Chapter 60 – Do You Use Imported Ones

“Lawyer! I corrected the part you pointed out earlier. We will ask you about the legal terminology once more later as a double-check.”

Fortunately, the writer of *We Want to Know That*, whom Geum Nae-yeong had mistaken for having died of overwork, was alive and well today, carrying out her work.

The FD said, putting his hand on the microphone.

“Now, from here on is the scene describing the crime scene. Panelists, please look at the monitor together.”

The cue sign rang, and the recording of the program began again.

“When 119 dispatched to the scene, the victim was already lying down facing the sky.

The paramedics immediately checked for signs of life and secured the scene right away.

The scene was literally a mess.

The floor was wet with blood, and the bar tables and various fixtures were broken and scattered out of place.

It is said that it was a horrific scene covered in the victim’s blood to the extent that even the seasoned paramedics couldn’t speak for a while.”

“The one who disappeared from the scene was the friend, Mr. A. It is said that the victim and Mr. A had been estranged for a while after marriage.

However, after they started keeping in touch again, they reportedly grew close enough to go fishing and enjoy sports together.”

[Park Min-gyu, Investigator at the Time]

“Ah, if there was anything slightly strange… the bar Mr. A operated charged a bit more for drinks and snacks than other bars. The hall was quite spacious and there were things like lighting, so I did think it was a bit unique.

But perhaps because it was a local bar, the books weren’t accurate. Well, since it was a bar, I wondered if they had deliberately done it sloppily like that.

But then, that wasn’t a noteworthy characteristic either.”

The video of the investigator’s interview was playing on the screen.

The criminal psychologist and Geum Nae-yeong silently looked at the screen while organizing the materials.

At that moment, Geum Nae-yeong raised his hand.

The video stopped for a moment, and PD Do Jun-gi looked at him.

“What is it, Lawyer Geum?”

Geum Nae-yeong, who was flipping through the materials, said without taking his eyes off the screen.

“Is it certain… that the incident occurred in that bar?”

At his words, the PD and the investigator raised their heads at the same time.

“Ah, yes. Sufficient bloodstain reactions have already appeared at the scene.

Based on the forensic inspection of the scene, we consider the possibility of the murder occurring elsewhere and being moved here to be extremely slim.

The victim was also much larger in build than the suspect.”

When the short explanation ended, the actor Kim Jung-ha turned his head and asked Geum Nae-yeong.

“Why did you ask about the crime scene?”

“Yes, I am compiling case information.”

“Ah…”

At the short and dry answer, the PD left an edit mark.

‘Cut’.

A small beep was heard.

The criminal psychologist shook his head with his arms crossed.

“Hmm… there is really no part that could serve as a clue. Nothing new has been discovered at all.”

PD Do Jun-gi chimed in agreement.

“Right. Despite our analysis of numerous tips and information, no clue has been found for this case so far.

Then, let’s wrap up this case here and move on to the next fugitive.”

At the very moment the PD was about to give the signal to ‘move on to the next’.

“Excuse me.”

Geum Nae-yeong raised his hand again.

“I want to see the interview video again.”

“Pardon??”

PD Do opened his eyes wide and tilted his head.

“Which interview video?”

Geum Nae-yeong explained calmly.

“The interview of the woman wearing a fluorescent tank top and having permed hair that comes down to her shoulders.

She had a tattoo of three old-school style roses on her right arm, and in the middle of that tattoo, ‘My Love JH’ was written.

The interview that woman did, I want to check that again.”

“Pardon?? Who… Who is that person?”

PD Do Jun-gi tilted his head.

At that moment, the writer clapped her hands as if something had occurred to her.

“I think you’re talking about the female owner of Bukmun-jib?”

“Ah, right. That person wore a rather flashy color in the interview, didn’t she?”

The PD leaned toward the monitor and played the video.

On the screen reflecting the lights, the owner’s fluorescent top flashed.

Geum Nae-yeong silently stared at the screen with his arms crossed, then suddenly tilted his head about 45 degrees to the right.

