That Man (1)
“Hey! You seeing the real deal today, that iron-blooded prosecutor Yoon Kyung-yeong?”
“Iron-blooded prosecutor? That's old news. These days he's more famous as the smiling assemblyman!”
“Still, to me, he's the eternal iron-blooded prosecutor. Honestly, I was skeptical. But when I saw him go by the book even with his own father? I was blown away. Never seen a prosecutor like that before!”
“Yeah... Everyone hushes it up, but word is he donates even the sponsorship money coming his way. They say if we had ten more lawmakers like Yoon Kyung-yeong, we could unify North and South Korea.”
Detectives Choi and Park from Violent Crimes Unit 2 were spitting as they ranted excitedly about Yoon Kyung-yeong.
“Hey, boss, you okay?”
Kim Gwang-il had snuck up at some point, clearing away the shattered mug while grinning mischievously.
“The fearless rampaging cop of the world, our own Detective Kang Cheol-gu, making a mistake like this? You shaking 'cause Yoon Kyung-yeong's coming too, boss?”
“...You excited Yoon's coming?”
“C'mon, boss! I'm Korean, aren't I? Who in this country doesn't like Yoon Kyung-yeong? He's got more fan clubs than most celebrities. The one assemblyman who doesn't get hate in Korea!”
Gwang-il slapped his chest dramatically, his voice rising in fervor.
Figures.
Goosebumps prickled his nape and arms. Veins bulged on his neck. He could feel his pulse thundering.
This was the terrifying thing about that man.
Fooling a few people for a long time? Easy.
Fooling the masses for a short while? Also easy.
But fooling the masses for a long time? Next to impossible.
The man who made the impossible possible was Yoon Kyung-yeong.
He was also the face that flashed in his mind at the final moment before regression.
* * *
An SM5 that looked over ten years old pulled into the police station grounds. He stepped out alone, accompanied only by a single aide—no secretary, no driver.
Yoon Kyung-yeong's brow furrowed at the sight of the station chief waiting at the entrance and the cops poking their heads out windows.
“Ha ha. I just wanted a quiet hello and go, but how can I when you're all out here like this!”
“Everyone gathered on their own. Is meeting you in person an everyday thing?”
The casually dressed Yoon Kyung-yeong, tie askew, extended his hand.
“You're embarrassing me saying that.”
Applause and whistles erupted from all sides.
* * *
The station chief's office was thick with the aroma of coffee.
“You must be swamped with legislative work—whatever brings you here?”
Station Chief Kim Dong-sik wiped his hands on his pants as he asked.
“Ha ha, busy? Me? Compared to you frontline cops busting your asses, I'm just a lazy bum living it up. Oh! Chief Aide Jeong?”
At Yoon Kyung-yeong's nod, a white envelope emerged from the aide's breast pocket.
“What's this...?”
“Ha ha, just some sponsorship money folks gathered so I don't go hungry out there. I get by on my government salary, so use it for a good cause.”
Yoon's eyes gleamed with conviction behind his gold-rimmed glasses.
“I'd normally visit the marginalized myself to say hello, but I've heard even those groups have internal corruption these days. I trust you cops on the ground know better than me. Put it to good use.”
With a groan, Chief Kim lifted his coffee mug from the table. The frayed hem of his worn pants caught his eye.
This assemblyman's the real deal!
Kim Dong-sik couldn't claim his own life was spotless. But seeing the scandals of those so-called 'national assembly members' on the news always made curses spill out.
The eyes of Chief Kim, who rarely trusted or acknowledged anyone, grew heavy.
“Yes, sir. I'll keep your words in mind. But... may I ask why you came in person like this?”
“Ha ha. With online banking and all these conveniences, I must seem out of touch.”
“No! I didn't mean...!”
Yoon chuckled at the waving Chief Kim.
But his words carried weight.
“...Everything leaves a record. 'Assemblyman Yoon Kyung-yeong helps the needy'? I hate my name on people's lips like that. Not fitting for my age, but it taints my original pure intentions, you know? Guess I still have a naive side. Ha ha ha.”
Chief Kim bit his lip hard. His head nodded despite himself.
“Well, I'll be off then.”
“Wait! You've come all this way—how about a quick pep talk for the on-duty cops? It'd mean a lot.”
Chief Kim Dong-sik asked slyly.
“Ha ha, got some time. Sure, let's do it!”
Yoon Kyung-yeong replied with a friendly face.
* * *
“I know full well that the perspective of ordinary citizens differs from that of active-duty police officers!”
Yoon Kyung-yeong's mouth opened from the podium in the large conference room. His shabby suit flapped powerfully with his rough gestures.
As his gaze fixed on a point in the air, over a hundred pairs of eyes followed.
It was like watching a massive pantomime controlled by invisible strings.
“I know that compared to advanced nations, our police-to-citizen ratio is woefully low. Change and reform are needed, but the pace is agonizingly slow. That's why they say reform is sometimes harder than revolution.”
