Kill Your X Chapter 72

“Anything, just tell me anything.”

“I’m trying to find a lawyer, but I don’t know anyone in that field. Do you happen to know anyone who could help, Detective?”

Detective Nam straightened his slouched posture. He shook his head a few times as if to sober up and then answered.

“Are you trying to prepare in advance for a situation that might arise? I do know a few lawyers.”

“It’s not for me, it’s for Seo Seunghan. The man who’s in the detention center right now, framed as the culprit for the Kumto gang’s crimes.”

“Why would you… Do you two know each other well?”

“You could say that, and anyway, Seunghan is also an innocent victim in this situation. We’ve found the bodies, so now we need to start solving the other problems.”

Just a moment ago, he seemed ready to do anything for me, but now Detective Nam hesitated. Is it because even if he’s an acquaintance of mine, a gangster is still a gangster?

“Ah, if it’s difficult, I’ll just look for someone on my own.”

“No, that’s not the problem. Did you say his name is Seo Seunghan? I don’t know to what extent Song Jeonggun will admit to his crimes, but for now, it’s correct to view the discovery of the missing people’s bodies and that man being arrested as a Kumto gang suspect as separate matters.”

His moment of sorrow passed, and like the active-duty detective he was, he smoothly summarized the case.

“What do you mean, they should be viewed as separate matters?”

“It means that even if the collusive relationship between the Kumto gang and Song Jeonggun is revealed to be true, it might be difficult for Seo Seunghan to clear his name completely. The ones who framed him were from within the Kumto gang, and there’s a gray area when it comes to holding Song Jeonggun responsible for that as well. Also, since the Kumto gang has actually committed more than just one or two crimes, there’s a high possibility that they’ll just proceed with this as is, to appease public opinion. Right now, one of the biggest suspicions is their involvement in the death of that rookie actor, right?”

“Yes. But Seo Seunghan really didn’t kill that actor. I may not know about his other crimes, but I can guarantee that much.”

“Tsk, Ma Yubin or whatever. Some celebrity getting involved has just caused more trouble. It was such a high-profile case that the police will try to get results from that case one way or another.”

The slightly better mood I was in didn’t even last five minutes before it plummeted. No wonder things seemed to be progressing too easily.

As I couldn’t relax my serious expression, Detective Nam asked cautiously.

“This is just my opinion, and we’ll have to wait and see to know for sure. Still, shall I look into a lawyer for your friend for now?”

“Yes, Detective. Please.”

Saying he would let me know as soon as he heard from them, Detective Nam advised me to get some sleep. Having stayed up with my eyes open until dawn, I realized I hadn’t slept soundly for a single day since being separated from Seo Seunghan.

I thought the tiresome nightmares were finally gone, but their place had been usurped by a brutal reality. A dream is over when you wake up, but I was at a loss as to how to cope when reality itself was hell.

‘Living an ordinary life. That used to be what I was best at…’

My daily life from just a few months ago felt as distant as a past life.

✽✽✽

My father, famous for being a media-friendly police officer, maintained a rare silence after this incident broke out. Instead, the current police commissioner came forward and dismissed the controversy, saying he would make a statement after the investigation was complete.

When I turned my phone on after a full day, the missed call log was in chaos. The most frequent were repeated calls from family and relatives, and friends and work colleagues had left text messages asking what was going on.

The reaction online was even more of a spectacle. My personal information had practically become public property, and on top of that, the group of citizens who had idolized my father were now lashing out, their opinions changing a dozen times a day.

Posts speculating on the identities of the other five bodies, assuming two of the seven found in the mountain were the police officers, were pouring out from everywhere. People were writing sensational detective novels, linking the case to all sorts of existing unsolved cases. It seemed the fervor wouldn’t die down easily until the official results came from the National Forensic Service.

I visited the Seoul Detention Center with the lawyer Detective Nam had introduced me to. It was the place where Seo Seunghan was staying as a pretrial detainee (未決囚).

“This is probably your first time here, Mr. Gyujin. It’s fascinating, isn’t it?”

The lawyer spoke to me in a friendly tone while we were in the waiting room. Normally, I would have made some appropriate reply, but I was so preoccupied with the thought of seeing Seo Seunghan that I could barely meet his gaze. I was more nervous now than when I was climbing the mountain with a shovel.

No matter how much he was suspected of being a criminal, hiring a lawyer is a fundamental right under current law. However, Seo Seunghan had reportedly refused to meet with anyone, including the public defender, since he was brought in. I was worried he had given up on everything, but when he heard I was coming with a lawyer, he agreed to the meeting as if he had been waiting.

