The Source of the Rewards

The bank claimed they had no idea, and even the cyber crimes unit had given up on the bizarre case of the vanishing deposits.

Could it be related to the rewards the navigation system had given me?

The reward money I received after arresting the Shark Gang and the Gwangsu Gang was 3.547 billion won.

Just in case, I asked Cha Donbaek.

"How much money disappeared?"

"Seven hundred million won."

"...Is that all?"

"Is seven hundred million small change to you?"

"It just seems a bit small compared to the size of your operation."

"That just shows how conscientiously we ran things."

I had no intention of playing along with a gangster's nonsense.

"Ah, of course, it must have been a burden on the merchants. I admit that. But we didn't charge extortionate rates."

"Extortion is a word you use when there's actually a transaction of goods or services, isn't it?"

"We did exchange things. We provided security services so they could focus on their business in peace, and we collected a management fee."

"You're talking absolute nonsense."

He should have stuck to throwing punches instead of trying to make a ridiculous argument.

"W-we did our best, too."

"Your best to suck the merchants dry, you mean."

"High school punks trying to extort bar owners just because they're minors, violent drunks causing scenes in front of customers, local thugs hazing outsiders. We cleaned up all those troublemakers who disrupted the merchants' businesses."

"Isn't that usually the job of the local precinct police?"

"The police? We're lucky if they don't get in the way."

"You mean you didn't just bribe them to stay away?"

"Well... there was that, too, but would the police even be of any help? They just let them go most of the time anyway."

"..."

Sending them home because they were too drunk to know any better, or letting them off with a warning because they were minors.

Unless you've experienced it firsthand, you don't know how agonizing it is.

That's why violent retribution always feels more satisfying than the police's response.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

When it comes to revenge, the fist has always been more effective than the law.

"Do you know what's really unfair? The same merchants who thanked us for letting them do business in peace would turn around and blame us whenever the economy went south."

His grievances were so heartfelt that I almost comforted him for his hardships.

Seeing my expressionless face, Cha Donbaek calmed his excitement and spoke.

"I know it was illegal. Forcing people to pay management fees is what gangsters do. That's why I wanted to wash my hands of it and try something else after getting out of prison..."

"What kind of work?"

"Wallpapering."

It seemed he hadn't just wasted time in prison.

Exhaling a long sigh, Cha Donbaek ordered his gang members, who had drifted close, to back off.

"Go to the park entrance and make sure no one comes in."

"Yes, boss!"

Did he send his men away to go one-on-one with me?

I slowly braced myself, preparing for any provocation.

But then...

"Detective!"

Cha Donbaek dropped to his knees in front of me.

And he began to explain the real reason he had asked to meet.

He said he wanted to live a different life.

To completely wash his hands of the lifestyle, disbanding the gang had to come first.

But as always, life doesn't go as planned.

The few remaining subordinates had come to find him after his release.

"Because our accounts are empty, we can't even afford to send commissary money to the guys inside. We're just sucking our thumbs here."

The tone of the kneeling Cha Donbaek had completely changed.

A man who looked at least ten years older than me was speaking to me with deep respect.

Perhaps he had sent his underlings away because he didn't want them to see him like this.

"Get up. Stand up and talk."

"Thank you, Detective."

"So, did you come to find me to take responsibility for them?"

"Ah, no. I didn't come to argue about that."

"Then what?"

"Actually, it's just that you're the only person I could think of to ask for help, Detective..."

Cha Donbaek spoke with a desperate expression.

"I know it sounds like a joke, but those boys need jobs."

"...Jobs?"

"I can get by on the wallpapering skills I learned in prison, but all those guys know how to do is throw punches."

I could feel the sincerity in his trembling voice.

A gang boss who used to rule with his fists didn't seem like the type to pull a scam like this.

Can people really change?

Chief Lee Chungki once said that the police exist on the assumption that every criminal can be rehabilitated.

At the time, I let it go in one ear and out the other.

Because I didn't believe it.

"You said you learned wallpapering. Why don't you take your boys and work together?"

"It's embarrassing to admit, but I'm in no position to take care of anyone right now. Honestly, I don't even have the money to rent a shop."

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

When cornered, anyone will look for a way to survive.

They will naturally turn to what they are most familiar with and best at.

