Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 373

373

“This is insane…”

Profanity escaped Hyeonseong’s lips automatically. He tried calling again, but the response was the same.

Just then, Lee Seungcheol and Lee Eunji approached.

Lee Eunji looked at Hyeonseong and asked first, “What did they say?”

“They want a warrant.”

“A warrant? The taxi company said that?”

“Yeah, I figured they wouldn’t tell me anything if I said it was a personal matter, so I lied and said I was from the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office. They told me to bring a warrant.”

“I see… so, what do we do now?”

“That’s what I’m saying. No matter how I think about it, that taxi driver…”

Lee Seungcheol, who had been listening to their conversation, interrupted Hyeonseong and asked, “Wait a minute! What are you talking about? What’s with the warrant all of a sudden, and what taxi company are you talking about?”

“Ah, that. Well, you see…”

Hyeonseong explained that he had been talking with Lee Eunji and came to the conclusion that the taxi driver might be the culprit. He then called the taxi company to inquire about the taxi, and in that situation, he had no choice but to lie. He also mentioned that the taxi company told him to bring a warrant.

When Hyeonseong finally finished his explanation, Lee Seungcheol tilted his head and immediately asked, “So, you’re saying that taxi driver is the culprit?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And the reason is that he disguised himself to hide his identity?”

“Yes, exactly. And there’s another reason why I think that person is the culprit.”

“Another one?”

Lee Seungcheol asked, tilting his head curiously. Lee Eunji, who was next to him, also stared intently at Hyeonseong, equally curious.

Hyeonseong’s reply followed immediately. “That taxi driver already knew the Director. That’s the decisive reason.”

“Knew me? What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Even though there were so many people a little while ago, that taxi driver bypassed everyone and stopped the taxi right in front of the Director. Isn’t that right?”

“Of course, he did.”

“How was that possible? In the end, that means the taxi driver knew the Director from the start.”

“Hmm… now that you mention it.”

Lee Seungcheol had no choice but to nod.

There were unusually many people today, perhaps because it was Friday. Yet, the taxi driver stopped the taxi precisely in front of him without an inch of error, lowered the window, and took the paper bag. That ultimately meant that, as Hyeonseong said, he already knew him.

Hyeonseong’s words continued, “Let me ask you one thing.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“If my assumption is correct, the first and second times would have been the same situation. Did the taxi stop right in front of you and take the money then as well?”

“Oh? That’s right! Come to think of it, it was the same the first time and the second time too. That means…”

“Yes, it’s likely the same person. At first, I thought the taxi driver was simply doing errands for a fee, but now I realize that wasn’t the case. The culprit himself wore a mask, sunglasses, and even a wig to receive the money.”

“He did it himself…”

Lee Seungcheol let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded and looked around.

Then, strange words came from Hyeonseong’s mouth. “What’s even more absurd is that the culprit probably knows the Director very well.”

“Knows me?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it. The voice modulation when calling, the disguise when receiving the money. They wanted to hide their identity because they know each other well. Also, I don’t know what the circumstances are, but the amount they’re asking for is less than I expected. That means they’re only asking for what they need. The reason is probably because they’re close to the Director. They feel sorry.”

Lee Seungcheol nodded as he listened to Hyeonseong’s story.

Then, Hyeonseong’s words continued immediately. “And the decisive thing is that they take Hye Sun directly to her house. They had no choice but to kidnap her because they needed money, but they also want to keep her safe. Considering all these circumstances, if we judge comprehensively, the culprit is definitely very close to the Director.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Seungcheol didn’t say anything and seemed to be thinking about something.

After a moment.

‘Could it be…’

At one point, his expression seemed to distort briefly, but it immediately returned to normal. However, no one noticed the change.

Then, Lee Eunji looked at Hyeonseong and asked, “So, what should we do now?”

“We have to wait.”

“Wait? Without reporting to the police?”

“Not yet. Hye Sun could be in danger if we do something wrong. The most important thing right now is for Hye Sun to return home safely. Reporting comes after that. We already know the taxi number anyway.”

The culprit will safely take Lee Hyesun home this time as well, just like the first and second times. Reporting is next. There was no need to provoke trouble by acting rashly when they already knew the car number, that was Hyeonseong’s thought.

***

At the same time.

A taxi that had left Gyeongpo Lake was heading towards Yulgok Middle School in Gyodong.

A small cross hung from the rearview mirror.

“Hyungnim [term of respect for an older male friend or brother]! I’m sorry!”

The man muttered to himself while driving the taxi.

Choi Youngsoo.

He was 42 years old and had known Lee Seungcheol for eight years.

Eight years ago, he lost everything overnight due to guaranteeing a friend’s debt while running a business in Seoul. After that, he no longer had the will to live.

The last place he chose was Gangneung.

The person he met there was Lee Seungcheol.

It was a cold winter.

Lee Seungcheol approached him, who was standing alone on the beach, with three bottles of soju [Korean distilled spirit]. He later learned that Lee Seungcheol had intuitively recognized that he was trying to commit suicide. That’s why he deliberately brought three bottles of soju.

That was their first encounter.

While drinking three bottles of soju, the two talked for a long time.

And from the next day, Choi Youngsoo started working at Lee Seungcheol’s sashimi restaurant. He was also given a place to stay in one corner of the restaurant.

He told him to try living again with the courage he had to die.

