🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 14
“Alright, good work today.”
“Goodbye, sir.”
As Manager Jung Sung-tae left the office, the employees, who had been waiting for the cue, quickly began packing up to leave.
At that moment, Assistant Manager Yoon Il-young stood up.
“Everyone, how about some chicken and beer tonight? My treat.”
But excuses immediately poured out from all sides.
“Sorry, my parents came up from the countryside today.”
“My boyfriend’s waiting for me in front of the company…”
The female employees rushed out, worried he might try to hold them back, leaving Yoon looking disappointed. Finally, he turned toward Dohyun.
“What about you, Dohyun?”
“Sorry, I already have plans today.”
“Really? My wife went to her parents’ house, so I finally have some freedom… and nobody to hang out with.”
The longing for freedom was clear on Yoon’s face, but he seemed deflated.
Dohyun smiled and said, “Next time, it’s on me,” before leaving the office.
A little later, he arrived at the café where he had arranged to meet someone. Sitting by the window was a familiar face.
“Hello.”
“You’re here.”
As Dohyun approached, Kim Ki-chul from Cheongun Detective Agency stood to greet him.
It was only their second meeting since Dohyun had first visited the detective office.
Kim, a former detective, had once told him that he walked with a limp after being stabbed by a robber.
Once Dohyun sat down, Kim handed him a yellow envelope.
“Please check it.”
Taking a deep breath, Dohyun picked up the envelope. His fingertips trembled as he untied the string.
Inside was a report detailing the personal information of the people he had asked Kim to find.
Father: Choi Gil-doo (58) / Unemployed
Mother: Kim Sun-ja (55) / Works at ‘Aunt’s Restaurant’ in Bongcheon-dong
Dohyun froze as soon as he read the first line.
“…Are you sure this is accurate?”
“Is there a problem?”
“As far as I know… when I was left at the orphanage, my name was listed as Nam Dohyun. But here it says my father’s surname is Choi.”
“Official registry records don’t make mistakes. It’s more likely the orphanage’s records were wrong. Back then, everything was written by hand, so errors in names or surnames happened often.”
“…I see.”
Though uneasy, Dohyun nodded and continued reading. Then his vision blurred.
Child: Choi Hee-joo (31) / Intellectual disability, grade 3
He hadn’t expected them to have another child.
And an intellectually disabled one at that.
With a heavy heart, Dohyun pulled out the photographs inside the envelope.
Choi Gil-doo had sharp eyes and a face flushed from alcohol. Kim Sun-ja’s face bore the marks of a hard life.
Her body was frail, and the deep wrinkles made her look far older than her age.
And their daughter, Choi Hee-joo, had the innocent, childlike gaze of someone living with disability.
Pain welled in Dohyun’s chest, and his vision grew hazy.
Normally, he wasn’t one to cry easily in front of others, but he swallowed his emotions with a deep breath.
When he finally looked up, his eyes met Kim Ki-chul’s steady gaze.
“Thank you for your hard work. I’ll transfer the remaining payment…”
“There’s a problem.”
His hand froze over his phone.
“A problem?”
Dohyun’s eyes flickered with unease. Kim spoke carefully.
“A few days ago, I got a call from a colleague at ○○ Police Station. Choi Gil-doo has been detained on charges of domestic violence.”
“Domestic violence?”
Dohyun’s brows furrowed deeply.
“Choi Gil-doo is an alcoholic. Every time he drinks, he beats his wife and daughter.”
A jobless drunk who abused his own family—hardly a man worth calling human.
“So right now, only Kim Sun-ja and Choi Hee-joo are at home?”
“No. As soon as Choi Gil-doo was detained, Kim Sun-ja left the house with her daughter.”
“They left? Where?”
The world seemed to go dark before Dohyun’s eyes.
“She has a close friend nearby, but she didn’t go there. Most likely, she’s hiding carefully so that Choi Gil-doo can’t find them.”
“No other family?”
“Both parents passed away early. She had one younger brother, but he died of lung cancer five years ago. I checked her credit card and phone activity—there’s been no sign of life since.”
“…You mean?”
“It could be one of two things. Either she cut all ties to avoid being found… or, well…”
From Kim’s expression, Dohyun could easily guess the unspoken possibility.
But he refused to believe it.
This was a woman who had endured her husband’s abuse for over 30 years, all to protect her disabled daughter.
If Kim Sun-ja had left, it could only be because she wanted to live.
“Then… there’s no way to find them?”
“CCTV footage showed her last getting out of a taxi at Seoul Express Bus Terminal. After that, nothing. We’re still tracking.”
“How long will it take?”
“It depends. Could be a day, could be over a month.”
The dream he had longed for suddenly felt out of reach. Closing his eyes tightly, he asked in a hollow voice:
“Why would she go to the bus terminal?”
“My guess? She wanted to return to her hometown, where she lived until high school.”
“But she doesn’t have family there anymore.”
“Still, after 20 years, she must know at least a few people. Better to go somewhere familiar than completely unknown.”
It made sense.
“Can you find the address of her old home?”
“That’s easy enough. But why? Planning to go yourself?”
“Yes.”
His answer was firm.
“You should wait until her movements are confirmed. Otherwise, it could be a wasted trip.”
“No. Let me know as soon as you find it.”
Seeing the resolve in his face, Kim realized persuasion was pointless. He nodded.
Dohyun gathered the yellow envelope and stood.
“Then, please keep me updated.”
Kim also rose and added, “Don’t worry too much. Everything will be alright.”
“…It has to be.”
Taking a half-day off, Yeon-ha went to the dentist.
Her gums had swollen, probably from fatigue after nights of poor sleep.
When she finally arrived at the office, it was twenty minutes before the end of lunch.
She hadn’t eaten anything since morning, but she had no appetite. She grabbed a take-out coffee from the café on the first floor and pressed the elevator button.
While checking her emails on her phone, she sensed someone beside her.
Turning her head, her face stiffened slightly.
It was the last person she wanted to run into—Deputy Manager Kim Sung-soo from the Materials Department, smiling at her.
“Heading back after lunch?”
“Yes.”
Kim slowly looked her over before speaking again. Yeon-ha, not wanting to engage, answered curtly and turned her head away.
She pretended to focus on her phone, hoping he’d stop talking. But Kim wasn’t the type to take a hint.
“Team Leader Seo, you should really take care of yourself.”
“…What do you mean?”
She didn’t want to ask, but if she ignored him, he would only keep pestering.
“Your face looks so worn out. Guess you can’t hide your age, huh?”
It was a sneer.
She wanted to snap back that her skin was none of his business, but this was the workplace. And although they were in different departments, Kim was still her superior.
“If that’s how I looked, I’ll make sure to take better care of myself.”
She clenched her teeth as she answered. At that moment, the elevator arrived.
“Not getting in?”
Already inside, Kim looked back at her.
The last thing she wanted was to be in the same space with him, but there was no avoiding it.
Reluctantly, she stepped inside. Kim pressed the “close” button.
