Chapter 92 – Where and What Did You Eat

The three barely had a few spoons of lunch as if they were eating, and then hurriedly left the restaurant. Just as Cha Ra-ri said, the food was really tasteless without exception.

“Let’s check the surroundings for a moment and gather here again.”

The three who filled their stomachs decided to sweep through the school surroundings once more.

Geum Nae-yeong, recalling the map he had drawn in his head, began to reconstruct the movement paths of the characters related to the case while walking directly on foot.

Ju Yong-hae pulled out a cigarette from his chest and headed to the smoking area. With a sly expression, he naturally blended in among the people smoking, and subtly picked up the surrounding conversations as if he were a school employee.

Cha Ra-ri approached the students with a bright smile and began to ask this and that. The students quickly let down their guard and told her detailed information inside the school that only students knew.

After some time passed like that, the three naturally gathered in one place again.

Ju Yong-hae shrugged his shoulders.

“Tsk… there isn’t much of a big harvest.”

Cha Ra-ri nodded and added words.

“Originally, since the sports department building is far from other faculties, they say there is almost no point of contact between them.

According to the students, because the sports department practices every day, they didn’t even have many opportunities to get close. They said they only mix a bit when they eat school meals, or sometimes when they go to a real ‘hidden restaurant.'”

Geum Nae-yeong also nods.

“The contents confirmed in the existing testimony and police investigation are also almost similar… By the way, where is the ‘hidden restaurant’ you just mentioned?”

At Geum Nae-yeong’s sudden question, Cha Ra-ri chuckled.

“Indeed… earlier, that place was really tasteless, right? If you go just a little along the back road here, there is a place called ‘Jinmi’s.’ The menu composition is also completely the same…”

Cha Ra-ri glanced around the surroundings once and lowered her voice.

“According to the students’ talk, actually, Jinmi’s is the original restaurant. The place we went to is a place that copied Jinmi’s.

…But, there is a story to this again?”

“A story?”

As Ju Yong-hae tilted his head, Cha Ra-ri continued speaking excitedly.

“So, they say Jinmi’s was the number one restaurant around here. A married couple ran it.

But at lunch time, university staff, students, and even nearby office workers crowded so much that they say it was impossible to handle without a part-timer. In the end, they hired a female part-timer for hall serving… but introducing that part-timer was the start of the problem.”

“A part-timer?”

“Yes. They say that female part-timer worked well and was quick-witted. But… that person ended up having an affair with the male owner…”

As Cha Ra-ri trailed off her words, Geum Nae-yeong cut off the conversation immediately.

“It is one of the common divorce cases. But since the investigation is finished now, let us first return to the office.”

Cha Ra-ri hurriedly continues speaking.

“Aey, Attorney. Please listen to the end. Anyway, they say the affair of the two was caught red-handed by the female owner immediately.

And after holding a hair-pulling brawl in front of all the customers watching, they ended up getting a divorce. But!”

“…But?”

Ju Yong-hae looked at Cha Ra-ri with eyes filled with expectation, telling her to say the next words quickly.

“The mistress who had an affair with the male owner, perhaps because her pride was greatly hurt… as if to show off, opened a store right here on the school gate side… together with that divorced male owner. Copying the menu exactly the same way.”

“My goodness…”

“So that’s why it was tasteless.”

As Geum Nae-yeong spoke, Cha Ra-ri nodded.

“Yes. They couldn’t copy the hand taste of the original. They say this story is extremely famous among the students.

And since Jinmi’s is far superior in taste, they say all students go there. The back gate is also much more convenient and closer. They said the front gate side is a place where only people who came for the first time like us go.”

“Tsk… That mistress has a temper. Opening the store right in front of them… isn’t that the intention to steal customers? What if they run into each other again like that.”

“I know, right. It is indeed not a common story, is it?”

As Cha Ra-ri and Ju Yong-hae finished their conversation, Geum Nae-yeong spoke, cutting them off.

“It seems the information collection is all done now. Then, I will try to return to the office by taxi.”

Ju Yong-hae hurriedly stretched out his hand and caught him.

“Aigoo, Attorney. Go in my car. I am on the way to the company anyway.”

But Geum Nae-yeong rejected it flatly.

“I will decline. I have already called a taxi.”

“Ah… yes…”

Ju Yong-hae had no choice but to back down, but he threw a question he had been curious about before to Geum Nae-yeong.

“But why don’t you buy a car, Attorney? It is much more convenient than public transportation.”

Geum Nae-yeong looked at his cell phone.

A small taxi-shaped icon was almost arriving at the current location on the map.

“To match the time, public transportation is much more accurate. It is even more so in a city where road conditions are unpredictable like Seoul.

