Laundering Tickets

I transferred a total of 4.4 billion won to the thirty-eight victims of the fraud and received a random gift voucher.

"What will I get this time?"

Points were awarded based on my actions: Citizen's Staff for helping citizens, Mugunghwa for saving police officers, and one point for every criminal arrested.

There were various bonuses in addition to the cash rewards.

Although it was inconvenient to learn everything through trial and error since there was no manual, figuring things out one by one was quite fun.

In the last gift draw, I got 'Beomjappa'.

Thanks to Beomjappa, I could track a criminal's real-time movements from anywhere as long as I had my phone.

What would come out this time?

With a pounding heart, I clicked the confirm button.

"...Laundering tickets?"

I almost threw my phone.

This was the reward for transferring a whopping 4.4 billion won.

I had even covered the 50 million won that Yang Chimok squandered using my previous reward money to ensure the victims were fully reimbursed. And the reward for that was just two laundering tickets?

The balance was completely off.

However, my anger melted away like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠snow at the product description that followed.

"Laundering... as in money laundering?"

Reading the detailed explanation that followed, I immediately regretted my rashness.

The phone screen was filled with phrases that defied scientific explanation, but I wasn't even surprised anymore.

Ever since I inherited my mentor's Commando, things that could only be explained in religious terms had been happening to me one after another.

An overwhelming, massive stream of blessings.

I could catch a glimpse of an absolute being's will to achieve something through me, but I didn't care.

Thy will be done.

I was afraid that if I questioned my good fortune, it would slip away.

"Believe, and blessings shall follow."

I could now do things I couldn't do before due to a lack of money.

I had transferred billions of won to complete strangers, but the most I had ever sent my own parents was ten million won for travel expenses.

I couldn't risk my parents being investigated by the police for transactions of untraceable funds.

But now, I could proudly send them money under my own name.

"Should I buy them a house? Or change their car first?"

The current balance on the Black Card was roughly 3.5 billion won.

Even if it was laundered exactly as it was, it was a jaw-dropping sum.

"No, wait. They might just want cash."

I could ask them what they wanted first before deciding.

More importantly, I had to choose the item to exchange.

"Wild ginseng and meteorites look like they'd require a lot of physical labor, and stocks or futures are useless even if I know the ticker because I don't have any seed money."

Right now, the only seed I had was my own body.

Renting a studio apartment and paying for living expenses on a police officer's salary was tight enough.

"I've never touched crypto, so I'm hesitant to try it."

The answer was set from the beginning.

"Lotto is definitely the easiest option."

Team ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Leader Na Sangdo bought lotto tickets all the time.

I heard Inspector Choi Doyeong and Sergeant Park Inhyeok also bought one every time they went out on stakeouts.

If people who didn't even play mobile games bought lotto tickets every week, it meant the game was incredibly simple.

If I walked just twenty meters out of the police station's main gate, there was 'Daebak Lottery Shop,' which sold all kinds of lottery tickets.

"Yeah, this is the way."

When I selected Lotto as the exchange item, a message appeared stating that the Black Card balance would be completely depleted, and the winning numbers for the next lotto draw popped up on the screen.

"Let's write down the numbers first."

I opened the console box next to my seat and pulled out a pen and a notepad.

I copied down the numbers shown on Beomjappa exactly, and just in case, I took a picture of the screen with my phone camera.

I was quite looking forward to seeing how it would turn out.

Since I was given two laundering tickets, I still had one more opportunity left.

I planned to save the remaining one for as long as possible.

Because it might be my final bet.

Suddenly, a loud roar of "Woah!" erupted from the direction of the baseball stadium.

"Huh?"

It seemed someone had hit a home run.

Or maybe a big run had been scored.

This was the outdoor public parking lot of Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan.

I had traveled down to Busan to catch a wanted criminal.

It was already 10:20 PM.

"I have to go to work tomorrow too..."

Just hearing the cheers was enough to guess how heated the atmosphere inside the stadium was.

Perhaps even more so because it was an international match against Japan.

Checking the live broadcast on my phone, I saw that the Korean national team had scored a dramatic equalizer against the Japanese team in the bottom of the ninth inning.

"It went into extra innings. No wonder they cheered. Ah, how much longer do I have to wait for this to end?"

The tickets were sold out, so I couldn't go inside.

I could have shown my police badge and requested cooperation for the investigation, but I didn't.

Beomjappa couldn't pinpoint the exact seat number of the wanted criminal.

I would have to check the faces of the spectators in the area pointed to by the red arrow one by one.

"If he notices me and takes someone hostage, it'll turn into a disaster."

If I acted too hastily, it would become too much for me to handle alone.

It was wiser to wait until he moved to his next location and ambush him when no one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was around.

So, I parked my car in the parking lot and was endlessly waiting for the game to finish.

"It's cold."

It was already mid-November.

Even in Busan, it was the season where it got chilly without the heater on.

"I'm getting sleepy too."

It had already been ten days of working desk duty by day and chasing wanted criminals by night.

It was incredibly exhausting.

Not a single wanted criminal willingly held out their hands to be arrested.

And they were so quick to sense danger; the moment I got close, they would start slipping away.

That was when the tedious chases began.

I would run after them for an hour, or even two, chasing them to the point of absolute exhaustion.

When I ran into guys who drew knives and fought back desperately, I couldn't be more grateful.

Because it ended quickly.

Even when I was completely exhausted from chasing suspects all night, I made sure to show up for work right on time.

This was due to Team Leader Na's threat that he would discipline me if I disobeyed orders in any way.

One more disciplinary action, and I would be struck out.

I had to prevent being suspended at all costs, as that would lock the navigation's 'Pursuit Mode'.

"I've only just begun. I can't let it end already."

