CASE 41 - Blinded by Obsession

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He didn't know why he decided to come back.

There was honestly left for him to investigate yet, Taekwoon wasn't able to let it go.

If only I didn't let Cha Yoojae out of my sight, he kept thinking.

After the report from the Forensics came out, Taekwoon found himself urging to go back to Cha Hakyeon's apartment where they found Cha Yoojae's body.

Everything that could have been taken back as evidence and that wasn't already burnt to dust was already cleared out from the apartment. The fire erupted so rapidly that no one was living in the apartment complex anymore, only a few of the residents stayed because they had nowhere else to go and their units were still safe enough without worrying about the structure falling apart.

Taekwoon found himself standing in the middle of the room, guilt was piling up inside of him. If only he didn't let his guard down during that time, if only his mind didn't wander someone else while tailing Cha Yoojae, if only he knew where to find the man sooner then he could've saved the poor man's life.

He felt like shit. Everything was tearing him up inside.

But why did Cha Yoojae come back to look for his son after all these years? And how did Cha Yoojae know where to look for him?

Neither of them should have seen each other all these years and with no doubt, Cha Hakyeon would have hated his father so much to the point of erasing this man from his life once and for all. But instead, Cha Yoojae was found dead in this very apartment.

No one could have seen it coming that Cha Yoojae would come looking for his son during his parole.

How did you know? Taekwoon kept questioning inside of his head as he walked around the complex.

Taekwoon walked back and forth, imagining Cha Yoojae standing on one side while Cha Hakyeon stood on the other.

"What were you two talking about?" Taekwoon asked.

Did they talk about how much Cha Yoojae suffered in prison all these years? How much they hate each other? Or... whatever really happened 14 years ago?

There was no doubt when Taekwoon decided to dig deeper into Cha Hakyeon's history that he thought that Cha Hakyeon's mother's death was utterly suspicious. There were definitely missing pieces of the case that no one knew about and even to this day, Taekwoon believes that the father and son were hiding something.

"What is it? What could it be?" Taekwoon continues to wonder.

But whatever the two were talking about in this room, it has become an undeniable fact that an accident did occur here and Taekwoon arrived too late...again.

He clenched his fists, unable to forgive himself.

He said it coldly in front of Wonshik and Hongbin that no matter what it is that he would catch Cha Hakyeon for the suspicion of murdering Cha Yoojae. The son definitely had all the motives to do so but that was simply just an excuse to catch the young man who he had more suspicions of being the White Rose Killer. Since they still weren't able to find any evidence to bring Cha Hakyeon in for being the infamous serial killer, they needed to find another way around it.

But in reality, Taekwoon knew that based on all he's seen and heard, he knew that the chances of Cha Hakyeon being responsible for his father's death, killing the man and then burning his own apartment before his disappearance was highly unlikely. Especially if Cha Hakyeon is really the White Rose Killer, why would a killer who has left no traces for the police to follow all these years suddenly leave a body in his own place? He would be bound to get caught so why would he run away as well? Nothing made sense the more Taekwoon thought about it.

Cha Hakyeon didn't run away.

Someone else was here...

In that short interval where Taekwoon lost sight of Cha Yoojae, someone was here long enough to not only kill Cha Yoojae but also kidnapped Cha Hakyeon. With all of these things happening, Taekwoon became sure of one thing, and that was his obsession eventually blinded him from moving forward.

That sudden encounter with Cha Hakyeon made him freeze. He's imagined numerous times confronting Cha Hakyeon head-on when he finally had what it takes to catch the young man. But when he actually saw Cha Hakyeon right in front of his eyes, he couldn't do anything at all. His mind was in a blur at that moment and his body paralyzed. Even seconds after Cha Hakyeon disappeared from his sight, Taekwoon couldn't move. He remembered the sudden urge to turn around and run after the young man and arrest him on the spot. And because of that, before he could calm down, Cha Yoojae was already gone.

Wonshik was right, Taekwoon couldn't help but think back at what Wonshik once told him.

It wasn't too long after Taekwoon joined the team and told Wonshik and Hongbin about Cha Hakyeon that Wonshik pulled him to the side one day and warned him.

