Self-Defense

Detectives work in plainclothes to investigate and arrest suspects.

What about a police substation officer?

They are responsible for preventing potential crimes and taking initial action when an incident occurs.

Patrols, securing crime scenes, crowd control, and responding to 112 calls.

As a rule, digging deep into cases or tracking and investigating suspects is transferred to higher authorities, except in extreme emergencies.

But I didn't have the luxury of following the rules.

The time given for this mission was a mere sixty days.

And I had already wasted half of it on community service.

Whenever I tried to get something done, I'd get called away because a farm was short-handed, or the substation would ring because a heavy downpour collapsed someone's wall.

And then there was this...

I could barely tell if I was a police officer or the village servant.

Still, on the days I did community service, the navigation system seemed to recognize my hard work, which offered a small comfort.

So far, I had collected a total of nine staffs.

I still didn't know what they were for.

My communication with the navigation system was always a one-way street, so even if I had questions, there was no way to get answers.

I could only hope that as I gained more experience, I would get used to the system.

"But how is this even possible?"

Even when the Commando's engine was turned off, the navigation system seemed to know exactly what I was doing.

We were out in the middle of nowhere, with no CCTVs or drones flying around.

Yet, without fail, every time I helped the villagers with their farm work, my staff count went up.

It was impossible unless someone was watching from an omniscient perspective.

It was a moment where I could almost feel the breath of God.

"I'll save the prayers of thanks for later..."

Right now, I needed to focus on accumulating the points required to level up.

So, after finishing my daily shifts, I went on stakeouts every single night.

Over the past month, I had gotten a solid grasp on who in this neighborhood treated the law like a joke and who had nasty drinking habits.

Grandma Sun-rye, who had set a fire in her perilla field yesterday, was back at it today, burning trash in her yard without fail. The alcohol-loving village chief drove his cultivator drunk, no matter who tried to stop him.

They were the rare lawbreakers of this rural countryside.

The problem was that earning points wasn't easy.

No matter the crime, I only received exactly 1 point per person.

I needed to reach 57 points to level up.

Yet, over the past month, I had only managed to scrape together a measly 7 points.

Honestly, if it weren't for the bold thieves who tried to rob an entire watermelon patch, and a few out-of-town speeders tearing down the road in front of the village, I wouldn't have even gotten those 7 points.

I had thirty days left. I was still fifty points short.

"I need to take drastic measures."

Just then, the local mailman walked past the convenience store.

Under his short sleeves, I caught a glimpse of faded, half-erased tattoos.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Clutching at straws, I called out to him.

Taking a bite of his melon-flavored ice cream bar, the man sat on the wooden platform in front of the store and repeated my question.

"What did you say you were looking for?"

"Red-light districts or entertainment venues."

"You'd have to go to Chomok-ri to find anything like that."

Sancheon-ri, where I worked, was an inland farming community. Chomok-ri, on the other hand, bordered the sea, meaning it had plenty of businesses catering to tourists.

"Chomok Beach is pretty famous, you know. The beachfront is lined with raw fish restaurants, and there's even a nightclub in the town center. The population there must be at least ten times larger than here."

"So there must be gangs too, right?"

"Well, there are groups that run around in packs extorting protection money."

Perfect!

I had spent the last month poking around the wrong places, completely unaware that my precious targets were all gathered over there.

The system's rewards and points didn't care about jurisdictions.

Whether I caught them in Sancheon or Chomok, as long as I busted lawbreakers, I would get points.

"But why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if they ever cross over into our area."

"Ha, what is there for those guys to eat around here? Unless they're planning to retire and start farming."

"True."

"Since you don't seem to know the neighboring town very well, Officer Min, let me give you the rundown. I was born and raised there."

"Thank you, sir."

"During the summer, you've got the Shark Gang, who monopolize the beach parasol rentals and extort protection money from nearby shops. Then there's the Gwangsu-pa, who run the Gukbingwan nightclub in town and manage the entertainment district. These two factions are locked in a fierce rivalry, like a dragon and a tiger..."

