The Obsessive Fan
I spent the entire afternoon taking my new junior officer around to introduce him.
"Excuse me, everyone, please give us a moment. I'd like to introduce the newest member of our team."
"Spelled forward it's Jeong Uijeong, spelled backward it's Jeong Uijeong! I am Officer Jeong Uijeong, assigned to Violent Crimes Team 1 as of today. I look forward to working with you, seniors!"
With his unique brand of craziness, Jeong Uijeong didn't seem intimidated by anyone he met.
I had worried it would take him a while to adjust since he had only worked at a rural outpost, but it was a completely useless concern.
Then again, considering he was a bold guy who had committed insubordination in his very first year as a patrol officer, perhaps this was only natural.
Wait, is this guy actually going to listen to me?
"By the way, did you do sports or martial arts?"
"My father is a kickboxing director, so I've been hanging out at the gym since I was a kid, sir!"
"I see. You look like you've gained a bit of weight since the last time I saw you, though."
"I have the kind of constitution where I gain weight even if I only drink water, sir. I will start getting back in shape today!"
"No, you look fine as you are."
"No, sir! If I hit the gym for just a few days, I'll quickly..."
"I really mean it, so relax a bit. I'm your mentor."
"Th-thank you, sir."
"Now, just follow the team leader to introduce yourself to the Detective Division Chief and the Chief of Police. Only answer what you're asked. Otherwise, the meeting will drag on."
"Yes, senior!"
"Just call me hyung to make things easier."
"Instead of hyung, would it be alright if I called you hyung-nim?"
"Do whatever you want."
"Hehe. Thank you, hyung-nim!"
My face flushed at my junior's constant, unabashed display of fanboyism.
Did Team Leader Na plan this?
Was his plan to shackle me with an obsessive fan in exchange for letting me do fieldwork?
When I returned to the office with Jeong Uijeong, Team Leader Na Sangdo stood up from his desk.
"Officer Jeong—no, Detective Jeong."
"Yes, Team Leader!"
"Let's go pay our respects to the Division Chief."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
He could have just left, but of course, my obsessive fan had to turn back and salute me.
"I'll be back, hyung-nim. Loyalty!"
"Ugh, seriously, he's driving me crazy."
Inspector Choi and Sergeant Park snickered as they watched me clutch my head.
"Pfft. Detective Min, how does he look so much like you did during your rookie days?"
"I was like that? Come on, that's ridiculous."
"Huh? You were even worse, punk. You used to follow me to the restroom and wait with a paper towel ready for me to dry my hands."
"I did? I have absolutely no memory of that."
"Wow, look at this guy. You'd make a great politician. Denying something that every cop in the Seongam Police Station knows?"
"..."
Did I really do that?
Come to think of it, maybe I did.
Back then, I was so stiff with military-like discipline that I barely remembered what I was doing half the time.
"..."
Let's stop thinking about it.
If I kept down this train of thought, I might end up remembering the video of my mentor getting shot.
It was about time I stopped being foolish enough to ruin my day by depressing myself over things that couldn't be undone.
"I'm going to the holding cell to fetch Kang Seokdu."
Kang Seokdu, the murder suspect I had brought back from Tongyeong.
He was the twelfth wanted criminal I had apprehended.
Since I had contacted them early this morning, the violent crimes team from the Incheon Seobu Police Station, who held the original arrest warrant, should be arriving soon.
With Team Leader Na away, I had to handle the report writing and the transfer.
If I buried myself in work, the painful memories of my mentor would eventually fade.
I didn't let go of my work for even a single second until it was time to clock out.
The welcoming party for my junior, held in my absence, was a modest affair consisting of hot soup and soju.
All kinds of questions were showered upon the rookie.
Sergeant Park, a master of interrogation, led the questioning.
"Where do you live?"
"My maternal grandmother lives here in Seongam-si. I've decided to stay with her for the time being."
"That's good. Rent is expensive around here. Got a girlfriend?"
"Not yet."
"Single since birth?"
"Ah, no. I had one until a year ago, but we broke up because she went back to Thailand."
"Thailand?"
"Yes. She was Thai."
"Whoa, international romance. Why did you break up?"
