You Promised Me, Mr. Lee San-ha - Chapter 118



Only Noblemtl

Episode 118: The Boy Behind the Door (3)

Ahn Hee-yeon said in a voice filled with sorrow.

“Immi… … Our, uh, mom… … .”

“!”

All the questions that had been piling up were instantly resolved.

That’s also the reason why her face didn’t seem unfamiliar when we first met and had a meal together.

The moment she leaned against the deck by the sea during the MT, her side profile reminded me of a teen star from the 80s.

That’s also why I never mentioned my family even once when preparing for an interview or going to see a musical.

Now everyone understood.

All actions up to now have been due to only one reason.

The fact is that Ahn Hee-yeon is the daughter of the great actress Lee Mi-eun, who is loved by the entire nation.

“……are you okay?”

It seemed like the surprise had to be put on the back burner.

Now is the time to worry about Ahn Hee-yeon.

My mother is in the hospital.

In the intensive care unit, too.

Even for someone with the strongest mentality, it is difficult to maintain composure in this situation.

An Hee-yeon leaned against me and took a deep breath.

I wonder if things have calmed down to some extent.

She said, breaking away from my arms.

“Sorry. I, I’m so… … .”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s natural to lean on others when things get tough.”

I sat side by side with Ahn Hee-yeon on the waiting room chair.

Then he patted Ahn Hee-yeon on the back.

“It must have been very difficult.”

An Hee-yeon bit her lower lip and shut her eyes tightly.

It seemed to lock up the tear ducts.

Like twisting a constantly leaking faucet.

She calmed herself down by taking a few deep breaths.

“Do you know what symptoms… … led to your hospitalization… … ?”

I nodded silently.

According to the report, Ms. Im Eun-eun was in a state of ‘unconsciousness due to an overdose of sleeping pills.’

In other words… … it becomes ‘attempted suicide’.

An Hee-yeon wiped away the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

“Mom, I’ll tell you the reason why I did that… … just to you.”

“No, you don’t have to. It doesn’t matter if you miss one or two articles. How can I be your—”

I shook my head.

An Hee-yeon’s two hands wrap around my left hand.

“You know, I’ve read all the articles you’ve written. From the press release you wrote on your first day at work to the article you wrote last week. Reading your articles every day… … I started to think that way.”

A faint strength enters her grasp.

It’s as if when you put your finger on a baby, they clasp it tightly.

“Your articles are filled with your own consideration, kindness, and politeness. Thinking about it like that, it felt like I was reading a letter you wrote. I was upset that I didn’t hear from you… … but reading those articles made me feel a little better.”

An Hee-yeon looked up at me with moist eyes.

“So this is my request. I want you to write about my mother and my family. Articles that are full of your own consideration and kindness.”

Her proposal, mixed with anticipation and consideration, feels heavy.

In all the hundreds of articles I’ve written, I’ve never felt this heavy.

“… … .”

I had a hard time making decisions.

Then, Ahn Hee-yeon helped me make my decision.

“And Sanha, if you write the article, it will be less difficult for our family. This fact will eventually spread outside anyway. At least you won’t write rumors or exaggerated expressions, so your article should be the first to go up… … . It won’t create any more rumors.”

Even if she was mentally broken, Ahn Hee-yeon was Ahn Hee-yeon.

A reasonable proposal that will make your worries seem meaningless.

I can’t help but take the hand she extends to me.

“okay.”

“… … .”

When I nodded, Ahn Hee-yeon bowed her head.

When it comes to bringing up the subject, it seems like it’s hard to open your mouth.

I waited calmly until she was ready.

Finally, her lips twitch.

“My younger brother was kidnapped.”

“… … !”

This is shocking news from the very first sentence.

“Oh, really?”

Other media outlets are still creating countless rumors and are desperate to increase their views.

They are pouring out all sorts of speculations about the cause of Yim Eun’s suicide attempt, including domestic discord, suspicion of her spouse’s infidelity, aging, retirement, malicious comments, incurable disease, and more.

But no one has been able to figure out the real cause.

Well, who could figure out something like this?

‘Kidnapping…?’

Even I, who just heard the report from the victim’s family, find it difficult to accept this reason.

In the end, it was an incident that occurred at the cost of a hostage.

I too had a similar experience recently.

But things were completely different when I was held hostage at the bank.

The robbers at that time were so naive that they would rush into the bank with hunting guns.

The ending was awkward and it was easy to persuade.

Above all, I was among the hostages at that time.

When faced with evil without any transcendent powers, humans are infinitely helpless.

‘That’s why you’re having a harder time.’

My younger brother was kidnapped and my mother attempted suicide.

Up to critical condition.

It’s a series of events too harsh for one person to endure.

Ahn Hee-yeon continued speaking, holding back the tears that were about to overflow.

“Last Sunday, the day after we saw the musical… … I got a call from my mom. She said Hee-chan was missing. Oh, Hee-chan is my little brother’s name. He’s 9 years old.”

