Chapter 67: The Murderer

At the press conference.

Baek Soo-kyung, pale and gaunt, was forcing himself to repeat the words he had to say.

At this point, he was already in a difficult position. He had originally thought that the explosive material he had recorded from Choi Min-jun and Park Seok-jin could win him a good future.

But it was only recently, when he was forced to stand in front of the nation’s netizens and play the victim repeatedly, that he understood one thing: not all madmen are the same.

Being mad with Choi Min-jun and Park Seok-jin, at most he would lose his future and reputation. Being mad with this guy Eun Chul-woo, it wasn’t even certain if he could stay alive…

Baek Soo-kyung bit his lower lip and pulled at his sleeve, hiding the knife wound on his arm that was still bleeding. If I had known I had to associate with such a terrifying madman, he thought, I would have rather been Park Seok-jin’s lover… at least I would have had food to eat.

“Actor Baek, do you mean you were threatened?” a reporter asked.

Baek Soo-kyung raised his hand to wipe his tears, but couldn’t help but hiss in pain from the wound on his arm. “Everyone knows Manager Choi Min-jun, right? When I first found Actor Qi’s passports, I was terrified. I hurriedly took a video and could only discuss it with him. He also found it incredible and said he would investigate first. But not long after… he, he was convicted of some things. I don’t know if these things are related, so I kept it a secret.”

“Actor Baek, it’s now rumored online that Actor Qi’s real identity is actually a spy for foreign forces. Do you agree with this?”

Baek Soo-kyung hurriedly waved his hands. “Whether he’s convicted or not depends on the official judgment. I’m just saying what I saw. The reason I took that video at the time was because I felt it was almost impossible for an ordinary person to have so many passports of different nationalities. I, I only thought he was a scammer at the time. I never thought…”

He hugged his arms and lowered his head, struggling to get the words out. “Manager Choi said he found many fake parts in Actor Qi’s resume, and that he had been constantly approaching President Yoon since he joined the company, which was very strange. Later, as everyone knows, Manager Choi went to prison, and Chairman Yoon died.”

“Actor Baek, excuse me, is your arm injured?”

Baek Soo-kyung was silent for a long moment, then suddenly began to sob softly. He untied the gauze on his arm, revealing the wrist-slashing wound on his thin arm. “I, I have been treated unfairly at Woosan. I was forced by Choi Min-jun to have a relationship with Park Seok-jin. I was living in a nightmare in those days. After Manager Choi went to prison, I was even more scared. I was afraid every day that President Yoon would retaliate against me for Qi Huai. But my father has a lot of debts. If I can’t act…”

He choked on his tears. “I’ve been under so much pressure lately. I can’t eat or sleep. I even thought about leaving this world like Go Eun-bin sunbae. It was only with the encouragement of my friends that I chose to reveal all this.”

The wound on his arm was horrifying. It was clear he had cut it with the determination to die. The media was instantly filled with pity and began to frantically take pictures of his injured arm.

Just as the media was about to ask more questions, the side door of the press conference venue was respectfully opened by security personnel. The RC Chairman Eun, who often appeared in financial magazines, walked in slowly behind a dignified elder.

“Oh! It’s Prosecutor General Kim!”
“Why would the Prosecutor General come in person?”
“Could it be that Qi Huai’s identity as a spy has been confirmed?”

Baek Soo-kyung, who was standing on the stage in a daze, was forced back several steps by Eun Chul-woo’s sharp gaze, shrinking to the side like a frightened rabbit.

He knew very well that his use had been exhausted. Keeping quiet was his most important job from now on.

Kim Joo-hwan didn’t even glance at Baek Soo-kyung. This kind of weed-like creature had never been in his eyes. If it weren’t for the urgency of time and the public eye, he would have had the security guards wipe the floor.

Kim Joo-hwan coughed, straightened his back, and stood where Baek Soo-kyung had been. He said in a deep voice, “Today, my son, Kim Min-kyung, an artist familiar to all of you, was murdered.”

What? Oh my God!

Best Actor Kim was murdered?!

The media on the scene were well-informed, but that didn’t mean the ordinary people in the live stream knew this news. Everyone had heard that Best Actor Kim’s villa was surrounded by police cars and fire trucks and had thought it was just a fire. They never thought that Best Actor Kim himself had been murdered!?

In an instant, the news of Kim Min-kyung’s murder swept through the internet like a hurricane. Korean netizens flooded the major media live streams, and even many foreign media came after hearing the news.