"My girlfriend was a Thai women's kickboxing champion. She worked briefly as an instructor at my father's gym. I think she got homesick and wanted to return to her country."
"So you got dumped in the end?"
"..."
Judging by his silence, the wound hadn't fully healed yet.
A awkward silence fell over the table.
In truth, there was something else they were all dying to know.
Whether it was true that he had beaten up his superior, why he did it, and if he had a history of doing such things.
The curiosity bubbled up to their throats, but they all swallowed it down.
It was too harsh a question to ask someone they had just met.
Jeong Uijeong scratched his head and asked.
"Excuse me, would it be alright if I used the restroom for a moment?"
"Oh, sure. Go ahead. Why even ask about something like that?"
"Thank you. I'll be right back."
The guest of honor left the table.
The real evaluation began.
"What do you think of him?"
"Hmm, he seems decent to me. What do you think, Inspector?"
"I agree. He has a gentle face and good manners. You could have just taken him as your junior."
"Hey, do you think I gave up the mentor position because I was scared of his fists?"
"You didn't?"
"Wow! We've been eating out of the same pot for how long, and you still don't know me?"
"I don't even know my own mind, so how am I supposed to know someone else's?"
"Someone else? Wow, that really hurts."
"Stop sulking. Tell me. Why did you hand him over?"
"It's because of Detective Min, of course."
"What about Detective Min?"
"I wanted to let him walk the elite path."
"..."
"Suho is on a completely different level than us. As soon as he returned from his transfer, he already caught twelve wanted fugitives. At this rate, we might have to start tearing down the public wanted posters before the end of the year. Have you ever seen anything like this?"
"Never. Even Inspector Son wasn't this fast."
"Exactly. Detective Min is going to make it big. As his senior, even if I can't help him, I shouldn't block his path like an old junk car."
"So you stepped aside to let him gain experience as a mentor first?"
"Yes."
Listening to this, Team Leader Na raised his glass and proposed a toast.
"Well, look at you. You're a real class act, aren't you?"
"Now you should join in too, Team Leader. Stop thinking about shackling the kid."
"Do you think I wanted to do that? You have no idea how much I cherish him... Ah, whatever, let's just drink today. Raise your glasses."
"How about a toast speech?"
"Let's just drink quietly. Whenever you get ahead of yourself, things fall apart."
"Oh, you really do cherish him a lot, don't you?"
Returning from the restroom, Jeong Uijeong chimed in, thinking his seniors were talking about him.
"Thank you! I will live up to your expectations!"
"...Uh, right. Work hard."
There was no need to stop him when he was so eager to work hard.
While the rookie detective's welcoming party was in full swing at the soup restaurant, I drove to an outdoor barbecue restaurant on the outskirts of Seongam-si.
Due to rush hour traffic, I arrived about five minutes later than the scheduled time.
As soon as I parked on the gravel lot and got out of the Commando, I saw Cha Donbaek and his crew lined up in a neat row.
Feeling bad, I spoke to them first.
"You should have just taken a seat and waited inside. Why are you out here..."
"Attention, everyone!"
"..."
"Bow to the Big Boss!"
"Welcome, Boss!"
The former gangsters bowed ninety degrees toward me.
I felt goosebumps.
Are they trying to get me fired?
The outdoor barbecue restaurant was mostly self-service.
President Cha's subordinates lit the charcoal fire, brought the meat over, and began grilling it themselves.
I was talking with President Cha a short distance away from them.
"Did you tell the other guys that I'm connected to CP&PC?"
"Ah, no, sir. Since you said it was confidential, I'm still the only one who knows."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I swear on my late mother's name..."
"That's enough, I believe you. But why did those guys bow ninety degrees to me?"
"Because I told them I would serve you as our Big Boss."
"And they just follow along when you say that?"
"Of course. We may not share blood, but we are like brothers. If I told them dog shit was soybean paste, they'd believe me."
"Why did it have to be shit..."
"Gasp! I-I'm sorry. I was thoughtless. I apologize. Please forgive me, Big Boss."
If I didn't stop him, he looked ready to kneel on a straw mat and beg for mercy.
"Stop that and stand up straight. And what's with calling a detective 'Big Boss'? Are you trying to screw me over?"
