10. Twenty-nine
Without realizing it, my footsteps stopped as if my body had hardened.
From the contents of the leaflet alone, it was impossible to know what happened to In-cheol’s disappearance.
Youngmi asked, looking at the leaflet in my hand.
“Who are you? Do you know him?”
The other class, Yeong-mi, doesn’t know In-cheol.
“Yeah, we’re classmates… .”
“really? what should we do… Looking at the address, it looks like our apartment?”
I nodded and said.
“right. The person who just gave you this is probably In-cheol’s mother.”
“really? So, has In-cheol met his mother before?”
I shook my head.
But it is clear that she is In-cheol’s mother.
Thousands of images remain in my mind.
The countless images I saw with my own eyes while walking around town.
Since In-cheol has lived in our neighborhood for a long time, there was also an image of In-cheol and In-cheol’s mother together.
Among them, there was an image of In-cheol’s family shopping at the alley market behind the neighborhood, and In-cheol’s mother holding on to In-cheol’s earlobe and dragging him home.
Another memory that came to my mind was an image of In-cheol sitting in the back seat of the black Gak Grandeur driven by In-cheol’s mother.
The license plate of each black Granger is 1223 Seoul Street.
For reference, this is the early 90’s.
Each Grandeur was a symbol of wealth.
And it was clear that each Grandeur on the 1223 license plate belonged to Incheol.
This is because, as I recollected the memories in my head, I remembered the image of In-cheol’s mother, who was driving this car, quite a lot.
Also, In-cheol’s father seemed to have died about three years ago.
From around 1989, I remembered In-cheol’s father with a lean appearance, but since February 1990, I have not been able to find any images of In-cheol’s father.
Among the countless images, the most important was the appearance of In-cheol on the evening of last Saturday, two days ago.
Saturday late afternoon.
I was on my way home from shopping with my mother, and I didn’t know it was Incheol at the time because I had seen it from afar.
However, as soon as I saw the clothes Incheol was wearing on the flyer, I decided that the person I saw on Saturday evening was Incheol.
I thought that maybe this image could be related to Incheol’s disappearance.
“hey! Chae Jung-ho!”
“yes… ?”
Youngmi was staring at me.
“What else are you thinking so deeply about?”
“ah… Nothing. I just had an idea… .”
As soon as I got home, I called the number on the flyer.
It’s probably In-cheol’s home phone number.
But no one picks up the phone.
I called the police station number on the bottom of the flyer… .
This time on the phone.
I called another police station number, and a thick male voice was heard along with the ringtone.
– I received a call from Inspector Park ㅇㅇ of the 2nd team of the Criminal Division of the Namseo Police Station.
detective department?
I thought it could be a serious incident.
“hello. I called about the case of the disappearance of In-cheol Choi, a child at Namseo National School.”
– Yeah, what’s going on?
“Are you the detective in charge?”
– The detective in charge isn’t here right now, can you tell me what’s going on?
I asked if he was the detective in charge, but he said that there is a detective in charge of the case in the Criminal Division of the police station.
I mean, this is a serious case.
Please, I hope In-cheol is safe… .
I cleared my trembling voice and opened my mouth.
“I saw In-cheol getting into the car last Saturday afternoon.”
-ah… ! so?
“Yes, I will explain the situation in as much detail as possible then. Can you tell the detective in charge of what I tell you? And I think you should take notes.”
A policeman’s laughter was heard over the phone.
-haha! yes yes
“Priority time is on Saturdays between 6:15pm and 6:30pm. It’s probably around 6:20. At that time, he looked like In-cheol’s face as he got into the car, so they seemed like people he knew well. It was a car with two men, one in the driver’s seat and one in the passenger seat.”
And I explained about their impressions.
I could feel the policeman’s voice on the other side of the receiver getting more serious at my words, and I continued my explanation.
“The car is a pale blue Presto. The license plate was Seoul La 7383.”
-Wait a minute.
The police cut me off.
He seemed to start jotting down what I was saying.
After checking the car number again, the police asked me.
– What’s your name?
After thinking for a while, I opened my mouth.
“My name is not important. The Presto car went out the back door, not the front door of the apartment complex. And I turned left at the back door. If you go in that direction, it will lead directly to the Southern Ring Road. So, it seems that the people who took In-cheol did not live in this area. That is all.
And I hung up the phone.
* * *
Southwest Police Station Criminal Division 2 Team.
Upon receiving the call, Inspector General Park OO had an intuition that this was an important report.
I took the note I took while talking on the phone, and went into the investigation room of the 1st team of the Detective Department in charge of the case.
“Chief Kim. Please take a look at this. This is a report we just received regarding the disappearance.”
Team leader Kim Jung-soo’s eyes widened when he checked the memo.
He handed the note to his teammate and said,
“Chief Choi, check the vehicle listed here, and since it is highly likely that he is a thief, Detective Min contacted the mother of the missing child and told him to come to the police station now.”
Having given such an instruction, he turned to Inspector Park ㅇㅇ, who brought the memo, and said:
“Thank you, Inspector Park. But who reported it?”
“I do not know. So I just said what I had to say and hung up the phone.”
“okay? That doesn’t happen very often… .”
“But her voice sounded like a child.”
In an instant, Team Leader Kim Jung-soo’s expression hardened.
