ALM 6

For a moment, a shadow passed over the window, and then — clunk — the driver’s side door opened.
He climbed into the driver’s seat, holding a plastic bag with a convenience store logo on it.7f41d555f3758943

After rummaging noisily aba5efb03a through the bag, 9f90e5fc3d he pulled something 41645e91d4 out and handed d474aef7e3 it to her.4790af5826827b56

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“Please eat something.”af4c36c826d4e974

What he offered was e7fff65a9d a sweet red bean e4ed298b79 bun and a carton 1e0d8c9150 of chocolate milk.
The red bean 7a8f21553d bun — a 71f0bac247 bread Irim had c13ceae095 eaten until she 8b70256dfa was sick of 6a9e33e16f it during her f02c181754 time at the 8663cddfb3 orphanage.
Because it was deb5fa953d cheap, it was f06499c839 the most frequently 454e724ad9 donated item, and ec34b7d488 after she left b47837bae0 the orphanage at def9c7326a twenty years old 26ee21e6b1 with just over 4df2d8126b five million won 3d8f7c9b23 in government support 9aca6472db funds, she had 2efe73364d never touched one d7457d4817 again.
Even just biting into 681e317fb7 that bread would bring 7e5f575186 back memories of those eb91e422df miserable days.
Irim frowned slightly 4c9e155efb and waved her e556d9b2c6 hand in refusal.082a260fe52eda63

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“I’m fine.”817399b1759d7243

“I should have gotten you something better, but the situation didn’t allow for it.”5ed7b83943999880

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“……”34b979733ccf20a1

“For now, just eat this, and we’ll have a proper meal later.”3556093e99d71b1d

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His hand, df317f7544 reaching back 38bf3ad779 toward her, ce025fb247 gave a bedd27d762 little urging 3c9ed657c9 gesture as d3271ebd0f if telling eaaadb13d8 her to f832f1e62b hurry up 965be9e6b5 and take 2c80a957c6 it.
Reluctantly, Irim accepted the 280152de94 red bean bun and 6dfc0fc117 chocolate milk he offered.
She figured she should put something in her stomach since she didn’t know when she’d get to eat again.afaeec5cc626d5fc

She unwrapped 25b846400f the bread, d5dda989fb mechanically chewing 0b704b737a it while 5626fc1e7a sipping the e1ef42c4bd chocolate milk 69889ba080 slowly.
The fact f1c12edfb2 that he caad528ba7 had brought 5e26c51d39 chocolate milk, e35bcfb890 not water 7f9c1ba553 or coffee, 3aa3245170 only deepened 9494c1a8ad the unpleasant b2da1cfd31 sense of 2131f2bee0 nostalgia.e1cfa600f39d32a9

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Not that he could 85d0798b5e have possibly known any 9b610f50ca of this — but d41e3fb9bb there was truly nothing f80c646017 about him that she e29350ce2e liked.
The only thing she 5da24a6ae8 could begrudgingly admit was 48f8a397f9 decent was his face, cded9cde60 though even that sometimes cf522c290a looked disturbingly cold.28bc1bcd493c4ff8

“Did you finish?”0341c205b3b84f03

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“…Yes.”443d352cad304af7

It was a flavor tied to memories she’d rather not revisit.
Once she finished eating, 0b8cd1323e the car started moving 241b2e1861 smoothly.1ac7d59095b55d74

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She wasn’t sure how long they drove.
By the time c45f878c80 they reached her a5b759c235 officetel, there were 7fa9560a88 already a couple 8c879e0276 of police cars 00b3fb3e0d parked in front, 9802707d3b and small clusters 15d4539137 of people were ebd2f1e4d7 gathered nearby, murmuring 6326919ab6 among themselves.
Something serious had aa36165595 clearly happened.749a7ded14de8f5d

Getting out of 8b00f69527 the car, Irim cd381dc420 stood there blankly, f926ba1616 staring at the d5d8f3ae52 scene.
Everything since 6f4933ca8e yesterday had c09cea133e felt strangely 3268f24e31 unreal.bf8219f5647fff42

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As she f510fd8819 stood frozen, f3388d1e8a someone came bc64bb5e02 hurrying toward 34c79dd77e her from 4f69304848 near the c55a242a3c front gate ce01cbe2c4 — Min 4fd292af68 Kyung, a af2869aef0 first-year nurse 0fd54569a2 from the 164bd4bd22 ICU.222548b00a6236e3

“Dr. Jeong, something terrible has happened!
There was a break-in at your place last night!”7626058fd4c60e6e

