Outsourcing
"Senior."
"Oh, Detective Min. You're here?"
When I walked into the Violent Crimes Team 1 office, they were in the middle of writing up a report on a trespassing complaint against Cha Donbaek and his men.
The detective in charge was Sergeant Ha.
"What happened here?"
I asked, glancing at Cha Donbaek, who was sitting across from him.
The moment Cha Donbaek—who had called me for help—saw me, he hung his head in shame.
Sergeant Ha gestured with his chin toward the woman who had filed the complaint.
"She left her house keys with a wallpaper shop owner she knows and went out. When she came back, she found these strangers inside her house."
The complainant, wearing a leopard-print dress, chimed in with a grating, metallic voice.
"Detective, do you have any idea how terrified I was? I opened my front door, and there were tattooed thugs—not just one, but four of them! Ugh, my hands are still shaking just thinking about it."
"Are you the complainant?"
"Yes."
The woman, worked up as she described the scene, was absolutely convinced Cha Donbaek and his men were robbers.
I asked.
"Mr. Cha, why were you there?"
Perhaps surprised to hear me call him 'Mr. Cha' instead of a gangster title, Cha Donbaek hesitated for a moment before answering.
"A wallpaper shop owner I know asked for a favor. He broke his leg and is stuck in the hospital, and he was facing a hefty penalty fee for missing the deadline. He asked if I could do the paperhanging for him, so..."
I could picture the situation clearly.
I turned to the complainant.
"Is anything missing from your house?"
"I'll have to go back and check."
"Did these men use violence or cause a disturbance?"
"Detective, use your eyes. Just look at them. Their very faces are an act of violence."
"What did the shop owner who hired them say?"
"He's not answering his phone. I wouldn't be surprised if these thugs did something to him."
"So you filed a report without even confirming that?"
"There's nothing to confirm. These bastards must have threatened the shop owner to get my keys. They were probably rummaging around to steal anything valuable and just had the bad luck of getting caught by me."
"Ma'am, please stop accusing innocent people!"
Cha Donbaek protested in frustration, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"Shut up! Thugs like you are driving down the property values in our neighborhood. Detective, I have no intention of settling. Please punish them to the fullest extent of the law."
The woman was practically foaming at the mouth with self-righteous conviction.
Sergeant Ha turned his laptop toward me, showing Cha Donbaek's criminal record on the monitor.
It was a silent warning to keep his background in mind.
I nodded to show I already knew, then quietly asked Cha Donbaek.
"Mr. Cha. Do you want to sue her for false accusation?"
"...Pardon?"
"I asked if you want to sue her. She's framing you as a robber without a shred of evidence."
It was the woman, not Cha Donbaek, who shrieked in response.
"Excuse me, Detective! What did you just say? Sue me?"
"Yes. Framing an innocent person is a crime."
"Don't you see the tattoos on their arms? Tell them to take off their shirts. I bet their whole bodies are—"
"Having tattoos doesn't make someone a robber."
"What on earth are you talking about? Is a police officer taking a gangster's side over a law-abiding citizen? This is completely absurd! Hey, do you know who I am? Call the Chief out here! Right now!"
Just then, a man in a wheelchair entered the office. It was the wallpaper shop owner who had hired them in the first place.
"I was in surgery, so I couldn't answer my phone. I was shocked when I heard what happened. I'm sorry I'm late."
The shop owner, who had torn his cartilage playing weekend soccer and had to go into surgery, bowed his head to Cha Donbaek in apology.
After buying Cha Donbaek a cup of coffee from the vending machine, I lit a cigarette for the first time in a while.
"It's not easy, is it?"
"...No."
Even without elaboration, Cha Donbaek knew exactly what I was asking.
Trying to blend into the lives of ordinary people with a criminal record was harder than it seemed.
Even if one claimed to have turned over a new leaf, a criminal record followed them forever like an indelible tattoo.
