Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Life as a Patrol Officer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
For the next few days, Lee Jae-hyun lived the life of a patrol officer.
Not that being a patrol officer was anything special.
If you compared it to a regular office worker, it was no different from being a newbie fresh out of training.
At first, you stuck by your mentor's side, learning how to fill out paperwork or running errands.
Once you'd built up a little experience, you'd handle incoming reports, head out on calls, conduct investigations, make arrests—pretty much everything.
And since even conscripted police had more seniority than you, getting treated like dirt everywhere was just part of the daily grind.
The pay and treatment were so poor that plenty of people who busted their asses to pass the civil service exam quit not long after starting.
They were basically glorified cleanup crew.
That was the reality of being a patrol officer.
*I'm lucky to have good teammates.*
Lee Jae-hyun was genuinely grateful for that.
Ever since being assigned to the substation, he'd never once been mistreated.
That said, he had one small gripe right now.
Lee Jae-hyun glanced down at the paperwork on his desk.
*To think I'd be starting from scratch with this stuff at my level.*
He set down his pen on the completed stack and let out a deep sigh.
It was something Park Dae-hyung, his mentor, had assigned him to practice.
Sure, regressing to the past had its perks, but this part was annoying.
As he kept sighing, Park Dae-hyung dragged his chair over from the side.
"What's a young guy like you sighing about so much? You done?"
"Yes. All finished."
"Yeah? Let me see."
Park Dae-hyung reached out and grabbed the paperwork from the desk.
He skimmed through it quickly, eyes darting across the pages. But soon, his face stiffened.
"...What the hell is this?"
He raised one eyebrow and looked at Lee Jae-hyun.
Seeing Park Dae-hyung's odd reaction, Lee Jae-hyun tilted his head.
"Is something wrong?"
He asked, anxiety bubbling up inside.
Sure, after becoming a detective, he'd spent more time in the field than behind a desk, so his paperwork skills had gotten rusty.
But he'd thought he'd done a decent job.
Maybe Park Dae-hyung saw a ton of mistakes.
As Lee Jae-hyun swallowed dryly, Park Dae-hyung continued.
"You awaken or something?"
"Huh? Awaken?"
The response was so out of left field that Lee Jae-hyun unwittingly blurted it out in a dumb voice.
Instead of answering, Park Dae-hyung turned to Inspector Kim Seok-hyun, who was sitting next to Lee Jae-hyun.
"Hyung-nim, take a quick look at this."
He called out, handing over the paperwork Lee Jae-hyun had done.
Inspector Kim Seok-hyun tilted his head and pulled his chair closer.
"What's up?"
"The rookie did this. Check it out."
Inspector Kim Seok-hyun scanned the pages and immediately let out a gasp of admiration.
"Whoa, it's practically perfect. The rookie really did this?"
"That's what I thought too, right, hyung-nim?"
"How long's it been since the kid started? A little over a month?"
"Yeah, about that."
Suddenly sandwiched between Park Dae-hyung and Inspector Kim Seok-hyun, Lee Jae-hyun froze in place.
After answering Inspector Kim Seok-hyun's question, Park Dae-hyung turned back to Lee Jae-hyun.
He eyed him up and down and kept going.
"A few days ago you were struggling with this crap, and yesterday you were acting like a whole different person. Related?"
"No, I just... felt like I wasn't pulling my weight, so I studied hard."
Park Dae-hyung tilted his head and muttered like he was talking to himself.
Lee Jae-hyun, hit right on the mark, scrambled for an excuse.
*He really has sharp instincts. Figures he's an ex-detective.*
"Yeah? You always had that dead fish look in your eyes, so I figured you were just another rice-bowl chaser. Guess I misjudged you."
"Ahem..."
Park Dae-hyung chuckled and slapped him on the back.
*His instincts are spot on.*
Stung twice now, Lee Jae-hyun cleared his throat and averted his eyes.
That's when he noticed the clock on his desk.
"Oh, already that time...? Inspector Park Dae-hyung, mind if I head out early?"
"Huh? Oh, quitting time already. Yeah, get going. Careful on the way. If you spot any drunks, make sure to report it."
Lee Jae-hyun asked politely, and Park Dae-hyung checked the time before waving him off with a teasing grin.
Ever since catching the serial killer, his teammates had been sending him off with that line every time he clocked out.
Sadly, no time for drunks today.
Lee Jae-hyun bowed his head in thanks and quickly packed up before standing.
Watching him hurry, Park Dae-hyung tilted his head.
"Why the rush today? Something up?"
"Mom has a checkup. I'm going with her."
"Oh? Then you better hustle. Leave the cleanup to me."
Park Dae-hyung shooed him away.
He had quitting time too and probably wanted to get home and rest.
Yet here he was, looking out for Lee Jae-hyun.
Lee Jae-hyun bowed to him once more.
