It Started with Suspicion and Curiosity.
Detectives usually worked in pairs of two. But Seo Woong-tae had plopped Lee Tae-gyu into the passenger seat of his beat-up old sedan instead of a partner—purely because he was the legendary cop who could cover every angle solo.
"Tae-gyu, just sit tight right here."
And so.
"When I'm out handling business and circling around, you wait here."
"......Okay."
He'd simply parked him there like a sidekick, planning to let him slowly take in the sights while he went about his rounds. In a way, it was free labor. Less an interview companion and more a bit of light entertainment to kill the boredom during those long, drawn-out stakeouts.
"Well, probably won't happen, but if anyone sketchy walks by the car while I'm gone, give me a call."
"............Okay."
At least.
Tap tap tap!
Until the moment Seo Woong-tae herded a wanted fugitive right toward the stakeout car where Tae-gyu was sitting. He'd already been suspicious of Tae-gyu's true identity.
Let's see how he handles this.
A person's real character shows in how they react to sudden pressure.
As long as he doesn't step out, he won't be in any danger.
With the mask and hat pulled low, no risk of his face getting exposed anyway.
The dashcam in the stakeout car. Right now, Seo Woong-tae was curious how the kid would react to him chasing down a fugitive.
Tap tap tap!
Midway through the desperate flight of an organized crime thug wanted for special assault charges, terrified by Seo Woong-tae's merciless beatdown.
Click!
"Gah—!!"
Tae-gyu suddenly flung open the car door, unleashing a tiger-like roar that shook the air—enough to buckle legs in an instant. By the time Seo Woong-tae blinked in shock at the furious bellow...
"............What the hell."
His eyes locked onto Tae-gyu, who had already subdued the fugitive.
What is this?
"Uh... he seemed like a bad guy, so..."
"............"
That's when it changed. The curiosity in Seo Woong-tae's gaze.
"Tae-gyu, these next ones are seriously dangerous... don't come out, no matter what..."
Every time he slyly lured bad guys toward the stakeout car, out popped Tae-gyu with that tiger roar—whatever it was, it chilled criminals to the bone. And this actor's sheer enthusiasm for helping with the arrests started winning him over.
Damn... this is kinda great?
Seo Woong-tae, who lost his mind and swung fists at the sight of any criminal.
"Get up, you punks! You passing out from that little hit? Hey! Hey!"
Oblivious to Tae-gyu copying his dokkaebi fire behind him as he grinned and raised his fists at the crooks.
"............Tae-gyu, good job."
"I wanna beat the crap outta them."
"Pardon?"
"You said you used to beat up old geezers like this. These guys seem like total scum—why hand 'em over easy? If I don't pound this bastard like a dog tonight, I won't sleep."
"................Approved."
That was the start of his true colors showing.
"Ask me anything you're curious about."
With the same hot-blooded cop grin from Model Detective 3 that Kim Kwang-woo knew so well.
"That's a gang hideout. They call it their 'dorm' or whatever? That's where I blow off steam."
"Whoa, I wanna beat 'em up!"
"Hey hey! Can't just hit 'em right away! These days even gangsters sue civilians!"
"Then how do you beat 'em without getting sued?"
"There are ones who can't sue. Fugitives in secret crash pads, or guys still on probation... oh, look, right there."
"Pfft."
"Heh, today's my lucky day?"
"Let's do it!"
"Kekeke, pound 'em!"
"Uwaa—!"
Seo Woong-tae and Lee Tae-gyu were bonding fast.
"Feels so good cracking knuckles, bro!"
"Kahaha! Gang tats always hit different, right?"
"Next, raid a loan shark office?!"
"Hey hey! We need at least a pretext!"
"Kekeke, we can make one up! No complaints filed yet, but they bully the shops upstairs and downstairs, stirring up bad vibes!"
"True, but..."
"I'll go first and pick a fake fight! Soon as they swing, you jump in!"
"Hell yeah! Let's do it! Kahahaha!"
That's how it goes. Comrades who click don't care about time or age. Even in their short time syncing up, Seo Woong-tae instinctively felt the guy's code meshed perfectly with his own.
Like looking in a mirror!
Soul duo, Mapo Station's one-two punch, Two Cops, legendary combo—words like that flashed in his mind.
"Hey."
And he thought it.
Lee Tae-gyu. This guy was a cop sent from heaven.
"You... wanna try being a detective?"
The other detectives at Mapo Station felt the same. Tae-gyu, who hadn't been around long but showed insane zeal for "enforcing justice," came off to them like this.
Seo Woong-tae's doppelganger.
And it didn't end there. They interpreted his tiger aura, surging at key moments, like this:
That guy's a runaway 8-ton truck with busted brakes too—
And not just that. Even while writing reports, Tae-gyu could make the tight-lipped crooks spill after a few words, like they'd been hypnotized.
