You Promised Me, Mr. Lee San-ha - Chapter 121



Only Noblemtl

Episode 121: The Boy Behind the Door (6)

I was sitting in the police station, blankly staring up at the ceiling.

It was a really new feeling to be in an interrogation room that I had only seen in movies.

… … About 3 minutes.

‘Why are all public institution ceilings the same shape?’

The waiting time is so boring that I have to kill time by thinking about meaningless things.

Since the article has already been written and sent, there is nothing more to do.

I leaned against the desk, rested my chin on it, and recalled the past events.

‘Was it really a coincidence that I met Han Tae-seok as a monthly quest reward back then?’

It was quite a coincidence.

A strange dinner appointment where we met when neither of us had any desire to eat.

That one promise solved this case.

A major accident was avoided thanks to the butterfly effect of one small promise kept.

I opened the status window and checked the appointment.

From Han Tae-seok: Promise to return Ahn Hee-chan home safely upon confirmation of deposit.

Literal fulfillment of promise.

The promise could be fulfilled because the exact amount was not specified.

If the promise had included a specific amount or the word “cash,” the promise would not have been fulfilled.

Could all these coincidences really just be coincidences?

I really don’t know if it’s the aftereffects of my ability or the flow of fate…

It wasn’t really my thing.

In the end, didn’t everything work out well this time too?

“… …Except for being locked in an interrogation room like this.”

I stared at the iron gate, hoping that someone would come in.

Then the door opened and a detective came in.

Squeak-

I greeted him with a loud voice, feeling very happy.

“hello!”

How long has it been since I last saw someone?

After being locked up alone for about 20 minutes, I was very happy to see the police officer I was seeing for the first time.

“Yes, yes. Please take a seat.”

I followed his gesture and sat down on the chair.

The detective went through the files to verify my identity.

“As you know, we do not have any serious suspicions about Mr. Sanha. This is a procedural matter, so please understand.”

“Aha. So this is the Good Cop Bad Cop strategy? If I answer wrong here, a scary police officer will come in―.”

“Huh? There’s no such thing.”

This is how another man’s romance is shattered.

I guess you only see scenes in the movies where a bearded cop wearing sunglasses walks in and yells at you.

The detective questioned me in a businesslike tone.

“How did you know that Han Tae-seok was the culprit? I think the only connection we have is that we were high school classmates.”

“Ah. This is a long story if we talk about it. Is it okay if it’s long?”

The policeman nodded.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

“Last Saturday… … It must have been around 11 or 12. He suddenly came to my house as if he had some kind of desire. I ran into him as I was passing by. But no matter what, he usually doesn’t come all the way to my house, right? From there, I felt something was off, and I thought there was something. Anyway, since we were old school friends that I hadn’t seen in a long time, we decided to have a meal together. It was late and I wasn’t hungry, but what can I do? It’s a bit much to chase someone away when they come all the way to your house, right? There’s a 24-hour hangover soup restaurant just a short walk away from my house―”

Suddenly the detective raised one hand and said.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but… … the intro seems too long.”

“I told you it was long.”

“I didn’t know you would go into such lengthy detail with so much unnecessary information.”

“The intro is over, so listen now. There’s nothing I can do.”

I continued speaking to the detective, who was looking at me with distrust.

“We ordered two bowls of seolleongtang and chatted. I don’t have a receipt, but do you see this card statement? He kept saying he didn’t have any money, so I had no choice but to pay. At first, I thought he was just complaining about not having any money, but when I looked into it, it wasn’t a joke. He couldn’t even drive his car because he didn’t have any money, so he had to walk. It seemed like he had spent his money in dangerous places.”

The latter part is a hypothesis based on Han Tae-seok’s actions.

People with cars walked the distance, which took 30 to 40 minutes.

That too on a cold winter day.

It could have happened if he had been drinking, but at the time, Han Tae-seok was not even drunk.

If so, it would be worthwhile to hypothesize that they did this to save even a penny on oil.

Lack of money inevitably leads to debt.

It would have been difficult for someone who couldn’t even afford to replace a broken cell phone to get a loan through normal channels.

It is highly likely that he has dabbled in private lending.

‘I guess the reason I was constantly on guard was because I was being chased by loan sharks.’

At that time, Han Tae-seok had not yet kidnapped Ahn Hee-chan.

The police nodded as if confirming both hypotheses.

But he looked a little tired of my lengthy explanation.

I decided to end this conversation by mixing in a little lie.

“The two of them were eating, and that’s when I realized it. Han Tae-seok was so drunk that he was completely out of his mind. He just kept saying the same thing over and over again. I don’t know where he got his drinks from, but he was so drunk that he said to me, ‘Hey, I really can’t do this. I’m going to hide in Cheongdam-dong, and I’m going to use my shared car to lure a kid out of money. I really… … I think I’m going to get beat up if I keep doing this.’ At first, I thought he was joking badly, but I didn’t know he was really like that… .”

No one can prove the false testimony that Han Tae-seok was drunk at the time.

Because it was in front of our house for two days in the first place.

Because Ahn Hee-yeon testified at the hospital, we were able to find out that Han Tae-seok’s car was a passenger car.

Since there is also evidence of credit card payment history, this testimony cannot help but be highly reliable.

To begin with, it was not a testimony that was particularly suspicious or had any flaws.

Besides, I’m a salaried worker who’s always tied to the company.

He is an unqualified accomplice to a kidnapping crime.

Since the detective already knew about that part, the investigation ended without any problems.

