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Chapter 49
“You’re Yoon Jin-young, right? Right?”
Seong-jin, seeing a celebrity in person for the first time, spoke with a slightly excited expression.
“Yes, that’s me. Detective, I really can’t live like this. Please, you have to help me.”
But unlike the smiling Seong-jin, Jin-young’s face was tense, and his voice trembled with urgency.
“Of course. I’ll help you. First, please have a seat. By the way… you look even better in person. Is it rude to say a celebrity looks better in real life?”
Seong-jin, calm and joking, seemed unconcerned despite Jin-young’s panic.
He knew very well that most people coming in with concerns like this were usually overreacting.
“Who’s here?”
Chief Choi, curious upon hearing that Yoon Jin-young—the person Chae-rin liked—was here, slowly walked over toward him.
“Chief, it’s Yoon Jin-young. Chae-rin mentioned she likes him earlier.”
“Oh—Yoon Jin-young. Nice to meet you.”
Chief Choi smiled widely and extended his hand toward Jin-young.
Out of habit, he scanned Jin-young from head to toe while greeting him.
Tall, slim, muscular, with a small face and clearly handsome features—he looked every bit like a celebrity.
“Yes. Hello. But please help me quickly. It’s urgent.”
“First, please have a seat. You said you’re requesting personal protection—why are you requesting it?”
Seong-jin began working seriously, placing his hands on the laptop, his expression now serious.
“Someone seems to want to kill me.”
Jin-young’s eyes shook with anxiety.
“Why do you think that? Have you received threats? Or any direct danger?”
“Not directly… but…”
Jin-young hesitated for a moment.
“Then how exactly do you feel threatened?”
“I just feel it. It’s like someone is always watching me.”
Jin-young kept fidgeting with his hands, looking increasingly anxious.
“So, there’s no direct threat? No one has come to you, no threatening letters sent?”
“Not yet…”
Jin-young trailed off again.
“Is this because of obsessive fans?”
“Obsessive fans?”
“I think I saw an interview where you said obsessive fans were troubling you recently. Could it be that’s making you more sensitive now and feel that someone is threatening your life?”
Seong-jin lowered his hands from the laptop with a knowing expression.
“Sensitive? Do I look like I’m here because I’m free? Someone is really trying to kill me!”
Jin-young’s voice grew louder at Seong-jin’s casual response.
“Then you need to tell us exactly how you’re being threatened so we can help.”
Seong-jin placed his hands back on the laptop, his face serious.
“…Someone keeps posting online that they’re going to kill me.”
After hesitating for a moment, Jin-young spoke gravely.
“Are the posts on the ‘Pathological Liar Gallery’?”
At that moment, Chief Choi, who had been listening, interjected.
“Yes. That’s right. How did you know?”
Jin-young looked at Chief Choi, surprised.
“Yoon Jin-young, as you know, that’s the ‘Pathological Liar Gallery.’ It’s probably just a fan wanting attention. Don’t worry too much.”
Seong-jin relaxed again, letting his hands drop from the laptop, seeming unconcerned.
“No, it’s not a simple prank. It’s a real post trying to kill me!”
Jin-young hit his chest in frustration.
“Jin-young, I hate to say this, but just like you have fans, you have anti-fans too.”
“Yes… I know…”
“Well, those anti-fans probably just posted it as a joke. If you’re really worried, report it to cybercrime investigators.”
“But I still want to request personal protection.”
“Requesting protection from the police has strict requirements. Simply receiving an online threat isn’t enough to qualify. Hiring a bodyguard might be more practical.”
“I can’t trust anyone. No one.”
Jin-young lowered his head in despair at Seong-jin’s words.
“Jin-young, aside from online posts, do you have any other evidence of threats? Like weapons sent, threatening calls recorded, anything?”
Seeing Jin-young’s hopeless expression, Chief Choi asked again, wanting to help.
“Well…”
Jin-young hesitated, unable to continue.
“Jin-young, do you have any evidence that can prove the threats? Don’t hide it. We can only help if we know.”
Seong-jin added to Chief Choi’s words.
“Well… well… people around me have died.”
Jin-young’s unexpected words shocked them.
“Alright—today’s volunteer activity is the last good thing you can do before graduation. Don’t run off halfway, work hard, okay?”
“Yes—”
About twenty male and female students gathered on the school playground shouted back in unison, including Chae-rin.
“I really wanted to rest today. Do you know where we’re going?”
Chae-rin, reluctant but persuaded by Seung-hyun, pouted and asked.
“We’re going to a shantytown to volunteer.”
Unlike Chae-rin, Seung-hyun grinned, absorbed in his phone.
“Alright, you’ll go individually to the volunteer site. Don’t sneak off, we’ll check attendance!”
“Yes—”
“And there will be officials with you to guide you and help with distributing kimchi and side dishes and checking on the residents. Follow their instructions, don’t disgrace your school. Let’s go.”
The students paired up and left the school.
“What are you laughing at?”
