Chapter 10 — Chasing The Shadow

In the days that followed, orders came in to search the modeling agency and Seo In Sung's apartment,, as well as Kim Sang Min's clinic and house. Police team led by Soo Min and Hyun Woo were looking for any clues possible. Where the cameras were located, the footage of their recordings was also collected.

Because in Cherry Blossom Beauty clinic indeed the secret basement room has been discovered during the search, Kim Sang Min and other doctors who have been present were brought to the police station for interrogation.

"Kim Sang Min-ssi." Soo Min sat in front of the man in the interrogation room, not taking her eyes off him for a minute. "When we found on the internet these rumors about a secret basement room in your clinic, we thought it was just rumors." she said. "But we did find this room. In addition, it is full of bloody medical equipment, with a bed with belts. And you said that there are no such beds in your clinic." she sighed a little. "Can you please explain to me what this room was for?" Soo Min asked.

"Hope you don't think it's the Cherry Blossom Reaper murder room? Really, I have nothing to do with this psychopath..." Kim Sang Min began to say, a little panicked.

"You didn't answer my question." Soo Min replied firmly, interrupting his speech. "Explain it to me, Kim Sang Min-sii, and we'll see what we will accuse you of." she added after a short while.

"Well..." the man began, staring at the table. "This room was used for animal testing... Like plastic surgeries and stuff." he answered with obvious difficulty. "We ran a somewhat underground course for young plastic surgeons there. Normally, such courses are very expensive, I know because I went through it myself... That's why I decided to help my younger colleagues. But I swear there is no human blood there, we only practiced on animals, mainly monkeys, because they are most similar to humans." explained Kim Sang Min.

"Only on animals? We'll see it when the test results will come." replied Soo Min, clearly disgusted. "Even if you are telling the truth, I hope you realize that your activity was illegal? Besides, we don't live in the 19th century, and animals also have rights. So I've got to inform you, Kim Sang Min-ssi, that no matter if you are a Cherry Blossom Reaper or just an animal tormentor and criminal benefiting from illegal courses, you will be charged anyway and your clinic is unlikely to survive, especially if the reporters find out and you know that sooner or later it will happen, despite our best efforts as a police." she continued. "But of all this, I feel sorry for your wife and son the most. Were the profits from these courses really worth the risk? After all, your clinic was doing well." she added, slightly surprised.

"It just looks like this from the outside." replied Kim Sang Min, finally looking up. "We had fewer and fewer clients, many said that the procedures and stay in our clinic was too expensive... And these courses were a quick and sure way to earn money." he explained.

"Well. I think that's enough for today. We still have to wait for the results from the lab to take the next steps. For now, you will remain in custody, Kim Sang Min-sii." replied Soo Min, getting up from the chair and going to the door to open it for a moment. "You can take him to the cell." she asked someone behind the door, and after a while two men in police uniforms entered the room, handcuffed Kim Sang Min and led him away. The man no longer resisted as during the arrest in the clinic, it looked as if he was slowly accepting his fate and the fact that he would have to be punished.

Hyun Woo left the next room as he had been watching the interrogation through the semi-transparent mirror located there. He walked over to Soo Min standing by the interrogation room door, staring at the plastic surgeon being led towards the cell.

"Wow, I didn't think that basement room was true." Hyun Woo spoke up. "Even if Kim Sang Min would turn out not to be the Cherry Blossom Reaper, he should be well punished for simply mistreating animals in this way. Not counting making illegal courses and profiting from it." he added.

"Yeah, you are right. No matter what the lab results of the blood found in this room are, Kim Sang Min is a monster anyway. Even if he only abused animals, it doesn't excuse him at all." Soo Min replied, sighing heavily. "But the worst thing is that the searches didn't get much important clues. Well, aside from a clinic search, after all we found this secret room. But it's not sure that this has anything to do with the case of the Cherry Blossom Reaper." Soo Min added, clearly frustrated by this.

"Sunbae, remember that there are still records from home and work place's cameras, maybe something will be found on them." Hyun Woo replied. "Besides, we still have to interview Seo In Sung about his employee who had a car of the same brand as this that we saw in the recordings." he reminded her.

"Yeah, it's true. I hope Seo In Sung will be coming soon as he assured." admitted Soo Min. When she saw Joo Chan coming down the corridor, she waved to him so he would stop next to them.

"Hello, Soo Min, Hyun Woo." Joo Chan greeted them as he approached.

"Hello, Sunbae." Hyun Woo replied, bowing slightly.

"Hi. Something important happened while questioning other doctors, nurses and receptionists?" Soo Min asked, glancing at Joo Chan.

"Not really. Most of the staff, not counting few doctors, did not even know about the existence of this room in the basement." he replied, sighing slightly. "And those who knew, of course, deny that it had any connection with Cherry Blossom Reaper. But they admit to conducting illegal courses for young doctors, which was performing procedures on animals..." Joo Chan mentioned.

