Along with the God of Law - Chapter 380



Only Noblemtl

380.

Slurp.

“It’s delicious.”

“Yes. That Chinese restaurant over there was delicious.”

Usually, when we think of ‘undercover investigation’, we think of moments filled with tension and tranquil silence where not a single breath can be heard.

However, Kang Hyun and Baek Hoon-sik are on the rooftop of a shabby two-story barbershop across from the supermarket.

I sat down at the table and ordered some jajangmyeon and fried rice while waiting for the time to come.

Even the villagers who heard the news came to see the two little by little, chatting with them and giving them information.

“There was a rumor that the flower beggar was originally the son of the CEO of a large corporation.”

“That’s right, that’s right. You can tell by the look on his face.”

“So at first I said hello and talked to him.”

“Oh, by the way, I’m the president of the women’s association here. Prosecutor Kang Hyeon is really handsome.”

The barbershop downstairs must have been the neighborhood hangout.

In that situation, question marks began to form in Baek Hoon-sik’s mind.

‘What on earth is Chief Kang Hyun thinking? Is this how you catch the criminal?’

It’s just noisy and doesn’t seem to have any latency effect.

‘If I’m going to wait here like this, I’d rather hide inside the supermarket.’

Whether he knew Baek Hoon-sik’s worries or not, Kang Hyun surprisingly treated the residents who passed by after hearing the news kindly. He smiled at them, answered them quickly, and even asked them questions.

“Have some coffee with this.”

“No, it’s okay. But, Mr. Kim, has your supermarket been in business here for a long time?”

“Haha, that’s right. Mr. Kim, you raised your children by doing business here and sent them to college.”

“You’ve worked hard. You’re a great person.”

“Of course. He’s never fought with anyone, and he’s a very kind person.”

Kang Hyun’s expression is peaceful.

It was the complete opposite of Baek Hoon-sik’s expression, which was filled with anxiety and doubt.

“Excuse me, sir.”

“yes?”

“Is there any point in lying in wait like this?”

“Oh, are you feeling a little uneasy?”

“No, no. It’s too… comfortable.”

“Well, that’s good. Let’s keep waiting.”

In response to Baek Hoon-sik’s question, which he had tried hard to answer, Kang Hyeon only gave an ambiguous answer, saying, “Let’s wait.”

If there had been even a little bit of lack of reputation and trust in Prosecutor Kang Hyeon, Baek Hoon-sik might have declared his return right away.

but.

After a latent mealtime that began in the evening, another hour or two passed and it became completely dark.

I gradually began to understand why Kang Hyun had been waiting here, ‘in hiding, not hiding’.

Drrrrrr!

Everyone who had visited the barbershop went home, the lights went out, and the shutters went down.

“The shutters have been temporarily put down.”

“?”

While Baek Hoon-sik was questioning Kang Hyun’s words, the barber shop owner, who was getting ready to leave work, came up and greeted him.

“Excuse me, please lock the rooftop entrance door with this and leave it under the flower pot. Thank you for your hard work, and please catch the culprit.”

“Take care. Thank you for your cooperation in the investigation.”

“Yes, I’m leaving work.”

Finally, when the barber shop owner left, Kang Hyun’s expression suddenly changed as if he had been waiting.

“From now on.”

“yes?”

Kang Hyun glanced at his wristwatch to check the time, then with a different expression on his face than before, he pricked up his ears and began to focus on the supermarket across the alley.

Why on earth, what does that mean?

Although Baek Hoon-sik didn’t ask a question, his face showed that he didn’t understand, and thankfully, Kang Hyun looked at him first and gave him an answer that cleared up his doubts.

“Have you checked the original CCTV footage recording of the incident?”

“yes yes.”

“What’s strange?”

“The suspect showed up exactly on the second or fourth Tuesday. Other than that….”

“There’s more. The suspect opened the window and entered between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM, and within 1 minute and 30 seconds, he took the items inside the warehouse and left.”

“… Yes? That’s… .”

Baek Hoon-sik, who was about to say, ‘Couldn’t it just be a coincidence?’, realized that he couldn’t just overlook this part.

“Oh, after the barbershop owner leaves work?”

“Yes. I excluded that time because there were a lot of people and the lights were bright in the building across the street. The barbershop’s closing time is 8 p.m. The theft occurred before 9 p.m., when Mr. Kim returned.

According to the CCTV footage, the crimes were committed at 8:10 PM and 8:13 PM. Since the crimes were successfully committed not once but twice at similar times, if the incident were to occur again, it would likely be committed at similar times and in a similar manner.”

“However, since Mr. Kim Joo-in has already posted warning signs on the wall since securing the first CCTV, I don’t think he’ll come again… .”

Baek Hoon-sik tilted his head as if the answer was still not satisfactory.

“But then a second crime happened. At the same time, in the same way.”

“Do you think Mr. Kim Joo-in has any ill intentions or is trying to mock him?”

“No. According to the information I’ve gathered from the barbershop so far, Mr. Kim has a good reputation and has never done anything that would make anyone feel bad about him. In other words, it’s not that he’s doing it out of malice or resentment, but it’s highly likely that he’s doing it for a living. So then?”

“ah!”

Baek Hoon-sik was surprised by the fact that Kang Hyun’s judgment was not based on guesswork or rough estimates, but on rational inference.

‘So, have you gathered information by talking to the residents at the barber shop so far? Have you even pinpointed the time of the crime?’

Kang Hyun had already decided on the culprit in his head.

So, Baek Hoon-sik also tried to recall the suspect’s face while organizing the current situation.

Then, I saw a face here and there.

‘Are you a flower beggar?’

After 8pm, when the lights in the building across the street are completely turned off.

