Moo Chi looked at the medical file in front of him. The realisation that someone was sabotaging this case took him by surprise.
He was thinking about all the channels he had to go through to get these medical files. Somewhere there was someone that didn't want him to get these files. Knowing his luck, probably someone high up on the hierarchy.
"What are you thinking?" Hong Ju asked.
"That I have to pester an intern somewhere." He said absentmindedly, Hong Ju just raised an eyebrow, used to Moo chi gathering his information in an unorthodox way.
"Just make sure you don't get suspended again." She warned him teasingly.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault." Moo Chi said indignantly.
"Sure it wasn't." Moo Chi shook his head, the banter cheering him up a bit
"Well, anyway, thanks for the help Hong Ju. I ought to treat you a drink."
"Ah, it's okay." She says, trying to brush off the offer.
"No seriously, how does tonight sound?" he tries again.
"I can't, I already have an appointment." She said, trying to not look him in the eye. Moo Chi's eyebrow rose. He shouldn't be surprised, not really.
He had refused her at first when she had offered to date. He should have expected her to move on. Still, he had to admit, it hurt him a bit. But he did not show it to her. He didn't deserve to show his hurt to her.
"Ah, well have fun then." He smiled teasingly and he went away, his heart filed with melancholy when she just let him go away.
Moo Chi returned the files back to the office, and quickly grabbed the warrant that showed he had the right to the medical history of both victims. He looked in his inbox, but the warrant for Jung Soo Jin hadn't come in yet. He could try to ask for it as well, but it was best that he obtained it through legal means. Otherwise some pesky lawyer could blab about reasonable doubt and police brutality and then the case would be tossed in the garbage and the killer could walk free.
Perhaps Ba Reum was at the hospital. Then he could ask him his mother's medical files.
He had just grabbed a sandwich, put it in his mouth and was putting his coat back on to leave when his chief called him in the office. He mumbled something back with his mouth full.
"What did you say?" the chief asked back. Moo Chi took the sandwich out of his mouth.
"I said I'm coming." Moo Chi said, still chewing the food.
"So what's this about." He said while throwing himself in the chair and finishing his food.
"It had come to my attention that you have to much work on your plate."
"What?"
"You are doing two serial killers at the same time. And not solving any. The higher ups want you to drop one of the two and give it to detective Lee."
"But, I'm almost there. I'll find the bastards who are doing this."
"This isn't a question. Now, you can choose which case and I'll transfer the files over to detective Lee." Moo Chi looked as if he wanted to object some more, but the chief gave him a look. He settled back in his chair. He knew that the higher ups gave his chief a hard time, and to be honest, if he didn't cooperate, they could pull him of the case completely.
Moo Chi leaned back in the chair, thinking about which one to give to detective Lee. On the hand he had a lead on the tie knot case, which he indeed hadn't been able to follow yet.
On the other hand, he just discovered that the womb stealer case had been sabotaged.
"I'll give up the case of the tie knot killer, for now." Moo Chi said.
"Moo Chi." The chief sighed.
"I mean it, if I solve my case first, then I can take back the tie knot case." He said. The chief looked at him with a slight despair in his face and then just waved him off.
Moo Chi quickly left the office, pretending that he didn't hear the muttered "trying to shorten my live span." From the chief.
He arrived at the hospital around noon, and when he went inside only one person was manning the front desk. She was still young and he didn't remember seeing her here earlier. Perfect.
"Excuse me miss, I'm looking for some medical files." He said, and showed her the warrant. She took it from his hands and looked it through.
"I'll have to check this with my supervisor." She said handing back the file to him.
"I don't have time for this miss." He started, silently apologizing in his head to her. "I already went through the official procedure twice and I didn't get the complete file. I will stay here until you give me the complete gynaecological dossier of the two victims."
"But detective, I really ought to check…" she started again.
"Do you see this warrant. It gives me the legal right to demand these files. Do you want more victims because I lost time arguing with you?" he asks, his voice getting louder and attracting some stares.
"But I really should."
"You should really stop wasting time and give me these files. Or I will have a talk with your supervisor, and with the prosecutor on this case. You do know that hindering a police officer in his job is a punishable offence." He glared at her.
"I, I'm sorry." She stuttered. "I'll give you the files now, just a moment please." She went to the terminal to the back and printed the demanded files.
"Here you go. That should be everything." She said, handing him two envelopes filled with the medical files, her hands shaking slightly.
"Thank you for your cooperation." He said, bowing to her and left her alone. He hated to intimidate hard working people, but sometimes when he wanted to skip some unnecessary steps, it had to be done.
He hoped that she wouldn't get in trouble for his behaviour.
He went to the cafeteria and ordered a coffee and went to study the files, curious about what it was that must be kept hidden from him. It didn't take long before he saw the connection. If they hadn't hidden the files, he probably wouldn't have noticed, but both woman were barren, unable to get children. And both went to the same gynaecologist.
That were the only things common.
He scratched the barren and circled the name of the doctor. Since Ba Reum's mom was a victim as well, it had to be the doctor. Otherwise it would not make any sense to hide away those files.
