The Legendary Detective Catches All the Criminals - Chapter 71



Only Noblemtl

◈Episode 71◈

Convenience store guy

Shin Dae-seong and Kim Han-gyeol came down to the hotel lobby.

Kim Han-gyeol looks completely relieved of his fatigue after sleeping soundly.

“I feel really comfortable hanging out with Detective Shin. If I were to come to a hotel like this with another detective, I would get the cold shoulder and say I’m being a spendthrift.”

“I drove all night and came down, so I need to get some rest.”

“Have some morning coffee and go. I’ll buy you the coffee.”

They checked out and headed to a coffee shop.

As soon as Kim Han-gyeol sat down, he checked the text messages on his cell phone.

“We’re getting a ton of calls. Most of them are just empty stories. We’ll call you when we see a strong suspect.”

“He came down from Seoul and will be in Busan. He can’t leave now even if he wants to. If he suddenly disappears, people will be suspicious.”

“Why did he come up to Seoul and commit murder?”

“Because you’ve created your own routine.”

“Is it a habit or a jinx?”

“Yes, that way, they can enjoy the thrill even more, and commit crimes with the confidence that they won’t get caught.”

Kim Han-gyeol and Shin Dae-seong continued their conversation while drinking the coffee they ordered.

“Could it be that the Gangnam Station serial killer’s body shape has changed? The montage is from 10 years ago. He could have gained a huge belly due to lack of exercise.”

“His life goal has changed to murder. Killing people is not easy physically. He must be working out hard to maintain optimal physical condition.”

“It gives me goosebumps to imagine working hard to commit murder.”

-Zeeing- Zeeing-.

Kim Han-gyeol checked the caller number and said.

“This is a call from Detective Hwang Yeo-ju.”

“Take it on speakerphone.”

-Tick.

“Yes, Detective Hwang, please speak. Detective Shin is here too.”

– I searched for men in their mid-to-late 30s living in Busan who could possibly be the Gangnam Station serial killer. I’ve currently narrowed it down to 10,000.

“Wow, isn’t it too huge?”

-Please give me some concrete information so I can reduce it for sure.

Shin Dae-seong leaned over his cell phone and spoke.

“You must have a driver’s license. You must have driven from Seoul to Busan.”

-It decreased by 100 people.

Kim Han-gyeol also said what he thought.

“He came up to Seoul when it rained. It must be a job where he can commute freely, like a freelancer.”

– It’s been posted 5 times in 10 years. Can you be 100% sure about that guy’s job?

“no.”

-Okay, ding!

Shin Dae-seong said.

“I’ll call you if I find any new clues.”

-Okay. And I’ve selected the most credible reports from among those that came in. Detective Shin and Detective Kim are in Busan, so please meet them in person.

“That’s why I came down.”

-I’ll text you right away. Good luck.

The call with Detective Hwang Yeo-ju was disconnected,

-Jiying

The text she sent arrived right away.

“Wow~.”

Kim Han-gyeol checked the text and let out a negative exclamation.

“I have more than 20 people to meet today.”

“Then, I guess I should hurry.”

Shin Dae-seong came out of work or the coffee shop first.

“Detective Kim, do you know Busan’s geography well?”

“No, I just came to hang out with my friends a few times.”

“Then let’s take a taxi.”

“Yes, that would be better.”

* * *

A four-story building in Seoul.

The first and second floors are dedicated Pilates spaces.

As Bang Jin-woo and Han Eun-kyung entered, the female employee at the information desk asked.

“What brings you here?”

Housewife detective Han Eun-kyung answered.

“Is Ms. Jeong Da-eun here? I heard she works here as an instructor.”

“Who are you?”

Han Eun-kyung showed her police identification card one by one.

“We are detectives from the unsolved cases unit of Gangnam 2nd Police Station. We couldn’t reach you on our cell phones.”

“Mr. Jeong lost his cell phone.”

“Ah, so that’s why I couldn’t contact you.”

“What brings you here, Mr. Jeong?”

“Just a quick reference check. It’ll be over soon.”

“please wait for a moment.”

The female employee at the information desk was talking on the phone somewhere.

After a while.

Jeong Da-eun, wearing leggings, approached the information desk.

“You said there was a guest who came to see me?”

“hey.”

Jeong Da-eun walked towards the direction the female employee was pointing.

Bang Jin-woo and Han Eun-kyung, who were sitting on chairs, got up.

“Who are you?”

Detective Bang Woo-jin showed his police identification card.

“This is the unsolved case unit of Gangnam 2nd Police Station.”

“Why did the police······…”

“You were at the convenience store near Gangnam Station yesterday, right?”

“yes that’s right.”

“You also borrowed money from the convenience store employee?”

“Are you here because I haven’t paid you back yet? You were going to send me off after work?”

Bang Woo-jin gestured for him to calm down and said.

“No, that’s not it. I wanted to ask you about the man I was with at the convenience store yesterday.”

“Mr. Sanghyuk?”

“Is that man’s name Sanghyuk?”

“that’s right.”

“What was your last name?”

Jeong Da-eun told him the truth about what she had heard.

“Mr. Ahn. Sang-hyeok Ahn. He said he was the representative of Samshin Electronics.”

Han Eun-kyung responded.

“Oh, you work for a big company. How old are you?”

“He didn’t go into detail, but he seemed to be three or four years older than me. Excuse me, why are you asking me this? Did Sanghyuk get into an accident?”

“No. We received a report that Mr. Sang-hyeok Ahn is the serial killer of Gangnam Station.”

“No way~.”

Jeong Da-eun strongly denied it.

Detective Bang Jin-woo said with a stern expression.

