What Happened on the First Day at Work
Last year, the total number of crimes reported in the southern part of Gyeonggi Province came to roughly 250,000.
That accounted for 19 percent of all cases nationwide, the highest figure in the country.
And even among that grim stretch of the south, the place with the worst reputation of all was Annam City—and, within it, Macheon District Office, clustered around the entertainment quarter and the abandoned-house district.
So everyone was puzzled.
A top graduate volunteering to go to Annam, the city everyone else avoided.
"Did the computer system mess this up?"
At Lee Seung-ho's words, Song Tan shook his head.
"No, it's correct. I applied for that district myself."
"What? Why?"
With those scores, he could have gone straight to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency if he wanted.
No one could understand why he would walk willingly into a den of beasts.
But Song Tan had not chosen Macheon District Office on a whim.
"If you want to catch big fish, you have to go where the water runs deep."
From the moment he had decided to become a police officer, he had never once intended to coast.
If he was going to be a cop, then he would uphold order, protect the weak, and place duty and honor above all else.
He would pursue the true righteousness he had failed to achieve in his past life.
That had been his resolve.
In that sense, Annam City was an extremely attractive posting.
Crime was so rampant there that the police simply could not keep up with demand.
"My first goal is to rack up as many results as possible as quickly as I can, then move straight to the criminal investigations unit."
That was the first objective Song Tan had set for himself.
***
The long-awaited first day at work had arrived.
Two rookie officers newly assigned to Annam’s Macheon District Office were facing the district chief.
"Hmm..."
The district chief, with the warm face of a neighborhood dumpling-shop owner, slowly flipped through the new recruits’ personnel cards.
As he turned the documents with detached interest, his eyes widened slightly.
"Hm? Top graduate?"
He cocked his head and looked at the two probationary officers.
"Who’s Song Tan?"
"Yes, sir. That would be me."
The district chief’s languid eyes swept over Song Tan from head to toe.
"So why did a top graduate end up here?"
It was a question packed with meaning.
"Let’s see... Presidential citation, and... huh? You just got commissioned and you already have a citation from the police commissioner? Hold on a second..."
Staring hard at Song Tan’s personnel file, the district chief let out a low whistle.
"Well, damn. You were the trainee who subdued that knife-wielding maniac at Chungju Station?"
He set the file down and looked at Song Tan with an expression of disbelief.
But then he composed himself and continued in a calm tone.
"Well... top graduate, top graduate’s grandfather, it makes no difference once you’re here in Macheon District. You know roughly what kind of place this is, right?"
"Yes, sir. I do!"
When Woo Seung-tae answered crisply, the district chief gave a snort of laughter.
"And what exactly have you heard?"
"Pardon?"
"Tell me what you know. It’s fine."
"Well, I... I heard the demand for police work is high... and that it’s very busy..."
"That’s bullshit."
"I-I’m sorry, sir."
"It’s not just busy. The demand is fucking insane, and the work isn’t merely busy—it’s busy enough to make you shit blood. You’d better be ready."
"Hah..."
At the chief’s threat, Woo Seung-tae’s face went pale.
"That said, don’t be too scared. If there’s one good thing, it’s that everyone’s so busy they naturally have a we’re-all-in-this-together vibe, so they won’t go around crushing new guys’ spirits."
It was comfort that did not comfort at all.
"Other district offices might throw welcome parties and all that, but sadly we don’t have time for such luxuries here. We’re short-staffed even now, so people are getting worked to the bone. You two will probably be sent out into the field today as well. Listen to your seniors carefully. Never act on your own. If something’s hard, swallow it if you can. If it’s really unbearable, come to me."
After rattling off the instructions like a machine gun, the district chief rose from his seat.
"I have to go to the southern precinct, so you two stay here. A team leader should be coming by soon to show you the ropes."
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. Hang in there."
Click—
After the district chief left.
"Phew..."
Only then did Woo Seung-tae lower his shoulders and release the breath he had been holding.
"I came prepared for this, but... I think this is worse than I expected."
He clutched his head.
"I prayed and prayed not to get assigned here, damn it. There’s definitely no god. Should I switch to becoming a firefighter right now...?"
After suffering in silence for a while, Woo Seung-tae lifted his head and looked at Song Tan.
"Tan, be honest with me. You’re planning to quit soon, aren’t you?"
"Hm? Not really."
"You’re twenty-three this year, right? You’ve done your military service, too. You were just going to taste it for a bit, then quit and start studying for the police academy exam, right? Am I wrong? I can tell at a glance."
"I’ve never thought about that."
"Come on. You can be honest with your big brother."
