The faint chime of the recorder sounded, announcing the start of the confrontation. Detective Kim slowly placed his phone on the table, while his assistant busied himself opening his laptop; the clicking of the keyboard echoed like hammer strikes in the heavy silence of the room.
Beside Minsoo, Attorney "Jung" sat in a defensive posture, his leather briefcase positioned like an invisible barrier between his client and the detective. As for Minsoo, he sat with his back straight
—a posture he had grown used to on stage
but his fingers, fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve, betrayed what lay behind the mask.
Detective Kim exhaled, cracking his knuckles, then said in a perfectly casual tone, his gaze fixed on a point somewhere behind Minsoo's head:
— "Mr. Park Min Soo… could you tell me how your day was before that interview?"
Minsoo took a deep breath, maintaining a steady voice:
— "It was an ordinary day."
Suddenly, Detective Kim leaned forward, narrowing the distance between them, and whispered in a low voice:
— "Mr. Park… explain what you mean by 'ordinary.' An artist of your stature stays away from the media for eight years, then suddenly decides to appear… I don't believe such a day passes ordinarily."
Minsoo blinked quickly and replied:
— "I mean… a usual routine before work. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, except for the interview that took place that night."
— "And when did you arrive there?" the detective asked, his eyes carefully observing the movement of Minsoo's eyelids.
— "I don't remember the exact time…" Minsoo raised his hand to wipe his neck and continued, "But I arrived about an hour and a half before the interview started."
Detective Kim continued pressing calmly:
— "Who was present backstage?"
— "The entire crew… the director, the producer, the filming team…" Minsoo paused, swallowing with difficulty, then added, "And the host, Woo Jin, of course."
— "Did Woo Jin say anything important?" the detective asked, tilting his head slightly to the left, watching for a reaction.
Minsoo fell silent, interlacing his fingers tightly until his knuckles turned white: — "All the conversation was about preparing for filming… and camera angles."
— "Did you see a woman who wasn't part of the crew speaking with Woo Jin?"
Minsoo thought for a moment before answering:
— "A young woman wearing a cap and a mask… with long pink hair."
A glint flashed in Detective Kim's eyes as he continued:
— "Other than that… didn't you notice anything… unusual?"
At that moment, Minsoo's knee trembled beneath the table. Attorney Jung noticed and placed a steadying hand on his client's shoulder, then intervened sharply:
— "Detective, be specific. What do you mean by 'unusual'? We are here to give testimony, not to interpret assumptions."
Detective Kim sighed as though trying to release the weight in his chest, then looked directly into Minsoo's eyes:
— "Alright… did the victim, Woo Jin, appear nervous?"
Minsoo lifted his gaze upward, trying to recall the visual memory, and said uncertainly:
— "Yes… I heard him speaking on the phone in a low voice in the back corridor. He was pacing back and forth quickly… I noticed he was very tense."
The detective nodded, then delivered the decisive blow:
— "Did the two of you have a conversation?"
Minsoo's body stiffened completely; images and sounds exploded inside his mind: the image of Woo Jin's necklace bearing the letter W, the sound of rain, the buzz of a saw, and a man's desperate screams pleading: Please, don't kill me!
He exchanged a quick glance with the attorney
—a look heavy with prior agreement
—then slowly nodded:
— "Yes."
— "Details?"
— "I don't remember everything… but the conversation was about my return. He told me he was proud that his program was the one to break Park Minsoo's eight-year silence from interviews."
A cunning expression spread across the detective's face as he leaned back, interlocking his hands behind his head with provocative calm:
— "Isn't it suspicious… that an artist who dances before thousands yet refuses to speak to a single camera for eight years chooses Woo Jin, specifically, to reveal his secrets… and then the night ends with the host's corpse?"
Attorney Jung sprang up, slamming his hand on the table:
— "Detective Kim, my client is a witness, not a suspect. Stop this provocative approach."
Detective Kim raised his hand in a calming gesture, then slowly stood up and turned off the recorder with a cold press of his finger.
— "That concludes today's session."
He thanked Park Minsoo and apologized if the questioning had caused him any stress.
Detective Kim and his assistant quietly left the Kava Entertainment building; there was no media commotion, just as the detective had promised. Immediately after the investigation ended, Kava Agency released an official statement:
"Artist Park Minsoo has concluded his cooperation with the authorities in his capacity as a key witness. We confirm that his cooperation was complete and transparent, and the police appreciate his role, as with all those present on that tragic night."
At the same time, Mrs. Young Ja was closing her restaurant and preparing to leave. In a narrow, empty alley where the streetlights were so dim they barely provided visibility, she sensed the faint sound of footsteps behind her. She turned quickly, but found no one. She continued walking at a faster pace, but the sound of footsteps returned
—this time closer.
Fear seized her, and she began shouting into the passage, but a hand suddenly covered her mouth, cutting off her voice. Then a soft whisper came to her ear:
— "Ma'am… it's me, himi."
She froze, then turned quickly, speaking with anger and reproach:
— "You? Have you come back again? Haven't you given up? You nearly scared me to death… I'm an old woman!"
himi apologized profusely, even dropping to her knees in the street, crying audibly:
— "Please, ma'am… tell me what happened that night!"
Mrs. Young Ja tried to help her up:
— "Get up, young lady! You come here every day
—haven't you understood? I told you, I don't know anything."
himi's sobbing intensified, and she could barely speak:
— "Ma'am, you don't know who that child is now… he's a man with a reputation and a position, one of the kindest people I've ever met in my life, but he's… broken. He lives in confusion and guilt over things he doesn't even know if he committed or not. If you don't tell me, I know his end is near… he's living on psychiatric medication. Please… what are you afraid of?"
She emptied her bag onto the ground, then raised her phone frantically:
— "Look, my phone isn't recording… if you want, I'll take off my clothes so you can be sure I'm not carrying any recording device. Ma'am, you're saving a young man who still lives with the soul of a lost child."
Mrs. Young Ja sighed and said:
— "Who are you? And who is he? Why do you care about him this much?"
himi answered with broken eyes:
— "To him, I'm a friend… perhaps even family. But to me… he is life itself. He is every breath I take into my chest."
She struck her chest violently and continued:
— "This cursed heart dies every day, yet it cannot forget him. He has been my entire existence since the first day I saw him… and even though I know I will never be his, that I will always remain nothing more than family… what can I do? My heart has grown accustomed to loving him as it has to beating."
Mrs. Young Ja cast a sideways glance at her, her lips moving slightly before she said in a low voice:
— "Get up… let's talk inside the house."