I’m Obsessed With the Suspect - Chapter 21

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

21

Cheong-a continued her story while pouting her lips.

“An enormously powerful organization is wiretapping me! You don’t suspect I’ve gone crazy, do you?”

Inkyu burst into laughter without resistance. Cheong-a laughed along with him.

“Do you have evidence for that?”

Cheong-a stroked her stomach and spoke in a dejected voice.

“…I haven’t secured any yet.”

“Hey, if there’s no evidence, then nothing happened.”

“Tch.”

It’s just that it hasn’t come out of her stomach yet, but she was certain she’d been wiretapped.

However, if she said that, she’d have to confess that she hadn’t been able to go to the restroom for days, so Cheong-a kept her mouth shut.

“Anyway, I need some time. Help me out, hyung. You’re really the only person I can trust.”

At the sudden confession, Park Inkyu looked dazed. Then he soon grinned and glanced at Cheong-a.

“Right. Who else but this hyung would protect you?”

“I can protect myself just fine though?”

“…”

“Just help me out a little.”

Meanwhile, Inkyu’s car came to a stop.

They had arrived at the parking lot of a building located at Yongseong Intersection.

Cheong-a followed Inkyu leisurely as they headed to the investigation site. Then she stood in front of a large building and looked up.

PC POP PC Bang

A huge sign was flashing blindingly on the street in broad daylight. Cheong-a stared up at it blankly with both hands shoved in her pockets.

−…PC Pop…looking for Luna, Luna at the PC bang…

The very quiet voice she had overheard while pressing her ear to the medical office door in the hospital corridor was automatically replaying in her head.

For a moment, the surrounding noise and even Park Inkyu’s voice calling her sounded distant.

All that filled her mind was the PC POP PC bang sign and Yang Dongjun’s voice whispering as if sobbing.

“Hey.”

She turned her head in surprise at the sensation of her shoulder being pushed with a thud.

“What are you doing, spacing out? I called you several times but you didn’t hear?”

“Hyung. That thing.”

Inkyu’s gaze followed Cheong-a’s to the sign.

“Ah, oh, right. This is the place we’re investigating today.”

Cheong-a’s gaze had already moved to the PC bang entrance leading underground. There was a part-time job recruitment flyer posted there.

Cheong-a stared intently at it and opened her mouth.

“Hyung, this interview thing… is it a serious case?”

“No? It’s not a big case, just nighttime drunkenness and group assault. But we still need to investigate properly.”

“Then let’s split up for the investigation.”

At the sudden suggestion, Inkyu spoke in a flustered voice.

“What? What are you talking about, all of a sudden?”

However, before Park Inkyu could finish speaking, Cheong-a opened the door wide and began quickly descending the stairs.

She was holding the torn part-time job recruitment flyer in one hand.

Cheong-a descended the stairs while trying to calmly suppress her pounding heart, then entered the PC bang.

PC POP PC bang.

Yang Dongjun’s voice that she had faintly heard beyond the closed door of the medical office.

The “PC Pop PC bang” he had mentioned was definitely this PC POP PC bang.

This was where drug dealers from all over the country gathered through Boksan University Hospital.

Cheong-a’s intuition was shouting that.

So she had to confirm it with her own eyes right now.

Cheong-a looked around broadly to examine the interior of the store.

It was clearly a large PC bang at first glance. It looked like at least 130 pyeong. No? 150 pyeong, or even more.

The place she had entered seemed to be the main entrance with a counter, and there was another entrance and simple counter at the far end.

What was incomprehensible was that this huge store didn’t seem to have many customers.

‘This would probably run at a loss… Are they really hiring part-timers?’

Still, there wasn’t much time to hesitate.

Cheong-a kept scanning the store while approaching the counter closely and shouted:

“Hello, boss. I heard you’re hiring part-timers, so I came!”

The woman who had been sitting with her back to the register slowly got up and turned toward Cheong-a. Soft yellow light from the counter fell on her face.

