Broken Cause [Book 1]

Chapter 2 (Part 2)

The receptionist held the elevator open for both Lisa and Chaeyoung before she bowed and took her leave.

"This place is nice," Lisa commented once they were alone.

Chaeyoung nodded.

The building wasn't huge but it was modern, clean and had a touch of playfulness with all the colors and a reading corner for children.

The elevator stopped with a ding and they stepped out to be greeted by a woman who introduced herself as the secretary to the director. They were then ushered to the bright office where a man immediately stood up when he saw them.

Lisa bowed. "Good morning, Sir. I am Inspector Lalisa Manoban from the Seoul Metropolitan Seoul Agency and this is Miss Park Chaeyoung, our consultant." She introduced herself and Chaeyoung. "Sorry to bother you but we would like to ask a few questions regarding the death of one of your employees, Lee Hwakyung."

"Ah yes, I've been notified about that." His face looked concerned. He then gestured for Lisa and Chaeyoung to sit down. "So how can I help you, Officers?" He clasped his hands over his stomach as he took his seat.

"We would like to have your permission to question your employees about Mister Lee Hwakyung. Maybe they can shed some light on the investigation by giving us an idea about how he was; his habits, hobbies, personalities... they might even know who might have wanted him dead."

The man flinched. "It's so brutal." He shook his head sadly.

Chaeyoung was looking around the room and out of the glass pane that separated the office from the people in cublicles outside. "You have an open office policy here, Sir?" She asked - turning her head to look at him.

He nodded. "We're not a major corporation, Miss. We produce children's books and textbooks for school. I encourage everyone here to be creative and to have fun while working because of that."

"Why does it matter?" Chaeyoung asked.

"Our products must look fun. In this modern day, parents are starting to use portable devices to keep their children educated and entertained. We need to step up our game to create books that are attractive and irreplaceable," he explained.

"But wouldn't textbooks generate more income?" Chaeyoung tilted her head, looking at the man questioningly. "And they don't need much creativity right? I mean you would have certain content guidelines that you need to follow."

He smiled. "You're right, Miss. But we also try to adjust our books to be up to date with the current pop culture and other relevant things. So in a way, creativity will always be needed and I personally believe that fun is important while working. People have to like what they do in order to increase their performance."

"I see," Chaeyoung mumbled to herself.

"Anyway," he turned his head to look at Lisa. "Feel free to question anyone you want about Lee Hwakyung but I would appreciate if you don't ask them to leak our upcoming projects. We need to keep our competitive advantage."

"Don't worry, Sir. We're not interested in your business. We just want to know about Lee Hwakyung," answered Lisa.

He nodded. "My secretary will show you to his work station. You can talk to anyone you like." He pressed a button on his phone.

"Yes, Sir." The same woman who greeted Lisa and Chaeyoung at the elevator reappeared at the door.

"Please escort these kind officers to the 3rd floor. Take them to see Changsun," he ordered the woman.

"Thank you, Sir." Lisa and Chaeyoung stood up, bowed to the man then followed the woman out.

They observed everything around them.