Kim Joo-hwan’s face was serious, his eyes filled with pain. “A witness took a video at the scene. To protect the witness’s safety, we cannot reveal their identity. But this video is authentic and reliable. I would like to invite all my reporter friends to watch it with me.”

He tilted his head and motioned to Eun Chul-woo. Eun Chul-woo took out his phone, played the video, and passed it around for the media to see.

In the video, Yoon Nam-hyuk was anxiously moving a body. The reporters were in an uproar, because everyone was thinking that besides the murderer himself, no one else would have a reason to move a body.

So horrifying…

They had just learned that Yoon Nam-hyuk had been taken away by the police as a suspect, but they never thought there was such eyewitness evidence!

Kim Joo-hwan slammed his fist on the podium. “On the soil of the Republic of Korea, two industry leaders have been murdered in succession, and a future chaebol leader like Yoon Nam-hyuk is involved. Whether it’s a frame-up or deliberate instigation, I can’t say who is guilty, but I will not let go of any suspect. Whether it’s a conspiracy or a coincidence, we will definitely investigate carefully and give everyone an explanation.”

A reporter immediately asked sharply, “Prosecutor General, do you mean these cases were caused by people with ulterior motives? Is there a possibility of a frame-up? Was President Yoon used?”

Another reporter followed up, “It’s rumored online that Qi Huai is a spy, and he is very close to Yoon Nam-hyuk. Do you mean it’s possible that he deliberately created incidents to disrupt Korean businesses?”

If it was just a simple scammer who had latched onto a rich man like Yoon Nam-hyuk, the public would at most treat it as a joke. But if it was a spy’s deliberate act, or even a threat to national security, then everything would be different.

The media was in a heated discussion.

A satisfied smile appeared on Eun Chul-woo’s lips.

At this moment, a well-dressed elder stood up from the crowd. “Prosecutor General Kim, do you mean that both Yoon Tae-min’s death and Kim Min-kyung’s murder were the work of spies, and they are completely blameless?”

The other was about sixty-something years old. It was clear he was not a media representative attending the conference. No one knew how he had gotten in.

Kim Joo-hwan frowned. “Who are you?”

Dr. Choi smiled. “Prosecutor General, I am a doctor, an ordinary taxpayer. Like all citizens, I care about what kind of country I live in, and who is controlling the taxes I pay. This press conference is being broadcast live. The entire Republic of Korea is watching you. You are the Prosecutor General. Your words must be based on facts. May I ask you, in the Go Eun-bin suicide case, besides Yoon Tae-min, does it have anything to do with upper-class people like you?”

What? Isn’t this Woosan’s internal dirty business? How did it get involved with the prosecution system?

Kim Joo-hwan and Eun Chul-woo both stared at Dr. Choi. They really couldn’t understand where this doctor they had never seen before had come from.

Suddenly, a media representative who had just read the live stream comments turned around in surprise and looked at Dr. Choi. “Ah… what? Go Eun-bin’s family?”

His voice was not loud, but it was just right for the people on the stage to hear clearly. Eun Chul-woo frowned fiercely. Then, the masked man who had been standing behind Dr. Choi took a step forward, exposing himself to the flashes of the cameras.

“That’s right. I am Go Eun-bin’s younger brother, Go Eun-woo.” The man took off his mask. His gentle features were six parts similar to the deceased Go Eun-bin. But because he had been kidnapped by unknown persons, his face had an added layer of fatigue and vicissitude.

It was not strange that the live stream audience recognized him. Besides his similar appearance, Go Eun-woo had deliberately worn the same clothes he had been wearing ten years ago when he had learned of his brother’s death. Anyone who had been following the news about Go Eun-bin recently would likely recognize him.

Eun Chul-woo’s pupils contracted. How is that possible? he thought. My men didn’t tell me this guy…

“I am here today, even wearing these clothes, to identify the real criminals who caused my brother’s suicide and forced my sister to almost kill someone!”

Go Eun-bin pointed at Eun Chul-woo resentfully. “Him! That incident with Eun-hee. The reason she went to assassinate President Yoon was because someone kidnapped me and my child, forcing my wife and Eun-hee to assassinate Yoon Nam-hyuk. If they didn’t do it, the kidnappers claimed they would dump my son and me in the Han River!”

“Our Eun-hee, she is a kind person. Although she is not a doctor, she does life-saving work in the hospital every day. She always said she wanted to accumulate good karma for her deceased brother. How could she kill someone?!”

