The Legendary Detective Catches All the Criminals - Chapter 20



Only Noblemtl

◈Episode 20◈

The sky is on our side

Kim Han-gyeol whispered to Shin Dae-seong.

‘Isn’t that beyond the scope of a natural person? If you do that, your credibility as a witness will be reduced.’

‘You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The best witness is the one who tells what he saw and heard without any exaggeration.’

‘I’m anxious about standing on the witness stand in that condition.’

‘You said I looked like I was going to go swimming in a suit… But why are you whispering? You can’t hear our conversation from that distance.’

‘I think you have incredibly sharp ears, just like a real Taoist. Isn’t that why Detective Shin whispers when he answers?’

Shin Dae-seong responded in a normal voice.

“No, I accepted it because I was curious how long Detective Kim would whisper in my ear.”

After a while.

A natural witness came through the door. He spoke in a calm and serious voice.

“There are new guests?”

Shin Dae-seong bowed his head slightly in greeting.

“Hello. We are the colleagues of the detectives who arrived earlier. Thank you for your cooperation in the investigation. I am detective Shin Dae-seong from the 3rd Violent Crimes Unit. The colleague who came with me······.”

“Are you detective Kim Han-gyeol?”

Gong Cheol-su recognized Kim Han-gyeol right away.

Kim Han-gyeol asked in surprise.

“How do you know me? Are you really a Taoist priest?”

“I was your mother’s fan. A true fan······.”

“Hey, did you know that I became a natural person because of my mom’s coming out?”

“I found out about that incident here. It was a huge shock to me, even though I had already turned my back on the world. Now, I’m fine, thanks to natural healing.”

“Anyway, that’s good······ Shall we start eating?”

“I wonder?”

A sumptuous meal was laid out on the table.

It was created with all the effort of detectives from the 3rd strong team.

The natural person witness, Gong Cheol-su, smiled awkwardly and said.

“It looks like you’ve raided my warehouse?”

Kim Han-gyeol answered.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to fill it up with the best natural ingredients you’ve ever had.”

“That would be great. Where······would you like to have a taste?”

Gong Cheol-su picked up the spoon.

Then, I scooped up some of the stew in the middle and put it in my mouth.

“Hmm~ It’s okay.”

“Isn’t that so?”

The detectives from Team 3 who prepared the food were relieved.

A friendly meal followed soon after.

“This is in the mountains, so it gets dark as soon as the sun sets.”

“I’m ready to sleep outdoors.”

“This stew is truly a work of art······ Who made it?”

Detective Seo Min-ju raised her hand.

“It’s me.”

“It’s pretty good even without seasoning?”

“I used a family secret recipe.”

“Detective Seo’s father runs a big restaurant. His mother is a famous culinary researcher.”

“Somehow······the taste was different.”

Shin Dae-seong asked after seeing the opportunity.

“I heard that Mr. Gong was a teacher. I heard that he was an elementary school teacher.”

“That’s right.”

“Why did you start living a natural life?”

Kim Han-gyeol guessed and said.

“Are you pessimistic about a world where religious authority has fallen to the ground?”

“No, the stock price fell······.”

“······.”

Gong Cheol-su continued speaking with a bitter expression.

“I guess I realized the transience of life thanks to you······.”

Shin Dae-seong asked.

“Are you satisfied with your life now?”

“What is there to be satisfied with? It’s just living each day without breaking the laws of the universe.”

“After you finish eating, could you spare some time for me?”

“why?”

“It’s because of what you testified, sir. I need to check something else.”

“I already told everything to the detectives who came earlier. I don’t remember anything else.”

“Human memories do not completely disappear. I will restore the memories stored in your brain.”

“Is this like a hypnosis investigation?”

“That’s right. There’s no danger at all.”

“It’s not that it’s dangerous. I’m protected by the energy of the universe. I won’t be hypnotized······.”

“Still, I’ll give it a try.”

“Well, I guess so.”

Shin Dae-seong changed the subject.

“The sound of crickets chirping is charming.”

“There are many kinds of bugs, such as king crickets, midges, long-tailed magpies, and kingfishers. They are even louder at night.”