While it was highly likely the team leader was just bluffing, the real issue was the intentions of Chief Lee Chungki, who was pulling the strings.

I had no idea why he disliked me so much.

Isn't it enough for a cop to be good at catching criminals?

Besides, I even saved his life when he was about to die.

When you don't know what's going on, the best approach is to leave no room for error.

So, I stubbornly showed up for work every single day.

"After tomorrow, there will be ten days left."

It had been nine days since I arrested the con artist Yang Chimok.

Since then, I had only caught three wanted criminals.

Even if I found their locations, going after them alone was difficult.

The locations were unfamiliar, and my body was exhausted.

"Catching nine people in ten days. I can do it, right?"

I've already located seven out of the nine.

Their movements haven't changed much.

The remaining two I haven't found might have fled to Jeju Island, Ulleungdo, or smuggled themselves out of the country.

Of course, I was confident they were all still in the country.

Because the sacred navigation system wouldn't cheat me.

The information range had expanded to a radius of 85 kilometers.

If I set my mind to it, I could catch two or three in a single night.

The problem, as always, was stamina.

Lately, I had only slept two to three hours a night.

Now, my legs shook even after running just a little bit.

I might collapse before I even finish the mission.

"If only I had a partner at times like this..."

With my body so exhausted, I desperately craved someone's help.

But I couldn't just partner up with anyone.

The existence of Beomjappa was a double-edged sword.

If it was discovered, my life could be in danger.

Even if it was physically taxing, the matter of a partner had to be decided with extreme caution.

"But why isn't it ending?"

Failing to settle the score in the tenth inning, the game entered the eleventh.

The clear sound of cheering from the stadium now tickled my ears like a lullaby.

The warm air from the heater made my body feel sluggish.

Had my body reached its limit and activated its own defense mechanism?

Before long, I fell into a deep sleep.

I didn't open my eyes until the stadium lights were turned off and all the cheering spectators had gone home.

How much time had passed?

Tossing and turning in my uncomfortable position, I suddenly woke up.

"Uh, what time is it?"

Checking the time, it was already 3:00 AM.

The game had ended long ago, and all the cars parked in the outdoor lot were gone.

"I fell asleep. What about Kang Seokdu...?"

I reopened the Beomjappa app, which had switched to power-saving mode.

The murder suspect, Kang Seokdu, was in Tongyeong, thirty kilometers away.

Perhaps he was sleeping too, as the arrow remained stationary.

"Should I go catch him now?"

Tongyeong is an hour and a half away.

Since it's early morning, I can get there in under an hour if I speed.

That would make it 4:00 AM.

And if I drive back to Seoul without stopping?

"I can avoid being late. Let's go grab him now!"

Catching this guy will ease the burden.

Catching eight people in ten days would be much easier than catching nine.

Na Sangdo, the leader of Seongam Police Station's Violent Crimes Team 1, was walking back to his desk with a freshly brewed cup of instant mix coffee when he noticed Min Suho hadn't arrived yet.

He asked Sergeant Park Inhyeok, who was sitting right next to him.

"Has the rookie not arrived yet?"

"No, sir."

"Look at this guy. He's late?"

He said with his own mouth that he would accept disciplinary action if he was late.

What was with him today, when he usually dragged his exhausted face to work after chasing bad guys all night?

"Detective Min is in the duty room right now."

Inspector Choi Doyeong, who had been on duty last night, said as he shook out his wet hair.

"The duty room?"

"Yes. He brought in the murder suspect, Kang Seokdu, around 8:00 AM, threw him in the holding cell, and asked me to wake him up in an hour."

"The rookie caught another one? A wanted criminal again?"

"Yeah."

Nodding at Sergeant Park's question, Inspector Choi looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at Team Leader Na with disapproval.

"You know how hard the kid is working, so why are you being like this? He's caught twelve wanted criminals all by himself. Instead of cheering him on, you're timing him with a stopwatch just because he's a little late?"

"I didn't make him do it."

"That's why it's even more impressive. What other cop works like that? Saving on sleep to rack up arrests. And who benefits when he gets those results? You need to have a conscience, Team Leader."

"..."

It wasn't that Na Sangdo didn't know that.

It was Chief Lee Chungki's order to keep Detective Min on desk duty for the time being.

He was also told to keep quiet about the reason until further instructions.

By faithfully following the chief's orders, he had ended up branded as a villainous boss by his own team.

"Ah, I need a smoke."

He hadn't realized that living as a shameless jerk would be this difficult.

He was heading out to seek solace in nicotine when Min Suho, who was supposed to be sleeping in the duty room, walked over with half-closed eyes.

"I told you to wake me up in an hour."

Inspector Choi said, looking at him with pity.

"Why are you up already? You should sleep more."

"How can I sleep? I was told I'd be disciplined if I was late."

"Disciplined? By whom?"

"Who do you think?"

Min Suho's gaze shifted toward Na Sangdo.

Choi Doyeong and Park Inhyeok stood up, their faces contorting into fierce scowls.

"Did you really say that, Team Leader?"

His team members glared at him, practically breathing fire.

Cornered, Team Leader Na stammered in response.

"S-should we have a smoke first before starting the meeting?"

"Team Leader!"

Just then, the one who saved the cornered Team Leader Na was Officer Song Hana from the Support Team.

"Detective Min."

"Yes?"

"You need to go down to the Detective Division right now."

"Why?"

"Some people arrested for trespassing are looking for you."

"Trespassing?"

"Yes. A man named Cha Donbaek. He said you'd know him if I mentioned his name."

"..."

Cha Donbaek, who had sworn to sever ties with his past, was locked up in the police station again.

I had generously handed over a whopping 200 million won to help him learn wallpapering and live an honest life...

"Did I misjudge him?"