Their Resolve
They had all seen it.
They had witnessed Detective Min's brutality—knocking out the fourteenth wanted criminal with a single blow to the back of the neck just because he was being noisy.
He was the same man who had subdued the thirteenth wanted criminal in an instant by striking a highly dangerous pressure point.
Who could look at that and call him a detective?
A man who would rush his own ally to the emergency room over a mere graze from a blade showed absolutely no mercy when facing criminals.
Which one was his true self?
“Could you help me move this guy inside?”
Geum, Eun, and Dong, who had just been putting Detective Min on the chopping block, jumped up like people caught gossiping behind someone's back.
“I-I'll go.”
“I'll help too.”
Kim Jungeum and Lee Bongeun bolted forward like lightning, grabbing the unconscious man's arms and legs.
Seo Gidong, who was half a beat late, was given a chance to redeem himself.
“Gidong, go grab the kitchen gear from the trunk. I'll carry the bag with the vegetables and seasonings.”
“Did you go grocery shopping in the meantime?”
“It's his. Looks like he was cooking for himself while on the run; he has almost all the basic cooking utensils. I figured it worked out perfectly since we need to eat breakfast before we head out.”
“Ah...”
He wanted to ask if that wasn't technically theft, but it didn't seem like the kind of question one should ask a detective.
“What did he catch? Rockfish, octopus... Whoa! Look at this. There's even a black seabream here!”
Could he really be that happy?
Detective Min was salivating as he looked at the fresh seafood the fugitive had caught.
Seo Gidong felt a strange sense of kinship with him.
“I'll prep the fish.”
He didn't feel it was a waste at all to use the knife skills he had honed in the Shark Gang to scale a fish.
NAME:Han Seunggu (Male, 35)
REGISTERED STATION:Danyang Police Station
ADDRESS:9 Juksan-ro, Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do
APPEARANCE:Height 164 cm, Weight 95 kg, Obese build
Indicted without detention for violating the Food Sanitation Act after being caught supplying expired or falsely labeled food ingredients to elementary schools. On the day he was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation in the first trial, a mass food poisoning outbreak occurred, resulting in the death of a student from Vibrio vulnificus septicemia. Han Seunggu has been on the run for five years since.
“Hey!”
Han Seunggu was dreaming of being slapped in the cheek by the flapping tail of a black seabream.
“Wake up already!”
Another slap.
It was a massive catch, over sixty centimeters, so even getting slapped by its tail made him smile in his sleep.
Catching the octopus and rockfish was already a jackpot, but he never expected to land a black seabream.
If he bargained well, he could easily get hundreds of thousands of won for it.
“Hey, get some water.”
Han Seunggu just smirked and refused to open his eyes even when slapped.
Cha Donbaek decided to wake him up by dousing him with cold water.
“Let's see if you can sleep through this.”
Splash!
At that moment, a massive tidal wave swallowing the breakwater crashed over the smiling Han Seunggu.
“Aaaah!”
Startled by the freezing water, he opened his eyes, only to find the black seabream he had been cradling gone without a trace.
“Where did it go? My black seabream!”
Han Seunggu looked around like a madman, searching for his sixty-centimeter seabream.
Cha Donbaek, watching this, asked his subordinates.
“What the hell is this bastard doing?”
“Sounds like he's talking in his sleep, Boss.”
“Maybe the detective hit him too hard on the neck?”
Han Seunggu, confusing dreams with reality, gasped in shock when he saw eight eyes staring down at him.
“...Ugh! W-who are you people?”
“Why so surprised? Never seen a handsome guy before?”
A bunch of thugs, every single one of them looking like a nightmare, were talking absolute nonsense.
He recoiled in disgust, but with handcuffs binding his wrists, he immediately tumbled onto his side.
“Thanks to you, we ate well. I'll unlock the cuffs, so do the dishes.”
“What do you mean...?”
What on earth did they eat well?
Why was he, who had been fishing on the breakwater just moments ago, in the same room with these people in this state?
In that moment of utter confusion...
“Blanched octopus, spicy fish stew, and sashimi!”
The flesh was gone without a trace, leaving only bare bones and a fish tail.
Judging by the remaining tail, it was undoubtedly the black seabream.
The sixty-centimeter black seabream he had pulled up at dawn.
“I caught that...”