* * *

A night sky that looks like it’s going to be filled with stars.

Shin Dae-seong was preparing for a hypnosis investigation.

They moved the bed under the beautiful tree and laid out a blanket to create a space for people to lie down.

Kim Han-gyeol followed him around and asked.

“Detective Shin, do you know how to do hypnosis?”

“Yes, because the witness’s accurate memory is necessary for the investigation.”

“You learn anything for the sake of investigation.”

“Yes. There’s no harm in learning it.”

“I hate to say this, but shouldn’t this be left to the experts?”

Shin Dae-seong finished his preparations and answered.

“There’s no need for that. There’s no one in the country who is better at hypnotism than me.”

“Really? I thought Detective Shin learned it on the job.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you learn formally or learn over someone else’s shoulder. What matters is your ability.”

“My respect for Detective Shin is rising. Oh, and I got a call from my mom. She asked when dinner would be okay.”

“I don’t care when.”

“Do you have a favorite food?”

“No, I eat anything well.”

“Thank goodness, Mrs. Sujin is really bad at cooking. Every time I eat it, it tastes amazing.”

“Let’s talk about that later.”

Gong Cheol-su, dressed in a fresh outfit, approached Shin Dae-seong.

“Can I just lie down here?”

“Yes, please go up to the bed and lie down comfortably.”

“I am a body that contains the energy of the universe. I tell you that I absolutely cannot be hypnotized······.”

Gong Cheol-su grumbled and lay down on the bed.

“Now close your eyes. Relax. What sound do you hear the loudest? Other than my voice.”

“The sound of crickets.”

“There are many kinds of bugs here. What kind of bug sound is that?”

“Maybe it’s a king cricket. They amplify their sounds in burrows or crevices in rocks.”

“What a beautiful sound nature makes.”

“Yes······ It’s a comforting sound······.”

Shin Dae-seong’s voice changed to a whisper.

“Continue to focus on the sound of the crickets. Mr. Gong’s consciousness is gradually sinking into nature. Into the very deep, primordial nature… There, Mr. Gong becomes a being who can do anything. A transcendent being who can even turn back time.”

“······.”

“Isn’t the pristine nature right before your eyes?”

“Yeah, there is······.”

“What does it look like?”

“It’s mysterious… The sparkling lights and warm energy ripple like waves.”

“I will count one, two, three, and snap my fingers. Then, Mr. Gong, you will be sucked into the primordial nature. Are you mentally prepared?”

Gong Cheol-su nodded slowly.

“Concentrate and listen to my voice. Enter the primordial nature. One, two······three!”

-Exactly!

The moment Shin Dae-sung snapped his fingers,

A smile of ecstasy spread across Gong Cheol-su’s face.

The reaction of the detectives who were usually nearby was a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.

Detectives Choi Jang-soo and Seo Min-ju were particularly absurd.

“What? Are you hypnotized?”

“It’s missing.”

“What happens to the energy of the universe?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Kim Han-gyeol asked with his eyes wide open.

“Detective Shin, how did you hypnotize me so easily?”

“It’s not ‘simply’. I started hypnotizing him the moment I met Mr. Gong Cheol-su.”

“Really? Please teach me this too.”

“Later. For now, let’s focus on the Yoon Ga-hee case.”

Shin Dae-seong said while looking down at Gong Cheol-su who was under hypnosis.

“Now let’s go back in time. It was 12 years ago, the day when the mysterious gunshots rang out.”

“I got up to prepare for the ceremony. Then suddenly there was a gunshot! Was the poacher back? I quickly went down to where the gunshot came from.”

“Did you see the people who shot the guns?”

“Yeah, I saw it.”

“What does it look like?”

“I don’t know… It’s too dark to see well. We need to hurry up and get up for the ceremony. We can’t be late.”

“Just a moment. Mr. Gong is a transcendent being. He can stop time. He won’t be late for the ceremony.”

“That’s right, I can stop time······.”

“Think back to your memory. Did they have guns?”

“Yeah······ It looks like the guy was holding a long gun.”

“How old are the man and woman? You can tell by their voices.”

“well······.”

The area around Gong Cheol-su’s eyes twitched.

