Store.

Kim Eun-ha, who had been in the middle of work, immediately noticed the urgency on my face and postponed everything else to speak with me.

“Sigh.... What on earth is going on?”

After hearing the full story, Kim Eun-ha clutched her forehead and leaned back on the sofa.

This was exactly why I had agonized so much. Whether telling her about this case was the right choice, or if it might trigger a trauma. But still.

‘To solve this case quickly, I absolutely need Eun-ha ssi’s help.’

The very reason I was able to meet Kim Hee-tae one-on-one in the first place was thanks to Kim Eun-ha’s ability.

Even if I tried to hide it, there was no way to keep it from her ears, since she knew everything about my every move.

As I looked at her with eyes full of guilt, Kim Eun-ha let out another sigh, slowly got up, and said,

“Let’s hand it over to the police.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not sure if this is the right way to say it, but Kim Hee-tae is completely immersed in my performance right now. He won’t open his mouth to anyone else.”

“.......”

Kim Eun-ha narrowed her brows and looked at me with drowsy eyes. It felt like she had so much to say that she didn’t know where to begin.

As I quietly waited, Kim Eun-ha, having sorted her thoughts to some extent, opened her mouth again.

“Think about what’s the most important thing for you right now, Woo-ju ssi. Isn’t it finishing the movie shoot successfully and gaining the Chairman’s recognition?”

“That’s correct.”

“And someone who knows that... sigh. Seems like you’ve gotten too immersed in your acting. But let’s not forget, you’re an ordinary civilian. How do you think you can handle a psychopathic criminal?”

She was absolutely right.

Even if I was pretending to be a prosecutor, I was still a fake in the end. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure how far I could go myself.

“Still, if I stay silent, we may never find the victim. If they have a family, someone could be endlessly waiting for someone who will never return.”

“Aren’t you underestimating our police a bit too much? Just give them a clue that there’s a new victim, and they’ll take care of the rest.”

“If it were something that could be solved that easily, it would’ve already been uncovered. The Kim Hee-tae I saw was full of confidence. He’s certain that he’ll never be caught.”

“.......”

Unlike usual, I didn’t back down even an inch, and Kim Eun-ha went silent, glaring at me.

She probably knew too, that there was no other way unless I stepped up myself.

But she was worried I wouldn’t be able to focus properly on the film shoot.

“I understand what you're worried about. I can’t just blindly say everything will be fine, but I’ll do my best to ensure that the movie filming proceeds without any issues.”

“You think I’m doing this just because of a movie!?”

“Sorry?”

Suddenly, Kim Eun-ha shouted. Her fierce reaction, unlike anything I’d seen before, left me stunned for a moment.

But it didn’t look like she intended to explain further, she just bit her lips in frustration, and an awkward silence fell between us.

“...Fine. I’ll help you.”

The one who broke the silence was Kim Eun-ha. She added an explanation in a much colder tone than when I had first asked for the visitation.

“Thank you-”

“But!”

Kim Eun-ha raised her index finger and firmly cut off my words, then quickly continued.

“Woo-ju ssi’s role is strictly limited to extracting information. Visiting the scene yourself or anything beyond that, I absolutely will not allow it.”

“That’s more than enough.”

“And! From now on, don’t even breathe a word about wanting to meet with criminals or anything else dangerous. The moment you do, I’ll tear up the contract and everything else.”

“.......”

With a deadly serious expression, Kim Eun-ha stared at me, and I responded with a heavy nod full of sincerity.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“.......”

Even after that, Kim Eun-ha continued to glare at me for a long while, and I, having no excuse, silently endured her gaze.

After we locked eyes for quite some time, I finally realized what it was that she was worried about.

“Eun-ha ssi.”

“What. Now. What is it!?”

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

“.......”

Another wave of awkward silence. But for some reason, it felt much softer than before.

With a warmth blooming in one corner of my heart, the corners of my mouth twitched without me realizing it.

“Are you smiling?”

The atmosphere in the room instantly froze. Sensing I had made a mistake, I tried to back away, but Kim Eun-ha was a step quicker.

“You really have no idea how people feel!”

“W-Wait...! Ugh-!”

There was no need for further words between us. Her intense emotions had been conveyed perfectly through the contact of our skin.

*****

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