Chapter 2.4
"Taeshin gave small-scale private lessons to sculpture entrance exam students at his studio. He had started tutoring reluctantly, unwilling to work at his father’s company. It wasn’t that he lacked skill—he had attended a decent university, and so he always had a steady stream of students.
Once he had accumulated a few works, he would rent a gallery and hold an exhibition. Sometimes, his pieces sold for high prices—though, in reality, it was likely his parents buying them under someone else’s name to boost his reputation. Because of that, he gained some fame as a promising young artist, and his work sold fairly well for a while. But it didn’t last. He hadn't held an exhibition in a long time.
'Did he ever mention any well-known names?'
'...Well-known names?'
'Politicians, business executives, anyone like that.'
'I don’t recall anything like that.'
Haewon was puzzled by the line of questioning. It sounded as if they suspected Taeshin’s suicide wasn’t just the result of despair. He looked at the inspector with a questioning gaze.
'The night Lee Taeshin jumped from his apartment rooftop, he made a lot of phone calls. About ten to you. And also, ah, perhaps...'
Hwang abruptly stopped speaking and shot up from his seat, as if he had seen a ghost. Haewon followed his gaze.
Someone was approaching them.
It was him—the man Haewon had seen at the hotel pool, and later, at Taeshin’s funeral.
"......."