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KIM SUHEE.
i knelt down and gingerly picked the picture book up with me hands. my fingers traced the letters "bo-gum." i muttered, my fingers tracing the letters.
bogum.
that was the second person's name.
it felt like one of the main puzzles have been solved. it had finally clicked, even though i thought i would never be able to remember. bogum was his name. it definitely was.
but there was only one more question now,
who is he?
—
later that evening, i was called down to a police center, to meet a client. i immediately agreed to defend them, even though i didn't even know the situation. it's my job to do so without hesitation, after all.
i silently entered the room, where there was a wooden table fitted with a set of four chairs, in which one was occupied.
i cleared my throat, and the person turned around.
my heart dropped, and i felt the air thicken and my throat dry.
it was the man who almost killed sungho.
why does he keep appearing?
"you..." i muttered. "why are you doing this to me? why did you request me?"
"because," the man gave a sad smile. "i trust you."
i scowled. "i shouldn't be involved with this case as a lawyer!"
"please help me." he said. "nobody would know—"
"what about sungho then? i can't defend you—" i said, gritting my teeth and turning on my heels with the intention of walking away.
i didn't get far to the door before he grabbed my hand, stopping me. his hands were soft like i remembered.
soft unlike the ones of a murderer.
"why don't you just trust me?" he asked.
"why would i?" i asked.
"you trusted me for 8 years before." he murmured, meeting my eyes once again and raising an eyebrow. "why can't you now?"
i bit my lip. "because, i can't remember. if we knew each other before, it's nothing like now. i don't recognize you."
he let go, pursing his full and pink lips together. "right." he muttered.
who was he? the question popped up inside my head every second of the day. looking at his face now, he looked so innocent—so sad, and vulnerable.
did i do something to make him this way?
i shook the thoughts out of my head. it doesn't matter if he was someone from the past. it's the present now.
i pulled away from his grip, and walked out the door.
that's the past.
only the future matters now.
—
on my way out of the building, i stopped in front of one of the counters.
i was going to figure this out once and for all.
"has there been information released from the victim of the attempted murder case? the one involving kwang sungho?" i asked.
the office lady looked up at me and raised her eyebrow. "yes."
"i'm the suspect's lawyer." i said. "can you tell me more about the case? i'd like to know more about it if i can."
"you may. i'll give you a copy of his statements and such." she said, rushing to the back of the room and returning with a folder.
i nodded and thanked her, exiting the building, and walking to the parking lot where i entered my car.
i hurriedly opened the folder and pulled the contents out. the shuffled through the papers, trying to find the one of sungho's accusation.
i found it.
on december 5, at around 8 o'clock in the evening, kwang sungho was unpredictably attacked and stabbed with a knife in the stomach. he rushed to the hospital to get surgery hours later, and luckily survived after an unknown person dialed the police reporting the murder. that person has not been found since.
on december 6th, in the morning, kwang sungho claimed that the murderer was unfamiliar. CCTV cameras around the apartment caught the face of the possible suspect, whom was carrying a young woman in his arms. the young woman is yet to be identified, as her face was covered, and kwang sungho claims a young woman was not part of the incident, and it was just him and the suspect in the room that night.
according to the face identifications caught from the CCTV, the only suspect as of now, goes by the name of park bogum.
my eyes widened and i drew in a long and shaky breath. my hands holding the sheet trembled as i read the two words over and over again, trying to process it correctly. "this isn't right—"
bogum.
park bogum.
the other friend from my missing past. one of the last pieces of my puzzle. he was there the whole time. it was the man who tried to kill sungho.