"So they say the same as Kim Sang Min," summed up Soo Min. "I think that this lead probably has nothing to do with our case. Certainly, something illegal and cruel was going on in this clinic, but it was probably not Cherry Blossom Reaper." she added.

"If the results from the lab confirm that the blood in the room is purely from animals and no other traces are found... Then another section will take over and that's it. Anyway, Kim Sang Min and anyone who knew about this room will be punished." Hyun Woo said and they all went to their section's office.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the late afternoon, Seo In Sung showed up at the police station at the exact time he was called to. Soo Min sat down with him in the interrogation room, and Hyun Woo, as before, was looking through the semi-transparent mirror in the next room.

"I have no idea why you are bothering me again, and even less why I was called to the police station or why these searches in my apartment and agency were. Especially since I was on a business trip." Seo In Sung sighed, clearly irritated by the whole situation. "Because of you, I had to cancel an important meeting." he added in a slightly accusatory tone.

"I understand it's no fun being a suspect in a kidnapping and murders case, but believe me, we have reasons. The prosecutor wouldn't have given us permission and a search warrant if there were no arguments for it." Soo Min replied, then opened a paper folder which she placed in front of her on the table. "So far, during the search, we have not found anything relevant, we called you for slightly different reasons." she explained, causing the surprise on Seo In Sung's face. He probably thought something was found in his apartment, or agency and that's why he was called in.

"If you didn't find anything, why the hell did you call me?!" he asked indignantly, hitting the table with his fists.

"Please calm down, Seo In Sung-ssi." Soo Min answered firmly and gave him a warning look. "I was just going to tell you why." she pointed out without changing her tone, and then she pushed towards him two pictures of cars. "On the left is a photo of a car that probably belongs to the Cherry Blossom Reaper, made from the CCTV recordings, on the right is a photo of a certain KIA car model. We think the Reaper is using the car of this brand." she began to say.

"Very likely. They look alike." Seo In Sung confirmed after looking at both photos for a moment. "But why are you showing it to me, detective Kim?" he asked in a slightly calmer tone, but it was obvious that was barely holding back his anger.

"Because we recently found out that one of your employees owned such a car." replied Soo Min, looking at him carefully. "Do you know something about that?" she asked.

Seo In Sung's expression changed dramatically in just a few seconds.

"Yes, I know which employee it is. Kim Hyun Jung, my former assistant had a car like this. Sometimes he drove me in it when my car broke down or picked me up from the pub when I drank too much." the man finally said. "Unfortunately, a week ago he resigned unexpectedly. In his resignation letter, Hyun Jung wrote that he just wanted to gain experience in another industry, but I do not know if it was true." In Sung sighed lightly. "But I'm sure that he would never be able to kill anyone..." the man added after a moment.

"Maybe he couldn't." began Soo Min. "But it also could be that you borrowed the car from him several times..." she suggested, not taking her eyes off him.

"What ?!" Seo In Sung asked incredulously. "This is some nonsense. You're accusing me with such insignificant evidence?!" he screamed, all red in the face.

"Seo In Sung-ssi!" Soo Min spoke even more firmly in an angry tone, slamming her hand on the table with all her strength, which clearly surprised the man. "I asked you to calm down, right? You don't make it easy for us to believe in your innocence by acting like that." she pointed out clearly, taking a deep breath. "Please consider whether this evidence is actually so insignificant. The first victims were your agency models, then girls, most of whom you knew quite well. You don't have a solid alibi for any of the evenings of the disappearances and you're acting like an insane person. In your apartment we found a bouquet of artificial cherry blossoms, now we find out that you had access to a car which Cherry Blossom Reaper is probably using. Not to mention the fact that your silhouette fits the image that was captured on the cameras." Soo Min mentioned. "If you had been in our shoes, wouldn't you feel something suspicious?" she asked, literally piercing him with her eyes.

"I understand." replied Seo In Sung in a much calmer tone, fiddling nervously with the sleeve of his suit. "I can only maintain my earlier testimony. I'm not a Cherry Blossom Reaper and I beg you to check other leads carefully before you lock me up. I don't want to end up in jail instead of this psychopath." he spoke to her almost pleadingly.

"Okay, you don't have to worry about that. Until we're 100% sure, we won't lock anyone in jail." Soo Min assured her in a slightly softer tone. "I'm just informing you of the situation. And please give me Kim Hyun Jung's contact information, we'll have to check his car." she continued, handing Seo In Sung a pen and paper.

The man wordlessly wrote down the phone number, email, and address to his former assistant.

"I think the information should be up to date; after all, he quit just a week ago." he said calmly, sliding the page towards her.

"Thank you very much." replied Soo Min, putting the photos of cars and this note in a paper folder. "That's all for now, but be aware that until we catch the Cherry Blossom Reaper, you'll be on our list of suspects. And because of this please do not leave Korea in the near future, preferably go only to work and home, just in case a kidnapping or finding of the body would happen again." she pointed out.

