Amending Analysis Results
"So, you're saying the driver, knowing the victim would come here, drove at high speed and intentionally hit the victim, and then crashed his car over there to avoid injury to himself?"
It's suspicious.
If we view it as the driver intentionally hitting the victim, it makes plenty of sense.
However.
"But you do know that what you just said, Inspector Lee, cannot be evidence that the driver hit the victim with malicious intent, right?"
Ju-won, who had conveyed the suspicion Terra raised to DetectiveKim Seok-ho, nodded.
"Yes."
There is no evidence yet that the driver caused the accident intentionally.
Of course, the opposite is true as well.
"So we must check."
Ju-won headed towards the car, and Detective Kim Seok-ho followed behind him.
Of course, he didn't have a pleasant look on his face.
'He's starting again.'
Click.
The car door closed, and the police car carrying Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho headed towards the driver's house.
[Victim: Kim Mi-yeon, Age: 29. An ordinary office worker at a small to medium-sized enterprise.]
Inside the car heading to the driver's house.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Ju-won read the case file once more, and Terra summarised the key details of the case.
[Special note: Orphan.]
'Orphan?'
[Yes. It is content appearing in the remarks section at the very bottom of the last page of the file.]
Ju-won turned the pages to examine the last page of the file.
[Victim Kim Mi-yeon is an orphan, and as no contacts of acquaintances were found, she was classified as a deceased person without family or friends.]
At Terra's words, a sigh burst from Ju-won's mouth.
[Are you upset?]
'I don't feel good about it.'
[Then you simply need to uncover the exact cause of victim Kim Mi-yeon's death.]
'Right, a traffic accident that might be a murder case. I just need to uncover the truth of it.'
[Even a perfect crime cracks from a single tiny speck. What Mr Ju-won must do now is find that speck.]
"...A speck, huh."
Ju-won nodded.
Then,
"Pardon?"
Detective Kim Seok-ho, who was holding the steering wheel, turned his head slightly.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking to myself for a moment."
"Ah, right."
And Detective Kim Seok-ho's head turned back to the front.
Ju-won also moved his gaze back to the file and spoke to Terra.
'Right, if it was a murder case where the driver intentionally hit the victim, why?'
[There might not have been a clear reason. Like in the case of a random killing.]
'True, but it could have been resentment. A desire for revenge, or a personal grudge...'
Ju-won's eyes rolled.
Then, he flipped through the file and stopped at the page where the personal details of the victim and the perpetrator were written.
Victim Kim Mi-yeon - Hankuk University Graduate Driver Go Sang-yeop – High School Graduate
'If the driver had the intent to commit murder, it means the two knew each other... where would two people with different addresses have met?'
[Do you wish to find commonalities between the two?]
'That's right.'
[I will analyse based on the information obtained so far.]
It was then.
Screech— The car stopped with a sound.
They had arrived at the driver Go Sang-yeop's address.
"Ah, thank you for driving, you suffered..."
"Inspector."
At Detective Kim Seok-ho's word, Ju-won's head turned.
"Let's not make a big issue out of our problem."
"Pardon?"
"I'm saying let's not waste energy on a case like this for nothing. It's likely a simple traffic accident anyway, so if you go poking around asking the driver if it was intentional murder or whatever, and word leaks to reporters, it gets tiring with talk of coercive investigation or making up records."
"Detective, but a victim has died..."
"We are just going to check, just check."
Ignoring Ju-won's words, Detective Kim Seok-ho opened the driver's side door and got out.
Driver Go Sang-yeop's house was on the 3rd floor of a multi-family housing unit.
Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho climbed the stairs.
Simultaneously, Terra was speaking the analysis results inside Ju-won's head.
[There is no contact relationship between the two people within the current data. Residence, place of upbringing, school, workplace. All are different.]
'Then if it really was intentional murder, there's a possibility it was a random killing.'
[Yes, random killings are a type of murder that has been increasing radically recently. However, there might be a connection between the two within information we do not possess. Please consider this.]
'Okay.'
Ding-dong ding-dong—
Detective Kim Seok-ho pressed the doorbell of driver Go Sang-yeop's house.
Bang bang!
"Mr Go Sang-yeop? Are you inside?"
Ding-dong ding-dong—
Click!
Soon after, the door opened.
"Who is it?"
A young man with dishevelled hair as if he had just woken up, wearing a white sleeveless top; it was the driver Go Sang-yeop.
"Police."
"Police...?"
Go Sang-yeop's face stiffened slightly as he looked at the police ID, but soon he opened the door wide.
"Ah, please come in. It's because of the traffic accident, right?"
"Yes, then we'll excuse ourselves for a moment."
Inside Go Sang-yeop's house, it was tidy.
A kitchen without a speck of dust, a neatly organised living room.
The master bedroom seen through a slightly open gap was the same.
The duvet on the bed was angled so perfectly one could say it was a hotel.
"You must live alone?"
"Ah, yes."
Nodding at Ju-won's question, Go Sang-yeop took a seat at the dining table, and Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho followed him.
"We will ask just a few simple questions. Thank you for making time for us when we visited so suddenly."
"Not at all, I should cooperate."
[He appears to have absolutely no wariness.]
'Indeed.'
Ju-won looked at Detective Kim Seok-ho, and Detective Kim Seok-ho began the questioning.
"Why were you passing near the scene on the day of the incident?"
"The night before, I ate alone nearby. Since it's a famous restaurant open 24 hours, I sat there for quite a long time and was coming home around that time. Ah, naturally I didn't drink alcohol."
