Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Midnight Police Raid
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It was past midnight.
'No way they still haven't found him, right?'
Once a missing person report was filed for the incident, the police would deploy their full resources to track down the individual's whereabouts.
Starting with exhausting every possible way to contact the person directly, then locating acquaintances, family, and anyone else who might know about the subject.
Checking public transportation records, usage of public phones and banks, stays at saunas and other lodging facilities.
And if they still couldn't find him?
The situation could turn dire in an instant.
"Whew... This is really none of my business."
Kang Hyun let out a deep sigh, but he had a feeling that if he just headed back to his room like this, the worry gnawing at him wouldn't go away.
So, with no other choice, he dragged his feet and trudged back toward the pension's main lobby to speak with the owner one more time.
But upon arriving, Kang Hyun was stunned by the astonishing scene unfolding before him—far beyond the concerns he'd anticipated.
The pension lobby was a complete madhouse.
In front of the building's courtyard.
Several police cars with blaring sirens, officers combing the area.
They appeared to be from the local beat station, their vehicles marked "Cheongcho 1," indicating affiliation with the Cheongcho Neighborhood Police Station.
The flustered pension owner, Kim Min-jae, was frantically trying to stop the police from searching every nook and cranny inside the building, while a couple of officers stuck to him, intently explaining the situation.
'Did something happen?'
This proved the circumstances were anything but ordinary.
"Mr. Kim Min-jae, I know it's inconvenient, but you'll need to cooperate."
The officer seemed to be repeating himself to the young owner, his expression one of weary patience as he sought understanding.
"Y-Yeah, please, don't touch that area... seriously! Why are you doing this?"
A young officer nearby responded to the owner's plea, his face already showing the exhaustion of repeated explanations.
"It's because there are suspicious circumstances."
"What circumstances? I reported that my manager is missing—why are you tearing apart my pension?"
"We can't say more than that."
"Does that even make sense? Fine, then! I'll withdraw the report! We have guests staying here right now—what kind of mess is this!"
"Sigh... It's just that there are suspicious circumstances..."
"No, what circumstances are you talking about? You're all so frustrating!"
It was well past midnight.
The fact that multiple police cars were gathered, their sirens flashing piercing lights in the dead of night, was proof that this wasn't a simple missing person case.
As the chaos escalated, owner Kim Min-jae grew more heated in his protests to the police, but they only offered the same vague, unsatisfying explanations.
One by one, onlookers began to gather again, and more than a few guests, roused from sleep by the noise, voiced their complaints.
Kang Hyun watched from a slanted spot down the hill behind the main building.
'What kind of incident is this?'
He needed to decide whether to intervene or stay out of it.
Calling the police had been the right move. But their actions were unexpected.
That meant another incident was entangled—nothing else made sense.
As Kang Hyun hesitated, pondering whether to approach...
Tap tap.
"Huh?"
"Oppa."
It was Yoo Chae-eun.
"Aren't you coming in? Whoa, police?"
She had followed him when he didn't head straight inside.
"But why are they searching the pension? Didn't they say a staff member went missing?"
"Yeah."
She stared at him for a moment with a peculiar expression. At first, it seemed like an intense gaze that left him a bit flustered, but that wasn't it.
Anyone could see she was brimming with curiosity, silently sending him a telepathic message.
*Shall we check it out together?*
And with a nod.
"Okay!"
"Huh?"
The funny part was, before Kang Hyun could even respond, she gave him a meaningful nod and bolted forward.
She must have taken his silence as agreement, but he hadn't committed yet.
"H-Hey, wait. Where are you going?"
Without giving him a chance to stop her, she dashed straight to the cluster of uniformed officers, planted herself there, bowed her head deeply, and greeted them in a booming voice.
"Hello, seniors! I'm trainee Yoo Chae-eun, currently training at the Central Police Academy!"
"..."
The officers, suddenly interrupted mid-duty by someone barging in claiming to be a junior, looked flustered. The pension owner, exasperated, spoke to her in an irritated tone.
"Miss, do you know these officers?"
"Um, they're seniors, but not seniors I know personally?"
"..."
"Seniors, what's going on? Is there anything I can help with?"
"Uh... well. You're an enthusiastic junior. But we're in the middle of official duties, so maybe next time..."
"Even so, I'm a guest here and was around all afternoon. I might be able to assist."
"You're a guest?"
"Yes. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Ah... well... you see..."
They could have scolded her for butting in uninvited, but the officers—hardened as they were—couldn't bring themselves to snap at the cute, polite young woman. Instead, they awkwardly tried to wave her off.
And right on cue, Kang Hyun arrived and casually positioned himself behind her.
With all eyes now on her amid the commotion, attention naturally shifted to him as well.
It was the perfect moment for Kang Hyun to step in and speak up.
