Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: A Life Worth Living
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The patrol car carrying Kang Hyun slowly cruised along the coastal road, blending seamlessly into the beautiful scenery of the East Coast.
The round sun shone warmly, illuminating the sea, while birds that had huddled with their wings tucked tightly were now spreading them wide and soaring freely through the sky.
Everything looked utterly peaceful, as if to prove that the crisis was finally behind them.
"The ocean's gorgeous, isn't it?"
Substation Chief Heo Yong-jin, seated in the passenger seat next to the driving sergeant, asked in a loud voice.
The acrylic partition separating the driver's seat from the back muffled the sound, making it hard to hear from the rear.
"Yes. Must be nice getting to see this every day—I'm jealous."
Kang Hyun had endured a heart-pounding dawn, but to him, the sea still evoked a sense of rest.
-You okay?
-No injuries?
-Did it all go well?
-You eating?
-Wanna do lunch together?
Yoon Haneul's messages had piled up quite a bit. Though it was late, Kang Hyun replied right away.
-Yeah, heading over. Where?
A link to the lunch spot followed immediately.
-Come here. Let me know if you're late. I'll pack it up.
Kang Hyun managed a slightly weary smile, but her next cute message chased away any lingering fatigue.
-Hurry. I'm worried.
-On it. Be right there.
He pictured Yoon Haneul waiting so long she'd dozed off from exhaustion and desperately wanted to fly to her side—but he couldn't just do as he pleased.
On top of the news that the missing person he'd rescued had regained consciousness, he couldn't refuse to go along with Substation Chief Heo Yong-jin.
'Now all that's left is...'
Unlike the dawn when pure joy had welled up endlessly, a question now lingered in his mind.
Truth be told, the man Kang Hyun had saved was a fugitive—a criminal. Saving his life wasn't wrong, but the more he thought about it, the more uneasy it felt.
Considering the type of warrant, it was likely a financial crime like fraud or embezzlement. There would be victims out there, and they were starting to weigh on his thoughts.
Lost in such musings as he leaned back in the car, they soon veered from the city's outskirts inward. The sight of Sokcho University Hospital came into view.
"Let's head up together."
"Sure."
Kang Hyun got out side by side with Substation Chief Heo Yong-jin and made his way to the patient's room.
They arrived at the room.
Having overcome the crisis, the man was in a general ward. Kang Hyun could truly feel that he'd been pulled back from the brink of death.
Click.
As the door opened, a man in patient garb looked up to greet Kang Hyun.
His appearance was a mess, but compared to his deathly face drenched in last night's predawn rain, he seemed almost vibrant now.
Gaunt and haggard though he looked, seeing him alive and breathing meant he'd recover his health soon enough.
As the group filed in noisily, he tried to sit up.
"Please stay lying down."
The accompanying sergeant spoke first, and the man slowly nodded.
A passing nurse chimed in.
"The patient can't speak out loud right now."
"Ah, got it."
Heo Yong-jin awkwardly adjusted his posture.
As he did, he fiddled with something in his pocket—Kang Hyun knew exactly what it was.
The arrest warrant.
"Chief, could we hold off on executing the warrant for a bit?"
Kang Hyun sidled up and quietly urged him. Heo Yong-jin nodded.
And then, whoosh.
Someone else burst in right after Kang Hyun's group.
"Manager!"
It was Kim Min-jae, the pension owner.
He approached slowly, his face a mix of complex emotions.
Kang Hyun remembered Kim Min-jae's expression from yesterday perfectly: one filled with betrayal and shock at having entrusted his pension to a criminal without knowing.
He might not have come at all. He could have stormed in yelling about the deception.
"Hoo... you're okay, right?"
But instead, he walked right up to where the man was propped halfway up in bed and gently took his hand.
"You must have... been through hell. Still..."
He couldn't finish.
Tears welled in the eyes of the man in patient garb as he watched. With a small, shaky breath, he quietly leaned into Kim Min-jae's embrace.
"...We'll sort it out, Manager. No more running. I trust you."
Heo Yong-jin, the sergeant, Kang Hyun.
They all watched, lost in thought.
The man sitting in that hospital bed was a criminal. Thinking of the victims' tears of blood, it was impossible not to feel anger.
Even if he had his own pitiful circumstances, he was still a wanted man who'd committed crimes against others.
Yet Kim Min-jae welcomed him with words of resolution.
It meant accepting punishment willingly, overcoming it, and returning to the peaceful life before the crimes—like long ago.
Even for a grave sinner, it said life still held value.
Watching the two, Kang Hyun felt a bit confused.
As if reading his eyes, Substation Chief Heo Yong-jin gripped Kang Hyun's arm firmly and murmured low.
"Remember this sight well."
"..."
"Kim Tae-pyeong here is wanted for fraud. He made a lot of people cry—committed a mortal sin. But no one wants him to die by suicide."
"..."
"Paradoxical as it is, committing a crime doesn't erase a person's worth."
Heo Yong-jin finished and quietly slipped out of the room.
