The Pull
A killer who had taken four lives.
Perhaps due to his long years hiding out in the mountains, Nam Junghmo—a former Special Forces soldier—possessed the strength of a wild boar and the agility of a flying squirrel.
Now, he sat dejectedly in the backseat of the Commando, bound in handcuffs.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Detective?"
Cha Donbaek, still panting from his frantic sprint, asked Detective Min the moment the detective closed the car door and turned around.
"Ah, no. I caught him easily thanks to you guys. Good work, everyone."
Arriving a moment later, the trio of Geum, Eun, and Dong immediately began peppering Detective Min with questions.
"Detective, how did you do it?"
"Did you use a Taser?"
"It wasn't a gun, right?"
Their eyes sparkled like elementary schoolers eager to hear about their homeroom teacher's first love.
"Why would I shoot? You just give them a quick tap, and they drop."
His nonchalant response left them speechless.
How was this any different from a student with a perfect exam score saying studying was the easiest thing in the world?
"Aw, come on, tell us the secret."
True to their gangster roots, they tenaciously pressed him for the secret to taking down an opponent in the blink of an eye.
"Oh, wait a second."
Instead of answering, Detective Min took a long stride toward the trio.
"This wound—did you get it here?"
Detective Min's attention was fixed on a laceration on the arm of the youngest, Seo Gidong. Blood was seeping through his sleeve.
"Ah, this is nothing. Just a light graze from the blade."
"Doesn't look like a light graze to me."
"Aigoo, this is barely a scratch. Back in the day, on the sands of Chomok Beach..."
Detective Min had zero interest in Seo Gidong's past exploits.
He turned around, opened the trunk of the Commando, and brought back a first-aid kit.
"Take off your jacket."
"Detective, I'm really fine."
"Wounds like this are the most dangerous. Haven't you heard of tetanus? Let's disinfect it for now, and then we'll head to Sokcho to get you a tetanus shot."
"Going to the hospital for a scratch like this..."
"Leave it untreated, and you might have to amputate the arm later."
"..."
He disinfected the wound and applied gauze to keep out dirt.
Detective Min looked remarkably serious as he finished up by taping the bandage down.
"Alright, all done. Let's move. I've booked a pension in Sokcho, so keep your eyes on my car and follow close behind."
Detective Min climbed into his Commando.
Cha Donbaek decided to ride with him.
"I'm riding with the detective, so you three follow us closely."
"Yes, Boss."
Lee Bongeun, the second in command among the trio, nudged Seo Gidong's arm.
"Hey, what are you doing? Get in."
"Huh?"
"Drive. He said we're going to the lodging."
"Ah, right."
Seo Gidong still looked completely dazed.
Kim Jungeum, the eldest of the three, spoke to him.
"Hey, kid. What's wrong?"
"I just feel... a bit strange."
"Why strange?"
"Well, it's just... Never mind. Let's go, hyung-nims."
The warm concern and care of another person—something he had never experienced before—struck a quiet chord deep in Seo Gidong's heart.
As soon as Cha Donbaek settled into the passenger seat of the Commando, he turned to me.
"But Detective, are you going to keep dragging that Special Forces guy around instead of handing him over to the local precinct?"
"Yes. I'll take him back to Seongam Station and notify the precinct that issued the warrant to come pick him up. We worked hard to catch him, so we might as well take the credit and boost my performance record while we're at it."
"Ah, performance. Yes, that's important. If you want to do big things, it's definitely better to climb to a higher position."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Anyway, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest earlier."
"Why?"
"That bastard got right up to you and raised his machete, but you just sat there staring at the ground. Do you have any idea how loud I screamed?"
"Ah, so that was your voice, Representative Cha. I almost looked up."
"What?"
"I was pretending not to hear."
"...On purpose?"
"I wanted him to let his guard down. The way he came charging down the mountain was like a wild boar. The forest is his turf, not mine, so a head-on clash would have been disadvantageous."
An acting performance that had completely fooled even his own allies.
Yet, that didn't explain everything.
Nam Junghmo, a wanted fugitive, was in no position to let his guard down.
Four men were chasing him from behind, and a mysterious man was blocking his path in the dead of night.
If caught, he faced a potential death sentence. How could he possibly be careless?
Acting in that situation was nothing short of gambling with one's life.
"He wasn't letting his guard down. He raised that blade over his head and swung it down with everything he had."
"Be honest. You're dying to know how I took him down, aren't you?"
"Yes. To be honest, I am a little curious."
"Just a little?"
"...A lot."
