The next morning Jin Ho, Min Ji, and I went to investigate the witness and the first responders. We reached Gyeonggi-do at around 11 am and went straight to the police station to enquire about the case. When we entered the police station, the officer-in-charge of the case, welcomed us with a small smile on his face. He was short and bald, falling in the age range of the 50s. He took us to his cabin for the inquiry.
"Hello, my name is Jung Ji Hoon, and I am the one in charge of the case. So how can I help you?" he asked as he bowed to us and gestured us to sit on the three-seater couch adjacent to his single couch.
"Yesterday this case was handed over to us and when we looked into the case, we couldn't locate any solid evidence. Is there any chance that you missed any evidence? Or do you have a hunch that this is not the primary crime scene?" I asked him as I brought myself a bit forward.
"I am sorry, but we did a thorough search of the crime scene and we couldn't find more evidence than what we have attached with the case. And yes, we did have a hunch that this might not be the primary crime scene, but if that's the case then the killer must have some means of transport to bring the body to this particular place, which was non-existent in this case" he told while I felt more frustrated with this case.
"Can we talk to the first responder of this case?" Jin Ho asked as he held a mini tab and pen in his right hand.
"Umm…please don't tell this to anyone, but he has time-traveled to the crime scene, just before the witness saw the body" he whispered to us with a nervous tone.
"Oh my god! That is illegal. As police officials, we aren't supposed to use Time travel for work purposes. How can you allow him to do that? What if he messes something up? Who is going to take responsibility?" I shouted as my anger levels shot up at this stupid act of the officer.
"I am so sorry; he is new to the job and wanted to prove that he can do well. I did warn him of the repercussions and the rules, but he paid no heed and was determined to catch the killer" he told with an ashamed face and hung his head down.
"Tch, what a dumb reason. You can't even handle and put an officer, lower in rank, at his place, what kind of officer are you? Please don't give such lame excuses, because you will be the one responsible for his acts. Once he comes back, I want him to report to me, some serious action needs to be taken on him" I told and got up from the couch and stormed out of the office with Jin Ho and Min Ji on my trail.
As we came outside of the building, Min Ji's phone rang, which she immediately picked up. She was nodding her head and told that she will be right there along with the others and cut the call.
"Soo Min, the forensic reports are out and our presence is needed there," she told us as we quickly walked to the car to go back to Seoul.
$
By the time we came back to Seoul, it was three pm, and we had to stop by in between to have our lunch. We reached the Forensic laboratory and entered the glass building which invited us with cold air hitting our faces. We walked to the elevator which took us to the fifth floor and once the doors opened, we could see pristine white hallways with glass doors on either side of the hallway, with labels reading different utilities of the room. We reached the last room which read office, where a young lady in her early 30s, was sitting in her chair and looking intently at her computer screen.
"Oh hello, I am the assistant of Miss Park Min Young, and my name is Kang So Min. Since ma'am is busy with a meeting, she asked me to brief you guys. Please take your seats."
She said and sat down in her chair while we sat down in the chairs in front of the table. She was collecting a file from the rack behind her and turned towards us with a polite smile.
"So, these are the reports of the unidentified victim. The DNA extraction was not possible because the strands were too faint due to the burnt bones. We received the fibers found from the body, which were assumed to be a type of rope. We analyzed the residues and found out that it is nylon rope. We ran a check for the shoeprint on our database, but we didn't get any results. You can probably check with shops selling customized shoes. So that's all the report is about" she said and closed the file and looked at us for any questions we had.
"Thank you for explaining to us. As of now we don't have any questions, but later if we have, we will contact you" I said and got up along with the others.
"Sure, do call me if you have any questions," she said and smiled politely at us.
We walked out of the room and went to the elevator. Once we got into the elevator, Min Ji looked at me with a worried face.
"I thought once these reports are out, we will be able to move this case to the next step, but now we are left with nothing considerable."
"Don't worry Min Ji, we will be able to get a lead soon. We still have the autopsy results left and we also need to contact the person who reported the crime" Jin Ho said as we arrived at the ground floor.
"Min Ji, assign a team to work on the shoeprint," I said as she nodded at me.
We went out of the building towards the parking area where we got into our car and drove off to the Forensic Laboratory premises.
"Jin Ho, I need you to contact the man who reported the crime and enquire about the case," I said as I was looking at the reports in my hand.
"Consider it done," he told me as he drove off to drop me at home.
$
Once Jin Ho and Min Ji dropped me off at my home, I climbed up the stairs and opened the door tiredly, and put my keys on top of the counter. Since I live alone, my house is a mess, with no time for cleaning. I have been busy with cases for months. I put away the clothes scattered on the couch in the laundry bin and went to my bedroom and switched on the lights. I went and had a refreshing bath in hot water as it soothed my sore muscles. Once I came out, I saw the photo frame of my parents and me with happy smiles on our faces.
I miss them so much and the only thing that keeps me sane enough at this point is the Time watch. When it was introduced, I refused to buy it. But the need to see my parents was stronger than my stubbornness to buy this watch.
Hence, I bought the watch just so I can see my parents by going to the past whenever I miss them. I sat on my bed and put on the watch and selected the time, year, and place where the photo was clicked.
I closed my eyes and opened and found myself in a beautiful garden with a fountain in the center and cherry blossom trees decorating the borders of the garden. I saw my parents and myself sitting on a picnic blanket with a basket of slices of bread and a basket of strawberries to eat. My father was feeding my mother strawberries while I was eating the bread and giggling at my parents being lovey-dovey. Automatically a smile formed on my face when I saw that happy picture in front of me.
June 2050 was the last time I saw my father, Cho Hyun Shik, he was killed by a wanted serial killer, who my father was supposed to catch. My father was a detective and it was his first high-profile case back then. My mother, Cho Chae Min, who worked in a bank, two weeks after his death, experienced sudden death, due to an illness. With no one to take care of me, a ten-year-old child, my father's childhood friend, and a doctor, Jeon Young Jae, took me into his care and treated me as his daughter. I stayed with him in Busan till I finished my schooling. For my University, I came to Seoul and since then I have been staying in Seoul.
Occasionally I would visit him or talk to him on the phone, he was the 'father figure' I missed having in my life.
I typed in the time, year and place and came back to the present. I took a deep breath and kept the watch in its place. As I lied down on the bed and closed my eyes, my phone rang, the caller ID showing Jin Ho's name. I picked up his phone and muttered a hello.
"Soo Min, sorry for disturbing you. I just wanted to inform you that the autopsy report has been sent to your mail. Just go through it and if you have any questions the medical examiner asked us to visit him tomorrow."
"Okay then. I will check it out. Good night" I said and cut the call to check my mail for the autopsy report. I downloaded the file and opened it to read the contents.
'No injuries discovered on the bones; age and sex have been determined to be male and belong to the age group of 40 and 55. The victim was dead when he was burnt. No blunt injuries or trauma was discovered in the body. No toxic substances found.'
I switched off my phone and sighed at the emerging headache. I switched off the table lamp and made myself comfortable and fell into sleep instantly.
I was woken up harshly by the shrill ringtone of my phone. Shit! I forgot to put my phone on silent, I thought to myself and switched on the table lamp. It was early morning as the birds chirped outside. I squinted my eyes at the sudden brightness and looked at the caller ID, it was Jin Ho. Why is he calling now, I mumbled to myself as I looked at the time and it read five am. I picked up the phone and mumbled a hello in my hoarse and sleepy voice. Before I could ask what happened he said something that made me fully awake and alert. I immediately put my phone down and rushed to get ready to give a visit to the second victim.