He quickly texted his findings to detective Sang, hoping that he could find something as well, making sure to tell him to get the gynaecological files of Jung Soo Jin the moment the warrant arrived. He hoped to get them sooner if he found Ba Reum.
He was a bit apprehensive that if he used the official channels, those files will be hidden away as well.
He looked at the clock and decided to check on Jung Soo Jin before he left. With some luck Ba Reum would be sitting with her and he would get the rest of the files easily, but when he arrived in the room, it was just Bong Yi who was sitting there.
"Hey Bong Yi." He said, when he saw her. She looked up from her smartphone and he greeted him back, all the time looking glum and miserable.
"Detective Ko."
"Do you know when Ba Reum will be here. I have something to ask him."
"I don't, he disappeared." She said, pouting a bit and tears filling her eyes.
"What do you mean disappeared?"
She told him about how he had run in here in a total panic and had a dead faint. And how he had disappeared in the middle of the night.
"And because he left a text message, the police told us they couldn't do anything because he's an adult and he can go wherever he wants."
"Well it's true what they said. Since Ba Reum told you not to worry with the text message, the police can't search for him. If he doesn't show up in a couple of days and you can't reach him, than you can report him missing." He said, trying to comfort Bong Yi, but the moment he said it, he knew it didn't sound good.
He saw Bong Yi opening her mouth, probably to reprimand him when his phone went. He immediately picked it up, happy for a change to get away from his current predicament.
"Detective Ko." It was Sang.
"Yes."
"The warrant for Jung Soo Jin came in and I asked for the medical files. I got a lady on the phone and once I mentioned I got a warrant she almost panicked and couldn't send me the files quick enough. I just received them through fax."
"And?" Moo Chi asked, guessing that Sang had been in contact with the receptionist he had intimidated earlier.
"Well, she doesn't go to the same doctor." Moo Chi sighed mentally crossing out the only connection that had been left.
"But she was barren, like the other victims."
"But, what about Ba Reum?" he asked confused.
"Apparently she adopted Ba Reum when he was about 10 years old."
"He's adopted?" he asked in surprise. It was not a common practice here.
"Yes, after his car accident he apparently got amnesia and there were no families that claimed him. She adopted him after he left the hospital."
"Aah, okay, good job." He finished the conversation and went back to Bong Yi, seeing the surprised look on her face.
"You mean to say that Ba Reum is adopted?" she asked him, just when the door opened and Chi Kook came in.
"What do you mean Ba Reum adopted?"
After Ba Reum had found out that Sung Yo Han had possible been followed as well, he wanted to check for sure if those people still followed him around. He knew a bit about Yo Han, he knew of course who Yo Han's father was, since when they went to the same high school.
But, was he indeed the head hunter's son? Because perhaps since Ba Reum's mother's DNA didn't match his, perpahs Yo Han's DNA didn't match his fathers?
That was something he would have to check.
For now, he decided that it was best to follow Yo Han around, just to make sure that the mysterious persons didn't still follow him around, if they were still following him around, he had to find out why. If they didn't follow him around, then he could try to make contact with Yo Han to ask him about these persons.
But there was always the change that he had never been followed at all. Perhaps he had just been searching attention, or he was paranoid? He would just have to see.
For now he drove back towards the hospital. He had searched the consultation hours of dr. Sung Yo Han on the internet and if he'd hurried, he could still be there before the end of his shift.
He parked his car in the parking lot with still 15 minutes to spare. Seeing that Yo Han was an ER doctor, he should not have left earlier. Ba Reum waited in his car, quickly ducking underneath his steering wheel when he saw Moo Chi leaving the hospital.
He wondered what he was doing there, but then he saw his target leave the hospital.
He made sure to follow the other's car from a discreet distance, making sure that if someone else was following them, to leave ample space.
After about a ten minute drive, Yo Han stopped in front a nice multiple storied house. Ba Reum parked a small distance away and took out his camera, angling the lens to the house, and making sure that the enlarger was up.
He scanned the surroundings, but he didn't see anyone suspicious here. When he saw Hong Ju embracing Yo Han inside his home he was surprised.
Did he knew who she was and how she connected to his father? Did she knew who's son he was?
He stayed there for a couple of hours, until all the lights were out in the house. Before he went home, he made sure to circle the neighbourhood a few times and to check every car that was parked near.
No one was there. So, on first sight Yo Han wasn't followed anymore.
After the third round, he decided that he had made sure enough. He was getting tired and it would still be a busy day tomorrow. He made sure to pass the school building and to retrieve his camera, so that he could check if any suspicious persons were on there.
It was almost midnight when he finally arrived home. He turned his discarded phone back on and saw that he had over a dozen missed calls and messages from his friends. He sighed, tossing the phone to the side and sinking in the sofa.
He rubbed his eyes.
He was exhausted. The long hours driving and the waiting and watching were taking a toll on him. The blinding headache that kept on following him around wasn't helping either.
He was just contemplating if he had the energy to drag himself to bed, or if he would just fall asleep on the sofa when somebody knocked on his door.
"Ba Reum, I know you're in there. Open the door!"