A Silent War
A Silent War
"Excuse me-" Gayoon began, trying to catch the attention of a passing nurse but she brushed by her.
Calm down, Gayoon chanted to herself. She debated whether to come back later but the more she delayed, the more evidence they would lose. As if answering her prayers, the speakers at the lobby began to echo.
"Dr. Kang Danny," the speakers boomed. "Please come to the ICU on level 4. Dr. Kang Danny, please come to the ICU on level 4."
Upon listening to the announcement, Gayoon rushed towards the fourth floor. She saw Danny running towards the emergency room but she did not stop him since there was a patient to attend to. Instead, she calmly waited outside the emergency room.
"Have you heard about Choi Hyeri's suicide?" one of the nurses behind the counter was asking her colleague.
"Hyeri?" the other nurse frowned. "Didn't she leave the hospital nine years ago?"
That piece of information caught Gayoon's interest. Nine years ago?
"Yes, but after leaving this place, she shifted to one of the rundown apartments at G-Town," the first nurse explained. "One of my relatives used to be her neighbor. Apparently, Choi Hyeri also had a son but one day, he was sent off somewhere. It was a few months back. The boy was not seen since then. But soon after the boy left, Choi Hyeri committed suicide."
Suicide? Gayoon froze on her spot. Who is this Choi Hyeri and why did she kill herself?
"Poor girl," the nurse sighed. "She was so hardworking. If only the hospital's CEO hadn't seduced her. She was young and naive. Falling for his words like that."
"But he seduced her even though he was married," the other nurse countered. "That man is trash but a damn good doctor. If only he was not such a rotten human being. And that son of his is turning out to be like him. Arrogant and selfish. I feel sorry for madam. She's so nice but has to deal with these two."
The first nurse was about to say something but noticed Gayoon staring at them.
"May I help you with something?" the nurse asked politely. Before Gayoon could question them, the emergency door opened and Danny came out. He noticed a familiar face.
"Ms. Jeon?" he asked. Gayoon turned to face him and slightly nodded.
"Hello, Dr. Kang," she greeted.
"What brings you here?"
"I was hoping to talk to you regarding a case I'm handling," she stated. "I know you're busy but it's a police procedure."
Danny studied the woman in front of him. After dinner with the Hwang's, he had his men dig into their background more, especially of the Detective. She had grown up in a modest family and at eighteen, for some reason, signed up for a surrogacy. It turned out that the child she had given birth to was Hwang Minho's daughter and they were currently cohabiting together.
Hwang Minho is probably playing around with this woman, he thought. The detective was not bad looking and if she was a virgin, he could have tried to seduce her. Too bad he liked his women pure and innocent because it made the hunt even better.
"How can I help you, Ms. Jeon?" he asked in a cool tone.
"Can we talk in your office?" Gayoon suggested. Danny nodded and led her to his office on the fifth floor. Once inside he took off his white coat and settled on his chair while Gayoon took the seat opposite to him.
"So, what is this about?" Danny asked, putting on a smile.
Gayoon took out a picture of the sack in which Danny was kept in. "This sack," she began. "It belongs to your hospital, am I correct?"
Danny glanced at the picture and replied, "Yes. It has our logo and name. The sack is used by our staff only and cannot be used outside of this hospital. Where did you get this?"
She did not answer but took out another photograph. Taking a deep breath, she pushed it in front of him. Danny took the photo and was shocked. But he did not let his feelings show up on his face.
It was the picture of Shinho's dead body. Danny feigned ignorance, pretending not to know the child.
"Who is this?" he asked in a cool tone.
"That's what we want to know," Gayoon said. "Who is this? His body was found in front of our police station, packed in this sack."
That surprised Danny. He had buried the brat in the snow! Then how did his body end up in front of a police station? That was impossible!
"Someone had buried the child but somehow, he was found and dumped by an anonymous person right in front of our precinct," Gayoon explained. "And since he was wrapped in the sack belonging to your hospital, we want to know what is his connection to this place. Was he a patient? Or related to someone in this hospital?"
Danny was calm and composed but his mind was in a panic. He quickly thought of the possibilities and how to cover his tracks.
"I've never seen this boy," he lied smoothly. "Then again, I have treated thousands of patients. Surely, I cannot remember all of them, right?"
"And yet, a staff of yours managed to sneak out this exclusive sack from your hospital," Gayoon argued. "And dumped this boy in a grave."
"Anyone could have the sack," Danny argued.
"But you just said that the sacks cannot be taken out of the hospital," Gayoon pointed out. "Surely, there's a registry which accounts for all the materials leaving this place?"
"There are over five hundred staff working here," Danny stated. "The registry might have the names but how will you determine who took the sack? Many employees take the old and useless sacks for their use. Sometimes, they even give these away to their friends or family. Who knows how many hands the sack may have changed? It seems to be a mere coincidence."
Gayoon raised her eyebrow. Her years of experience in dealing with criminals taught her that if a person is innocent, they would not go out of their way to explain their arguments. They would simply stick to short and crisp answers. Only the ones who had a lot to hide would give long explanations.
And Kang Danny was keen on giving long explanations.
"Over the next few days, I will be questioning all your staff," she said in a firm tone. "No one is allowed to leave town. Not even you. And I also want to know what you were doing three nights ago."
"I had a night long surgery," Danny claimed. "You can check the CCTV footage."
"I will," Gayoon said in a calm tone. She leaned forward and added, "You're a pediatrician, right? Don't you think it's cruel that a boy this young was unjustly killed by someone?"
"I have no comments on that," Danny said curtly.
"Strange," Gayoon noted. "You're a doctor who saves lives and also a parent. Yet, the fact that a child's murder might be possibly linked to your hospital doesn't even faze you. How strange."
"As I said," Danny gritted. "I have thousands of patients to deal with! I can't remember everyone. Even if this kid was here, I won't remember him."
"You don't have to remember him, Dr. Kang," Gayoon gently shot back. "A little empathy is all that he needed."
There was a silent war brewing between them as they locked their eyes. Gayoon was calm but she could see the anger brewing in Danny's eyes as if he would kill her with his gaze.
"I'll take my leave, Dr. Kang," she replied. "You better hope that I find the killer. Otherwise, it'll affect your hospital's reputation if the murderer turns out to be one of your employees. After all, this place is called 'Little Home Hospital'. Surely, a child should be safe at a place like home. Right?"
Danny hid his malice and smiled, "Of course, detective. Where else will a child be safe if not in his home?"
Gayoon fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she nodded and left the room.
Danny watched her leave. As soon as she left, his fingers clenched into a fist. The cheap detective dared to challenge him! For some reason, it felt as if she knew that he was the killer or at least suspected his involvement. She was probably hoping that he would visit the burial spot but Danny was several steps ahead. He was not going to inspect the place where he had buried Shinho. He was going to live life as if nothing happened.
That cursed kid! He gritted inwardly. He won't even let me live in peace!
"I hope that bastard rots in hell!" he cursed. "Just die and go away!"