Money Tends to Follow (8)
It didn't take long for the riot squad dispatched from headquarters to arrive at the scene.
"Did you confirm she's secured?"
"Yes, sir. We've also administered the power suppressants."
"Good. Move her out."
Bound tightly, Marionette was loaded into the transport vehicle.
Subduing a Class 3 villain and rescuing a headquarters investigator was a monumental achievement. And this wasn't just any Class 3 villain, but Marionette, notorious for her cunning and elusive crimes. Nor was the rescued investigator just anyone, but Inspector Mieru, a renowned ace.
On top of that, they had obtained testimony proving the existence of 'Director Baek'—a figure previously dismissed as an urban legend. By any metric, it was a massive case, easily worthy of a special promotion. However...
"An official directive came down from above, and it seems there won't be any immediate change to your rank, Officer Kang."
Inspector Mieru spoke as he neatly adjusted his disheveled uniform. Headquarters had naturally recognized Jin-ho's achievements, but... they worried that a rookie officer climbing the ranks too quickly would draw unwanted public scrutiny.
Furthermore, there was the President's firm stance: 'Promote him slowly, without any special treatment.'
"Instead, they've promised a hefty performance bonus. They also offered to accord you the respect and treatment of an inspector, if you wish..."
"Ah, no. I have no need for promotions or special treatment. And please donate the performance bonus under my name."
Jin-ho's decision was purely pragmatic: If I keep getting promoted and end up separated from Eun-young, there's no telling what she might do.
"...As expected, you have no interest in trivial things like rank. I understand completely."
Inspector Mieru nodded to himself, having completely misunderstood Jin-ho's intentions. Unaware that his words had only deepened the government's misconception that he was a 'hidden powerhouse disguised as a rookie cop,' Jin-ho quietly lost himself in thought. He was busy calculating how to handle the aftermath of this case, including the matter of Director Baek.
"Inspector Mieru! Let's head back together!"
"Ah, just a moment."
Watching Jin-ho, Inspector Mieru quietly stepped closer to him.
"Officer Kang Jin-ho?"
"Yes? What is it, sir?"
"Well, I usually refrain from saying things like this as it can be quite rude, but..."
Glancing around to ensure they weren't overheard, Inspector Mieru lowered his voice.
"I'm rooting for you."
"Pardon? About what?"
"Your mentor, Officer Park. From what I can see, she seems to have feelings for you as well. You should give it a shot."
"Wh-what? No, wait..."
"It reminds me of when I was dating my wife. In this grueling police life, shouldn't we have at least some small source of joy?"
"Where are you going? Excuse me!"
Inspector Mieru made a cool exit, leaving after having said his piece. As Jin-ho stood there, his jaw slack with sheer bewilderment—
"Now, what was that little chat about~?"
Eun-young had materialized behind him without a sound, wearing a cat-like smile. It was impossible to tell exactly when she had arrived at the scene.
"Senior? When did you get here?"
"Is that what's important right now? More importantly, as far as I know, Inspector Mieru's ability is reading emotions... I wonder what could have prompted that~?"
"I-I think the Inspector must have misunderstood something."
Jin-ho broke into a cold sweat, trying his best to make an excuse, but Eun-young merely poked him in the ribs repeatedly, a playful glint in her eyes.
"But Jin-ho."
After teasing him for a good while, Eun-young's expression suddenly shifted. Her voice turned serious as she asked:
"There's something I'm curious about."
"Yes, Senior."
"I can understand everything else. But that word you used to snap Inspector Mieru out of his brainwashing—'Orgel.' How on earth did you find out about that?"
"W-well... you see, how that happened was—"
Tap.
"Actually, don't tell me right now."
Eun-young smiled brightly, placing her palm over Jin-ho's mouth to silence him.
"Starting today, I'm going to investigate. I'll put myself in your shoes at that exact moment, and I'll think and think about how you could have known about the 'Orgel.'"
"..."
"Then, I'll tell you the answer I come up with... and you can tell me if I'm right. If I'm wrong, only then will you tell me the real answer. Deal?"
With his mouth still covered, Jin-ho could only nod. Internally, his thoughts screamed:
...I'm screwed.
He had planned to just make up some excuse about guessing it based on big data analysis, but somehow, things were spiraling completely out of control!
A week had passed since the 'Marionette Arrest Incident.' During that time, quite a few changes had occurred in Jin-ho's life.
First of all, he made the front page of the newspapers.
Although the photo in the article was a heavily pixelated side profile, Jin-ho had undeniably become far more famous than before. These days, when he patrolled the streets, citizens would often gasp, "Oh?" even if they didn't know his name.
Next was the financial reward. Due to her elusive methods, Marionette was a notorious villain who had carried a bounty on her head for a long time.
In recognition of his decisive role in her arrest, the National Police Agency awarded Jin-ho a massive performance bonus of ten million won.
"Are you Officer Kang Jin-ho? We're from the Hero Association."
"What is this about?"