As he spoke, Go Eun-woo’s eyes turned red. “She was forced to go to President Yoon. That’s why she deliberately stabbed off-target. It’s not like what the internet says, that she’s a murderer!”

Dr. Choi, standing next to him, sighed, feeling a sense of empathy.

Recently, at Qi Huai’s request, he had gone to the police station to visit Go Eun-hee. It had taken a great deal of effort to get her to tell the truth.

Go Eun-hee had said:

Human impulse is truly terrifying. Although she had been forced to go to the press conference, in that instant, she had actually had the thought that revenge was justice.

Until her eyes met Yoon Nam-hyuk’s. In an instant, the knife that had been aimed at his heart had somehow deviated.

What if the other was a good person? What if he was really going to help them? Even if there was only a slight possibility, she wanted to believe that there was still justice in this world, that there were still kind people like them.

She had always wanted to apologize to Yoon Nam-hyuk in person, if he was willing to see her.

“Mr. Go Eun-woo, right?”

Eun Chul-woo said slowly, “If you are just seeking justice for your sister, please go to the police. Wasn’t it your sister who stabbed someone in public? No one else did it for her, did they? Attempted murder, and then claiming someone else made her do it—as the assailant’s family member, don’t you feel ashamed saying such an excuse?”

“Also,” Eun Chul-woo added unhurriedly, “this is not a courtroom. We can’t receive everyone who comes here in the name of seeking justice. You need evidence to speak and act. Otherwise, it’s slander.”

The people who had kidnapped Go Eun-woo had all worn masks and used voice changers. The thugs who had guarded him were just hired guns. If there was no definite evidence, even if he sued him a hundred times, it would be useless. Eun Chul-woo sneered inwardly.

“What if I want to accuse Prosecutor General Kim?” Go Eun-woo’s finger changed direction.

What?!

Everyone was shocked. What kind of move was this?

Go Eun-woo said loudly, “Kim Joo-hwan, and those upper-class people who are in cahoots with you, in order to suck up and get promoted, you treat young children as tributes! Besides my brother, there are many other victims. Some even more pitiful children don’t even have families to help them!”

He took out an envelope and unfolded it in front of all the media. “This is the list my brother left behind, recording the sinners he had received! And the young artists who were victimized like him!”

A list?!

Kim Joo-hwan squinted. “Young man, I understand your feelings. I’ve been a prosecutor for many years and have seen all kinds of crimes. Just today, my son was also murdered. No one understands the pain of losing a loved one more than I do. But the more painful it is, the more we should call for reason. At the very least, don’t be impulsive like your sister, and don’t randomly hurt others without evidence or when the authenticity of the evidence cannot be verified.”

Go Eun-woo ignored him. He stepped on a stool and stood on the table, showing the letters to all the reporters around him. “This is my brother Go Eun-bin’s suicide note. It states the reason for his suicide! He was forced to die, it wasn’t depression at all! We found it when we were sorting through my brother’s belongings again!”

Previously, he hadn’t known why Dr. Choi had insisted he go through his brother’s belongings again, nor why this suicide note had suddenly appeared among the things he and Eun-hee had sorted through many times. But the paper and the handwriting on it were definitely his brother’s! He wouldn’t be mistaken!

Back then, Go Eun-bin knew it wasn’t easy to enter the entertainment industry. He cherished every penny he earned and never stopped learning for a moment.

To save on daily expenses, he only had one discounted notebook from the supermarket. Whether it was his study notes or notes for his siblings, he would use the paper from this notebook.

Pale yellow paper, light blue horizontal lines.

It was definitely not wrong!

Go Eun-woo, with tears streaming down his face, read the suicide note out loud, word by word:

Eun-woo, Eun-hee.

Brother really can’t go on.

When I was little, I always heard Mom and Dad say that life is hard, that living is not easy. I didn’t understand what they meant. I only thought being an adult was great. You can earn money, do what you love, and you don’t have to be scolded by Mom and Dad for being naughty.

But now, Brother really can’t hold on anymore. I’ve taken the wrong path, jumped into an abyss that I can’t leave, an abyss that I’m even afraid to ask for help from. Death is my only way out.

Fortunately, you have both grown up. You are both doing well in your studies. Please don’t follow my path, and don’t let those people…

Kim Joo-hwan’s eyelids twitched. He swept a glance, and Go Eun-woo, who hadn’t finished reading the suicide note, was pressed to the ground by security personnel and forced to shut up.