And the crime is committed before 9pm when the supermarket owner returns.

The culprit knows the routines of this neighborhood well and knows his surroundings inside out.

When considering the reputation of ‘Kim Joo-in’, the theft was not due to grudges or anything like that, but was solely for ‘livelihood purposes’.

Finally, the townspeople are friendly and know each other so well that it is impossible to force an alibi.

After excluding these various conditions, there are not many people left.

No, it is reasonable to assume that it is just one person.

That’s right, that homeless person.

“Really, that flower beggar?”

“fizzle.”

Kang Hyun-eun gestured to Baek Hoon-sik while sticking his face out to look down the alley.

Baek Hoon-sik realized that Kang Hyun’s actions were not random, so he quickly bent down and quickly approached the alley below the rooftop from where he could see it well.

“…!”

A man was seen loitering around a supermarket with the lights on and the doors locked.

The man glanced at the sign posted on the door that said, “Please call if it’s urgent. I’m back from church,” and seemed to be trying hard to read the letters.

Just like that for a little while.

Wouldn’t it be like quickly crawling into the back, between the supermarket and the building next door, through a really narrow gap?

“What, what is it? Is it a cat?”

“It’s down there. I think there’s no other entrance.”

Kang Hyun spoke to Baek Hoon Sik with a still relaxed expression.

If he, not Kang Hyun, had figured this out on his own and discovered the scene of the theft, he might have danced in delight!

“Yes, yes, yes! Understood. Quickly, run down!”

“You don’t have to run. You still have time.”

Kang Hyun did as the barbershop owner said, closed the rooftop door, placed the key under the flower pot, and went outside by slightly raising the shutter that was halfway down on the first floor.

Baek Hoon-sik almost stamped his feet, out of breath, at the constant leisurely movements.

but.

“There it is.”

As I came down the alley and turned my gaze towards the supermarket.

A man appeared, wearing beggar’s clothes, his long, matted hair fluttering about, holding a cup of ramen in one hand and a bag of chips in the other.

The ‘flower beggar’ was peeking out of the alley as he struggled to squeeze his way through the narrow alley.

“Uh… Should I arrest him in the act?”

“Rather than that, I think it would be better to have a meal together first. Then, we can go back to Qing together with someone else.”

Baek Hoon-sik nodded. Even though he had already eaten jajangmyeon and fried rice for dinner, he was so overwhelmed by Kang Hyun’s amazing insight that he couldn’t refuse what he said.

* * *

Slurp! Slurp!

A sundae soup restaurant located slightly inside from the outskirts.

Kang Yoon-ki, the man known as the flower beggar, began to inhale the noodles as if he was possessed.

“You must be hungry?”

Slurp, slurp!

Baek Hoon-sik spoke clearly and politely, using precise words, but the other person pretended not to hear him and remained absorbed in eating with his face buried in his bowl.

In fact, he pretended not to hear, and it seemed like he didn’t understand what he was saying.

Following this, supermarket owner Kim Joo-in and several church acquaintances received a call from Kang Hyeon and came into the store to gather around him.

“Oh my! I knew this would happen.”

“Why did you do that? Huh? What would happen if you took someone else’s belongings so recklessly?”

This time, Kang Yoon-ki lowered his head and made a sullen expression, as if he understood what was being said. Kim Joo-in banged his chest with his fist as if he was frustrated. Then, he made a completely different expression towards Kang Hyun.

“Now, if I go to trial, I’ll be found guilty, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Since he was caught committing a crime, we now have crucial evidence.”

If there is no evidence, the trial will be held on foot and a guilty verdict will be reached.

Baek Hoon-sik was proud that Kang Hyun had easily solved another case with ambiguous evidence and spoke on his behalf.

However, Kang Hyun’s expression was slightly ambiguous. It seemed as if he was a little dissatisfied with Baek Hoon-sik’s answer.

“That’s it, Mr. Kim Joo-in.”

“Yes, inspector?”

“Do you by any chance plan to petition for exemption from punishment for Mr. Kang Yoon-gi?”

“Huh? What is that?”

“I want you to write a petition asking that Mr. Kang Yoon-ki not be punished. Since you caught him at the scene, please educate him well so that something like this never happens again.”

“Ah, no… Inspector… Then what’s the use of what I’ve done so far?”

I couldn’t sleep or eat properly because of stress.

After months of delayed court appearances, I spent my days shaking with the knowledge that the defendant had disappeared.

But Kang Hyun, who came to solve this, suddenly asked me to express my intention not to punish him.

That can’t be possible, right?

But before Kim Joo-in could say anything with an angry expression, Kang Hyun began to explain his logic in a calm and composed voice.

“The crime of theft is aggravated when it is habitual. It is also aggravated when a building is broken into at night. However, it was not committed in an organized manner, and there was no joint action by two or more people.

In particular, the value of the crime item is less than 100,000 won, the crime is a livelihood crime, and the defendant is likely to be hearing or speech impaired.

“Since he can be judged as a person without legal capacity under civil law, we cannot expect him to show sincere reflection, and since he does not have a fixed residence, it does not seem possible to receive compensation for damages.”

“Ha, but… .”

“How about another way instead? Another way for Mr. Kim to experience telephone recovery.”

“Yes? What method…?”

Kang Hyun immediately picked up his cell phone and called someone.

“Director, this is Kang Hyeon. I have a good story for you.”

reporter?

“Yes. It’s about a small alley supermarket owner on the outskirts of Shillim continuously helping homeless people who commit petty theft to get back on their feet. Is that your intention? Just a moment.”

As Kang Hyun cast his gaze at him, Kim Ju-in turned her head to the people she knew from the church nearby.

‘preceding’

They were all nodding their heads with their eyes shining brightly.