Mouse - Rewind

Chapter 29

Moo Chi was busy with his work, dealing with the residual paperwork, when a nervous looking woman hesitantly entered the building and asked something to a colleague of his. Her hair was a bit dishevelled and she looked the corners of her mouth were turned down.

The colleague pointed at his desk and the woman looked up and approached him skittishly.

"Detective Ko?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Yes, how can I help you."

"I know that you are...passionate about the Head Hunter case," the woman said, and Moo Chi raised an eyebrow. It was true that he was indeed invested in that, but most people didn't know it, with some exceptions of course.

"What about him?" he asked, trying to keep a neutral tone, but leaning forward a bit. The woman did her best not to pull back, but then she unclasped her purse and took out a picture.

"This is his son." She said, showing a picture of Ba Reum with shaking hands. Moo Chi raised an eyebrow, wondering where this conversation was leading to.

"So?" he asked and the woman looked at him sharply, her mouth quivering a bit.

"You have to keep an eye on him. I'm afraid that he's going to hurt my son, and he won't listen to me." The woman said desperately.

"Do you have proof that he is a dangerous person?" Moo Chi asked, wondering if she did. He had seen Ba Reum already for the past few months and he seemed as dangerous as a new-born lamb, even less so with the way he had broken his arm again.

"I know. I knew his father. He's just the same. Just as sneaky of an actor to worm his way into people's hearts. Please, you have to get him away from normal people. He's a monster." She said and Moo Chi sighed.

"Madam, we can't do anything if we don't have any case. If you don't say why you think he's dangerous, except his lineage, then we can't do anything according to the law." He said, wondering who this woman was.

"So, you won't help me? You won't get him away from my son?" her eyes wide and desperate and he just knew that she might do something stupid.

"If you can give me a reason, I will. I can go talk to your son as well then." He said, but she stood up, grabbed the picture and went away brusquely.

He just shook his head and hoped that woman wouldn't put up any trouble, wondering if he should perhaps warn Ba Reum.

The next few weeks just went by like nothing and the people who knew about Ba Reum's condition saw him worsen. He was getting visibly unsteady on his feet, often misinterpreting distances when grabbing stuff, and he seemed dizzy half of the time.

He kept on blaming the medication he was getting for his arm, and his friends that didn't know believed him, saying that he was naturally clumsy and the medication was just making it worse.

He was with Chi Kook and Dong Koo, having dinner at Dong Koo's place. They were just talking when Dong Koo got a phone call.

"Yeah? What about Ba Reum? What, on TV?"

Chi Kook and Ba Reum looked weirdly at the conversation that was going on, and Dong Koo put on the television.

The under titles were flashing that it was an interview of the ex-wife of the Head Hunter. The face was blurred out and the voice was changed.

"So, I changed my son with another child. I felt worried though, so I kept on checking in with him, and what I saw was destructive behaviour. I had hoped that he would turn for the better, but recently I encountered him again. His name is Jung Ba Reum and the behaviour he shows is the same as my ex-husband when he was the same age. I want to warn the people for his deceptive behavior, to not be fooled like I had been." She said, sobbing. A picture of Ba Reum was shown on the television screen while she kept on talking about it, crying and sniffling.