“…Huh?… What is it?”

Everyone’s eyes focused on Geum Nae-yeong, who was tilting his head.

‘Does something appear if you look like that?’

Soon, the staff, PD, and production crew, one by one, as if receiving a signal, tilted their heads 45 degrees along with Geum Nae-yeong and looked at the monitor.

The studio was enveloped in silence.

In the silence, only the red light on the camera flickered.

At that moment, Geum Nae-yeong spoke.

“They look the same… yet they’re different.”

Everyone looked at him.

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Geum Nae-yeong quietly said a word to PD Do Jun-gi.

Upon hearing those words, the PD’s eyes grew wide.

And in an instant, as if realizing something, he was colored with shock.

“……!”

A moment later, the PD suddenly halted the recording.

The studio began to stir.

Even the experts attending stood up from their seats and crowded around Geum Nae-yeong.

“No… I have goosebumps. Seriously. How did you know?”

“Wow… I really didn’t think of this.”

People’s low groans of admiration and realization swept the place.

PD Do Jun-gi shouted with a bright face.

“Lawyer Geum. This is the first time I’ve had such a dramatic experience while broadcasting.

We must go straight into a special episode for this. Let’s schedule additional filming right away.”

The investigator who was in charge of the case at the time jumped up from his seat, pulled out his phone, and dialed someone’s number.

“Yeah… I think we need to secure this right away. Check if a warrant is possible, and we should prepare to dispatch immediately.”

In that way, the quiet studio suddenly became as busy as a battlefield.

Geum Nae-yeong’s single word set the case that had been halted for 9 years back in motion.

Some time later, a preview of *We Want to Know That* hit the airwaves.

[We Want to Know That.

The Disappearance Method of a Suspect Uncaught for 9 Years]

***

Meanwhile, Park Ki-on had come to the office of ‘ON.P’, the brand he was to launch, and was venting his annoyance and irritation since morning.

Because once he started getting angry, it was rarely controllable, on such mornings the employees only walked on eggshells, holding their breath.

“Hey, ah fuck. How many times do I have to tell you to organize and stack the inventory well? Huh? What the hell is this mess!”

Thwack!

He kicked the well-stacked pile of cardboard boxes.

With a rumble, the pile of boxes collapsed. An employee nearby rushed over and stacked the boxes back up.

“You money-grubbing parasites only want to get your salaries!! And you leave the work like this piece of shit, doing whatever you want!

What do you think you’re doing for later! Don’t you guys have a conscience!!”

After venting his anger to his heart’s content, Park Ki-on dragged his chair over with a *screeech* in irritation.

Then he sat at his desk and turned on the office desktop.

He vented his anger while clicking the innocent mouse irritably.

He wasn’t in the mood to work since morning.

The sudden encounter with Geum Nae-yeong after a long time.

That scene came back to mind.

‘To punish your family.’

Those words lingered in his ears.

The subtle expression and cold look on Geum Nae-yeong’s face came to mind.

An uncomfortable feeling washed over him.

“Fuck. This unpleasant feeling has gotten even worse…”

Then, Park Ki-on opened YouTube as if something had occurred to him.

*Clack clack clack*.

Force was put into his fingertips typing on the keyboard, and every spot where the cursor blinked was filled with unresolved anger.

He searched for the videos of programs Geum Nae-yeong appeared in and began to post malicious comments on all of them.

– They script and shoot all of it, yet you’re sucking up to him

– His personality was originally dirty, but he’s cleaning up his image properly, huh?

– A useless lawyer bastard who caught celebrity disease

– That retard is making a fuss to make money

– Go die, everything that lawyer bastard says is a lie

As the comments increased, his anger also rose.

Every time Geum Nae-yeong’s face came to mind, the typing sound grew rougher. Park Ki-on typed away recklessly as it came to mind.

*Click, click*.

The cursor stopped in the search bar.

NAVOR: Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong

He entered Geum Nae-yeong as a search term on the portal site and rummaged through the searched information.

