Mr. No || NCT || Completed

40 - Where Renjun wants to be a detective

Director Kim, a professional looking older woman guided Renjun and Chaewon to sit down before placing a stack of files on the desk in front of them. A large cup of coffee on her side of the desk was halfway finished and a few family photos were cluttered here and there inside the small office. The window was slightly ajar, letting in occasional gusts of fresh autumn wind.

"I'm sorry for the wait, Ms. Song", director Kim apologized while sitting down across from them. "I was dealing with a family member of one of our patients, and then I wanted to fetch the files you might want to see before taking you in." She motioned towards the stack of files and binders between them.

"Don't worry, we understand." Chaewon was grasping onto the armrests of her chair. "We appreciate you meeting us on such a short notice."

Director Kim picked up one of the files. "Receptionist Nam informed me that you are here because of Chen Guilin." She glanced at them with narrowed eyes before opening the file. "May I ask for the reason behind your sudden interest?"

Chaewon fixed her posture. "She was my grandmother. She died when I was a child and my parents have always been uncomfortable speaking about her or her... condition, so I know very little of her." Her hands were holding onto the chair as if she was scared that it would drop her to the floor. "I want to know more."

Renjun cleared his throat, drawing director Kim's attention to him. "We are also trying to understand what happened in the car crash that killed Chen Guilin and two other people."

"I understand." The mention of the car crash made director Kim frown before she finally sighed and looked at Renjun and Chaewon over the papers in her hands. "I apologize for questioning your motives but, you see, you aren't the first people this week to ask about the case of Mrs. Chen."

Chaewon lifted her head. "What?"

"Just yesterday, a man called in to ask about the car crash that occurred twelve years ago and involved one of our patients." Director Kim placed the file back on the table and crossed her hands on top of it. "Of course, we didn't give them any information since – unlike you, Ms. Song – they didn't even know the identity of Chen Guilin, let alone have any personal ties to her."

Renjun and Chaewon glanced at each other.

That could only mean that someone was interested in their investigation, and was most likely following their moves closely.

Renjun remembered the two men staring at him in the hotel lobby. It was possible that the men had followed them to the hotel and were curious about the car crash. Perhaps they were aware of its connection to the injections.

He frowned. Before leaving, he had promised to Jaemin that the trip to Jeju Island would be completely safe, since he was simply digging into old cases. While it was possible that their hypothetical tail would mean no harm, Renjun wasn't fan of having one.

He turned back to director Kim. "Would you happen to have their contact details or anything?" If he could have their phone number, maybe he could ask his private investigator to look into it.

Director Kim shook her head. "Sadly, I don't. But on your way out, you can ask receptionist Nam if she can check the caller log for you."

She continued speaking while opening some of the binders on the table, "I don't have a lot of time before I need to attend another meeting but until then I'm happy to answer any questions you have." She smiled at Chaewon encouragingly. "Considering how big of a taboo having mental health issues can be for some families, you're brave to be here. Feel free to ask anything."

Chaewon answered her smile cautiously. "How long did my grandmother stay here? Why was she here?"

Director Kim shuffled through the pages for a moment before answering. "She stayed with us periodically – usually for a few weeks or a month – whenever her situation got worse. Here it says that she was first admitted by her husband when she was 46-year-old and that after that she came in few times every year until she died at the age of 74. As for her diagnosis..."