Kill Your X Chapter 66

Although the change was rather sudden, my father seemed quite pleased with my attitude of obediently groveling. At times like these, he’s a person whose inner thoughts are transparent.

The call finally ended after he had dragged out his nagging, which I didn’t want to hear, to the fourth verse. Although his existence was bothersome, it seemed my father didn’t think I would openly step forward and cause trouble.

I suppose that’s to be expected of a son who has lived his entire life quietly within the boundaries set by society. I never imagined that living cautiously as a coward would be helpful in this way.

“Gyujin, are you leaving now? Should Mom ask the bodyguards to accompany you, at least to the house?”

My mother followed me as I came out with a small travel bag.

“It’s okay. I plan to stop by the library first, not home, because I have to apply for reinstatement.”

“It’s so sad to send you off so suddenly, my son. Call if anything happens. Okay?”

“Yes, Mother. Go inside and rest.”

After a brief hug, I left the house. I got into a taxi I had called in advance near my home. The destination was not the university library, but Seo Seunghan’s house.

The large officetel complex, located on the outskirts of the city, looked as quiet as usual. I had worried that, in the worst-case scenario, the Kumto gang members would still be camped out, but thankfully, there was no one in the house. Judging by the clear shoe prints left all over the floor, it seemed they had already swept through the place.

It was most likely that day. The day CEO Kang called me from a restricted number.

Seo Seunghan has been arrested by the police, and there’s still no word from CEO Kang. It was strange how his name, despite being the CEO of KNT Entertainment, was conspicuously absent from the media.

Surely, he hadn’t been branded a traitor and already dealt with. As my speculation reached that point, a chill ran down my spine.

“He said it’s in the dress room, under the built-in closet.”

Unfortunately, I had no time to wallow in anxiety. I was worried the intruder’s hands might have reached this far, but thankfully, the item CEO Kang mentioned was safe under the built-in closet. A small revolver that looked brand new at a glance, and spare bullets.

Searching the closet further, I found a bulletproof vest, still in its packaging. It was the kind Seo Seunghan had started wearing under his shirt before leaving the house at some point. The first impression I had after trying it on was, ‘It’s heavy.’

So this is how heavy the effort to protect a life is. A man who lived as if his own life was worthless, must have endured this kind of weight every day from the moment he decided to save me.

“My one and only life feels precious all of a sudden. Is it because it wasn’t even mine to begin with, but a borrowed one?”

To survive until the case is closed. An unprecedentedly grim goal had emerged in my utterly ordinary life. Had I gone mad from the stress? As I left the house with the gun, adrenaline strangely surged through me.

“What do you mean there’s no evidence that Seo Seunghan isn’t the culprit?”

I touched the gun tucked at my waist. It was time to put everything back in its place before it was too late.

✽✽✽

Meeting my collaborator was easier than expected. The man, who had shown reluctance when I first revealed my identity, immediately scheduled a meeting when I offered to help him find the true culprit of the past police disappearance case.

We met at an outdoor park. Despite the late hour, he wore a cap pulled down low.

“You’re Detective Nam Jinhwa, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Song Gyujin.”

“Please, sit.”

Detective Nam, the initial whistleblower who had targeted my father’s corruption, looked far more haggard than the Ma Yubin I’d seen on the news. He was the very picture of someone who hadn’t slept or eaten properly for days and was socially cornered.

“I never dreamed that Song Jeonggun’s son would come looking for me, not Song Jeonggun himself. Did your father send you by any chance?”

“No. I am here today purely of my own will, and it has nothing to do with my father. And my offer to help with the disappearance case is also genuine.”

“So, why would you, Gyujin, do that?”

His gaze on me was filled with intensity. Putting myself in his shoes, it would have been stranger for him to let his guard down easily in this situation.

“It would take all night to explain the reason. For now, let me just say that my father and I are on very bad terms. Also, I have overlooked the truth until now for certain reasons, but it has become difficult to do so any longer.”

At that, Detective Nam let out a hollow laugh. He didn’t seem to believe me.

“Song Gyujin. I have a daughter myself, so I get the gist of it. What child in the world would do something like this just because they don’t get along with their father? I don’t know what truth you claim to know that made you call me out of the blue, but.”

“The place where your colleagues are buried.”

“What?”

“About eleven years ago, I happened to overhear my father talking to someone on the phone at night. That night, my father went out late and came back at dawn. He was a man who often worked late, so the family didn’t have any particular suspicions. A few days later, we heard the news of Detective Kang Junseop’s disappearance.”

Detective Nam turned his body completely towards me and listened intently.

“And not long after, the same pattern repeated itself. After overhearing the second call, I secretly followed my father out of curiosity, and there, I witnessed the crime scene. My father… harming Detective Choi.”

