The Legendary Detective Catches All the Criminals - Chapter 141



Only Noblemtl

◈Episode 141◈

The deciding blow

Jo Il-hwan looked at Shin Dae-seong nervously.

He used all his sources to get information, because he was truly a formidable opponent.

“Detective Shin, you must also keep your promise.”

“What promise did I make?”

“If our children have no direct connection to the Han Yu-jin incident, please let them go.”

“Of course you should. Professor Cho, please promise me one thing.”

“What do you mean?”

Shin Dae-seong looked around at the people in the counseling room and said.

“Please convey the opinions of parents through Professor Cho. This will enable the investigation to proceed smoothly.”

“Okay, I will do that.”

Then Shin Dae-seong approached the four students.

In some ways, it has a similar atmosphere to a courtroom.

Principal Ha Dong-su was the presiding judge, Jo Il-hwan was the lawyer, Shin Dae-seong was the prosecutor, and four students were the defendants.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Confess everything honestly and ask for leniency. Since you’re still minors, there’ll be plenty of room for leniency. But······ You don’t want to do that, do you?”

“······.”

“I gave you a chance, and you rejected it.”

Kim Han-gyeol chimed in and said.

“Detective Shin just said something scary. If you refuse to confess, you will be subjected to a brutal investigation. Your lives are now over.”

“!”

The moment the students flinched, Shin Dae-seong began asking questions.

“Who uploaded this video?”

Shin Dae-seong gestured to the video that appeared on the school bulletin board.

“······.”

“I got a reply from the Dawn Lab. They sent me the test results that say there’s a high chance that the video is fake. Someone must have been trying to cover up your crimes.”

Jo Bo-ram, Jo Il-hwan’s daughter, answered on behalf of the group.

“We don’t know.”

“You guys didn’t do it? You’re lying… right? Then it must have been your family’s doing.”

Shin Dae-seong turned his head backwards.

“Professor Cho, is this your doing?”

“no.”

“Then, Chairman Lee Tae-soo, is it you who did it?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Shin Dae-seong looked at those who arrived later.

“Is this the work of Ms. Ko Yeon-ja, a big shot in our country’s private loan market?”

“I came running in a hurry without knowing anything. I was out of my mind when I heard that my granddaughter was in trouble.”

“Then, is it you, Chairman Min Deok-sul?”

“Why would I do something like that for a kid like that? I feel like sending him to prison right now.”

A faint smile spread across Shin Dae-seong’s face.

His partner, Kim Han-gyeol, knew very well what that meant.

“Chairman Min’s acting is no joke. As soon as he came in, he beat his son as if he was going to kill him… You moved faster than anyone else?”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s no use trying to evade like that. You’ve just landed on Detective Shin’s radar. Who did you order to do this?”

Min Deok-sul continued to evade the question.

“I didn’t do anything. If this continues, I can’t stand it anymore.”

“Let me explain further. Detective Shin was falsely convicted of murdering his wife and spent 20 years in prison.”

“But?”

“Do you know why Detective Shin was convicted? It was because of that fake video.”

“!”

“The quality of the video from that time and the video on the bulletin board are similar. The guy who convicted Detective Shin must have made the video on the bulletin board as well.”

“Absolutely not.”

Kim Han-gyeol smiled brightly and asked Min Deok-sul.

“What do you mean it can’t be? Didn’t Chairman Min say he didn’t know anything about the bulletin board video?”

“······.”

“This may be a case where the belly button is bigger than the stomach. The entire unsolved case task force was mobilized because of the bulletin board video. We will catch the person who requested the video, the producer, and the distributor.”

Shin Dae-seong opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Chairman Min······ Please tell us who created this video. Then we will make sure that your son will not suffer any disadvantages because of this issue.”

Jo Il-hwan said earnestly.

“Don’t be fooled. This is a ploy to divide us.”

“Did that sound like what I said? Well, let me put it another way. If you don’t reveal the creator of the video, your son will be the only one who will suffer. If you think that the person who killed my wife… could be you?”

“What! I just handed over the money······.”