To the Mapo Police detectives, accepting him as one of their own was inevitable.
"......Why the long face? Something bothering you?"
"My physique."
"Strength?"
"Yeah. Feels like I'm lacking when subduing suspects."
"Fair, you gotta build up when you transfer here."
"Gotta bulk up, right?"
"Sure, that'd help... but that's what gear's for. No cuffs?"
"Nah, not a cop yet."
"Right. Got cable ties? Try those first. We use 'em instead of cuffs in a pinch—even tough guys can't break 'em. More convenient too."
"Aha."
Tools it is, then. Bulk up slowly on the side...
"............Ah."
Then it hit him.
"..............Why am I even stressing over this crap?"
Suddenly snapping out of it, Lee Tae-gyu.
Back in the black van heading home, under his manager and stylist's worried stares.
"Why do you need......cable ties?"
"Telescopic baton......you're not seriously buying one, right?"
He realized again.
Right.
I came for a role interview.
At some point, he'd been acting like a real detective.
Tae-gyu hung his head for a second.
"Huh?"
"You okay?"
As his manager and stylist eyed him with concern.
Suddenly.
A faint laugh slipped from Tae-gyu's lowered head.
After a wave of deep regret passed, he returned to normal and truly felt it.
......So this is what it feels like.
Seo Woong-tae's dokkaebi fire.
The hot-blooded detective emotions packed inside.
A bit too fiery and energetic—mess up the control, and he might charge around blindly without realizing.
But still, way better than before.
Compared to the dokkaebi fires he'd grabbed for past roles, this was peak normalcy.
Gambling addict... cult elder... feral tiger...
Next to those, this was bright and positive, for sure.
Except for one thing.
Aaah—justice—when spotting injustice in this state, his eyes rolled back extra hard.
Anyway......good I met him.
This sensation was totally new.
Passion bubbling from deep in his chest, surging through his body to fingertips and toes.
Endless vigor, confidence to tackle anything boldly.
Like.
Remembering the dokkaebi fire's feel—like becoming a volcano spewing fire nonstop.
......Tomorrow.
In Tae-gyu's mind, anticipation swelled for tomorrow's audition where he could put it to use.
Thump!
DK Entertainment headquarters, underground grand hall.
This vast space, sometimes used for company sports days, now had long tables arranged in a U-shape.
Model Detective 3 - Audition
Today was a closed audition.
For the role of Seo Woong-tae, co-starring with DK's ace Kim Kwang-woo—a slew of heavy hitters would show.
Flip... flip...
Judges behind the table flipping through profiles of famous actors.
All big shots.
Kim Kwang-woo, the lead and investor; director Hong Chan-yeol helming the film; rep from top distributor Gold Media, one of Korea's big five; and DK's Do Yoon-seop.
"......What'd you think of the last one? Yeon Min-seok—he'd nail the China market."
"Acting's a bit stiff."
"Plus, image doesn't match Seo the detective, right?"
"What about Kim Min-su earlier?"
"Solid acting, but lacks that extra spark. Needs something to grab audiences' eyes."
"I agree."
"Park Jong-gyu was decent in that regard."
"Tch, but paired with Kwang-woo here, the character kinda flattens..."
"Hmm."
They were hashing out pros and cons of the big-name actors who'd just auditioned.
Tough call.
Model Detective 1 and 2 both topped 20 million viewers. With astronomical investment for 3 to smash past that...
Flip.
Do Yoon-seop eyed the next participant's profile.
Lee Tae-gyu
His rising star, but even he needed vetting in this lineup. Hell, be grateful—competing with leads from dramas and films for a co-lead opposite Kim Kwang-woo.
......Let's see.
Do was looking forward to it.
Tae-gyu's acting.
Come to think of it, he'd never seen the kid perform live up close, he realized just then.
"......Next is Lee Tae-gyu, right?"
The judges huddled, heads together.
"This guy's been solid lately. Good actor."
"But his screen time's so short."
"Yeah."
"Only seen the gambling addict role. Never anything else. Honestly, not sure if he matches Kwang-woo's weight class."
"Give him a shot."
"Kwang-woo."
"I think our chemistry would click."
"Not just cuz you're buddies, right?"
"Nah, friendship? Half the guys who just auditioned I've boozed with. None I haven't."
As even Kim Kwang-woo joined the murmurs.
BAM!!
The audition room door flew open violently.
Followed by a booming shout.
"......Kyaa, been a while!"
Do saw it clear as day.
In that split-second.
Whip!
Judges' and Kim Kwang-woo's heads whipped around.
"Kwang-woo!"
"Woong-tae?!"
Unthinking joy lit Kim Kwang-woo's face at the familiar voice.
"Ah, sorry. Got a bit excited."
"?"
"?"
"?"
Lee Tae-gyu had arrived.
"......Let's start the audition!"
For some reason, his face burned with uncontainable passion, body aflame.