487 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

A skilled martial artist or a seasoned assassin. The one who killed Ma Yang Baek aimed for a crucial artery with a single strike and, after killing their target, managed to disguise it as a drowning. Although we barely uncovered the crime masquerading as a suicide, there were no further clues. There were no witnesses, nor any evidence of a perpetrator left behind. There was only one possibility left to explore. It was Ojakin, who had first examined the body. “Wow, is that really Inspector Gang who’s here?” “Is the Invisible Phantom appearing? What's going on?” “Whoa! The famous inspector!” “Why'd you leave your post to come here?” “My daughter recently asked why her dad never met the famous inspector. Thought I'd at least get a look." "Stand here! The questioning is said to begin soon!” As I waited for Ojakin, the courtyard of the precinct gradually filled with more and more people. "Woo Po-Doo, didn’t you say only a few people would be called?" They said to wait a bit as some wanted to observe. But now it's too many. I couldn’t hide my embarrassment as I spoke to Woo Po-Doo. "Well, Inspector Gang is quite famous these days. Rumor has it that he'll be interrogating the suspect, so all the inspectors and officials from the precinct have come to watch." "It’s just a witness questioning.” I only have circumstantial evidence for now. “Don't feel too pressured. These people are just here to catch a glimpse of the famous Inspector Gang Yun Ho!” With such an audience, I could easily put on a performance and not worry about expenses for a week. “I heard you were looking for me. I'm Ojakin Yang Heo. What is this about?" As I waited, trying to ignore the pouring gazes, Ojakin Yang Heo approached, looking as bewildered as I was. With his gaunt pale face, if he donned a bony armor, he’d look like a summoned skeletal mage. "I'm Inspector Gang Yun Ho. I wanted to speak with you about the death of Ma Yang Baek, my brother-in-law." As I introduced myself formally, Yang Heo widened his eyes and looked at me. “The Black-haired Inspector?! Ma Yang Baek was your brother-in-law?” “The brother-in-law of the famous inspector has died? This already sounds thrilling!” “Caramel popcorn here! Also with onion flavor!” “How did merchants get inside the precinct?! That's audacious! Quickly, give me one!” “This isn’t supposed to be a place for questioning high criminals, yet so many people…” I didn’t expect this either. “I understand you were the one who retrieved the body from the water.” As I began to speak, the crowd fell silent, curious as to what I would say. “Hearing the cries of people, I approached the lake, and there the body surfaced. It’s not like I haven’t seen bodies before, so I sent the people away and called for an inspector.” "Since you were the one to retrieve the body, you would know its condition at the time better than anyone.” I subtly inquired. “Ha! So that’s what this is about! Do you not trust me and arranged for this meeting because you suspect it wasn't suicide?” “There were doubts as to the state of the body at the time.” From the start, he was responding harshly. I answered without denying it. "I’ve been doing my work as an undertaker for so long that the landscape has changed! Suicide is suicide! Murder is murder! I take one look at a corpse, and I can give you an estimate right away! Now, everyone's putting you on a pedestal as the famous inspector, and you’re disregarding an undertaker’s opinion?” Ojakin Yang Heo scoffed, as if he couldn't believe it, and asked me. “Oh ho!” I gently smiled to stop Woo Po-Doo from stepping in on my behalf. Woo Po-Doo seemed to have heard something about me from the landlord, but it was inappropriate to bring it up now. I understood the undertaker’s reaction. It must feel like a university hospital doctor receiving unsolicited advice from a patient who learned about medicine online. To gain cooperation, I needed to prove it wasn't baseless suspicion. ‘Let's attempt to establish some authority first.’ I had a good strategy. “I don't doubt Yang Heo's experience, even having rushed to the crime scene after a breakfast of blood sausage stew and radish kimchi this morning." “Of course, but... How did you know what I had for breakfast?!” I gave a slight smug smile, gesturing toward Yang Heo’s right sleeve. “Your left sleeve is more worn than the right on your older clothes, indicating you’re left-handed. Because of societal biases, you use your right hand when eating in company, and due to unfamiliar chopstick handling, kimchi broth splattered on your clothes. Incidentally, there’s a blood sausage stew restaurant near where the body was found, so inferring your breakfast was a simple task.” “…….” Ojakin’s face froze in surprise. “Wha-what just happened?” “He can tell which hand someone prefers and what they had for breakfast, just by looking at them…!” “What an unbelievable level of observation! And then he calls it simple!!! He’s a genius! Inspector Gang is a genius!” The crowd began to buzz with excitement. “Yang Heo? Is it true? Did you really eat blood sausage stew with radish kimchi this morning?” Caught off guard by Woo Po-Doo's questioning, Yang Heo nodded dazedly, prompting applause and cheers from the crowd. Such admiration! ‘Why do you think they call me the famous inspector?’ Identifying whether someone would use a skill or normal attack in a game at a glance, or discerning genuine and second-rate characters within the early chapters of a novel—such flawless perception. For a detective to be called brilliant in a mystery, you need at least this level of intuition. ‘Truthfully, it's intel provided by my contacts in the Hao Mun.’ The server at the blood sausage stew shop Yang Heo visited was probably well compensated with information fees, enough to take a week off. “Since you’re busy examining the drowned body of a red-haired middle-aged woman, I won’t take much of your time.” I kept my tone casual as I spoke to the still speechless Yang Heo. “Are you saying you even know about the corpse I’m currently examining? As expected of the famous Inspector Gang Yun Ho…!” Earlier, I had asked another inspector I met on the way in what he was working on. There was no need to mention that. "Now, are you more inclined to answer the questions I have?" I only needed to set the stage such that he was prepared to answer my inquiries. ----- “What was the basis for concluding this case as drowning?” "The body discovered at dawn was bloated, its face covered in frothy white foam, and the hands were caked in mud. These are typical signs of drowning," Ojakin began explaining, his demeanor slightly tense, realizing the person before him was no ordinary individual. "Were there no signs of foul play?" I pressed forward, getting straight to the point, causing Ojakin to flinch slightly. "None whatsoever. The male body was originally found facedown, which is perfect evidence of drowning," he asserted. This was a misconception. It’s widely but incorrectly known that a floating female body lies on its back, and a male body faces down if it’s drowned. With several points to address, I didn’t find it necessary to correct the flawed understanding. "The body was excessively bloated for one that supposedly ingested water; is that normal?" I began with a light question, casually slipping in the crux of the inquiry. "You might be skilled at catching criminals, Inspector, but you seem unaware of corpse specifics. A body in water decays faster internally, causing the abdomen to swell. It’s natural," Ojakin answered, without realizing that one could easily detect if it’s water or gas inflating the belly, simply by touch. “It's noted that there was mud on the hands." "Tsk tsk. Is that what you’re here to ask? Even if someone plunges in trying to die, they instinctively clutch at anything in a survival attempt. Naturally, mud would end up on their hands." "No, that's not what I meant." I shook my head. "Then what?" "There was no mud on the hands when the body was returned." When the body was received back, the hands were clean. The mansion's servants all unanimously reported this. "Ha! So that's what this is about. Would grief-stricken relatives appreciate receiving a filthy corpse? It's customary to clean and prepare a drowning victim’s body." "You must have had cleaning tools on you despite the hasty arrival mid-meal." "I always carry my tools. I used a rag, soaked it in the lake water, and cleaned the hands. That's why they weren’t dirty when received." What a satisfactory response. "What about the white foam around the mouth?" "I was wondering when you'd ask. There was an abundance of white foam around the nose and mouth! A sign exclusive to drowning victims!" "Around the nose and mouth?" "Yes, the entire nose and mouth were covered with white foam." "When the body was returned, there was none to be seen." "Who would appreciate a body with its mouth slathered in white foam? Naturally, I took care of it." Not just an undertaker, but one responsible from examination to burial. Certainly appears lucrative. "I see. That's sufficient." "Are we done then?" I nodded in satisfaction. "What? This is it?" "I heard there would be suspect interrogation. Was it just witness questioning?" "Yet it was a good spectacle, wasn’t it? To assess a person right on the spot like that!" "Got work to do, so let’s head back." Apologies to the busy spectators, but the show wasn’t over yet. "Woo Po-Doo," I turned to him. "Is it all wrapped up?" "The corpse of the red-haired woman Ojakin Yang Heo was examining should be assigned to a different undertaker." "It's doable. But why?" "As a token of apology for the inconvenience caused, I plan to finish half the job already done and complete the rest." Who said they'd do you a favor? "No, because he won’t be handling corpses anymore.” "Wh-what do you mean?" Ojakin Yang Heo's answers were satisfactory indeed. Who could be the perpetrator behind this crime? Who were the suspects? Who killed Ma Yang Baek, who had been missing for a month? There was no need to ponder anymore. "Because starting tomorrow, he’ll be in prison." How could someone who was killed instantly have drowned? Don’t you agree?