"Okay, I will comply." Seo In Sung assured, slowly rising from his chair. "Hope we won't see each other again and this psycho will get caught." he added as a goodbye and left the room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next day came a response to the request for a search warrant for Choi Hyun Sik's summer residence.

"Request rejected? There are no grounds for a search?" Soo Min read the reply from the Prosecutor out loud with obvious disbelief on her face, slowly turning to anger.

The entire section, including Hyun Woo, looked at her with faint fear mixed with concern.

"Sunbae... We can't help if the Prosecutor issued such a decision." Hyun Woo tried to calm her down.

"It just shows how high the connections of CEO Choi reach. The guy supposedly only has a fashion house, but in fact he really knows every big person in Seoul." Han Eul spoke up. "First, he changed detectives for the Cherry Blossom Reaper case, now he refuses police to search his son's house." he shook his head slightly.

"I won't give up." Soo Min decided. "Sooner or later I'll get a search warrant. For now, I'm going to thoroughly interrogate CEO Choi and his son today. They didn't cancel that, did they?" she asked, looking at Hyun Woo as if she wanted to kill him with her eyesight if the answer was not satisfactory for her.

"No one was canceling anything, so surely CEO Choi and his son will show up at the police station today." Hyun Woo replied so tense that he felt like being back in the military, while answering the commander.

"Fine." Soo Min took a deep breath as she sat down at the desk. When her eyes fell on the paper with the decision again, she wanted to crumple it, but fortunately Hyun Woo took the document.

"We have to put it on files, Sunbae." he said calmly, taking the paper.

"I know, it just drives me crazy." Soo Min replied, hiding face in her hands. "I hate when powerful people make such evasions. If they are not afraid that we will find something, they should agree to the search and it would be over." she continued, lowering hands on the desk top. "We just want to make sure that there is no evidence there but this man defends his nest like a poisonous viper." she added, nervously twisting the pencil in her hand.

"You know, CEO Choi is probably that type of man. He shows his feelings by destroying any threats that may be lurking on his family. I mean, everything that seems to be a threat to him." Hyun Woo replied, adding the Prosecutor's decision to the files. "Besides, Choi Hyun Sik is his firstborn son, heir who will take his place in the fashion house. Therefore, the more he will defend him, especially if he has the opportunity." he added.

"Sunbae-nim, drink this." they suddenly heard Jung Mo's voice above them, and when they looked at the direction, they saw him with a mug of something that smelled like some herbal tea. "It will help you calm down, especially if you have interrogations ahead." he explained, giving Soo Min his probably the most charming smile he could make.

"Thanks." she replied and couldn't help smiling. Soo Min had to admit that he had achieved his goal and melted her anger with that smile of his. She took the mug from him and put it on the desk, blowing lightly to let the tea cool.

"It's a very good tea, my grandmother picked these herbs and gave them to me recently because, as she said, I have a stressful job. That's why I brought it here and left in the break room." Joo Chan said. "As I can see, it came in handy sooner than I thought." he added with a slight smile.

"It's good Sunbae that you brought this tea." Hyun Woo admitted, pleasantly surprised, while watching Jung Mo going to his desk. Seeing what this boy did and what a smile he had on his face, Hyun Woo felt something like a... pang of jealousy? It's hard to say, but probably he just envied him such a quick reaction and the idea with tea. Hyun Woo himself wanted to calm Soo Min down somehow, but he didn't think of something like that. But he couldn't deny that his smile pissed him off a bit... Did Jung Mo really have to give her that tea with that face? Maybe it also calmed Soo Min in a way, but Hyun Woo thought that such a charming smile was really unnecessary. Quickly, however, he chided himself for all of this thoughts, after all, he was at work and needed to concentrate. No wonder Soo Min scolded him so often, he was too distracted, and that certainly didn't help with the detective's work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the meantime, information came from Nam Dong Sun's parents confirming his alibi. This man was really well controlled by them, they knew exactly his every step and the whole schedule of the day. Soo Min was impressed that this pair of surgeons, who were Dung Sun parents, with a lot of work at the hospital always had time to monitor their son. It is true that they used the help of third parties, but their control was still impressive. All in all, no wonder, they certainly didn't want their son to get into any more trouble, as with stalking Choi Ye Eun.

As for Yeon Jong Pil, his alibi was also quite strong. The owner of the bar saw him drinking at her place and leaving in the very late evening, however, he was so drunk that she was afraid if he could get home, let alone drive to Seoul to kidnap someone. The footage from cameras near the bar confirmed the woman's words, Jong Pil was far too drunk to kidnap Ye Eun. Recordings from the same cameras, made on the days when other victims disappeared were also checked, and most of them indicated similar images with completely drunk Jong Pil trying to go home. Of course, the investigation also revealed that the man never had a car, and even though his father and his drinking buddies had cars, not one had a KIA.

