It had been two days since Lieutenant Kim and his team had found the evidence linked to Lee Jae-kyung’s case. Both the police agency as well as the prosecutor’s office were thrown in chaos as they investigated potential corruption within the police and reviewed the report of Lee Jae-kyung’s case. Working together with Lieutenant Kim’s team, leading prosecutor, Prosecutor Kang In-woo, held a press conference revealing that they have found compelling evidence…

“It is with regret, that we inform the public that there had been foul play within the police agency regarding not only Lee Jae-kyung’s case, but with many other cases over the years. After 20 years, we have finally found compelling evidence that points to Chairman Cha Min-woo of GK Group as a prime suspect for the first-degree murder of Lee Jae-kyung. We have issued a warrant for Chairman Cha to be questioned. We, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, swear to the people of...”

The Commissioner General banged his fists on his desk as he glared at the television screen, turning it off in disdain. Even after he had personally requested to not have the team reopen that case, Superintendent Lee, disregarded his plea?! That idiot!, thought the Commissioner General as he wrung his hands, anxious and panicked. He had done everything and anything to get to the position he was in now… and he was on the verge of losing it all.

All of a sudden, a piercing ringing of a phone came from one of his desk drawers. With a shaky breath, he took out a small key from his wallet and unlocked one of the drawers that was attached to his wooden office desk. With a trembling hand, he reached inside and took out the burner phone that was ringing shrilly. He gulped as he answered the phone.

“Ch-Chairman Cha—”

“You idiotic bastard!!! I told you to make sure they never reopen that case!” roared the Chairman of GK Group.

“I—I apologize! I tried to stop them from investigating, but that bastard didn’t listen to me! W-What should we do now?” the Commissioner General asked panicked, as he tried to keep his voice low as possible.

“What is this about compelling evidence?! Didn’t you tell me you thew away the porcelain vase and wiped away the hammer that was used?! You fucking idiot! Are you out to ruin not only me but the rest of Korea?!” he shrieked.

“I-I-“

“Ha… You best figure this out… Unless you don’t want to be in that position anymore…?!” Chairman asked, threateningly. The Commissioner General gulped. He knew that if he crossed the conglomerate’s Chairman, he was for sure going to lose everything in a blink of an eye.

“Contact Congressman Park and ask him to meet you. I already talked to him about it, so get me out of this mess!” Chairman Cha yelled as he hung up the phone.

The Commissioner General shakily hung up as he wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead. He got up from his seat and started to pace around his office. Anxious of not wanting to cross the Chairman, he began to nibble on his fingers. He paused abruptly as he remembered what happened that night 20 years ago…

20 Years Ago, on July 31, 200*

The Commissioner General had been a mere detective for over 10 years with no sign of receiving a promotion. He was desperate to do anything to get a promotion and move up the ranks. His wife had threatened him that she would file for divorce—as he was never home due to his job. He was on the verge of giving up hope when he met the then CEO Cha at a social function a few months prior. To get into GK Group’s good graces, the troubled detective had listened to Cha Min-woo’s every whim. It was well-known that GK Group influenced much of the politics in Korea, it wouldn’t hurt to be their lackey, right?

He had been on duty when he received a phone call from the CEO. Cha Min-woo instructed the veteran detective to go up to Sokcho, a beach city northeast of Seoul in Gangwon-do province, and retrieve the murder weapon that was used and erase any trace of him and his secretary at the scene. The lowly detective had protested, saying that it went against his moral values. Cha Min-woo scoffed, reminding him that he had been doing immoral things for quite some time now. He offered the detective an offer he couldn’t resist—if the detective completed this task, he would make him a lieutenant within a month.

The desperate detective contemplated what he should do before he headed up to Sokcho—choosing to take the path that would lead him to ‘greatness’. He quickly made his way down to the vacation villa and found the dead woman, a hammer laid beside her lifeless body. The detective gagged a little as he looked away, disgusted. He grimaced as he tried not to slip and slide as he had on disposable shoe covers to hide his tracks. He reached for the hammer, wiping it down thoroughly before putting it in the garden shed. He returned to the villa and reached down, picking up the shards of porcelain, careful to not cut the gloves he was wearing. He placed them into the evidence bag that he had brought with him. With a sigh, the detective stretched, his muscles sore from squatting down and picking up the tiny pieces of porcelain he found in the living room. The detective grabbed a nearby broom and cleaned the area up, making sure to get rid of any dirt and other shards of porcelain he may not have found.

Satisfied with his work, he set down the broom where he found it and lightly walked away from the house before turning to have one last look at the place. He smiled, triumphant that he will now be able to prove his worth. Little did he know that the evidence he had taken that day from the villa would eventually be found years later in the unused storage room he had stashed it in….

~~~

“Damnit…! No one can ever find out… I can’t be taken down like this…! If I fail...” he didn’t want to finish that sentence.

The Commissioner looked at the blank TV screen, his clenched fists trembling against his desk. He couldn’t risk letting the Chairman be indicted for murder… He sighed as he leaned against his desk. The case of Lee Jae-kyung should have been closed forever, yet with the new legislation, any first-degree murder case was now free of any statute of limitations. The Commissioner General clenched his teeth as he called Congressman Park. He was going to make sure the truth of that night, 20 years ago, would remain a secret forever.

**NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**