The 21st-Century Hong Gil-dong
The next day, I went to work and requested a meeting with Team Leader Na.
"We need to talk."
"Move. I have to go to a meeting right now."
Team Leader Na brushed past me, ignoring me like a lover who had suddenly had a change of heart.
Inspector Choi and Sergeant Park also seemed clueless as to why he was acting this way.
"Did you do something wrong? What's up with the Team Leader?"
"I'd love to know that myself."
In the past, I would have fought fire with fire and threatened to quit, but now I was the one who had to cling to this job.
I couldn't even dream of handing in a resignation letter.
If I stripped off my police uniform, the mysterious navigation system would become useless.
"Ask him again after the meeting. Team Leader Na is usually your biggest fan. He must be upset about something, but if you butter him up a bit, he'll come around in no time."
"I hope so. Are you guys heading out now?"
"Yeah, we have to. If we comb through all the CCTV footage from the shopping district, we're bound to find something."
"Good luck out there. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
"Thanks for the offer, but you just focus on chasing those wanted fugitives. You've already caught about half of them. You plan on bagging the rest too, right?"
"Yes. That's the plan."
"Awesome. We're rooting for you. Keep it up!"
The only reason I could focus so freely on completing my missions was thanks to the consideration of my seniors.
They could have easily grown jealous or resentful of my solo run, but instead, these precious people cheered me on.
The Team Leader was in a meeting, and my seniors were out in the field.
I was left sitting all alone at my desk.
But I wasn't just idling.
I opened the Beomjappa app and entered the resident registration numbers of the wanted fugitives one by one.
After arresting eight wanted fugitives, the search radius had expanded to 70 kilometers. It was a fairly wide range, but...
"Not a single hit."
It seemed the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas had already been picked clean.
To find the remaining fugitives, I would have to travel to Gangwon Province, Incheon, or further south to the Chungcheong region.
My plan to head down to Daejeon early in the morning to search the central region had crumbled to pieces with a single phone call from Team Leader Na last night.
"Just how many hours is this meeting going to take?"
Perhaps because of my frustration, time dragged on much slower than usual.
"Oh, Detective Min? What brings you to the office today?"
It was Patrol Officer Song Hana from the support team.
On days with morning meetings, Officer Song would deliver the newspapers subscribed to by each team.
"I was told to standby in the office."
"By whom?"
"Who else? The Team Leader."
"You know you look incredibly bored right now, right?"
"You hit the nail on the head."
"If you're bored, you should read today's horoscope. The crossword puzzles are pretty fun too."
Officer Song's prescription for my boredom was reading the newspaper.
Normally, I wouldn't have given the newspaper a second glance, but the wait was so agonizingly dull that my hand reached for it of its own accord.
Before I even turned the page, the front-page headline caught my eye.
"Oh, this is Yang Chimok."
Judging by the pitch-black background, it seemed they had held a press conference as soon as he arrived in Busan last night.
"The chief of the Dongrae Police Station sure knows how to get things done."
I had heard that the chief's position had been on the line because of Yang Chimok, who had swindled retired civil servants out of a whopping 4.4 billion won.
Did he feel vindicated after walking on eggshells for so long?
The news of Yang Chimok's arrest graced the front pages of all the major daily newspapers.
"But why is this article so long?"
Since time was the only thing I had in abundance, I read the article thoroughly from start to finish.
The in-depth investigative report detailed the daily lives of the retired civil servants who had been scammed by Yang Chimok three years ago.
Though the crime had occurred in the past, the suffering was very much ongoing.
Some had made extreme choices after losing their entire life savings.
There were couples who had divorced after endless arguments, and breadwinners who had taken up delivery jobs late in life only to end up hovering between life and death after traffic accidents.
"The damage is worse than I thought..."
The lives of the victims had been shattered to a horrific degree.
Did Yang Chimok even comprehend the gravity of what he had done?
If he were punished by summing up the collective agony of his victims, the bastard would deserve nothing less than the death penalty.
But there was absolutely no chance of that.
Ten years at most? And even that could be cut in half if he submitted letters of repentance and hired a lawyer with former-prosecutor clout. That was the law of this country.
The current judicial system was far too lenient to offer any real solace to the victims.
"But why do I feel so guilty?"
Yang Chimok was the one who committed the crime, and the judge was the one who would sentence him. So why did my chest feel so heavy?