Only Kim Young Chul's alibi could be questionable. Some neighbors have confirmed that they heard the TV in the apartment when they passed the door, but did not see if Young Chul was leaving the place or not. The cameras were only on the side of the entrance to the restaurant, and the entrance to the living area was at the back of the building, where there were no cameras. Recordings that were collected showed Young Chul helping his parents in a restaurant or going to see his doctor for therapy. However, what raised suspicions was that Young Chul had been seen in several city parks dressed very much like a kidnapper from the CCTV recordings—hooded tracksuit, face mask, and jeans. The colors were different, he didn't have latex gloves or sneakers, only wore elegant shoes, but the image was too similar anyway. The only thing that didn't fit was the fact that Young Chul, although he had a driver's license, never owned any KIA car, but that didn't mean he couldn't get access to one. Therefore, of all of Ye Eun's psycho-fans, only Young Chul remained under high suspicion among the suspects, along with Seo In Sung and Choi Hyun Sik, since refusing to allow them to search his summer house only added to Soo Min's suspicion. She still couldn't accept the rejection of their request for a search warrant.

Joo Chan, wanting to cheer Soo Min up, reluctantly admitted that she still moved the Cherry Blossom Reaper case further than he and Jung Mo during past few months, so she should be very proud of herself. The rest of colleagues in the Section agreed with him completely, even Han Eul praised the progress she and Hyun Woo made in the investigation. This of course encouraged Soo Min a lot, but also really surprised. She could see that the guys in Section were having a hard time giving her compliments, and could see a slight jealousy in their eyes, but appreciated that they were trying to do what officer Kim had told them at the farewell party. Also, the fact that they offered their help was really a bit touching, the more that each of them had easier cases on their minds and most of them were almost finished. Together, it will certainly be easier for them to solve this case and Soo Min had a great hope that they would soon find the right track and catch the Cherry Blossom Reaper before another girl falls victim to his sick games.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the afternoon an expensive black car with tinted windows pulled up at the Gangnam Police Station parking lot. First, the driver's door opened and the chauffeur got out of the car, went to the rear seat door and opened it. The first to get out was CEO Choi Young Sik in a gray suit with a deadly serious expression on his face. Behind him, his son, Choi Hyun Sik, got out of the car, looking a little scared, and it was obvious from his face that he would most likely disappear from here. Seeing him from the window of their Section office, Soo Min noticed that he was dressed much neater than when she and Hyun Woo first met him. An ironed shirt, buttoned up neatly, a tie, a black suit, and hair certainly treated with gel. As he followed his father into the police station, he loosened his tie a little.

Soo Min and Hyun Woo left the Section office to greet the guests in the lobby and lead them towards the interrogation room.

"First, I'll invite CEO Choi inside." Soo Min announced when they arrived at the door to the room. "Choi Hyun Sik-ssi, please sit down and wait. Hyun Woo, keep him a company, ok?" she asked her partner and he nodded in agreement, sitting down a short distance from Choi Hyun Sik. Hyun Woo was sitting very freely, but young Master Choi was clearly very tense, playing with the corner of his jacket.

"Don't worry, we won't be here for long." Mr. Choi turned to his son and patted him lightly on the shoulder, then walked with Soo Min into the interrogation room, sitting down at the table without delay.

"So we see each other again, CEO Choi." Soo Min said, sitting down opposite him with a paper folder in her hand.

"Indeed." replied Mr. Choi, looking at her carefully. "I thought I told you everything, but it turns out that it wasn't enough." he sighed slightly. "It's about my car, isn't it? That old KIA? Did you get the document from the car junkyard that I sent you?" Mr. Choi asked.

"Yes, we got it." confirmed Soo Min. "Of course it says in this document that your car has been destroyed. But I would like to ask if it is possible for someone to take it or swap it?" she asked, but without waiting for an answer, continued. "I ask this because I understand that you did not take this car personally there, did you?" Soo Min added after a moment.

"Of course not. I don't have time to deal with such things." Mr. Choi confirmed. "But my most trusted man, the secretary Lee Yo Sub, did it. He was certainly there and saw the car being destroyed. I can give him his number so you can talk to him yourself." he continued, taking a business card and a pen out of an inner pocket of his jacket. "I have no reason not to trust him, this man has been checked by me even more thoroughly than others, after all, he works directly with me." while saying this, Mr. Choi wrote something on the blank side of his business card, and when he pushed the card towards Soo Min, she saw a telephone number written in a very nice handwriting.

"Thank you, we will certainly check it carefully and talk to your secretary as soon as possible." Soo Min replied taking a business card with the number written on it.

"Is that all, or do you still have any doubts that I could dispel?" asked Mr. Choi, his face unchangingly straight. Until now, Choi Hyun Sik did not seem very much like his father to Soo Min, but the lack of emotion on their faces certainly shown that they are related.

