488 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"You're saying you want to imprison Ojakin?" "Could it really be that Brother-in-law was murdered, not that he jumped?" "How could they suspect Ojakin just because he found the body?" My sudden declaration caused a stir among the people again. "Prison?! On what charges do you want to arrest me?" Ojakin Yangheo shouted at me, clearly incredulous. "Gang Pokhwa, I heard Brother-in-law had a motive for jumping." Woo Podu also spoke to me with a concerned look, as if to advise me. Perhaps they think I'm being too hasty about Brother-in-law's death. To show that I'm not just excitedly jumping to conclusions, I smiled and shook my head from side to side. "When I ran to Brother-in-law's site upon hearing the news, I read the examination report. Ma Yang-Baek: cause of death was drowning. Time of death was last night. No visible wounds. His stomach was filled with water. Foam traces were found in his mouth and nose. Dirt traces found on his hands. His leap was presumed. Truly strange, isn't it?" "Didn't I just explain! It's confirmed as a suicide leap!" Yes, the records say drowning. But, within the report, there was one peculiar aspect. That suspicious detail, just by reading it, was odd. "Since when could Ojakin declare a suicide leap as certain?" "...!" The Brother-in-law's cause of death was drowning. "Indeed. It's the decision-makers or officials who determine the case, isn't it? Ojakin only suggests, after all." "I too have never heard of stating something is conclusive in an examination report." I know because I learned on the job. Even if Ojakin performs the body examination, it's the decision-makers or officials who carry out investigations and reach conclusions. There are traces. There's suspicion. Ojakin can express opinions, but reaching a conclusion is a clear overreach of his authority. "It only seemed certain from the evidence, so I wrote it!" "No one would have found it easy to doubt what Ojakin said after being the first to arrive and examine the scene. The decision-makers, the officials, and Brother-in-law's family would have all believed it." We were deceived by Ojakin. We were played by one person's intention. As I finished speaking, a heavy atmosphere began to settle. "So, you're saying I tricked everyone?" Yes. You did. I sneered, then glanced subtly in the direction where Lady Jegal and Jeongil Mountain stood. 'I need time until the decision-makers surround him.' The killer of Ma Yang-Baek is either a skilled martial artist or an adept assassin. Both can easily hide their true identity in daily life. If he runs, it will be troublesome, so I instructed them to have the constables surround him immediately once he was found to be the culprit. But it seems we need more time. "Did you really find something?" Nodding to Woo Podu's words, I slowly approached the crowd. It can't be helped. "Yes. It's the ugly truth hidden behind the fact that Ojakin, who happened to be nearby the crime scene, retrieved the body." The conclusion of a detective story. Let's buy time with an explanation show for now. ------- "I thoroughly examined Brother-in-law’s body. I noticed parts that others might have overlooked." Amidst the courtyard of the government office, I bit my lower lip and raised my arms for the crowd to see. As if desperately swallowing my grief over Brother-in-law's death, showing the image of an inspector trying to uncover evidence from his body. "What parts did you see that others missed?" "The hands were peculiar. Although he claimed they were covered with dirt." "I already said! Someone who drowned fights desperately to survive in the final moments! Dirt sticking to their hands would be inevitable!" What Ojakin Yangheo said is correct. Just because there’s dirt doesn’t mean it indicates he died outside of water. Surely, most present in the government courtyard would nod, agreeing with Ojakin's words. Except for me. "Yes, that’s right. In their last moments, people struggle with all their might. But, you see, there was one piece of evidence typically shown on a body that wasn't present on Brother-in-law's hands." That's what struck me as odd about the body – the hands. "What piece of evidence...?" I raised my hand to show it to the crowd. For enthusiasts of detective stories, this is the spot they always check. "The fingernails. The undersides of fingernails, which should have been scratched and dirty, were spotless." They were as clean as if they had just left the bath. Even though he said his hands were caked with dirt. "What?!" "That's true!" "If the hands were dirty, the dirt should have been under the nails too!" In Yangheo's eyes, who was trying to remain composed, momentary surprise flickered by. "There wasn't much dirt beneath his nails; it could easily be wiped away." "I see. Properly cleaning the dirt from under the nails requires careful scraping with a stick, but it seems Ojakin was more focused on recuperation than examination." "It was confirmed as a suicide, so I just wanted to wrap things up quickly." Trying to excuse it with lack of dirt, eh? Fine, then how do you answer this? "There was something else." "Something else?" Nodding to Woo Podu's astonished voice, I looked at the gathered officials. What I'm about to say needs their understanding. I smiled and pointed to my neck. "The white foam, most drowning victims, in their final struggle for air, forcibly breathe, creating white foam inside their trachea." "How does he know that?" "How else do you think he identified the murderer just by examining the clues!" "Not only does Gang Pokhwa have keen observation skills, but he seems quite knowledgeable in examinations too!" "You washed his mouth with lake water! If you're claiming it wasn't visible, cleaning the inside of the mouth would have been standard procedure!" He anticipated the questions that might arise and answered them. Ojakin is desperate indeed. "It seems Ojakin's second job is an undertaker." "Ugh! As one who handles others' final moments, I am simply more diligent! Are you mocking the many Ojakins out there now?" "Ahah. So you performed watery torture on the dead!" Toying with the death of the deceased and then talking about professional spirit. I couldn't suppress the sarcasm. "Did Ojakin waterboard the corpse?" "What on earth are you talking about?" "What on earth are you talking about!" As Yangheo panicked, I raised my voice to the crowd. We will now have a forensic lesson. Extending my two fingers to resemble a long stick, I