The Culprit Always Returns to the Scene
There is a saying that the culprit always returns to the scene.
There are various reasons why a culprit returns to the scene like this.
[If they left the scene in a hurry, they might have come to check if they dropped anything, or...]
'Or?'
[In cases where they have a desire to show off, wanting to check how much attention their crime is receiving from people. In the current case, it appears to be the former.]
"So you're saying this guy did it?"
What he meant to say inwardly popped out of his mouth.
At Ju-won's words, the young man wearing a windbreaker opened his eyes wide.
"I, I'm not him! I said I don't know anything!"
The roof of victim Yeong So-yeon's officetel.
The windbreaker man squatting in the corner shook his head desperately.
Ju-won, standing in front of him, is looking down at the man.
"How can you say it's not you when you don't even know what I'm talking about?"
Ju-won bent his knees and looked at the man.
"You know who I am, right?"
"Y-yes... I saw you on YouTube. The detective who solved the unsolved case..."
"Usually, there are two types of people who are surprised to see the police. Those who did something bad, or those who saw something bad but didn't take any action."
"I, I..."
[This time, it is highly likely to be the latter. Trembling pupils and erratic breathing just from the appearance of the police. He does not appear to have the bold personality to plan and execute a crime.]
'But what if it was an impulsive crime?'
[It is possible, but the probability seems low.]
Ju-won nodded.
Of course, it was an answer to Terra's words.
However, the man, mistaking this, thought it was directed at him and shut his mouth.
As the man looked at Ju-won with the most pitiful expression possible, Ju-won asked.
"Name?"
"...Pardon?"
"I'm asking what your name is."
The man's eyes tremble even more than before.
Then he slowly lowered his head.
Simultaneously, Terra's voice was heard.
[Pay attention to the man's actions. He is lowering his head to catch his breath, and his Adam's apple is moving as he swallows saliva. It appears to be a preparatory action right before running away. Since there is no additional support waiting below, if you lose the man...]
At that moment,
Thud! Tat-tat-tat!
As Terra said, the man jumped up and started running.
Ah, of course, he only 'started' running, but couldn't run.
When the man had taken about two steps.
Swoosh—
Because Ju-won, from his squatting position, stuck his foot between the legs of the man running towards the roof door.
So the man, just like that,
Crash!
"Aaargh!"
Fell flat on his face.
"Ah damn... it hurts..."
A wallet fell next to the fallen man.
Ju-won stood up and picked up the wallet. Opening the wallet, the man's ID card was visible.
"Name: Gu Yeong-seok, born in 2002."
Soon after, Terra's voice was heard.
[He is a person related to the victim and the perpetrator of the Hankuk University illegal filming distribution case. A person who was in the group chat room where the perpetrator distributed the illegal footage, and a student of the same department at the same school as the victim and the perpetrator.]
"A Hankuk University student?"
"Daamn..."
The man bit his lip, and Ju-won smiled.
He had a justification to take this guy to the police station.
Ju-won dropped the wallet with a thud.
"Let's have a witness interview."
"This is illegal, it's illegal detention!!"
A short while later, Gangjung Police Station interrogation room.
The interrogation room door where Gu Yeong-seok and Ju-won were facing each other opened, and Detective Kim Seok-ho entered.
"You're young but you shout at the police about illegal detention? Is a Hankuk University student really different or something?"
Before entering the interrogation room, Detective Kim Seok-ho, who had received a separate message from Ju-won and heard the explanation of the situation, sat next to Ju-won.
Then Ju-won opened his mouth.
"Mr Gu Yeong-seok, this is a witness interview. Since you are a person related to the victim Ms Yeong So-yeon anyway."
"Still, is it okay to force a witness interview like this?!"
Gu Yeong-seok slammed the table in front of him with both hands.
"I'm going to sue you. I'm preparing for law school. I've studied most legal provisions already, so I know as much as you. If you ignore me just because I'm a university student..."
But at that moment.
Bang!
Detective Kim Seok-ho's fist slammed the table.
Clearly, it was slammed with one hand, but a sound several times louder than the sound Gu Yeong-seok made echoed inside the interrogation room.
"This bastard, is the police station a playground?!"
Detective Kim Seok-ho's slit eyes are quite vicious.
But those vicious eyes narrowed even more scarily.
At such a Detective Kim Seok-ho, Gu Yeong-seok flinched and pulled his body back. Then Detective Kim Seok-ho leaned his body forward.
"A person died. A friend from your same school and department! She fell from that high place and died. But what?! You're going to sue the investigating police?!"
With eyes full of fear, Gu Yeong-seok pointed at Detective Kim Seok-ho.
"Y-you too, for coercive investigation, I'll sue..."
"Investigation my foot, we haven't even started the investigation yet? Are you deaf? I just said it's a witness interview!"
At that time, Terra's voice was heard.
[It seems like a Good Cop Bad Cop strategy. Although it seems like a slightly modified version.]
A strategy where the bad cop drives the suspect fiercely, and the good cop gives the suspect room to breathe and makes them open their mouth.
[Mr Ju-won's role appears to be the Good Cop. Ask questions in the gentlest voice possible.]
Ju-won opened his mouth with a soft voice.
"As I said a moment ago, it is a witness interview. If you do not wish to, you may refuse."
Gu Yeong-seok's gaze turned sharply to Ju-won.
