『B』『e』『y』『o』『n』『d』 『t』『h』『e』 『C』『o』『d』『e』

ℍ𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕤

Minji's eyes narrowed as she thought about the possibilities. "Taesan, I need you to be careful. If you've seen or heard anything else, no matter how small it seems, tell me immediately." She handed him her card with her direct number. "And don't mention this conversation to anyone, not even your friends or family."

Taesan nodded, looking a bit scared but determined. "I will, Detective. I want to help."

Minji smiled and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You are helping, Taesan. More than you know."

Just then, Minji's phone buzzed with an incoming text from an unknown number: "Look closer at the victim's business partner."

Minji's gut told her this was no coincidence. She showed the message to Taesan. "Do you recognize this number?"

Taesan shook his head, but his eyes widened as he read the message. "The victim's business partner... that's Jihoon's father!"

Minji's eyes locked onto Taesan's. "It looks like we have our next lead."

~~~

Minji quickly assembled a team to obtain a search warrant for Jihoon's father's office and home. With the new lead from the anonymous text and Taesan's revelation, she had enough probable cause to convince the judge.

As they executed the warrant, Minji's team found a hidden safe in Jihoon's father's office. Inside, they discovered documents detailing a shady business deal between the victim and Jihoon's father, with Eclipse project at its center.

But that wasn't all - they also found a security camera footage showing Jihoon arguing with the victim on the night of the murder. The footage was grainy, but Minji could make out Jihoon's distinctive watch, the same one Taesan had described.

Minji's gut told her they were closing in on the killer. She called Taesan to come down to the station, hoping he could identify Jihoon as the person in the black hoodie.

As Taesan arrived, Minji showed him the footage. "Is this the person you saw?" she asked.

Taesan nodded, his voice firm. "That's him. Jihoon."

Minji's eyes locked onto the screen, her mind racing with the implications. She had her suspect, but she knew the case was far from over.

As Taesan left the police station, he received a chilling text message: "Back off, Taesan. Or Damin will pay the price." Taesan's heart skipped a beat as he showed the message to Minji. "They know my little sister's name... Oh God, what have I done?"

Minji's expression turned grim. "We'll increase protection for your family, Taesan. But we can't let this stop us. We're close to catching Jihoon."

Taesan nodded, determination in his eyes. "I won't back down. But please, Detective, keep Damin safe."

Minji assured him, "We'll do everything we can."

Just then, a call came in from an unknown number. Minji answered, and a distorted voice spoke, "You're getting close, Detective. But you'll never take Jihoon alive."

The line went dead. Minji's gut told her they were running out of time.