I didn’t think there was much of an age gap between me and my brother, but in this house, there was an age gap that was incomparably large.

Anyway, since that wasn’t important information, I finished listening to her story.

“I thought he just lost his phone because he’s at an age where he likes to run around and play outside with his friends… … .”

Her grip on my hand is getting tighter and tighter.

“That guy threatened Mom. He said he had Hee-chan with him. If you want him back, prepare 1 billion.”

“Did you report it to the police?”

“I reported it right away. They worked harder than I expected. I created a response team, went to the house to check if there were any wiretapping or surveillance cameras, and even tracked the CCTV around the house and my brother’s cell phone.”

And yet you still couldn’t find it?

Every time something like this happens, I am reminded of the evils of movies.

Crime thrillers detail how criminals evade their pursuers in their quest for reality.

If the audience watching it is ordinary people, it may be accepted as a simple entertainment factor, but if the audience is a potential criminal, it is a different story.

Which neighborhood has a lot of rich people?

Where do children play a lot?

At what time is surveillance lax?

Where is the CCTV?

Although it is not described in detail, it is described quite realistically.

Simply put, this is the case even with cell phone location tracking.

If I were to kidnap someone, I would take out the victim’s SIM card or throw away their phone.

Why? Because that’s what they did in the movie.

The same criminal principles apply in reality.

Even if you eliminate just a few simple risk factors, it becomes extremely difficult for the police to track you down.

This is especially true in cases where the crime is not motivated by personal grudges but is ‘clearly motivated by financial gain.’

This is because it is a meticulously planned, blind crime.

To put it simply, it’s like fishing or trapping.

Be thoroughly prepared, but don’t worry about who your target is.

Whether it’s the Kim family’s son living in the Tower Palace or the Choi family’s daughter living in a detached house, it doesn’t matter who it is.

The problem was that the scope of suspects became too broad because the causality of the crime could not be determined.

“Did you know that the culprit… …the kidnapper was ‘Imieun’s son’?”

“I don’t think he knew that. According to the police investigation, there was no evidence that the criminal had followed Hee-chan. However… … he must have found out the names of his parents and where he lived through Hee-chan.”

An Hee-yeon shed tears she had been holding back.

“How scared must that little kid be… … It’s already been 6 days, and no one has come to rescue him, and Hee-chan is also very scared… … .”

Thump, thump, thump.

It was hard to believe that so many tears fell to the floor from one person’s eyes.

An Hee-yeon continued speaking with trembling lips.

“In the end, we couldn’t find any clues, so we gave them 1 billion. We gave them… … .”

She gripped my hand so tightly that it hurt.

“He didn’t take the money. He didn’t return it to Hee-chan either… … . There’s been no contact… … until now.”

In the end, Im Eun-i, who was unable to get her child back, became discouraged and swallowed a large amount of sleeping pills.

I was speechless at the unfortunate situation that left me speechless with no words of comfort.

I don’t want to be negative, but… …there are indicators of kidnapping.

‘For each day that passes since the kidnapping, the hostage’s chances of survival are halved.’

50% one day after kidnapping.

The next day, 25%.

From the next day onwards… … it is virtually impossible to expect survival.

It’s already been 6 days.

There was no way to know what the kidnapper, who was so vigilant that he didn’t take the money even though he had it prepared, could have done.

‘Maybe Ms. Im Eun-ssi also made that decision.’

It’s such a shame.

If I had been there on the day of the incident, at least Ahn Hee-yeon had told me.

If that were the case, we could have taken some action.

‘Well, who would have had the presence of mind to do that?’

Now that the worst has happened, there is nothing I can do about it.

The moment when I tried to comfort Ahn Hee-yeon with complicated feelings.

Jiiing- Jiiing-

A vibration sound was heard from Ahn Hee-yeon’s cell phone.

The cell phone that came out of her arms looked different from the one she was carrying around before.

A cell phone with a leather case.

I thought maybe it was her mother’s.

An Hee-yeon answered the phone with a trembling voice.

“hello?”

[… … You must have cracked the salty fish?]

A disguised voice comes over the receiver.

“!”

Hee-yeon Ahn and I both had our pupils dilated at the same time when we heard the voice.

If you continue talking on the phone in the waiting room, other people may be able to hear you.

I held Ahn Hee-yeon’s wrist and moved to the emergency stairs at the end of the hallway.

An Hee-yeon continued talking on the phone while following me.

“Heechan, where is Heechan? Please change Heechan!”

[Shut up. You broke your promise. I clearly said there would be no deal if I got caught.]

“I, I’m sorry about that―”

[It’s noisy.]

An emergency staircase blocked on all sides.

Silence continues on the bluish stairs, lit only by emergency lights.

Someone’s voice is heard on the other end of the receiver.

It was the first time I heard that voice, but I recognized it right away.

[Hello? Sister? Sister?]

It was Ahn Hee-chan’s voice.

An Hee-yeon covered her mouth as if trying to keep her surprise and sadness from bursting out.

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

‘I can save you.’