Soon, guided by an officer, we entered a visitation room within the detention center.

“Seo Seunghan!”

He was sitting behind a transparent partition, wearing a khaki prison uniform. He had gotten a little thinner, but there were no signs of beatings like I had worried about. As I teared up at the sight of his longed-for face, Seo Seunghan’s expression soured in real time.

“Sunbae, who did that to your face?”

His gaze was so intense it felt like it would pierce through the dark blue bruise. It barely hurt, but as the days passed, its color became so outlandish that everyone had a similar reaction.

“It’s nothing. It doesn’t hurt at all. More importantly, have you been well? Are you eating properly? Is anyone bothering you in there?”

“I’m fine. More than that, Sunbae, I missed you.”

At his sudden heartfelt words, I finally burst into tears. The lawyer, who had been cautiously observing the emotional atmosphere, managed to interject himself into our conversation and began to do his job. Even while answering the lawyer’s questions, Seo Seunghan’s eyes remained fixed on me.

“According to the NFS autopsy results, the bodies were indeed the missing police officers. If even one piece of evidence with Song Jeonggun’s DNA is found nearby, it’s practically game over. If you add to that the testimony of Mr. Gyujin, who witnessed the situation firsthand, it will be difficult for even someone like Song Jeonggun to escape.”

Seo Seunghan reacted calmly upon hearing about the situation outside. He didn’t scold me for committing such a reckless act, nor did he praise me for having the courage to reveal the truth. He was just genuinely concerned about the injury on my face.

“The remaining problem is to uncover the collusive relationship between the Kumto gang and Song Jeonggun to clear Mr. Seo Seunghan’s name, but this is a bit more difficult since we have to poke at the Kumto gang rather than Song Jeonggun. In a situation like this, there’s no way they’ll be cooperative.”

“I have a question, is there any possibility that the Kumto gang will side with my father until the end?”

Seo Seunghan answered my question instead.

“They probably won’t. If you had to say, your father is the subordinate in this relationship, Sunbae. At first, they agreed to frame me to handle things conveniently, but now that the incident has become this big, the Kumto gang has nothing to gain by siding with Song Jeonggun. They’d sooner cut their losses.”

He was saying that no matter the outcome, it would be my father who gets abandoned.

“It seems like it would be easy if we had some solid evidence. Seunghan, do you really not have anything useful? Like the pile of drugs found in the mountain was actually handed over from someone in the Kumto gang.”

“Simply knowing something and submitting it as evidence to the police are two different things. It’s all happened and is entangled in the criminal underworld, so it can’t be neatly resolved as one single issue.”

“That’s precisely what I’m concerned about. In trying to fix one thing, two, three, four, or more problems will follow. It would be so much simpler if we could just arrest them all and achieve justice, but that’s not how reality works. This is exactly why lawyers are reluctant to take on cases involving organized crime,” the lawyer said, deep in thought. He had secured a lot of testimony from Seo Seunghan, but it was still just words, insufficient to undo the frame-up he was already under.

“Ah, what about getting help from CEO Kang? Seeing as he quickly informed you of my location and the hidden firearms, isn’t it worth a shot? If you tell me how to contact him, I can give it a try. The last call I got from CEO Kang came from a restricted number.”

Seo Seunghan showed a displeased reaction to my carefully crafted idea.

“There’s a high chance he’s already gone into hiding with full intent. Above all, he’s a dangerous person for you to approach alone, Sunbae. It’s a gamble to side with someone who hasn’t decided whose side they’re on yet.”

“But CEO Kang has helped you many times so far.”

“He’s a very fickle person. I’ve known him for a long time, but I have no idea what he’s thinking.”

As I let out a deep sigh, the lawyer wrapped up the situation. The visitation time was already coming to an end.

“Pardon me for saying so, but I think it’s best to wait and see for a little longer for now. You said a total of seven bodies were found in the mountain, right? If two of them were police officers who were sacrificed due to Song Jeonggun’s corruption, there’s a high probability that the remaining five met a similar fate. We might find something if we follow the personal information of the missing people as it’s gradually revealed.”

Fortunately, there was still some time before the actual trial would begin.

The lawyer asked Seo Seunghan a few additional questions, then packed his documents and stood up from his seat.

“Mr. Lawyer. I’ll talk with Seunghan alone for a moment.”