Chapter 11

Looking at Young Sang Min sprawled on the ground without a shred of dignity, Kim Yun-ho felt a pang of sympathy. He hadn't expected his intimidation to cause such a loss of composure in Young Sang Min.

He still lacked an understanding of Korean society, especially the power of the chaebols. Young Sang Min, a legal scholar, was well-versed in the law. However, the law only applied to ordinary people; for the powerful chaebols, it was nothing more than a joke.

Precisely because of this clear understanding, Young Sang Min became so anxious when he learned of Lee Min-joon's identity, and so discomposed when threatened by Kim Yun-ho.

Just as Kim Yun-ho was about to ask Young Sang Min some questions, he was suddenly interrupted by a clear voice.

"Wait, you mean that before this, Lee Min-joon didn't know you were writing his thesis for him?" Li Xiaoran stood up, her face flushed with excitement, her chest heaving as she asked.

Young Sang Min turned to look at Li Xiaoran, his eyes brightening as if he had found a lifeline. He crawled over to her and bowed repeatedly. "Are you Lee Min-joon's sister? Please believe me, everything I said is true. I didn't assault him, I really didn't."

Li Xiaoran was not used to physical contact and a look of disgust flashed across her face. For her brother's sake, she had to endure it and repeated her question. "Please answer my question. Was it a stranger who asked you to write the thesis for Lee Min-joon? Did Lee Min-joon not know about it beforehand?"

"Yes, he really didn't know. At first, I was puzzled. How could such an upright student also engage in a transaction to have his thesis written for him?" Young Sang Min wiped his nose and then answered seriously.

Proving that Lee Min-joon had not cheated intentionally and clearing her brother's name, Li Xiaoran's cold face finally showed a smile. Her pale cheeks finally regained some color.

On the other side, Kim Yun-ho was rubbing his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Sister, I'm investigating a case here. Why are you asking about things that aren't the main focus? I don't have time to play around with you.

In Young Sang Min's statement, he had noticed a very suspicious point.

Kim Yun-ho walked over helplessly, gesturing for Li Xiaoran to stop interfering. He then turned to Young Sang Min and said, "If you really didn't do it, please cooperate with my investigation to find the real culprit and clear your name."

Young Sang Min nodded vigorously. "Okay! I will definitely cooperate. Whatever you need, I'll do it."

Kim Yun-ho nodded and asked, "In your statement, you said, 'Lee Min-joon threatened to expose you for writing theses for him and other students.' Is that correct?" He had a hunch that the truth was hidden in this statement, though he had no concrete evidence, just a gut feeling.

Young Sang Min nodded and replied decisively, "Yes, that's what he said at the time."

Kim Yun-ho continued, "So, you've written theses for other students besides Lee Min-joon?"

This time, Young Sang Min didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced guiltily at Choi Jung-deok, who had his eyes tightly closed, seemingly uninterested in what was happening.

Understanding Young Sang Min's state of mind, Kim Yun-ho didn't want to rub salt in the wound between the teacher and student. He changed his approach. "You don't have to tell me the names of all the students you wrote for. I just want to know one thing: was there a student named Kim Hong-gi? He is Lee Min-joon's roommate."

This time, Young Sang Min answered without hesitation. "Yes, Kim Hong-gi's graduation thesis was also written by me."

Hearing the affirmative response, Kim Yun-ho's left hand, which was in his pocket, clenched tightly.

I knew there was something wrong with Kim Hong-gi. I just didn't know what it was, but now I have the answer—his thesis was also written for him, just like Lee Min-joon's.

Kim Yun-ho smiled confidently. He was now 80% sure that Kim Hong-gi was the culprit.

He turned around and bowed to Choi Jung-deok. "I'm sorry, Professor, for disturbing you. I'll take my leave now."

He then gestured for Li Xiaoran and the almost invisible Shin Dong-hae to leave the room, leaving Choi Jung-deok and Young Sang Min behind.

Outside, Shin Dong-hae quickly approached and asked, "Boss, why did you let Young Sang Min go? That guy is clearly suspicious. Why didn't you continue investigating him? In my opinion, he is the most likely suspect. His pitiful act is not to be trusted. Have you forgotten how he opposed you yesterday? This guy is very calculating, don't be fooled by his appearance."

Despite being bullied by Kim Yun-ho, Shin Dong-hae knew that Kim Yun-ho cared for him and had a good relationship with him. Seeing Kim Yun-ho being bullied yesterday, he was angry and believed that Young Sang Min was not a good person. With today's revelation about the thesis writing, he was even more convinced that Young Sang Min was the culprit.

