Chapter 337 - Mistaken Identity

It didn't take long before Jackson received a message back from Kwon: "Tattooing is illegal in Korea, so all tattoos like this one are done by the same man. He does them exclusively for gang members and contractors. A dragon clutching a white pearl means that that person can be hired for extortion and kidnapping. A red pearl means they can be hired for extortion, kidnapping, and trafficking. If you ever come across someone with a black pearl, you should be careful. It means they can be hired for anything, including trafficking, r.a.p.e, and even murder!"

A contractor for extortion and kidnapping? These words struck a chord with Jackson. He immediately circled to the front of the man again and looked him up and down. His face was swollen but he suddenly realized why he sensed some familiarity. Pulling out his phone, he began to compare a photo that Emerson had gotten from Avaleigh of her father. Although it was an old photo and the man in front of him had lost a lot of weight and aged a fair bit, it was clear that they were the same person.

Halia looked over Jackson's shoulder curiously and gasped, "Isn't that him? But younger?"

Jackson put down his phone and nodded his head, "Herman Song..."

Herman lifted his head in surprise when he heard his name. How did these people know his name all of a sudden? It couldn't have been because of his tattoo...he wasn't the only person with a tattoo like that...

"How do you know my name?" he grumbled as he narrowed his eyes.

"Someone actually sent me to look for you. What a coincidence!" Jackson replied as he showed Herman the photo he had.

Fear immediately appeared on the man's face, "Why do you have a photo of me and my daughter?"

"Your daughter's been worried about you..." Jackson said.

Before he finished what he wanted to say, Herman suddenly blurted, "Are you still following my daughter? Leave her alone! I already told your boss that this was my last job. After this, I'll get out of his way."

Jackson furrowed his brows with confusion. What was this man talking about? "Has someone been threatening you?" he asked.

Herman saw the confusion on the man's face, "Didn't Ewan send you?"

"A friend of your daughter's sent me..." Jackson replied with slight curiosity in his eyes. Who was this Ewan? Why did Herman look so scared?

"Ava?" the man's eyes softened. "Why did my daughter's friend send you?"

"An extradition request is currently being processed for you. You are wanted for a murder in Hong Kong. Your daughter's been worried about you. The victim was Korean so your extradition may be refused and you will be eventually arrested and tried here in Korea. Murder in Korea could give you the death sentence..." Jackson explained. "I suggest you hand yourself over to the Hong Kong authorities before Korea gets involved."

Everyone in the room fell silent as they listened to the conversation between Jackson and Herman. "Is he the man that you came to Korea to look for?" Sean asked in surprise.

Jackson nodded. Even he was a little surprised. What a small world.

"Murder?!" Herman suddenly exclaimed. "What murder? I've never killed a person in my life!"

Herman looked at Jackson innocently and shook his head.

"Mimi Chan," Jackson replied as he raised an eyebrow. "You were at the hotel on the day that she died and you were caught entering her room..."

Herman quickly shook his head, "I was there at the hotel, but I never entered that b*tches room. I was simply there to see my daughter and make sure she was safe."

Jackson analyzed the way that the man was speaking and his movements. He was either a really good liar, or he was telling the truth. At that moment, Jackson glanced at the man's tattoo again. Someone that managed to murder a high-profile person, escape from the authorities, and trigger a manhunt across two countries sounded like an experienced killer. But, from what Kwon said, someone like that would have a black pearl tattooed to them, not a white one...

"Do you have any proof?" Jackson asked.

"I was in the hotel lobby all night. I saw her return but leave not long after with the CEO of her PR agency. I was worried that something urgent had happened, so I sat in the lobby and waited for her to return. While I was there, I chatted with a young pregnant woman. I was never a good father, but I do remember when Avaleigh's mother was pregnant and the sleepless nights we endured after she was born, so I shared my experience with the woman. After I saw Avaleigh return around 1am, I was relieved and left," Herman explained.

The man seemed to be telling the truth, but there was something that Jackson still didn't understand.

"Why have you been watching over your daughter so closely. From what I know, you've been stalking her for a while. You even followed her to Hong Kong this time. From my experience, obsessive behavior like this could lead to murder," Jackson said.

Herman quickly shook his head, "8 months ago, I was walking past a promotional event when I saw the girls from Macaron performing on stage. At that time, I didn't know Avaleigh was my daughter. I was in prison for 6 years, and before that, I had absolutely no contact with her and her mother, so I didn't recognize her at all. But, that day, I noticed Avaleigh's mother cheering for her below the stage and realized who she was. After that, I attended a few more of her events to see her. I just wanted to see how she was doing and what kind of life she now led. Unfortunately, one of my enemies noticed my interest in her and began to look into it. I had already been receiving death threats for a while at that point, but a man named Ewan suddenly contacted me a month ago and said he was going after my daughter. So, I had no choice but to follow her to Hong Kong, just in case. If anything, I suspect Ewan killed Miss Chan."

"Why would he kill her?" Jackson asked.

"I received a message the day after she was killed. You can check my phone," Herman said.

Jackson immediately went to find the message that the man was referring to. At 2am, the day after Mimi was killed, Herman did indeed receive a message from an anonymous number, "I warned you. Your ex-wife's next."

"I was confused by the message, but I immediately rushed back to Korea to check on Avaleigh's mother. Avaleigh was under the protection of the Hong Kong police because of Mimi's murder so I knew I didn't have to worry about her. Now that I think about it...there could be a possibility that Ewan mistook Mimi for my daughter..."