“…”

A China-style dress that clearly revealed her figure. The woman with glossy hair also had seductively long eyelashes. With her prominent nose bridge, plump red lips, and soft facial features. She was someone whose appearance didn’t match a PC bang at all.

Cheong-a stared at her for a long time with her mouth agape.

She was so incredibly pretty that it was hard to gauge her age, but probably in her 30s. No, definitely in her 40s. Cheong-a’s intuition had never been wrong about such things.

She made eye contact with Cheong-a directly. Then she brought her long finger to her lips and made an “mm” sound.

Her colorful nail art sparkled under the light.

Cheong-a’s gaze, which had been blankly staring at the boss, shifted when the PC bang entrance opened once more.

Park Inkyu, who had entered the PC bang, looked back and forth between Cheong-a and the woman.

He waved his hand to signal Cheong-a to move away from the counter. Then he approached the counter and showed his official ID.

“Excuse me, I’m Sergeant Park Inkyu from Central Police Station’s Violent Crimes Unit 2. I came to ask a few questions regarding the assault case that occurred in front of here last night. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”

The woman stared directly at Inkyu’s ID. After looking at it for a long time, she turned her head to look at Cheong-a.

Then she smiled brightly and gently took Cheong-a’s hand.

“This person here. She’s our part-timer, you see? I don’t come to work often. Would you like to talk with her?”

“…?”

She stared directly at Cheong-a and lied in a very calm voice.

For a moment, Cheong-a’s flustered gaze and Inkyu’s bewildered gaze met each other.

“You know the night manager’s phone number is at the counter, right? I’ll give you that.”

With those words, Cheong-a could quickly grasp the situation.

It didn’t seem like she was trying to avoid the investigation. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have offered to give the night manager’s number. She was just uncomfortable dealing directly with the police. That was probably what she meant.

Cheong-a swallowed her dry saliva once and opened her mouth.

“Ah, hello, Sergeant Park Inkyu? I, I’m part-timer Park Bokseon. I’ll, I’ll give you the night manager’s phone number?”

“…”

Park Inkyu’s temple twitched.

He clearly had something he wanted to say but was holding back, but Cheong-a deliberately ignored it.

Now was the time to play along with the boss.

This was an opportunity no different from a job interview.

Whether the woman didn’t notice the tense atmosphere between the two or was pretending not to know, she smiled brightly and came out from behind the counter. Her silk dress and long straight hair fluttered.

She moved her steps and gently placed her hand on Cheong-a’s shoulder.

“Bokseon.”

“…Yes, yes? Yes!”

“When you’re done talking, come to the kitchen in the back and help me out? Well then, Detective, good luck with your work.”

As if she had no more business there, the woman walked away and quickly disappeared into the corridor behind the counter.

Cheong-a, left behind, had to endure Park Inkyu’s fierce gaze.

However, there was no time to explain the whole story. The boss might be watching her through CCTV from somewhere.

Cheong-a smiled brightly and walked quickly into the counter area.

“Yes. Detective. You said you’re conducting an investigation? Our night manager’s phone number is… where was it… hehe.”

“…”

After searching inside the counter for a while, she was able to find a list with staff phone numbers written deep inside.

Cheong-a brazenly picked up the phone on the counter and dialed the night manager’s number.

[Hello.]

A strangely familiar voice came from the other end of the receiver.

“Ah, hello. Manager? This is Bokseon.”

[…Who?]

The man repeated the name questioningly and was silent for a moment.

Well, it was probably natural for him to be momentarily speechless when someone with an unfamiliar name was calling him as if they knew him.

“Th-that, the detective came saying there was something to confirm. He said something happened in front of the store yesterday, and the boss told me to ask the manager.”

[….]

“Just a moment, I’ll transfer the call!”

Cheong-a forced her lips into a smile and thrust the receiver toward Inkyu.

“Haah….”

Park Inkyu let out a long sigh and snatched the receiver.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————