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Side Story 20

The last side story: Twelve years later (2)

A shadow of a woman, yet to shed the hints of her teen years, vigorously rose up from the thickly-coagulated clump of blood on the floor.

Chwa-ahck!!

Droplets of blood dripped from the ends of her hair as she took a look around her, her expression one of sheer confusion regarding her current situation. Eventually, though, she spat out pained moans.

[Ah.... Ah....!]

Indeed, it'd be quite painful for her since she retained the memories of her dying moments. Jin-Woo used the authority of the Shadow Sovereign and calmed the shadow for the time being.

"Don't be frightened.

The you of now has become an existence untethered from the boundaries of life and pain."

The king's calming, warm voice helped the woman to compose herself gradually. Jin-Woo then created a new set to clothing for her sake and wrapped them around her figure since she appeared how she died – nude.

[Ah....]

She cautiously pulled the clothing on her shoulders tighter.

Her name used to be Seo Jin-Yi. He named the newly-revived shadow woman the same as back when she was still alive, and began asking his questions.

"Did you... willingly take your own life?"

The shadow woman, no, Seo Jin-Yi, nodded her head.

Jin-Woo placed one of his knees lower to the ground so he could match her eye level. He studied her expression and quietly asked her.

"Your reason?"

And when he did, her lips, frozen shut like a block of ice, cautiously parted ways.

[I....]

***

Ding-dong.

The doorbell resounded out rather late at night; a middle-aged man put a photo frame containing a picture of his daughter down on its original spot and looked away.

'Who could it be at this late hour?'

He tilted his head this way and that while standing up from his seat, and walked over to the intercom.

The monitor on the device showing the scene outside the front door now displayed a man kitted out in a smart business suit standing there. The middle-aged man didn't think too much about it and pressed the 'Speak' button.

Beep.

The man outside the door pulled out his ID badge and showed it to the camera.

- "I'm Detective Seong Jin-Woo from Central Region's Violent Crimes Unit. I have questions to ask you regarding your daughter's death, so can we speak for a little while, please?"

The photo in the ID badge matched the face on the monitor.

The middle-aged man forgot that it was far too late in the day for a guest to show up like this when he heard the word 'Detective' and hurriedly flung the door open.

"Did the investigation's result come out? How did my little girl die?!"

Jin-Woo quietly studied the face of Seo Jin-Yi's father, Seo Gyu-Nam, before shaking his head.

"Nothing is certain yet, sir. However, I do have several follow-up questions I'd like to ask you regarding your daughter."

The father of the deceased formed a somewhat disappointed expression when he heard there was nothing to report yet. Jin-Woo made a quiet demand towards the man.