"Your obsession with catching Cha Hakyeon... you're going to lose sight of what's important to you one day," Wonshik said. "I know it too well how that feels like, and I don't want you to go through the same things that I did."

But Taekwoon was too stubborn to listen at that time especially since Wonshik was renowned around the station for causing havoc just to catch his sister's killer. And in the end, Wonshik successfully arrested Cha Yoojae. So, Taekwoon honestly believed that if he persisted, he would eventually be able to arrest the White Rose Killer as long as he kept chasing after Cha Hakyeon.

However, rather than perseverance, it simply became an obsession.

He was frustrated at himself as he thought about it. He needed to move on somehow and as he stood in the middle of the living room where Cha Yoojae's corpse was found, he took a deep breath to cool his head.

"Someone else was definitely here," Taekwoon said aloud as he continued his deductions.

He walked around the spot, thinking about where the third person could have been hiding the entire time.

Was that person here before Cha Yoojae and Cha Hakyeon? When did he get here though? No, I remember that no one else was caught on cameras entering Cha Hakyeon's apartment. Aside from Cha Hakyeon and Cha Yoojae, no one else came during the time this place was empty. There were also no signs of break-ins either and nothing went missing so it definitely wasn't a burglary. So, did that person come in after the father and son were already here?

Taekwoon walked backwards from the entrance to the living room, remembering how Cha Yoojae was lying down when the police arrived after the fire.

"Cha Yoojae was on his back, his feet pointed slightly towards the entrance like he was about to leave. But he got hit on the head from behind, so whoever was behind him tried to knock him out? So, let's say Cha Hakyeon was already standing on this side then it's very likely it was Cha Hakyeon who did it," Taekwoon replayed the scene in his head retracing Cha Yoojae's steps.

"No, it doesn't make sense. When did he get stabbed to death?" he remembered the Forensics report.

Knock. Knock.

No one was there, but Taekwoon could hear it in his head. Someone knocking on the door.

He swiftly turned his head towards the door, imagining that someone was really there and his feet moved on its own.

"It wasn't Cha Hakyeon who went to answer the door but it was Cha Yoojae," he walked towards the door as if he was Cha Yoojae. "He opened it without a doubt and probably saw someone he didn't recognize. Did he think it was the police? Whatever it was, he turned back towards Cha Hakyeon probably to tell his son and just then, he got hit in the head."

That's how Cha Yoojae ended up on this spot where Taekwoon was standing on once more.

"But that didn't make him fall so angered, Cha Yoojae turned around to see the person who hit him once more but just as he did... he got stabbed in the abdomen," Taekwoon continued his deductions. "The twists and turns caused Cha Yoojae to fall on his head and lying on the floor. He died on this spot before the fire happened. But why did the murderer hit him on the head first before stabbing him?"

Unless... the murderer was going to stab at whoever answers the door first but saw it was someone else. It was supposed to be Cha Hakyeon but it turned out to be Cha Yoojae instead. They weren't going to kill Cha Yoojae so they thought if they could knock Cha Yoojae out, it would be enough but Cha Yoojae didn't fall and it left them no choice to kill on sight after all.

"But wait, what was Cha Hakyeon doing this entire time?" Taekwoon turned around and walked to the other side, this time envisioning himself as Cha Hakyeon. "He couldn't have just stood there and watched, did he? If he was an accomplice, I get it but he was originally the target, right? There's no way he would just stand around doing nothing. Unless he was in no position to fight back either..."

Knowing the White Rose Killer's capabilities, Taekwoon found it hard to imagine Cha Hakyeon just standing there doing nothing before he got taken away by the intruder.

He would've definitely fought back. So, why didn't he?

"What did the murderer do after killing Cha Yoojae? How did they get Cha Hakyeon out of his own apartment? It just doesn't add up. If the murderer's original target was Cha Hakyeon, why not just kill him here along with Cha Yoojae? Why did they decide to kidnap him instead?"

Vrr. Vrr.

A message came in from Wonshik.

[Lee Jaehwan has been kidnapped.]

"W-what?" Taekwoon's eyes widened.