It wasn't the only thing, but he was genuinely curious.
He had sworn never to return to the gangster life, but he couldn't help the natural curiosity that bubbled up inside him.
"Then I'll tell only you, Representative Cha. It's a trade secret, so you have to keep it to yourself."
"O-of course. Absolutely."
Burning with anticipation, Cha Donbaek leaned toward me even in the cramped space of the vehicle.
"Haha. It's really nothing special. I just hit his vital spot. A quick tap with a wooden club. That's all."
"Come on, you're joking. The guy was holding a machete!"
"What good is a knife? If you hit a vital spot properly, they can't even breathe."
"..."
He had calmly targeted the opponent's vital spot while a machete was flying at him?
It was a relief things turned out well, but he could have easily lost his head.
While Cha Donbaek shook his head in disbelief, I addressed Nam Junghmo in the backseat.
"Hey, Nam Junghmo. How's the spot I hit?"
"...You cowardly bastard."
"Why bring up 'cowardly'? It's not like we're at the national team trials."
"Fight me again. Just once."
"No thanks. I don't fight women. Hold on tight, missy. I'm stepping on the gas."
"You crazy son of a bitch!"
Nam Junghmo practically foamed at the mouth at the word "missy."
Now, Cha Donbaek finally caught on.
"A vital spot you can reach just by stretching your hand from a crouching position? Ah, now I get it! He got his family jewels smashed with a club. Ouch! How painful must that have been? Hahaha!"
"You're laughing? You think this is funny, you bastards?!"
The furious Special Forces "missy" did not stop cursing until they arrived in Sokcho.
After a thirty-minute drive, they arrived at a two-bedroom pension.
The ocean was so close that the sound of the waves felt romantic.
I entered the passcode I had received upon booking and opened the front door.
Then, I dragged Nam Junghmo out of the car and handed him over to Cha Donbaek.
"Keep a close eye on him so he doesn't try anything funny."
"I'll bind him up to his ankles with duct tape."
"...Duct tape?"
"Ah, don't misunderstand. It's just something I always keep in the car for wallpapering."
"I see."
"But where are you going?"
"To the hospital. I need to get Seo Gidong his tetanus shot."
"You weren't joking?"
"Did it sound like a joke? A stab or cut from a blade can turn serious if left alone."
"...Thank you, Detective. Thank you so much."
Cha Donbaek bowed ninety degrees to me.
It didn't seem like a mere formality.
His face was filled with deep emotion.
Soon after, the van arrived, and the trio got out.
"Gidong, go to the hospital with the detective."
"Aw, Boss. Look at the time. I'll go later."
"Are you ignoring my words now just because you washed your hands of the gang?"
"No, it's not like that."
"The detective is tired too, so stop complaining and go."
Perhaps out of embarrassment, Seo Gidong looked highly reluctant.
"Then I'll just go by myself."
That wouldn't do. I stepped in.
"When someone with tattoos shows up at a hospital with a knife wound, they usually call the police first. That's why you're going with me."
"You heard the detective, right? Get moving, punk!"
"Yes, Boss."
At Cha Donbaek's shout, Seo Gidong behaved like a well-mannered child.
"It's late, so the rest of you go ahead and sleep."
"Yes. Have a safe trip, Detective."
Since it was past midnight, the only place open for treatment was the emergency room.
I drove toward a general hospital in Sokcho.
Exhausted, Cha Donbaek fell asleep before Seo Gidong returned.
Perhaps because his mind was at ease, he slept deeply for the first time in a long while.
When his eyes fluttered open naturally, he checked the time; it was 5:00 AM.
It was still pitch black outside, but he could hear familiar male voices.
It was the trio, whispering among themselves around a bonfire they had lit outside the pension.
Lee Bongeun, the second of the trio, spoke.
"Jungeum-hyung, are we doing the right thing?"
"Well, my mind is at peace because we aren't living on the run like before."
"But holding hands with the detective who locked up our boys just feels..."
"Our boys? Honestly, I don't consider them family anymore. We told them to stay quiet until the big boss got out of prison, but they went around extorting money from local shops behind our backs."
"They did wrong, sure, but still, look at all the years we spent together..."
"Hey, wake up! This isn't the orphanage we grew up in. Why hold onto regrets for bastards who might stab us in the back? It's better for everyone if we just send them a bit of commissary money and cut ties."
"..."
Lee Bongeun, who had brought it up, still seemed conflicted.
Yesterday they were gangsters, and today they were helping the police.
He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that they were just being used and would eventually be discarded by Detective Min.