That’s how Choi Youngsoo started a new life in Gangneung, which he had chosen as the final destination of his life.

After working at the sashimi restaurant for a year, he started driving a taxi at Lee Seungcheol’s recommendation. He was gradually adapting back into the world.

Then, he heard news about his mother.

When he rushed to the hospital, he couldn’t find the same 모습 [Korean word for ‘appearance’ or ‘figure’] from a year ago. She looked so frail, as if he was looking at a different person.

It was stage 2 liver cancer.

He spent all the money he had saved on chemotherapy. However, chemotherapy doesn’t end in a day or two, so the money wasn’t enough.

In the end, he hit rock bottom after two years. All the money he had saved was gone.

Still, what could he do? To save his mother, he only slept for two or three hours a day and drove day and night. But even that had a limit of one year. His physical strength was completely depleted.

That’s when Lee Hyesun caught his eye.

He knew he shouldn’t do it, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch his mother die.

He thought it would end with just one time.

But he couldn’t afford the increasing hospital bills. In the end, he committed the crime again.

That was two years ago.

And now, today is the third time.

He knew better than anyone that what he was doing under the guise of saving his mother was unforgivable.

“Hyungnim! I’ll pay for my sins later. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Choi Youngsoo nodded his head several times.

With this money, his mother’s hospital bills would be covered for the time being.

But this would probably be the last time.

According to the doctor, she wouldn’t last more than three months. That’s why he committed the crime again this time. But he knew very well that this was unforgivable for any reason.

Vroom!

Choi Youngsoo pressed down on the accelerator to get there as quickly as possible.

When Choi Youngsoo arrived home, he looked at the clock.

There were about 30 minutes left before Lee Hyesun woke up. He just needed to leave the house 10 minutes before. After all, it wouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to get to Lee Hyesun’s house.

But he couldn’t go through the main gate this time. Because of the CCTV [closed-circuit television, or security cameras].

He had no choice but to drop her off at the back gate.

Choi Youngsoo looked at Lee Hyesun, who was asleep.

“I’m sorry, Hyesun…”

Lee Hyesun was like a 친조카 [close niece or nephew] to him.

Choi Youngsoo’s eyes began to moisten.

***

“See anything?”

Lee Eunji asked Hyeonseong, who had been checking the CCTV for an hour.

“No, I can’t see any sign of him. He’s not an ordinary guy.”

“Well, that’s why he avoided the CCTV and dropped Hyesun off at the back gate instead of the main gate.”

Lee Hyesun returned home safely exactly one hour after the money envelope was taken. But this time, he dropped Lee Hyesun off at the back gate instead of the main gate and disappeared.

In the end, the culprit knew about the existence of CCTV.

“Stop now.”

Lee Seungcheol said to Hyeonseong, who was checking the monitor from behind.

Then, Hyeonseong took his eyes off the monitor and said, “Should we report to the police now? We already know the car number, so it’s only a matter of time before we catch the culprit.”

“As I said before, let’s wait a day or two. There’s something I need to check separately. And more than anything, our Hyesun has returned safely, so that’s enough.”

“But still…”

“No, I’m asking you a favor. I’ll take care of it.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Hyeonseong had no choice but to bow his head.

To be honest, he didn’t understand. As soon as he heard that Lee Hyesun had arrived home safely, he was going to report to the police immediately.

But he couldn’t, because Lee Seungcheol adamantly stopped him from reporting. When he asked why, he said he couldn’t tell him for now.

And now, an hour later, he thought that it was right to report it now, so he talked about it again, but Lee Seungcheol’s answer was the same as before, that he needed to take his time and check something.

He didn’t know what he wanted to check, but Lee Seungcheol was earnestly asking him, even using the word ‘please,’ so Hyeonseong had no choice but to bow his head, thinking that it would not be polite to force him any further.

“Hyeonseong!”

Lee Eunji suddenly called Hyeonseong while checking the monitor.

“Why, did you find anything?”

“Look at this here.”

Lee Eunji pointed to a still image showing a taxi.

It was a scene that Hyeonseong had seen several times. It was a passing taxi, and there was nothing special about it, so he had just passed it by.

“It’s a taxi, so what?”

“Look closely.”

Lee Eunji pointed to the taxi’s license plate with her finger. Then, the taxi number came into view. It wasn’t clearly visible, but there was no problem recognizing the numbers. Of course, Hyeonseong had already checked that part.

“I’ve already seen that. But so what?”

“About this number, doesn’t it seem a little strange?”

“Number? It’s 2400, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. 2400. But doesn’t this number remind you of anything?”

Lee Eunji stared intently at Hyeonseong and asked.

At that moment, something came to Hyeonseong’s mind as well.

“You mean…?”

“That’s right! Only the last two digits are different from the taxi number. The taxi from before was 2488, and this taxi is 2400. Doesn’t that smell fishy?”

“You mean… alteration?”
Hyeonseong carefully finished his words and looked at Lee Eunji.

Then, Lee Eunji’s eyes seemed to sparkle, and at some point, she flicked her thumb and middle finger in the air.

Snap!

“That’s exactly it. As you can see here, the taxi company is the same, and the car color is the same. The only difference is the last two digits. Isn’t that a very possible scenario?”

“Of course, it is, but…”

Hyeonseong trailed off and began to stare intently at the monitor. Then, at some point, his eyes began to widen.

And finally, his mouth slowly opened.

“This person is bald… right…?”