[Seocho-dong Restaurant — A Place with Delicious Stir-Fried Spicy Pork]

[Can occasionally see Lawyer Geum Nae-yeong. It’s a restaurant run by his parents]

“Oho, look at him, his parents run a restaurant in Seocho-dong? …Weren’t they complete beggars back then?”

Park Ki-on twisted the corner of his mouth.

His hand clicking on restaurant reviews stopped at a certain photo.

The faces of two people presumed to be Geum Nae-yeong’s parents.

“Ah… Right. I remember. Those are the faces I saw back then.”

He smirked and whispered.

“His father was a guy who really didn’t know his place. Geum Nae-yeong, this bastard, takes after his dad.”

***

Geum Nae-yeong, who had completed even the additional recording of *We Want to Know That*, stopped by his mother’s restaurant late at night as usual.

The smell of stir-fried spicy pork spread from the kitchen, and along with the sound of meat fat sizzling, the spicy and sweet seasoning aroma filled the air.

The mother came out to the dining hall carrying the well-stir-fried spicy pork.

“Nae-yeong, you haven’t eaten, right? Were you very busy today?”

“No.”

Geum Nae-yeong answered briefly and opened his bag without any expression.

*Thud, slide*.

A sheet of paper slid out onto the table.

“Oh my goodness!! What is this!!!”

The mother’s face brightened.

What he handed over was actor Kim Jung-ha’s handwritten autograph.

‘To Park In-mi.’

The mother welcomed it with wide eyes.

“Oh my, is this really Kim Jung-ha’s autograph?! My goodness, I should brag to Yeong-gi’s mom!!

I liked him so much in that *Flame* drama!”

The mother gently picked up the autograph sheet with her fingertips and carefully slipped it between a large book.

“When Dad comes, I should tell him to put it in a frame.”

She smiled brightly, then suddenly looked at Geum Nae-yeong and said.

“Oh dear, but our son, weren’t you awkwardly self-conscious bringing something like this? You don’t like this kind of thing.”

Geum Nae-yeong ate the stir-fried spicy pork without a word.

Only the sound of the spoon hitting the bowl quietly continued.

The mother, who was looking warmly at Geum Nae-yeong eating the stir-fried spicy pork, hesitated for a moment and held out her phone.

“By the way, Nae-yeong. This… a regular customer let me know, but Mom doesn’t know how to handle this.”

A portal review page was open on the screen.

Geum Nae-yeong took the phone. A review about his mother’s shop was displayed.

* off-p

Dine-in | Lunch

★☆☆☆☆ (Even one star is a waste)

Odor vibrating from the meat.

Hair comes as a free service

The owner acts as if they are some kind of superior, only frowning even when a customer greets them

Keeping their mouth tightly shut, the king of unfriendliness. Maximum arrogance

It shows that they use frozen imported meat despite writing domestic.

Reusing all the side dishes too.

In a word, ‘A place where showing off comes before hygiene. The money they take is greasier than the stir-fried pork.’

Food: 1/5 | Service: 1/5 | Hygiene: 1/5

Geum Nae-yeong, reading while scrolling down, silently nodded. Then, he immediately checked his mother’s appearance.

His mother was wearing her sanitary cap properly, and her apron was neat and well-worn.

Geum Nae-yeong immediately asked his mother.

“Owner. By any chance… do you use imported ones?”

“Huh? Goodness, what are you talking about.”

The mother said, shaking her hands.

“Imported ones smell when you fry them, so that won’t do. You’re eating it right now too.”

“Indeed.”

Geum Nae-yeong nodded.

“The part about being arrogant is fine. Different people can feel differently about it.”

“Uh… Uh? Right.”

The mother looked at her son with a puzzled expression.

Geum Nae-yeong said as he put down the phone.

“As long as it’s not a food problem, don’t worry. This is false information, so I will handle it.”

“There’s nothing much to do… Since it’s incorrect facts, I just wish it could be deleted if possible…”

“No. I will handle it.”

Geum Nae-yeong zoomed in on the screen with his fingertips and calmly captured the nickname and link of the malicious comment.