At Do Chae-hee’s words, Kim Yong-won brought all the team members and swept the scene.
The Awakener Crimes Department team that came to the scene was only five, including Do Chae-hee.
Of course, it was difficult to control the scene, but the people who had shrunk under Do Chae-hee’s fierce gaze quietly moved according to her orders.
Evidence was collected meticulously, and victims were rescued. Ambulances were even called in for those in poor condition.
The area near the research institute, which had been quiet, instantly became bustling with the crowd that rushed in.
Kim Yong-won raised his voice there.
“Everyone! Please follow the control! Come out slowly! Ah, please be careful!”
The number of people trapped in the basement of Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals alone was dozens. Among them, as N had said, there were also ‘awakeners’. Far from being a threat to people, they looked haggard as if they had been thoroughly ground down here, but there was still room to apply the Special Law on Awakeners.
Park Cheol-wan arrived with a pale face just after Do Chae-hee had meticulously collected all the evidence and isolated all the victims.
“You, what kind of trouble have you caused?”
“I didn’t cause trouble, I solved it.”
Despite Park Cheol-wan’s questioning, Do Chae-hee held her head high proudly.
This might be a big incident if it’s called an incident, but isn’t it a good incident? Shouldn’t she be praised?
Her mind was still complicated. The words she had heard from N were shaking her mind. Was Park Cheol-wan really one of them?
While forcefully suppressing the doubts rising from within, Do Chae-hee said to Park Cheol-wan:
“How did you come here? I was going to submit it as a report later.”
“How could I not come when there’s such an incident? How could you do such a thing without reporting…”
“It was an operation that was only possible alone.”
If she had reported as Park Cheol-wan said, it would have given them time to prepare. It would have been the same if she had come with people.
Such results were possible because she had rummaged through this place alone without giving them time to prepare.
“Isn’t it fine if the results are good?”
“The results are good? Do you not know what you’ve really done? You recklessly stirring up this place won’t just end with disciplinary action. Why on earth did you bring up the Special Law on Awakeners? Why did the Awakener Crimes Department dispatch here in the first place?”
Strictly speaking, the Special Law on Awakeners applied when the perpetrator was an awakener. The people who could be called perpetrators here were all non-awakeners. People like the researchers or the operators of this place.
“Well, I thought it was an awakener exploiting and tormenting people down there. Besides, there were awakeners at the scene, so it wasn’t a complete lie.”
Do Chae-hee spewed out lies without even wetting her lips.
“But thanks to that, we found out the reality of Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals.”
The condition of the people trapped underground was certainly not good. There were several showing symptoms of mana addiction, and traces of experimentation were even found on some.
Though the details would have to be investigated further, as N had said, what was happening at this Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals was certainly inhumane. They must have violated dozens of laws.
It turned out that Korea’s top pharmaceutical company was actually committing such horrible acts behind the scenes.
It was truly an incident that could turn Korea upside down, but Park Cheol-wan’s face showed only anxiety rather than satisfaction at uncovering such a thing.
“Aren’t you happy?”
“What?”
“I asked if you’re not happy that we caught bad guys.”
At Do Chae-hee’s words, Park Cheol-wan’s expression froze like ice.
Only then did Do Chae-hee admit.
That Park Cheol-wan might not be as good a person as she thought.
“Director.”
“What.”
“Let’s break this case properly.”
“Break what?”
“It’s too late to cover it up.”
“Ha.”
“I won’t let you cover it up either.”
“What?”
Park Cheol-wan’s face hardened at the hostility felt in Do Chae-hee’s words.
There were already many witnesses. Team 1 led by Do Chae-hee, and the related personnel. Park Cheol-wan probably doesn’t know, but the scene of Do Chae-hee raiding that place was live-streamed to N. Even if Do Chae-hee tries to bury it, they will break it from that side. This case can no longer be covered up.
More precisely, no one will let this case be covered up.
“Was not announcing to the world what happened at the orphanage last time really for the sake of people?”
That if such things leak out, everyone will fall into confusion. So we should stay quiet.
That’s what Park Cheol-wan told Do Chae-hee when that incident broke out.
All people knew about the orphanage was that a disappearance incident occurred at that orphanage.
Everything about the human modifications and kidnapping incidents happening inside was kept secret. Only those who knew knew, that information was strictly confidential to the public.
Do Chae-hee believed those words saying they were controlling information to prevent public confusion.
At that time, she believed.
But now she understands.
That hiding the information might have been to protect the real culprits hiding behind.
“It was the same with the Kang Yi-sin case. Even though there were people who led the illegal mining, we didn’t pursue them. Even if people died at the scene, they were just underlings. There must have been people who wanted to develop that Gate, but…”
There was no mention of pursuing their trail.
Sensational photos and reports were immediately followed by Han Jo-hee’s murder case. And the public wanted notice that flowed like water.
While dealing with the flood of reports, the aftermath was soon forgotten.
Like a dog chasing after the truck in front of it. They couldn’t chase after what was really important.
Like a racehorse with blinders on, they were running without any doubt only on the path laid before them.
N’s words were right.
Park Cheol-wan wasn’t as good a person as she thought, and Do Chae-hee was stupid.
“Why are you trying to cover everything up? For whose sake?”
Do Chae-hee asked him with a devastated heart.
Park Cheol-wan had been the support that allowed her, who had lost all her family, to endure until now. He was her most reliable guardian and her most trustworthy superior.
Today, his face looked so different. A face she had seen several times a day, yet it felt unfamiliar as if she didn’t know him.
“Calm down first. You’re excited now. You’re saying anything because you’re excited.”