“I just got a text message. There are two Sang-hyeok Ahns working at Samshin Electronics. One is a 58-year-old executive, and the other is a deputy manager, but he is currently stationed at the US branch.”

“That, that can’t be happening······.”

Han Eun-kyung said as she sat down on the chair.

“Think calmly. What conversation did you have with that man? Tell me everything you remember.”

“It was just small talk. But Sang-hyeok, no, is the guy who lied to me really the Gangnam Station serial killer? It’s creepy~.”

“I think we need to investigate that further. There are more than a few people who resemble the montage.”

“That’s right, there’s even a challenge going on on the internet where people take photos that look like montages. But that person really didn’t seem to be in that mood······.”

“Why did you think so?”

Jeong Da-eun answered while recalling her memories from that time.

“It was a very affectionate atmosphere. He seemed a bit scared, too. It was a bit absurd that he suddenly disappeared.”

“How did you meet?”

“I lost my phone and wallet. Sanghyuk came to me and helped me. We went around looking for them together, wondering where I lost them.”

“Did he say anything personal? Where he lives, how many siblings he has, what his parents do.”

“You barely talked to me, except for your name and occupation. You were curious about me. Was it not that you had a romantic interest in me, but rather that you were just picking on your prey?”

“······.”

This is a time when Han Eung-kyung is unable to respond.

-Tiring~ Tiring~.

Detective Bang Jin-woo’s cell phone rang.

“Yes, sir. I will check and get back to you.”

He ended the call briefly and said to Han Eun-kyung.

“Another witness who was at the convenience store.”

“The women who were eating ramen next to Jeong Da-eun?”

“Yes, Detective Choi found them.”

“Oh my, I counted the cash and there were no clues, so how did you find it? Detective Choi Jang-soo is really amazing.”

“That’s right. The special investigation team seems to be made up of only experts in investigation. There are photos of the suspect on those women’s cell phones.”

“Oh, that’s great. The picture quality of the convenience store CCTV was so bad that it looked like the Loch Ness Monster.”

Detective Bang Jin-woo showed the cell phone photo to Jeong Da-eun.

“Is this the man you saw back then?”

“yes that’s right!”

Han Eun-kyung made a strong request to Detective Bang Jin-woo.

“Let’s put out a public search right away. We don’t know when the sixth victim will appear.”

Detective Bang Jin-woo answered with an embarrassed expression.

“I understand how Detective Han feels······ but public searches aren’t that easy.”

* * *

The next morning.

The duty room of a police station in Busan.

Kim Han-gyeol grabbed his waist and raised his body.

“Kai~ It feels like I slept on a rock······.”

Shin Dae-seong is completely washed up and dressed in a suit.

“did you sleep well?”

“Does it look like I slept well?······ I really miss the 5-star hotels.”

“Just hold on for a few days. There will be good news soon. This is probably the first time he’s been under such psychological pressure. He’s stuck in Busan, unable to move. He’s probably worried and anxious, not knowing when we’ll come.”

“I feel like I’m campaigning. I don’t know how many people I’ll meet today.”

They were constantly meeting with men believed to be the Gangnam Station serial killers.

“Did you get a call from Detective Hwang?”

Kim Han-gyeol looked at his cell phone and answered.

“No······ Even if Detective Hwang is a genius with computers, can he figure out who someone is with just one photo? Didn’t Detective Shin say that the guy at the convenience store was suspicious? Let’s persuade the chief and put out a public search?”

“Don’t risk your life for small things. If that guy at the convenience store isn’t a serial killer, the investigation itself could fall through.”

“But you can’t just wait for Detective Hwang to contact you, right? In movies, they can quickly identify someone with just one photo. That’s absolutely not true.”

“Isn’t the technology level there yet?”

“Of course. The drama writers are ahead of the curve. Even if we mobilize all cyber investigation units, it will take several months.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to go around like I’m campaigning today too.”

“I can’t help it. I’ll go wash up and come back.”

It was when Kim Han-gyeol was about to leave the dormitory.

-Tiring~ Tiring~.

“It’s Detective Hwang calling.”

-Bam.

Kim Han-gyeol answered the call on speakerphone.

“Go ahead, Detective Hwang.”

-Thank goodness you’re awake. Did you meet all those people yesterday?

“Yes, I went to work at night and cleared everything. The result was nothing. Why are you calling?”

-I found out the identity of that convenience store guy.

“Huh? Really?”

-Do you want me to call you so early in the morning to talk nonsense?

Kim Han-gyeol still reacts in disbelief.

“How did you find it? Did you do facial recognition and database processing like in the movies?”

-You don’t need to know that much. The convenience store guy’s name is Noh Jun-hyeok, he’s 32 years old and currently resides in Busan. He’s also included in the 9,900 people I predicted.

“Where can I go to meet him?”

-I’ll send you his home and company addresses.

“Okay, I’ll go right away.”

Kim Han-gyeol gave up on washing and got dressed right away.

* * *

A busy area in Busan with many offices.

Shin Dae-seong and Kim Han-gyeol got out of the taxi.

They went straight into the 15-story building.

Kim Han-gyeol showed Shin Dae-seong the photo on his cell phone.

“This guy is the convenience store guy, Noh Jun-hyeok. Doesn’t it look similar to a montage?”

“Yeah, we resemble each other enough that I won’t get cursed at.”

“Noh Jun-hyeok is a deputy manager of the public relations department of a mid-sized IT company.”

They entered the public relations office on the first floor.

The female employee at the entrance asked.

“Who are you?”

Kim Han-gyeol showed his police identification card.

“I came from the unsolved case unit of Gangnam 2nd Police Station.”

“What brings you here?”

“Is Mr. Noh Jun-hyeok here?”