Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Long-Range Reconnaissance
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Detective Park Ki-jeong received a call from his team leader while riding in the speeding van.
"Yes. We're on our way. Eh? How would that guy catch on? What? The chief? Gathering the reporters? No, why? Sigh. Got it."
After hanging up, Park Ki-jeong checked the news articles on his smartphone.
"Whoa... damn. Our chief went all out bragging to the reporters about how we caught the arson murderer so quickly?"
One of Park Ki-jeong's colleagues from the narcotics squad, who had joined him from the same academy class, asked in confusion.
"Huh? Why announce it already? We're on our way right now to nab the bastard who sold drugs to that murderer!"
"Exactly."
Park Ki-jeong had passed along the narcotics-related info to his academy buddy on the narcotics squad.
It wasn't just handed off blindly. Teams 2 and the rookies were going along with the narcotics squad to arrest the suspect, and they'd split the merits fairly between the teams.
The narcotics squad detective grumbled.
"Damn it. If the drug seller sees the news and catches on, he'll bolt immediately."
After checking all the articles, Park Ki-jeong said to his colleague.
"Hey, it should be fine. Our chief didn't release the murderer's name or photo. Didn't mention drugs at all. Of course he wouldn't blab recklessly after all these years on the force."
"Really? That's a relief then."
"Unless the drug seller already knew about the murderer's arson murder plan ahead of time."
"You trying to mess with me right now?"
The Team 2 rookie driving the van asked.
"Not much farther to the guy's hideout! Should I hit the siren and floor it?"
Park Ki-jeong scolded him.
"Rookie, you trying to advertise to that drug pusher that he should run?"
"Pardon?"
"Are we going to bust robbers? Go quietly. Quietly. Obey all signals, no speeding."
Catching the drug seller was straightforward. But new intel popped up there.
Park Ki-jeong looked at a memo lying on the scene and said.
"Hey. Looks like a drug party going down right in the heart of Seoul? This guy's the supplier."
"What? For real?"
"We'll know for sure when we check it out."
"We need backup. Ki-jeong, thanks. Your tip's gonna skyrocket our team's record."
"What's this? We splitting merits on this too, right?"
"Well... when things blow up this big..."
"The memo with the party time and place is in my hands right now?"
"We'll split it. Was gonna anyway. When's the drug party?"
"From tonight until tomorrow morning."
The next day, the police chief gathered reporters and formally briefed them on the investigation. This time, he'd even whipped up a slick chart.
"So our detectives raided the drug party site and arrested eleven people red-handed in a drugged stupor."
The chart the chief displayed laid it out clearly: from the initial arson murderer arrest, to discovering the drug angle, to storming the party and nabbing every drug offender.
Park Ki-jeong stood to the chief's side. The Team 2 rookie next to him had a massive black eye.
Park Ki-jeong asked.
"Rookie, you wanna get your mug like that on camera?"
"Hyung-nim, when else am I gonna make the papers? And this is a badge of honor, right?"
"Getting clocked by a doped-up celebrity athlete turning your eye into a black hole is an honor?"
"Heh heh. That bastard was a pro athlete. But I still took him down, yeah? Doped to the gills too."
"We took him down together."
Among those arrested at the drug party was a celebrity. The police didn't release the celebrity's real name.
But anyone in the know knew who it was. Initials were floating around online.
The police also revealed the arson murderer's composite sketch at the press conference. Park Ki-jeong from Team 2 handled that explanation.
"Thanks to the eyewitness composite, we tracked down the suspect fast and even nabbed the drug offenders after."
A reporter asked.
"Who is the eyewitness?"
Park Ki-jeong had already checked with Na Gang-in. Na Gang-in had okayed up to the composite.
"Can't disclose personal info to protect the witness. We'd appreciate your cooperation, reporters."
Na Gang-in smirked as he read those comments on the internet community board.
"Calling me a painter."
"You drew it with my hand."
Na Gang-in rephrased slightly.
"So they're calling us painters."
Yoon A-reum's monthly rental room had vanished because of the arson murderer. Until she found a new place, she was crashing at the sauna.
Sitting at the PC bang counter, she scrolled the internet and spotted a community post with the police announcement attached.
Her heart raced the moment she saw it.
"Arson, murder, drugs. No joke."
She saw the portrait circulating as the perp's face. It felt familiar. Then she remembered brushing past that guy from the portrait in the alley out front right before the fire broke out.
"Ah! I remember! That glassy-eyed guy from the alley! He was the perp!"
She knew he'd already been caught. Still, it spooked her. Memories of being trapped on the burning building's rooftop flashed back.
Her heart pounded.
When scared, people get foggy judgment and make more mistakes.
One customer slurped ramen while gaming, then spilled broth and yelped.
"Hot!"
She jumped up from her seat. Ramen broth was splattered on the floor. She grabbed kitchen towels and rushed over.