Hearing Shin Dong-hae's question, Kim Yun-ho stopped and turned to him with a smile. "Dong-hae, I noticed something. Why do you keep sneaking glances at Miss Li Xiaoran?"

"Ah? I didn't! Boss, don't joke around. I really didn't. Miss Li Xiaoran, don't listen to what he says. I didn't sneak glances at you. Really, I didn't." Shin Dong-hae's face turned red as he hurriedly defended himself, not understanding why Kim Yun-ho would frame him like this.

Kim Yun-ho raised an eyebrow and smiled. "See, that was a simple lie test. When you're misunderstood, you get emotionally agitated and emphasize your innocence repeatedly when defending yourself."

"The most important point is that you usually speak very carefully, but recall your defense just now. Your words were very chaotic and illogical, just a pile of explanatory words. Your state was the same as Young Sang Min's. You didn't lie, and neither did he."

Shin Dong-hae breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was just a test. He looked at Li Xiaoran with a 'see, I'm innocent' expression, which made her giggle.

But after thinking about Kim Yun-ho's explanation, Shin Dong-hae asked again, "Boss, you said it was a simple test, which might not be very accurate. You know Young Sang Min is a highly educated person. Maybe he practiced his lie at home and was just performing for you."

Kim Yun-ho, with his hands in his pockets, said coolly, "When people lie, they usually make their lies very meticulous to make the listener believe them. But think about Young Sang Min's words. Do you believe he is innocent?"

"Not really, I think he is more suspicious," Shin Dong-hae said, shaking his head.

"Exactly! A liar trying to clear their name would tell a lie that is consistent and convincing. Have you ever seen a liar whose lies are full of contradictions and not believable?" Kim Yun-ho countered.

"True," Shin Dong-hae muttered, acknowledging Kim Yun-ho's analysis.

But Li Xiaoran suddenly interjected, disagreeing with Kim Yun-ho's analysis. "What you said sounds logical, but it's all just your personal conjecture, with no factual basis. Is this your way of solving cases? Is this what you mean by 'let the evidence speak'?"

Kim Yun-ho pursed his lips. "I want to use evidence, but how can I find it now? We are investigating secretly, not through official channels where we can openly gather evidence. Without conjecture and reasoning, what else can I do?"

Li Xiaoran was speechless, not agreeing with Kim Yun-ho's analysis. Plus, regarding her brother Lee Min-joon's 'cheating' incident, if she hadn't asked that extra question, he might have been wrongly accused. She was now very dissatisfied with Kim Yun-ho.

The three walked in their own thoughts and soon arrived at Lee Min-joon's dormitory.

Fortunately, all three of Lee Min-joon's roommates were there.

Kim Yun-ho entered the room with a serious expression, dismissed the other two roommates, and left Kim Hong-gi alone.

He pulled over two chairs and sat down facing Kim Hong-gi. "Do you know why I'm here today?"

Kim Hong-gi, like he did yesterday when answering Kim Yun-ho's questions, first nodded slightly, but halfway through, he shook his head. "I don't know."

Kim Yun-ho smiled. "Yesterday, when I asked you, 'Do you know what disease Lee Min-joon has?' you did the same thing: first nodded slightly, then shook your head dramatically. Your initial nod indicates that you knew the answer, but you didn't want to say it, so you shook your head. You lied! You lied yesterday, and you're lying now!"

"No, I didn't lie. I really don't know why you're here. And... I didn't lie yesterday. I really don't know what disease Lee Min-joon has," Kim Hong-gi defended himself urgently.

Kim Yun-ho smiled but didn't argue, as if he was certain Kim Hong-gi was lying. "Yesterday, I was very puzzled about why you were lying. It wasn't until I met Professor Young Sang Min that I found the answer."

Kim Yun-ho stood up and came face to face with Kim Hong-gi. "You lied because you were guilty! Your graduation thesis was also written by Professor Young Sang Min, right?"

"Lee Min-joon later found out that your thesis was written by Young Sang Min, right?"

"You overheard Lee Min-joon and Young Sang Min's conversation, right?"

"You were afraid when Lee Min-joon wanted to expose Young Sang Min. You were afraid that if the truth came out, your secret would be revealed, right?"

"When Lee Min-joon was alone, you picked up a stone and attacked him, who was completely unprepared. You wanted him to never be able to speak, right?"

Kim Yun-ho's interrogations became faster and louder, and by the last question, he was almost shouting.

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ps: The truth of the case is gradually coming to light, and the case has taken a major turn. This is Kim Yun-ho's first case, though simple, it contains a lot of information and marks a small turning point in the early stages. More exciting content to come.......

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