"Thank you. See you tomorrow."
With a final goodbye, Lee Jae-hyun left the substation.
He rushed off toward the hospital where his mother was waiting.
* * *
Lee Jae-hyun looked around the bustling hospital.
Myeongseok Hospital.
It was a major hospital, and being the weekend, it was packed.
"Ugh, so many people. Should've come on a weekday. Wonder if we'll even get the tests done today."
"We have a reservation, so it shouldn't take too long."
His mother kept glancing around anxiously.
Lee Jae-hyun soothed her and held her hand tight.
He'd wanted to avoid the weekend crowds too, but this was the only day that lined up with his schedule.
They'd booked the appointment days ago—just tests today.
As they chatted and waited,
News drifted from a TV mounted in one corner of the hospital.
―The suspect in the serial murder case, A, has been transferred to the prosecutors' office today. A carried out the crimes on the 17th...
It was the case Lee Jae-hyun had wrapped up just days ago.
Myeong Jin-han's serial killings.
Hearing about a case he'd been involved in on the news made Lee Jae-hyun flinch.
"Whew, now we can finally walk around without worrying. Can't live with freaks like that out there. Good thing the cops did their job."
His mother sighed and glanced at him.
She and his father had agreed to keep it from her, so she had no idea Lee Jae-hyun was the one who'd caught Myeong Jin-han.
She cleared her throat awkwardly and spoke up.
"Son."
"Yeah?"
"Will you catch bad guys like that someday too?"
She looked at him with eyes full of strange expectation.
Lee Jae-hyun couldn't help but be flustered.
The mother he remembered was always nagging him to avoid danger.
*'Why?'*
What had changed to make her react like this?
The answer came quick.
There was only one difference between his past life and this one.
His father's death.
After his father died at Myeong Jin-han's hands, his mother had withered away overnight.
With her husband killed by a serial killer,
It was natural she'd worry about her son chasing monsters like that.
Lee Jae-hyun was still adjusting to this new version of his mother.
"Aw, forget it. How could you catch guys like that?"
She shook her head.
Even with his father alive, her worry for her son was the same.
Feeling her warm heart, Lee Jae-hyun smiled without realizing it.
"Patient Song Mi-hyeon, please come this way. Caregiver, wait outside."
"Oh, yes."
A nurse came and led his mother away.
Right before entering the exam room, his mother turned back.
"Son, Mom's heading in. Wait here without crying."
"Yeah, go ahead."
She grinned mischievously, a smile on her lips.
Lee Jae-hyun laughed and waved back.
How long had it been since he'd seen his mother this bright?
*'Probably because Dad's alive.'*
He couldn't be sure, but it fit.
That was the only change from his past life.
*'Lucky.'*
Lee Jae-hyun thought that as he sighed in relief.
Thanks to regressing, he'd saved his father, and his mother was happier.
All that was left... was treating her cancer.
That's why they were at the hospital.
*'And... I need to take down those bastards too.'*
Lee Jae-hyun recalled the ones who'd killed him in his past life.
Hyeonmin Group.
And their lackeys.
Thinking of them made his jaw clench.
Grit.
Without thinking, he ground his teeth and balled his fists.
They'd snuck into her hospital room, snapped photos of his mother, and sent them to him.
And that was just the start.
They'd sidelined Park Dae-hyung for trying to help him and killed Lee Jae-hyun himself.
Demoting and murdering a detective in Korea.
He couldn't let scum like that walk.
*'This time, I'll climb step by step and crush them properly.'*
Had they only acted like that back then?
No way. Hyeonmin Group had been in scandals plenty of times.
They'd buried them all the same way.
He'd expose everything and make them face justice.
And to do that, he couldn't stay a patrol officer forever.
It wasn't a problem a rookie could solve.
He needed to rise fast.
The best way? Catch crooks like a proper cop and rack up merits for a promotion.
That meant building a record.
Start busting criminals now, and the achievements would pile up.
Lost in those thoughts, mouth shut, Lee Jae-hyun stared at the door his mother had entered through. Then he spoke.
"Serhen, come out for a sec."
The moment he called, she materialized in the air.
"First time you've called me first. What's up?"
Serhen eyed him curiously.
She looked pleased, like her boredom had been cured.
"Got a quick question."
"Shoot."
"You absorbed karma from those drunks and from Myeong Jin-han—the black energy."
"Yeah."
"Can you see it normally too? With your eyes?"
Lee Jae-hyun met her gaze.
Serhen consumed karma.
And she'd talked and acted like she could see that 'karma' so naturally up till now.
He wanted to confirm if she could really spot criminals' karma.
If she could see the black energy, she was a walking crime detector. Perfect for racking up easy arrests.
That's why he'd asked.
"Yeah. What... I can see it even now."
Serhen nodded and pointed at one spot.
The unexpected answer made Lee Jae-hyun's face harden.