"Hold on! I'll get i..."
Too hasty. As she dashed inward, she collided with a man heading out of the PC bang.
"Ugh!"
"Eek!"
Yoon A-reum staggered back unsteadily but managed to catch herself.
"Phew."
But the man she'd bumped wasn't so lucky. He toppled sideways, bracing with his right hand on the floor.
Yoon A-reum apologized quickly.
"Sorry! You okay?"
The man pushed up from the floor with his hand and said.
"I'm f... Ow! Not fine?"
Sitting on the floor, the man grimaced. He clutched his right hand with his left.
The ramen-spiller realized he'd caused trouble and panicked. He glanced around slyly, then quietly extended a hand to Yoon A-reum.
"I'll clean it up. Just give me the kitchen towels."
The fallen man pushed up again with his left hand. His face twisted even more.
"My right hand hurts so bad. Isn't it broken?"
Yoon A-reum panicked.
"What if it's really broken! Ah! 119! 119!"
Na Gang-in, gathering intel from a corner seat, heard the commotion and stood to approach.
"Ji-in. That guy's right hand status? Really broken?"
Na Gang-in said to the man.
"Probably not broken."
"It really hurts though..."
"Let me take a look."
Na Gang-in reached for the man's right hand. The man flinched reflexively, but he ignored it and gently gripped the hand.
The man let out a small groan.
"Uh... uh... It hurts."
"Good news: bones are fine. Just a sprain."
"But it hurts this much?"
"I'll make it hurt less."
Na Gang-in handed control of his hand to AI Jeon Ji-in.
Jeon Ji-in massaged the injured hand, soothing the slightly strained muscles.
Just from the massage, the man's pain noticeably eased. He looked shocked and said.
"Huh? My hand really hurts less now."
"No heavy lifting with your right hand until tomorrow. Could get worse otherwise. Fully healed in a couple days."
The man panicked big time.
"Huh? But what about work? I gotta head to Gangwon-do tomorrow for a movie shoot!"
Yoon A-reum asked cluelessly.
"Ah! Are you the director?"
The man snapped.
"Food truck!"
Yoon A-reum bowed her head quick.
"Ah! Sorry!"
Food truck owner Kim Byung-ho looked at Yoon A-reum and sighed deeply.
"The film company's doing emergency extra shooting, so my truck got roped in last-minute today."
He slowly raised his right hand.
"But how am I supposed to cook like this? If I flake, the whole crew starves."
Resignation crossed Kim Byung-ho's face.
"Then I won't get work from that company or director again. Word spreads, and gigs dry up elsewhere too."
Yoon A-reum floundered in panic. From the story, she might've just wrecked his livelihood.
She had to fix this somehow. She suggested.
"Th-then I'll go with you tomorrow and do the cooking!"
Kim Byung-ho's expression brightened a bit.
"You can cook?"
"I can boil ra..."
"Pass!"
Na Gang-in said softly.
"I've got a rough read on this area, time to scout other regions."
The AR Lens projected a list of reconnaissance targets before his eyes.
"Not that. Dismiss."
The list vanished instantly from his view.
Na Gang-in proposed to food truck owner Kim Byung-ho.
"I'll go to Gangwon-do tomorrow. Just need to handle meals and sides, right?"
Food truck owner Kim Byung-ho was stunned.
"Pardon? The chef's coming?"
Kim Byung-ho made and sold food. Ever since tasting Na Gang-in's cooking, he'd stopped by this PC bang daily. Hoping to pick up some tricks by watching.
"If the chef's offering, I'd love that, but..."
"Sprained hand stabilizes in a day, so let's call that settled."
"Sh-should we?"
Yoon A-reum bowed quickly to Kim Byung-ho.
"Thank you!"
Kim Byung-ho smiled awkwardly.
"Well, my hand barely hurts now, and watching the chef tomorrow might teach me a tip or two... Ha, haha."
Na Gang-in asked.
"A-reum. What about me?"
Yoon A-reum made a tiny heart with her fingertips and beamed.
"To oppa, super super huge thanks!"
Boss Cha Dong-seok heard the situation over the phone from elsewhere.
"Yeah. Okay. No choice. As long as our employee's unhurt. Give that customer a week of free PC bang use."
He sounded magnanimous on the call, but sighed deeply once it ended, full of regret.
"Sigh. No special dishes tomorrow then."
Na Gang-in decided himself what and when to cook at the PC bang. If he didn't feel like it, no specials. That was the deal.
His niece Cha Eun-seo, who'd overheard, scolded Cha Dong-seok.
"That customer demanded the boss uncle show up, you'd have dropped everything and rushed over to apologize. Gang-in oppa fixed it with one catering gig. Be grateful."
Cha Dong-seok had thin ears.
"You think?"
"Yeah. Totally."