IMTS 21

Chapter 21

Cheonga puckered her lips and went on.

“I’m telling you, some huge organization is wiretapping me! You’re not actually thinking I’m crazy, are you?”

Ingyu burst out laughing without even trying to hold it in. Cheonga laughed along with him.

“And do you have any proof?”

Cheonga stroked her stomach and answered in a deflated voice.

“…Not yet.”

“Hey. If there’s no proof, then nothing’s happening.”

“Tch.”

It wasn’t that it hadn’t happened—it was just that nothing had come out yet.

But if she said that, she’d also have to confess that she hadn’t been able to go to the bathroom for days, so Cheonga kept her mouth shut.

“Anyway, I need a little time. Help me out, hyung. You’re the only person I can really trust.”

At the sudden confession, Park Ingyu froze. Then he grinned and glanced sideways at her.

“Yeah. If I don’t look out for you, who will?”

“I can take care of myself just fine, you know?”

“……”

“Just help me a little.”

While they were talking, Ingyu’s car came to a stop.

They had arrived at a parking lot in a building located at Yongseon Intersection.

Cheonga followed Ingyu with a casual shuffle toward their investigation site. Then she stopped in front of a large building and looked up.

PC POP PC Café

A massive sign blazed in the middle of the street, almost stabbing her eyes even in broad daylight. With both hands shoved into her pockets, Cheonga stared up at it blankly.

—…C-Pop… PC café… find Luna, Luna…

A tiny voice she had once overheard in a hospital hallway, her ear pressed to the doctors’ office door, began replaying automatically in her head.

The surrounding noise faded. Even Park Ingyu calling her name sounded distant.

All that filled her mind was the PC Pop PC Café sign and Yang Dongjun’s voice, whispering as if sobbing.

“Hey.”

The sudden shove to her shoulder startled her, and she snapped her head around.

“What are you doing, spacing out? I called you like five times. You didn’t hear me at all.”

“Hyung. That.”

Ingyu followed her gaze to the sign.

“Oh. Right. Yeah. This is where we’re canvassing today.”

By then, Cheonga’s eyes had already drifted toward the PC café entrance leading underground. A part-time job recruitment flyer was taped to the door.

Staring at it intently, Cheonga spoke.

“Hyung, that interview you mentioned… is it a serious case?”

“No. Not a major one. Drunken behavior at night, group assault. Still, we need to investigate properly.”

“Then let’s split up and canvass separately.”

Caught off guard, Ingyu replied in confusion.

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

But before he could finish his sentence, Cheonga had already flung the door open and started hurrying down the stairs.

In one hand, she was tearing off the recruitment flyer.

Suppressing her pounding heart as best she could, Cheonga ran down the stairs and stepped into the PC café.

PC Pop PC Café.

Yang Dongjun’s voice, faintly heard through the closed door of the doctors’ office.

The “C-Pop PC room” he had mentioned had to be this place.

This was where drug users from all over the country gathered after passing through Boksan University Hospital.

That was what her instincts were screaming.

Which meant she had to see it with her own eyes—right now.

Cheonga slowly swept her gaze around the interior.

At a glance, it was huge. At least 430 square meters. No—maybe 500, or even more.

She appeared to be standing at the main entrance with the counter, but far off in the distance there was another entrance with a smaller counter as well.

What made no sense was that, despite its size, there weren’t many customers.

With a place this big, wouldn’t they be running at a loss? Are they really hiring?

Still, she didn’t have time to hesitate.

After scanning the café once more, Cheonga walked right up to the counter and called out loudly.

“Hello! I heard you’re hiring, so I came to apply!”

A woman who had been sitting with her back to the register slowly stood up and turned toward Cheonga. Soft yellow light from above fell across her face.

“……”

She wore a form-fitting, Chinese-style dress that showed off her figure. Her glossy hair framed a face with long, alluring eyelashes, a sharp nose bridge, full red lips, and a gentle jawline.

She looked completely out of place in a PC café.

Cheonga stared at her with her mouth hanging open.

She was so stunning it was hard to guess her age, but probably in her thirties. No—definitely her forties.

Cheonga’s instincts had never been wrong about things like this.

The woman met Cheonga’s gaze directly. Then she lifted a long finger to her lips and hummed softly.

Her bright nail art glittered under the lights.

Cheonga was still staring when the PC café door opened once again.

Park Ingyu walked in and looked back and forth between Cheonga and the woman.

Waving his hand sharply, he signaled Cheonga to step away from the counter. Then he approached and pulled out his police ID.

“Excuse me. I’m Detective Park Ingyu from Jungbu Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit Two. I’m here to ask a few questions regarding the assault that occurred in front of this place last night. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”

The woman stared at his ID in silence for a long moment. Then she turned her head and looked at Cheonga.

With a bright smile, she suddenly grabbed Cheonga’s hand.

“This one here? She’s our part-timer. I don’t come in very often. Would you like to talk to her instead?”

“…?”

She told the lie calmly, without the slightest hesitation.

Cheonga’s flustered eyes met Ingyu’s equally stunned gaze.

“You know the night manager’s phone number is at the counter, right? Go ahead and give it to him.”

At that, Cheonga immediately understood.

It didn’t seem like she was trying to avoid the investigation. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have suggested contacting the night manager.

She probably just didn’t want to deal with the police directly.

Swallowing hard, Cheonga spoke.

“H-Hello, D-Detective Park Ingyu? I-I’m the part-timer, Park Bokseon. I can give you the night manager’s number?”

“……”

Ingyu’s temple twitched.

He was clearly holding back something he wanted to say, but Cheonga deliberately ignored it.

Right now, she had to play along with the owner.

This was no different from a job interview.

The woman, either oblivious to the tension or pretending not to notice, smiled brightly and stepped out from behind the counter. Her silk dress and long hair fluttered as she walked.

As she passed, she gently rested a hand on Cheonga’s shoulder.

“Bokseon-ssi.”

“…Y-Yes? Yes!”

“After you’re done talking, come help me out in the kitchen in the back, okay? And Detective, thank you for your hard work.”

With that, she walked away as if there was nothing more to discuss, disappearing quickly down the hallway behind the counter.

Left behind, Cheonga had no choice but to endure Park Ingyu’s fierce glare.

But she didn’t have time to explain. The owner might be watching them on CCTV.

Cheonga plastered on a cheerful smile and scurried behind the counter.

“Y-Yes, Detective. You’re doing… canvassing, right? The night manager’s number is… um… where was it… hehe.”

“……”

After rummaging around for a while, she finally found a list of employee phone numbers tucked away deep inside.

Acting nonchalant, Cheonga picked up the phone on the counter and dialed the night manager’s number.

“Hello?”

A strangely familiar voice came through the receiver.

“H-Hello, Manager? This is Bokseon.”

“…Who?”

The man repeated the name, then fell silent.

That was understandable. A stranger calling him by name like that would catch anyone off guard.

“Well, um, a detective came by saying he needs to check something. Something happened in front of the shop last night, apparently. The owner told me to ask you.”

“….”

“Just a moment! I’ll hand you the phone!”

Forcing the corners of her mouth up, Cheonga thrust the receiver toward Ingyu.

“Haaah…”

With a long sigh, Park Ingyu snatched the phone from her hand.