Just then, the door suddenly flew open.
"Hey, rookies."
"Urk!"
Woo Seung-tae nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden man who barged in.
"No time. Get moving."
Bang!
After saying only that, the man roughly slammed the door shut.
Song Tan stood and followed after him, and Woo Seung-tae, still dazed, hurried after Song Tan.
***
Third Patrol Team Leader Kang Tae-won led the two of them around, handing out equipment, introducing the district office facilities, and explaining the essentials.
"Of all things, make sure you memorize how to change the radio channel. If you go out on a call and can’t use this thing, you’ll get cursed out for the rest of your life."
"Yes, sir."
With the team leader dumping out his instructions at full speed, Woo Seung-tae was on the verge of losing his mind.
There was far too much to memorize, and yet nothing at all seemed to stick in his head.
"I’d like to keep you in the office on your first day, but sadly this place doesn’t have that luxury. You two are going out today too, so keep that in mind."
"Right away, sir?"
"Why? You did your field training at the police academy, didn’t you? What’s so hard about it?"
"Ah, no, sir."
Seeing Woo Seung-tae fidgeting, Kang Tae-won let out a small laugh as if he understood.
"Don’t get too scared. That doesn’t mean I’m going to make you do anything big. Just trail behind your senior and do what you’re told. Today’s just about getting a feel for the field—like, ah, so this is what it’s like out there."
At the team leader’s half-reassuring words, Woo Seung-tae swallowed a sigh of relief.
Then Kang Tae-won, glancing at the duty roster posted on the wall, called out to someone.
"Hey, Jeong-tae. You take this one today."
"Me? C’mon, even so, telling me to drag around a rookie is a bit much... We’ve got younger guys down there, too..."
"They’re all out on calls. And his name’s Seung-tae. Jeong-tae, Seung-tae. Sounds like brothers, doesn’t it? Quit whining and take him to the traffic accident that just came in."
"Yes, sir..."
Officer Oh Jeong-tae grudgingly nodded and said in a blunt voice, "Hey. Rookie. Follow me."
"Yes, sir!"
Woo Seung-tae hurried after his senior with stiff, awkward steps.
Left alone, Song Tan was told by Kang Tae-won, "Wait a little. You’ll be heading out soon too."
"Yes, sir."
With that, Kang Tae-won returned to his seat, and Song Tan stood there alone like a sack of barley no one had bothered to carry away.
How much time passed?
The radio in the district office’s situation room crackled briefly.
"This is Macheon District Office. 112 report coming in."
The dispatcher checked the monitor and tapped on the keyboard.
"Patrol requested in the alleyways of Taewon-dong within our jurisdiction. Dense concentration of abandoned houses. Increased patrol requested due to concerns over unauthorized youth entry and fire risk."
Kang Tae-won frowned and looked at the dispatcher.
"How many reports is that now?"
"Fourth one today. Same location, same complaint."
"Ah, damn, what a pain."
Scratching his head vigorously, Kang Tae-won called out to someone.
"Hey, Gyeong-ho. You go. Take the rookie with you."
"Me? Yes, sir."
A man in his thirties with an easygoing face smiled at Song Tan.
"Come on."
"Yes."
"I’ll be back."
"Yeah. Don’t suffer too much."
The moment they left the district office and got into the patrol car—
"Ah, fuck."
Yoo Gyeong-ho dropped the smile and spat out a curse.
"Heat advisory’s out, and they want us patrolling? What kind of bullshit patrol is this?"
He sighed, started the car, and drove off for now.
Only then did Yoo Gyeong-ho glance sideways.
"Hey, rookie. What’s your name? How old are you?"
"Nice to meet you, senior. My name is Song Tan, and I’m twenty-three this year."
"Twenty-three?"
Yoo Gyeong-ho turned to him in surprise.
"What the hell? Why do you look so old? I thought you were at least twenty-eight. Is it okay if I speak casually?"
"Of course."
The car stopped at a red light, and Yoo Gyeong-ho stretched both arms out.
"Ah, here we are, stuck doing this crap in such nice weather. Sigh... On a day like this, I should be out in Daechon-ga picking up girls. What a miserable lot in life."
After a while of lamenting his fate, Yoo Gyeong-ho asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No."
"Good. Better that way. Even if you did, if you worked here, you’d break up for sure."
"Is that so?"
"Want your big brother to give you a piece of advice that’ll go straight to your bones?"
"I’ll take it to heart."
"Never show off. And don’t go trying to do anything flashy. You were in the army, so you know what I mean, right? Just stay there like you’re there and not there. Take it easy. You understand?"
The light turned green, and the car started moving again.