I already knew the answer.
"Because I have their money..."
The 4.35 billion won bounty I received for capturing Yang Chimok.
The blood, sweat, and tears of the victims were sitting right inside my Black Card.
I wasn't some detective burning with an intense sense of justice, but I wasn't a money-crazed monster either.
Hesitating would only prolong the victims' suffering.
"Was it Team Leader Jang of the Dongrae Detective Division?"
I flipped through my detective notebook, found the contact number for the Busan Dongrae Police Station, and dialed.
"Hello. This is Sergeant Min Suho from the Seongam Police Station. I handed over Yang Chimok to you yesterday."
—Ah, I was actually planning to call and thank you, but things have been so hectic. Thank you so much for yesterday.
"Detectives have to look out for each other. On that note, do you mind if I ask for a favor?"
—Of course. I'd help you with ten favors, let alone one. What is it?
"Could I get a copy of the investigation files on Yang Chimok?"
—...The investigation files?
"Yes. Our chief just got back from a business trip yesterday, and I don't want him thinking I was slacking off while he was away."
—Ah, if that's the case, I'll gladly cooperate. Give me your email, and I'll send the PDF right over.
"Thank you, Team Leader Jang."
True to his word, Team Leader Jang sent the email in less than five minutes.
"Were there really this many victims?"
A total of thirty-eight retired civil servants had lost their retirement pensions, ranging from a few million won to hundreds of millions.
The files detailed not only the names of the victims but also their bank account numbers and the exact amounts they had transferred.
I extracted the victims' banking information and printed it out separately.
"Returning this is the right thing to do."
If I transferred the money using the Black Card, the sender's name would only show up as 'CP&PC'.
To be honest, a part of me wanted them to know it was me, but I wasn't foolish enough to invite disaster.
"What are you looking at?"
Suddenly, a head popped over my shoulder.
It was Team Leader Na, who had finally returned to the office close to noon.
"Whoa, you startled me. Is the meeting over?"
"I wouldn't be down here if it wasn't. What's that in your hand?"
"A list of the scam victims. The Dongrae station sent it over, so I was just checking to see if I recognized anyone."
"You must really be bored."
"If you know that, why don't you let me go out?"
"Not right now."
"If not now, then when?"
"Once you get a partner."
"You want me to sit here like this until next year?"
"A rookie will be joining us in a few days."
"You said the exact same thing a year ago. How am I supposed to believe that?"
"Just trust me. If you wander around on your own without my permission, I'll discipline you for insubordination. You know you already have two strikes, right?"
"Wow. Is today April Fools' Day?"
"I've never been more serious."
Judging by his firm tone and the look in his eyes, he wasn't joking.
"Why are you suddenly acting like this to me? Do you have terminal cancer or something? Trying to push me away so I won't cry when you go?"
"Look at you. If I let you keep talking, you'll be lighting incense for my funeral."
"Then what is it?"
"We've been ignoring basic protocols for too long. Catching criminals is important, but we also need to look out for officer safety."
"That doesn't resonate with me at all."
"I'm saying this for your own good, so just shut up and listen."
"Fine. I'll do as I'm told. It's not like I have any power anyway."
"Let's go grab some food. How about jajangmyeon? It's been a while."
"I'll just eat at the cafeteria."
"Why? I thought you hated the food there."
"I want to eat quickly and stop by the bank."
"To get a loan?"
"Do I really have to report things like that to you, Team Leader?"
"So prickly."
His attitude toward me had completely changed ever since he visited the Chief's office.
Until the Team Leader showed his hand, I planned to keep my distance as well.
I quickly finished my meal at the cafeteria and headed to a nearby bank.
It was to return the scammed money to the victims.
It would have been over in a flash if I went through a bank teller, but to keep my identity hidden, I used the ATM to transfer the funds to each person individually.
"Wait, if all this money is returned, won't Yang Chimok's sentence get reduced?"
Some crazy judge might lighten his sentence, claiming the victims' damages had been restored.
"I'll have to make it look like it came from an anonymous donor."
There were plenty of places to tip off.
There were at least five reporters stationed at the police station.
I could also tip off a broadcasting station.
The key was to keep my existence completely hidden.
"A broadcasting station would be best."
After transferring the full amounts to all thirty-eight victims, I returned to the office and drafted a letter on my computer.