Kang Hyun could only stand there in the room, a bitter expression on his face, silent.
Then, the wanted man called Kim Tae-pyeong beckoned to Kang Hyun.
"..."
Kang Hyun slowly approached, and Kim Min-jae stepped aside, his eyes brimming with gratitude toward Kang Hyun.
The man scribbled something on a crumpled piece of paper with a pen and showed it to Kang Hyun.
"...!"
The note read:
'Thank you for saving me. I will cooperate fully with the investigation and rehabilitate myself.'
Only then could Kang Hyun muster a small smile. He nodded too.
He turned to Kim Min-jae.
He still wore an expression choked with emotion.
"Kang Hyun... thank you so much for helping last night."
"...No, it's nothing."
"Even when the police came to the pension... thank you for saving our manager. Really, truly. I'll take responsibility—we'll sort everything out together."
Bow.
Kim Min-jae deeply bowed to Kang Hyun in thanks.
The man in the hospital bed also hunched his shoulders and prostrated himself before Kang Hyun.
"..."
Their gestures steeled Kang Hyun's resolve anew.
In the future, as a prosecutor or legal professional, he'd face countless judgments—but he couldn't bring absolute happiness to everyone every time.
Still, he could always give his absolute best effort.
And the results of Kang Hyun's actions would be proven by these two right here.
It was the greatest comfort he could receive in this moment.
'You pay for your crimes by living.'
Kang Hyun nodded faintly and gazed at the sky through the small window.
Exhausted from the long search, Sergeant Lee from Cheongcho Substation climbed to the rooftop and lit a cigarette.
Sokcho University Hospital rooftop.
Missing persons searches were routine, once a week. But this one had been brutal.
Scant evidence secured, swallowing pride to request backup, the resulting pressure, and that sudden downpour to top it off.
Bzzz, bzzz.
His phone vibrated just then. Sergeant Lee set down his coffee, took the cigarette from his mouth, and snatched up the phone.
Not urgent, but one he'd been waiting for.
-Hey, Sergeant Lee. Missed your call.
"Yeah, bro. Doing well?"
-I'm good, obviously. Heard something happened on your end?
"Don't even ask, bro."
Sergeant Lee needed someone to vent to about everything. This caller was perfect for it.
He dove into a detailed rundown for his counterpart: the pension missing person report, discovering he was a fugitive, the mysterious guy who showed up and twisted police procedure to his advantage.
How the substation chief switched to a search based on his input and they found the missing fugitive.
"Bro, and get this—the craziest part?"
-What?
"When they found him, he'd ingested pesticide and fallen. Paramedics said he was on death's door. But that guy..."
-Saved him?
"Yeah. Fed him something to make him puke it up and saved him."
As Sergeant Lee said it, a shiver ran through him again, like goosebumps rising anew.
Finding a dying man in an unthinkable spot was heart-stopping enough—but calmly performing first aid on someone who'd eaten pesticide and tumbled down a mountain?
It was downright unbelievable.
-Doctor, probably.
"Nah, law student. Famous guy, apparently..."
Silence fell on the other end.
'What, did it drop?'
"Bro?"
Sergeant Lee called out. Then, abruptly from the quiet line:
-No way... his name Kang Hyun?
"Huh? Spot on! How'd you know, bro?"
Amazed that he'd nailed the protagonist's name, Sergeant Lee got a bit excited.
"Real celebrity, huh? You know Kang Hyun, bro?"
-Huh.
A small sigh escaped the receiver. Clearly, the other man knew Kang Hyun well.
"...Come on, bro, don't hold out on me. Is this Kang Hyun guy really that famous?"
A low chuckle came through at Sergeant Lee's question. Finally piecing it together, Sergeant Lee smirked and asked,
"No way... that guy was Kang Hyun? The one who turned Seocho Police Station upside down over an arrest review recently?"
It clicked like a puzzle snapping into place, and Sergeant Lee let out a short laugh.
-Yeah, that's the one, man.
"Whoa!"
Now Sergeant Lee's sigh.
If he'd known it was Kang Hyun from the start, no arguments, faster resolution—and maybe even a chance to get friendly?
The man on the other end—Sergeant Yoo Gun-hyung from Seocho Police Station—heard the mix of emotions in that sigh and replied with satisfaction.
-Anyway, make nice. He's one hell of a guy.
"Man, gotta take your word for it, bro. Wow, life's full of surprises..."
But separately, as they chatted, Sergeant Lee's head tilted in puzzlement.
So, with a hint of doubt in his voice, he said to Sergeant Yoo Gun-hyung,
"But bro, didn't you say your daughter got into Central Police Academy...?"
-Yeah, why? She's on leave now, hanging with my buddies' kids. Living the dream.
"Tsk."
Sergeant Lee paused with a puzzled look, then finally pieced together the words in his head.
"Your daughter's name... no way it's Yoo Chae-eun?"
-Huh?
A sharp retort, like *Why's my daughter's name coming out of your mouth?*
Then, moments later.
-Hahaha! So that's it!
He went quiet for a beat before bursting into roaring laughter.