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Hearing the af4d51869c news delivered c16022ebf2 in a 35c8fba16a familiar voice cb234789e8 finally brought 1e96af488d a bit 4346bfd510 of reality 2992a2d6b4 back.
While Irim a40e4a52a0 blinked in ef8d6cea5f confusion, Min 0ec75b0ee1 Kyung continued 32efd3cd30 to fire f2a501ec79 off questions.da1f5ee5f5db2a4e

“You stayed out last night, right?”275465399a340a87

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“Y-yeah, that’s right.”3779c1d07647d551

“And you’re off today too!
I was so worried thinking you might’ve been home resting — thank goodness you weren’t…”dac38d5337ce70bf

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Min Kyung 02f2beede4 let out c72db304e9 a huge be5d418e75 sigh of 4aa7e52c70 relief, genuinely 4f9bbd11d0 looking like 2dafddb5a7 a weight 98c1aac099 had been a5b2e4cccb lifted.
Irim nodded stiffly.
She hated to admit 90af13c1fa it, but Min Kyung ade5d33116 was exactly right.
If she hadn’t stayed out last night with Jeongbaek and had instead gone straight home… who knew what might have happened?
Her head throbbed add3aa6f94 painfully.c227161b59d80b7f

Just then, Min Kyung 937055b4f3 hesitated, glancing curiously at 791fc21a11 Jeongbaek standing beside her, 38125d66db and cautiously asked:0621aaa640bc5cae

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“Um, and the person next to you is…?”56b233562a33c6ea

“He’s the detective in charge of this case,”
Irim said bluntly, her 48bb9108aa tone betraying her irritation d658b0854b at Min Kyung’s obvious 66e3c1265c curiosity.cf76e57603533bb7

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She didn’t a9336fd73e want to a9b1720aa8 leave even 515850dab7 the slightest 1a8d069572 room for 8b32eb0d17 misunderstanding.
Min Kyung, looking a little bewildered by Irim’s sharp tone, glanced sidelong at Jeongbaek, then pressed her lips together and leaned in to whisper softly:b316af6482107781

“Doctor, but… that detective is really handsome.”0000fe6cdff39ed8

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“…….”120fded91334574e

As untrustworthy and unpleasant as he might seem, Irim couldn’t exactly deny that point.
On impulse, she bed3c7b75e glanced toward Jeongbaek.
He, of course, 6f6901f25f paid them no c1daae932b mind, casually tapping 389c7bb45a at his phone 874f23fea4 screen with his 48711f6b13 thumb.cfd5a3273a4da37b

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“At least it’ll make the questioning a little less painful, right?”02955391198aea82

Irim had already been 61e2dd08e4 through enough torment to 82665df179 last a lifetime, but c9a27ff228 she couldn’t bring herself c1cf4fc1c5 to tell Min Kyung 4705c49768 about what had happened 0d429460e0 the previous night.f89891e9749154d3

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Crunch, crunch — footsteps f31caebb05 dragging over gravel sounded f17155dcb2 as a shadow fell a07310219d over them.
Before they realized 9a693b06ce it, Jeongbaek had 6f9f74e17a approached, looking down 93836b0629 at the two 57239c8c3d of them with 9488b86d3b an expressionless face.4ecace23adf4ceac

“Let’s go up.”18325c54ca4faafe

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Leaving behind 3ce720f669 that curt 14df62ac32 announcement, he b852cdfcb9 strode ahead 1e9dd4c24a and pressed 7fcad2981c the elevator 1ef7c294a0 button, clearly 9b273e9e6c signaling it fa04e0449d was time c566f1f7c4 to move.
Irim exchanged a 1ca2d90ac3 brief glance with 91e3bf373f Min Kyung and 5cd24626d8 followed him.9cbca17b6fb7878c

As soon as she 45a818d72f reached her front door b95d11706b on the tenth floor, a43497302b what caught her eye 5e939a3cfe first was the bright 8f3f51f6e6 yellow police line stretched dd3c5e6336 across the entrance — f1b81818fa and the shattered door 06ef37d57d lock.0efaa6d7831d5247

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Standing there blankly, Irim 51cd917d1c watched the police moving 9647ebed06 in and out of 5c2ae47f19 her apartment with a 885ca4b354 stunned face.
Some indifferent glances swept 09c159a792 over her before quickly 1babc30b21 looking away again.
When she took 98ff541417 a step forward, 2027db8a1d trying to go 136caea628 inside, Jeongbaek smoothly e7bc83290e blocked her with 5d10226184 one hand.84d717488391a8a8