Curious about what I was doing, Team Leader Na kept poking his head in as he walked by, but each time, I quickly hit Alt+Tab to switch screens.
"What, did you think I was watching porn?"
"Ugh, that temper of yours. If you have nothing to do, organize the investigation logs. There's a mountain of them backed up."
The Team Leader, who walked away after dumping the work on me, was holding a signing folder.
He was definitely heading to the Detective Division Chief or the Station Chief.
Taking advantage of the Team Leader's absence, I printed out the letter I had written.
Now, I just had to send it to the broadcasting station.
The weight on my chest felt significantly lighter.
Six o'clock sharp!
"I'm heading out first."
Without a moment's hesitation, I stood up from my seat.
The Team Leader looked up and asked.
"You're leaving already?"
"Of course. It's time to go home."
"Did you finish organizing the logs?"
"How could I finish all that in one day? I'll do the rest tomorrow."
"Have a drink with me before you go."
"I'm busy."
"Busy with what? You don't even have a girlfriend."
I stopped in my tracks, turned back, leaned both hands on the Team Leader's desk, and spoke clearly.
"I don't have time to rest if I want to get a forever-team-leader promoted."
"You're going to catch wanted fugitives at this hour?"
"Well, someone kept me on desk duty all day, so the night is all the time I have."
"...Why go to such lengths?"
"I should be the one asking. Why are you going to such lengths to keep me locked up in the office?"
"..."
His mouth twitched, but no sound came out.
Whether his promise to the Station Chief was more important than me, Team Leader Na couldn't muster a single word.
"I'm off. See you tomorrow."
Realizing that waiting any longer would be a waste of time, I left immediately.
"The air is crisp. Perfect weather for beating up bad guys."
I got into the Commando and stopped by the broadcasting station.
I found the mailbox for the news department, dropped the printed letter inside, and drove straight toward the Gyeongbu Expressway.
I decided to head down to Daejeon tonight.
In front of a newly built apartment complex where residents were starting to move in.
Nestled among a row of real estate offices, four men were guarding an office bearing a sign that read 'Uncle's Wallpapering'.
"Damn, not even a single ant is walking through that door."
Cha Donbaek, who had transformed from the boss of the Shark Gang to the owner of a wallpaper shop, was sick of staring at his subordinates' faces all day.
"What could the reason be?"
"Maybe it's because we left the door open?"
"Or maybe it's because of the tattoo on your forearm?"
He had repeatedly told them to wear long sleeves, but his boys had insisted on wearing short-sleeved T-shirts, claiming they ran hot.
"S-Sorry, Boss."
Already, three customers had walked in casually, only to gasp at the sight of the tattoos and bolt out the door.
Who in their right mind would hire someone whose face screamed 'noir film' to wallpaper their home?
"I never thought I'd be worrying about going out of business just three days after opening."
With the help of a senior inmate from his prison days, he had taken over a wallpaper shop that had gone up for sale and put up a new sign in just three days.
The lease on the shop was only for six months.
It was a calculated plan: handle the move-in rush in a short period, then move to another new apartment complex to rake in the cash.
However, a week had passed, and the place was still dead quiet.
In the past, he would have intimidated the landlord into canceling the lease and moved immediately, but since he had sworn to live an honest life, that was out of the question.
Two of his boys had already left, muttering about how gangsters shouldn't be doing wallpapering. Cha Donbaek had felt a pang of self-loathing when he realized he was secretly glad there were fewer mouths to feed.
"Hey, it's like a temple in here. Turn on the TV."
"Yes, Boss."
"President."
"Huh?"
"Call me President. We're not gangsters anymore."
"...Yes, President."
No matter how hard it got, he didn't want to go back to his dark past.
As he made that vow, his eyes drifted to the TV screen...
"Sigh, I wish someone would help me out like that."
One of his clueless boys sighed in self-pity as he watched the news.
"Hey, you should be thinking about working hard to earn your own money."
"Yes, Boss."
"What?"
"Sorry, President."
While Cha Donbaek was lecturing his boys, the anchor went on to mention the rumors circulating about this "angel without wings."
"President, should I change the channel?"
"..."
"President?"
Cha Donbaek didn't hear his subordinate's voice.
"CP&PC. Where have I seen that before? I've definitely seen it somewhere..."