"Yes."
Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho nodded, and at the same time, Terra's voice was heard by Ju-won.
[Immediately after the accident, Go Sang-yeop reported it to 119, and a breathalyser test was conducted by the police who were dispatched together, but no alcohol concentration was detected at all.]
'So it wasn't drink-driving.'
Ju-won asked.
"Did you eat the meal alone?"
"Yes, I originally like eating alone. I don't have a partner either."
Hearing Go Sang-yeop's answer, Ju-won spoke inwardly to Terra.
'Is there no CCTV footage from the restaurant he said he ate at among the data? I need to verify whether it's certain he ate alone or not.'
[There is not. Since the case was classified as a traffic accident rather than a murder case from the start, nothing has been collected other than data from the accident scene.]
This time Detective Kim Seok-ho asked.
"By the way, you aren't working, I assume?"
"I quit. I couldn't just live on as if nothing happened when a person died due to an accident I caused..."
"Ah, I see."
Nodding, Detective Kim Seok-ho looked at Ju-won.
A look asking if he had any more questions.
Ju-won opened his mouth.
"Did you not know Ms Kim Mi-yeon?"
"...Pardon?"
Go Sang-yeop's eyes widened.
"Ah... yes. We were strangers."
"You seem to know who Ms Kim Mi-yeon is?"
"Pardon?"
His flustered pupils.
Go Sang-yeop spoke quickly.
"Ah... that victim... isn't she?"
"Correct."
"But why..."
"You said she was a stranger, but it seems you know her name accurately."
"Ah... I didn't remember well either, but since the detective asked, I just guessed it must be the victim..."
Then, Detective Kim Seok-ho's sharp gaze turned towards Ju-won.
A warning look not to escalate matters any further.
However, Ju-won did not listen to Detective Kim's warning.
No, he couldn't listen.
The substantive truth had not yet been revealed, and suspicion and questions were essential to reveal that substantive truth.
Because that was necessary for the victim, and even for the perpetrator if there really was no intent.
Ju-won looked at Go Sang-yeop again.
Then he asked.
"Have you perhaps heard of skid marks?"
"Skid marks?"
Go Sang-yeop shook his head.
"It refers to the phenomenon where tires melt due to the friction of the road surface and adhere to the road surface when sudden braking is applied."
"Ah..."
"They are usually found frequently at traffic accident scenes. Because drivers are startled at the moment of the accident and step on the brakes urgently."
"...."
"However, there were no skid marks at this accident scene. Almost as if you didn't apply sudden braking because you knew an accident would occur..."
Then,
"Inspector."
Detective Kim Seok-ho blocked Ju-won's words and whispered quietly.
"Let's stop here. If that person starts raising his voice saying you're framing him as a murderer or suspecting him, the problem will become big..."
But it was then.
"That's not it."
At Go Sang-yeop's tearful voice, Detective Kim Seok-ho stopped speaking and turned his head.
"I, I didn't know... I just turned the steering wheel a little early because it was a quiet road, I never imagined a person would be there... I didn't even think to step on the brake... It was an accident... A truly unlucky accident..."
Go Sang-yeop looked at Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho with eyes full of tears and said.
"I'm sorry... Because of my mistake, a person's life... I'm sorry."
The attitude of the perpetrator apologising and genuinely reflecting.
"I, I heard the victim had no family, but if any relatives appear, I will actively make compensation... Even just to show my apologetic heart..."
A heart willing to actively compensate the victim.
[All are factors that can reduce the sentence according to the Sentencing Commission of the Republic of Korea. According to the case file, driver Go Sang-yeop has also submitted several letters of apology. There is a high possibility that the court will sentence him to a fine or a suspended sentence. Of course, only if it is an accident.]
Ju-won quietly watched Go Sang-yeop.
Then he jumped up and walked around the house.
As expected, a tidy living room floor.
Walking slowly, Ju-won slightly opened the master bedroom door.
"Ex... excuse me, what are you..."
Go Sang-yeop just sat at the dining table and watched Ju-won.
With pupils floating with question marks.
Creak—
The master bedroom door opened with a sound.
"Hmm."
Scanning the tidy master bedroom with his eyes, Ju-won turned his body.
Just as he was about to return to the dining table.
[Amending analysis results.]
'What?'
Ju-won frowned.
"Why, Inspector?"
Then, seeing Ju-won's expression change, Detective Kim Seok-ho approached Ju-won.
Go Sang-yeop remained motionless.
Ju-won asked inwardly.
'What are you talking about suddenly?'
[There was one blue handkerchief between Go Sang-yeop's clothes in the wardrobe. That handkerchief is a hiking souvenir from the '2030 Hiking Club'. Victim Kim Mi-yeon was also a member of the same club.]
'...They knew each other?'
[Yes, but Go Sang-yeop pretended not to know the victim Kim Mi-yeon.]
'That means he's hiding something.'
[Correct.]
'Then there's a high probability it's an intentional traffic accident.'
[The probability that it is a murder case, not a traffic accident, is over 90 percent.]
Detective Kim Seok-ho, who had approached Ju-won, scanned the master bedroom that Ju-won had scanned.
"What's wrong, Inspector?"
However, Ju-won was only looking at Go Sang-yeop sitting at the dining table.
Then,
Thud thud.
Ju-won approached Go Sang-yeop at a fast pace.
"D-detective, why are you..."
As Go Sang-yeop flinched at Ju-won approaching with a scary face, Ju-won, having come right up to his nose, smiled broadly and said.
"May I use the bathroom?"
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