Chapter 8: Putting the Pieces Together

A person’s footsteps could reveal surprisingly many things.

Their mood, the situation they were currently in, and even the future that lay ahead of them.

The five children walking past Seongjin and Jucheol were a perfect example.

“Are those the kids?”

Jucheol asked, carefully observing each child as they walked under police escort.

From the first boy, who strode forward arrogantly, to the last one, who dragged his feet as though he were being forced along against his will.

Every one of them wore a frown, but their individual gaits seemed to reflect their different moods.

“Yes. And among them, the suspect is…”

“The small kid walking at the very back, I presume. For now, anyway.”

Before Seongjin could finish speaking, Jucheol pointed his finger at Donggyu.

“Yes! That’s right. How did you know?”

Seongjin asked, looking genuinely surprised.

“I took a guess.”

Jucheol replied with a mischievous grin.

“Come on! I thought you had some kind of scientific reasoning behind that answer.”

Seongjin looked disappointed and turned away.

“Sometimes instinct is more reliable than scientific evidence.”

Jucheol chuckled, tapping his temple with his index finger.

“Doctor, are you starting to take after Captain Choi, too?”

Everywhere he went, all he heard was people talking about their instincts. At this rate, he was practically developing a nervous aversion to the word.

“What does Captain Choi have to do with this?”

“Never mind. If you don’t know, then forget it. But what did you mean when you said ‘for now’?”

For some reason, the brief phrase Jucheol had casually thrown out earlier kept lingering in Seongjin’s mind.

“Exactly what I said.”

“Why don’t we make a bet? I’ll give you a quiz.”

Unable to make sense of Jucheol’s cryptic words, Seongjin asked with an exasperated expression.

“A quiz? Sounds fun! Then why don’t you try guessing why I said that? If you get it right, I’ll stop coming here from now on.”

Clearly enjoying the situation, Jucheol draped an arm over Seongjin’s shoulder, his eyes narrowing into crescent moons.

“Forget it. Don’t make promises you have no intention of keeping. Anyway, I’m busy today, so please head back.”

Knowing perfectly well that Jucheol was never going to stop showing up, Seongjin had no intention of wasting his time on such pointless games.

Just as he turned away with an utterly fed-up expression—

“Where are you going?”

Jucheol called after him.

“I’m going to take another look around the crime scene over there.”

Seongjin answered, making no effort to hide his annoyance.

“Why would you go there?”

“Why else? Obviously, I’m going to look for any evidence we might have missed.”

Exhausted by Jucheol’s pointless questions, Seongjin answered with a weary expression.

“That’s exactly what I’m asking. Why go there? The evidence is right up there.”

Jucheol pointed toward the rooftop, looking as though he couldn’t understand why Seongjin hadn’t figured it out already.

“I really do have to get back to the police station soon, so we’ll take a quick look and come right back down. Understood?”

In the end, Seongjin had been dragged up to the rooftop by Jucheol’s stubborn insistence. He lifted the yellow police tape, which was stretched like a spiderweb across the entrance.

Truthfully, it wasn’t just Jucheol’s persistence that had brought him here. He was also curious to find out whether there really was evidence on the rooftop, just as Jucheol had claimed.

“Don’t worry. But this place is a complete mess, too.”

Only police tape separated the rooftop from the rest of the crime scene, and the place was just as chaotic as the area below.

Footprints were scattered haphazardly across the bloodstains. Clothes and bags were strewn all over the place, as though someone had rummaged through them.

The sight made Jucheol frown and sigh.

“When the incident first happened, the kids and teachers came running up here without thinking. They were all over the place. Fortunately, one of the teachers managed to stop them, so it didn’t get any worse than this.”

“It’s pretty high up.”

While looking around, Jucheol suddenly leaned against the rooftop railing and stretched his upper body over the edge to peer down.

“What are you doing? That’s dangerous!”

Seeing how precariously Jucheol was leaning, Seongjin raised his voice in alarm.

“There’s no CCTV here, is there? The kids used to sneak up here to smoke, so naturally, there wouldn’t be any cameras…”

Jucheol gestured for Seongjin not to worry before leaning against the railing and looking around.

“By the way, how exactly did the victim fall? Did someone push him?”

“According to the kids who witnessed it, he was struck in the head by a steel pipe that had fallen, staggered backward, and then fell off the roof.”

“Hmm… Then the steel pipe must have come from over there…”

Jucheol murmured again, looking toward a pile of discarded construction materials in one corner of the rooftop.