If you use the subway, you can reduce time waste and arrive at the destination most efficiently. Although I am using a taxi today due to circumstances.

Also, to cite studies on traffic safety, they say that if you use a private car instead of public transportation, the probability of dying in a traffic accident increases by about 10 times.

…Ah, the taxi has arrived. Well then.”

Geum Nae-yeong finished his explanation, got into the taxi that had already arrived, and left, while Ju Yong-hae and Cha Ra-ri left behind stood blankly and then headed to their respective cars.

***

Seoul District Court Criminal Courtroom 501. The 3rd public trial date of Bang Ki-yong.

The prosecutor was continuing the witness interrogation of the police officer in charge of the investigation.

“You testified that when you arrived at the scene, Bang Ki-yong’s bed was drenched in blood and the surroundings were also heavily messed up.

It is well visible in the photos too… by any chance, was there no separate DNA evidence in that part?”

The police officer in charge replies with a serious attitude.

“Because the original user of the bed was the defendant, Bang Ki-yong, his DNA came out the most.

Other than that, the hairs of Coach Park Il-nam who cleaned up the scene, and the team captain Jeong Chan-woo who was the first discoverer, were found.”

The prosecutor nodded and continued the next question.

“In the investigation stage, it is written that the defendant, Bang Ki-yong, did not say anything from the first statement. Is that true?”

“Yes. When we told him to say what he did at that time, his face turned pale… and he did not say anything.”

“If so, the defendant, Bang Ki-yong, must have looked very suspicious?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Hearing the testimony, the prosecutor smiled as if satisfied, and slowly returned to the prosecutor’s seat.

And it was Geum Nae-yeong’s turn.

Geum Nae-yeong looked at the police officer with an expressionless face, holding the prepared questions.

“At the time of the investigation, you investigated the university sports department dormitory, the training room, and also the coach’s dormitory, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“If so, did you also investigate the surroundings of the school other than the sports department dormitory building?”

“Yes. We also investigated the surroundings.”

“In addition, did you conduct inquiries targeting the building manager and the entry staff at the entrance?”

“Of course. We also collected information according to the procedure.”

Geum Nae-yeong nodded and threw the next question.

“Then, did you also eat meals in that area?”

“Yes???”

The police officer blinked his eyes at the unexpected question.

“Meals? Yes, well… I did eat lunch during the investigation.”

“Where and what did you eat?”

At Geum Nae-yeong’s question, the prosecutor tilted his head slightly.

‘Huh? Why is he asking what they ate?’

The police officer replied.

“We briefly made do at a snack bar in front of the school.”

Geum Nae-yeong immediately retorts.

“Are you speaking of Ilmi’s soft tofu restaurant?”

The police officer thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes, that’s correct. Probably that restaurant on the front gate side… seems to be correct. We ate there.”

At that moment, a wrinkle formed between the judge’s eyebrows.

“Defense counsel. What does lunch have to do with this case?”

As the judge and the prosecutor looked at Geum Nae-yeong with strange eyes, a small murmuring also arose in the spectator seats.

Geum Nae-yeong replied without any change in expression.

“Yes, it will come out soon. In modern terms, things like this… are called a build-up.”

“…Yes? Build… what?”

Geum Nae-yeong, not even caring about the judge’s bewildered expression, calmly continued the questions.

“What menu did you eat?”

“Yes, I ate soft tofu stew.”

“Was it delicious? Please speak honestly.”

The judge’s expression became more uncomfortable.

A look that said, ‘This is absurd. Why does the taste of the stew matter…?’

The police officer replied with embarrassment.

“Yes… well… it was just so-so. It wasn’t delicious…”

Geum Nae-yeong immediately nodded.

“So you did go directly. It is tasteless there. I asked for verification to check whether the police officer in charge actually investigated.”

“Yes?… Yes.”

And he threw a question again.

“Did you also go to the back gate side?”

“Ah… yes… well, I went through all the movement routes on the school map.”

“You are speaking of the movement routes on the school location map in the submitted evidence list, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Geum Nae-yeong closed the documents as if the last verification ended and spoke calmly.

“That is all.”

The judge glanced at Geum Nae-yeong and muttered inside.

‘No… what on earth is he doing?’

As the judge signaled to call the next witness, Coach Park Il-nam came out to the witness stand again.

“Oath. According to my conscience, without hiding or adding…”

After finishing the oath, he scanned the spectator seats once, then slowly sat down.

On the face of Geum Nae-yeong who was looking at Coach Park Il-nam, something like a smile filled with conviction passed by quickly.

Geum Nae-yeong looked at Park Il-nam in the witness stand as if piercing right through him, and straightaway threw a question.