For them, that was being a gangster.

It's a world where anyone can turn over a new leaf, but keeping it turned is the hard part.

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet..."

"Follow me."

"Where to?"

"You have a bank account, right?"

"...Yes."

I was curious too.

Whether Chief Lee Chungki was right, or if I was.

So, I decided to test it.

A test where even a failing grade wouldn't feel so bad.

In front of a bank ATM near the park.

I inserted the Black Card I had taken from the Commando into the card slot and asked Cha Donbaek.

"Account number."

"Gukin Bank, 185-403-2..."

The Shark Gang members were waiting outside.

I made Cha Donbaek, who had come inside, read out the account number from a distance.

Greed is a powerful thing; there was no telling how a person might change if they realized there was a massive balance on the card.

While the machine read the card, I struck up a conversation with Cha Donbaek.

"Didn't the boss of the Gwangsu Gang get released too?"

"Yes. We got out on the same day."

"What's he up to? Did he go back to the Gukbingwan?"

"From what I heard, he's on the run."

"On the run? Did he cause trouble again already?"

"No, it's because of the drugs you confiscated, Detective."

"What about the drugs?"

"The Gwangsu Gang couldn't pay for the drugs, so they're being hunted down by their suppliers."

"Sounds rough over there too. How much did they stiff them?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I heard it's around 2.5 billion won."

"..."

Suddenly, what happened at the Gukbingwan crossed my mind.

The amount I received after arresting the two gangs was just over 3.5 billion won.

The Shark Gang said 700 million won had vanished, and the Gwangsu Gang owed 2.5 billion won.

The money that disappeared from the bank accounts of both gangs was roughly 3.2 billion won.

"Ah, the precinct captain was also arrested back then."

If there had been 300 million won in the precinct captain's account, the math would add up perfectly.

Was the source of the reward money I received actually their bank accounts?

Cha Donbaek snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Um, Detective?"

"Huh?"

"Are you not done yet?"

"Oh, yeah. Almost. Just need to press the transfer button."

"You could have just withdrawn cash for me."

He probably thought I was giving him meal money just because I had asked if he had eaten.

"Hold on. Don't get ahead of yourself."

"...Yes, sir."

Perhaps because the Shark Gang members were waiting outside, no ordinary citizens entered the 24-hour ATM booth.

Looking at the ATM screen, a sudden realization hit me.

"Ah, right. The transfer limit."

To reduce voice phishing damages, there was a set limit of 10 million won per transfer and 50 million won per day.

ATMs were even more strictly regulated.

I had been so caught up in thinking about the source of the rewards that I missed something so basic.

But then...

"Wait, it... actually went through?"

Even though the amount far exceeded the transfer limit, it flowed smoothly into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Cha Donbaek's account without any issues.

Then again, it wasn't that strange if I thought about it.

A reward system that deposited money onto a card the moment a criminal was caught, and the bizarre phenomenon of money vanishing from a criminal's account without leaving a trace.

None of this was normal.

The Black Card in my possession was an object that transcended the boundaries of common sense.

So there was no reason to be surprised by a transfer that bypassed the limit.

"I've sent it, so spend it wisely."

"Thank you, Detective. But what about the jobs...?"

"I'm not a job agency director, so why are you asking me? Solve your own problems. The money I just sent should be enough to rent a small shop. You can take the boys and teach them wallpapering."

"You want me to keep them with me?"

"You're their boss. Isn't it only natural for a boss to take responsibility for his boys?"

"Well, that's true, but my situation..."

"Check ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the money first, then talk."

"Understood, Detective. Thank you."

Though his words were polite, Cha Donbaek stood tall and straight.

He was conscious of his boys watching him through the glass window.

"It's a loan. Work hard and pay it back."

"Of course, I must."

"If you've really washed your hands of that life, I'll treat you like a law-abiding citizen next time. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't trust you yet."

I couldn't bring myself to say I would speak to him formally.

Because I still didn't believe in the word 'rehabilitation.'

"Can I go now?"

"Yes. Get home safely, Detective!"

A slight bow of his waist was the best Cha Donbaek could manage.

Not wanting to bruise his pride any further, I responded with a nod.

As soon as I stepped out, the gang members waiting outside rushed into the bank.

"Wow, Boss, you're seriously amazing."

