What Kind of Rookie Starts on His First Day Like This
Just as the last trace of the sunset was vanishing from the sky, an urgent radio call crackled through the station control room.
Strong crime incident in the district. Attempted sexual assault of a minor, wanted suspect arrested in the act. Requesting detectives to the scene.
Soon after, sirens roared through the alleys around Taewondong’s abandoned-house district.
Police cars and an ambulance came racing in, lights flashing.
The high school girl, already so drunk she had completely lost consciousness, was loaded straight into the ambulance and rushed to the hospital.
The front of the ruined house was already sealed off with police tape, and two detectives were dragging the suspect toward a black van, each gripping one of his arms.
"Choi Choon-gil, you bastard. I wondered where you’d gone and here you are?"
A detective who looked a little older stomped out his cigarette and walked over to Yu Gyeong-ho and Song Tan.
"I’m Han Byung-woo, leader of Violent Crimes Team 1 at Annam West Station. Would you mind explaining what happened?"
"Ah... well."
Yu Gyeong-ho glanced at Song Tan once before speaking.
"We were patrolling nearby after receiving the dispatch request when we found this man drinking alone here. He didn’t look like the owner, no matter how you looked at it, so we asked him to leave, but..."
Yu Gyeong-ho hesitated slightly, then pointed at Song Tan.
"My junior sensed something was off and asked to verify his identity. But the guy just shoved me and tried to run. We nearly lost him, but luckily we caught him on the scene."
"Hmm..."
Han Byung-woo’s gaze settled on Song Tan’s shoulder.
"A rookie?"
"Yes. He’s a probationary officer on his first day."
"First day?"
Han Byung-woo looked genuinely surprised as he turned to Song Tan.
"How’d you know he was wanted?"
"I didn’t know he was wanted. I just knew something was suspicious. He couldn’t meet our eyes properly, and I got the feeling he was desperate to get out of here as fast as possible."
"And how did you know there was a girl here?"
"There were two drinking glasses hidden under the sofa. When we first encountered him, he was guzzling liquor straight from the bottle, so I thought that was strange. There were also too many cigarette butts on the floor for one person to have smoked them alone."
"You’ve got a pretty good eye."
Han Byung-woo crouched down and looked over the discarded cigarette ends.
"This guy’s named Choi Choon-gil. He’s got a prior for aggravated robbery. He was already wanted after getting out of prison and immediately breaking into an empty house. If it hadn’t been for you two, they’d have tacked on attempted rape of a minor as well. Hup."
The detective straightened and looked at both of them.
More precisely, at the name tag pinned to Song Tan’s chest.
"Song Tan, huh... Did you just graduate? Your initial response was clean."
"Thank you."
"This kid graduated top of his class. He’s definitely got something different about him."
"Top of his class?"
The unspoken meaning was obvious: So why is a top student busting his ass in a place like this?
"Well, never mind. You interested in detective work, by any chance?"
"Of course I’m interested. Once I’ve gained a bit more experience."
It wouldn’t do to act openly interested in another department on his very first day at the local precinct.
"Fair enough. You’re just a probationer now." Han Byung-woo gave a crooked smile. "Still, for some reason, I feel like I’ll be seeing you again."
Then he turned to Yu Gyeong-ho.
"You both worked hard. We’ll take it from here."
"Yes, sir. Thank you for your hard work."
Just as Han Byung-woo turned to leave, he glanced back one more time.
"Hey, rookie."
"Yes?"
"You got lucky with your partner. Remember that."
After saying that, he sauntered away.
Yu Gyeong-ho stood there awkwardly and waved a hand.
"Scene’s wrapped. Let’s head back."
"Yes, senior."
Only then did the two of them return to their patrol car.
***
Inside the patrol car, silence hung heavy.
Apparently wanting to break the awkwardness, Yu Gyeong-ho let out a dry laugh.
"Ha! The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is. We were just out on patrol and ended up catching a wanted suspect red-handed. You live long enough and you see everything. Should I say it was bad luck or good luck?"
He rambled on as if talking to himself, then gave Song Tan a quick sideways glance.
"Let’s just gloss over the fact that we skipped the identity check, okay? That neighborhood’s full of people like that, so I thought he was just some common bum. How was I supposed to know he was wanted?"
