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Chapter 27
“Did they leave?”
At that moment, the lab door creaked open slightly, and Chief Choi peeked his head in.
“Just now. But if you hadn’t called earlier, I’d have ended up having dinner with Kim Seung-beom today. Perfect timing.”
In-hye laughed, giving Choi a thumbs-up.
“I’ve got a sense for these things. I saw Jeong signaling through the CCTV, so I called immediately.”
Choi shrugged at the compliment, waving the phone in his hand.
“But where’s Chaerin?”
In-hye flinched, realizing Chaerin wasn’t in sight.
“She went to the restroom for a moment.”
“Chaerin’s fine, right? No health issues? I got so worried when I got your text.”
In-hye leaned back against the soft sofa, exhaling in relief.
“Fortunately, everything’s fine. No need to worry.”
“But… did everything work out?”
“We’ll get to that. There’s someone I want to introduce first.”
At that moment, Seong-jin appeared behind Choi, glancing around the office with a serious expression.
“Who’s this?”
In-hye narrowed her eyes, instinctively wary of the sudden stranger.
“I mentioned before—there’s someone reliable. Detective Kim, meet Dr. Jeong In-hye.”
Choi gently pushed the hesitant Seong-jin forward.
“Kim Seong-jin.”
Seong-jin spoke curtly, a little annoyed by In-hye’s poised, almost haughty gaze.
“Jeong In-hye.”
In-hye responded with a cold, formal tone, matching her expression.
“Chief, what’s going on here? Who’s that girl from the room earlier? And why was Kim Seung-beom here?”
As the awkward introductions ended, Seong-jin immediately bombarded Choi with questions, clearly expecting answers to mountains of unexplained events.
“Calm down and sit for a moment. Chaerin, sit here too. Ah… this is exhausting.”
Choi helped Seong-jin and the just-arrived Chaerin onto the sofa, then flopped onto the empty one, weary.
“Chief, please tell me quickly… what happened?”
“Earlier, Chaerin got ejected from the memory—did you make her wake from hypnosis on purpose?”
Choi raised his hand, cutting off Seong-jin, and turned to In-hye with a serious expression.
“No. I think she woke herself to protect or hide something in the memory.”
In-hye crossed her arms, her face serious.
“Hide something?”
Choi’s expression hardened as well.
“Yes. She’s definitely concealing something.”
“But doesn’t hypnosis make people reveal everything? Is it even possible to consciously hide something?”
Choi tilted his head, amused and thoughtful.
“That’s the biggest misunderstanding about hypnosis. Many think people won’t be conscious, won’t know what’s happening, won’t even notice their own actions. But that’s like saying you can watch a movie with your eyes closed and ears plugged.”
In-hye tilted her long, slender fingers in curiosity.
“So consciousness exists even during hypnosis?”
Choi sat up from his chair, eyes sparkling with explanation.
“Yes. Even hypnotized, the mind remains aware. Like watching a movie while talking to someone next to you, a person can notice surrounding events. So someone can hide, distort, or suppress memories during hypnosis. That’s what Seung-beom seemed to do.”
In-hye nodded, absorbing every word.
“That’s possible? So then—”
“Wait. Can you explain what hypnosis is, what’s happening, and who that girl is here?”
Seong-jin, growing impatient, interrupted, pointing at Chaerin on the sofa.
“Chief, are we really going to do this together?”
In-hye gave Seong-jin a wary look, half-expecting this day to be only her and Choi backing up Chaerin. Today proved otherwise.
“Like I said before, even just with us two, backing up Chaerin is a lot. We need help.”
Choi had worried about involving Seong-jin—how to explain such unbelievable events—but ultimately, ensuring real-world backup for Chaerin was more important than secrecy.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
Choi was confident, but bringing a new person into this unpredictable situation carried risks.
“He’s capable, discreet, and can keep his mouth shut. No worries.”
Choi patted Seong-jin’s shoulder with a warm smile.
“Chaerin, what about you? Are you okay with this?”
In-hye passed the decision to Chaerin.