"This place is somewhere you just endure until you can get out. I’ve seen plenty of kids try to prove something at the start and end up burning themselves out for nothing."
"Is that so?"
"You’ll understand later what I’m talking about. Right now, just act like you’re doing an ordinary patrol, then hide in the car and kill some time before going back. You’re really lucky to have a field trainer like me, you little punk."
Yoo Gyeong-ho went on and on, showering himself with self-praise, and before long the patrol car had entered the vicinity of Taewon-dong.
Taewon-dong was infamous even in Annam City as one of the roughest neighborhoods in terms of public safety. It was full of old multiplex houses and abandoned homes where redevelopment had stalled, and a lonely, desolate air hung over the place.
That made it a favorite haunt for runaway teenagers looking for a place to commit petty crimes.
"This place pisses me off every time I come. Tch. Ptooey."
Yoo Gyeong-ho swept his eyes over the neighborhood lined with web-covered vacant houses and spat a thick gob of saliva.
"I’ll just check the places with open doors and call it good. Stay close."
"Yes, senior."
Yoo Gyeong-ho, flashlight in hand, led the way, and Song Tan followed quietly behind him.
***
Creak—
As the broken door was pushed open, the inside of a ruined factory came into view with a groan.
It was littered with soju bottles, cigarette butts, and red spray-paint graffiti.
"Jesus, those punk kids. Guess they were boozing it up and partying here again. Hey, take pictures of this."
"Yes, sir."
Holding his phone, Song Tan began snapping photos of the interior.
"We’ll check a couple more places up ahead and head back in. Nothing else worth seeing."
Their final stop was a two-story abandoned house.
The door was half open, and a faint light leaked from inside.
"Someone’s there?"
Lowering his voice, Yoo Gyeong-ho quietly pushed the door open and stepped in.
What lay revealed was a forty-something man in a shabby short-sleeved shirt, drinking straight from a bottle of soju in the middle of the living room.
"Sir? What are you doing here?"
Startled by the sudden appearance of police, the man set the bottle down and began rambling.
"Oh? S-sorry. I just came in because I had nowhere to stay... I-I’ll leave right away."
Yoo Gyeong-ho sighed.
"This is private property. You need to leave immediately."
"Yes, yes, sorry. I’ll go right now."
The homeless man kept bowing his head and apologizing, and Yoo Gyeong-ho didn’t think much of it.
Things like this were just part of life in this neighborhood.
Not only homeless people, but foreign laborers without a place to stay often slipped in to sleep here as well.
Usually, an eviction notice solved the matter cleanly enough.
As if there was nothing more to see, Yoo Gyeong-ho turned around.
Song Tan’s gaze slowly swept over the floor and walls in turn.
Two disposable soju cups.
And the cigarette butts, still fresh enough to show they’d been smoked recently, were far too many for one person alone.
Song Tan’s eyes narrowed.
"Hey, rookie. What are you doing? Aren’t you coming out?"
Yoo Gyeong-ho urged him on, but Song Tan’s gaze was fixed on the homeless man.
The man was hastily packing up his things, but his pupils were shaking too violently.
His tongue kept licking his lips, and his restless hands kept dipping pointlessly into his pockets.
"Sir. Could I see your ID? I need to verify your identity."
"Hey? What are you doing?"
Yoo Gyeong-ho came over, his face already irritated.
"Something feels off. It looks like he’s been trying to hide something from the start."
"What the hell are you talking about? Since when did cops just start grabbing random people like this?"
The dazed mask was gone; the homeless man suddenly showed a vicious edge.
Yoo Gyeong-ho narrowed his eyes at the man and held out his palm.
"Sir? Please show me your ID. We’ll verify you and have you on your way in no time."
"Christ, seriously."
The man rummaged in his pocket with an annoyed expression.
And then, in an instant, he changed.
"Hurk!"
He suddenly shoved Yoo Gyeong-ho with his hand and lunged forward with all his strength.
Song Tan stepped in front of him as if he had expected it.
"Get out of the way, you fucking—"
The man raised his fist threateningly, but Song Tan slipped one step to the side and twisted the man’s arm.
Bang!
"Ugh!"
The man’s body, his balance shattered, slammed straight into the wooden floor.
Song Tan quickly wrenched the man’s wrist and pinned him down so he could not move.
Click—
With clean, fluid motions, Song Tan snapped handcuffs onto both wrists and shouted to Yoo Gyeong-ho, "Senior, the room over there!"
Yoo Gyeong-ho sprang up and opened one of the tightly shut doors.
"Shit..."
Inside, a schoolgirl in uniform lay collapsed, as still as a corpse.