“Let’s start by thinking of the man’s voice. Was it a young voice?”

“The man didn’t say much. The woman talked a lot. The man only gave short answers.”

“What does the woman’s voice sound like? Is she a young woman?”

“No, it’s an old voice. I’m sure······.”

Shin Dae-seong said, leaning his upper body forward.

“Recall in detail your memory of that time. What exactly did the older woman say?”

“······.”

“Mr. Gong is a transcendent being. I can remember what he said.”

“Yeah, I remembered!”

Then Gong Cheol-su imitated a woman’s voice and spoke.

“You idiot, what are you so scared of? I’ll take care of the rest. Just do as planned. You’re glad that your boss-like bitch is gone. Since you found the runaway bitch, I’ll double your reward. Where on earth did things go wrong… Then I went up the mountain to perform the ritual.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Mr. Gong will fall into a deep sleep. You will wake up feeling refreshed tomorrow morning.”

Gong Cheol-su immediately fell into a deep sleep, and the detectives from Team 3 of Violent Crimes exchanged opinions.

“Isn’t it certain that the woman is Chairman Jeon Yeong-suk?”

Everyone nodded at Kim Han-gyeol’s words.

“Who on earth is that man?”

Detective Seo Min-ju said.

“It can’t be someone from the former chairman’s side. We thoroughly investigated his alibi.”

Detective Choi Jang-soo reacted as if he had caught a glimpse of something.

“You said it would be good if someone like your boss disappeared, right? Who would be happy if Yoon Ga-hee disappeared?”

Seo Min-ju answered right away.

“Maybe it’s the people from Yoon Ga-hee’s agency or the people in the film industry? I get the feeling that they had a hard time working there.”

“That’s right, there is someone close to Yoon Ga-hee who betrayed her.”

Shin Dae-seong summarized the situation and spoke.

“We don’t have time. Detective Kim and I will meet with Yoon Ga-hee’s people. Detectives Choi and Seo will stay here and wait for the scientific investigation team.”

Kim Han-gyeol let out a sigh.

“When will I meet them all? I don’t even know where her former manager and coordinator work.”

“Don’t worry. Heaven is still on our side.”

* * *

Shin Dae-sung and Kim Han-gyeol are heading to an outdoor filming location.

We woke up at dawn and set off right after coming down from the mountain.

Kim Han-gyeol, who was driving, asked.

“Why aren’t you sleeping these days?”

“I’m trying to fix my habit of sleeping whenever I get in the car······.”

“It’s so unpleasant to see you trying so hard to stay awake. I’ll turn on the radio for you.”

– This is the noon news. The investigation into the death of actress Yoon Ga-hee is being criticized by the public. Gangnam 2nd Police Station’s Violent Crimes Unit 3, which is in charge of the investigation, has a strong suspect, but······.

“It would be better not to hear this.”

-Click.

Kim Han-gyeol immediately turned off the radio.

“It’s okay, it was expected anyway.”

“I hope our chief will hold on strong. But when will Detective Shin buy a cell phone? That’s the best way to kill time.”

“That’s true. In the past, when you rode the subway, there were a lot of people reading newspapers, but now everyone is looking at their cell phones.”

“Have you ever read newspapers on the subway before?”

“······.”

“You can come to the store with me anytime. You can also buy it online.”

“I want to buy a smartphone too, but not now.”

“why?”

“I think I’ll get addicted to my smartphone.”

The main entrance to the outdoor filming set began to come into view.

“Detective Shin, you have a really good memory, right? That’s why you must have been top student at Korea University.”

“Not bad.”

“When did you memorize all the names of the actors’ managers and stylists? Do you have a memory like a camera and just memorize them automatically?”

“I wasn’t that blessed. I worked hard to improve my memory.”

“Just as Detective Shin said, heaven is on our side. Who would have thought that Yoon Ga-hee’s former manager and coordinator would all be on the same set······.”

Shin Dae-seong was worried about something else.

“You’re suddenly going to a movie set. Won’t they find you annoying for coming again?”

“No, you will be warmly welcomed.”

Kim Han-gyeol, who was driving, answered confidently.