The gang members gave him thumbs-up, looking at Cha Donbaek with eyes full of respect.

"What's so amazing?"

"You must be the first gangster in Korea to extort money by threatening a detective, Boss."

"..."

"How much did you get out of him?"

"Hmm. Not much."

"Well, does the amount even matter? What matters is that you bled a detective dry without even throwing a single punch."

Was this what they meant by breaking out in a cold sweat?

Cha Donbaek unable to bring himself to tell the truth, waved his hand at his men.

"Let's withdraw some money and get something to eat first. Go outside and discuss what you want to eat while I withdraw the cash."

"Yes, Boss!"

The energized gang members excitedly headed back outside.

Cha Donbaek inserted the bank card he had made while in prison into the ATM.

A moment later, looking at the balance displayed on the screen, Cha Donbaek doubted his own eyes.

"...Two hundred million won?"

He thought it was just meal money, but this was enough to buy a fleet of food trucks.

Cha Donbaek rushed outside in a panic and asked his boys.

"Where did the detective go?"

"He just got into that junk car over there. Should we go catch him?"

In Cha Donbaek's eyes, the Commando looked like it was on the verge of being scrapped.

Driving a piece of junk like that, yet sending two hundred million won?

"He gave us his entire life savings!"

His eyes welled with tears as overwhelming emotions surged within him.

Cha Donbaek shouted in a stern voice at his boys, who were spitting toward the Commando.

"Attention, everyone!"

"Huh?"

"Attention, you bastards! Take your hands out of your pockets!"

"..."

The gangsters had no choice but to straighten their posture at their boss's command.

"Bow to the detective!"

"What?"

"If you don't want to die, bow your heads right now!"

Since their boss set the example, the Shark Gang members had no choice but to fold their waists in a ninety-degree bow.

Receiving the gangsters' respectful send-off, I drove past the bank.

"At least they know how to be grateful."

I had taken their money and only returned a fraction of it, yet they were this ecstatic.

On my way home, a strange feeling washed over me.

My heart fluttered, and I felt... proud of myself?

Was this what it felt like to live generously?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Returning to my ten-pyeong studio apartment, I lay down on the bed with my phone.

There was something I wanted to check secretly in the comfort of my own room.

I could have checked it at the ATM, but I hadn't been able to look at the balance properly for fear of Cha Donbaek peeking.

I had a lingering image of the numbers in my mind, but even that wasn't certain.

"If the rewards I received from the Gukbingwan were the gangsters' criminal proceeds...?"

The money that had vanished into thin air from the accounts of the two gangs almost perfectly matched the rewards I had received.

3.547 billion won.

I vaguely remembered the balance after adding the rewards from arresting seven wanted criminals recently.

"It was around four billion won before catching Yang Chimok. Roughly that much."

But the remaining balance after the transfer earlier wasn't that number.

I hadn't been in a position to check properly with Cha Donbaek behind me, but it was an amount large enough to send goosebumps down my arms.

"Should I check again?"

I could check by opening the Beomjappa app.

The navigation system's message that I hadn't checked yet.

I hadn't had the time to open the message for the reward from capturing the eighth wanted criminal, Yang Chimok.

"How much did I get?"

I tapped the unread message.

Tap.

4.35 billion won?

The amount Yang Chimok had defrauded in Busan was 4.4 billion won.

Could the missing 50 million won have been squandered while he was on the run?

Unless he was an idiot, there was no way Yang Chimok would have kept the money under his own name.

If he had, the police would have already seized it and returned it to the victims.

"This means my Black Card sucked up all the money he had..."

Goosebumps broke out on my skin, and I was left speechless.

Though it couldn't be fully explained, it had confiscated the money hidden by the criminal.

"...This is insane!"

It was just a pity that I had to keep this wonderful news entirely to myself.

Just then, as if our minds were connected, Team Leader Na Sangdo called.

"Yes, Team Leader."

"Yes. As for handing over Yang Chimok, I told Officer Park..."

"Go ahead."

"Excuse me? Why?"

"W-wait a minute. If I'm stuck on desk duty, who's going to catch the wanted criminals?"

"You should have blocked that at your level, Team Leader. Don't you want to get promoted?"

"..."

Twenty days left, and there were still twelve wanted criminals left to catch.