Chapter Text
The case broke out on Tuesday evening while Jisung was preparing dinner.
“Actor Lee Minho is accused of repeatedly beating ex-wife Lee Hani.”
Hyunjin gasps from his side in the living room, sitting on the couch with a bowl of oatmeal because he’s too lazy to cook anything else, hand pressed to his mouth in disbelief. “No way.”
He turns up the volume, and Jisung finds himself listening in.
“-everal pictures of bruises on the young idol’s face and body. Police are still going to investigate these claims-“
“Han!,” Hyunjin says. “Do you think-?”
Jisung shushes him, wanting to hear until the end.
“Lee Minho has yet to be properly questioned, but the actor continues to deny accusations in front of the press.”
The screen shows a video of Minho being bombarded by reporters while he struggles to get into his car.
“Minho-ssi, is it true you punched your wife in the face?”
“Have you ever raised a hand against Lee Hani?”
“How do you feel about the court case your wife is filing against you?”
Minho waves them all off, shaking his head at some of the questions. When he goes in his body guard steps in to shield the crowd away from the car, a stormy expression on his face. Some civilians boo and throw drinks at the vehicle before it finally drives away.
The memory of the video burns itself into Jisung’s mind even when the newscaster goes on to report about a small convenience store robbery caught on tape earlie that day.
Hyunjin is side eyeing him, wondering if Jisung is ready for questions now. When Jisung turns away from the TV Hyunjin makes his move, getting up to enthusiastically ask Jisung what he thinks of the case.
“What is it? Do you think we’ll get our hands on it?”
“I don’t know Hyunjin,” Jisung says, because he doesn’t. “It’s a big case. They might not give it to us.”
Hyunjin pouts, crossing his arms.
“That’s not fair, I want the chance to meet him.”
“You and everyone else,” Jisung says rolling his eyes. “The guys at the station would either love to interrogate him because he’s famous, or if they’re fans of Hani they’ll wanna intimidate him into a confession.” He plops some scrambled eggs and bacon into a plate and sets it on the island counter. “Either way we probably won’t get our hands on it.”
Hyunjin continues to grumble before reaching a hand over to take some of Jisung’s food. Jisung smacks his hand away.
“Get your own!,” he yells.
Hyunjin cradles his arm as if Han broke it instead of pushed it, muttering about ‘greedy roommates.’
Jisung goes into the station the next morning to see reporters and the paps lining up in front of the entrance. Jeongin and Changbin are struggling to keep them away from the door, with very little success.
“Hey!,” Jisung calls angrily. “Back up!”
The crowd doesn’t even turn back look at him, which was what he expected, really. He pushes his way past reporters to get to the front of the entrance which Changbin and Jeongin are guarding.
“Good luck with that,” he says, patting Changbin and Jeongin at the back before opening the door and squeezing himself through, Hyunjin behind him as he struggles even more than Jisung to squeeze his obnoxiously tall body through the crowd.
Once they get inside a young police officer informs them that their head chief would like to speak to them. Jisung looks to Hyunjin only to see him already looking back with obvious excitement.
“He’s gonna ask us,” Hyunjin says. “I’m calling it.”
“We don’t know that-“
Hyunjin opens the door, and there’s their section chief, Chan, turning away from his documents to look up at them.
“Ah, Jisung, Hyunjin,” he says. He slides two folders across the table. When they lean forward to retriece them he continues with, “I need you to investigate the Lee Minho case for me.”
Hyunjin whoops in victory while Jisung just stands there, speechless.
“Sir, you mean-?”
“Uh huh,” Chan says. “This is a big case. I’m trusting you to handle it. Jisung, you’re interrogating Minho.”
Hyunjins gapes at that, but Chan continues. “Hyunjin, you get to interrogate Hani.” And Hyunjin’s previous expression melts into one of excitement.
“I get to talk to Hani?!,” he asks.
Chan gives him a stern look making Hyunjin recoil.
“Interrogate,” Chan emphasizes. “This isn’t a joke, so don’t treat it like one. I want you to investigate them both with no biases. Forget what people are saying, listen to them, look at the evidence and make your own analyses.”