Park Cheol-wan, who rubbed his face, put his hand on Do Chae-hee’s shoulder. It seemed he thought calming Do Chae-hee down was the priority.
“Alright, alright. It’s pitiful, all those people trapped here. You did well, it’s a good thing. But there are processes and procedures in worldly affairs, aren’t there? How can you come out like this, throwing all that away? And those words too. Those are all concluded cases and…”
But those words from Park Cheol-wan stimulated Do Chae-hee once again.
“Concluded cases? Processes and procedures? Who are those processes and procedures for in the first place? Who’s talking about processes and procedures while the victims are trapped here? The one operating this place is Assemblyman Kim Seong-deuk, right? A member of the National Assembly who should make and uphold laws committed such acts. The law is on their side and…”
“Do Chae-hee!”
Park Cheol-wan shouted.
“Stop it. There are things you can say and things you can’t.”
Park Cheol-wan, feeling Do Chae-hee’s gaze, lowered his voice and whispered.
“Let’s talk later first.”
As he said that and moved forward, turning his back on her, Do Chae-hee grabbed him. While firmly gripping his wrist, Do Chae-hee said:
“Promise me that you’ll handle this matter for sure.”
Please.
I’ll trust you one last time, so please don’t show a disappointing side.
Don’t make me betray you, considering the time we’ve spent together.
Do Chae-hee pleaded with him, putting all her heart into it.
“If you don’t do it, I’ll do it somehow. I’ll make sure the bad guys pay for their crimes. So please, handle this matter properly just this once.”
Park Cheol-wan, who was looking at Do Chae-hee with a complicated expression, just turned his head away.
* * *
Though Do Chae-hee spoke confidently, in reality, the investigation was difficult from the start. Despite Do Chae-hee’s pleas, Park Cheol-wan didn’t help her at all. Should she be grateful that he wasn’t hindering her?
Do Chae-hee bit her lip.
She succeeded in cornering Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals with the evidence brought from raiding the scene, but failed to implicate Assemblyman Kim Seong-deuk.
To begin with, he had long since stepped down from the chairman position of Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals, so what did it have to do with him, he said. On top of that, cutting off the tail by saying all this happened due to the excessive loyalty of the field workers.
From the start, it was nearly impossible to bring in a sitting member of the National Assembly like him.
Immunity from arrest.
Without the consent of the National Assembly, it was impossible to even arrest Assemblyman Kim Seong-deuk.
Even a reference investigation could be refused if Assemblyman Kim Seong-deuk didn’t comply.
“It’s clear that Assemblyman Kim Seong-deuk is behind all these actions!”
Evidence ‘illegally’ collected by N cannot be submitted.
The cards Do Chae-hee could use were too limited.
She wanted to include the Bomnal Orphanage incident too, but that side wasn’t even accepted due to insufficient evidence.
Public opinion was favorable towards the Awakener Crimes Department, but the person in charge of this case was not on Do Chae-hee and the Awakener Crimes Department’s side.
Not only did they flatly state that evidence swept up by barging in without proper investigation couldn’t be considered proper evidence, but they even attacked Do Chae-hee who brought this case.
The fact that Do Chae-hee wasn’t indicted was thanks to the Special Law on Awakeners.
Still, Do Chae-hee didn’t give up.
Now that she could finally accomplish something properly, she didn’t want to back down just because she faced a few obstacles.
Still, there was hope.
There were witnesses who could directly testify about this incident. If just a few of those witnesses properly opened their mouths, they could properly overturn Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals.
If clear evidence came out that Assemblyman Kim Seong-deuk was involved, even the National Assembly would have to stop defending him.
But the witnesses were not cooperative at all.
“Ah, this? This is a wound I got from my own mistake.”
“There were no experiments.”
“Nothing happened at all!”
They didn’t have this attitude just a few days ago.
Whatever happened in that short time, everyone was completely terrified.
“Are you afraid of retaliation?”
People gave no answer to Do Chae-hee’s question.
If it were her from before, she would have said she would protect them so they should speak up. But now she knows. She has no right to rashly say she’ll protect these people.
She had already lost a witness before.
‘Han Jo-hee…’
Whether it was Kang Yi-sin who murdered him, or a third party. Do Chae-hee couldn’t protect him.
Despite involving Korea’s top pharmaceutical company, the media was strangely quiet.
It was as N said. The media and capital have already become one.
On social media and internet communities, opinions were floating around that those responsible at Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals should be found and severely punished, but on TV or portal sites, not even the letter ‘H’ of Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals could be found.
Instead, what the media covered were gossip topics like drugs, adultery, and dating rumors. Scandals full of someone’s intention to divert the public’s attention burst one after another.
With sensational articles pouring out every day, the Hyeonmu Pharmaceuticals incident gradually faded from public interest.
As soon as public interest cooled, they showed their true colors. Assemblyman Kim Seong-deuk slipped away from this incident without even being indicted. The only person mentioned as responsible for this incident was just one researcher who had risen to the position of ‘research team leader’.
The rest of the people all had their tails cut off.
To think all this was led by just a team leader level person! Do Chae-hee shouted that there must be something behind this, but everyone said the same thing.
‘There’s no evidence.’
The numerous pieces of evidence Do Chae-hee had collected were all not adopted for various reasons. Because there was a high possibility of contamination in the evidence collection process, because the subject indicated in the documents was not clear, because responsibility could not be clearly determined.
There were many reasons, but the result was one.
That the real bad guys involved in this incident couldn’t be punished.
If no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t put the real bad guys behind bars.
“What on earth am I supposed to do?”
Do Chae-hee bit her lip.