At the specific testimony, Detective Nam’s eyes widened. Then, he grabbed my hands and asked desperately.

“Is it true, is it really true? Are you saying you know the exact location where the two of them are buried?”

“I’m certain.”

If not, I should seriously be in a mental hospital.

“Where is it? Let’s go there together right now. We have no time to waste here.”

I grabbed Detective Nam, who was about to stand up, and pulled him back down.

“Detective Nam. There is one thing I’d like to ask you before that.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s say we find the missing victims’ bodies here. What is the likelihood that it will be used to reveal the truth without any distortion?”

Detective Nam’s face, which had been momentarily excited, turned serious.

“Sss. The situation isn’t very hopeful. The prosecution and police are already practically one body, and Song Jeonggun’s side has completed their media takeover. Even if evidence comes out, they’ll just deny it no matter what.”

“Even if the results from the National Forensic Service examination come out definitively? For example, if my father’s bloodstains were detected near the bodies.”

“It depends on how conclusive the evidence is, but for someone who’s been a police officer for that long, finding an excuse or two to get away with it is no big deal. Besides, wasn’t your father in the violent crimes unit for quite a while?”

I became lost in thought. Finding the bodies was good, but I was worried about what would happen if the evidence, unearthed with such difficulty, failed to serve its purpose. The case was already more than ten years old. It was uncertain what state the bodies buried underground would be in, or if there would be any definitive evidence of my father’s involvement.

The silence unintentionally dragged on. Perhaps fearing I would change my mind, Detective Nam began to earnestly persuade me.

“I fully understand what you’re hesitating about right now, Gyujin. It would be a disaster if you finally mustered up the courage, only for it to end up being for nothing. Moreover, with this, you will be turning against your father in front of the whole world.”

“My relationship with my father is not an issue. It was as good as ruined the moment I decided to reveal the truth. I’m just….”

Detective Nam suddenly knelt down on the cold ground. Startled, I shot up from my seat. In the dark of the night, he begged and pleaded with me, someone young enough to be his child.

“Please, I’m begging you. Too much time has passed while I hesitated, thinking ‘it couldn’t be,’ even with the real culprit right under my nose. My police career ended long ago, but I just want my innocent, sacrificed colleagues to have a peaceful final journey. Only then will I be able to close my eyes.”

A disappearance case that was closed so easily that even the colleagues who had worked with them found it strange. Detective Nam felt immense guilt for not having raised his voice more at the time. I carefully placed a hand on his trembling shoulders.

“Don’t worry, Detective. There is no way I will change my mind now.”

“Thank you. Gyujin, thank you so much.”

The transferred sorrow calmed my own mood. I waited for Detective Nam to compose himself before I spoke.

“By the way, Detective Nam, if you don’t mind me asking, are you in a situation where you can move around freely right now?”

Detective Nam immediately understood my roundabout question, which I’d asked so as not to sound rude.

“You mean, has a lawsuit been filed against me? Not yet, but it’ll arrive soon. Your father must be very busy right now trying to frame the actor put forward by the Kumto gang as the culprit.”

Detective Nam immediately referred to the key figure of the Kumto gang, who was caught a few days ago, as an ‘actor.’ I learned a new piece of information: that this was one of the common slang terms used in that industry.

“That’s surprising. Is it common to frame a completely different person as the culprit and have them arrested instead?”

“It’s common. This isn’t just for gangsters; it’s the same for regular companies too. Whether it’s embezzling slush funds or manipulating stock prices, the real big shots never go to prison. A suitable person below them goes on a ‘vacation’ in their place.”

“But their record gets a red line and they get incarcerated. How is that a vacation?”

“Gyujin, would you not go if they offered you 3 billion won on the condition that you rot in prison for three or four years and then get out? Perhaps the metaphor doesn’t hit home for you since you were raised so delicately, like a flower in a greenhouse.”

After his sarcastic remark, Detective Nam quickly apologized upon seeing my disgruntled expression.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t been in my right mind lately. I can’t even distinguish friend from foe anymore.”

“It’s alright. You’ve been subjected to too many unnecessary attacks.”

It was I who had overreacted, since it was a matter concerning Seo Seunghan. After amicably exchanging apologies, we planned our next step.

“Anyway, I don’t care about anything else as long as I can find my colleagues’ bodies right now. But where on earth is the location?”

“It’s Mt. Woojung in Posan-eup, Gyeonggi Province.”

“Posan-eup? That’s not as far as I thought. Let’s go up there together as soon as the sun rises tomorrow morning.”

An uncharacteristic liveliness returned to Detective Nam. He seemed excited that after digging around by himself for so long, there was finally a sign of a breakthrough.

“Detective. Since we’re going to cause trouble anyway, let’s do it right. We can’t find the bodies only to let their side claim we fabricated the evidence, can we?”