"It's regarding the payout of your bounty... You just need to sign here."
For reference, the Hero Association had readily shelled out a whopping one hundred million won as the bounty. The difference in financial scale between the Hero Association and state institutions was simply unavoidable. After setting aside five million won for living expenses, Jin-ho donated the rest, earning a staggering 10,500 Karma.
The Karma he received from resolving the Marionette case itself amounted to 10,000 points. If he could maintain this pace, achieving his dream of being young and rich wouldn't be far off.
...Assuming I can earn another 400 million Karma, that is.
In any case, as he kept himself busy, the days flew by. Inside the precinct, with the evening clock-out time slowly approaching, Assistant Inspector An Seong-sil, Officer Park Eun-young, and Kang Jin-ho were sipping coffee and chatting.
"Oh, right. Didn't you two say you were going to get your superpower evaluations after work today?"
Eun-young replied with a bright, beaming smile to Seong-sil's question.
"Yes. Today is finally the day our Jin-ho goes to get his superpower evaluation~. I've specially decided to tag along as his guardian."
"A guardian? Really..."
Jin-ho conversed nonchalantly, but internally, he was incredibly tense about the upcoming test. It would be ideal if he was officially classified as an awakened superhuman, but he had to prepare an excuse just in case he was evaluated as a mere 'ordinary human.'
"Anyway, if we can just kill another hour or two without any incidents, we can head straight to the evaluation center as soon as we clock out."
As Jin-ho spoke while looking at the wall clock, Assistant Inspector An Seong-sil laughed and waved his hand dismissively.
"Hey, Jin-ho. You should never say things like that during work hours. The moment you do, some nightmare of a civilian magically appears out of nowhere."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Yeah. Like, right this second, suddenly—"
*Slam!*
Before Seong-sil could even finish his sentence, the precinct door burst open violently, and a young boy rushed inside.
"Pant, pant..."
Catching his breath for a moment, the boy looked around anxiously. His face lit up the instant he spotted Jin-ho.
"You! It's you, right?!"
"Pardon?"
"You're that genius rookie cop, right? The officer who caught the brainwashing villain!"
The boy dashed over, speaking in a frantic rush as if someone were hot on his heels.
"Please help me! I think my sister has been brainwashed by a bad guy, too!"
"Brainwashed?"
"Yes! You're a genius cop, so please go arrest that guy right away! Save my sister!"
He clenched his fists so tightly they trembled, unable to contain his anger. His desperate posture radiated an intense, burning desire to rescue his sister as quickly as possible.
"Hmm... Kid. Did you say brainwashing?"
"Yes! That's right."
"I see."
Seong-sil thought to himself: Brainwashing is an incredibly rare ability. It requires specific conditions, but it's immensely powerful. Anyone with a mind-control type ability—whether they're a villain, a hero, or an ordinary citizen—is placed under the strict surveillance of the Hero Association. The probability of this kid's sister actually being brainwashed is practically zero.
"Could you wait just a moment?"
Instead of voicing his thoughts, however...
"..."
He simply stared at Jin-ho.
"..."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hmm? Isn't this the part where you explain everything?"
Aside from the major cases, Jin-ho had solved numerous incidents, both big and small, during his months at the precinct. Usually, by this point, Jin-ho would say something like, 'I have a feeling about this,' and lay out a brilliant deduction. Thus, Seong-sil was merely waiting patiently for the show to start.
"A young kid just walked in claiming his sister was brainwashed. You must have some idea of what's going on, right?"
"No, how on earth would I know?"
"Huh? But up until now, you've always gotten a hunch with just this much information."
"That is not always the case! There are absolutely zero clues right now!"
Jin-ho felt deeply wronged. He wasn't some prophet who could divine the truth the instant he heard a brief summary. How was he supposed to know anything from just this?
He felt uncomfortable with how the misunderstandings about him were piling up due to a few recent, unusual cases. He was a rational man who made logical deductions based on his meta-knowledge of the game, not some omniscient monster who knew everything instantly.
"Ah... Is that so? Sorry for misunderstanding."
"It's fine. It is true that I've behaved in ways that invite such misunderstandings."
Just as Seong-sil offered his awkward apology and Jin-ho let out a sigh, wondering How did things even get to this point?—
"Excuse me, please just listen to the rest!"
The boy, who had been watching the two officers anxiously, suddenly chimed in to explain further.
"My sister works at a bank... but recently, she's been hanging out with this muscular, tanned guy with blonde hair. That kind of guy is absolutely not her type! No matter how I look at it, it's incredibly suspicious..."
"Uh, wait a moment. Could you explain that again in detail from the very beginning? I think I might actually know what's going on..."
"..."
Assistant Inspector An Seong-sil, who had just apologized, glared at Jin-ho with a look of utter disbelief.
"..."
Jin-ho quietly averted his eyes, completely at a loss for words. Perhaps, in the future, even if he figured out the truth of a case instantly, it would be better to just pretend to be clueless!