"Understood."
Silence fell again.
After thinking for a moment, Song Tan asked casually, "By the way, why did you tell that detective all that earlier?"
"What, that? Oh—you mean why I didn’t just keep the big arrest for myself?"
Yu Gyeong-ho, hands on the wheel, frowned hard.
"It’d be embarrassing, damn it. I may be a half-assed cop, but I’m not so much of a bastard that I’d snatch a fully set table from a kid who just walked in. And honestly, if it hadn’t been for you..."
He eased off the wheel as the car stopped at a red light and dragged a hand down his face.
"What would’ve happened to that girl? I’ve got a younger sister too. A big age gap, at that. If anything had happened to that girl because of my screw-up..."
He sucked in a breath through clenched teeth.
"Shit... just thinking about it makes me sick. Damn it. I need to get my head straight."
He tapped his own skull a couple of times, then took the wheel again.
When the light changed, the patrol car rolled forward once more.
"Want to hear something funny? Back when I was a probationer, I used to be a crazy-hot-blooded rookie cop, running around like a maniac. Hard to believe, right?"
"No. I believe you."
"Believe my ass. I barely believe it myself. I still wonder if I was ever really that guy."
Yu Gyeong-ho chuckled to himself, then went on.
"I wanted to be a proper cop. Not some grand champion of justice, not some saint, but at least a decent police officer. So I worked like hell. There wasn’t a day I didn’t get a nosebleed. And it did feel worth it, in its own way. When citizens thanked me because something had been resolved well, it felt like all the fatigue just washed away."
For a moment, a shadow passed over his face.
"Then one day, I arrested a guy for domestic violence. We took the offender to the precinct and sent the woman to the hospital. Two days later, a complaint came in. The bastard’s family said their son’s human rights had been violated. Claimed I’d used excessive force on him or something. The only thing I’d done was a little scrape while putting on the cuffs, for fuck’s sake."
Yu Gyeong-ho gave a bitter smile.
"Still, I wasn’t too worried. There was CCTV, and the victim had already given a statement. But want to know how it ended? I paid five million won in a settlement for abuse of authority and got a formal reprimand too. Hah! Funny, right?"
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes fixed on the road ahead were utterly empty.
"Weirdly enough, stuff like that kept happening after that. That’s when I really got my skull cracked open. I learned that avoiding complaints matters more than protecting justice."
As if he’d been grumbling to himself, Yu Gyeong-ho suddenly shook his head.
"Gyeong-ho, you idiot. What the hell are you ranting about to a rookie on his first day? Haa. Anyway, from where I’m standing, you’re different. The fact that a top graduate like you came here of all places means one of two things—you’re either a lunatic or you’re the real deal."
"Which one do I seem like?"
"I’d like to believe the latter. Having a junior around who’s crazy is exhausting."
"I’ll do my best."
"Somehow that sounds even scarier."
They traded small talk here and there, and before long they were back at the precinct.
Unlike before the dispatch, the place was buzzing with energy.
"We’ve handed the suspect over to the detectives, transported the victim by ambulance, and the situation is closed."
At Yu Gyeong-ho’s report, the other officers applauded.
"Come on, everyone, let’s give them a round of applause."
Clap clap clap—
Whistle—
"Wow, Gyeong-ho, what’s gotten into you? You actually caught a wanted suspect in the act. Are you really the same lazy bastard I know?"
Even the other patrol officers gave Yu Gyeong-ho thumbs-up.
But he shook his head.
"It wasn’t me. The rookie caught him."
"What?"
"Aw, come on, you jerk. Don’t joke around. What kind of first-day rookie—"
"I’m not the type to lie about this sort of thing. The Song Tan standing here is the one who caught him. I was shocked too."
With a playful grin, Yu Gyeong-ho threw an arm around Song Tan’s shoulders.
"Seriously?"
Everyone looked stunned.
Yu Gyeong-ho might have been a clown, but he wasn’t the type to make things up.
"This guy is no ordinary rookie. The suspect was about the size of Senior Officer Noh, but he just took him down in one shot."
"Huh..."