Seung-hyun, still smiling at his phone, didn’t look up.
“I’m just asking a few things to the others.”
Chae-rin, annoyed at his indifference, pouted and walked ahead.
“Chae-rin, come with me.”
Seung-hyun, still smiling, followed.
“No.”
‘Why do I feel annoyed for no reason?’ Chae-rin’s steps quickened in unfamiliar emotions she hadn’t felt before.
Even on the subway, Chae-rin avoided looking at Seung-hyun.
But he found her sulking face reflected in the glass adorable and couldn’t look away.
“Hey, Han Seung-hyun, are you heading somewhere? Oh, Chae-rin’s here too.”
A male classmate tapped Seung-hyun’s shoulder.
“Uh? Oh.”
Seung-hyun mumbled awkwardly.
“Going for food?”
“Food? We’re going to volunteer, not eat!”
Chae-rin looked at him in disbelief.
“Volunteer? You were asking about good places for family earlier, but now you’re going with Chae-rin to volunteer instead of a family gathering?”
Seung-hyun stammered.
“The family gathering… got canceled. Yeah, canceled.”
“How many times is that today? Were you just trying to have lunch with Chae-rin? Do you two have something going on?”
Seung-hyun’s face flushed as he shoved his friend into another subway car.
“That crazy guy. You know he makes things up.”
Seung-hyun couldn’t even look at Chae-rin, staring at the subway glass instead, his face red.
Chae-rin smiled faintly, her earlier irritation melting away.
“What’s our purpose today?”
Chae-rin teased him, noticing Seung-hyun flustered.
“Uh… obviously volunteer work. Oh! We’re here.”
Seung-hyun, relieved, jumped off the subway quickly.
“Han Seung-hyun, honestly. Why are you really coming with me today?”
Chae-rin called after him mischievously, smiling, as he ran ahead.
“Chae-rin, everyone’s here.”
Arriving at the shantytown, several officials with name tags were visible.
“You must be the students here for volunteer work. You’ll work in groups of three with the officials, distributing kimchi and side dishes, checking health, and helping residents. We’ve assigned groups based on the school roster.”
Once the students gathered, the group leader spoke.
“Finally, Chae-rin Lee and Han Seung-hyun, raise your hands. You’ll volunteer with Ji-eun over there.”
Both Chae-rin and Seung-hyun looked where the official pointed.
A fair-skinned, pure-looking woman smiled brightly at them.
“Looks like a nice person, huh?”
Seung-hyun whispered, judging Ji-eun.
“Yeah, seems nice.”
Chae-rin liked her kind demeanor too.
“Hello, I’m Ji-eun.”
“Hello, I’m Han Seung-hyun.”
“Hello, I’m Chae-rin Lee.”
“Nice to meet you. It won’t be too difficult today.”
“Call me comfortably.”
Seung-hyun smiled brightly.
“Can we?”
“Of course. Make yourself comfortable.”
Chae-rin, impressed by Ji-eun, spoke first unusually politely.
“Good. Then just call us noona or sister.”
“Yes. We’ll take care of it today.”
They bowed slightly.
“I’ll take care of you too. The work isn’t difficult, just narrow alleys and heavy side dishes, but carrying them with a trolley makes it manageable. Let’s start.”
As they began volunteering, Chae-rin and Seung-hyun were amazed by the stark contrast between their own world and the shantytown.
“This is your first time here, right? Feels like a whole different world, huh?”
Ji-eun smiled knowingly.
“Yes. I’ve seen it on TV, but this is my first time in person.”
Seung-hyun, dragging a trolley, looked around in wonder and sympathy.
“See that big building? The area behind it is what people call the wealthy district. You’ve seen it in dramas, right? The high walls?”
Ji-eun pointed beyond the shantytown.
“It’s so different. It’s amazing they’re in the same area.”
Chae-rin looked astonished.
“But the funny thing? It feels so different, yet the address is the same.”
“Really?”
Seung-hyun was now amazed.
“Yeah. But the house prices differ almost a thousand to ten thousand times.”
“Ten thousand times? That would be depressing, seeing those buildings every day.”
Chae-rin frowned slightly.
“Exactly. But people here forget those high-rise buildings exist, and that a life so different from their own even exists.”
Ji-eun looked at the tall buildings bitterly.
“Really? You can barely see them from here.”
“Is that possible?”
They couldn’t understand her.
“It’s true. Think about it. Living in a damp, tiny house, over 40 degrees in summer, freezing in winter, struggling to survive, you don’t even have the energy to look around. You just live because you’re still breathing.”
Hearing this, Chae-rin and Seung-hyun’s expressions stiffened.
“Don’t make that face. Did I make it too serious? But even here, people laugh and have fun too.”
Ji-eun led them through the narrow alleys, smiling to ease their expressions, though occasional traces of bitterness and sadness remained.
“This place, you know it well.”
Chae-rin, curious, asked.
“I lived here before.”
Ji-eun turned her head and smiled brightly in response.