"Ah, no. I had no such intention. If 'Big Boss' or 'Hyung-nim' makes you uncomfortable, how about 'Supreme One' or 'Big Brother'?"
"..."
"Since you hack the accounts of villains to wipe away the tears of the powerless, 'Big Brother' seems to suit you better."
Looking at his face, he didn't seem to be joking.
"Do you watch a lot of Hong Kong movies?"
"Ah, yes. I was quite influenced by Brother Yun-fat when I was young."
"Absolutely no 'Supreme One' or 'Big Brother'. If anyone hears that, they'll think I'm a corrupt cop colluding with gangsters."
"Ah, now that you mention it, that makes sense."
Just then, one of the guys grilling the meat shouted toward us.
"Come and eat! The meat is all done!"
I had no intention of debating titles any longer.
Explaining how they would help me in the future was far more important.
"Let's go. We'll decide on a title later, so for now, just call me 'Detective'. And try to avoid calling me even that when other people are around."
"Understood, Detective. But I have one request as well."
"What is it?"
"Please speak informally to me and the boys."
"...You do know you're older than me, right?"
"Age is just a number. I ask because I truly want to serve you. Have you ever seen a lord speak formally to his subjects? Please grant my request."
In the end, he was asking me to be their leader.
His face was grimly determined, as if he wouldn't even pick up his chopsticks until I agreed.
"There are only two cases when I speak informally to someone."
"Which are..."
"Either they're a real piece of trash, or they're a very close younger brother. I speak formally to you, President Cha, because you've washed your hands of that life. We aren't close enough to drop honorifics yet."
"Ah, I understand."
Since I drew a clear line, Cha Donbaek didn't push it any further.
"First, let me introduce my family. Hey, introduce yourselves."
"I'm Kim Jungeum. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Lee Bongeun."
"I'm Seo Gidong."
"I call them 'Gold, Silver, and Bronze' for short."
"Gold, Silver, and Bronze" weren't just big; they were well-proportioned and physically balanced.
Their eyes were sharp, looking like they could easily carry their own weight.
I thought we had swept up the entire gang at Gukbingwan. Where had these guys been hiding?
"I don't think I saw you three in Chomok-ri."
"Ah, they were at the hospital back then, watching over the orphanage director on his deathbed. All three of them grew up in the orphanage."
"Ah..."
"You can think of them as the core trio of the Shark Gang. If they all came at me at once, even I couldn't handle them."
"Come on, that's not true. How many men in this country could face Boss Shark with bare fists? Even if all of us, not just the three of us, came at you..."
Kim Jungeum said, looking at Cha Donbaek with eyes full of respect.
But Cha Donbaek's face hardened as he questioned him.
"Jungeum, what did you just say?"
"Huh? What did I..."
"Boss? Is it really that hard to call me President?"
"Ah! I-I'm sorry, Boss—no, President."
Cha Donbaek's determination not to return to the past was admirable.
But I hadn't come here to watch a former mob boss discipline his subordinates.
"President Cha. And you three."
"Yes, Detective."
"If you want to work with me, you must follow my rules without exception."
"Please, go ahead."
"First, no knives. And absolutely no guns."
"We don't really use knives anyway. And we couldn't use guns because we didn't have them."
"Second, the moment you disobey my orders, our deal is over. If anyone fails to break their old habits and commits a crime, I will arrest them with my own hands."
"That will never happen."
Cha Donbaek did most of the talking.
The subordinates standing behind him didn't look very pleased.
They were only pretending to be polite because of Cha Donbaek. In their eyes, I was still just the troublesome detective who had locked up their brothers.
But that didn't matter.
I might not know how to win over women, but I was confident in winning over men.
"Third, from now on, we are going to hunt down wanted fugitives who have gone into hiding. If you think you can't do it, say so now. It'll be better for both of us."
"..."
Even Cha Donbaek, who had been answering so promptly, shut his mouth and lowered his head at that.
Was it too much after all?
Only after a long silence did Cha Donbaek look up.
But why were his eyes suddenly glistening with tears?
"Then... does that mean we are joining the Hwalbindang?"
"...Excuse me?"
Cha Donbaek bared his white teeth, flashing a crazed grin.
It seemed I had just partnered up with a complete lunatic.