As despair washed over him, a devilish voice whispered in Han Seunggu's ear.
“Hurry up and do the dishes. I said we don't have time.”
The moment he saw the devil's face, Han Seunggu's hazy memories flooded back completely.
It was him!
The detective who had handcuffed him out of nowhere and shoved him into the back of a beat-up Commando.
That bastard had taken the black seabream out of his net too.
Landing that monster fish hadn't been a dream.
The sixty-centimeter black seabream was definitely caught by his own hands.
“Pay me back! I caught that! That was my black seabream!”
“I know. That's why I said thanks. The sashimi was great, and the stew was delicious. The blanched octopus was truly the best.”
“I-I told you, it was mine!”
“I know. I get it, so do the dishes.”
“W-why should I? I didn't even get a single bite!”
“So you don't want to?”
The devil didn't entertain Han Seunggu's protests of unfairness in the slightest.
“You cruel bastards. You're not cops, are you?”
“I am a cop.”
“Don't lie. There's no way someone like you is a cop.”
“Believe what you want, then. If you don't want to do the dishes, should I put you back to sleep?”
When the devil raised his hand, Han Seunggu instinctively ducked his head.
“I-I'll do it. I'll do it, okay?”
“'I'll do it? I'll do it, okay?' Try again.”
“...I will do it. I'll do it.”
The gangsters watching from behind let out gasps of admiration.
An extortion so shameless it reeked of the streets.
His skill at getting what he wanted put actual gangsters to shame.
They had thought he was just a righteous detective, but there was so much to learn from him.
“Wow. That's insane!”
“Bravo!”
“Thank goodness we're on the same side...”
By the time the dishes were done, the sun was high in the sky, and the next target appeared on Beomjappa.
Cha Donbaek asked Detective Min about the next schedule.
“Where to now?”
“He was in Donghae a moment ago, but now he's fled toward Uljin.”
“What did that guy do?”
“He deliberately approached married women, filmed illegal videos, and blackmailed them, threatening to tell their husbands if they didn't pay. A real piece of work. He has six prior convictions.”
“Show us his picture. We couldn't help much when catching Nam Junghmo because it was our first time, but it'll be different this time.”
“Just act as background decoration.”
“W-why?”
“I don't have any protective gear to give you. I didn't think that far ahead.”
“Come on, Detective. I'm Cha Donbaek. I might have washed my hands of that life now, but I was once the boss of the Shark Gang that ruled the East Sea. Why are you telling me to wear embarrassing protective gear?”
“I know. I know neither you, President Cha, nor the other three are the types to get beaten up by anyone.”
“Then why? Why are you telling us to just stand in the background?”
“Because I need you to work with me for a long time. Without getting hurt.”
“....”
An attack that came out of nowhere, without even signaling.
Detective Min's straightforward way of speaking left Cha Donbaek dazed.
How many times had this been already?
Whenever he talked to him, his heart would flutter.
It was strange, considering he wasn't a woman.
He was already on the verge of swooning, but Detective Min's onslaught wasn't over.
“I don't care if they're a former MMA champion. Once you become my partner, no one gets hurt without my permission. Even if it's frustrating, please bear with it until safety is guaranteed.”
“...Detective.”
How could they possibly test a man like this any further?
Cha Donbaek got into the van, tailing the Commando ahead, and spoke to his subordinates.
“Boys,”
“Yes, Boss.”
“I've made up my mind.”
“We have too, Boss.”
All four of them had heard the words Detective Min had casually thrown out.
They couldn't find any artifice or deception in them.
With that level of consistency, wasn't it time to trust him?
Even Kim Jungeum, who had insisted on watching him longer and judging coolly, had changed his mind.
“I've decided to serve him as my boss.”
“If that's what you want, Boss, then we will naturally follow.”
“If you don't want to, you don't have to follow me.”
“No, Boss. We've thought about it thoroughly before saying this.”
“Do all three of you feel the same?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Alright, thank you.”
Cha Donbaek was truly happy that they were willing to go all the way with him.
“But is he going to keep driving without a break?”
They had united in their resolve to crown a new boss, but they couldn't find a moment to confess it to the man himself.
This was because Detective Min, starting from Sokcho, had driven continuously without stopping once until they reached Uljin.
It would be best to deliver this passionate oath of men while it was still hot...
