(BL) Please, Sir… I Am Begging You…

(Chapter 48) Husband by Day, Rapist by Night

Age Restriction: You must be 18 or older

News of Gary’s arrest quickened Detective Jake’s movements. Gary was reportedly at his usual office in downtown Belleview, drinking coffee and chatting with colleagues.

Who would believe it? That the colleague you’re chatting with in the office had, just weeks ago, group-raped a young East Asian man. Gary was immediately transferred to the Belleview Police Department, and the San Scrito Police Department agreed to cooperate for a thorough investigation.

Since all the reports prepared by the San Scrito Police Department had already been handed over to the Belleview Police Department, it seemed he wouldn’t have much opportunity to argue his case.

Through Detective Jake, I heard that Gary was a married man with four children. It seemed unlikely I would ever meet or get involved with Gary again, but I hoped he would regret his actions while eating prison food in jail.

I would only know after getting his confession, but someone must have approached him and tipped him off about the minor group rape, and he probably saw it as an opportunity and joined in.

I got back into the police car. Thinking we were heading to the Belleview Police Department, I asked Kate. An unexpected answer came back.

“We’re going to Eric Jeong’s house.”

“???”

“His whereabouts are currently unknown. And we received a call that his photo registered with Canadian Immigration resembles the face of the person who posted bail for Kang Jeong-jik at the San Scrito Police Department.”

“Are you talking about Mr. Jeong??”

“Yes, that’s right. The person named Mr. Jeong is Eric Jeong, and he’s a Canadian permanent resident. So we can check his identity with Canadian Immigration.”

“Mr. Jeong posted bail??? So Kang Jeong-jik could escape??”

“That’s the information we’ve gathered so far…”

“Mr. Jeong… at first, he truly seemed like an ordinary immigrant… But after that incident happened, he felt like a psychopath… How could a normal man with a family like Gary so easily group-rape a young man, a man similar in age to his own daughter??? Mr. Jeong happened to visit Kevin’s room that day and found out about the group rape happening inside… I don’t know what kind of conversation took place, but he immediately inserted his penis into my butt without a condom and then ejaculated and left as if nothing had happened… After that, every time I saw him at the Belleview motel, my teeth chattered so much it made me dizzy… Please catch him… He’s a psychopath who conspired with Kang Jeong-jik and more than likely exploited all the workers at the Belleview motel…”

“His whereabouts are uncertain, so immediate arrest is difficult, but we’ll go to his house first and try to persuade him to surrender… Get some rest for a bit… It’s a long way to go…”

“……”

We drove and drove towards an unknown destination. Eric Jeong’s house was located in Calgary, Canada, and we were heading to Calgary. Of course, there was a separate police station that had jurisdiction over Calgary, but Detective Jake decided to visit his family’s house directly with Interpreter Kate.

The weather suddenly started to turn cloudy. As if piercing my heart, dark clouds gathered, and raindrops began to form on the car window. I decided to get some shut-eye until we reached Calgary.

Detective Jake silently played the role of driver. Interpreter Kate also gazed intently at the scenery outside the car window, lost in thought.

It was already evening. The place we arrived at before our main destination was a small Korean restaurant located at the entrance of Calgary. We planned to have a meal here and then visit Eric Jeong’s house.

Detective Jake said that eating on the go like this was part of his daily routine when handling investigations. At Interpreter Kate’s recommendation, we went to a popular Korean restaurant in Calgary, and I felt happy at the thought of tasting hometown food, even if just for a short while.

Detective Jake said it was his first time having Korean food in his life. He asked if it was similar to Japanese food, but I firmly replied no. Korean food is unique to Korea, known only to those who have tasted it.

Just like Poutine is Canada’s representative food, Korean food is Korea’s own representative dish. Looking at the menu, it wasn’t a restaurant specializing in one dish, but rather a snack bar-like restaurant that served a mix of various dishes.

There were so many menu options: Kimchi Jjigae, Doenjang Jjigae, Kimchi Fried Rice, Tteokbokki, various side dishes, and braised dishes. Kate didn’t hesitate for a second and chose Kimchi Jjigae and Tteokbokki.

Detective Jake decided to try Seafood Pajeon and Bibimbap. I thought for a moment and chose Seafood Hot Pot. I deliberately didn’t choose Kimchi Fried Rice, which was Kang Jeong-jik’s favorite Korean dish.

“Calgary is a city where relatively many Koreans reside. Most Korean immigrants settle here. Besides this restaurant, there are probably several other Korean restaurants. It feels like a small Korea within Canada, don’t you think?”

