#3. Suspect

The following day, at Jungsan Police Station.

The lights in the dark, oppressive interrogation room flickered before finally illuminating the room.

It was a familiar place, yet Seo-wan found herself in an unfamiliar position.

She stared blankly around her, her head still heavy, her mind clouded as though she were walking on air.

"Where is he?"

The words escaped with difficulty through her dry, cracked lips.

Silence hung over the interrogation room.

Across from her, Inspector Park In-su flipped irritably through a stack of documents without looking up.

Instead, another detective seated beside him asked sharply,

"Are you referring to Mr. Seo Min-gyu?"

Seo-wan nodded.

Inspector Park snapped the file shut and fixed her with a piercing stare.

The look he gave her was the look reserved for a suspect. His firm, emotionless tone felt threatening.

"You should know that better than anyone, Detective Choi."

It wasn't the answer she'd wanted.

"…Is he dead?"

The inspector's gaze sharpened. He lifted his chin with an air of authority.

"Detective Choi Seo-wan."

There was something so cold and commanding in his voice that Seo-wan could neither ask another question nor offer an answer.

A long, chilling silence followed.

Then his deep voice struck her like a blow.

"Where is Seo Min-gyu?"

The question settled over the room like a suffocating weight.

Her heart seemed to plunge into a bottomless abyss, the impact reverberating through her entire body.

Where could he have disappeared to?

Overcome by guilt at not knowing the truth, Seo-wan lowered her head.

She clasped her pale fingers tightly together in her lap until her fingertips turned red.

"I… don't remember."

"Are you sure?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I don't remember. That day, there was blood. It splattered everywhere, and then…"

"And then?"

Her memories were so tangled that she hesitated, unsure where to begin.

"He said he didn't love me anymore. So…"

"So? You killed him?"

Under the pressure of his questioning, Seo-wan closed her eyes and tried to retrace her memories.

But nothing was certain.

"I don't know. I really don't."

She lowered her head again beneath their accusing stares.

"Did you stab him?"

"…"

Unable to meet their eyes, Seo-wan shut her own and tried to piece together everything that had happened that day.

She was almost certain she had stabbed him.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud. She couldn't bring herself to tell them the truth.

Then another blurred image surfaced in her mind.

His face splattered with blood.

Min-gyu screaming in anguish.

And herself, standing before him with an axe in her hands, trembling.

Did I really…?

"Did he hold you captive?"

"No. …I don't know."

"During the three months you were missing, there were no reports of you calling for help or attempting to escape. If Mr. Seo had kidnapped or confined you against your will, wouldn't that be easier for you to tell us?"

Seo-wan said nothing. Kidnapped? Held captive?

That couldn't have happened… could it? Or had it?

Why had I stayed there for so long? And why had no one known?

If I'd been missing, why hadn't anyone come to rescue me?

Why? Why couldn't I remember anything?

"Let's go over what we know. A human right foot was found at the scene.

"A large amount of his blood was detected on your body, and your fingerprints were found on both the axe and the stun gun. Which means…"

Inspector Park leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes.

"It's entirely possible that you murdered Seo Min-gyu and then mutilated his body, Detective Choi."

The words might have been true.

Her heart pounded wildly, her breathing growing shallow and rapid. Her tightly interlocked fingertips began to tingle.

The last words he'd shouted at her as he fled echoed in her ears.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! I'm terrified of you!"

The words replayed in her mind, over and over.

Her heart raced.

And once again, anger began to rise.

Then, with her eyes unfocused, Seo-wan began to mutter.

"…No. You're the one who made me like this. That's why we have to be together."

The words came out in spasmodic bursts. Her unfocused eyes trembled.

She was no longer in her right mind.

BANG! The metal table shook with a deafening crash.

"Detective Choi! Snap out of it!"

His sharp voice jolted Seo-wan back to her senses.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, the interrogation room door opened.

"Inspector, someone from outside is requesting to speak with you."

A uniformed officer cautiously opened the door, his expression tense.

Before Inspector Park could even ask who it was, the door swung wide open and a man strode inside.

He wore a neat, light-blue shirt over a white T-shirt and a pair of worn jeans.

There was nothing remarkable about his simple, tidy clothes, but the man carried himself with complete confidence.

His gaze was insolent, though he didn't forget to give a brief salute.

"Detective Kim Jin-woo, Violent Crimes Team Two, Seoul Metropolitan Investigation Unit. I'm here to take Detective Choi Seo-wan with me."

Even in his ordinary clothes, his broad, solid shoulders, sharp eyes, and fearless bearing commanded attention.

But the moment he saw Seo-wan, his expression faltered.

His eyes wavered, and he froze where he stood, as though time itself had stopped.

"…Seo-wan."