Police Work is My True Calling
Cinderella's carriage turns back into a pumpkin after midnight.
Would the cash I withdrew from the ATM do the same?
Even seeing it with my own eyes, it was hard to believe.
Getting paid to catch criminals...
I took one of the bills I had withdrawn from the bank and went to a convenience store to buy some bread and coffee.
Taking a big bite of the bread, the sweet whipped cream melted on my tongue.
Only then did it sink in that this wasn't a dream.
"Man, I can't believe this is actually happening to me!"
It started from that moment.
I began searching for lawbreakers with a fire in my eyes.
Actually, "searching" wasn't the right word.
The navigation system showed me their exact movements.
Like a dog obsessed with a tennis ball, I chased after those red arrows like a madman.
Not once did I worry about getting into danger while chasing them down alone.
I was someone who could easily take down seven or eight gangsters with my bare fists. Give me a wooden sword or a collapsible baton, and I could easily handle thirty.
So a few petty criminals? They were nothing.
"So I really have to read them their rights."
I had learned the rules of [Chase Mode] through experience.
Even without booking them or throwing them in a holding cell, the reward was paid out as long as I properly read them their rights.
If I just handed them over without the warning, I didn't get a single cent.
Suddenly, I wondered what my late mentor had been thinking.
"Why did he leave this to me?"
He had gone out of his way to save me when I was on the verge of being sent to a juvenile detention center, and now he had even left me this goose that laid golden eggs.
Calling him my benefactor didn't even begin to cover it.
How could I ever repay this debt?
If his wife allowed it, I wanted to prepare his memorial table with my own hands.
If not that, maybe I could set up a scholarship fund for his kids?
"Right. I need to catch the bastard who did that to him first."
The investigation had made zero progress over the past year.
The only clue was a blurry video captured on a car's dashcam.
At this rate, we wouldn't even be able to identify a suspect, and the case would likely remain unsolved forever.
Just thinking about the culprit hiding somewhere, laughing at the incompetent police, made my blood boil.
"With this, it might actually be possible."
The navigation system my mentor left behind showed the movements of criminals.
Right now, it was just the tutorial stage, so only petty criminals were showing up. But what if I entered the main game and accumulated experience...?
It was too early to say for sure, but the impossible might just become possible.
Maybe the reason this broken navigation system only worked for me was heaven's way of telling me to avenge my mentor's unjust death.
"I'll find out if I see this through to the end."
After quickly satisfying my hunger with the bread and coffee, I started up the Commando again.
Dark circles hung heavy under my eyes from the lack of sleep, but I didn't feel tired at all.
There were still four hours left in the trial program.
Now was not the time to sleep.
Around evening, Gain called me.
"Oppa, what's with this money?"
I had transferred some of the funds accumulated on the Black Card to my bank account and sent it to my younger sister, texting her to check her balance.
She must have just checked it.
"Dad and Mom are going to Jeju Island, right? I sent a little extra so they don't run short."
"Still, ten million won is way too much!"
"If there's any left over, get yourself a nice suit. Think of it as an employment gift from your brother."
"Oppa, did you rob a bank or something? How does a patrol officer's salary allow you to send this much money?"
"I got a special bonus for doing a good job. It's not stolen, so trust me and spend it freely."
"Wow, my brother is actually capable! Thanks, I'll put it to good use."
"You do that."
This was the beauty of money.
It allowed you to do the things you wanted to do.
My body was exhausted, but I was overflowing with confidence and energy.
"But I shouldn't get too carried away."
I became the main user because my mentor passed away.
By the same logic, someone else could become the main user of this mysterious navigation system.
If I died.
What if this fact got out to the world?
Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.
Keeping this a secret was directly tied to my survival.
"Not like I was planning to go around bragging about it anyway."
Whether this was a blessing from God or a temptation from the devil, I had no way of knowing. But whatever it was, I was standing at a turning point that would change my life.
I had missed my chance to win a gold medal as a national kendo athlete, but I would never let anyone take this away from me.
The 24-hour trial program has ended.
"It's finally over."
Over the course of a full day, I had caught a total of forty-three petty criminals.
Including the money I sent to my sister, I had earned over thirty million won.
In just a single day, I had made more than a patrol officer's annual salary.
Perhaps because my pockets were full, the sleep I had been holding back suddenly hit me all at once.
I slept soundly for the first time in a long while.
Maybe because my mind was at ease, my tiny five-pyeong studio apartment felt more comfortable than a five-star hotel.
"...What time is it?"
It felt like I had slept for over twelve hours, but when I opened my eyes, it was my usual wake-up time.
"Time to get up."
My mind was completely clear, so even if I wanted to sleep more, I couldn't.
However, unlike my sharp mind, every muscle in my body screamed in pain.
For the past twenty-four hours, I had chased those red arrows like a lunatic.
Whether they were petty thieves or violent criminals, none of them were going to just hold out their hands and let themselves be caught.
They had struggled desperately to escape, and I had arrested forty-three of them with my bare hands, without any riot gear.
Running around like that all night, it was only natural to have muscle aches.
Since this wasn't a short-term event, I needed to focus on managing my physical condition.
I realized that my mentor's philosophy of living a long, quiet life was probably a conclusion he reached after years of trial and error.
Today, I planned to take it easy and get the Commando checked out.
If the car broke down, I'd be the only one losing out.
After eating breakfast, I headed to the auto repair shop my mentor used to frequent.
"Oh, this car. Isn't this Detective Son's pride and joy?"
The sharp-eyed mechanic recognized the Commando at a single glance.
"Yes, that's right. He passed it down to me, so I wanted to see if there's anything that needs fixing."
"This was tuned just a year ago, so it should still be in pristine condition."