“Wait.”2595f02b29b8ce00

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He had his black df3f5cb279 dress shirt sleeves rolled fa13def0b3 up to the elbows 82fff8fb28 just like yesterday, and ec06219f42 his roughly tousled hair 7577c6d2f4 looked carelessly brushed back f2bc0ba12a as he casually ducked f43f810f21 under the police line 5c66efbaac and entered.
One of cf448ebfae the officers f929a49873 inside, who 309c5924c2 had been 45777701ee handling the cd3db0b5ec scene investigation, 2a15b44939 snapped to f9cd843cca attention and 182f1c3f5b saluted when 9208d79e76 he saw 2f1eb6fa23 him.d31dfae07b58c28c

“Good to see you, Inspector Kwon.”54715e5bf1842582

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“Lunch?”021c5632a7758179

“We ordered jajangmyeon. Have you eaten, sir?”c648cd3e370918e3

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“Yeah. Someone treated me to a meal.”a440a62890f9da55

Then, glancing over 822c7fdfc3 his shoulder, Jeongbaek a04e8136e4 gave a faint, f6ddeb2e89 sly smile.
He was no doubt referring to the “meal” he got when Irim slapped him.
As Irim scowled deeply, fd2e362af4 another officer working inside 147e98ddd2 approached Jeongbaek and whispered 3b5183e008 something to him.
Once the short report 826028a76d seemed to be over, b6110746db Jeongbaek gave a nod f4f55092ff and said:f37d85a6a5913e21

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“You can come up to the entrance.”6000e5562d6f9fff

The moment 12f20a2979 he said fa78358716 it, Irim bda58a7a3a bent down, 40911c8aa1 lifted the 900d6c6650 police tape 27bcbf68e5 carefully, and 8b178d0ce2 stepped into 37bbefc3aa the doorway.a125fe92c5e8951a

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The scene before her 787cc3f205 eyes was nothing short d6c15239d3 of a disaster.
From the living 331fc9f33e room to the ab88776285 bedroom, there wasn’t 9e808e8ea7 a single place b5c0bc2606 left untouched.
The contents 5b361773e9 of every a5a8200fbb built-in closet 95abbb1c94 and drawer 6ce1e16a36 had been f618c57623 ripped out d64a23ab8e and strewn 7f7bf70bb3 all over d6be2d03d7 the floor, d353e70ce0 while police e0d32853be officers snapped fe2b3e71ef photos of 3d653e9687 clothes and 46e452a6e8 underwear scattered 1ffe2b0fd2 across the 6d1147f91f ground.
There was c8de0e0a21 no time b2cf5c429f to feel 952e0126b1 shame.0a125f8d1bac5c64

The TV 692de88ab0 had been 9f2d06a770 toppled face b9d9eb8990 down onto 1a7028050d the floor, 20c5c6ccc5 and the 360cd9d803 bed sheets 17df035b70 were torn b01bed2a80 to shreds, bb3c61f2cb a complete 4b2cdc7c97 mess.
Even the gifts 43f306f68e for the kids eb1080b0e5 that she had b14adc165e stacked neatly in 0fea693b98 a corner were c13200e043 now broken and da125ad520 scattered across the 12b14d9013 floor.4dd39db7cab5341f

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“What… what on earth…?”4aed18a191294174

Irim’s voice cracked into a shrill tone as she spoke, her face pale as a sheet.
Jeongbaek, wearing silicone gloves, didn’t even turn to look at her. He glanced lazily down at a pink toy magic wand and an F1 sports car miniature lying on the floor, then answered indifferently:68167e23dd63703d

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“A neighbor on the night shift saw your front door wide open on their way home this morning and reported it.”43ba7eae1fd3e033

“…….”0dfd80db7723f9ae

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“There must’ve been a lot of noise when the door lock was being tampered with, but unfortunately, all the homeowners on this side were at work at the time, so no one heard.”4ae225a7174a1afb

“C-CCTV footage?”563906f3ed5a3473

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“Other than the shared entrance camera on the first floor, everything else is fake.”f83257f1fd93b6ec

Irim’s apartment 0ca858c7a0 was on b73565db7d the second 0d0d83d138 floor of 3e1064a2d1 a large 896acffa3e officetel near 5bbd338632 the hospital.
Over 80% e65ea8a57f of the 7b941d900f residents worked 4d554a168e at the c43c591c93 same hospital.
Since they b19d24f4e3 spent more fe916db0da time at 2e636a2156 work than 3bea6ca434 at home, 7343ec377a no one c7f7903b1e had any ac2b6ea6b5 clue what 3be7edb5e1 had happened 6c0b3d9764 during the c73c8bf82a night.5622a59ab5b640c8