Seo Gidong, the youngest, who had been quietly reading his hyungs' expressions, spoke up hesitantly.
"Um, hyung-nims. May I say something?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"About Detective Min... he's actually a much better guy than I thought."
"Why? Because he took you to the emergency room and got you a shot? Are you ready to pledge your eternal loyalty now?"
"No, it's not that. I thought he might be putting on a show for us, so I asked him on the way back. Why he was being so nice to us."
"And what did he say?"
The final question came from Cha Donbaek, who had just opened the front door and stepped out.
"Oh! Boss."
"Are you awake, Boss?"
"Yeah. Why are you guys up so early? Aren't you tired?"
"We just woke up too."
"Sorry if we woke you with our chatter, Boss."
"No, I slept well. If I knew you guys were having fun around a bonfire by the beach, I would've gotten up earlier."
"Ah, sorry, Boss. You were sleeping so soundly."
"I'm just joking. Sit down, everyone. Gidong, keep going with what you were saying."
Cha Donbaek was highly curious about Detective Min's response.
He knew the detective secretly helped victims like some modern-day Robin Hood, but he had never had an open, heart-to-heart conversation with him.
"Ah, yes. Well, when I asked him why he was treating me so well, he said it was because he didn't want to repeat a past mistake."
"A mistake? What kind of mistake?"
"He said a former police partner of his was shot and killed while he was away. He said the guilt he felt back then has never truly gone away."
"My goodness..."
"He told me not to act recklessly when I'm with him. He said he never wants to see someone by his side get hurt again."
"..."
"Hearing that made me think... does this guy actually consider us his partners? That's what crossed my mind..."
His words plunged both the speaker and the listeners into deep thought.
Partner, colleague, or family.
When had they ever been treated like that?
And by a detective, of all people.
Looking at it coldly, it might have just been lip service, but for some reason, they felt a strong conviction that it was genuine.
Cha Donbaek added his own thoughts to the youngest's story.
"I can't tell you everything, but one thing is certain. The Detective Min I've seen is not a man who goes back on his word. He's someone who can spend a massive fortune of 4.4 billion won on the right thing without a single regret."
"Boss. May I say something?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"I think you trust Detective Min a bit too much. I believe it wouldn't hurt to watch him a little longer and make a decision slowly. I'm sorry if I sound presumptuous."
Cha Donbaek was the type of person who was all brawn and soft-hearted, making him the perfect target for a scam.
That was why he hadn't even properly noticed his subordinates' straying.
This was Kim Jungeum's sincere advice, believing they shouldn't just fall for sweet talk now that the gang was dismantled.
"I know what you're worried about. And I know I don't have the best eye for people."
"Boss, I didn't mean it like that..."
"Jungeum."
"Yes, Boss."
"The reason I'm drawn to Detective Min is because of his humanity. A person who isn't obsessed with money has no reason to be two-faced. The definitive proof is right over there. Even with 4.4 billion won in his hands, he still drives that beat-up Commando..."
Cha Donbaek, who was about to point to his proof, blinked in confusion, his finger hovering in the air.
"...It's gone?"
The Commando, which had been parked right next to the van, was nowhere to be seen.
The van was there, but the Commando had vanished.
"Gidong, go check if the detective is sleeping in his room."
"Yes, Boss. But wait, someone's coming."
The Commando rolled into the pension's entrance, its headlights cutting through the dark dawn.
The person who got out of the parked vehicle was Detective Min.
"You should've slept more. Why are you all up already?"
"What about you, Detective? What time did you even wake up?"
"An hour? Maybe two hours ago?"
"Why so early...?"
"I got a tip that a wanted fugitive was fishing on the breakwater."
"Where on earth do you get tips like that?"
"There's a place."
"Could it be, CP—"
"Representative Cha!"
"Ah, I-I'm sorry."
Remembering that CP&PC was classified, Cha Donbaek quickly shut his mouth.
Only then did Detective Min look relieved as he opened the backseat door of the Commando.
Inside, the fourteenth wanted fugitive was thrashing around like a freshly caught fish.
"It's early morning, so shut your mouth and get out quietly."
"You son of a bitch, I'll kill—*ack!*"
Without a moment's hesitation, Detective Min struck the back of the blabbering fugitive's neck.
With a single chop of his hand, the fugitive rolled his eyes back and went silent.
"I told you to get out quietly."
"..."
Witnessing the scene unfold right before their eyes, the former gangsters all shared the exact same thought.
What the...? He's no different from us!