Chapter 30 – Seung-a Caught in a Trap – 1
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Photos, confessions, recordings, cams, blackmail, pregnancy, and… The diary she couldn’t hide.
Except for the extreme situation, this article is composed largely based on a true story.
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“Open the trunk door behind you! Hurry!”
Manager Park spat out in an urgent voice. When Eun-suk lowered her head and pressed the button, the trunk opened with a sound of ‘tuk!’. Park put the bag he was holding into the trunk as if tossing it, and climbed into the passenger seat as if jumping up.
“Drive fast!”
“Did your talk with Director Kim go well?”
“You don’t know! Come on, step on it!”
Eun-sook stepped on her accelerator, staring straight ahead with her fear-filled expression. Park, who was sitting next to her, smelled of sweat and fishy fish.
As the car pulled out onto the four-lane road, he reached Eun-suk’s hand over her thigh. His hand on her body felt cold. Those cold hands restlessly massaged Eunsuk’s thighs while driving.
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“What else this time?”
Inspector Kim, who saw Inspector Nam rushing into the office, asked him with his eyes wide open. There was an unusual aura on his face.
“It is a murder case.”
“Damn it, there is no moon that just goes by. Where are you?”
“It is a luxury house near the tourist complex.”
“A clue?”
“Not at all. It is as clean as the previous case.”
“Has the CCTV been checked already?”
“The place where the incident occurred is in a quiet residential area near a tourist complex in the outskirts, so there are only a few installations and the quality is poor, so it is not very helpful.”
“What is the victim doing?”
“He runs a high-end gallery in Cheongdam-dong.”
“Gallery? Again?”
“Yes. Like the last incident, I am the gallery owner. Besides, it seems to be a bit of a victim’s property.”
“How much?”
“Even paintings and antiques alone are likely to reach tens of billions of won.”
“That wouldn’t be an easy house to break into… “
“That’s right. One thing is certain: there is no sign of intrusion from outside.”
“You mean someone you knew?”
“You might see it that way. There are no traces of art objects. Because wherever there was a latch, all the pictures were hanging.”
“Who would break into a private house to rob art? How much does an individual’s art collection last?”
Captain Kim asked in a sullen voice.
“It is beyond imagination.”
“Are you strong?”
“Among the late painters, the works of famous artists are worth billions.”
“What? Do you keep those paintings at home?”
“How many?”
“Who the hell buys such expensive paintings? It’s hard to eat and live.”
“Because those with money are different from us. Besides, some people invest in art to evade taxes.”
“Investing in art for tax evasion? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Conglomerates buy expensive art to reduce gift and inheritance taxes.”
“What does painting have to do with taxes?”
“Unlike checks, art is not easy to trace. That makes it much easier to launder money.”
“Is it money laundering?”
“The captain is also true! It’s very dark here. For example, if you inherit 100 billion won from a conglomerate family, do you know how much inheritance tax you pay?”
“That’s more than 30%, so at least 30 billion will be ripped off.”
“Exactly. So rather than stealing 30 billion, I buy 30 billion worth of paintings and hide them. Then the money to be inherited will be reduced to 70 billion, and the tax will be 30% of 70 billion, or 21 billion.”
“What kind of crazy guy buys 30 billion worth of paintings? What are you going to use it for?”
“If I can secretly resell the paintings I bought, I don’t have to pay a penny in taxes. There are also many foreign online auction companies. Also, if you keep your books like business expenses, you can avoid tax tracking.”
“Hmm… There was something else like that. Have you met the gallery manager?”
“Even so, I promised you, so let’s go right away.”
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Nam Gyeong-jang, who had been running at a slow speed past the intersection in Cheongdam-dong and looked in all directions, stopped the car in the parking space of a four-story modern building with an exterior wall decorated with marble.
Each floor was nicely decorated with yellow and blue lights along the perimeter of the large glass windows, creating a sophisticated atmosphere.
“Here we are. Captain.”
“Hmm… After all, it’s a gallery, so the color is different.”
“Captain, too. No, if you want to have a bit of a cultural life, you should visit a gallery like this at least once a month and appreciate the paintings.”
“This person. Where is the time for our cultural life!”
“Haha! It’s a joke. This is my first private gallery.”
As Police Officer Nam and Chief Kim pushed through the glass door, the curator, who had carefully styled himself with a stylish bobbed hairstyle, greeted them with a friendly smile.
“Oh! You are Captain Nam who called me, right?”
“Yes! How did you know that?”
“Yes? Hoho, this is a gallery. People who come to appreciate the work have a different atmosphere.”
“Ah… Okay.”
Inspector Nam looked down at his tattered cotton pants and smiled awkwardly.
“The director went to work on the last day, and what time did he leave?”
“Originally, I don’t go to work regularly. He only stays in the gallery for about two weeks in a month, and he goes on business trips a lot.”
“A business trip? Does the gallery also go on a business trip?”
“Sure. I have to discover new artists, promote exhibitions, and besides, I am running a memorial hall in Gyeonggi-do, so even 25 hours a day is not enough.”
