Conspiracy Theory (2)
His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his heart pounded like mad. He'd shot a person. Or at least, whether it had truly been a person was still in doubt, but it had definitely been human once. Separate from the gun's recoil, the tactile sensation of the bullet piercing the eyeball and shredding the brain lingered vividly in his grip.
"…"
Soon, blood-soaked team members began emerging from the building one by one on stretchers. Some were zipped into shiny silver body bags. More bodies came out than had gone in, meaning more had died inside.
"Rookie. You hurt anywhere?"
"Ah, no. I'm fine. Just a bit of scraped skin… But that woman who peeled out in the car at the end. Was I supposed to shoot her?"
"Yeah. We came to grab her. Don't sweat it too much, though. Team Leader Woo fucked up by leaving you out front without any briefing on your first gig."
"T-Team Leader…?"
"He's dead. Agent Kang's taking over the team leader spot, so keep that in mind."
"…"
"I know you're rattled right now, so listen up. Don't try to dig too deep. This op came down from way higher up than you can imagine. What do we know about what the big shots are thinking? We just shut our mouths and follow orders. Got it?"
"…Yes, sir."
"Anyway, good work. Leave the rest to the cleanup crew and let's pull out."
Jeong Gwa-jang gave Cheol-woo's shoulder a firm squeeze before climbing into the vehicle.
'Way higher up'—what the hell did that mean? Above the company execs? Did something like that even exist? Major shareholders? Chaebol heirs? Or a government agency?
Cheol-woo started spinning wild theories but stopped short as dizziness hit him.
What was that woman that they came to catch? What the hell was the identity of that thing that jumped him? Cheol-woo couldn't ask any more questions and simply followed Jeong Gwa-jang into the car.
The day had been too long. He had no memory of how he made it back to the company, clocked out, washed the bloodstained suit, and got home.
The apartment was empty when he arrived. His sister must've been stuck late on a shoot.
'This job's way more dangerous than I imagined…'
Danger wasn't just about getting physically hurt. A shootout in the heart of the capital region? They could've all been rounded up on the spot without question, yet a quick internet search turned up zero news articles. Did the cops not know, or were they turning a blind eye?
As vertigo started creeping in, his phone rang.
It was unexpected news.
***
Police station. Detective Lee's eyes narrowed as he rifled through documents on the verge of the shredder.
"Boss. This search of Min Cheol-woo's place… Was it done without a warrant?"
"Huh? You didn't know? Why? What's with the sudden interest in the Min Cheol-woo case?"
"Didn't you say we found that guy's girlfriend? Got me thinking, so I checked. We busted in without even a warrant?"
Back then, he'd assumed a warrant had been issued. Even if not, it was common to raid first, get the warrant after, and fudge the timestamps. No big deal.
But now? No warrant requests had even been filed with the court, let alone approved.
"Guess we searched without one. No drugs inside would've fucked us all, but they were there in the end. So we're good. Must've been solid intel from up top telling us to move."
"…"
So where exactly was up top? Definitely above the chief, but he couldn't pinpoint who issued the search order.
Like the boss said, they'd found a stash after busting in, so they were lucky… But what intel convinced that guy up top to roll the dice on a career-ending gamble if it failed?
"Min Cheol-woo's got no priors, clean record. What the hell were they thinking…?"
What if it wasn't a gamble? What if it was a sure thing? What if they knew about drugs hidden under the floorboards that even Min Cheol-woo didn't know about and ordered the search on that basis?
Detective Lee shuddered.
It was a conspiracy theory, sure, but damn if it didn't sound plausible.
"Oh. Min Cheol-woo's here."
"Let's stand up."
Detective Lee had half-forgotten, but the sight of Min Cheol-woo's face brought it all rushing back.
Officer Kim took the driver's seat, the boss the passenger side, leaving Detective Lee and Cheol-woo side by side in the back. An awkward silence hung the whole ride.
Glancing over, he noticed Min Cheol-woo's right hand fidgeting near his waist. Then—whoosh—Cheol-woo turned his head, and Detective Lee froze, staring fixedly out the window.
He didn't look away from that window once until they arrived.
"This place…?"
"Drug rehab center."
"She's admitted here?"
"Yeah. Under a fake name. Tracked her via fingerprints from reissuing her lost ID."
"…"
Cheol-woo's face crumpled. He'd thought she'd bolted overseas or something. A rehab center? And she got caught trying to stupidly reissue her ID?
Fuck—it was so absurd he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"This way."
The hospital room was a sight. A disheveled woman in restraints sat on the bed, staring blankly into space. Her eyes were unfocused; she didn't react to sounds. Not even a flinch when he clapped right in front of her.
She was completely gone.
"Can I talk to her alone for a bit?"
"She's in no state for conversation."
"Please, just a moment."
"Let's step out."
The detectives filed out, the door slamming shut. Still, they peeked through the window.
Cheol-woo dragged a chair over, plopped down in front of his ex-girlfriend.
"Why'd you do it?"
"…"
"Why hide drugs in my place? Who told you to?"
"…"
"Fuck, who was it? Tell me. Tell me!"
"Hey hey! Stop that bastard!"
Crack! Thud! Crunch!
Cheol-woo's fist smashed into her face, nose exploding in blood, teeth scattering. By the time Detective Lee, Officer Kim, and the boss pulled him off, her face was a wreck. It looked like just a few short jabs, but her nose was broken at minimum, maybe even a sunken cheekbone.
Even then, she just giggled—ehehe, hehe—her broken jaw dangling.
Only then did Cheol-woo slump, dropping his fists.
"Hic? H-heek!?"
"…?"
As the detectives yanked Cheol-woo by the collar, exposing their inner jackets, the woman suddenly jolted, trembling violently.
The cops figured the drugs delayed her reaction to the beating. But not Cheol-woo.
Her eyes had locked on the inside of his jacket—the holster.
She's startled by a pistol holster? A civilian wouldn't even recognize it at a glance.
That woman had definitely seen a gun before. One in a holster, no less. Regular criminals stuffed pistols in pants or pockets—not a common carry.
Ignoring the nurses rushing in shocked chatter, Cheol-woo stormed out.
"Haa…"
He dry-washed his face, calming his chest. The trailing Detective Lee couldn't bring himself to mention assault charges—just watched.
Her mind had checked out long ago, no family or friends to report it. If the cops kept quiet, it'd blow over.
"Just one question, Detective."
"Shoot."
"That time you raided my place. Was it on a tip?"
"…"
Silence. A denial—or affirmation? Either way, from his reaction, no one had called in a tip.
Makes sense—no vague "someone's dealing drugs" report gets you a no-knock warrant.
So the order came from high enough that cops wouldn't question a warrantless raid?
'Don't try to dig too deep. This op came down from way higher up than you can imagine. What do we know about what the big shots are thinking? We just shut our mouths and follow orders. Got it?'
Jeong Gwa-jang's words flashed back, dilating Cheol-woo's pupils.
A home invasion search impossible without direct high-level orders.
And GeumMyeong Security's upper echelons were way higher than he could've imagined.
Coincidence that they connected? And his girlfriend, who hid drugs in his place—not money stolen or anything he'd given her—seemed to recognize a holstered pistol.
Someone put her up to the drug scandal. Did they show her the gun?
In Korea, who carries a pistol in an inner-pocket holster? First thing that came to mind: GeumMyeong Security employee.
Coincidence?
'It was all designed from the start to get me into GeumMyeong Security…?'
Ridiculous conspiracy theory. One he desperately didn't want to believe—yet it bubbled up as the conclusion.