“I… whatever you decide.”
Chaerin glanced at Seong-jin, then back at her phone, indifferent.
“If you’re okay with it, I’m okay. Let’s do it together.”
“Alright. I’ll trust him for now.”
In-hye exhaled deeply, folding her legs as she studied Seong-jin.
“Don’t you see? No consultation with me, and suddenly deciding to work together?”
Seong-jin waved his hands in mock exasperation.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to explain. Don’t be shocked.”
Choi grabbed Seong-jin’s hands mid-air, swallowing hard, his face serious.
For a long while, Choi explained Chaerin’s abilities and the events so far. Seong-jin listened silently, occasionally gasping in surprise.
“Do you understand now?”
“No… not at all.”
Seong-jin leaned back, stunned. Choi laughed heartily, unsurprised—few could accept someone entering memories.
“Is all of this true?”
“How else could I find evidence and witnesses no one else could?”
Choi gestured to Chaerin on the sofa, answering Seong-jin’s unspoken question.
“Impossible…”
Seong-jin whispered, eyes wide, a mix of awe and disbelief. Chaerin, uncomfortable with the attention, furrowed her brows and scrolled on her phone, keeping to herself.
“Dr. Jeong, something really amazing happened earlier.”
Choi noticed the shift in Chaerin’s expression and quickly focused.
“What happened?”
“Chaerin spoke to me… from inside the memory.”
“She spoke? Really, Chaerin?”
In-hye’s eyes widened, staring at Chaerin.
“Yes.”
Chaerin nodded lightly, as if it were no big deal.
“She really spoke to Chief from inside the memory?”
In-hye, like Seong-jin earlier, couldn’t close her mouth in astonishment.
“I focused and tried. I had to speak, had to convey it. So…”
“Wait. How did you get the crime scene address from him inside the memory?”
In-hye dashed to her laptop, curious and alert.
“With this.”
Chaerin held her phone.
“You… used a phone inside the memory?”
“I only realized recently that objects you carry into a memory come with you. You can use them too.”
Seong-jin stared in amazement.
“Chaerin, why didn’t you tell us earlier? You should’ve! This is huge!”
In-hye’s astonishment morphed into frustration. She couldn’t tolerate missing even small details about Chaerin’s abilities.
“I wanted to tell you… but timing…”
“You might forget or be unable to tell. Don’t be so harsh on her.”
Seong-jin’s intervention made Chaerin lift her head slightly.
“How important is this… Chaerin, have you discovered anything else?”
In-hye shook her head, turning back to the laptop.
“The phone’s time.”
Chaerin glanced at In-hye cautiously.
“Time? What do you mean?”
“When you enter a memory, the time shifts to that moment.”
“Right.”
In-hye’s pen danced across paper, absorbed.
“But the phone always shows real-world time. Maybe that’s how I received messages earlier. So now, I always set the dual time—memory time and real-world time—so I don’t forget I’m in the memory.”
“Huh—”
In-hye’s pen froze mid-air.
“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
Her expression softened, a mix of disappointment and concern.
“Maybe it was temporary… sorry.”
Chaerin bowed her head again, sheepish.
“No, it’s my fault for not being more careful. But promise me one thing: any change, however small, you must tell me, okay? I worry about the impact on you. Sorry for raising my voice earlier.”
In-hye smiled, patting the subdued Chaerin.
“No, I’m sorry for not telling you.”
Chaerin, surprised, realized the lecture was gentle concern rather than punishment.
“So… is that everything? No more surprises?”
In-hye closed her laptop, smiling at Chaerin.
“Well…”
Chaerin’s lips moved again, slowly.
“What’s next?”
In-hye’s hands hovered above the keyboard, tense with anticipation.
“I think… we can go in together.”
Chaerin spoke cautiously, each word measured.
“Are you saying… the place I’m thinking of?”
In-hye silently hoped she was right. Goosebumps ran down her arms.
“Yes. I think we can enter the memory together.”
Chaerin looked In-hye straight in the eyes.