[Come back to the station later. We found something.]

Not only was Cha Hakyeon kidnapped but now Lee Jaehwan too. One of the Lee brothers who were suspected to be involved with...

"The Apostles!" Taekwoon panicked. "The murderer was going to kill Cha Hakyeon but decided not to after failing to do so because Cha Yoojae got in the way. They decided to kidnap Cha Hakyeon instead but why would they kidnap Cha Hakyeon in the first place unless it's because of his connection with Lee Jaehwan. They targeted Cha Hakyeon in the first place because of Lee Jaehwan, probably as some sort of threat or warning. They were going to kill Cha Hakyeon but changed their mind at the last second."

Were they thinking of using Cha Hakyeon then? But did the same person kidnap Lee Jaehwan too?

Taekwoon couldn't explain it well but his heart was racing urgently. His whole body shook just thinking about it.

Something tells him that if they don't find either Cha Hakyeon or Lee Jaehwan soon, it wouldn't just be one victim from this whole thing but two more.



Hongbin who went on his own for the investigations of his missing younger cousin needed to know whether or not the family was blackmailed in the process. He needed to figure out if they knew of Jaehwan's disappearance or not.

He found himself in the waiting room, sitting down with a hot cup of earl grey in his hands to calm his nerves but his heart was very unsettled. Minutes passed and eventually he heard footsteps walking down the hallway, directly his way.

He gulped nervously and placed the cup immediately on the marble coffee table and stood up.

It was all out of natural reflexes whenever he hears those heels clicking on the floors.

"Sorry for the sudden visit," he said as soon as he saw the woman walk through the doors.

"It's fine," it was Jaehwan's mother, Lee Bora.

As always, she wore a stoic expression on her.

She was decked up from top to bottom with gold accessories and a dark navy-colored suit to top it off. No matter how one looks at it, she was prominent and powerful.

"I don't have much time since I have a meeting to go to soon. So make it quick," she immediately cut to the chase as she looked at her rose-gold Burberry watch.

"Uh, right. I want to ask if you've seen or heard from Jaehwan lately," Hongbin asked.

"What?" she seemed rather puzzled. "That ungrateful child hasn't called us in months. Why are you suddenly asking about him?"

She doesn't know that he's gone? Hongbin began to wonder.

"Well, usually you would have bodyguards or someone to keep an eye on him, right?" Hongbin asked.

"I used to but that was a long time ago. What he does now with his life has nothing to do with me. And he's the one who made sure of that. Ever since he left this house with that wretched boy... tsk," she clicked her teeth, finally showing a clear expression of anger on her face. Her tone changed immediately with the mention of Cha Hakyeon. "And ever since Jaeho left, he made sure all ties were cut."

"What do you mean?"

"Jaehwan has always hated us. You're well aware of that, aren't you? The only thing that would make him even think twice of coming back to visit was Jaeho. Now that he's gone, do you think that child would come back on his own?"

"You speak as if they... aren't they your sons too?"

She immediately glared at Hongbin.

If only stares could kill, Hongbin would be gone by now.

Oops, Hongbin flinched.

"Sorry for being so direct," he apologized first. "But Jaeho's killer is still out there. Don't you want them to be caught?"

I know my parents would.

"I do but that's not my call to make. Isn't that your job?" her tone was obviously questioning the polices' abilities.

"We're still in the middle of investigations but we're just worried. I have mentioned this before but whoever killed Jaeho could be targeting the entire family. This means that both Jaegwan and Jaehwan are also in danger. So, aren't you worried?" Hongbin reminded her.

"Jaegwan has already left the country for god's sake. As for Jaehwan, I don't care whether that child is dead or alive. Ever since he left us, what he does has nothing to do with me," she was cold.

Really? Hongbin was finding it hard to believe. It didn't seem long ago that the woman, Jaehwan's mother, stormed into the hospital after receiving news that Jaehwan got hurt during the SNU massacre. She even took her anger out on Cha Hakyeon even though it was clearly not his fault. What a liar.

"Anyways, time's up. I have to go to my meeting. If you have anything other reason to be here, ask the butler," she said.