Only then did the other precinct officers turn their attention to Song Tan.
"Is what Gyeong-ho saying true? You really caught him?"
They kept asking in disbelief.
Song Tan answered calmly.
"I’m the one who put the cuffs on him, yes, but I was only following senior officer instructions faithfully."
Yu Gyeong-ho paused and turned to look at Song Tan.
"Because senior officer grabbed the suspect by the collar and bought us time, we were able to catch him. If not, he would’ve gotten away. He was incredibly strong."
"Oh? So that’s how it was?"
Only then did everyone nod as if they understood.
Yu Gyeong-ho shot Song Tan a sidelong look, and Song Tan returned a faint smile.
At that moment, another probationer who had been standing there like a sack of barley, Woo Seung-tae, quietly chimed in.
"Uh... Tan-i... also caught the armed attacker at Chungju Station once."
"What? Seriously?"
"Now that you mention it, wasn’t the guy who caught him back then a Central Police trainee? Wait, that was you, Song Tan?"
"Damn, why didn’t you say so?"
Song Tan scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"There wasn’t a chance to mention it."
"Ah... come to think of it, the probationers never even got a proper chance to introduce themselves."
At that, the precinct officers began firing questions at Song Tan and Woo Seung-tae one after another.
Most of the attention, of course, went to Song Tan.
"We’ve got one hell of a freak in here."
"No kidding. If he’s got a presidential commendation and a chief’s citation, couldn’t he have gone straight to headquarters?"
The senior patrol officers, after hearing about Song Tan’s unusual résumé, clicked their tongues in amazement.
"Anyway, thanks to Gyeong-ho and Song Tan, the prestige of our precinct has gone up a lot. Word is we might even get listed as a citywide model case?"
"Seriously?"
"And that’s not all. I overheard the precinct chief’s phone earlier—sounds like upper management is really pleased with this. If things go well, this precinct might even get an award."
"Daaaamn."
Everyone’s faces lit up at the unexpected good fortune.
"We’ve been so slammed lately that I was seriously losing my mind, but this does make me feel a bit better."
"See? Looks like the two new probationers are lucky charms."
Senior Inspector Kang Taewon, a twenty-year veteran, looked at the two of them and said, "Well, I’m sure you’ve already heard, but this precinct ranks among the top three toughest in the entire country. Since you came to such a legendary place, how about each of you gives us a word about your resolve?"
"Ahem..."
Woo Seung-tae, after sneaking a glance around, stepped forward.
"Probationary officer Woo Seung-tae reporting! My field experience is still lacking, but I’ll learn one step at a time and adapt quickly. I’ll always move first and take responsibility to the end so I won’t bring shame to my seniors. I’ll work hard!"
"Just working hard won’t cut it..."
"Ah? I mean I’ll work hard, and well!"
"That’s more like it. Working hard is a given. You just need to do it well enough not to cause trouble. Did you do any sports?"
"I boxed through high school."
"Oh? A boxer? Nice, you must know how to throw hands. Just don’t go sticking one-twos into civilians, all right? That’ll turn into a headache real fast."
"I-I’d never do anything like that."
The senior officers, chuckling and tossing around teasing jokes, then looked to Song Tan.
"Our top probationer who bagged a wanted criminal on his first day—what’s your resolve?"
At Kang Taewon’s question, Song Tan calmly recited a single line.
"I will set the world aright through righteousness, and protect all people through chivalry. (Yi li tianxia zheng, xia hu wanren an.)"
It was the slogan of the Jeongmu Unit, the Murim Alliance’s public face and the martial force directly under the Alliance Lord.
The cry that the Twenty-Eighth had wanted to shout his entire life while living in the shadows.
"I’ll become a police officer who always keeps those words in his heart. And I’ll run myself to the bone so my seniors can rest even a little."
At Song Tan’s resolute declaration, the seniors gave halfhearted applause, their expressions somewhere between amused and bewildered.
"Wow... no wonder he graduated top of his class. He’s got a whole different kind of resolve. I thought I’d wandered into a martial arts novel."
"Still, it’s pleasant to hear. Means less work for us."
At that moment, none of them could have imagined that the absurd-sounding ambition of this rookie would one day become reality.