I said my thanks and left the interrogation room.

After walking like that for a while… …I started to feel like I had missed something important.

“Huh?! But don’t they usually give you food during interrogation?”

I looked back with regret, but I was already too far away from the police station.

There’s nothing I can do.

I should eat some tofu to celebrate my release.

* * *

I walked down the hospital hallway holding a set of beverages.

I passed through the long line of reporters and knocked on the hospital room door.

Through the small window above the door, I could see Ahn Hee-yeon running towards me.

Knock knock!

She suddenly hugged me and shouted.

“Sanhaya!”

“I know you’re happy, but there are a lot of reporters in the hallway, so let’s go in and talk first.”

I went into the sickroom and closed the door.

An Hee-yeon continued to look up at me with tears in her eyes.

Was this child always this tearful?

“Hey, hey, Mommy’s awake too. Mommy, this is Sanha.”

Someone was looking at me from the patient’s bed near the window in the private hospital room.

‘Great actress’ Lee Mi-eun.

She nodded to me with a haggard look on her face.

I bowed my head politely and greeted him.

“Hello. This is Hee-eun’s classmate, Lee San-ha.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot from you.”

Although he sounded a bit tired and listless, his voice was as fresh and elegant as I had heard on TV.

“And… … thank you. For saving our Hee-chan… … .”

The end of Eom Yi-eun’s words waver.

It looks like she’s trying hard to hold back her tears.

At that moment, someone jumped out of the guardian’s bed.

It was a cheerful 9-year-old boy named Ahn Hee-chan.

Ahn Hee-chan, who had regained his energy in just one day, shouted in a loud voice.

“Thank you for saving me!”

An Hee-chan bowed his head 120 degrees.

I patted his head and said to Yim Eun.

“It wasn’t that difficult. There’s no need to be so… … overly grateful… … .”

“Mr. Sanha saved us. Heechan too, and me too.”

Eun-i Lee shook her head.

To tell the truth… …it wasn’t wrong.

According to police investigation, Han Tae-seok initially intended to kill Ahn Hee-chan.

This is because objects used to dispose of corpses, such as saws and carriers, were discovered in the place where Ahn Hee-chan was held captive.

Anyway, I’m having a hard time right now.

I don’t know what to do with the constant stream of gratitude and praise.

I turned my gaze to Ahn Hee-yeon, as if to ask for help.

When our eyes met, she suddenly burst into tears.

“You suffered so much, all alone, in that dark room. I couldn’t help you… … . I’m sorry… … . Sobbing… … .”

“No, that’s it, it wasn’t as dangerous as you thought? So… … um… … .”

I waved my hands urgently.

Have to think about it.

A realistic storytelling that reverses this atmosphere of extreme praise and gratitude.

“I called Han Tae-seok just in case. I tried to persuade him for a while, but he didn’t listen. But he set a condition instead. He’s a pervert, a pervert. He wanted me to rip my clothes and show him things like that.”

It’s ruined.

Everyone in the hospital room is tilting their heads.

But I had no choice but to desperately push through with this forced story.

“So I turned on the flash on my phone and started taking videos and doing all sorts of things, and he liked it. At the end, he was trying to get into the water, but he fell over. When you think about it, isn’t it funny? It was just, like… slapstick comedy.”

It was still a ridiculous story, but what could be done?

I, the person involved, say so.

Only then did Ahn Hee-yeon seem to understand and wipe away her tears.

She spoke in a voice that still seemed mournful.

“But it must have been hard. It must have hurt… … .”

An Hee-yeon’s hands carefully caress my wounds.

I looked down at her worried face.

“Okay, then let’s just buy you a meal next time. Something expensive.”

Then, suddenly, Eom Ji-eun intervened.

“That won’t work.”

Puzzled, I turned my head and looked at her.

Eun-i Yi had a soft smile.

“You are our family’s benefactor, but one meal is not enough. Whenever you open the front door of our house and come in, I will prepare an eight-course meal that will make your legs tremble. Really… … Thank you so much.”

Tears flow down her smiling face.

It was like reenacting a highlight scene from a drama she had previously appeared in.

These are tears that are beautiful yet sad.

But this atmosphere was like a bed of thorns to me.

My cheekbone muscles are so sore from having to force a smile all the time.

When I looked down, I saw that even Ahn Hee-chan was crying.

“Heeeeeelp. I’m sorry. From now on, I won’t follow men I don’t know. Heeeelp… … .”

“Hey, why are you all crying so much… …. Calm down, everyone―”

The moment I was trying to calm my crybaby family down, the phone call of salvation rang.

I took out my cell phone without delay and answered the call.

“hello?”

[What the hell is going on?!]

A loud roar that felt like one of my eardrums was going to burst.

This is Team Leader Yoon Yeo-gam.

“If you don’t even tell me what’s wrong and I ask what’s wrong, what should I say… … First of all, I’m fine.”

[It’s not that nothing happened… … . You caused chaos, right now!]

what?

It must not be a trivial matter to receive such a loud scolding.

‘Has there been anything controversial in your recent articles?’

Could it be that a lawsuit has been filed that could destroy the company like Senior Sim Yeong-seop’s?

I waited anxiously for Team Leader Yoon’s next words.

After a while, Yun Yeo-gam shouted loudly.

[Because of you! Our site traffic has exploded-! Muyahoooooooooooo!]

Ah. It was the usual fuss.

I had no choice but to shake my head at yet another thorn in my side.