CH 11.6

“Mr. Kim Jiho. The details of the case are very important. Do you know that place from the start? If not, then how did you come to know it? How far did you know about that place?”

“I’m…”

I felt choked. I felt dizzy thinking that I would say this in front of Yeon Woojeong.

“My family, is in debt.”

“How much?”

“Five million…”

“I guess it was urgent.”

“I have to… pay it by next week.”

“Is it a private loan?”

“I don’t really…”

Yoo Seonah asked about the chronological order. I traced back my memories, no, because it was recently, it wasn’t hard to tell about it without needing to trace back my memories.

“Shelter. It must be a shelter for runaway teenagers.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you live in Senior Yeon’s home now. Is that true?”

“… Yes.”

“If you’re asked about this, let’s say you live in your residence as stated in resident registration.”

So Yeon Woojeong told her that we live together. Yoo Seonah corrected my answers one by one. I listened to all of that and memorized it.

Talking to a third party about my situation seemed to make my situation and position seem more objective. Yoo Seonah made me an unfortunate and pitiable person with a difficult family situation and had to shoulder the debt, so I followed Han Juhyeok out of desperation, but I didn’t know it was such a place, and I was regretting it and would never do it again. I had to be presented like that.

“Are you saying that man asked for a sexual act?”

“… Yes.”

“Very well. You found out about the drugs, then you entered the staff lounge and heard the truth from Han Juhyeok. After you made up your mind to leave, you stopped by the restroom for a minute and met the man. You were assaulted when you rejected the sexual request, and you entered the room as you escaped the situation. There was a man lying face down inside the room, and you found out the man was dead when the investigators came in.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s talk about this without anything omitted.”

I massaged my eyes, holding back a sigh. The fact that I had to tell this in front of Yeon Woojeong put a heavy pressure on my head. I bit inside my cheeks, and rubbed my eyes. From a while ago, I kept thinking of words that stuck in the corner of my head. I hesitated, but then I called Yoo Seonah.

“Attorney Yoo.”

“Yes.”

“What is a non-prosecution disposition?”

“It literally means there won’t be any prosecution. Simply put, the case will end without getting to trial. It’s when it is judged that there is no suspicion or insufficient evidence. And so on. Something like that.”

“Can that happen to someone who kills other people?”

“Well, if it’s for any of the reasons I mentioned earlier, then yes.”

Then what will happen to the prosecutor who did that even without such reasons? I couldn’t bring myself to ask Yoo Seonah. What made Yeon Woojeong think of that idea, and how disappointed he was in that process?

“Don’t worry. You are now under arrest for violating the drug control act. The test result will be negative, you’ve never dealt with drugs, and this is your first time, right? It’s the people who habitually take and sell drugs that are the problem, not Mr. Kim Jiho, a low-level part-timer who has never touched drugs.”

“… Yes.”

“And from what Senior Yeon said, though we’ll have to wait for the autopsy to find out, it was most likely an acute drug overdose. Mr. Kim Jiho, you’re just a witness who unfortunately got involved. You don’t need to feel afraid.”

I nodded. She must be right because she was an attorney Yeon Woojeong trusted. The worst was avoided. I felt glad. This was thanks to Yeon Woojeong who got me an attorney. If I were alone, I would likely take over all the blame no matter how the situation was. I couldn’t explain myself nicely after all. 

But it didn’t mean I felt any better. My head was clouded the whole time.

We spent quite a bit of time talking. Yoo Seonah yawned and then asked me.

“By the way, may I ask you what’s your relationship with Senior Yeon?”

This was the first time she asked about something unrelated to the case. She wiped away her formal expression and gave me a questioning look. 

“This is… My family.”

Yeon Woojeong’s nonchalant voice on that day as he introduced me with incredible words suddenly came to mind.

“I’m just… getting some help from him.”

“I see. Erm, I was a bit surprised, honestly. I never expected that I would get this kind of request from Senior Yeon.”

“…”

“Well, anyway. You must be uneasy because you’re young and this is your first time getting involved in something like this, but have a good rest and see you in the morning.”

Yoo Seonah got up and reached out her hand. I stared at it, then I grabbed and shook it.

I was guided to the detention room again. I didn’t feel like sleeping, but I closed my eyes. I had to sleep even for a moment so that I could talk smoothly during the interrogation. Yeon Woojeong’s face flashed before my closed eyes. I covered my eyes with my hands.

***

The interrogation room was brighter and smaller than I thought. It wasn’t because I was worried about the interrogation. My mouth dried up at the thought that I would see Yeon Woojeong soon.

Yoo Seonah told me to not act like I knew Yeon Woojeong or talk to him when I entered the interrogation room. She told me to get investigated like someone who had no special acquaintance with him. I couldn’t erase the thought that I became Yeon Woojeong’s weakness.

But the funny thing was that I couldn’t stay still at the fact that I would see Yeon Woojeong’s face. Yeon Woojeong wouldn’t want to see my face, would he? I…

The door was opened. Yeon Woojeong came in behind Lee Jeonghan. I managed to stop myself from standing up. Yeon Woojeong looked at me and Yoo Seonah expressionlessly before taking a seat and nodding. Yoo Seonah accepted that greeting, and I belatedly nodded my head.

“Let’s start it.”

Yeon Woojeong blurted out. Lee Jeonghan checked my identity, then he asked a few questions. While I answered the questions, I stole a glance at his face. He was leaning on the chair while looking down at the table. Is he sleeping? Tiredness was clear on his face.

“Did you know that they’re doing that business in the restaurant basement?”

“No.”

“Then how did you come to know it?”

Yeon Woojeong wasn’t the one who asked that. He didn’t make eye contact with me even once. I kept feeling uneasy while answering. I fiddled with my innocent fingers before clasping my fingers at the thought that Yeon Woojeong would stop me if he saw I did that.

“Are you saying that you believe you could make such a huge amount just through tips?”

“… Yes.”

“Mr. Kim Jiho, you’re twenty at this moment, right? You believed the words said by someone you knew for a moment when you were 17, and came far to Cheongdam-dong. Was there a good reason for that?”

I never had any contact with Han Juhyeok, and I was told that I should express this as a one-time incident. I was also told that just because Yeon Woojeong asked Yoo Seonah to help me, it didn’t mean that I would get to make up the stories or that I would have the interrogation easy, so I had to answer very carefully. So that the report wouldn’t be strange in other people’s eyes.

I had put myself together, but my mouth didn’t open up. Even though it was the thing I had said in front of Yoo Seonah and sorted out before I closed my eyes. 

It was so pathetic. It had gotten to the point where it would have been better if I told Yeon Woojeong up front. Getting this meeting with him, the prosecutor, in this kind of situation recorded was…

Yeon Woojeong looked up as I kept my silence longer. Yoo Seonah poked my hand under the table. I couldn’t guess at all what he was thinking. His lips soon parted.

“Are you going to refuse to comment on the question?”

My fingers flinched at the question asked stiffly. It was hard to meet his eyes now that Yeon Woojeong looked at me.

I shouldn’t declare that I couldn’t answer it here. This wasn’t a joke, and Yeon Woojeong could get into trouble.