10 SUSPECT
Detective Lee SungMin walks up to the tall man standing in front of the house of the victim. The same man that the therapist approached a while ago to ask questions.
"Hi sir, do you know Mr. Lee Yejoon?" The detective politely asks with a tough face, his brows ruffle together in the middle above his narrow eyes, making him look unintentionally furious to anyone.
"Yes, who are you, sir?" The tall man crumples his forehead staring at the man with white hair and beard.
"Detective Lee Sungmin." The man shows his identification displayed in the middle of the official badge holder made of leather. "I'm investigating his murder."
"I'm Yong In-Su, Yejoon's best friend. We live three blocks away from here." The tall man introduces himself to the investigator.
"Do you have a minute to talk? I have a few questions about Mr. Lee," Detective Lee Sungmin asks for the young man's permission. He put his badge back inside the pocket of his coat.
"Sure sir, we can do it inside the house," In-Su replies and lets the man have the first step forward as an expression of respect for the detective's authority.
Detective Lee Sungmin walks past his car parked on the other side of the road and notices the moistened windows. He left Ghost inside the vehicle and it seems like the monster is serious in making the therapist go away.
Ghost is into his cruel ways again, Sungmin says to himself.
In-Su stops in front of a high stone wall. A wooden square door is provided as the entrance for people while the massive two wooden boards divided in the middle serve as the passageway for the vehicles.
This kid is rich, the detective exclaimed to himself, staring at the house inside the high wall.
The white painted house has three bases and both higher floors have an open patio with glass doors that can be seen from the yard in front of the mansion. Three cars are parked on the pathway and the one on the end is the black car that Lee Yejoon saw before dying.
A black Dodge Challenger.
The sports car is popular among enthusiasts in line with the prominent Mustang brand. Expensive and rare to be seen in the street of Seoul. The car has a wide mouth with fog lamps, 20-inch black-painted alloy wheels, black grille, black rear spoiler, black fuel door, and trim-specific badging on the car that says: Seoul Hospital.
The other two cars are the expensive old model of black BMW sedan and a less cost-effective white Hyundai Equus that looks brand new and well maintained by the owner.
From the cemented pathway, they walk straight inside the house with a wooden intricate double door. The furnishings from the living room look humble yet expensive. The beige marble tiles on the floor are polished and elegantly match the pristine white walls that are decorated with beautiful paintings from a famous local painter.
The plants in every corner of the room create a refreshing and humble ambiance yet the luxury is still apparent from the soft carpet on the floor of the living room and the chandelier hanging above it.
There was no television set, instead, a grand piano can be seen opposite the five-seater beige sofa and two single couches on each side. On the wall behind the instrument is a large painting of a family. A father sitting beside a young man and the mother standing in the middle behind them.
Detective Lee Sungmin gazes at the image of the woman.
'She's beautiful,' he mumbles to himself.
Then, like a dream come true, a woman wearing a black dress walks in. Her hair is curled at the end that falls to her shoulder. The thick lips and puffy cheeks are pinkish like a natural blushing woman. The lines on her forehead are slightly visible indicating her age but her face looks vibrant like a woman in her early 30's. Wearing a modest gold necklace with her black dress and a shining diamond ring on her finger, the woman is stunning at every angle.
The investigator gape at the woman with his mouth open. Surprisingly, amused by the matriarch of the family. He didn't even notice the man walking behind her looking intense from the way the detective stares at the woman.
The husband is tall with short curly grey hair. His elongated-shaped face is distorted from the grimace on the man's lips. The unpleasant mood is directed at Sungmin after staring at the matriarch with admiration.
"Detective Lee, I want you to meet my mother, Mrs. Yong SanMee, and my stepfather Mr. Park ChungHo." The young man raises her arm to point at his parents with his hand. Then, turns to his mother and stepfather to introduce them to the investigator.
"This is Detective Lee Sungmin. He's —"
"—senior detective at Station 6 and head investigator to Mr. Lee's murder."
The investigator quickly raises his arm to shake the woman's hand but instead of reaching for it, the matriarch suddenly bursts into tears with both of her hands covering her eyes. The water in the woman's eyes flows on her cheek smudging the makeup on her face. Her husband standing behind her wrapped his hands on his wife's shoulder. Calming the woman's sorrow from the death of her son's close friend.
Detective SungMin stares at In-Su's reaction who did not question her mother's sentiment to his best friend.
'Does In-Su know her best friend's relationship with her mother before Yejoon's death? Maybe he planned everything a long time ago and learned not to show any anger while being questioned by the police.' Sungmin thinks.
Then, the investigator analyzes the stepfather's reaction over his regard for the matriarch. The scowl on the husband's face exhibits jealousy and anger.
A cocktail for murder.
But not enough to suspect the man with killing Lee Yejoon. When the police first asked for Mrs. Yong at the police station for filing a missing person case for Mr. Lee, she gave a full statement of where she and her husband were the days the man went missing.
They were at a party with friends and family, two hours away from the Seoul Hospital where the deceased work as a nurse on the night shift. The only person near Lee Yejoon is his best friend, Mr. Yong In-Su who owns a black car like the last thing the soul of Mr. Lee sees.
'I need to see the car up close,' Detective Lee Sungmin aims at the best friend, with a pair of sad eyes expressing grief.