"Uh yeah. Thanks for your t-"

She left the room without letting Hongbin finish.

"Yup, I definitely pissed her off," he shrugged.

Nothing he does would please that woman, not that he cared to in the first place. If it wasn't for the fact that he had the name "Lee" attached to him, she probably wouldn't give him the time of day to entertain him.

"Master Hongbin?" the butler came in. "Is there anything you need?"

"Hmm? Oh right, Jaehwan told me that he left some stuff here from before and was wondering if I can help him get it," Hongbin simply told a lie without batting an eye.

"The young master did?"

"Yeah, do you still have some of his things?"

"Yes, we do. His room is upstairs. Let me take you there."

His room?

The room was on the third floor, the very last room down the long corridors. When the butler took out his keys to unlock the room, Hongbin was surprised at what he was seeing.

"This-... is Jaehwan's room?" Hongbin stuttered because he was in disbelief.

Everything was neatly placed, there were large windows lighting the room brightly, and everything seemed well-kept and organized. If Hongbin didn't know better, he would think someone has been living here but knowing that this is Jaehwan's room, that was impossible.

"It looks exactly the same," Hongbin had a rush of nostalgia the moment he stepped inside. "Did you do this?"

"Myself and the other servants did it but we were approved by Ma'm and Sir. It's true they're quite cold and they don't seem to care much about the young masters but I've served here all my life since the grandmaster and I've watched them all grow up. This house isn't very good at communicating and Madam's words can be quite harsh but she does care," the old butler said.

"Really? I can't see it. If she cared so much, she wouldn't act so indifferent to Jaeho's death."

"She cares but it just doesn't show on her face. Her way of showing affection is different from what we're used to. Instead of crying or screaming for losing her son, she drowns herself with work just like when Master Jaehwan left. She keeps everything to herself. I have seen her walk around the two young master's bedrooms many times. If she didn't care, why would she do that? Although she was furious about Master Jaehwan leaving the house, she didn't stop us from keeping all of his belongings and moving his room up here."

Just like I thought. You do care, Hongbin said as he glanced around the room. But what a weird way of showing that.

"Why did you guys keep this room though? He's never going to come back, you know," Hongbin was quite blunt.

The butler sighed deeply, "it's true we don't' think the young master would come back either, especially after all these years. But it's just a little bit of something to remind us of him and remind him that this is still his home."

"I don't think Jaehwan thinks that way."

Hongbin can see the desolate expression on the old man's face. Although Jaehwan left years ago, and was also quite the troublemaker when he was young, it didn't deny the fact that he was very precious to those around here. He was still a sweet child who cared greatly for those who worked here, and although he fought a lot with his parents, he never behaved like a rich brat or lost his temper on the servants.

"Anyways, I might take awhile looking around," Hongbin said.

"That's not a problem. I'll be downstairs to prepare for tonight's dinner. Will you be staying?"

"Uh, no. That'd be too awkward but thanks for asking."

"Then if you need me, please let me know."

"Sure, I will. Thanks!"



After the butler left, Hongbin was finally left on his own accord.

He rolled up his sleeves and put his jacket to the side.

"Alright, let's see what we have here."

Although Jaehwan's room is now moved to a different location of the house, the arrangement and the furnishing was all the same. Hongbin used to come here so often that he could never forget how this place looks. Even though he isn't too familiar with the rest of the house, he was confident with how Jaeho and Jaehwan's room look even with his eyes closed.

He looked up the shelves that had medal trophies from one end to the next. There were many certificates and medallions hanging on the walls too.

Jaehwan was mischievous but he was smart when he wanted to. Hongbin heard that Jaehwan used to make deals with his parents that if he could get a good score in something, he would get something he wanted in return. As expected of a family that runs their own business.

But because he could excel in so many things, there were both expectations and pressure.

"Even Jaeho used to say how inferior he feels to Jaehwan at times," Hongbin recalls.

He rummaged through the drawers and shelves, trying to find something interesting. And when he opened the walk-in closet, there was another room filled with old items. Boxes were stacked on top of another filled with old toys and even video games.

"Wow! This brings back memory," Hongbin felt old just looking at

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