― I'm on my way to Busan, so I'll come to meet you when I arrive. I'll be there in two hours.
"Ah..."
I hung up the phone and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Perhaps because a loud noise was heard, the door opened slightly and my grandmother poked her head in, but I didn't notice.
"Muhyuk, is something wrong?"
Only when I heard my grandmother's voice did I come to my senses.
"It's okay. Nothing's wrong."
"But you don't look good. Really, is everything okay?"
"It's fine. Don't worry."
My grandmother, with a worried look, paced in front of the door, but I couldn't tell her.
"Really, everything's fine."
"If something's wrong, you must tell me."
"I know."
My grandmother closed the door and left, and I fell back into my thoughts.
'What does he know? The culprit? The mastermind? Or a witness?'
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't believe that someone could remember an incident from over a decade ago.
Unless it was someone directly involved.
While pondering this unsolvable problem, two hours passed.
I told my grandmother I was going out and left the house.
Manager Ma, who was in the car, got out when he saw me.
"Where are you going?"
"Park Dong-su is coming."
"Mr. Park?"
"Let's get in the car first. I have something to say."
The car door closed, and Manager Ma looked at me silently.
After a moment, I finally spoke.
"Someone who claims to know about my parents' case has appeared. Is it true?"
Manager Ma just looked at me without saying a word.
"I hope it's true. Even a small clue would be helpful."
After finishing my sentence, I turned my gaze outside.
Manager Ma said nothing.
A short while later, Park Dong-su's car pulled up in front of the house. Seeing him approach, Manager Ma got out to greet him.
Park Dong-su got in the car next to me as the door slowly closed.
Park Dong-su's face was stiffer than usual.
When I turned to look at him, urging him to speak, he finally opened his mouth.
"He went to school and then settled down in this line. His name is Kim Jun-geun. We agreed to meet and talk in detail."
"Was he not directly involved or the perpetrator?"
"That's to be seen. He was in school when the incident happened."
I nodded slightly.
I turned to look at the driver's seat.
"Manager, let's go. Where to?"
"We agreed to meet in Hadan. I called a quiet room salon. Is that okay?"
"Yes, anywhere."
The car slowly started moving. The car remained silent until we arrived.
When we got out, Park Dong-su and I walked to the room salon first, and Manager Ma handed the car keys to an attendant before following.
The madam, recognizing Park Dong-su, greeted him warmly, but he shook his head.
"Where's Brother Jun-geun?"
"He's inside."
The madam, sensing the tense atmosphere, wiped the smile from her face and led us in.
Inside the room, a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair was sitting.
"Brother Jun-geun, it's been a long time."
Park Dong-su bowed, and the man stood up with a smile.
"Hey, Dong-su! How long has it been? Over ten years?"
"Yes, Brother."
I watched him closely as he greeted Park Dong-su. Despite his retirement, he seemed to be in good physical condition for his age.
"Who's this? The one asking about that incident?"
"Yes, he's my sponsor."
Surprised, he looked me up and down.
"Sit down, Brother."
Park Dong-su and the man sat down, and Manager Ma and I took the opposite seats.
Park Dong-su poured him a drink and began to ask.
"Brother, how do you know about that incident? It's been a long time, right? Were you in school then?"
He drank the drink Park Dong-su poured and spoke as if it was no big deal.
"I didn't know either. But a guy who was in the same room at school told me. He was in Seoul. Honestly, he was from a poor family and we didn't even talk much, but he was a decent guy."
He looked up slightly, as if searching his memory.
"He used to serve me in our room... I asked him to tell an interesting story, and he started talking about what he had done. He knew about the incident because many of our sons were investigated for it."
Park Dong-su glanced at me. I nodded slightly, and Park Dong-su asked again.
"Tell me more. Did he say he did it?"
"No, he didn't do it. He just drove. He said... he drove strangers from Busan to Seoul for 500,000 won and did it right away."
"Well, then he probably didn't know much."
"Yes, he was a sly guy, but he was smart. He remembered all the conversations he had in the car."
"Where is he now? What's his name? Where does he live?"
I interjected.
Kim Jun-geun turned to look at me.
"Oh, our young sponsor seems very curious. I can't say it outright."
"Brother, I'll take care of it. Just answer the questions. Don't complicate things."
I was starting to get annoyed, but Park Dong-su stopped me when he saw my expression.
Kim Jun-geun shook his head with a deflated look.
"He's dead. Someone did him in at school."
Damn.
It felt like the only hope was gone.
"He told the story like a hero, saying he had no worries because he had talked to the police and the prosecutor. He said it seemed like someone important had ordered it. Wait, what else did he say? Oh, the people he drove called it 'Teacher Biao.'"
At that, I involuntarily stood up.
"Teacher Biao? Are you sure?"
"From what I heard?"
"Is there any other name or word that could identify the culprit, or any characteristics of the person?"
"Besides 'Teacher Biao,' he didn't mention any other names. That's all I know. I don't know anything more."
I slumped back into my seat.
'Teacher Biao was active over a decade ago?'
I didn't know Teacher Biao's real name or face.
I only knew he was the cleaner for the Cheongpung Society.
His subordinate, Park Seong-gi, known as Manager Park, was the one who tried to kill me.
Feeling frustrated, I poured and drank the liquor in front of me.
The strong alcohol burned down my throat, bringing me back to my senses.
I couldn't afford to be shaken, so I stood up and looked at Park Dong-su.
"Take good care of him and handle it. Thanks to you, I've found a small clue."
As I turned to leave, Kim Jun-geun added something.
"Among the dead couple, the woman was the target. It was because she married the wrong parents."
Manager Ma opened the door.
Before leaving, I turned back and said to him,
"If you remember anything else, tell Mr. Park. I'll compensate you well."
We walked through the long corridor and out into the cold winter air, which cleared my head.
I got into the car driven by Manager Ma and headed home.
"Manager, can you stop somewhere quiet for a moment?"
Manager Ma stopped the car in a quiet spot near my house and got out, giving me some space.
I closed my eyes and started recalling old memories.
'If it's Teacher Biao, it means the Cheongpung Society is involved. Why did they risk exposing themselves to the grandfather and directly eliminate my mother? What could they gain from such a risk?'
Even if the Chunsuwan brothers and the Cheongpung Society had joined forces to eliminate me for the grandfather's inheritance, it was hard to understand why the Cheongpung Society would kill my mother.
There must be someone who benefited from the incident. The only one who benefited from my mother's death was the Chunsuwan brothers.
'If the Cheongpung Society and the Chunsuwan brothers had a close relationship for over a decade? If they had temporarily joined forces for mutual benefit?'
Then everything would make sense.
It would also explain why the grandfather continued to give money to the Cheongpung Society despite his objections.
I rolled down the window and called Manager Ma.
"Manager, get in."
Manager Ma, who was standing by the rear door, got back into the driver's seat.
"I'll be going to Seoul the day after tomorrow. Please prepare. I plan to visit Chunsu."
"Understood."
"Let's go home. Grandma is waiting."
It was already late, but when I entered the house, Grandma was dozing off in the living room, waiting for me.
She opened her heavy eyes when she heard the door and called out to me.
"Muhyuk?"
"Grandma, didn't you sleep?"
"How could I sleep when my child isn't home? Did you drink?"
"Yes, a little. I'm tired. Grandma, go to bed."
"Okay, okay. Go to bed. I'll go to bed too."
Grandma went to her room only after confirming I was home.
A tear welled up in my eye as I looked at the closed door.