“Yes? A memorial?”
“You didn’t know. Artist Seobong Kim was running the Kwanwoo Museum of Art.”
“Yes? Is it the Kwanwoo Art Museum?”
“Yes! Our director was the second son of the late artist Kim Kwan-woo. He inherited the paintings from his father.”
“Ohh! Is it so?”
“You didn’t even know that.”
“Uh, until that… “
Sergeant Nam’s face hardened in surprise.
“It’s strange, but wasn’t the gallery manager who was killed last time also the one who ran the Taejong Memorial Hall or the art gallery?”
Captain Kim, who was standing next to him, intervened.
“I mean.”
Inspector Nam nodded with a serious expression.
“Excuse me… Who was the last person to see you?”
“Well. You stopped by here in the morning the other day and talked on the phone before leaving… Until then, I will be the last.”
“Do you know who you were talking to?”
“I don’t know how far.”
“Hmm, has the director ever worried about money or other personal issues?”
“Well. He never said anything about personal things. He was so reticent that I couldn’t even ask him first.”
“Okay. Anyway, thank you for your cooperation, and I hope you will spare some time next time.”
“Hey, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s not when I’m behind on work. By the way, the director also suffered like this, and I don’t know what to do now.”
“So you’re saying there’s no one else in charge of managing this gallery other than the director?”
“Yes. The only family I can contact is my son who is in the US… No one has the know-how to run a gallery.”
“Are you saying you have a son in America?”
“Yes. He has been to America for quite some time.”
“Do you know what your son is doing?”
“Well. Until there… I thought I was doing some kind of online business… “
“An online business?”
“Yes. I’ve seen him make international phone calls with his son a few times. It used to be pretty serious every time. So it is memorable.”
“Do you know your son’s name?”
“No! That’s it… Isn’t that something you’ll know right away?”
“It is. So, for now, we’ll just go for it. I have to attend the headquarters meeting. Thank you very much for your help today.”
“You’re welcome.”
Detective Kim took the lead and pushed through the gallery door. As the sun went down, the clouds in the sky were colored by the red sunset. A rather cool wind blew, scattering Captain Kim’s thinning hair.
“How is it? Did you notice anything suspicious?”
“That woman doesn’t seem to know anything. Anyway, that girl… “
Captain Nam stuttered.
“What is that woman?
Detective Kim stared at Captain Nam’s face and asked.
“The body and beauty are not normal. Not a model… “
“You must have thought so too. She’s so pretty A woman like that would never have been left alone by her men.”
“Could that manager Kim… “
“Huh, you and I can’t fool blood. I’d like to do a background check first. Dig into Kim’s relationship with the woman. When a man sees blood, it must be either money or woman!”
“But isn’t it very similar to the last incident? What does it smell like?”
“Hmm… Let’s say that.”
Captain Kim nodded his head repeatedly as if hypnotized.
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“Oh my god!”
Seung-ah, who was browsing the news on the Internet, widened his eyes.
“Why are you doing something?”
Kang Hyeon-jeong, a fellow stewardess who was drinking coffee next to her, asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“This… This man, like someone I knew… “
The page Seung-ah was searching for was an article about the murder of an art museum director. Hyeonjeong stood next to Seunga with a surprised expression on her face.
“How do you know someone? Did you go to the exhibition?”
“That’s not it… “
Seung-a couldn’t speak any more. His head tilted on its own.
“I think the person I know is right, but I could be wrong… “
Seung-a was burdened by Hyeon-jung’s gaze, so he blurted out his words.
“Why? What’s going on? Is this the guy you used to be friends with?”
Hyeonjeong asked, placing her hand on Seunga’s shoulder, who looked away.
“Oh no!”
When Hyeon-jeong asked her if she was a “Close friend,” Seung-a’s heart started pounding as if she had been caught by something.
“Oh! You’re a bit weird, boy. Even his face turns red… “
Hyeonjeong raised her voice as she stared at Seunga’s face.
“Because it’s nothing… “
Seung-ah jumped up from her seat and walked toward the cabinet with her back turned to Hyeon-jeong. Just like Hyeon-jung said, his face felt as if it was on fire, so he couldn’t sit in the chair any longer.
‘Kim Seo-bong, the second son of the late artist Kim Kwan-woo, who ran the Kwan-woo Art Museum, was found dead in his home on the 10th. According to the police… ‘
While Seung-a was away, Hyeon-jeong, who was reading the articles on the monitor, glanced at Seung-a from the back as she was taking out the cardigan she had left hanging with the cabinet door open.
Taut breasts that even a woman would like to see, a round peach-like hip line that looks good no matter what kind of skirt she wears, moderately fat thighs, and beautiful legs at the calves and ankles that are incredibly slim from coming down to the knees…
‘Kijibae! You must have had sex with this man! Deep down, a worn out bitch pretending to be proud! Wait and see! I’ll make you dirty so you can’t pretend to be noble again!’
The eyes of Hyeonjeong, a junior 〈junior〉 member of the same boarding unit as Seunga, began to blaze with jealousy.