After two hours, the car finally stopped in front of a two-story building in downtown Uljin.
“Oh, Detective Min is getting out of his car. Maknae, open the door.”
“Yes, Boss.”
They parked on the roadside and ran up to Detective Min.
Cha Donbaek spoke on behalf of the group.
“Detective. I have something to tell you.”
“Later. I'm busy right now. The guy is in this building.”
“Ah...”
Detective Min pressed himself against the window of the first-floor coffee shop, scanning the interior thoroughly.
“The customers here are all women. That means he's on the second floor.”
The second floor had a sign that read 'Yongwang Billiard Hall'.
Perhaps a screw had come loose, as the sign tilted to one side.
“Is it out of business?”
The window decals were faded yellow by the sun, and even then, only half of them clung on, fluttering in the wind.
The paint on the stairs leading to the second floor was peeling so badly that it raised serious suspicions of closure.
“We'll know once we go up. Everyone wait down here. I'll bring him down shortly.”
“Detective...”
“The stairs are the only exit, but if he's cornered, he might jump out the window. If that happens, wait on the first floor and block his path so he can't escape. Got it?”
“...Yes.”
Only after Cha Donbaek gave a reluctant reply did Detective Min head up the stairs.
Kim Jungeum asked Cha Donbaek.
“Boss, are we really just going to stay here?”
“He told us to wait on the first floor.”
“What about the Shark Gang's pride? The boss charges into enemy territory, and the lackeys keep watch outside? Does that make sense?”
“It is a bit off, isn't it?”
“It's not just a bit off; it's completely wrong. Think about it, Boss. This is a billiard hall. Would a wanted fugitive come to a billiard hall just to play solo?”
“Ah, he wouldn't be alone!”
“Of course not, Boss. I bet there are at least three or four others.”
“Let's go. Let's go help him.”
Just then, the youngest, Seo Gidong, asked.
“Uh, bosses. What about those two in the back of the Commando? I saw in movies that handcuffs can be easily picked with just a bobby pin.”
“If you're worried, you watch them.”
“Me?”
“We don't have time for this. The maknae will guard them, and the rest of us charge upstairs.”
“Charge!”
The way they swarmed up the stairs looked exactly like a squad of violent crimes detectives.
Strange music drifted out of the billiard hall, which wouldn't have looked out of place even if it had been completely abandoned.
Blues, tango, cha-cha-cha.
Though I had never experienced social dancing, this was definitely the kind of music you'd hear in a cabaret.
“Slow, slow, quick, quick. Your head is turning too fast. Keep your core centered. One more time!”
Someone was clapping their hands, instructing the dance.
“Must be an unlicensed dance studio.”
Without opening the iron door, there was no way to tell how many people were inside.
Judging by the sound of collective stomping, there had to be at least twenty.
Whether it was twenty or thirty, I just needed to arrest the wanted criminal.
“Time to go in... Huh?”
Just as I grabbed the handle and was about to push the iron door open...
Someone suddenly scooped me up and set me down behind them.
It was a good thing I caught a glimpse of the second of the Geum-Eun-Dong trio out of the corner of my eye, or I would have shattered Lee Bongeun's nose with an elbow strike.
Suspecting Cha Donbaek was behind this, I confronted him.
“What do you think you're doing?”
“Please leave this one to us.”
“I told you no.”
“It's fine. So trust us and leave it to us.”
“There are a lot of people inside. If you start throwing punches recklessly, things will only get complicated.”
“We won't use our fists. Happy?”
“....”
“You said you wanted to keep working with us, right? Then you have to trust my word too, Detective.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“I'm not good with words, so it's hard to explain. I'll show you through action. Just give me the name of the guy we need to catch.”
“Mo Pilsang.”
“Understood. That's enough.”
“You don't even know what he looks like.”
“We can tell who someone is just by looking at their eyes.”
“....”
When it came to the back alleys, Cha Donbaek was more of an expert than I was.
Seeing the absolute confidence in his eyes, it seemed impossible to stop him any further.
“Fine. Just handle him as gently as possible.”
“Understood. We'll finish this quickly and be right back.”
Cha Donbaek gave me a brief nod, then spoke to Geum and Eun, who stood at the vanguard.
“Alright, let's go in!”
“Yes, Boss!”
And so, the bad guys set out to catch a bad guy!