Two active gangs!

I had definitely picked the right informant.

But just as the mailman was enthusiastically explaining, he suddenly fumbled through his pockets and blinked.

"...Is something wrong?"

"You wouldn't happen to have a cigarette, would you? My mouth feels all sticky after eating this sweet thing."

"Ah, just a moment."

The man was clearly looking for a trade.

If he wanted, I could buy him the entire store, let alone a pack of cigarettes.

I dashed inside and quickly bought the brand he wanted.

"Oh my, two packs? Do you want one too?"

"No, thank you. I quit. More importantly, I'm curious about what you were saying earlier."

"Where was I?"

"You were saying the Shark Gang and the Gwangsu-pa were locked in a rivalry, right before you suddenly craved a smoke."

Looking slightly embarrassed, the mailman cleared his throat and continued.

"Right. They don't exist anymore, but there used to be a group called the Chomok Gang. The Shark Gang and the Gwangsu-pa split off from them. Even so, since they once shared the same bowl of rice, they had an unwritten rule not to cross into each other's territory."

"I take it that rule was broken?"

"Exactly. Last year, they had a massive brawl over who was the true successor to the Chomok Gang. I think two or three people died back then. And then they all got locked up."

"...They're in prison right now?"

"They only served six months and got released."

"Ah, thank goodness."

"Huh?"

My true feelings slipped out.

"I mean, it's a relief they were caught back then."

"I just said they were released, though?"

He was sharp.

"Right. A life sentence would have been better."

"Hey, you don't get life for something like that. Anyway, they're out, but it's only the lackeys. The bosses of both sides are still locked up."

"Things must be chaotic then."

"You could say that."

The mailman knew everything there was to know about the local gangs.

It seemed like he had his own untold story, but I didn't ask, fearing it would drag the conversation out too long.

"Are the ones who got released not fighting each other? Old habits die hard."

"They growl at each other whenever they cross paths, but they haven't openly clashed."

"Cowardly bastards."

"Huh?"

"I mean, they're useless without their bosses to tell them what to do."

"Well, that's how those guys usually are. Thanks to that, peace has been maintained for quite a while, but lately, the winds of war are blowing again."

"Why is that?"

"The bosses are scheduled to be released in just a few days. It feels like something is about to explode."

Once the bosses were out and the organizations were back at full strength, a major clash was highly likely.

The problem was that the timing was uncertain.

If they clashed a month from now, it wouldn't do me any good.

I absolutely could not fail this mission.

If the navigation system's pursuit mode disappeared, my plans to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠find the shooter, appease my shooter's soul, make money, and play the role of the reliable eldest son would all go down the drain.

I couldn't just sit around and wait.

"I need to go see it for myself."

After thanking the mailman, I headed back to the substation.

My routine after work completely changed.

Instead of keeping a close eye on the residents of Sancheon-ri, I now headed to Chomok-ri.

I scouted the territories of both the Shark Gang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the Gwangsu-pa, keeping tabs on their movements.

The Shark Gang had taken control of the Beach Merchants' Association, while the Gwangsu-pa used the Gukbingwan nightclub in the center of town as their hideout.

By my rough estimate, the combined ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠number of members from both gangs exceeded sixty.

More than enough to secure my remaining fifty points.

"First, I need to confirm their illegal activities."

If they weren't actively breaking the law, arresting them wouldn't yield any points.

I began asking around near their strongholds.

"The Shark Gang? I don't know what they're plotting in their office, but they haven't been coming around to collect protection money like they used to. That actually made me more anxious, so I just paid them upfront."

"You gave them money even though they didn't ask for it?"

"What else could I do? If they start beating us up and smashing the place later because we didn't pay, we're the ones who lose. If you want to keep doing business here, you have to know when to bow."

"You could report them to the local precinct."

"The precinct? The one where the cops show up and just stand there with their arms crossed? I gave up on them a long time ago."