Not only would they be the prime suspect whenever a similar crime occurred, but they might also have to live a lie for the rest of their lives just to fit in with normal society.
"You could have reported that woman for false accusation. Why did you let her go?"
"What's the point? It's not like doing that would erase my past sins."
"But you've already paid your debt to society."
"I thought so too, but I was wrong. More than a few customers have walked into our shop only to gasp and turn right back around the moment they saw our faces."
"..."
"This was our very first job..."
Had I demanded too much of him?
If he had sent his men away and started working under someone else, perhaps he could have avoided this kind of humiliation.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"I'll have to figure that out starting now. I don't think paperhanging is for us. I'll look into construction sites or fishing boats that are short on hands."
Even now, he never once suggested returning to his old life.
"No thoughts of rebuilding the Shark Gang?"
"I'd rather die."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
I didn't believe him a hundred percent.
"May I ask why you hate the idea so much?"
"...I had a widowed mother. I hadn't contacted her once since I started my life in the syndicate, but then her obituary was delivered to me in prison."
"..."
"My mother never knew I was a gangster. I lied and told her I was a businessman in the fisheries industry. In her final letter, she wrote that her greatest regret in life was not having enough money to send me on my high school field trip..."
To hide the tremor in his voice, Cha Donbaek brought the vending machine coffee to his lips, though he didn't actually drink it.
I waited in silence until he was ready to speak again.
"What kind of glory was I chasing with my fists? I only regretted it after she was gone. I can't do bad things anymore. She's in heaven now, which means she's looking down, watching everything her son does."
I handed my cigarette over to Cha Donbaek.
Sometimes, inmates have spiritual experiences during their incarceration and choose the path of ministry.
To me, someone who firmly believed that people never change, even those transformations seemed hypocritical.
Cha Donbaek's confession felt similar.
A single letter from his mother changed a mob boss's life?
Was the rehabilitation that Chief Lee Chungki spoke of actually possible?
"It's hard for me to repay the money you lent me all at once. I'll return the deposit as soon as the lease ends, and for now..."
"You can take your time."
"No. I'll pay back what I can first. It doesn't look like your financial situation is all that great either, Detective."
Cha Donbaek said, looking at the battered Commando parked in the lot.
"Since we're talking about it, right here..."
Cha Donbaek pulled out his phone and immediately tried to initiate a mobile bank transfer.
About five seconds passed.
We stared at each other at the exact same time.
"Um, Mr. Cha."
"Yes, Detective?"
"You go first."
"No, after you, Detective."
Cha Donbaek gestured for me to speak.
"Would you like to work with me?"
"Work?"
"I need some help. I'd like your men to join in as well."
"But we don't really know how to do much of anything."
"You'll do great. It won't be much different from what you used to do."
"What kind of work?"
"Finding people. I'll make sure you're handsomely compensated."
"Oh, we don't need pay. If it's a favor for you, Detective, of course we should help."
"This isn't a one-time thing. Think of it as a business."
"...A business?"
"Think of it as the police cooperating with a private contractor due to a lack of manpower. A kind of outsourcing. It's hard to explain everything here. Are you free this evening?"
"We have nothing but time."
"Then I'll text you the time and place."
"...Understood."
Experts who understood the psychology of criminals better than anyone.
It was a win-win: I could complete my missions, and they could earn money legally.
Why hadn't I thought of this sooner?
As I turned to leave, promising to meet tonight, I remembered Cha Donbaek had something to say earlier.
"Oh, right. What were you going to say to me earlier?"
"Oh! Yes, I wanted to ask you something. You don't have to answer if it's uncomfortable."
"What is it?"
"You're Detective Min Suho, right? The one from the news."
"...What news?"
"Come on, you can be honest with me. I'll keep it a secret until the day I die."
"What secret?"
"The 200 million won you sent me earlier... I just checked my phone, and the sender was listed as CP&PC. I thought it sounded familiar. I never dreamed that was you, Detective. Hahaha."
"..."
"I truly respect you."
"No, wait, that's..."