"Then I refuse..."
"Instead, you will be suspected, if you refuse the witness interview."
"Wh-what...?"
"You know there are many cases where a witness turns into a suspect during the interview, right? You said you're preparing for law school."
"...."
"Are you going to complicate things when you just need to answer a few questions? You might be suspected of murdering victim Ms Yeong So-yeon for no reason?"
Gu Yeong-seok's wavering eyes grew larger.
"Wh-what do I have to answer?"
He took the bait.
"Why did you return to the scene?"
Gu Yeong-seok, chewing his lips, answered.
"...I stopped by So-yeon's house before. I think I lost a bracelet then, so I came to see if it was there. But if I went during the investigation, I was afraid it would look like I was related to So-yeon's death..."
"Why did you think it would look like you were related?"
"Because I was investigated for being in that group chat too! Damn, I was really just in that group chat and didn't do anything! F**k, honestly, just being in that group chat got my identity revealed at school and it's embarrassing to even lift my face, so why again..."
Gu Yeong-seok muttered and spat out curses.
Simultaneously, Terra spoke.
[Gu Yeong-seok's words appear to be the truth.]
'What, do you have a lie detection function too?'
[In the case of humans, they show similar characteristics when lying. It is content Mr Ju-won studied at the Police University. However, in Gu Yeong-seok's case, it is truthful behaviour.]
Then is Gu Yeong-seok just a person related to the illegal filming distribution case, not the Yeong So-yeon death case?
Just as Ju-won was rolling his eyes, Terra started speaking out of the blue.
[Current estimated external temperature 35 degrees, indoor temperature 28 degrees.]
'Huh?'
[If a person is not used to interrogation rooms, their heart beats faster, the sympathetic nervous system activates, and body temperature rises. Sweat is forming on Gu Yeong-seok's face colour and around his neck as well.]
Ju-won frowned.
'And so?'
[He absolutely does not take off his clothes.]
'Clothes?'
[That windbreaker with torn traces on the doorknob.]
Ju-won examined Gu Yeong-seok.
As Terra said, it is really strange.
Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho were both wearing short sleeves.
However, Gu Yeong-seok, wearing a windbreaker without even rolling up the sleeves, must definitely be hot, but he takes no action.
'There's something in that windbreaker?'
[How about using the same strategy as with Go Sang-yeop this time too?]
'Go Sang-yeop... ah, the strategy of entering the bathroom where the evidence is, deliberately provoking him, and then waiting?'
[Yes, correct. This level of provocation seems sufficient for Gu Yeong-seok.]
'Then the windbreaker...'
[A piece of the exact same windbreaker is stuck in the stairwell of the victim's house. Use that.]
'Okay, then what I need to do now is create something that can prove that windbreaker, which might yield something related to the case, belongs to Gu Yeong-seok.'
[Yes, do you happen to have a good idea...]
At that moment, Ju-won looked at Gu Yeong-seok.
"Mr Gu Yeong-seok. Is it okay if we record a video?"
"R-recording?"
"It's formally necessary for the witness interview, so you just need to answer exactly what you just said again. Well, if you want to refuse, you can, but then as I mentioned earlier, suspicion..."
"Do, do it. Recording!"
Thus, Ju-won turned on the camera for video recording.
A short while later, Gu Yeong-seok is leaving Gangjung Station muttering curses.
Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho were watching his back.
"Please, Detective."
"Yes."
Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho also left Gangjung Station.
However, the two scattered in different directions.
Ju-won towards the car, and Detective Kim Seok-ho towards the direction Gu Yeong-seok disappeared.
Vroom.
Ju-won headed to the officetel, victim Yeong So-yeon's address, again.
-Ding-dong! 12th floor. The door is opening.
The officetel lift opened, and Ju-won got off.
In Ju-won's hand is a bag brought from the police station.
"Found it."
Where Ju-won headed was the doorknob of the stairwell door.
The piece of clothing stuck there.
"How did you see this small thing?"
[I did not see it. I compared the left and right with the information entered through Mr Ju-won's vision. Since the two units are placed symmetrically on both sides and the incident occurred only on one side, I thought there would be a singularity where something is found.]
Ju-won took a spray bottle out of the bag. It is a spray bottle containing luminol.
Luminol is a chemical compound used for bloodstain identification; if a fluorescent reaction appears when luminol is sprayed, it is evidence that there are bloodstains.
Spritz! Spritz!
"As expected."
Blue light began to appear around the doorknob and on the hem of clothing caught in the doorknob.
However, as Ju-won frowned, Terra spoke simultaneously.
[It is not spatter. I thought spatter would definitely have splashed. My prediction was wrong.]
Spatter.
It refers to traces of blood mainly seen at crime scenes, where blood splashes and scatters in a specific direction when a wound occurs on the body.
However, the shape of the glowing colour is not a scattered shape.
Ju-won said.
"Looks like wiped bloodstains..."
[I agree. It is highly likely to be wiped bloodstains or smeared bloodstains of a similar form.]
Wiped bloodstains or smeared bloodstains are,
Bloodstain forms deformed by an object touching and moving on the bloodstain, or bloodstain forms created by a bloodied object touching somewhere and moving, transferring the blood.
"Then it's possible he met Gu Yeong-seok after the victim had already been attacked?"
[Yes, or there is a possibility he transported the body.]
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