Location: Seoul Metropolitan Police Station – Cold Case Division, Late Night
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead as Officer Bean lit a cigarette near the open window. The air was thick—not just from smoke, but from memories that never faded. The file he reopened tonight wasn't just a case. It was a wound.
Case No. 1479-AJ
Victim: Ara Jeon, Age 17
Occupation: Modeling Student
Date: June22, 2014
Time: Approx. 12:30 a.m.
Incident: Assault (unsolved)
Location: Alley near Sinsadong Market
He exhaled slowly. This wasn't just any file. It was the one that had haunted him for nearly six years.
And then his eyes landed on something…a line he'd underlined years ago but was forced to ignore.
> "I remember… there was a woman," Ara had whispered back then, her voice trembling, "She wore a red dress… red heels… she watched… she didn't stop them."
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. A young man entered—tall, eager, barely 25.
"You called for me, sir?"
Officer Bean looked up, nodding once.
"Yeah. Sit down, Min-jun. I'm trusting you with something that could cost both of us."
Bean nodded and motioned for him to sit.
"I'm assigning you a case. An old one… cold. But not forgotten."
Officer Han Min-jun, freshly transferred to the cold case department, furrowed his brows. He was idealistic—still believed the badge meant something.
Bean pushed the file forward.
Min-jun opened it and began reading. His eyes darkened with each word.
"Ara Jeon… seventeen years old… modeling student…" he paused. "Attacked late at night… near Sinsadong Market. No arrest?"
Bean leaned forward, his voice low and steady.
"She had been walking home after a late modeling workshop. She was passionate, gifted… just starting to step into the world. That night, she was dragged into an alley. The statement says she tried to scream but her voice barely came out."
Min-jun's expression hardened.
"The report says she gave a clear description. Even mentioned a woman—dressed in red?"
Bean nodded slowly.
"Yes. That detail was buried in the supplemental statement. Ara said… just before she blacked out… she saw a woman standing at the end of the alley. Dressed in a striking red gown, red heels. She didn't move. Just watched… in silence."
Min-jun swallowed hard.
"That's haunting."
"It is," Bean replied. "And worse—it's suspicious. Several things in this case don't add up. CCTV footage from that street? Vanished. Witnesses who said they heard something? Recanted or disappeared. And get this—the case was dismissed due to 'lack of evidence.'"
"That sounds like a cover-up."
Bean nodded gravely.
"Exactly. And the woman in red? She was seen getting into a black luxury vehicle. No license plate recorded. And that same night, a gala was being hosted nearby by the Moon Foundation. High society families. One of the attendees? A councilwoman from the Kang family. She wore a red gown and red heels."
Min-jun's eyes widened.
"Are you suggesting she might be connected?"
"I'm saying there are too many coincidences. And a second name from Ara's original statement—one that was never made public—was redacted from the case entirely. The only suspect listed? Jinwoo Kang. Son of Kang Dae-hyun."
Min-jun sat back, stunned.
"So the case was suppressed... to protect someone powerful."
"That's what we're going to find out," Bean said, his eyes burning with quiet determination. "I reopened this file because Ara Jeon deserves justice. She has lived with unimaginable pain, while those responsible walked free."
Min-jun clenched his jaw.
"What do you need me to do, sir?"
Bean handed him a new folder—one he had put together off the record.
"Start by re-interviewing witnesses who lived near Sinsadong Market. Look for similar reports from that winter. I'll work on identifying connections between the Kang family, that gala night, and the missing footage."
"Understood. I won't let you down."
Bean nodded.
"This isn't just about reopening a case, Min-jun. It's about reminding this city that no one—no matter how powerful—is above the law. Ara Jeon's silence was forced… but now, we speak for her."
Min-jun clenched his fists.
"Sir… why now?"
Bean's eyes burned with quiet fire.
"She tried to take her life two weeks after that case was dismissed."
He paused.
"But she didn't die. And she's still here—trying to live. That's enough reason for me."
Min-jun's voice was low.
"We'll get her justice. Even if it burns the department to the ground."
Bean met his eyes.
"Good. Because once we pull this string… it won't just be the Kangs. There are three families in this city who've had their hands in crimes like this for decades. Ara's case is just the beginning.Because justice delayed is still justice. And Ara Jeon deserves hers. No woman should carry such pain while the world forgets. Not while I'm still in this uniform."
As the wind howled outside, the shadows of the past stirred awake inside the file room. This time… someone was listening.
And justice had just taken its first breath again.