"There is one more thing I wanted to ask you, CEO Choi." Soo Min said, trying to stay calm even though the matter she was about to raise still annoyed her a lot. "Why did you use your influence to get the Prosecutor to reject the request for a search warrant for your son's summer house?" she asked directly, staring at the man.

Choi Young Sik's expression finally changed. First, you could see a slight surprise, and then something like... amusement? In any case, it raised Soo Min's pressure. Because like, was there anything funny about it?

"You probably think we have something to hide, don't you? That I know of some suspicious things my son does and that is why I don't want the police snooping around on his things?" asked Mr. Choi, now with obvious amusement.

"And is it not suspicious in your opinion?" Soo Min answered his question with another question. "People who has nothing to hide have no problem with the fact that the police will conduct a search." she added after a moment.

"I will answer you this way." Mr. Choi leaned slightly over the table to get a little closer to her. "I know that my children are good people and I am not interested in what you, detective Kim, or the other policemen think about it. But I will not allow anyone to invade my son's privacy. Besides, in this summer house he makes creations that are the secret of our fashion house until the day when we show the new collection. And even the police is not allowed to see his creations before that." he marked his tone indisputably, then propped himself back against the back of the chair, backing away from her.

"I understand that you care about the interests of your son and the fashion house, but believe me, we are not interested in peeping at your son's designs, CEO Choi." Soo Min replied, not taking her eyes off him. "We are interested in finding any clues that could exclude him from list of suspects, or..." she suggested.

"Detective Kim!" Mr. Choi suddenly slammed his fist on the table. "Don't even suggest to me that my son might be the Cherry Blossom Reaper!" he rose in anger, but regained his composure fast as lightning. "What kind of nonsense is this... Hyun Sik kidnapping his own sister? Or those other girls?" the man snorted in disbelief. "I know my son enough to know that he is not that type of man. Hyun Sik wouldn't even hurt the fly, sometimes I worry about how he will handle after taking my position. This boy is too gentle to the business world, a real artist just like his mother." Mr. Choi sighed heavily. "So please don't even give me such stupid theories, detective, just find the real criminal. It seems to me that you are too focused on creating some kind of stories straight from a TV drama and it's disturbing your logical thinking." he added at the end.

Soo Min felt very offended by his words. She did not make ridiculous stories, but relied on her instincts and observations, however she did not intend to explain it to this man, CEO Choi probably wouldn't have considered it anyway. It was clear that he had already formed an opinion on this, and Soo Min noticed from their first meeting that it was true what they said about Mr. Choi, that it was impossible to discuss with him.

"Okay, as you wish, CEO Choi." Soo Min finally replied, trying to remain calm. "But I'll keep watching your son as well, and until we find hard evidence pointing to someone else, Hyun Sik will remain on the suspect list. I want you to be aware of that." she pointed out, still studying him closely. "If you have nothing else to add, it will be all on my part. You can leave the room." Soo Min added, closing the paper folder she had in front of her.

Mr. Choi got up from his chair, adjusted his jacket and started walking towards the door, but when his hand touched the doorknob, he was stopped by the words of Soo Min.

"Ah, and one more thing, CEO Choi." she said. "Please ask your son to come in."

"Okay, detective Kim." Mr. Choi confirmed, then left the room and immediately looked at Hyun Sik, who got up from the bench as soon as he saw his father walking out. "You can come in now." CEO Choi turned to his son and he nodded obediently, but when was about to head to the room his father put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him for a moment. "I'll wait here for you and we will go to the company together, unless of course nothing comes out suddenly, okay?" added Mr. Choi, to which Hyun Sik also nodded, then entered the interrogation room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Choi Hyun Sik entered the room, clearly tense and at first unable to look up. As he sat down in the chair, his gaze wandered first across the room, then across the table top, and only then to Soo Min.

"Hello once again, Choi Hyun Sik-ssi." she spoke first, seeing how nervous he seemed. "Please don't be so nervous, I just have a few questions. It won't take long." Soo Min assured, looking at him gently.

"First of all, I'd like to apologize for my father." Hyun Sik suddenly said. Soo Min looked at him in surprise, because these were not the words she had expected to hear at the beginning. "I'm talking about the mess with the search of my summer home in Gwangju..." he explained quickly. "If it were entirely up to me, I would have agreed to a search without any warrant. I have absolutely nothing to hide, and I understand that you are only doing your job. I'd rather you do a search, find out about my innocence, and we'd be over it. But unfortunately I have to take my father's opinion into account. And I think you can see what my father thinks about it, detective Kim." he continued, resting elbows lightly on the table top and clasping his hands together. "I have no evidence for that, but I'm inclined to believe he used his influence. My father has many friends in high circles and I mean, really high circles." Hyun Sik noted.

