That Man (2)
"…Do you know who lost the most from Yoo Hyeong-cheol's death?"
"……."
"It's that bastard Kang Cheol-gu. Investigation closed due to no prosecution rights, case shelved without forwarding. In plain terms, all his credit gets buried. But the guy didn't show a hint of regret. He even called it divine punishment! Ha ha. That's no way for a Korean cop to talk. Especially not in front of Yoon Kyung-yeong!"
* * *
The water jets in the shower booth pounded fiercely. It was early autumn weather, cold enough to chill anyone, but Yoon Kyung-yeong surrendered his body to the icy cold water. Even past fifty, there wasn't an ounce of flab on him. The veins in his neck swelled. The eyes of that greenhorn cop he'd seen today kept needling him.
He'd survived the blood-draining days as a prosecutor and navigated the razor-thin ice of politics for over twenty years. And now his instincts were blaring warnings nonstop.
But so far, there was zero connection between him and Kang Cheol-gu. He wouldn't ignore his gut, but he couldn't deny the objectivity of the data either.
Am I just getting old and worrying over nothing?
Yoon Kyung-yeong shook his head hard and let the cold water crash over him.
* * *
I'd always figured we'd cross paths someday. But I never expected to run into that man so abruptly.
I couldn't hold back for a split second and let a sliver of killing intent slip. I held it in, held it in again, but the moment I saw him, the last ten years flashed by—the time, my father's corpse.
The ball was in his court now. How he'd interpret that leaked intent was up to him.
I was staring blankly at the empty monitor when the senior detective from Violent Crimes Team 3 came in, arm-in-arm with someone. Trailing behind was a handcuffed guy in his early twenties, head bowed. He looked like it was his first time in a police station—his whole body rigid with tension. He kept twisting his wrists awkwardly against the cuffs.
But his eyes were chillingly calm, sunk deep. Afraid of his present reality and future, sure—but zero regrets over what he'd done. A conviction criminal.
Maybe that's why even the senior detective, infamous for handling suspects like stray dogs, was treating him with kid gloves.
What's the story here?
I was grinding through backlog reports when Kim Gwang-il plopped down with a deep sigh.
"The ground could swallow me up. What happened?"
"Ah, hyungnim. You saw that suspect the senior detective from Team 3 brought in earlier, right? His story's got me all choked up."
"Saw him, yeah. What'd he do to get dragged in?"
"…Murder."
The hothead senior detective handling a murder suspect with that much care? I tilted my head, and Kim thumped his chest in frustration.
"The dead guy's the one who deserved it. Victim was the suspect's high school senior—bullied him rotten back in school. Extortion, errands, the works. He finally graduates, thinks he's free, but no such luck! Runs into the bastard at work. And it keeps going—hell, the guy even…!"
Red veins bulged on Kim Gwang-il's pot-lid fists.
"Raped the suspect's little sister. She couldn't take the shock, popped pills, and killed herself. So that's when our guy… snapped."
Now it clicked—that serene gaze saying no regrets.
"These moments in cop life are the toughest. Crystal-clear criminal, but you can't hate the guy."
"…What would you do?"
"Huh?"
I quietly closed the file in my hand.
"Say the enemy who killed your parents shows up. The one who wrecked your whole life. And revenge is on the table—any means, even beyond the law."
"Me? Hm… If illegal's fair game, I'd just kidnap the fucker and beat him to death."
Kim Gwang-il's voice dropped low.
"I'd kill him. Dump the body in a reservoir after chopping it up. No evidence left, so unsolved homicide, case closed. End of story."
Straightforward, brutally clear—like the guy himself.
"My take's a bit different."
Hwang Woo-sik appeared out of nowhere, loosening his tie as he jumped in.
"Ending a grudge like that with plain murder? Nah, doesn't cut it."
This guy's got a radical streak?
"I'd watch the bastard. Long time, real slow. Then smash what he cherishes most, piece by piece. Loves money? Drain it dry. Craves honor? Smear it to shit. Family man? Kidnap 'em."
Hwang Woo-sik's eyes gleamed dark, villainous.
"Whoa, Team Leader Hwang, you got a psycho side?! That's not like you."
"Sigh. Yeah? Not like me, huh? Seeing that suspect the senior nabbed just… frustrates me. What the hell's the law even for?"
Hwang Woo-sik sighed low, back to his usual face.
Smash what he cherishes most.
Kidnapping and killing that man? I could do it right now. I knew the CCTV routes in the precinct better than anyone, the police angles post-disappearance too. If I wanted, I could end it today.
I shook my head fiercely. That's not the revenge I want.
