Black, Blue, and Gold (Jenlisa Adaptation)

Past & Present (Part 8)

"How did it go?" Chaeyoung asked Seulgi when she saw her friend walking back to her desk.

"The boy said that he only works there part-time as a busboy or to help clean up the restaurant," Seulgi said.

"Why was he there this morning instead of at school?"

"He said he was lazy, preferred making extra money instead of listening to boring teachers so he skipped school for the day." Seulgi leaned back and clasped her hands on her abdomen. "Wanna know something very interesting?" She grinned.

"What is it?"

"The boy's father left when he was young and his mother has been working as a cleaning lady to support her little family," said Seulgi.

"So?"

"You might be familiar with the mother's name." Seulgi paused for dramatic effect, grinning when she saw the curiosity and impatience on her friend's face.

"Who is she? Come on, Yul!"

Seulgi laughed. "Lee Jimin."

Chaeyoung frowned. "Isn't that..." She rummaged through the pile of folders on her desk and took a folder out, opening it in a hurry. "That's the judge's cleaning ahjumma's name!"

"Yep. She's on her way in. Her son had finally managed to get hold of her and she's coming here to pick him up."

Chaeyoung nodded. "Okay then."

"How did your interrogation go?"

"Fascinating! Mr. Manager is my favorite type of crooks." Chaeyoung grinned.

"Ah. The shaking-in-their-pants type?"

Chaeyoung nodded. "At one point, I was sure he was going to pee in his pants but he held it in, thankfully." She laughed. "Anyway, he said he never really met the owner and he claimed that it's a foreigner."

Seulgi raised her eyebrows. "He thought that the restaurant was owned by a foreigner?"

"Yep. A Japanese man. Since it's a Japanese restaurant, he probably thought that it was believable." Chaeyoung chuckled. "I'm beginning to think that this organization mass recruit morons and that we've overestimated them. He then said that he knew nothing about the suspicious breath mints which, by the way, have been tested by forensics and proven to be some type of ecstasy-ish drugs." Chaeyoung handed a folder to Seulgi. "They are working super fast, I must say." She was talking about the forensics department.

Seulgi nodded. "Probably the new drug Yongbak's been experimenting with," she mumbled while reading the report.

"You knew about this?"

Seulgi looked at the surprised Chaeyoung. "My old friend in narcotics told me about Yongbak's possible new business plan."

Chaeyoung didn't seem happy to be left in the dark but she decided to continue with the manager's story first. "They found his prints on the glass jar containing the pills." Chaeyoung pointed at the folder in Seulgi's hand. "Check the photograph."

Seulgi flipped the paper and saw a photograph of the dusted prints on the glass surface. She frowned and tried to mimic the palm and finger positioning. "He was grabbing the jar by the opening."

"Yep. So either he was carrying it or he was helping himself to it. My guess is the latter so I'm letting him simmer in the interrogation room for a few more hours. If he starts to go crazy, wanting his next hit, then we'll know he lied."

"What about his lawyer?" Seulgi asked.

"The cook who broke down is an Indonesian immigrant whose visa expired more than a year ago. He claimed that this manager hired him in spite of knowing about his status. So we're charging Mister Kim Sangbum with harboring illegal immigrants. We have the right to hold him. His lawyer couldn't help him. In fact, his lawyer might have already given up on him," Chaeyoung grinned victoriously.