"I heard the precinct police sent them to prison last year, though."

"That was only because someone died and it made the front-page news. They had no choice. As far as I'm concerned, it was all just for show."

"..."

"Well, I suppose it's hard for the police to step in when gangsters are running around with knives. It's not like they have extra lives."

"Even so..."

"Coastal gangsters are a different breed. Maybe it's because they've been gutting fish since they were kids, but they don't fear anything. Gangsters in Seoul are like kindergarteners compared to them."

"..."

Even homicide detectives suffer from trauma when they witness horrific crime scenes.

Police officers are human too, and the fear they instinctively feel is unavoidable.

Was that why the local precinct officers had been so passive?

The residents living near the Gukbingwan nightclub gave similar accounts.

"Ugh, I'm too scared to go outside at night. People who look ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely out of it—whether they're drunk or high on drugs—wander around like zombies. Calling 112 doesn't do a thing."

"...Why is that?"

"Because only blind cops show up. It's obvious the guys are stumbling around, but the police just check their IDs and send them on their way. Shouldn't they at least run a drug test?"

The vague picture was gradually becoming clear.

"Please do something about this. We can't live in this neighborhood in fear like this."

"I understand. Thank you for your time."

I finished my inquiries. The circumstances made it clear that they were breaking the law.

Now, it was time to enter the tiger's den.

As soon as I entered the Gukbingwan, several waiters approached me, holding out their business cards.

I called over the one who looked the most experienced and slipped him two 50,000-won bills as a tip.

"Oh, thank you so much, and before we've even officially opened! I'll make sure to set you up with some great tables later..."

"Are you a member of the Gwangsu-pa by any chance?"

"Ah, no, no. I'm just a waiter."

"I heard this place is the Gwangsu-pa's hideout. Is that true?"

The waiter glanced around warily and whispered to me.

"Are you a cop?"

"Yeah."

"Is there a raid tonight?"

"No."

"Then... did you come alone, Detective?"

"Yeah. We received reports of suspicious individuals hanging around the area."

"Who said that?"

"I can't tell you that. Have you noticed anything suspicious while working here?"

"Hmm. It's a bit difficult to talk here. If you give me your number, I'll contact you separately in a bit. Could you grab a drink and wait?"

"Sure."

I waited for his message while picking at the complimentary snacks the waiter had brought out.

Even though it was early, a fair number of customers were already filing in.

There were especially many young people.

Judging by their clothes, they didn't look like locals, but rather out-of-towners who had come for surfing or swimming.

"They really know how to party."

Looking at the heat on the dance floor, it was hard to tell whether this was Seoul or the countryside.

About an hour passed.

"He's done before midnight?"

Wondering how many guys he had brought along with him, I stood up from my seat.

A moment later, in the empty lot, I met the textbook definition of a bad guy.

"Heh, the cop actually showed up."

"Who sent this loser?"

"I've never seen his face before. Is he even from the Chomok precinct?"

Waiting for me in the lot was not a courageous whistleblower, but a cheap thug who had brought along five of his lackeys.

"Why is it that you guys never fail to meet expectations?"

"You must be new, so you probably don't know, but Gukbingwan isn't a place where just any nobody can mess around. If you'd just stayed quiet, we would've given you some pocket money. Why are you poking your nose where it doesn't belong? Didn't your seniors teach you how things work?"

"I guess that's how you've been doing things until now."

"Look at this guy. Since your seniors didn't train you right, I guess we'll have to teach you a lesson ourselves."

"Are the six of you all?"

"Why? Scared? Don't worry. We won't kill you."

"Let's get one thing straight. You guys are the ones attacking first, right?"

"What?"

"Everything I do from this point on is self-defense."

"..."

The thug tilted his head, not quite understanding. When the meaning finally registered a moment later, he flared up.

"This little shit is all talk."

The next line was bound to be one of three things.

Stomp him! Kill him! Or...

"Get him!"