A few cops nodded gravely.
“I know how hard our police work. But I can't give you something tangible right now. I'm an active assemblyman too—in this world where a public servant buying another public servant lunch is a big deal.”
Low laughter rippled from somewhere.
“I can't offer you a warm meal or a fat bonus. But!”
His fist shot up powerfully into the air.
“I dream of a world where you can puff out your chest to your friends and family and proudly say, 'I'm a police officer of the Republic of Korea!' Use me, Yoon Kyung-yeong, as the tool to remove every obstacle in the way of that world. I'll be your blade!”
The quiet applause swelled like an avalanche rolling down a mountaintop.
Every cop in the room had red-rimmed eyes. Some stroked their chests, gazes drifting far away.
“Ha ha. Meant to give encouragement, but it turned into an election rally. That'd violate the public election act. No one's feeding this to reporters, right?”
Yoon moistened his throat with water from the podium, flashing a humble smile. It suited his worn suit and scuffed shoes.
“An honor, sir!”
Violent Crimes Unit 1 Leader Seo Dong-gyun shouted emotionally, gripping Yoon's offered hand.
“Ha ha. The honor's mine.”
As Yoon shook hands one by one with the cops on site, he stopped in front of him.
“Ah, Lieutenant Kang Cheol-gu. The one who caught Yoo Hyeong-cheol! Nice to meet you like this. You're even more handsome in person than on TV.”
A kindly smile accompanied his outstretched hand. His eyes sparkled between the gold frames.
Time slowed.
This was the second time.
He'd shaken this hand once before, in the past.
Hiding his burning enmity, he smiled and clasped the offered hand.
“Still, what a shame! That Yoo Hyeong-cheol got murdered out of nowhere, case closed. A killer like that deserved the full judgment of the law... Must've been frustrating as the cop who caught him.”
“It's fine. There's a saying: Heaven's net is vast and wide, yet nothing escapes it. There's human punishment by man's law, but I believe there's also heavenly punishment from above.”
“Ha ha. 'Heaven's net is wide-meshed but nothing slips through!' From Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching—love that one. Heavenly punishment over human... Hits home for Republic of Korea citizens, but...!”
Yoon trailed off. His expression shifted, as if recalling something.
Heaven's net is vast and wide, yet nothing escapes it.
Those were the words he'd said to him, screaming in agony before his dead father's body.
Proclaiming himself the net of heaven, he'd mocked the fallen man arrogantly.
A foreign lump rose in his throat like grit, but he exhaled it with a low sigh.
Not yet. The time wasn't right.
Just a greeting today.
For a split second, strength gripped the hand that had shaken his. Then it released quietly. He removed his glasses, inspecting the edge of the frame.
“Heavenly punishment, huh. Hmm.”
One eyebrow arched, Yoon put his gold-rimmed glasses back on and turned to him.
“That conviction against criminals? I like it. Lieutenant Kang Cheol-gu. I'll be rooting for you.”
* * *
“So. Got a look at him?”
In the assemblyman's office, Yoon Kyung-yeong's demeanor had changed. No more affable middle-aged uncle or crowd-stirring demagogue. A razor-sharp aura enveloped him like a honed blade.
“Yes. He's a fresh police academy grad, new lieutenant. Impressive investigative skills and abilities for a rookie—getting recognition. And his father's Kang Hyeok, police academy dean.”
Aide Jeong bowed low, reporting without meeting eyes.
“Kang Hyeok—that famously unyielding guy? 'Breaks before it bends,' the talk of the police world.”
“Yes. And there's some interesting news.”
The aide's voice dropped, as if wary of listeners.
“Word from Taehwa—specifically Taehwa Motors' Hong Gye-young. They have a personal friendship.”
“...Taehwa. Taehwa!”
Yoon's eyes closed. He drew a deep breath, exhaled long, and shook his head slightly.
“...We planted someone in their PR department before, right?”
“Yes. No issues, but somehow the tail got stepped on—reassigned to an affiliate as executive director. Packaged as internal rotation, but it's a real demotion.”
The aide bowed deeper, adding slyly.
“And our guy's reassignment timing overlaps with when Kang Cheol-gu and Hong Gye-young got close.”
Yoon's closed eyes twitched.
By original plan, the line he'd planted was supposed to report Taehwa's dirt to him. Explode it in hearings, launch as a rising star...
But the plan failed. A novel experience for the man who always saw several moves ahead.
That green cop tied to my plan?
Shaking his head, Yoon stood.
“Nah. A fresh academy grad pinpointing my plant from years ago? Statistically impossible. But something feels off.”
His voice cracked as fingers drummed the desk.
“...Keep tabs on that guy.”
“Yes, sir.”
No questions asked. No doubts on the boss's judgment.
Aide Jeong flattened himself in a bow.
“Haven't met a fun one like this in ages.”
The corners of Yoon Kyung-yeong's eyes curved faintly.