Should I kill him?
Would it be safer to just kill him and shut him up permanently?
In the end, I couldn't kill Cha Donbaek.
There were too many eyes around, and crucially, Team Leader Na Sangdo called me right then.
After arranging to meet Cha Donbaek and his men in the evening, I returned to the office and stood before Team Leader Na.
Why did this guy have that greasy smirk on his face again?
"What? What is it now?"
"So prickly. Wipe that look off your face. It's good news."
"Are you finally letting me off the leash?"
"When did I ever tie you down?"
"You basically did. You've kept a violent crimes detective stuck on desk duty."
"Stop whining like a child. Don't you remember I said I'd let you off on one condition?"
"The junior officer who knows when they'll arrive... Wait, they're here?"
"Did you just drop honorifics with me?"
"Where are they now?"
"They'll be here soon. Their official start date is next Monday, but they just called to say they wanted to drop by and introduce themselves. So, tonight, we're all having a team dinner—"
"Sorry, but I have plans tonight, so I can't make it to the dinner."
"It's a welcoming dinner for your junior partner."
"What? Why are they my junior?"
"Inspector Choi and Sergeant Park generously offered to let you train them. What thoughtful seniors, right?"
"There's no way..."
Inspector Choi might not care, but Sergeant Park had been desperate to become a senior mentor.
He complained constantly about how long he'd been on the force only to still be stuck doing grunt work.
And he was giving up such a golden opportunity to me?
"Hey, look at me. Why are you avoiding my eyes?"
"I'm busy right now. I have urgent paperwork to handle."
"You haven't even turned on your computer. What work? Confess now, and I might forgive you."
"...Really?"
"See? I knew you were up to something."
"Sigh. I can't handle the new rookie. But maybe you can."
"What's wrong with the rookie?"
"Apparently, at their last precinct, they beat up their seniors because they didn't like them."
"...And our team is taking someone like that? Shouldn't they have been suspended?"
"Well, the rookie wasn't in the wrong. It was the seniors who were taking bribes."
"A champion of justice, then. So Sergeant Park dumped them on me because he was afraid of getting beaten up too?"
"I like nice juniors. The ones who are obedient and don't talk back to their seniors."
"That's literally me."
"Don't even say that as a joke."
"Oh, come on. I've been nothing but sweet to you guys."
"Tsk. Honestly, I can't say you haven't been."
"Then why?"
"Because you're about to... No, never mind. Anyway, I don't want to deal with it, so you take charge. Just raise them well without getting into a fight."
"Ugh, being a senior partner is such a drag."
Honestly, I was thrilled.
If I had a junior, I could dump all the report writing and paperwork on them and focus solely on catching criminals.
But since it felt like I was stealing Sergeant Park's opportunity, I had to control my expression.
"Oh, here they come. Welcome! Over here."
Team Leader Na Sangdo waved toward the office entrance.
It seemed my new junior had arrived.
Curious, I turned my head.
Huh? I know him.
His face was familiar, but I couldn't place the name.
Before I could even try to remember, he introduced himself in a booming voice.
"Hello, sir! Officer Jeong Uijeong. I have been ordered to transfer to Seongam Police Station, Violent Crimes Team 1, as of November 17, 2025. Reporting for duty, sir!"
Standing at rigid attention, Jeong Uijeong was the only uncorrupted rookie officer from the Chomok Outpost who had responded to the call at the Gukbingwan.
Back then, I had spoken to him formally, but now he was my junior.
"You know me, right?"
"Yes, sir. I do."
"Wow, this must be fate. Nice to meet you. I'm your senior partner. Let's work well together."
"It's an honor, senior! But this isn't fate—it's destiny."
"Huh?"
"I applied for this transfer because I knew you were here. I look forward to working with you, sir!"
"..."
That burning gaze directed at me.
It was filled to the brim with genuine, deep respect.
How was I supposed to feel comfortable ordering him to run coffee errands with him looking at me like that?