"What's the wanted classification?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm asking about the subject's wanted status classification."
Kang Hyun addressed the officer holding the police query terminal with calm confidence.
His expression suggested he was inquiring about something utterly routine, as if from vast experience.
He continued.
"Under Article 6 of the Rules on Wanted Notices, pursuant to Article 5 thereof, listed on Form 160 of the Criminal Investigation Rules upon request, and entered into the national wanted database. Confirmed via the query terminal under Article 17. That's what I'm asking about—the classification."
"...It's 'A' category, warrant type '2.'"
The officer with the terminal answered almost hypnotically, and Kang Hyun responded like a vending machine dispensing the perfect reply.
"Suspension of prosecution, failure to appear at trial date. Subject of an arrest warrant or summons warrant."
"W-What did you say?"
For some reason, they hadn't given the full story to the pension owner, who now gasped in shock, hearing it for the first time.
The officer, looking guilty, slyly pocketed the terminal and alternated uneasy glances between Kang Hyun and owner Kim Min-jae.
"You're here looking for a missing person but constantly checking the terminal, so it seems the missing person is a wanted fugitive. Correct?"
"Sigh... well..."
"W-Wanted? Y-You mean my manager's a criminal? That's why you're searching here?"
The owner clutched the back of his neck as if about to faint, staggering a few steps across the lobby in stunned disbelief.
To think the trusted colleague he'd worked with for years was a criminal, hiding it all this time. Unbelievable.
What on earth was going on? He was plunged into total chaos.
Meanwhile, separate from the owner's shock, the police showed clear signs of surprise at Kang Hyun's words.
Composed, Kang Hyun addressed the man who seemed to be the team leader.
"But why aren't you explaining this to the pension owner, the party involved?"
"It's the situation..."
"Are you worried the owner might be implicated too?"
Pinpointed by Kang Hyun, the officer couldn't hide his fluster.
"W-Well..."
"Still, this isn't right. Though I suppose you had reason to suspect a false missing person report and aiding a criminal's escape."
"...You're correct."
"That's a sting operation."
Apparently, with the missing person tied to a crime and no leads on their movements, the police were at a loss.
And now, the fugitive they'd been desperately hunting had surfaced—as the missing person, no less.
Their move was to search the pension first.
Finishing his thoughts, Kang Hyun turned to calm the shocked owner and instructed Yoo Chae-eun.
"First, could you get the owner a glass of water?"
"Sure!"
As she fetched the water, Kang Hyun spoke to them in a low voice.
"You know this is procedurally improper, right?"
"..."
"You officers are aware it's not legally sound. You came on a missing person report, but searching the premises? The warrant for a wanted notice is an arrest warrant. No reason to bring a seizure warrant based on that, and it doesn't meet the criteria for an emergency search and seizure."
"...It's just customary procedure..."
"Customary? No. If you're here for a missing person search, find the person first. Then, per police investigation rules, reopen any suspended case, obtain a warrant afterward, and search the pension or request documents from the owner."
The officers hung their heads at Kang Hyun's precise critique, unable to respond.
They had no rebuttal to his point-by-point breakdown.
The police were getting schooled by Kang Hyun.
Rooted in objective, systematic knowledge and procedure, no one could argue back.
And in the midst of it all, one offhand remark from Yoo Chae-eun as she returned with the water flipped the situation dramatically.
"Prosecutor! I gave the pension owner his water!"
"...Prosecutor?"
"Prosecutor?"
"Come to think of it... are you from the Sokcho Branch Prosecutor's Office?"
Murmurs rippled through.
Only then did the officers nod in realization, piecing together the identity of this legal expert versed in investigation procedures.
Yoo Chae-eun beamed triumphantly, leaving the baffled Kang Hyun to wave his hands frantically at them.
"N-No, I'm not a prosecutor. Just a student."
"Oh, we get it. No need to reveal your identity."
"..."
"We understand the current climate. Relations with police are tense, and getting involved in investigations could stir talk."
As the misunderstanding snowballed, Kang Hyun flushed, at a loss for words.
But the officers were utterly convinced he was a prosecutor.
People carry an indefinable aura. It's even stronger after years of experience in a profession.
Kang Hyun exuded that presence—not just the aura, but his speech patterns, tone, and knowledge screamed prosecutor's office.
It was impossible to doubt, so their assumption was almost natural.
"We sincerely apologize for this incident. We'll withdraw the search immediately..."
"Ahem. Anyway, I'm not a prosecutor, and just saying you'll withdraw doesn't make it so."
"...We're truly sorry. Please accept our apologies once more."
"Sigh..."
Kang Hyun was flustered as ever, but having been called out on their procedural flaws, the officers adopted an even more deferential stance toward him.
'That girl...'
And to top it off, Yoo Chae-eun's exaggerated waving from behind them was quite the spectacle.