Ha-jun pulled the curtain aside to reveal a small storage area, filled with shelves of old brush sets and books. On the floor, the shape of a man had been outlined. Tall and large, and with his arms and legs sprawled out in an odd manner. Someone likely placed him in that position. Min-jun walked around the outline of the man, checking for signs of damage in the room. Books had fallen to the floor from nearby shelves, and ink had been spilled, staining the wooden floorboard pitch black. Still, there were no signs of excessive struggle.
“This is where they found him,” Ha-jun said, staying a safe distance away from where the body had been. “He owned an upscale bookstore not far from here.”
“Where is the body now?” Min-jun asked.
“The city’s Investigation Bureau took him this morning,” Ha-jun told him. “Said they’d look into it.”
Min-jun put a finger to his chin, strategizing. How did one break into an investigation bureau? Would the King’s name be enough to intimidate them? What was he saying? Of course it would be.
“Your Highness?” Sun prompted. He stood behind Min-jun, his arms crossed over his chest. “What would you like to do?”
Min-jun glanced at Sun, wondering if the King had heard of this murder as well.
“Let’s pay a visit to the Investigation Bureau,” Min-jun said. He turned back toward the curtain. “I’m sure they have a lot to tell us.”
Ha-jun stepped in front of him, his hands hovering between them, short of touching Min-jun. He was too fearful of physical contact, what with Min-jun’s threats to expose him and Sun standing there with a sword waiting to cut through him. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”
“And why is that?”
Ha-jun lowered his head as if he was unsure of how to continue. “Your Highness, your lecture is being rumored as a motive for the killer. They say that they’re trying to test your methods.”
“Then let’s put them to the test,” Min-jun said, sidestepping Ha-jun. “This is all the more reason to find the culprit.”
. . .
Inside, the Investigation Bureau was cold. Stone walls of light orange stood on either side of them as they walked through the dimly lit corridors. It smelled of dirt and sweat, which wasn’t all that surprising, considering the function of the bureau. All the captured criminals of Hanseong came through these doors. There must be hundreds of criminals within these walls. And, going by the sound of the screams echoing through the hallways, the bureau did not hesitate to make their lives a living hell.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The man took out a set of keys, which dangled on their metal loop. The door they stood before was unassuming, worn with age, leaving streaks of lighter wood down the front of the door, as if someone had come up to it and scratched off the surface.
Inside the room, it stank of corpses, to the point that Ha-jun had to excuse himself to go gag somewhere else. Sun stood by Min-jun’s side, stoic as ever.
The man led them to a body on one of the many tables in the room. It was covered with cloth, but Min-jun could already tell this was the man who had died by his stature. Tall, with a muscular build.
“Lift it off his face,” Min-jun ordered the man. Although he gave Min-jun a skeptical look, he did as Min-jun had ordered.
“This is . . .”
Of course. A man of this stature, who owned an upscale bookstore not far from here. Min-jun should’ve known it would be the shopkeeper.
“His name was Shin Jil,” the man continued. “His bookstore was a cherished place for many of the students of the Academy.”
“Any suspects?” Min-jun asked.
The man nodded. “One of the students was said to have a bad relationship with him.”
“The student’s name?” Min-jun continued to inspect the body. There were several wounds on his chest, made by a small dagger. His mouth was gaping open, his arms stiff and blue-veined. His whole body seemed to have a strange blue pallor to it. Min-jun tilted his head to the side. To be in this state, the body must’ve been dead for at least seven hours, but the stab wounds appeared too fresh to have been the cause of death. Min-jun was no physician though. He’d merely seen too many dead bodies, that was all. To be sure, he’d need to check with the coroner.
He glanced up at their guide. The man had shut down with the question. Oh, was it too confidential? As if Min-jun cared.
“Out with it. Now. Unless, you’d prefer to hear it from a King rather than his consort?”
The man relented. The King’s fearsome reputation ran deep. Having seen the King’s ruthless way of cutting people down, Min-jun could not blame them.
“It is a student by the name of Choi Yung.”
Nonsense. From the little he’d learned, Choi Yung was not the type to kill someone. Or at the very least, he would not be so obvious about it. Why leave the body in one of the Academy’s storage rooms?
“Where is Choi Yung?”
“He is currently being interrogated,” the man said.
“You will take me to him.” Min-jun tried to mimic the King’s commanding tone.
“Take you to him?” the man sputtered out.
“He is only being interrogated,” Min-jun said. “We are both working on this case. I should be able to interrogate the suspect. Or is there something you’d rather I not see?”
“No, Your Highness.” The man rubbed at his forehead in a nervous gesture. Then, with much reluctance, he shook his other arm out toward the door. “Please, follow me.”
. . .
The man did not let Min-jun enter the room. He asked Min-jun and Sun to wait in a small office where they would bring Choi Yung. This all but confirmed Min-jun’s suspicions. Choi Yung might be a brat, but that was quite a step away from being a murderer. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the bureau, his highest crime was his lowly status.
“You do not think he is the killer?” Sun asked him, his hands behind his back.
Min-jun sat down on the cushion that had been placed on the floor for him. “Do you?”
“No.”
That was Sun for you. Always so direct.
“I feel the same.”
The doors slid open again, and two tall, armed, black-clad guards marched in with a stumbling Choi Yung. They forced him onto his knees in front of Min-jun. His clothes appeared clean and new, but Min-jun could see the bruises forming on his neck and arms, the blood trailing down his fingers.
“Leave us,” Min-jun said, from his raised platform. “He is less likely to tell the truth if you are here. If he says anything of significance, I will tell you.”
The guards exchanged a cautious look, but when one of them nodded, it was the end of the conversation. They left without another word.
“What do you want?” Choi Yung spat out the words.
“Looks like you’ve seen better days,” Min-jun said. There was a steady trickle of blood making its way down Choi Yung’s legs and onto the floor. Leg-twisting, probably. The rope must’ve cut into his flesh. Min-jun would have to get a decent physician to check his wounds.
Seeing that Yung likely did not appreciate Min-jun’s lightheartedness, the latter cleared his throat. “Relax. I’m on your side.”
“You trust me?” Yung said, doubtfully.
“Trust is a strong word. At the moment, I believe that the Investigation Bureau, along with the Academy, have a vested interest in pinning the blame on you. I see that conclusion much more clearly than their claim that you’re some conniving murderer. You are conniving but not a murderer.”
“Good luck proving that to them,” Yung grumbled.
Min-jun stood. “Just me? We’re both going to prove them wrong. But first, you’re going to have to tell me everything you know.”
A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay, I just started a new job and it’s been tough carving out time to write. Hopefully, I’ll get the hang of this new schedule soon. I will continue to update twice a week, and trying to aim for that Wednesday-Saturday time slot. If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment down below.
Take your time and good luck with your new job!!
Thanks Clozed!
I am ghoulishly fascinated with the idea of keeping all the criminals in the same building with the murdered bodies hahaha. And I’m glad Sun and Min-jun are on the same about Choi Yung being framed. Do I detect another adoptee into the palace?
lmao i hadn’t even considered that but you’re right! Choi Yung would make a good adoptee.
Thanks for commenting!