The Meaning of Discipline 3
I took Joo-shin with me to the library, which had become our de facto hideout. Unlike usual, we couldn't stay long, but our real goal was the police station anyway.
The station was the same as always—which is to say, the station chief's thunderous snoring echoed loudly, and just like before, Heo Soon-kyung ushered us out to the bench so we wouldn't wake him.
"What's up? Here to tell me you want to become a cop in the future?"
"No, it's about Eun-young noona's mom."
"Huh?"
"It's weird."
"What's weird?"
"Everything. All of it is weird."
I hadn't been able to tear my eyes away from the footage of Eun-young noona when Eunsu was loaded into the ambulance from the Red Brick House. But that video... I just couldn't look away from her at the time.
My vision went dark. Fear. Terror.
Thud. Crash. Screeech.
The video, like photos infused with the horror of flesh tearing apart at an intensity unlike anything normal, drowned out the dialogue. All I could hear were the relentless thuds and the chilling noises.
But thinking back, it shared many similarities with the footage I'd seen through Eunsu. Still, the pain and terror it conveyed were overwhelming.
That's why Mother broke down sobbing when she saw me hyperventilating against the wall, unable to pull myself together. If I became a cop and had to face victims feeling that same terror, I couldn't bear to let her see my face like that—or hers, filled with grief.
I could feel everyone staring at me curiously as I muttered that it was weird, my expression gripped by fear, but my fragmented thoughts made it impossible to explain properly.
"You gotta tell us exactly what's weird..."
"I mean, her own daughter was being loaded into an ambulance, and she didn't bat an eye."
"Maybe that lady isn't even her real daughter? I heard the bank manager at the Red Brick House remarried."
"Is that so..."
"I shouldn't talk about the case, but I'm telling you this so you kids don't spread ridiculous rumors."
"Choi Jae-in's wife, Jo Chunhui, did remarry. But Eunsu is Jo Chunhui's biological child—we confirmed it through birth records. She's not Choi Jae-in's, though. He married Jo Chunhui when she was an unwed mother."
"So Eunsu isn't that guy's biological daughter?"
"Does that mean Mr. Choi could have assaulted her if she wasn't his real kid?"
"We suspected the same, but Jo Chunhui's testimony..."
"What?"
"If it had just been Choi Jae-in's statement, Eun-young's would have carried more weight. But with Jo Chunhui claiming the older daughter assaulted the younger, we had no choice but to charge Eun-young. In domestic violence cases, evidence is scarce, so testimonies from those involved are crucial."
"No DNA test yet?"
"It'll take some time."
"You still suspect Eun-young noona as the perpetrator?"
"We told her we'd release her and investigate if she gave a fixed address, but she insisted on staying in custody for the probe. As cops, there's only so much we can do."
"She won't go home?"
"Yeah. Custodial investigation is something suspects avoid. But she flat-out refused to set foot in that house. Without a confirmed address, we can't release her even if we want to."
"Ah..."
Disappointment darkened my face, my shoulders slumping under an invisible weight.
"Heavy?"
Heo Soon-kyung eyed the stack of textbooks filling my arms, then grinned mischievously.
"These are the textbooks from when I studied for the exam. Criminal law, criminal procedure, police studies—you can use the same ones. This is my summary from back then. And since math's optional now, even math-haters can manage."
"This is..."
"Gonna toss 'em anyway, but haven't found a spot yet. You'll have to buy past papers new... but wanna take 'em off my hands?"
Heo Soon-kyung handed over the armful of his old study materials, exchanged greetings with Jong-hyuk and Kyung-soo—who were holding drinks—and headed back inside.
"Whoa, this summary's gold. Criminal law basics down pat with this alone."
Kyung-soo flipped through the criminal law notes, eyes wide.
"Why criminal law for you?"
"Judicial exam."
"Prosecutor?"
"Judge is the goal, but prosecutor or lawyer if not."
"Makes sense for you, Kyung-soo."
Jong-hyuk and I nodded, and Kyung-soo burst out laughing at our faces.
"Mom wants me to be a doctor, but I hate math."
"What? You always ace it or miss one."
"Good scores and liking it are different."
"Dunno the difference, but top of the school's top for a reason."
He clutched his stomach laughing at our agreement, then asked,
"But seriously, Joo-in, no cop dreams?"