"I understand and I don't blame you for that." Soo Min replied indulgently, as she remembered once again about her rich friend from high school who had committed suicide. "I have been working at the Gangnam police station for a while and I know how rich and influential people can manipulate. That is why it slowly ceases to surprise me, especially after I met CEO Choi. I would be more surprised if he wouldn't do anything." she admitted after a moment.

"Thanks really for your understanding. I really don't want to obstruct the work of you, detective Kim, and the other officers too." Hyun Sik assured, looking at her.

"Okay, alright." Soo Min nodded. "Let's move on to the topic you were summoned for, okay?" she asked, and when he nodded in agreement, Soo Min took the photos from the paper folder, that presented the car from the CCTV recordings and the KIA model they associated it with and passed them to Hyun Sik. "Do you recognize this car? Have you ever seen a similar model?" she asked.

"My father had a car like that, but it looked more like the one on the left." Hyun Sik replied, pointing to the photo of the main KIA model. "The one on the right has no roof rack and tinted windows... Besides, the color is different. It is definitely a completely different shade of gray." The way he said it reminded Soo Min that after all, Choi Hyun Sik was a fashion designer, so he had to be able to distinguish all shades and colors, even though he was a man. "Aside from a few differences, it's very similar... From what I remember my father's car didn't have a roof rack either, but otherwise it looked more like the one on the left." he admitted, pointing to the photo taken from the CCTV recordings. "My father was quite fond of this car, I remember that he didn't even let me get close to it," Hyun Sik added at the end.

"I understand." Soo Min spoke up. "Do you know what happened to this car?" she asked another question, not taking her eyes off him even for a second, which clearly embarrassed him.

"As far as I remember, about 3 years ago my father's secretary was instructed to take this car to the junkyard and see it being destroyed. My father heard rumors that some cars brought to the scrap yards are often sold in whole or in parts, if an owner doesn't keep an eye on the destruction. He did not want his KIA to go to the black market, so made it clear to his secretary to stay in the junkyard and see with his own eyes how this car is destroyed." answered Hyun Sik.

"You mentioned that CEO Choi had a fondness for this car... So why did he want to destroy it?" Soo Min asked, because this issue suddenly began to bother her.

"My father mentioned that he didn't have time to take care of this car, and did not want him to waste in the garage. That's why, as he said it, my father wanted to 'kill him for good'." Hyun Sik explained. "It might sound strange, but he said goodbye to this car rather fondly before Secretary Lee drove it to the junkyard. I could see it standing near the window, because from my office you can see the parking lot quite well." he added.

"Okay, I understand." replied Soo Min. "What do you think, Hyun Sik-ssi... Could secretary Lee ignore your father's order and not watch the car being destroyed? So that someone could take it later and use it..." she suggested, but didn't have to say anything else because Hyun Sik looked immediately at the picture of the car taken from the CCTV recordings, and then back at her.

"Are you suggesting that Secretary Lee didn't watch it and that the Cherry Blossom Reaper might have taken the car, modified it a little, and used it to carry out his kidnappings?" asked Hyun Sik after a while, but in a tone as if he was just saying it.

"We cannot rule out such a possibility. He must have taken this car from somewhere, especially if the Reaper is not one of the owners of such cars." Soo Min replied. "It may be that, in order not to put suspicions on himself right away, he just obtained such a car not entirely legally." she added after a moment.

"I understand." Hyun Sik said a little more quietly. "But back to your question, detective Kim... I don't think Secretary Lee can ignore any order from my father. He was the most loyal and trusted employee, knowing him I can't even imagine something like this." he continued. "In any case, you'd have to talk to him anyway. Did my father gave you his number?" Hyun Sik asked, looking at her.

"Yes, he did." confirmed Soo Min. "I would like to ask you about one more thing, Choi Hyun Sik-sii..." she pointed out, again focusing all his attention on herself. "Specifically about how well you knew other victims of the Cherry Blossom Reaper," Soo Min added at the end.

"I'll start with Lee Eun Jung, since she often participated in the shows of our collections, her photos were also found on our banners, catalogs or on the website. That's why I knew her quite well, she was a very nice girl and a professional model." Hyun Sik said, clearly thoughtful. "As for her younger friends from Seo In Sung's modeling agency, Kim Min Hee and Joon Hwa Young, they were just starting their career and theoretically were supposed to represent our brand during several sessions and shows, but I managed to meet them only once and take their sizes. Then I found out that they were missing and I must admit that it struck me mainly because we had to change models that had completely different sizes and I had to remake our outfits. Of course, their disappearance was a tragedy, they seemed to be nice girls with big dreams, but I didn't know them well enough to be in deep mourning. Besides, their bodies haven't been found yet, right? So they might be still alive." he pointed out.

"How about Shim Eun A and Kim Hae Ran, the trainees from the talent agency?" Soo Min asked.

