Killer in The Dark

5

My eyes squinted from my smile. "May I ask you your name?" I say, in a gentle tone.

She sighed. "Yoon Yuri, I'm Hong Dusik's wife," she extended her arm for a handshake.

My eyes widened. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you earlier," I quickly shook her hand with a strong and promising grip. The peace in her smile was beyond my comprehension. I slowly let go of her hand.

She looked at me and smiled. "It's nice to meet you," she said, holding the gate open. "I'm so glad you came. Please, let me fix you some tea before we start," she quickly rushed into the house. I found a nearby table on their lawn and sat down, observing the lovely plantations in their garden. She quickly rushed back out carrying two mugs of hot brewed tea. She handed me a mug and sat across from me. I smiled, thanked her for her kindness, and took a relieving sip of tea. I scotted my chair up and opened my notebook ready to write important details. 

"Before Mr. Hong went missing did you notice any signs of distress or anything strange going on?"  I asked glancing at her holding my pen on the paper.

"No- well..." she drifted off. "He did seem to be sneaking out at night," I nodded and wrote in my notebook. "I didn't think much of it until it became too frequent. Then one night I got a report that he was dead," She sighed, full of agony.

"Were there any more signs that led up to his death, perhaps involved with the Blood Jangmi Gang?" I looked up observing her body language. She looked to the side and drifted her eyes. 

She looked back at me. "Yes- I mean, I don't know who those people are... but there were strange assurances during the night where unfamiliar men would visit to meet with my husband."

I nodded. "Did they have tattoos?"

She spread her lips across her face and squinted her eyebrows. "I didn't get a great glimpse of them but I did notice similar makings on their bodies. Oh- one of them had a large scar across his left eye."

In unison with my heart, I dropped my pencil. I looked up at her having some familiar in mind. 

Im Jaeyoul. My brother's best friend.

"How old did they look, the guy with the scar?" I asked. 

"Sadly, he didn't seem too old, maybe approaching his early twenties... in his late teens," Her tone showed disbelief. 

My brother was always careful of who he'd hang out with, so why was one of his friends connected to his murder?  

"I'm sorry that's all I can think of right now... I thought I would have more information but I don't," She sighed and before fixing her slouching body. "Here's my number, I'll make sure to contact you if I can find any more important information," she handed out her phone showing me her number. I smiled.

"Thank you, you've given me information not only for your husband's death but for a treated case as well," I thanked.

She let a huge smile spread across her face. I quickly pulled out my phone and saved her number. Still, I was shocked that Im Jaeyoul might be involved. She got up from her seat and walked me outside the gate. I waved goodbye and thanked her again for the tea. My phone buzzed in my hand. I checked my notification to find a message from Officer Hyungjoon.

Why aren't you responding? 

I gasped forgetting about his message. 

Do you have time this afternoon? let's meet up.

I quickly responded.

Deal. 5:34 Tohyang, Paju.

KK

I rolled my eyes knowing it would take me a long time to get there. Shaking my head I headed to my car and put on the directions to Tohyang, Paju. As the sun set I gradually made my way back into Gyeongju-si and parked in the Tohyangs parking lot. Officer Hyungjoon stood by the entrance and waved at me. I rolled my eyes and got out of my car. I slowly approached him, placing my hand on his shoulder I pushed him in the door. 

"Hello," a waitress greeted us.

I smiled at her and made my way to an empty table in a dark secluded corner. 

"Hoo~ I'm getting chills..." Hyungjoon joked rubbing his shoulders. "Of all the empty tables you have to choose the most isolated."

I shushed him. "If we're going to discuss a serious matter we might as well keep a distance from others." 

He shook his head. "Why?" he asked. "You don't want them to hear what we're talking about?" his tone was full of apathy. He shrugged and nodded in agreement. Keeping my composure I nodded hiding my annoyance. He looked down shaking his head and smirked. Slowly he looked back at me. "It's about time you know the truth..."