"Seems dangerous."
"With Mom and Joo-shin to think about, yeah."
"After chatting with Heo Soon-kyung, I looked into it. Knew a hyung at a cram school since I was mulling civil service exams."
"Exams? Cram school?"
"You're not even in high school yet?"
"Thought about prepping in high school and taking it right after graduation."
"What?"
Kyung-soo grinned at our shocked faces.
"Just a thought... not easy."
Kyung-soo's been planning his path since before high school... Unlike me, with my past life's regrets, I've been underestimating them as kids.
Jong-hyuk burning the threat letter after agonizing. Kyung-soo's detailed future plans. It hit me: maturity isn't just about age.
Kyung-soo nudged my shoulder as I grew serious.
"What I mean is, after asking around post-Heo Soon-kyung, cop jobs aren't all that unpopular, and not every cop's on dangerous frontline duty."
"What?"
"Traffic cops suck... from what I heard... admin roles are like regular civil service."
"Really?"
"Not every cop's in high-risk fieldwork. And for a fast track, better to enter the Police University over the civil service exam. They said it'd be a waste of my grades."
It ended in Kyung-soo's brag, but gave me plenty to chew on.
If it's not dangerous, maybe cop's not bad...
With thoughts churning, I headed home with Joo-shin. I barely remember parting with Jong-hyuk and Kyung-soo. Seeing Mother upon arrival made me smile unwittingly.
Yeah, better think of something so Mom won't worry...
"Joo-in, wanna be a cop?"
"Huh?"
My arms were full of Heo Soon-kyung's police textbooks—too many for my bag, so Jong-hyuk had carried some and handed them back at home.
"No, it's just..."
"Really... these days, thanks to you, Mom's got her strength back..."
"Uh... Mom? Wouldn't you worry if I said I wanted to be a cop?"
"Of course. But even if you became some ordinary salaryman, I'd worry about what I can't see. And from what I heard this time, cops aren't all that risky..."
"Who said that?"
"The cop who took that girl Eun-young came by. Kept praising police civil service jobs."
"Huh?"
"Called him 'hyung' or whatever."
"Joo-in, what'd you say? Couldn't hear from the kitchen."
I ruffled Joo-shin's damp hair as he came out post-bath, while Mother prepped dinner.
"Nothing. I'll wash up before dinner."
Heo Soon-kyung's scheme to rope me in was absurd, but I couldn't stop chuckling in the shower.
Next day, Kyung-soo returned the borrowed criminal law summary and asked,
"You really thinking cop?"
"You fell for that pig's ploy too?"
"What? When'd that hyung become a pig?"
"Didn't know? Mom said she heard police jobs are great—from the day Eun-young noona got taken. Thought he pulled me out to explain, but it was his PR stunt."
"Cops aren't that unpopular. What's his angle?"
"Thinks you'll catch perps well?"
"This much? Normal?"
"He's got an agenda. Can't figure it."
"Just ask."
"Gonna borrow more summaries anyway. Hit the station en route to library this weekend."
"Think he'll spill? Lie and we're more confused."
With my abilities, I can tell.
"Nah, if he lies, infer from that. Let's ask."
Jong-hyuk, Kyung-soo, and I planned to grill Heo Soon-kyung that weekend.
If not for the sudden meetup.
Wee-oo wee-oo.
The ambulance's grating siren made my hairs stand on end. The urgent wail at our alley's mouth plunged me into dark imaginings.
I shoved Joo-shin into Jong-hyuk's arms and bolted like mad. Gasping, throat burning, what I saw was...
The Red Brick House? Why?
Jong-hyuk, sensing doom from my frantic run, dashed into the alley with Joo-shin. Joo-shin called my name curiously, but I couldn't look away from the Red Brick House.
A white sheet-draped corpse was being wheeled out.
The siren cut off as the crisis ended, but the blaze in my heart roared fiercer.
I spotted Heo Soon-kyung struggling with gawkers, but one wrong question now could spark disaster. I slipped into the alley with Jong-hyuk and Joo-shin.
Camera shutters, shouting reporters, murmuring neighbors—all faded to distant, muffled wind just steps away.
Could I have stopped it?
The faint doubt pried open a crack in my mind, like a hole in the ceiling. Like leaks in the rain, damp and cold, it froze my heart.