"Oh yeah! Detective Kang, Gyu-cheol gets discharged today. We're meeting up later at that Mapo pork spot down the way."
* * *
"Alright! Celebrating Detective Lee Gyu-cheol's discharge… Let's all cheers and down 'em!"
Kim Gwang-il raised his beer glass brimming with somac, bellowing the toast. His thick forearms made it look like a shot glass. Lee Gyu-cheol, still pale-faced, gave a faint smile and lifted his in return. The black horn-rimmed glasses gave him more professor vibes than detective.
"Load up on that pork belly. From experience… when your gut's sliced open, pork belly patches it best. Don't, and it'll split again."
Hwang Woo-sik's banter had Gwang-il pouting.
"Way I heard, Team Leader Hwang's never taken a knife hit. Talk like you're some veteran field guy."
"This punk climbs when you call him pretty! Strip the badges—wanna spar?!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone cracking up. Rare peace.
Then the TV anchor's voice cut in.
[Anxiety is rising among women over the serial rape cases centered in the Injin-gu area. Starting with the first incident on the 2nd of last month, seven cases in under a month. Police say the local station has handed it off to a regional task force for full pursuit.]
"Damn, busy boy in all the wrong ways. Imagine that drive on legit shit—he'd be set."
"He'll get nabbed soon. This case is blowing up, huh? Rape, not even murder, and they form a task force."
Lee Gyu-cheol chimed in on Kim's words. The perp on that news? Not getting caught anytime soon. The infamous Injin-gu barefooter case. That task force got disbanded wholesale, leader sacked. Racked up twelve victims till spring 2014—solved purely by chance the next summer.
"Hey, out-of-area cases go to their crews. Good talk only tonight."
Gwang-il hoisted his glass high.
* * *
"What brings Director Yang here?"
Unfamiliar number. Yang Jin-ho's voice—said he was at Gangcheon Station's main gate.
"On orders from the CEO. Hope you've been well?"
Polite even to me, way younger. Was it his nature or Hong Gye-young's command?
"Here. An invitation from the CEO."
Yang handed over a flashy envelope embossed in gold. Hong Ju-in, Taehwa Group's founder, retiring—official generational handover. Inviting key figures from politics and business. Predictable as hell.
"Ah, so CEO Hong's influence grows. Congrats. But why me? I'm just a regular cop. No place for me there."
"That's what she said. To get the power you want, can't just do what you want. Refuse, and our business dealings get tough. And… ha, how to put this!"
Something tricky dawned on him—his usually blank face creased faintly.
"Refuse, and our business gets tough—'firm but affectionately,' she said."
He let out a long sigh, like a mission done.
Ha! Look at this woman. Unreadable.
"If Director Yang insists… Yeah, got it. I'll go."
"Up to here was CEO orders. Now my business."
His brow twitched. The constant courtesy flipped to soldier facing an enemy.
"Shooting Yoo Hyeong-cheol with that pistol—no, approaching our CEO. All deliberate?"
"…Pardon?"
Yang closed the gap a step.
"Bragging aside, I'm ex-Army Special Forces. Post-discharge, Presidential Security Service."
Blue veins swelled in his neck.
"Watched your incident footage on loop. Under two meters, you hurl yourself, blunt the blade's angle, and rack the slide that instant? My brain says yeah now. But real life? No."
His lips quivered faintly.
"This body's got no explosive power or dynamic vision for it. Even my twenties? Nah. No experience reading the board that fast, adjusting on the fly. Needs veteran field grit plus honed twenties physique. But monsters like that don't exist. So I'll ask: who the hell are you?"
His gaze clawed like a blade.
Sharp one.
"You won't want 'Gangcheon Violent Crimes Team 3 Detective Kang Cheol-gu.' So here's this: whoever I am, I won't harm CEO Hong Gye-young. Only benefit."
Yang Jin-ho's head nodded microscopically. True—Kang Cheol-gu's emergence was massive gain for Taehwa.
"And approaching her? Yeah, deliberate. She knows. You coming here yourself? Loyalty to your boss. But trust the lord you serve. CEO Hong's no pushover. See you."
I turned; a low sigh trailed from behind.
* * *
Gripping the wheel, Yang Jin-ho bit his lip hard.
In the end, zip learned!
Trust your lord. CEO Hong's no pushover.
Kang Cheol-gu's words looped in his brain.
But the CEO—no, the young miss…!
He recalled her flushed face watching that rookie detective on screen. Served her years, never seen that expression.
Hoooonk!
Frustrated, Yang laid on the horn long and loud.