His eyes swept across every inch of the area with unusual sharpness, as though he were carefully putting together the pieces of a puzzle to reconstruct exactly what had happened at the time of the incident.

“Were there any other weapons besides the steel pipe?”

“There was a wooden beam and a few other things. But the forensic team has already collected all the steel pipes and wooden beams that were near the kids.”

“I see.”

Even so, Jucheol continued wandering around the rooftop, his expression suggesting that something still didn’t sit right with him.

“If you’ve finished looking around, can we head back now?”

“Just a moment. Detective Kim, do you think I could fall from here?”

Jucheol turned around and once again leaned precariously over the railing.

“Seriously, why do you keep doing dangerous things like that?”

Startled, Seongjin hurried over, grabbed Jucheol’s arm, and shouted.

“How high do you think this railing is?”

“Just a little over one meter, I suppose… Wait, that’s not important right now! Could you please get down?”

Seongjin regretted answering so instinctively and once again tried to pull Jucheol away from the railing.

“Do you happen to know how tall the boy who fell was?”

“Why are you suddenly asking me that?”

Something about Jucheol’s questions made Seongjin’s expression change.

“According to building regulations, rooftop railings are supposed to be at least 1.2 meters high. And since this is a school, naturally, it should meet that requirement. If you add the metal safety fence installed on top, the total height should be at least 1.4 meters…”

Jucheol compared the railing’s height against his own body, then trailed off.

He turned toward Seongjin with a meaningful look.

“Are you saying… it wasn’t an accident?”

Seongjin’s eyes began to tremble.

“Hey! Answer me properly!”

The police station was filled with angry shouts from every direction. Not a single person seemed to be smiling. The oppressive atmosphere alone was enough to make anyone feel intimidated.

And Donggyu was no exception.

“Now, let me ask you again. You hit Minjun with the steel pipe, right? After getting hit, he staggered and accidentally fell off the rooftop. That’s what happened, isn’t it?”

Detective Lee’s face grew increasingly red with frustration as Donggyu continued sitting silently with his head bowed, refusing to answer even after being questioned repeatedly.

“…”

“Ah, damn it! You’re driving me crazy! Listen, the longer you keep this up, the worse things will get for you. Just tell us what happened so we can get this over with. All right?”

“…”

Even as Detective Lee repeatedly sighed and slapped his chest in frustration, Donggyu remained stubbornly silent.

“Donggyu, look at those guys over there. See how well they’re answering our questions?”

Detective Lee pointed toward the other boys, who were being questioned by Captain Choi at the neighboring desk.

“So Minjun and I were smoking on the rooftop when Donggyu suddenly opened the door and came charging at us with a steel pipe.”

“That’s right. We tried to run away to avoid him, but then Donggyu…”

“Let me explain. I will. Donggyu kept chasing only Minjun, trying to hit him with the steel pipe. He’d always had a grudge against Minjun.”

“Exactly. He must have been waiting for an opportunity because he came after him like he was determined to kill him. Then Minjun got hit in the head by the steel pipe Donggyu swung, and he staggered…”

“Then he just fell over the edge. But from what I saw, it was an accident.”

“That’s right! It was an accident. But honestly, Minjun did bully Donggyu quite a lot, didn’t he? Right?”

“Yeah. That’s true.”

The boys were practically competing with one another to pour out everything they claimed to have witnessed.

“All right, all right! I’ve got it, so can you all quiet down for a moment?”

Captain Choi, who had been busily typing their statements with two fingers, raised both hands to silence them, looking thoroughly exhausted.

His gaze naturally drifted toward Donggyu, who was sitting at the desk beside them.

The terrified expression frozen on his face. His hunched shoulders. His nervous hands constantly picking at his fingernails. And his tightly sealed lips.

Perhaps this was simply how an ordinary eighteen-year-old boy would look after witnessing his friend’s accident and being brought to the police station to give a statement.

But the four boys sitting in front of him…

It was difficult to dismiss their behavior as nothing more than the usual boldness of today’s teenagers.

Everything they said and did flowed far too smoothly.

And that very naturalness felt unnatural to Captain Choi.

“Um, but Donggyu will probably get a suspended sentence, right? I mean, it was an impulsive accident, and he’s still a minor.”

Suddenly, Hyeongjin threw an unexpected question at Captain Choi.

“Hey! What the hell are you talking about? Can’t you read the room?”

Jinwoo, sitting beside him, shoved Hyeongjin with an irritated expression.

“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”

Captain Choi asked quietly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the boys’ faces.

“Nothing. I was just wondering what would happen to Donggyu…”

Seongho avoided Captain Choi’s eyes and tried to brush off the question with a vague answer.