Jisung nods. Hyunjin does too, properly chastised. Satisfied, Chan continues.
“Minho is down at the interrogation room, you can go to him when you’re ready. As for Hani, she hasn’t arrived yet, busy with radio show. But her manager informed me she’ll be here at 10 am, so be ready for her.”
Hyunjin nods, a little too enthusiastically. Jisung wonders if Chan is right in giving him the job.
“Remember,” Chan stresses. “This is serious.”
He comes forward to clap them both on the back, nicer and firmer than any of the other bosses Jisung has worked for.
“I’m counting on you,” Chan tells them sincerely.
They both salute to him, and bow before exiting the room.
Hyunjin is still vibrating when they exit the chief’s office, but it’s controlled now. Chan saying he’s counting on them must have left an impression on him. He seems more serious about the situation now.
Jisung goes to his desk and grabs his notebook and tape recorder.
He read up on the allegations late last night, unable to sleep. He knows what evidence there is so far, which isn’t much. Most of it is word of mouth, with people cancelling Minho for being a ‘wifebeater’, companies pulling him from their product lines. Jisung even heard he won’t be featured in the upcoming movie he’d been cast to star in, all due to the accusations.
He thinks about those things, before banishing them from his mind. They’re hearsay, and Jisung can’t rely on them. He interrogates, fact checks, and reports his findings.
He jogs his way down the stairs to the interrogation rooms on the lower ground floor. Once he finds the right one he opens the door.
“Minho-ssi?,” he calls.
Minjo looks up at the sound of his voice, big eyes widened. Beside him is a man Jisung has never seen before. Jisung presumes he is either Minho’s lawyer or his manager. And Jisung will have to kick him out if he’s the latter.
“No outsiders allowed,” Jisung says. “This is an interrogation.”
“I’m his lawyer,” the man replies, voice steely. “My client is entitled to have me present during the questioning.”
Jisung puts his hands up in surrender. He knows all of this, of course. Perhaps the man’s just always this aggressive, many lawyers tend to be.
“Seungminnie,” Minho says, voice chastising. He stands up, hand reaching out to Jisung in offering.
“I’m Minho,” he says. “This is Kim Seungmin.”
Seungmin gives a slight wave from his seat at the table, arms crossed and radiating aggression as far as Jisung can tell.
“Han Jisung,” Jisung replies. “Pleasure to meet you, Minho-ssi, Seungmin-ssi,” he says as he turns to each of them. Minho gives him a bright smile, and if it’s a facade it’s a very good one. Jisung can’t tell it apart from genuine ones.
He takes a seat in front of them.
“So I’m sure you already know this but in case someone hasn’t said them yet I’m going to read you your Miranda rights.”
When Minho says nothing Jisung turns on the tape recorder before continuing, “You have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult with a lawyer and have that lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire.”
Jisung leaves it at that and waits for Minho to nod. Once Minho nods to indicate he understands Jisung opens his notebook to a page, grabs his pencil, and gets down to business.
“Minho-ssi,” Jisung says. “How would you describe your relationship with your ex-wife?”
“Abusive,” Minho says without pause.
Jisung looks up from his paper carefully.
Did he hear that correctly? Is Minho really going to give him a confession just like that?
“Are you saying you’ve hit your ex wife?”
“No,” Minho says. “I’ve never hit her.”
Jisung’s eyebrows scrunch together before he continues.
“So verbal? You’ve said cruel things to her?”
Minho shakes his head. “I’ve never said anything to her that was bad enough to be considered verbal abuse.”
“Then what are you trying to say, Minho-ssi?,” Jisung asks, eyes narrowed. “Because I don’t understand.”
Seungmin looks like he desperately wants to cut in, eyes like daggers at Jisung, nose flaring. But his words hold no water, it has to come from Minho’s mouth.
Minho looks up at Jisung, searching Jisung’s gaze for a moment before finally speaking.
“I’m being abused by my wife.”