"The CEO of their agency asked us to borrow costumes for their jacket photo, music videos and live performances. These two and three other girls were supposed to debut this month..." Hyun Sik replied. "I only saw their photos, the sizes were sent to me in an email, so I never really met any of these girls in person. I didn't like it because I'd rather personally check if the outfits fit well... But that's what the CEO of their agency decided, so I didn't argue with him. Unfortunately, after the disappearance of Eun A and Hee Ran, their group debut became questionable, the agency returned all the costumes to our fashion house... Apparently the CEO is still wondering whether to debut the remaining three girls or add two trainees to keep the original number that was supposed to debut. This is where my knowledge ends." he added.

"So how was it with Choi Seo Yoon?" Soo Min asked further. "We have information from some sources that you knew each other quite well." she added.

"Ah, her..." Hyun Sik sighed heavily, closed his eyes and began massaging his temples. "The mere mention of her gives me a headache." he explained, opening his eyes after a while. "I know that Choi Seo Yoon was... very interested in me." Hyun Sik put it quite softly, but it was obvious that this girl really must have been annoying him. "Since Seo Yoon couldn't get my number or KakaoTalk ID, she came to every party I was supposed to be at. I tried to avoid her, but she always found me and literally stuck to me. No matter how many times I dismissed her, she followed me around." he sighed again. "To make matters worse, my mother told me that Seo Yoon was a nice girl from a good family, so I should at least give her a little attention, go on a few dates... But I was really not interested in this girl, and it's not because I... prefer men, as they like to gossip. I have the impression that she spread this rumor because was angry that I did not payed attention to her. It wouldn't surprise me at all. Fortunately, my father didn't like her either; at least he agreed with me that Seo Yoon was annoying. It was one of the few occasions where we agreed so much on something. Then for once I felt that I had a father, not a king whom I must obey in everything." he said. "But no matter how much Seo Yoon irritated me, I was really shocked when I found out what happened to her. Therefore, the more I would like this psychopath to be caught." he added at the end.

"So what about Jung Hee Young? Did you knew her?" Soo Min asked another question.

"She was the daughter of the owners of that popular coffee shop in Gangnam, wasn't she?" Hyun Sik asked, and when Soo Min nodded, he thought for a moment as if was trying to remember exactly. "Well... I barely know this girl. I know I've been to her parents cafe exactly twice. Back then I kind of escaped from the banquets that were held in the restaurant opposite the street... I just preferred to sit in the cafe. Jung Hee Young served me every time, the second she asked if I was the designer Hyun Choi, and when I confirmed it, she asked if I would like to give their café my autographed photo as I was their client." he continued. "I saw that they had a large collection of these pictures on the wall, so I agreed and sent it by courier the next day. But as I didn't like their Iced Americano, I didn't go there later. I have my favorite coffee shop closer to our fashion house and now I only buy coffee there." he added at the end.

"Okay, I understand." Soo Min spoke up when he finished speaking. "Then it will be all for today." she informed. "But I have to warn you that you are on our list of suspects, so please do not leave the country and preferably only go from your home to work, possibly to the summer house in Gwangju, since we know you're working there too. This is just in case there are more kidnappings or murders that could be included in the case of Cherry Blossom Reaper. Do you understand, Choi Hyun Sik-ssi?" she asked, looking at him carefully.

"Of course, and I assure you that I will not move in any unknown direction." Hyun Sik assured her. "Thank you for treating me so well. To be honest, I was very nervous by the visit to the police station, especially after you couldn't search my house..." he began to say.

"Choi Hyun Sik-ssi... Maybe you are on the list of suspects, but so far you are not accused of anything, so I have no reason to treat you harshly." explained Soo Min. "Especially since you are probably the only one answering to the questions politely, without getting unnecessarily angry." she praised him, even giving a slight smile.

Hyun Sik's face seemed to brighten, and a shy smile appeared on his lips. Soo Min had to admit he looked very cute and kind of... attractive. At this point she really had mixed feelings. On the one hand, Choi Hyun Sik still seemed suspicious to her, but she couldn't help but sympathize with the fact that he was locked in a golden cage. Besides, this guy seemed to look so innocent and at times he acted really like a slightly lost artist who would most likely not leave his studio at all. In one thing, Soo Min began to agree with CEO Choi. How would this young man survive in the business world? And if Hyun Sik was ever to take his father's place, he would have to learn how to be a tough businessman.

"Anyway..." Soo Min continued, trying to focus again. "You can leave the room now." she informed him, also getting up from the chair herself.

They reached the door almost simultaneously, which seemed strange, after all Hyun Sik was sitting closer to the door. But in any case, they stood right next to each other and their hands grabbed the door handle almost at the same time, which of course resulted in Soo Min putting her hand on Hyun Sik's. He looked at her, slightly surprised, as if he had been struck by lightning. She also saw clearly his ears turning red. Soo Min felt her heart speed up slightly too, but when she took her hand away everything was back to normal.