“Witness. That day… honestly, what did you do during those 10 minutes?”

As the direct question like a fastball flew, the coach’s eyes shook wildly and he began to stammer.

“Yes?? Suddenly… wh-what 10 minutes?”

Geum Nae-yeong began speaking in a calm manner.

“I found out one thing by going to the school.”

A calm voice without any wavering.

“I heard there is a famous delicious soft tofu restaurant that people who don’t attend that school don’t know well.”

The judge’s face distorted. ‘Ah… why does he keep talking about food… really.’

“It is a delicious restaurant that general people don’t know. Just like that, there was one thing you could never know if you did not attend that school.”

“……Yes??”

“The sports department building is on the back gate side, here. And your own dormitory is… here. According to the school map, there is only one road connecting the sports department and the dormitory.”

Geum Nae-yeong spread the evidence materials and said, pointing out the marked spots one by one with his fingertip.

“However, there was a shortcut that people who are not students or in the sports department don’t know well. Although it is not on the map, a kind of quick path the students made to go to the back gate quickly.”

The coach rolled his eyes.

“The students currently enrolled knew that path well. If you go by that path, even if you walk very slowly, it was a distance where you could go within 2 to 3 minutes by an adult male’s steps to the coach’s dormitory.”

At Geum Nae-yeong’s words, the coach forced down his saliva and replied.

“I… do not… use that shortcut. Only students who are late for class use it…”

Geum Nae-yeong immediately continued speaking.

“In the last testimony, you said, ‘I keep the training times and routines precisely. I have never violated it even once until now.’

However, according to what I confirmed… Coach, they say you also always use that path?”

“Yes?”

“I have already secured the statements of the physical education department students and the nearby guard. If necessary, it will become clearer through witness interrogation.

And you said you have never broken your usual routine even once, right? If so… isn’t the probability that you went by the shortcut 100%?”

The coach only moved his lips as if his words were blocked.

Geum Nae-yeong raised a sheet of paper.

“Another thing, this is what the witness himself testified directly in the last witness interrogation.”

Geum Nae-yeong recited the coach’s testimony in a clear voice.

“‘The captain called me, but he was probably flustered because he only stuttered and couldn’t speak. So I ran to the room immediately, and it was in that state.’ Is it correct that you testified like this?”

The coach nodded by force.

“…Yes… that’s correct. But is that… a problem?”

“Did the captain really fail to say anything because he was startled?”

“Yes… calling out Coach, and after that he only made sounds like uh, uh, and couldn’t say anything… I couldn’t even understand what he was saying… I thought something big happened. So I ran immediately.”

Geum Nae-yeong’s gaze changes sharply.

“Very well. If so, even though the captain could not speak properly… how did you know accurately that an incident occurred in ‘Room 8,’ which is the defendant’s dormitory, among the eight dormitories from Room 1 to Room 8, and run in?

The captain could not even say which dormitory it was.”

The coach’s eyes shook greatly and his lips trembled.

“…Ah… yes… that’s… not…”

The prosecutor’s face turned white in an instant.

‘Wh… What…? That’s true. He didn’t even say which dormitory… how did he go straight there? Even in the dormitory hallway CCTV… he was running without any hesitation at all…’

Geum Nae-yeong quietly, but taking one step closer, lowered his voice as if to apply pressure.

“You, who only act according to your usual routine… on that day of all days, did not use the shortcut,

and even though the captain did not say the dormitory location, despite that, went accurately to the defendant’s room.

Right now… that is what you are saying, right?”

The coach panted for breath and could not continue speaking.

After gasping breath, the coach’s face turned white, and suddenly he murmured quietly inside his mouth.

“I… just… tried to only give him physical punishment… but the bastard… insolently talked back…”

When his own words echoed through the courtroom speaker riding the microphone, the coach opened his eyes wide as if startled himself.

And turning his head sharply, he stood up abruptly from the witness stand and dashed straight out to the courtroom door.

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

At the sudden escape of the coach, the spectator seats were in a stir, and the prosecutor’s face turned black in an instant.

The judge stood up halfway from his seat and called the bailiff urgently.

“Bailiff!!! Q… Quickly! Go catch him!”

The courtroom bailiff, with a startled expression, immediately ran out following the escaping coach.

“Slam!!!” “Thud-thud-thud!”

The door closed noisily and several footsteps echoed in the hallway.

The client’s secretary sitting in the spectator seats, startled by the unfolding situation, checks the surroundings and hastily sends a text message to Bang Ki-yong’s mother.

Unconcerned with the noisy surroundings, Geum Nae-yeong stood quietly in that place.

He watched the commotion for a moment, then threw a single word in a very peaceful manner.

“…That is all.”