“Chairman Min!”

Jo Il-hwan quickly dissuaded Min Deok-sul.

“Don’t say anything from now on. That’s best for Chairman Min and the children.”

Min Deok-sul immediately shut his mouth, and Shin Dae-seong did not press him any further.

An atmosphere that has been swept by a storm.

Shin Dae-seong asked the student who looked timid.

“What were you guys doing at the time of Han Yu-jin’s death?”

Jo Bo-ram answered as a representative.

“Are you asking me to give you an alibi?”

“Yeah, you’d better not lie. We’ve already finished investigating the alibi. Jo Bo-ram, should you speak first?”

“I was at the academy at that time.”

“Lies······ You are given a warning. What about you, Lee Yu-hyeok?”

Chairman Lee Tae-soo’s youngest son, Lee Yu-hyeok, answered.

“I was at the academy at that time too?”

“The academy that Jo Bo-ram was at.”

“Yes, that’s right. Seungchan and Jia were there too.”

“You guys live your lives so comfortably. I thought you’d just let it slide if I kept arguing like that······ Detective Bang?”

“Yes, Detective Shin!”

Detective Bang Jin-woo quickly stepped forward.

“Tell me what those kids were doing the day the incident happened.”

“The time of Ms. Han Yu-jin’s death is estimated to be 10:30 p.m. At that time, the suspects were wandering around the building where the death occurred.”

“Any witnesses or eyewitnesses?”

“Please check this.”

Detective Bang Jin-woo plugged the USB into his laptop.

“This is footage from 10 minutes before the incident. The suspects were not at the academy, but near the area where the incident occurred. It’s in the exact opposite direction from the academy.”

“The suspects might have skipped school to play.”

“Then this video doesn’t explain it.”

Detective Bang Jin-woo played another video.

“This is the building next to where the incident occurred. This is the scene where they ran away in a hurry at the time of the incident. A little while later, this is the scene where the police arrived.”

“What about the CCTV of the academy the suspects attend?”

“They say it broke down that day, of all days.”

“Witnesses who saw the suspects?”

“There were quite a few.”

Shin Dae-seong asked back with a surprised expression.

“Really~?”

“I called you because you are important witnesses.”

“Good job. When there is conflicting evidence, there must be a verification process. Where are the witnesses who saw the suspects at the academy?”

“There are too many people so I asked them to wait outside. I am with the local police.”

“Tell them to come in now.”

“All right.”

-Knock knock.

Detective Bang Jin-woo opened the door and shouted.

“All witnesses to the academy, please come in.”

A considerable number of students came in. There were students from not only Cheongdam Arts but also other schools. They even waved to the detectives without telling them.

Shin Dae-seong asked the witnesses.

“Did you all see the four students here?”

“Yes, that’s right. I definitely saw it.”

“I remember the time exactly. It was 10:30 at night.”

“Lee Yu-hyeok, Jo Bo-ram, Min Seung-chan, and Go Ji-ah were there together.”

Shin Dae-seong asked again to confirm.

“Could it be that I have mistakenly seen similar people?”

“How can that be? If they were separate, I wouldn’t know······ How can there be four similar kids at the same time? And they’re even wearing the Cheongdam Arts High School uniform.”

“Even I think that’s impossible?”

“That’s right! Those kids have nothing to do with the Han Yu-jin case. We’re all witnesses.”

“That’s right, if we’re lying, I’ll bite my tongue and die.”

They strongly supported the rulers.

But the parties involved did not look happy at all. They could not stop them because of the detectives.

Shin Dae-seong asked the witnesses again.

“Are you sure you saw the four people here?”

“I told you so.”

“Okay, then can you look at my laptop screen here?”

Shin Dae-seong played the CCTV footage to them repeatedly.

A male student asked, biting his tongue and threatening to die.

“What is this?”

“This is CCTV footage from the time Han Yu-jin died. It’s near the building where she died, and in the exact opposite direction from the academy. How can the same kids be in two places?”

“······.”

