Dreaming of Justice (2)
Nam Juhyeon slowly withdrew the hand she'd extended, blinking at Do Chae-hee's question.
"A plan?"
She looked as if she'd never heard the word before in her life. Do Chae-hee, incredulous, opened her mouth to speak.
"There has to be a reason you sent me that envelope of documents. You want them taken down, right? There must be some reason you needed me specifically."
"Mm, sure. I needed someone to dig into that case for me."
"And you have no plan at all?"
Nam Juhyeon continued in a perfectly calm tone.
"Beats me. Investigating stuff like this isn't my expertise."
Do Chae-hee unwittingly gaped at her. How could anyone be this brazen!
"You need to figure it out. Think about how to blow this case wide open."
To Nam Juhyeon, it was just parroting back what she'd heard. But to Do Chae-hee, it was the height of irresponsibility.
The fragile trust she'd felt—like soft fuzz—crumbled entirely.
I should have known better the moment I saw her show up looking like that.This woman just doesn't inspire confidence.
Do Chae-hee sighed.
"Why me!"
But if the info in that envelope was real, a proper investigation was absolutely necessary.
"Normally, you'd go to the police for something like this. But you came to me, from Gakbeombu, for a reason."
Having sorted her thoughts, Do Chae-hee spoke up.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd need to apply for a formal search warrant..."
"You said yourself they can't be caught that way."
"Exactly. So we need another approach."
Do Chae-hee's eyes gleamed.
Standing before the research lab at Hyeonmu Pharma, where drugs were manufactured and developed, Do Chae-hee let out a short breath.
The security at the entrance was tight, befitting the facility's critical role within the company.
A towering cement wall several meters high surrounded it, with only one entrance at the front.
It might be to prevent leaks of confidential info, but after reviewing everything N had sent, it felt suspicious to her.
First obstacle: the vehicle barrier. Unmanned, with no one around. Do Chae-hee hopped over it effortlessly with two steps.
Next: the iron gate. Oh ho, getting interesting. She coiled her legs and leaped into the air, clearing the 3-meter gate with ease. Now a flustered guard blocked her path.
"Wh-what brings you here?"
Do Chae-hee continued calmly.
"I'm Team Leader Do Chae-hee from the Awakener Crime Task Force. I received a tip about awakener-related crimes happening inside."
She pulled her badge from her pocket and handed it over. The guard took it as if touching something filthy, then hastily returned it with a startled expression.
"E-even so, no warrant means no entry."
Exactly as expected. Do Chae-hee pressed on without missing a beat.
"I responded to a report. An awakener is committing crimes in the basement."
"Pardon?"
The guard gawked at the out-of-left-field claim.
"As you may know, Gakbeombu officers can enter sites of awakener crimes without any warrant, per the Awakener Special Law."
The law was originally meant to suppress awakeners, but Do Chae-hee turned it on its head.
No one could have foreseen it being used this way. And truth be told, she was the only one in Gakbeombu with the guts to pull it off.
Normally, Park Cheol-wan would drag her out before things escalated, but she hadn't reported this mission to anyone.
No one here could stop her.
Finally grasping her words, the guard raised his voice.
"So move aside."
"Hey!"
Do Chae-hee vaulted over the panicking guard just like the gate, planting a light foot on his shoulder.
Stunned by her inhuman movement, he froze solid.
She ignored him radioing for backup and strode forward without hesitation.
Now it was a race against time.
A crowd had already gathered at the entrance to block her. Do Chae-hee's eyes flashed.
"Official duty in progress. I ask for your cooperation."
"You can't just barge in like this!"
"I received a credible tip. An awakener committing crimes inside. I can't leave until I confirm it's false."
The guards hardened their faces at her unflinching declaration amid their numbers.
She won't listen!
This woman's got no intention of backing down!
Do Chae-hee smiled thinly.
"Your cooperation is appreciated."
"Cooperation my ass! Get out!"
The guards tried grabbing her belatedly, but her slender frame hid freakish strength.
"Urk! Aaaagh!"
She neutralized them effortlessly.
