Street Kids (2)
Mi-ju's scream exploded from her mouth.
"Hey, you bastard! Got nothing better to do now that you're all grown up, so you shake down kids for cigarette money? Do you even know what that money is? It's what they scraped together by stabbing their hardworking parents in the back every damn day—and you're taking it?"
The scrawny punk stayed cool as a cucumber, but for some reason, the big lug next to him turned beet red.
"Gwang-il. Clear the way."
The punk gave the order to the brute beside him, then kicked open the motel door.
"Where do you think you're going? Give me my money back!"
The red-faced brute blocked Mi-ju's path.
"...I'm on official police business right now."
"What did you say?"
* * *
Ha Yeon glanced around the unfamiliar room. The older girls who had gone out to buy booze had been gone for a full hour with no word.
At first, everything had felt fresh and exciting. Skipping school and hanging out in the alleys while everyone else headed to class was a thrilling rebellion, a forbidden pleasure she'd never known.
She'd felt a smug sense of superiority watching her peers—bookbags heavy on their shoulders, eyes dull and lifeless—shove onto the packed bus.
I'm not like you guys. I won't live like that!
She'd clung to the back of a stranger's motorcycle, screaming at the top of her lungs. The roaring wind had wrapped her in a blanket called liberation.
She'd handed over all 500,000 won—the money she'd grabbed when she snuck out of the house—to Mi-ju unnie, the group's badass leader, and hadn't regretted a penny. That piddly 500k? It wasn't even pocket change for Mom and Dad's daily meals.
Everything had been perfect. Right up until the potbellied middle-aged man pushed open the door, leering at her with drool practically dripping from his chin.
"Heh heh. Mi-ju finally delivered the goods this time!"
"Wh-who are you?"
Ignoring her trembling voice, the man in his fifties rummaged in his bag and pulled out all sorts of items: a black whip, restraints, a gag, leather handcuffs.
Ha Yeon's eyes shook wildly.
"I-I want to go home!"
The man's eyebrow twitched.
Slap!
The full force of an adult man's hand struck her face.
"You crazy bitch! Do you know how much I paid Mi-ju that whore? ...Hmmm. Guess we'll play your style from the start!"
His eyes burned red with lust.
"Mister, I'm a minor! I'm still in school!"
"I know. That's why I shelled out for a fresh one like you. Girls these days are all worn out by twenty—tasteless. But first..."
The man secured the door handle with a chain, wrapping it multiple times.
"Too many run off after taking the cash these days. This way, no funny business."
Having finished his task, the fifties man stepped toward her, one foot, two feet.
Despair flooded Ha Yeon's eyes. It felt like an iron hand crushing her chest—she couldn't breathe.
Did Mi-ju unnie really sell me out? What the hell happens to me now?
That was when it happened.
Bang bang!
A violent pounding shook the steel motel door.
"Police. Open up."
A young man's voice she thought she'd heard somewhere followed.
* * *
I used the master key from the motel desk to open the door to Room 401, where Ha Yeon had gone in. But there was a double lock from inside—the door wouldn't budge further. Through the thin gap, I saw a heavy shadow. Not Ha Yeon.
I knocked and shouted, but no response.
I wedged the pry bar from the car trunk into the gap and kicked it hard.
Crack!
The deadbolt shattered, and the door flew open. Now I could see everything inside at a glance.
A potbellied man in his fifties stood there, surrounded by all sorts of perverted toys scattered around.
Under the bed, a trembling girl caught my eye. Ha Yeon.
"Wh-who the hell are you? Police? W-wait, just let me make a phone call...!"
Thwack!
I smashed his jaw and looked down at the girl. Her terrified eyes were unfocused.
"Hey. You okay? Uncle here's a cop. Snap out of it."
I grabbed her shoulders and shook.
A low murmur finally escaped her gaping mouth.
"...Uncle, you're that cigarette extortion guy?"
She remembered me by that weird phrase. I regretted this morning's stunt a little.
Ha Yeon's gaze shifted past me to the fifties man crumpled on the floor. Suddenly, she convulsed like she was having a fit, shrieking at the top of her lungs.
Trauma. The way to break it is surprisingly simple. I don't know how the shrinks explain it, but based on ten years as a cop, the trauma-busting method is this:
Show the victim, right in front of their eyes, that the trauma is nothing.
Once they know the fear isn't fear anymore, the trigger doesn't fire.
"Kowtow."
I kicked the fallen man and gave the low order.
"I-I haven't done anything yet! I got scammed too. I just paid and nothing happened, I swear!"
"Don't make me say it twice. Kowtow. And put your panties on first."
I squatted in front of the kowtowing middle-aged man and picked up the motel room phone. I lightly tapped his head with it. It wouldn't hurt much.
Thud!
"What the hell were you thinking, you bastard?"
Thud!
"Why'd you whip out your pathetic little dick in front of that girl?"
Thud!
"Ever think once about the disappointment she felt toward Korean men?"
Thud!