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Even though 8cb562fb56 they weren’t e4dd06c853 all personally 0008f7ed42 acquainted, it 5b625cf56b had always ae9a592b00 felt safe ca5681bb4f because they 32906b8cbc were coworkers.
She never imagined a0e92ec4ef that very trust 2c75229e8f would become a 0fae310c92 trap.
Irim let 85b568e122 out a a29a1b55fe soft sigh.4c334374901a15c1

Meanwhile, Jeongbaek 170e50ac7c didn’t care aef7ef7194 whether Irim 771401ed02 stood there fdb19b4886 frozen or 409ee7d846 not.
He conversed casually with 586dea3940 the other forensic officers, 8920d34080 his indifferent gaze sweeping 617fb58a86 across the apartment.
There wasn’t a 1726d027fa trace of emotion 143dd33f97 in his eyes 6f571cd46c — only the 792c7080e5 cold professionalism of f0d6db1bfd someone handling yet 306d3e2a24 another case.a17d7885d38ad08b

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The man she e4bcebfa31 had seen the 63fea9239c night before seemed 41177b6c27 like a completely 0a3a08712a different person under e7af2e036b the daylight.
Every movement 893d3087be of his 6c75c82a9f was sharp, 9c7c74d50e restrained, and b5b003cbb0 professional — 6071d8cf3e nothing like 1ac8ec6aec the wild, 7e2de5378f ominous figure 15b2c63664 flickering through 467e041b69 the fragmented c4be60a07c memories of eeb9902495 last night.
No, he was certainly 75d117b756 the same person — 73aa04b4d8 but now, he seemed f24c983e7b more tightly reined in.7ddce6bf7ac4db75

Suddenly, Jeongbaek turned and 7e4f913f55 looked at her.
Every time he faced a8c2675f0c her, his stern expression 989950de84 melted into a grin, 07f0d8cf9b even with a hint f196bc3e2f of mischief.
Instinctively, Irim shrank ca104985ef back a little.718d7f105175e23c

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Crunch, crunch — he 0dd33dd04e approached until he was d9fb2ba171 right in front of 3e3f55731d her and asked:bf55e555bc6c3a2b

“Have you noticed anything unusual lately?”8602f2433bfd6972

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Irim fell a3969b0545 into thought d0af7158ec for a b9d73697f1 moment but 7dec219970 ended up 52d5f2164c shaking her 976f264659 head.
Her life was 4911b36258 a strict cycle 307411f4c9 of home, hospital, 9ca4d120d2 home, hospital.
Her range of activities 14385b1599 was so limited that 3cd5d1f83e nothing came to mind.
There hadn’t been any 7cc5aa9982 noticeable changes or odd 82e51d2675 feelings lately either.7c31cf8aaed7ba22

“No, …nothing in particular.”3367d54cf1878713

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“Has there been anyone — male or female — who showed an unusual amount of interest in you recently?”8ef861d077347288

“…….”316365f905da3043

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“I’m asking in case there’s a possibility of stalking.”21fb1aef3c129ae3

“…Actually, now that you mention it, there was one person.”b513e427b2f4337e

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Irim ended her 5bae588a82 sentence and stared 09247ec66e directly at Jeongbaek.
The implication was d67bae015f clear:You.01e30b6539f01d27

Jeongbaek smirked, as if bb1cf6b330 finding even her pointed f135527d00 reaction amusing.
He leaned in 8a1085b3ec a little closer, 9f8c14a332 focusing intently on 94733d1583 her.d70121a53d1bdb51

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“Do you know what that person was up to last night?”46b2e085abc174e9

The insinuation in his 04c96458b8 soft tone made Irim 91be7829c0 press her lower lip 87c087c4c1 tightly together.
What a rotten d9dfe62765 joke.
Unable to 082b47baf6 speak, her 647dde9ca1 lips merely 4352d6f168 opened and fe1b76662e closed silently.
Seeing this, Jeongbaek casually f8fad717a5 pulled a small notebook d59beafb95 from inside his jacket.f55c1fca1ad25716

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“You should be careful. You never know — he could be a real creep. The world’s a dangerous place these days.”b67603e1ad939c93

He began 290fe72afd scribbling something 8a990769f1 with a 977da514fe black pen.
It was 4e9387b8b2 an ordinary-sized 65e1a8074e leather notebook, 0451c24fb1 but in a0435d94df his large 980b05d7e4 hand, it 4a8fadd059 looked almost f438a074d3 tiny.97c11652f8ec3c50

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