Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: First Time at the Police Station
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A massive white building receded into the distance outside the window.
This was my first time riding in a police car.
It was the dead of night with no one around, and even I was dutifully waiting for the light at a two-lane crosswalk.
Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I'd end up in the back of a police car like this.
Not in the front passenger seat, but in the back.
The young officer in the passenger seat glanced at me through the rearview mirror and asked,
"Why'd you cause such a scene at the ER? Your guardian should've held it together a bit. Now that you're in the police car, you're all quiet."
"No, it wasn't a scene, officer..."
Mom replied weakly.
"They could talk just fine, and they didn't seem like bad people. Why'd you have to go and do that?"
"My son used to be a boy, but he turned into a girl, so we went to the hospital. We just wanted one examination—"
The officer cut her off coldly the moment she started.
"Ah, I see... Stress can do that these days. But you can't scream and try to damage property just because they refused treatment."
He clearly didn't believe a word of it.
It was so frustrating I couldn't take it anymore, so I jumped into the conversation.
"No, we didn't cause a scene... We just asked for an exam... I only tapped the desk a little..."
"That's still causing a scene. We've had multiple reports like this, so we had to respond. They said you did the same at other hospitals, right?"
"Haaa..."
No one was listening. I hung my head.
"We'll hear you out at the station and send you home. There are procedures. Procedures."
Even after arriving at the station, nothing much changed.
They sat Mom and me in chairs while the officers huddled together. A middle-aged one who seemed higher-ranking spoke firmly from his seat.
"Report, officer."
The one who'd been eyeing me in the rearview mirror responded.
"Both the guardian and the suspect keep repeating irrational statements. I suspect some mental issues. From the moment we picked her up, she's been insisting she used to be male..."
He glanced at me mid-sentence.
"This doesn't make any sense. She looks perfectly fine."
That look he'd been giving me—what was it about?
"And the guardian firmly believes her daughter is a son."
I was about to speak up when the middle-aged officer who'd been listening stood.
"Hey, officer. Don't jump to conclusions. We haven't investigated yet. Have you seen any psych records?"
"Not yet... We need to start with an ID check."
The middle-aged officer approached slowly, then plopped down in front of us with a hearty laugh.
"Haha, suddenly turning into a girl..."
"It's true..."
How many times had we said that?
He replied nonchalantly.
"Sure, sure. It's no big deal. We'll just run your IDs and let you go. And the hospital—definitely go see one. You have ID on you, right?"
"Yes..."
"Guardian's ID... and the kid's too."
Mom and I handed over our resident registration cards without protest.
He checked mine, and his face twisted.
"Come on. No jokes. Give me your real ID. This isn't yours."
"This is my real ID..."
"Hey now. Acting like this could get you charged with forgery. Hand over the real one. Fake IDs are illegal. Illegal."
"I am... I am Baek Eun-hae. Resident number 011111-3XXXXXX. It's me. Me..."
He tsked pityingly and tapped at his keyboard.
"Ugh, such a hassle..."
Tap, tap, tap.
He checked the monitor and let out a massive sigh.
"Haa... Baek Eun-hae. Male. Exists, sure, but how does this guy look anything like you?"
"Of course it's different. I used to be a boy..."
"Cute face and all, but what's wrong with your head, kid?"
"Yes...?"
Slipping in that creepy compliment so casually.
Mom bristled a bit too and shot back.
"Isn't that a bit harsh? Is that how police should talk?"
"Oh, sorry about that."
I'd thought if a man turned into a woman, they'd believe it instantly and drag me off to some secret lab for experiments.
My delusions felt embarrassing now.
Real authorities didn't see me as a test subject—just another crazy person.
Maybe there were too many crazies these days.
But shouldn't two people saying the same thing be enough?
No, maybe I should've brought one more?
The officer called "officer" earlier approached.
"Alright, let's do a fingerprint scan. Hand out."
Oh, fingerprints. Yes, that'd prove it for sure.
Wait a sec...
Suddenly, chills ran from my throat down my back.
What if the fingerprints didn't match? I'd really be labeled a crazy girl, wouldn't I?