"Even if I tell her a hundred times you're not the 'standard,' that teenage girl's sense of loss won't fade."
Ha Yeon, who had been screaming like a maniac, gradually steadied her breathing. The corners of her tear-streaked mouth began to curl up.
After checking on her, I kept up the beating and the words.
"You know how good a kid that student is?"
Thud!
"The kind who listens to her parents and would never even dream of running away."
Thud!
"And not just that—the kind who couldn't even imagine telling a passing uncle to buy her smokes, something so unfilial and inhuman!"
A giggle came from somewhere.
"...Uncle, you sure have a weird way of calming people down."
Ha Yeon's voice was much calmer now as she struggled to her feet. She wobbled like she might collapse but managed to steady herself.
I supported her shaky legs and helped her down. I needed to arrest that pervert bastard, but what the hell was Gwang-il doing?
The elevator doors opened, letting in noise from outside.
"...So yeah, I get that you're a cop, Uncle. But that guy from earlier being a cop? That doesn't add up!"
"Exactly! What kind of cop shakes down kids for cigarette money? Especially ones who've run away and are cold and hungry!"
Behind the kids, Gwang-il hung his head, mumbling excuses. His massive back looked pitiful today.
"...No, what I mean is, he's a cop, sure, but an elite from the police academy... And the coffee—no, the cigarette money thing was..."
Regret washed over me again. From now on, coffee's always gotta be my treat. A few bucks for an Americano ain't shit.
"Hey, Detective Kim."
My voice made Gwang-il jump and turn around. Using Ha Yeon as a shield, I slipped past him toward the exit.
"G-good work. I'll hand those girls over to youth services. Suspect in 401 for buying sex. Nab that bastard quick."
Gwang-il's shaky-legged climb back up was pathetic. Why was he always 17:1 against guys?
Like he was venting all his built-up stress, Kim Gwang-il charged toward 401 yelling his head off. The motel desk clerk stared, mesmerized.
* * *
"...So does this make any sense? Mr. Park Dong-pal. How could a school principal do that to a girl young enough to be his daughter?"
In the Gangcheon Station interrogation room, Detective Kim Gwang-il vented his pent-up rage at the fifties man.
The suspect just blinked, head bowed.
"What happens to this bastard now?"
"Even without actual sex, child-youth prostitution carries up to three years in prison or a 30 million won fine—so his life's fucked. Plus, as a former principal, he might get enhanced punishment. ...That's the general rule,"
Sergeant Hwang whispered like someone might overhear.
"From what I dug up, he's got heavy backing. Family's all legal eagles—active public prosecutors, judges, lawyers. We nabbed him, but now it's just waiting for disposition."
"...I see."
Sergeant Hwang asked me, nodding along.
"Detective Kang, how'd you crack this case? How'd you know Kim Hoon-seok was the runaway pack boss?"
"Eh, my antennae just pick up on a lot."
"...Come on, really? That's cold. Anyway, where's Ha Yeon now?"
Sergeant Hwang stared at me and chuckled.
"Handed her to youth services for now. She's dead set against going home. I'll talk to her at dawn."
"You contact the parents? They're no ordinary folks."
"...Better not today. She's really shaken."
"...Hmm. Alright. Get some rest."
* * *
I sat in the Jeep Wrangler's driver's seat and picked up my phone.
"Hey, Gyu-cheol. It's me. You still up?"
- Of course, hyungnim. What's up at this hour?
"Sorry I'm bothering you at the hospital. One favor. You got your laptop?"
- Yeah. What do you need?
"I'll send video footage now. Mosaic it lightly, edit, and upload online. Check around 9:15 PM. Use IP spoofing—no traces. You can handle it, right? Gwang-il's great at beating ass but sucks at this tech stuff."
- Haha. Sounds like another fun scoop. Send it over!
Detective Lee Gyu-cheol—even cyber team's after him. For computers, no worries with that guy.
When Gwang-il nabbed the john, the clerk went to watch, leaving the desk empty. I fiddled with the secretly lifted CCTV SD card.
* * *
The gray ceiling felt foreign. Ha Yeon struggled up, looking around.
The last four days, her bed had changed every night.
...Where am I?
"Awake? How'd you sleep so long? Wash up quick—we're grabbing breakfast."
Officer Yoon Hye-sun from the women and youth division greeted her with a smile.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah."
Waking up in a police station? Yesterday felt like a dream. She checked her phone by the bed.
"Wh-what's this?!"
Ha Yeon's eyes widened.
[High School Principal Caught Red-Handed in Underage Prostitution!]
Under the clickbait title, yesterday's scene played out. A burly cop slapped cuffs on the half-naked middle-aged man and dragged him from the motel.
The cop's face was mosaicked over eyes and nose, but the suspect's was crystal clear. Motel entrance CCTV.
No audio, but subtitles helpfully scrolled at the bottom from the cop's mouth.
[Mr. Park Dong-pal. You're under emergency arrest for violating the Special Act on Prostitution Prevention. You have the right to remain silent...]