“Thanks to Kate, I get to experience such luxury… When did you immigrate to Canada, Interpreter Kate?”

“Hmm… My parents settled in Canada first. You could say I’m a second-generation immigrant… Since my parents loved Korea so much, I naturally learned Korean language and culture… When I was young, I sometimes felt embarrassed about my Korean identity, but now I’m prouder of myself than anyone. When I meet Koreans like Jae-hyuk, I immediately want to ask how they are and help them… It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’ve never actually been to Korea yet… I hope to have a chance to set foot on Korean soil when I have a little more free time and when my kids are all grown up!”

“The food is here!!! Amazing!!!!! This place is the real deal!!!”

The bubbling Kimchi Jjigae was already emitting a spicy aroma, stimulating my sense of smell. As for Tteokbokki, words couldn’t do it justice.

It was the kind of Tteokbokki you’d taste at a snack bar near school. The restaurant owner, with good taste, neatly arranged the Tteokbokki on a green plate.

Detective Jake’s eyes widened at the sudden Korean food feast. The Bibimbap Detective Jake ordered looked even more appetizing than the Seafood Hot Pot I ordered, with colorful vegetables topped with a perfectly cooked soft-boiled fried egg.

And what about the Seafood Pajeon? Detective Jake continuously exclaimed at the sight of the Korean pancake studded with plump cocktail shrimp. I wasn’t going as far as to praise Korean food, but honestly, my mouth watered uncontrollably.

The Seafood Pajeon was the most expensive dish on our table, but it was the smallest portion. Detective Jake quickly devoured the Seafood Pajeon.

At that sight, Interpreter Kate looked pleased, like someone watching a child eat well. The Seafood Hot Pot was just average. When I was homeschooling in Korea, I sometimes ate at seafood hot pot restaurants with Son Jae-yi and my mom.

That memory remained quite familiar and strong, so the Seafood Hot Pot simply felt welcoming and delicious. I also missed my ordinary life in Korea and wanted to drop everything and go back to Korea.

I also wondered if all Koreans working or studying abroad felt this way at some point. To temporarily forget my homesickness, I instead bombarded Interpreter Kate with questions.

“Isn’t it hard to work with the police, leaving your children behind?”

“That’s a mature question… It is hard, actually… But my kids are looked after by their grandmother, so I don’t worry too much… Unlike Korea, Canada has a somewhat extended family culture, so children spend relatively more time with their grandparents… And the time when my kids absolutely needed my hands has already passed. Now, I’m gradually giving them time to stand on their own. They actually prefer spending time with their friends more than with me. Sometimes I worry they might hang out with bad influences… But they’ll figure it out, right?? Haha, somehow I ended up talking a lot about myself…”

“It’s really interesting!!! Are you married to a Korean person, Interpreter Kate??? Is that too personal of a question…”

“Um… well, actually, Detective Dave is my husband… Haha…”

“Amazing!!! Really???? No wonder!!! Detective Dave and Interpreter Kate seemed very close. They looked even closer than a married couple!!!!”

“Did we look like that??? Hahaha…”

“Detective Dave also looks incredibly busy… You two really go through a lot… I respect you both and I’m proud of you…”

“Honestly, I never intended to help Detective Dave like this, as if it were my own job… I got to know Detective Dave while working as a civilian interpreter at the San Scrito Police Department once or twice, and I’m still helping him like this… But I’m proud! Thanks to cooperating with the police, I can directly help Koreans and other East Asians of different nationalities who are in trouble, so I feel a greater sense of accomplishment than just simple interpretation work. I’m even thinking of changing my profession entirely to a detective, hahaha. Though I don’t know if the police department would accept me…”

“I’m definitely in favor of a female detective like Interpreter Kate!!! I feel like the Canadian immigrant community will become even brighter!!!”

“Thank you!!”

When I see Interpreter Kate like this, I feel like I’m looking at the face of a girl full of dreams. Interpreter Kate, perhaps feeling very shy after revealing her personal life, quietly eats Tteokbokki with her head bowed.

I felt like I had talked too much in Korean, leaving Detective Jake out. I asked Detective Jake a few questions using the words I knew. I mainly talked to him about personal questions like if his job was fun, how much rent his single studio apartment was, and if he had always wanted to be a police officer.

He was distracted by eating and answered vaguely. I also thought he might have been too tired from driving to answer properly. Detective Jake, who looked handsome even while eating, started a mukbang, eating furiously with bibimbap sauce still on his lips.

How wonderful it would be if Canadian life stayed exactly like this. I truly wished I could just stay this happy.

<To be continued>