Min-Joon stopped writing, and Jae-Hyun straightened up as well.
Seeing this, Manager Jung waved his hands repeatedly. "Officer, Kang-Min… he's really sick. It definitely has nothing to do with Woo-Jin's death!"
Min-Joon glanced at him. "Are you very close to this Kang-Min?"
Manager Jung nodded. "To be honest… he's my wife's cousin. Ever since he started working at the company, he's been living at my house."
Fearing they wouldn't believe him, he quickly added,
"Everyone in the company knows this. The reason they argued before was that Woo-Jin thought it was unfair that I approved Kang-Min's proposal."
"However, afterwards, he came to me privately and admitted that Kang-Min's plan was better than his."
At that moment, Jae-Hyun's phone rang. The caller ID showed: Seo-Jin.
"I'll take this call. You continue," he said.
Min-Joon nodded. "Does Kang-Min have a girlfriend?"
Manager Jung coughed lightly, his expression turning awkward. "No…"
Min-Joon didn't dwell on it and continued calmly,
"Was Kang-Min at your house all night, or did he go out at any point?"
Manager Jung replied firmly, "No, he didn't go anywhere."
Min-Joon noted the address of his home. Just then, Jae-Hyun returned after finishing his call.
He immediately asked, "Did Woo-Jin have a girlfriend?"
Manager Jung was about to shake his head, but then hesitated as he recalled recent rumours.
"He didn't before, but recently… he's been very close to Nam Gyu-Ri in our department. I heard they were classmates in college."
"Gyu-Ri admitted to being in a relationship with him."
"He looked devastated this morning—his eyes were red and swollen. He cried after hearing the news. His emotions are still unstable."
"Yes… We confirmed our relationship about a month ago," Gyu-Ri said softly. "We haven't made it public yet because we were worried it might affect our work."
"I've known him for eight years. We were classmates in college, but we didn't interact much back then."
"As you probably know, our social circles were different. During university, I would skip classes with friends to play games, but Woo-Jin never did. He never skipped class, rarely went out, and his grades were always excellent. He received scholarships every year."
"We only started getting close last year after I joined this company. We hadn't seen each other for three or four years, so becoming colleagues again felt like fate."
"We started chatting more, eating together… and gradually, our feelings changed."
"After we started dating, I found out he worked so hard because he has a younger brother to support."
"I hesitated at first…"
"Isn't there a term now? Like… someone who sacrifices everything for their sibling?"
"I was worried."
"But I thought about it for two days… and I couldn't bring myself to give up on him."
Gyu-Ri's voice trembled as he spoke.
"If I had known this would happen… I would have asked him to stay somewhere safer."
Min-Joon asked, "Have you been to his residence?"
"Yes. The place he lived in was very rundown—even the bathroom window was broken."
"I suggested that he move in with me, but he refused."
"We only ever kissed a few times… I kept thinking about how I would cherish someone like him…"
Tears welled up in Gyu-Ri's eyes. "I'm sorry… I lost my composure."
Min-Joon continued, "Where were you after work last night?"
"I went straight home. I was too tired, so I ordered takeout. I didn't go out at all."
On the way back, Jae-Hyun glanced at Min-Joon while driving.
"Do you think Gyu-Ri is a suspect?"
Min-Joon thought for a moment.
"His relationship with Woo-Jin doesn't seem shallow. But he was too calm… almost prepared for our questions."
Jae-Hyun nodded. "Exactly. His answers were too smooth. There was no hesitation—no process of recalling events."
Min-Joon paused.
"But for now, there's no evidence that he committed the crime."
"I'm more inclined to believe he wanted to distance himself from the case, so he rehearsed possible questions in advance."
Jae-Hyun raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. If he really is the killer, then his mental composure is exceptional."
"I've already asked Tae-Wook to check surveillance footage around Gyu-Ri's residence. Fortunately, it's a gated community, so we should get results soon."
The car eventually stopped outside Manager Jung's residential compound.
As soon as they stepped out, Tae-Wook called.
"Captain, the surveillance footage shows…"