I’m Obsessed With the Suspect - Chapter 55
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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55
Cheong-a sat on the bed with her arms crossed deeply, staring intently at Yeonhui’s chat messages covering her phone screen.
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: You must come if you want to get a spot
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: You bring that thing, the one you stick behind your ear. Does that stuff even work? I’m not sure. Better than throwing up on someone else’s dress like last year though
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: Don’t bring your car. The public parking lot there has no spaces in the evening
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: All confirmations are done and now we just need to coordinate the customs date
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: This kind of talk was exchanged
Cheong-a’s gaze stopped at the last word: customs.
[Poison Mushroom]: That’s all? There wasn’t any other content?
[Poison Mushroom]: Like dates or locations, stuff like that.
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: No, they talked shorter than expected
Cheong-a held her phone and scrolled through the screen with her finger to look over the sentences again.
No matter how she thought about it, this was the kind of conversation Manager Oh or people related to Jeong Gwangsub would have. Since they mentioned customs, it would be closer to Manager Oh’s side than Jeong Gwangsub…
‘If it’s something you stick behind your ear to prevent throwing up, that’s motion sickness medicine. And there’s a public parking lot.’
Cheong-a habitually raised her hand to touch her forehead and fell deep in thought. While trying to piece together the words in her head, one location flashed through her mind.
“If you get motion sick, it’s on a boat. Boat, boat. Dress?”
Cheong-a kicked off from the bed and shot up.
“Dress, cruise ship… Party. Police Academy Leadership Cruise!”
The conversation she had with Inkyu during lunch today vividly came to mind.
—Are you not on good terms with the people at Headquarters? You should contact them more often and get along well.
—Isn’t there something like a Police Academy alumni gathering around this time? Try attending something like that. Make some people who are definitely on your side.
A bitter smile spread across Cheong-a’s lips.
‘Getting along well, my ass. The bastards involved with Yongyon Gang were all planning to gather here.’
[Poison Mushroom]: I need to go to an alumni gathering.
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: Suddenly?
[Poison Mushroom]: Leadership Network seminar. They hold that event as a cruise party on a ship every year.
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: Out of nowhere. You’ve never gone to those things, saying you hate wearing dresses… Oh my.
Yeonhui’s hands stopped typing right there.
Cruise party. Seminar. The moment she confirmed those words, the puzzle pieces clicked together in Yeonhui’s mind as well.
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: Could it be this?
[Poisonous Mushroom]: Yeah, looks like they’re planning to conspire there.
[Poison Mushroom]: I should go check out what kind of bastards they are.
[Poison Mushroom]: I can’t remember if I received an invitation this year, can you check the system for me?
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: I’ll check the list
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: But I think we should try getting in without applying for attendance
[Poison Mushroom]: ?
[Poison Mushroom]: Ah, right.
[Poison Mushroom]: My name would go on the attendee list.
[Pink Box] [DeFate] : Yeah, I’ll look for a way
[Poisonous Mushroom]: Okay. And I have one more favor to ask.
[Pink Box] [DeFate]: But wait a minute
[Poison Mushroom]: ?
***
In the dark office, three men had their heads together looking at a small phone screen.
On the game screen where they had secretly infiltrated using Chamkkae’s character, Cheong-a and Yeonhui’s conversation was flowing in real time.
“This actually works?”
Chamkkae tapped Yushin’s shoulder and kept letting out hollow laughs.
“They gathered fragments of information from a few words leaked over radio frequency and deduced it so well. Amazing, amazing.”
Doksah took his eyes off the phone and picked up a paper on the desk.
It had a detailed scenario written out with Day 1 and Day 2.
“Then we’ll scrap the rest.”
“We’re not doing it all the way to the end?”
“She figured out it’s the Leadership Cruise, so what’s the point of broadcasting all this. Just send a few more signals telling her not to be late for the time appointment. If we spit out more specific information, she might get suspicious.”
Doksah got up from his seat and threw the bundle of papers into the shredder.
Watching the plan disappear with a loud noise, Yushin also took his eyes off the phone and leaned back leisurely in his chair.