demonstrated by moving from my cheek to my jaw and then down to my neck. "As I mentioned, white foam is created in the trachea. When you open the mouth of a corpse to look inside the trachea, or poke deeply into the nose, white foam should come out. Yet Brother-in-law's body was clean. This could only be possible if the inside of the trachea was meticulously cleaned, akin to a watery torture." Or perhaps, the body never had white foam to begin with. "I merely used lake water to clean his face!" "You call that an excuse?" A few quick-witted members of the crowd jeered at Ojakin. "What do you know to say it’s an excuse! I'm about to be unjustly accused of murder!" Alright, stop pretending to be innocent. Let me give you one final killer question. "You washed his hands and face... What about his swollen stomach?" "They said intestinal decomposition causes that naturally!" "On the way here, I stopped by Seven Lakes, where the body was found. The water was so cold it made my hands numb, it being autumn and all." "What's your point...!" "The corpse, having died at night, could have remained untainted for half a day without decomposition." "...!" "Huh?" "Wait a minute!" "It astonishes me how expert Ojakin failed to notice something I also picked up on." The body couldn't have decomposed that much. Everyone, myself included, directed interrogative gazes at Ojakin. "Th-That! I was just hot from eating soup... That's why! I didn’t check the water temperature!" His voice, tinged with panic, offered a flimsy excuse no one would believe. "Didn't you just say you used lake water to cleanse the body?" "Uh, I must have forgotten due to the commotion." "What are you talking about!" "Just listen to him!" Yangheo, flustered and with a reddening face, clenched his fists and yelled at the crowd. "A drowned body is unpredictable! Even someone like me, with decades of experience, finds such determination challenging!" It seemed the moment was ripe. Behind Yangheo, constables cautiously closed in. "Indeed. People make mistakes. Examining is a diligent task, but it happens. You wrote that it was clearly a suicide leap, but that can happen." I needed to ensure he remained unaware. I mocked his answer, drawing Yangheo’s attention. "Ugh...! You're accusing me solely on circumstantial evidence!!!" "No." "Then what is it!!! Saying this is missing! That is missing! Thus, you are the culprit! Claiming I'm the culprit due to lack of evidence! How can a famed inspector conduct such an interrogation!!!" Yangheo’s angry outburst rang through the office. You’re right. Accusing someone of being a culprit without evidence seems absurd. There had to be evidence. Because there was none, Ojakin, who could erase evidence, is the culprit. Evidence insufficient enough might result in no charges, but claiming a random person due to insufficient evidence is ludicrous. From Ojakin's perspective, how outrageous this situation must seem. However. "Though evidence may be lacking, you’ve provided a perfect confession." "A confession?" I raised my hand. "Calling it a drowning when Brother-in-law was stabbed in the pressure point to die instantly! You've just made a perfect confession, Ojakin!" Every excuse you made to save yourself became a confession. My declaration, followed by Yangheo's restrained expression, was irrefutably decisive. ------- "Tightly restrain him!" "Ugh!" "Just what happened here?" Woo Podu, directing the constables, demanded an explanation from me. "Brother-in-law was killed instantly by a piercing blow. Since it wasn't drowning, there couldn't have been evidence of drowning." "What?! Then what evidence did Ojakin see?" "A supposedly admirable tale of happening upon the body during breakfast. But, in truth, it was different. Yangheo had been waiting in the inn since early this morning. Judging by the cuffs, he ordered alcohol but hadn’t sipped any." "Tsk!" What use is hiding your sleeves now when you’re already restrained? I already knew from questioning the innkeeper. I continued my explanation. "A scream. Yangheo rushed as if he was prepared, heading toward Seven Lakes. To convert a murder into a definite suicide case." "A suicide case conversion?" "The body originally bore no traces of white foam or dirt. Naturally, there was no evidence since it wasn’t a drowning. But that didn’t matter to Yangheo. By the time the constables sluggishly arrived, Ojakin had completed the examination and cleanup. All he had to do was deliver his own conclusion." "Impossible..." "The certainty that it was a suicide leap." The body had motive and evidence. With no one ready to dispute it, the investigation wrapped up swiftly. "How did you know..." Yangheo glared at me as if to kill, then dropped his head, seemingly resigned. "Yangheo! Was it really you?" "My goodness!" "It was true!" Exclamations of disbelief came from behind. "Tell me, there was no evidence! It was perfect! How did you..." Yangheo, exasperated, looked at me. Well, without murder evidence, it must have seemed like a suicide. A logical conclusion, indeed. If I weren't an avid reader of detective stories, that is. If dirt was on his hands, there’d be traces under his nails. There were none. Strange. He claimed there was white foam. Any evidence inside the trachea? None. Could it be? The knowledge from detective stories was incredibly helpful. Of course, on my own, it would have ended with mere suspicion. Without Lady Jegal, I wouldn’t have found the wound. Without obtaining information from Haomun, deduction would have been difficult. Had Yangheo not unconsciously confessed, unaware that he was already labeled a murderer, I might not have realized. These are things unnecessary to share with the suspect. All I needed was a confident final line for everyone to hear. "Who am I?" "Inspector Gang Yunho...!" "Imprison the criminal. I will personally conduct the interrogation." "Hahaha!" Yangheo muttered in resignation, lowering his head at Woo Podu's declaration. "For the sake of avenging the wrongful death of my innocent Brother-in-law, please do your best." I formally addressed Woo Podu, and then suddenly, Yangheo shot me a murderous glare. "Innocent?! You call Ma Yang-Baek innocent?!" "Are you trying to claim it was a spur-of-the-moment act now?" The audacity to claim such a thing after committing a premeditated murder. Yangheo gave a bitter laugh at my words and shouted loudly for everyone to hear. "All I did was seek revenge! The true murderer was that Ma Yang-Baek bastard!!!" What on earth is he talking about now?