Kim Han-gyeol pointed out a male student who bit his tongue and threatened to die.

“You speak on behalf of the people. How can this happen? How can there be four people who are similar to each other at the same time, and not just separately? This is absolutely impossible.”

“Well, there is such a thing as a miracle······.”

“Don’t you know how scary false accusation is? You can’t just get away with it because you’re a minor. If you intentionally obstruct an investigation, you can even be charged with obstructing official duties.”

“······.”

“What about the others? Are you sure you saw the four students here at the academy that day?”

The witness behind him silently raised his hand.

“Okay, tell me.”

“I think I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I’ll be going now.”

“Stop… What are the chances that the people here are mistaken for a group? You have to tell the truth to get out of here.”

This is when the witness students show an awkward reaction.

“Detective Bang?”

“Yes, Detective Shin.”

“Take all the witnesses to the police station and get their statements. Be sure to contact their parents.”

“Wait a minute! Can’t we just talk here? Please~.”

Shin Dae-seong answered with a smile.

“No, no. Detective Bang, take him away quickly.”

“Please, my parents said no!”

As the witnesses left, the consulting room became a little quieter.

Kim Han-gyeol said while looking at Jo Il-hwan.

“It’s 2 to 0. It won’t work against Detective Shin, right?”

“There’s no direct evidence yet, right? Are there any witnesses who saw our kids pushing Han Yu-jin?”

“Of course there is.”

“!”

“The students here are each other’s witnesses.”

“Detective Kim······ Are you kidding me?”

Jo Il-hwan responded annoyedly,

“Are you sure there won’t be any traitors among you? What if I offer a huge discount to the first person to speak out?”

“······.”

“Of course, Detective Shin doesn’t do plea bargains. Why? Because he can get the maximum sentence without any leniency by using his skills. Besides, Lee Wan-yong might wake up in the hospital and confess.”

“!”

“As you all know, Detective Shin saved Lee Wan-yong’s life. Shouldn’t you give something to the person who saved your life?”

Shin Dae-seong said to Kim Han-gyeol.

“I didn’t save his life hoping for something.”

“As expected, you are a righteous and desirable detective. It seems that the ‘Counseling Room Battle’ will be completed as I predicted. Please continue your investigation.”

Even the rulers of Cheongdam Arts High School began to waver.

As Shin Dae-seong approached, he looked at me with nervous eyes.

“Let me start with a personal curiosity. Why did you single out and harass only the descendants of independence activists? Because you are descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators?”

Min Seung-chan responded.

“I did that because I was annoyed. Okay?”

“What were you so annoyed about?”

“Other kids obey our orders, but they are the only ones who rebel and disobey.”

“Hmm~ So you’re saying that he rebelled and was bullied, and he turns out to be a descendant of an independence activist?”

“That’s right, just like my father said, Joseon guys only listen when they’re beaten. From now on, I’ll only pick on guys like that.”

“It’s a good thing I lack empathy. Any other detective would have just punched you in the face. How many people have you bullied over the years?”

“I don’t know.”

Shin Dae-seong turned his head toward the special task force for unsolved cases.

“What happened with the investigation of the other victims?”

Shin Soo-ah got up and answered.

“It is estimated that 33 people have been harassed so far. We have already received statements from 10 people.”

“Is that enough to prove school violence?”

Kim Han-gyeol spoke like a referee.

“It’s 3 to 0.”

“······.”

Jo Il-hwan seemed to have lost and had no plan.

-Jiing-.

“Detective Shin, you have a text from the Yeomyeong Research Institute.”

“What did you come here to say?”

“The fake video is a video that was added on top of the original video. We removed the fake and restored part of the original. The data came in the form of photos, not videos.”

“Connect it to your laptop and open it. Everyone here can see it.”

“All right······.”

Kim Han-gyeol connected his cell phone to his laptop, and Jo Il-hwan also looked at it nervously.

“I think this will be the deciding factor.”

-widely!

Kim Han-gyeol pressed the Enter key forcefully,

The original data sent from the Dawn Research Institute appeared on the laptop screen.