"Tuned? Where...?"
Tuning usually meant upgrading a car's performance and appearance to suit the driver's taste.
But the exterior of this car looked like it belonged in a junkyard advertisement. It was an antique that had rolled off the assembly line over thirty years ago.
Where on earth did this look like a tuned car?
"Ah, I guess it might look strange to you. You can't tell just by looking at the outside. Here, let me explain it to you piece by piece."
The mechanic popped the hood and explained with pride.
"A 3,000cc engine with 225 horsepower. It's got the same engine used in military tactical vehicles. In terms of output, it's a whopping 35 horsepower higher than a US military Humvee. I had a hell of a time sourcing this."
"Ah, I see."
"We replaced a lot of other things besides the engine, but the real masterpiece is the steel alloy frame protecting the body. Even if this car collides head-on with a truck, it won't dent. Everything from the doors to the glass is bulletproof. He poured hundreds of millions of won into tuning this thing."
This was insane.
It wasn't like he was going to war, so why go this far?
No wonder the engine sounded so roaringly powerful.
"The exterior looks a bit rough, though. He said vintage was his style and refused to change it. How about it? Want me to give it a fresh coat of paint?"
My mentor wanted it to look worn out?
Was it to make it look like a piece of junk so that no one would even think about stealing it?
"No, it's fine. It was my senior's preference, so I should respect it. By the way, did he replace the navigation system when he tuned it?"
"No. He told me not to touch anything inside the cabin."
"Ah, okay."
Was the reinforced body meant to protect the driver from unexpected accidents, or was it to prevent damage to the navigation system?
I had a feeling it might be both.
The mechanic asked me.
"How is Detective Son doing? He hasn't stopped by at all lately."
"Oh, he passed away."
"...What?"
"I guess you didn't know. It's been a year since the funeral."
"Ah! No wonder..."
The mechanic's face darkened at the sudden news of his death.
It didn't seem like he just remembered my mentor as a big-spending customer.
Seeing that, I couldn't just leave without doing anything.
"Could you install a dashcam for me? The most expensive one you have."
"Understood."
I watched the mechanic's skilled hands work for a bit before heading back home.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
The one knocking on the station chief's door was Na Sangdo, the leader of Violent Crimes Team 1.
"Did you call for me, Chief?"
"Is Officer Min Suho keeping a low profile?"
"He's currently on leave. I told him to take about a week off, clear his head, and then come back to work."
"Is he really on leave? I've heard rumors that he's running wild all over Seongam-si."
I expected this to reach the chief's ears eventually.
The key was how the chief would interpret it.
Team Leader Na tried his best to spin it in the most positive light possible.
"Ah, you heard. That's just the kind of guy Detective Min is. He says there's nothing like the feeling of slapping handcuffs on bad guys, so he goes on patrol even during his vacation. Being a detective is his true calling."
"So, you're proud of him?"
"Of course. In this day and age, how easy is it to have a team member like that under you? It's my good fortune, really. Hahaha."
Team Leader Na laughed alone.
He had packaged it as best as he could, but the new chief looked entirely unimpressed.
"I don't know if we're just not on the same page, or if you heard a completely different story than I did. You've been spouting nonsense since you walked in."
"...Excuse me?"
"They say a crazy detective is running amok on Seongam's main boulevard. Calls to take suspects off his hands have been coming in 24 hours a day, to the point where the officers on duty couldn't even step away for a moment."
"Who... who would say such a ridiculous slander...?"
"Team Leader Na."
"Yes, Chief."
"Do you remember what I told you a few days ago? That he's a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment."
"Yes, I remember."
"Do you still believe he's under control?"
"He has never caused trouble under my watch."
"What do you mean he hasn't? He was sued for excessive force before. Didn't you have to pay a settlement?"
"T-that was..."
Chief Lee Chungki hadn't changed his mind in the slightest.
"Let me make this clear. I have absolutely no intention of carrying a ticking time bomb with me. Nor do I have the capacity to do so. I want our Seongam Station to be as quiet as a temple until the day my term ends. Do I sound too complacent to you?"
They say complacency is the secret to longevity in office, but this was taking it too far.
It made Na Sangdo feel miserable that he couldn't even point that out.
"...No, sir."
"Then help me out, Team Leader Na."
"How can I..."
"Team Leader Na, do you like soccer?"
"Yes, well... I don't have time to play, but I like watching it."
"When there's a player who has talent but doesn't fit the manager's tactics, what action does the club take?"
"..."
Either release them or trade them.
Team Leader Na knew the answer, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
I returned to Seongam Police Station in the afternoon of my third day of leave.
With money practically rolling around in the streets, what was the point of a vacation?
"Did everyone get along fine while I was gone?"
"Oh, Min Suho?"
"Why are you back already? You still have a few days of leave left."
"What's the point of playing around? I should be out here working. Besides, aren't I built to be a detective?"
"You haven't even tried relaxing properly. Anyway, glad you're back. I was writing a report for the first time in a while, and I was going crazy because I couldn't think of the right words."
"Should I help you out?"
"Come over here."
The senior detectives of the violent crimes team asked for my help the moment I arrived.
However, they wouldn't be getting any of it today.
"Detective Min. Let's talk in my office."
Team Leader Na led me into the meeting room.
He said he had something to tell me, but he hesitated, beating around the bush.
"Is there something you want to say...?"
"Yeah. Well, the thing is..."
"Why are you hesitating so much?"
"Ah, screw it. I don't know anymore. Right now, you have two options for your next assignment. One is working as a security guard at the National Museum. The other is a local precinct five hours away from here. Which one do you want?"
Having only those two choices meant one thing: they were telling me to get out.
"Am I being fired?"