Me and Mom both.
I'd never checked my fingerprints before.
I couldn't compare them alone without tools anyway.
This was bad. What now?
I yanked my hand back reflexively.
"Ah, no, wait. Fingerprints later... maybe..."
"No resisting. We'll confirm your identity with prints."
But his grip was too strong for me to fight.
The officer grabbed my slender wrist and easily pressed it to the scanner.
The middle-aged one rubbed his fingers together expectantly, smirking in a way that irked me.
"Results any second. Wait."
Mom looked just as anxious; her face was pale as she clasped her hands in prayer.
"........."
What if they didn't match?
Would I become an unidentified person for real?
Then what? Orphan?
I didn't want that.
So expectant, the middle-aged officer even hummed a little tune.
"Here it comes. Let's see the re-sults..."
His voice stretched out, then cut off abruptly. He slammed the desk and shot up like he'd seen a ghost.
"Wha—? What the hell. Huh?"
"What's up?"
"It's male? Machine broken? Baek Eun-hae, why's it showing male? Weird."
Another officer sipping coffee wandered over and peered at the screen.
"Machine doesn't glitch. Never has. Lemme try. Move."
He pressed his finger to the scanner, then checked the monitor.
Scolding the middle-aged one, he added,
"Yang Gil-hyeon. Matches fine. See? Machine's good. Tsk."
The middle-aged officer stammered, clearly flustered. It felt good watching him squirm.
"Inspector Yang, butt out and do your job. Uh, Baek Eun-hae-ssi, scan again."
I pressed my finger to the scanner myself.
Same result, obviously.
Inspector Yang alternated between my face and the male photo on screen.
Then he chuckled like it was amusing.
"Still male. Baek Eun-hae, male. Wow, wild—"
The middle-aged one muttered nonstop, either displeased or in disbelief.
"What is this? Huh? Check family registry. Real mother-son or what."
I let out a relieved sigh. At least my identity was proven.
"See? See? Told you...!"
I felt a bit triumphant.
After that, the station turned into total chaos.
"Can two people have the same fingerprints?"
"Impossible. Even twins don't."
"Odds are one in sixty billion."
As officers buzzed, the middle-aged one suddenly yelled.
"Wait... Silicone fake print? Check her fingers!"
They swarmed me like clouds.
Pulling, pinching, even sniffing my fingers.
I wondered if this was allowed.
"R-real fingers... Stop touching already...!"
At my words, they all pulled back.
"What now?"
"Report up the chain!"
The commotion grew uncontrollably.
Word spread; officers from other departments peeked in.
"That's the guy who's a dude?"
"Machine busted?"
"Who'd believe that face is male."
"How old...?"
I felt countless eyes on me.
Of course the machine wasn't broken, and my innocence was easily proven.
The middle-aged officer wiped sweat beading on his forehead as he approached.
"Baek Eun-hae-ssi...? Really, sorry."
"Ah, yeah... sure..."
"Investigation might take a while. This isn't just a disturbance anymore. You'll need to wait here until someone from headquarters comes. Also coordinating with hospitals and forensics."
Things were escalating.
"Pardon...?"
"Sorry. HQ's considering identity laundering or foreign interference in the admin network. Unlikely, but given the circumstances... Appreciate your understanding."
He kept spouting nonsense, but something more important weighed on me.
I hadn't expected a simple hospital visit to drag on like this.
"......Can I go outside?"
"Afraid not. But not a cell—rest room with a sofa. Comfy."
"I really have to go out for something..."
"What? If urgent, we can handle it. Tell us."
He pulled out a pen and notepad, ready to jot it down.
Ah, that. Saying it myself...
Should I have been carrying them?
How could I predict this?
I hadn't even known I needed to.
I stared down, fidgeting with my fingers.
"It's just..."
"Go ahead, no worries."
His kindness was a total one-eighty from before.
It felt so fake it was unsettling.
Hah, telling him...
I took a deep breath and whispered,
"I... I don't have any pads..."
"Ah."
His eyes flickered, and an awkward silence fell.