Haejoon placed the coffee cup in front of the quiet young woman and took his seat across the table.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"Alright. Considering..." the woman replied, keeping her head down.
He could see that she wasn't alright. The young nurse looked tired, disheveled. She had dark circles under her eyes and when he asked her superior how she was doing earlier, the head nurse told him that she was taking this hard because apparently she and Himchan were close. There were even rumors about them dating although neither would confirm it.
"He was like a brother to me," said Haejoon, wrapping both hands around his warm cup. "I was supposed to protect him and yet I failed. I'm sorry."
Yeonji lifted her head. "Don't be. It's not your fault." A shaky smile began to form on her lips. "Oppa told me about you. He was very fond of you."
Haejoon's jaws clenched as he tried to keep his emotions under control. "Were you two close?"
He could see tears welling up in the woman's eyes right before she looked away.
"Oppa... was scared. At first."
"Of?"
"I'm not sure. At first I thought he had commitment issues. We've been close since university, you see, and I liked him a lot. I thought he felt the same way but he never made a move. To him, I was just a friend, a dongsaeng maybe, and nothing more."
"I bet you were thrilled to hear that he had chosen this city to work in," said Haejoon.
"Honestly? Yes. But I also knew that it didn't mean much because of his fear of commitment. I was finally able to accept the fact that we could never have anything more but last month, he began to change. I still don't know why but his actions were... bolder." Yeonji took a deep breath. "We were supposed to go on our first date next week." Her voice shook towards the end and Haejoon reached out to pat her arm when she pressed her hand to her mouth, suppressing her tears.
"I'm sorry to have to question you but I'm afraid it's necessary because you are probably one of the few people who last saw him alive. And I want to find who did this to him and make that person pay. Can you please help me?"
Yeonji nodded, took out a tissue from her pocket and wiped her eyes and nose. "I'll do anything to help."
"Thank you. You said he became bolder. How, exactly?"
"He grew more affectionate. Bought me lunch, accompanied me during breaks and talked to me. Then he texted me a few times just to ask what I was doing and what time I got off work. I knew that he was trying to step out of the friendzone and I let him. I've been waiting for him to do that for years, as a matter of fact." She lifted her head, meeting Haejoon's eyes. "He finally asked me out on a real date just last week. He apologized for taking so long. He said he had a complicated past but things would be sorted out soon so he didn't want to waste any more time. He also said that he was afraid to take a step because of this past of his, he was afraid that I couldn't accept him."
"Could you?" Haejoon carefully asked. "I know his past and it's indeed very complicated. It could affect your safety too."
"I've liked him since freshman year, Inspector Kim. I decided to give up and just remain friends just a few months ago. That's how long I was willing to wait. Why? Because I know that he's a good man." She paused for a second. "Or was a good man. I don't think I'll ever get used to referring to him in past tense."
Haejoon waited for the woman to wipe her eyes again.
"I believe that people can change for the better," Yeonji continued. "Whatever happened in Oppa's past, it stayed in the past. He was a good man, a good nurse. He cared about people. Everyone here can testify to what kind of a man he was and I'm sure no one has anything bad to say about him."