“I agree with Doksah. Meerkat also said not to give more information if she figures it out herself.”
“You talked about that kind of thing in the hotel room?”
“Yeah.”
Chamkkae’s gaze, which had been fixed on the phone, lifted. He looked at Yushin with an expression of disbelief.
“Wait, you could have a proper conversation? After giving her that much sleeping pills?”
“How many times do I have to tell you. She wasn’t fine but she stubbornly held on and discussed all the follow-up measures with me.”
Chamkkae shook his head and clicked his tongue.
“According to Muet, even men over 100kg get their heads completely blank and can’t think of anything.”
“Exactly.”
Yushin’s gaze slowly turned toward the ceiling and a smile crept across his lips.
“Our Meerkat has that kind of deadly charm.”
“…”
“…”
For a moment, silence flowed through the office.
Chamkkae and Doksah looked at Yushin with startled rabbit eyes. Then their gazes turned toward each other.
‘O-our Meerkat?’
‘Deadly charm? Ugh.’
‘I didn’t hear that wrong, did I, Sejin?’
‘Doksah, that bastard Mes has really lost it lately!’
The two could tell what each other was thinking just through their eyes.
Meanwhile, Yushin just closed his eyes and giggled, not even knowing what he had said.
[Swoosh.]
[Thwack! Thud thud.]
[Bang. Bang.]
Just then, violent sound effects suddenly rang from the phone speaker, and Chamkkae’s gaze quickly turned to the phone.
“Huh? Ah! No way. Argh!”
Chamkkae’s face turned pale. He moved his fingers at invisible speed, frantically tapping the screen. But he soon made a tearful face, and the screen turned dark gray.
“What? Is DeFate crazy? She killed my character. I hid it so well so it wouldn’t be noticed, how did she find it? And why is she so strong?”
[독버섯] : ****** *** ****?
[분홍상자] [DeFate] : **** ** **** ***, *****
[분홍상자] [DeFate] : ******^^;
[Poison Mushroom]: **.
After laying Chamkkae’s character gently on the cold ground, Cheong-a and Yeonhui continued their conversation briefly before logging off.
Chamkkae held his phone and poured out his anger while looking at the starred-out conversation.
“Wow, damn it. She killed me on purpose. To prevent me from seeing the conversation!”
“We heard all the important stuff anyway.”
“No, look at this. She killed me and then mocked me with an emoji. So fucking annoying. Her personality is trash? I really won’t let this slide.”
“What are you going to do if you don’t let it slide.”
“Why are you being like this, Mes. I only get oppressed by you here, but I’m actually a really famous person, you know?”
“…”
***
Leaving work on time.
It was a phrase that hardly suited a violent crimes detective. Since these were people whose daily routine consisted of night shifts, dawn shifts, and weekend work due to emergency arrests, search and seizure, and apprehension schedules.
However, Cheong-a, who had been almost completely excluded from violent crimes cases recently, was experiencing the strange phenomenon of arriving at work on time and leaving on time, as if she had become an office police officer.
Thanks to this, she was even happily using up all the accumulated vacation days she had piled up, and she spent all that time tracking down traces of Manager Oh and Jeong Gwangsub.
And today as well, Cheong-a got up from her seat right on time.
Today was the day of the Police Academy alumni leadership night event.
Cheong-a checked the time and hurried to leave work. Calculating the preparation time and travel time, it was quite tight.
Her steps quickened as she headed toward the locker room.
‘I just need to be careful with alcohol. Really!’
Right now, the biggest threat to Cheong-a wasn’t guns, wasn’t knives, but alcohol. It was alcohol.
Recently, whenever she drank, she’d been blacking out frequently. She was determined to smack anyone in the forehead who offered her a drink at today’s party.
It was the moment she opened the cabinet door with such firm resolve.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Inside was a large suitcase hanging there that she had never put in. Cheong-a took the case down to check its contents.
Then a luxurious blue dress that looked expensive at first glance was revealed. A small note fluttered down from inside.
I hope you like the gift
The handwriting felt strangely familiar.
Cheong-a immediately closed the cabinet door and started running to the on-duty room.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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