"Allow me, detective Kim. Lady's first." he spoke in a very gentle tone, almost a whisper, and it sounded so sensual that a slight shiver passed down Soo Min's spine. When he opened the door for her, she pressed a paper folder lightly to her chest and walked quickly to the hallway, trying to put her face in order, after all Hyun Woo was sitting in the waiting room, and he seemed to notice even the slightest changes on her face, and she did not want to hear similar teasing as when they left the lawyer's Jang Chang Woo's office.

"Where is my father?" Hyun Sik's voice broke her out of her thoughts, while he was addressing Hyun Woo, who rose from the bench.

"CEO Choi received an important call and told me to tell you that he will send for your chauffeur, so you have to wait here, Choi Hyun Sik-ssi." Hyun Woo replied, looking at him with obvious sympathy.

"I see..." Hyun Sik replied in a tone with a hint of sadness and disappointment, and his face, which had been brightened not so long ago, was again shrouded in the mists of the dark aura.

"But I guess nothing bad would have happened if you had taken a taxi?" Soo Min suggested, looking at him with concern.

"Father wouldn't like it." Hyun Sik replied, but without even looking up at her. "I'm not allowed to walk around the city by myself, or take a taxi. My father thinks it's too dangerous." he explained. "If he said I should wait for the chauffeur, I'll wait." Hyun Sik added, walking down the corridor to the main office of the station.

Hyun Woo and Soo Min immediately followed him, and when he took one of the plastic chairs in the main waiting room near the door, Soo Min offered him coffee and when he agreed she quickly went to the break room, leaving Hyun Woo with Hyun Sik. When she returned with a cup of coffee, she noticed with a slight annoyance that her friend Hye Sun from Cyber Security Division, Digital Forensic Section had somehow just come downstairs and of course immediately sat down between Hyun Woo and Hyun Sik, but surprisingly paying more attention to the young master Choi.

"You change the object of interest quickly." Soo Min said loudly to Hye Sun, finally getting her attention. "Watch out, because Hyun Woo will get jealous. So far he was your favorite oppa." she added in a slightly malicious, but also amused tone.

"Ah, Unnie, you scared me." Hye Sun replied, sending her a slight smile. "You know, when I found out that a famous fashion designer Hyun Choi would visit our police station, I couldn't resist..." she admitted slightly embarrassed that had been caught red-handed. "I'm just a huge fan of his projects and I wanted to say hi." Hye Sun explained quickly. "But you oppa will always be my number one." she turned to Hyun Woo and hugged lightly to his arm.

"Sure. But it's okay, you can talk to other guys, really." Hyun Woo replied, trying to smile even though he clearly felt a bit uncomfortable.

Soo Min then looked at Hyun Sik as she handed him the coffee. He looked as if literally wanted to get away from here. Knowing already his story with Seo Yoon, she understood that girls like Hye Sun could annoy him as well.

"Hye Sun-ah... Don't you have something to do upstairs, in your Section? " she asked directly, looking at her meaningfully.

"Ah, yes, right." Hye Sun replied, getting up from the chair. "You know, we have those footage from the cameras from Seo In Sung's agency, around his apartment building, and also from the clinic and Kim Sang Min's house." she admitted in quite a serious tone.

"Did you find anything?" Soo Min asked.

"Not yet, but we keep on looking. Until we dig through all the material." Hye Sun assured her, giving a broad smile.

"Ok, keep up the good work then. We will be waiting for the final results." Hyun Woo said, and Hye Sun immediately beamed at his words.

"Oppa, now I have a lot of energy to work." she leaned over him and gave a gentle kiss on the cheek, then literally ran upstairs like a little girl.

"How do you put up with her, detective Jung?" Hyun Sik asked unexpectedly, looking at him with something like admiration.

"Hyun Woo is insanely nice to everyone and has a lot of patience." Soo Min answered for him.

"Really admirable." Hyun Sik admitted, glancing once more at Hyun Woo and then finally at Soo Min, smiling slightly.

"It's nothing special... I think." answered Hyun Woo, wanting to be modest, but all in all Soo Min was right.

"And thank you very much for the coffee, detective Kim." Hyun Sik spoke up again, sending her that charming smile once again, at the same time crushing the empty paper cup, then he got up from his chair to walk to a nearby garbage can. At this moment his eyes stared at the view outside the window, which clearly showed the parking lot. "The chauffeur is here." Choi Hyun Sik informed Hyun Woo and Soo Min, turning his face to them. "I guess it's time to say goodbye." he added with a slight sadness, especially when his eyes fixed on Soo Min.

"Thank you for coming and willing to cooperate." Soo Min replied trying to control the strange feeling that wanted to control her again.

"Get home safely." Hyun Woo said as a goodbye.

Then a chauffeur came in to the police station, taking young Master Choi with him, and they drove off.