Just then—

“Where’s my son? Where is he?!”

“Seongho!”

“Donggeon! Where’s my son?!”

“Hyeongjin! Hyeongjin!”

Several mothers, dressed head to toe in expensive designer clothing, burst through the office door as though they intended to tear it off its hinges. They shouted at the top of their lungs, creating an uproar as they rushed around the room.

A short while later, several men wearing expensive suits followed them inside, each carrying a briefcase.

“Who are you people? You can’t just come in here and cause a disturbance!”

“Get out of my way! Son! Are you okay? What happened?”

“Donggeon, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Don’t worry! Mommy will take care of everything!”

Despite Detective Lee’s attempts to stop them, the mothers paid him no attention.

The moment they spotted the boys sitting in front of Captain Choi, they rushed toward them at full speed, embracing them as though they had just been reunited with family after years of separation.

“Are you their mothers? We’re still conducting our investigation, so please wait outside for the time being.”

“When will my son be allowed to go home?”

“My son is only a witness. Surely there’s no reason to keep him here, is there?”

“We still have a few things left to investigate, so…”

Captain Choi was struggling to deal with the unreasonable mothers when a golden business card suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Good afternoon. I’m Attorney Kim Cheol-min from TK & Partners. I’ve heard quite a lot about your reputation, Captain. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

With his neat appearance and deep, authoritative voice, the man exuded confidence.

Seeing that even the managing partner of a prestigious law firm, renowned for its exceptionally high success rate in criminal trials, had personally shown up, Captain Choi could roughly guess what kind of families these boys came from.

“I’m the legal representative for the children here. It seems their witness interviews have already been completed, so I believe you can release them now.”

Attorney Kim stated his demand directly, without bothering with unnecessary pleasantries.

“There’s still a few things I’d like to ask them.”

But Captain Choi wasn’t someone who could be pushed around so easily.

“There’s an obvious suspect sitting right there. There’s no need to waste everyone’s time.”

“I wouldn’t say I particularly appreciate the phrase ‘waste everyone’s time.’”

An invisible battle of nerves unfolded between the two men.

Just then, the police station doors opened once again.

A woman rushed inside, her face deathly pale.

Unlike the mothers who had just arrived, her clothes were plain and shabby. The difference was so striking that comparing them almost seemed cruel.

“My son… Where’s my son…?”

The woman wandered around the police station as though she had lost her mind, desperately searching for someone.

Eventually, her gaze settled on a boy sitting with his head bowed.

“Donggyu!”

Calling his name desperately, she hurried over and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

“…”

But Donggyu remained silent, his lips firmly pressed together as thick tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Detective, my son would never do something like that. There’s been some kind of misunderstanding, hasn’t there? My boy would never commit such an act. He isn’t that kind of child!”

“Ma’am, please calm down. We’re still investigating what happened, so there’s no need to worry too much just yet.”

Captain Choi tried to reassure Donggyu’s mother, whose voice was breaking with desperation.

“Oh? So you’re that little bastard’s mother?”

The other mothers, who had been watching the scene, immediately seized the opportunity and rushed toward Donggyu’s mother, pointing accusing fingers at her.

“W-Who… are you?”

Startled by their aggressive attitude, Donggyu’s mother took a trembling step backward.

“How on earth did you raise your child? What kind of upbringing makes a kid attack another child with a steel pipe?”

“Minjun’s mother couldn’t come because she’s so distraught over what happened to her son. Your son’s life is over now. You’d better prepare yourself!”

“People like you really have no manners. Is this the time to be worrying about your own son? Shouldn’t you apologize to us first? That’s the least you could do, isn’t it?”

Their relentless insults and accusations came without the slightest consideration for her feelings.

Every cruel word pierced Donggyu’s mother’s heart like a dagger.

“Please, everyone, stop this and leave. And the investigation is still ongoing, so you shouldn’t jump to conclusions like that.”

Captain Choi stepped in to restrain the mothers.

“What do you mean, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions? Are you saying that boy isn’t at fault?”

“No, that’s not what I meant, ma’am…”

“I’m sorry.”

At that very moment, Donggyu’s mother suddenly dropped to her knees on the cold floor and bowed her head.

“I’m truly sorry. Please, I’m begging you. Just give him one chance. Please forgive him.”

She didn’t care how much her knees might hurt or how worn out they might become.

If getting her son out of this mess meant kneeling until her knees were completely worn away, she was willing to do it.

“Mom… Get up.”

For the first time, Donggyu finally opened his tightly sealed lips and slowly lifted his head.