The suicide note had been sealed for many years, but the despair in it could pierce through people’s hearts like a sharp sword with just a few words.

The viewers in the live stream were restless. They began to constantly enlarge the video screenshots they had just taken, trying to see the rest of the contents of the suicide note.

Names, names, and more names.

Daebak…

This is an internal roll call list of the prosecution system, isn’t it?

“Forging evidence is a serious crime,” Kim Joo-hwan said coldly. “If Go Eun-bin really had a suicide note, why didn’t you take it out back then? It’s been so many years, and you suddenly say you’ve found a suicide note. Weren’t you bought by some unknown forces?”

Sigh, these upper-class people. They always blame foreign forces. They should think about whether their country’s land area is worth it.

Dr. Choi smiled. “If you want to know if it’s Go Eun-bin’s handwriting, you can do a handwriting comparison. The age of the paper can also be tested. To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the test results, my employer can invite an internationally credible testing agency from abroad to do the test.”

Kim Joo-hwan said coldly, “Your employer?”

“It’s me…”

The main door of the venue was pushed open with a bang. Qi Huai walked in with a police officer’s neck in his arm, in a buddy-buddy pose. He chuckled and added, “My dear.”

The police officers who followed him in, wary of him having a hostage, only dared to follow at a certain distance. Two of them even had injuries on their faces.

Kim Joo-hwan almost fainted. Eun Chul-woo cursed “useless” in his heart. They couldn’t even catch him! Are the tasers just for show?

Qi Huai sat down among the media and pressed the slightly concussed police officer onto the table and handcuffed him. “It takes time to compare Go Eun-bin’s handwriting. Besides, just looking at names is so boring. Why not look at some video evidence?”

The police officer, who had only ever played the role of a hostage during his police academy days: …

Video evidence?

The reporters sitting around him couldn’t resist their nature and craned their necks to look.

Kim Joo-hwan took a deep breath. “Qi Huai, your suspicion of espionage has not been cleared. Not only are you not cooperating with the investigation, but you’re also assaulting a police officer. You…”

「Wow~~~ Honey! Baby~」

A gleeful cry that was clearly not meant for public ears came from Qi Huai’s phone. The reporter who had been craning his neck to look at his phone instantly widened his eyes. “Omo! Omo, omo! It’s that guy from the Busan Prosecutor’s Office—!”

Next, Qi Huai smiled and swiped through the videos.

Each video was about ten seconds long, played one after another. The protagonist of each video was a different person. The police officer lying on the table was already starting to break out in a cold sweat. He was afraid the protagonist of the next video would be his own superior! How embarrassing would that be!

In the video, the sticky and disgusting sounds of intercourse were incessant. The reporters sitting next to Qi Huai were so shocked their jaws almost dropped. They thought to themselves that since they had entered the industry, they had never seen such an explosive scandal!

A female reporter with short hair reacted the fastest. She snatched her colleague’s live-streaming device and started to stream Qi Huai’s phone directly! To share the feast of gossip with all the netizens!

Kim Joo-hwan’s vision went black, his heart almost following in Yoon Tae-min’s footsteps. He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. “Qi Huai! Do you think you can fool me and the media with this AI face-swapping thing? I…”

He was arguing verbally, but his heart was cold. How is that possible!!! Why are these things here!!!

“Since the Prosecutor General doesn’t believe me, how about you see if this one looks familiar?” Qi Huai said with a faint smile. His long, slender fingertips swiped, and he instantly played the longest video.

In the center of the screen, the flabby-skinned Kim Joo-hwan, his back to the camera, was writhing on a table at Heaven like a wild buffalo in heat, singing the national anthem, a pair of bright red thongs from some unknown female star on his head.

Such a high-pitched, sonorous singing voice, such a hoarse and special tone—even those who were not familiar with him could recognize the Prosecutor General’s accent. Let alone the reporters who studied the upper class every day.

Wow…

The Prosecutor General looked so serious from his appearance. It turns out he’s a wild person at heart. This is explosive. Quick, record it.

At the press conference, Kim Joo-hwan’s lips were trembling. His subordinates had already called the police. They were bowing their heads, not daring to look up, just constantly urging the police to come quickly.

At this moment, the excited Kim Joo-hwan in the video suddenly turned around, revealing… aigoo, that’s a bit too small. Far from the Korean average.

It’s not clear who laughed first, but then the entire press conference venue began to fill with stifled chuckles.

