Chapter 2

The day just started and Yeong-hae’s plan to enjoy her Sunday was thrown to the bin after Jia mentioned about the witness. Jia handed a note to Yeong-hae with a contact number written on it. She stared at the paper on her palm. ‘The first piece to the puzzle.’ She thought to herself. This piece of paper now holds the key to their case.

The door knocked and Yeong-hae calmly hid the paper with her hand on the lap before answering to let her grandmother enter. “Jia, I have prepared lunch. Why don’t you join us before you leave? You should try my kimchi.”

Jia looked at Yeong-hae and Yeong-hae nodded. “Thank you, I would love to join you,” Jia beamed.

“Alright then. Come down when you two are done.”

After her grandmother left, Yeong-hae informed Jia that she will call the witness later that day and update her about it. Before they leave the room for lunch, Yeong-hae once more remind Jia to not run her mouth even within the team.

>>>

Yeong-hae sat in-front of the TV watching the news, waiting for her grandmother to go for her daily afternoon walk. Granny Kim came out fully dress for the cold weather and the walk. For a 78 years old woman, she was still active despite her weak heart.

“Hae-i. I am going for my walk and buying my medicine from the pharmacy too.” Granny Kim spoke as she put on her shoes.

“Be careful and don’t get curious at the park and try that exercising equipment again. I am busy these days. I can’t take care of you.” Yeong-hae replied.

“I know. I won’t get hurt and bother you. I put the plum extract on the fridge. Have it if you want.”

After she left, Yeong-hae turned off the TV and rush to her room. She locked the room and took out her phone. She dialed the number Jia gave and took a deep breath to prepare herself. The ring was on and the other side picked up without wasting a minute as if she was waiting for the call. “Hello?”

Yeong-hae recorded the call and answered, “Hello. This is Kim Yeong-hae. Whom am I speaking to?”

The witness hesitated a little and asked if it was really the detective Kim Yeong-hae. Yeong-hae assured her that she was the one and that she was safe to revealed herself. The witness went by the name Ahn Leina, a 24-year-old woman. Her family was the victim of the unknown murderer and she was the lone survivor. Her parents were once rich businessmen. They had everything they wanted and Hye-jin never knew what was behind the source of their richness. Her father had a connection with the unknown person and had the person help him grow his business. Soon, greed found its way and made her father to cut ties to have everything for himself. That was when the unfortunate murder of her family took place one month ago and somehow Hye-jin managed to save herself.

Yeong-hae did not even flinched on discovering another murder. “Did you report this to the police?”, she asked.

“I did but…I heard that they have ruled it out as suicide.” Ms. Ahn replied. Her shaky voice and the loud gulp in her throat were clearly heard on the other side of the phone.

“I am sorry this happened to you. May I ask if you have seen his face?” Yeong-hae tried not to sound too curious more about the person rather than the victim. She empathized with Ms. Ahn but she must also get information about the person.

“It is not He. It was a woman. She is she. The day they killed my family, I heard the leader of the group talk on his phone. He addressed her as ‘she’ with respect and did as what he was told. I think it was her who came later that night. I was hiding at a spot where me and my baby bother used to play hide and seek.” Yeong-hae could hear Ms. Ahn holding in her voice and the muffle sound of crying.

“Ms. Ahn. You must stay strong. You have to tell me what you saw that night. That way I can only help you and everyone else involved.”

Ms. Ahn sniffled and answered, “I saw only her back. She is an average height woman and has black medium length hair.”

“Did you see anything else?”

“No. But I think she has a high position in some company.”

Yeong-hae rubbed her forehead and asked where Ms. Ahn was at that moment.

“I can’t tell you that. I am scared. I am hiding somewhere now but I think they are after me. I decided to contact you when I found out you are working on this case, so that I could be of some help. I – I just- “, she broke down weeping.

Hearing Leina cry, fearing for her life made Yeong-hae realized how frightening death could be. She reimagined her life without her grandmother and without her parents and it gave her goosebumps.

After hanging up the phone, Yeong-hae went downstairs and pour herself a glass of the plum extract. Now what should I do? She could understand Leina’s perspective, but she must save her too. She called Jia and ordered her to do a background search on Ahn Leina.

The next day, she made Jia track the phone number. The number was last active the previous day and traced back to S shipping port. Yeong-hae took out her phone and called Ahn Leina, but it was out of service. She looked at Jia and slowly back off to her desk to take her car key.

In a hope that Leina was still there, Yeong-Hae drive down to S-port alone. She searched around showing a picture of Ahn Leina to the locals. Even so, she could not find her or any woman who resembled Leina.

Yeong-hae returned disheartened to the station and bang on her desk with frustration. Jia and the others in the room peeked at angry Yeong-hae. They wanted to ask what was wrong, but they were scared to talk to her in the current mood.

Jia bit her nails staring at Yeong-hae. She picked up one of her files and walked up to Yeong-hae. “Sunbae?”

Yeong-hae looked up to meet Jia’s curious eyes. She shook her head slightly and Jia knew what happened. It burned inside Yeong-hae to think that a young woman was suffering out there alone and she could not even trust her own people for help. Yeong-hae rang the number again and the phone number was out of service, cutting off their only source and now they could not fantom what might have happened to Ahn Leina.