“Child? National student?”
“The way he spoke was completely mature… Judging from the pre-transformation period, I think I was in the 5th or 6th year of public school.”
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo narrowed his forehead and beckoned Detective Min in the opposite seat, and Detective Min blocked the receiver with his hand and spoke to Team Leader Kim Jung-soo.
“I am on the phone with the mother of the missing child.”
“Ask if you ever distributed flyers or something at school.”
Detective Min nodded and spoke on the phone, then said.
“Yes, it is said that a missing leaflet was circulated a little while ago just in time for the dismissal of Namseo Elementary School.”
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo said with a raised eyebrow.
“Detective Min, tell your mother that you don’t need to come to the office.”
He turned his head and said to Inspector Park.
“How much do you have for jjambap, are you playing with kids prank calls? men and horses!”
“I… That’s how you talk… .”
“under—-. Don’t get in the way here, go and get your team’s work, bastard!”
Superintendent Park ㅇㅇ came out of Team 1’s investigation room with a bewildered expression, and at that time, Sgt Choi, who was inquiring about the vehicle, said to Team Leader Kim Jung-soo.
“Chief, the results of the vehicle inquiry are out.”
* * *
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo, who explained the situation, said to In-cheol’s mother.
“I found the owner of the vehicle that In-cheol was riding in, and it turned out as a person named Jin-su Choi.”
In-cheol’s mother opened her mouth with a surprised expression.
“In-cheol is my uncle.”
In response to her answer, Team Leader Kim Jung-soo said with an expression of understanding.
“When you get a call asking for money, your voice must have been familiar.”
In-cheol’s mother shook her head.
“I wasn’t a master.”
“Is there anyone who can guess by their voice?”
She shook her head and said.
“So our In-cheol… now… Are you with the master?”
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo shook his head.
“We don’t know yet. According to the police who came to Choi Jin-soo’s house, the house was empty.”
“just… How about sending the money you want? Actually, I went to the bank this morning. First of all, you can borrow up to 150 million won by using the apartment as collateral. The remaining 5,000 can be made somehow.”
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo said with strength between his forehead.
“As I said, whether or not the ransom is paid in a kidnapping case has little to do with the safe return of the hostage.”
In-cheol’s mother said while shaking her pale face.
“If only In-cheol can come back healthy now, what’s the use of money and what’s the house?”
“Mother, because the deadline that the criminals said has one more day left… You can decide that tomorrow.”
that afternoon.
In-cheol’s uncle Choi Jin-soo was wanted, and team leader Kim Jeong-soo ordered an investigation into Choi’s acquaintances.
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo thought by tapping the ring finger of his left hand on the desk.
There is one more accomplice in addition to Choi Jin-soo, an acquaintance.
And they are most likely hiding in this accomplice’s house.
If they didn’t kill In-cheol, the child must be there too.
The outline of the culprit was first identified by the report phone call.
Team leader Kim Jung-soo said that it was a child’s prank call, and he smiled bitterly as he recalled the memory of ignoring the report.
the next morning.
Thanks to the overnight investigation, the number of suspects from around 30 among Choi Jin-soo’s acquaintances has been reduced to seven.
Choi Jin-soo’s name was at the top of the whiteboard of Detective Team 1, and the names and personal information of 7 people were arranged below it.
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo, standing in front of the whiteboard, asked the team members who returned to the police station.
“How did the investigation result come out?”
Detective Min said.
“Jung Yi-seok and Kim Byung-soo are definitely not. Both are sure to have Saturday alibi.”
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo put an X on the two names written on the whiteboard.
Sergeant Choi said.
“Neither are Kim Jung-hoon and Lee Yong-tae. We did not have a warrant, so we obtained consent and checked the house, but there does not appear to be any suspicion.”
Team leader Kim Jung-soo said with an X mark on the mentioned name as well.
“Then you’re one of the three remaining… .”
He checked the personal information written with each name.
Kim Beom-min.
high school classmate.
inoccupation.
11-2, ㅇㅇ-dong, ㅇㅇ-gu, Bucheon-si.
032-353-XXXX
Kim Min Soo.
college classmate.
Office worker (ㅇㅇ Securities).
117-305, ㅇㅇ Apartment, ㅇㅇ-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
02-405-XXXX
Ryu Jeong-moo
high school classmate.
Self-Employed (Unemployed?).
132-45, ㅇㅇ-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul.
02-389-XXXX
A missing child could be turned into a hostage in an instant.
It is not a good way to divide the insufficient police force.
After reading the thoughts of team leader Kim Jeong-soo, Sergeant Choi opened his mouth carefully.
“Ryu Jeong-moo is the most influential. We have secured the record of talking to Jinsoo Choi since last Wednesday, and applied for a search warrant as instructed. Right now… .”
At that time, Team Leader Kim Jeong-soo cut off the words of Inspector Choi.
“Wait a minute! I think so too, but let’s check one thing before we go.”
Team leader Kim Jeong-soo picked up a note brought by Inspector Park of the 2nd detective team yesterday and said:
“Detective Min, call the missing student’s mother now.”
After a while, Team Leader Kim Jung-soo, who was handed the receiver to Detective Min, said:
“Mother, do you know the back door of the apartment?”