Everyone could almost predict that in a few minutes, new memes would be born on social media all over the world—[The Credibility of the Republic of Korea’s Prosecutor’s Office, Zoom in to See.jpg]

Kim Joo-hwan’s face turned green!

Qi Huai shook his phone. “Prosecutor General, this phone is full of Heaven’s recordings left by Kim Min-kyung. How many familiar faces do you think are in there?”

How many people had Heaven, which Kim Joo-hwan had established, harmed over the years? How many beautiful lives, bright futures had disappeared, committed suicide, or gone mad because of their actions? They probably hadn’t even counted themselves.

But this old guy definitely hadn’t expected that guy Kim Min-kyung to secretly record… What a good hobby, Qi Huai thought.

Heaven’s security measures were very good. Hacking would take time. If they hadn’t successfully obtained Kim Min-kyung’s phone, it would definitely not have been so fast to get these videos.

As for how they got the phone, he had to thank Eun Chul-woo for leading Nam-hyuk to Kim Min-kyung’s house. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to get this phone. It would have been discovered by Kim Min-kyung in less than a minute.

Obviously, Eun Chul-woo had also thought of this. His face was extremely ugly. But what he didn’t understand the most was, how did Yoon Nam-hyuk know about these things?

Did Min-kyung tell him? Impossible… Even he didn’t know about Kim Joo-hwan’s video! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been kneeling in front of that old guy, wagging his tail and begging for mercy!

Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps came from outside the venue, followed by a group of police officers rushing in, surrounding everyone in the venue.

In any case, help had arrived.

Kim Joo-hwan and Eun Chul-woo almost let out a sigh of relief at the same time. Kim Joo-hwan trembled with anger. He pointed at Qi Huai and said, “Arrest that spy! How dare he use AI videos to slander the upper class! It’s simply unforgivable!”

“Unforgivable? Who?”

The police officers on the scene all stood still. Then, from outside the door came the Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and… a cold-faced Yoon Nam-hyuk?

Everyone was in an uproar again. The media whispered among themselves. Why is Yoon Nam-hyuk here? Wasn’t he arrested? Isn’t he a suspect in Kim Min-kyung’s murder?

Eun Chul-woo frowned fiercely. His uneasiness had been growing ever since Qi Huai had entered the door, and it was even worse now.

One reporter couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “President Yoon, shouldn’t you be at the police station?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk, with his cold face, only softened slightly when he looked at Qi Huai. “That’s right. It seems I was the only one at the scene of Min-kyung’s death. Logically, I should be at the police station cooperating with the investigation. And some people with malicious intentions not only destroyed my dashcam footage in advance, but also blew up the crime scene to try to frame me again… But unfortunately, this time, you weren’t the only ones who prepared in advance.”

“When I went to Min-kyung’s house, Assistant Yoo and the others were following me. I don’t have a dashcam recording, but they do. Counting from the time I arrived at the villa, I absolutely did not have time to kill Min-kyung and set up a bomb,” Yoon Nam-hyuk said.

Eun Chul-woo gritted his teeth. Even so… he thought.

Yoon Nam-hyuk suddenly looked at him. “Are you thinking that the police station… heh, in short, no matter how many alibis I have, I shouldn’t be released immediately?”

Even if they didn’t have definite evidence to prove Yoon Nam-hyuk was guilty, as long as Eun Chul-woo and the others made the right arrangements, they could still frame him.

Thinking of this, Yoon Nam-hyuk laughed out loud. He shook his phone like Qi Huai. “Actually, I went to report a crime. Besides the video evidence from Heaven, there’s also you, Chairman Eun. Your murder evidence.”

Being taken to the police station was a great opportunity. He could negotiate with the high-level police without fear of being discovered.

Even if the people at the police station didn’t have the guts to surround the Prosecutor General, to arrest a murderer like Eun Chul-woo, it wouldn’t be too much to send a few more police officers to surround the scene, right?

The video evidence from Heaven?!

Kim Joo-hwan immediately looked at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner. The other coughed and looked away. Prosecutor General, that was an arrest warrant approved by the Minister of Justice. You can’t even protect yourself… don’t blame me.

Too many people are involved…

The law does not punish the masses. We can only abandon you.

“Murderer?” A reporter who had interviewed Eun Chul-woo before said in disbelief, “Are you saying that Chairman Eun is the real murderer of Best Actor Kim?”

“Not just that,” Qi Huai said faintly. “At least 5 people died because of him.”