A guard whose arm she'd twisted screamed and staggered back. Any longer, and it might have snapped clean off—her grip was that vicious.
"Wh-what kind of strength!"
Do Chae-hee added casually, as if it had just occurred to her.
"I'm a 6-star awakener. You could get hurt—please step back."
Silence rippled through the guards.
They'd figured she wasn't ordinary, but a 6-star? Here?
Why would someone that elite show up? She should be raiding gates, not poking around a lab!
Wait, she said awakener, not hunter—maybe unrelated to gates.
Regrettably, no one present could stop a 6-star.
"Keep this up, and you'll get hurt. Step back."
Her polite words clashed with her ruthless actions. She dismantled the charging men in seconds.
"Urgh... uuurgh."
Soon, guards piled up around her in a heap.
Do Chae-hee dusted off her palms with a clap. The "Mad Dog" nickname wasn't for show.
The onlookers stared in horror.
No one else dared block her after that. Researchers meeting her gaze pressed against the walls, swallowing hard.
She shoved past them into the corridor. Excessive force, incoming disciplinary actions, stacks of apology reports—she'd deal with it all later.
Do Chae-hee mentally reviewed the lab's layout.
N's info had pinpointed spots she needed to check.
Through the lobby and down the hall: the restricted admin area.
Card key required.
"Eek!"
Grabbing a fleeing researcher's wrist, Do Chae-hee flashed a bright smile.
"Mind if I borrow this?"
She snatched the card from his neck and swiped it at the door, striding in.
"Thanks for cooperating."
"Cooperating?! Hey, wait!"
The man belatedly realized and shrieked, but she ignored him.
The corridor beyond led to more halls and doors. She passed through without encountering anyone.
In the empty passage, she raised her voice.
"This is Team Leader Do Chae-hee from Gakbeombu. Responding to a report of awakener criminal activity here. Your cooperation with the investigation is requested."
Her tone was stiff, like reading from a textbook, but she didn't care.
A few recovered guards trailed her cautiously—no repeat charges after earlier.
They formed a wary wall around her. Any normal person would feel the pressure, but Do Chae-hee marched on undaunted.
At the hall's end: another card-locked door. She swiped without hesitation.
Unlike before, it didn't budge. Had they deactivated it? Or did the card lack clearance?
No choice.
Shrugging, she stepped aside, raised her arm, and slammed her elbow into the glass.
It shattered with a crunch.
The lab beyond was chillingly cold—several degrees cooler than outside. Do Chae-hee narrowed her eyes, scanning it.
It reminded her unpleasantly of the Bomnal Orphanage lab.
Better equipped and larger, but otherwise eerily similar: blindingly white floors and walls, framed pictures hung midway up.
Is this really where those experiments happen? Then, someone entered through a door.
"Wh-what is this?! How did you get in here?!"
Do Chae-hee fed her the same line.
"I heard about awakener-related crimes inside."
"Impossible! Do you know where you are? Crimes? Ridiculous."
But her demeanor was off—like she was desperately hiding something, blocking Do Chae-hee with all she had.
Instinct told Do Chae-hee: It's here. The evidence she'd hunted for was right here. Then, someone near the wall reached for an emergency button.
Not on my watch.
Do Chae-hee ripped a button from the blocking researcher's coat.
"Urk?!"
Her pupils flashed purple for an instant.
The button struck the man's finger dead-on as he hit for the alarm.
"Aaaagh!"
He clutched his hand. Just a button, but infused with a 6-star hunter's mana, it hit like dozens of kilos.
Clatter. It rolled across the floor.
Straightening, Do Chae-hee declared.
"As I said, I'm on official duty. Your cooperation is requested."
Dusting her crumpled jacket, she locked eyes with the frozen crowd and spoke slowly.
"If you won't cooperate, I'll have no choice but to use force."
Everyone realized it then: one tiny button had felled a guard in a blink. There was no stopping her.
Do Chae-hee advanced and opened the firmly shut door.
There, she found them.
Dozens of people trembling as they stared at her.
The moment she saw them, Do Chae-hee whipped out her phone and called the one person she trusted most.
"Kim Yongwon, bring the team here right now."