Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Incheon's Secret
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Lee Jae-hyun watched as Park Chun-beom entered the interrogation room.
Naturally, Han Sun-ah, whose questioning had already concluded, had been moved elsewhere.
Now it was his turn.
As Park Chun-beom followed Park Dae-hyung into the interrogation room, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin beckoned him over.
Drawing closer, Oh Cheol-jin pointed toward the room and spoke.
“Rookie, you’ll need to sit in as the observer.”
“Me?”
Lee Jae-hyun pointed at himself in surprise.
It was unexpected.
The case had already been thoroughly investigated.
It had grown too big for a patrol officer to handle alone.
That was why they had sent Park Dae-hyung and Min Ji-hye instead of him to apprehend Park Chun-beom.
So he had assumed they would handle this interrogation too.
Oh Cheol-jin grinned, lifting the corner of his mouth.
“You started this. You should see it through to the end.”
“……Understood.”
Lee Jae-hyun nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips.
What Oh Cheol-jin had just said meant he should take full responsibility since he’d started it.
And it was also his way of ensuring Lee Jae-hyun got the credit he deserved.
‘He didn’t have to go this far out of his way.’
Even if they sent senior officers because the case was no longer suitable for a mere patrol officer.
From the outside, it could look like they were trying to steal his credit.
Lee Jae-hyun knew they weren’t the type, so he didn’t mind, and as long as Park Chun-beom was caught, he didn’t care who got the credit.
But Oh Cheol-jin was giving a mere patrol officer like him the chance to see it through.
“Our rookie! You got this!”
He laughed heartily and clapped Lee Jae-hyun on the back.
Lee Jae-hyun chuckled softly and headed into the interrogation room.
‘But handing it to me on a silver platter? Thanks anyway.’
He had been racking his brain for a way to interrogate the man himself.
After all, Lee Jae-hyun was the only one at this substation who knew Park Chun-beom had committed murder.
‘In the end, I have to do it. I’m the only one who can uncover his murder charge.’
With that thought, Lee Jae-hyun entered the interrogation room where Park Dae-hyung was waiting.
He sat in the chair next to Park Dae-hyung.
At that moment, Park Chun-beom seemed to recognize him and blinked before speaking.
“Young man……?”
“Fancy seeing you again, village head.”
“……Hah, I see. So that’s how it went down.”
Lee Jae-hyun greeted him with a raised corner of his mouth.
Park Chun-beom let out a hollow laugh and nodded slowly.
Just from Lee Jae-hyun’s appearance, he seemed to grasp the situation.
“Alright, shall we get started with the questioning?”
“Yes, let’s do that, Detective.”
Park Dae-hyung cut in smoothly at the right moment.
Park Chun-beom nodded leisurely with a smile.
For a split second, Park Dae-hyung—who had been called “Detective”—froze.
But it was so brief only those who knew him would notice.
He quickly regained his composure and began the interrogation.
“Han Sun-ah’s illegal medical practice. You introduced her customers, correct, Mr. Park Chun-beom?”
Park Dae-hyung dove straight into the main topic.
It seemed all the essential details had already been explained during the trip back to the substation.
Park Chun-beom nodded at the question.
“Yes, that’s true. But Detective, I had no idea it was illegal.”
He answered without the slightest hesitation or stutter.
Watching this, Lee Jae-hyun felt a sense of unease.
Ordinary people showed tension or restraint during police questioning.
But none of that was visible in Park Chun-beom.
‘Does he think the police are a joke?’
Lee Jae-hyun furrowed his brow as he stared at him.
Park Chun-beom pounded his chest with his palm, protesting his innocence, and continued.
“I thought, ‘Oh, she’s a nurse,’ and recommended her to my elderly neighbors who had trouble getting to the hospital, saying she had good medicine.”
In short, he was claiming it was a well-intentioned act and that he was the wronged party.
Everything that followed was slanted in his favor.
No admission of guilt or remorse.
Park Dae-hyung smirked.
“So, you never received any compensation for those recommendations?”
“I got pocket money sometimes.”
“Pocket money…… How much?”
“Just enough for a meal.”
Park Dae-hyung’s eyes gleamed at the response.
The moment he admitted to receiving money, his status as an accomplice was sealed.
Above all, Park Dae-hyung would have already seen through the man’s lies.
His instincts were razor-sharp.
He wouldn’t believe a word from Park Chun-beom’s claims of ignorance, injustice, or promises to never do it again.
Staring at him with sharp eyes, Park Dae-hyung pressed on.
“How much exactly? Did you get paid per introduction, or a fixed amount per person?”
“I didn’t keep track. Just meal money.”
“……Did you receive payment in cash?”
“Well, they’re not close neighbors or friends. It was just occasional pocket money exchanged, really.”
Park Chun-beom subtly emphasized that he wasn’t closely tied to Han Sun-ah, deftly dodging the questions.
But to Lee Jae-hyun, who knew he was a murderer, it was laughable.
During the interrogation, Min Ji-hye entered with some documents and placed them in front of Park Dae-hyung.
“Suspect’s personal details and related case records. Notes on notable points are at the front.”
With her usual businesslike tone, she stated her business and left the room.
Lee Jae-hyun picked up the documents she left and scanned them.
‘This is…….’
As he read down the incident report, he furrowed his brow.
The file detailed an incident from five years ago.
Park Chun-beom’s brother had died when their car plunged into the sea during a trip to Incheon, and he himself had nearly perished.
Lee Jae-hyun’s instincts whispered to him upon seeing it.
This is it.
Something was in Incheon.
* * *
Lee Jae-hyun quietly slipped out of the interrogation room and went to find Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin.
Oh Cheol-jin, who was handling other work, greeted him with a broad smile.
“Oh, rookie. Interrogation over already?”
“No.”
Lee Jae-hyun shook his head.
He had stepped out midway.
The questioning of Park Chun-beom would likely take more time.
But something needed resolving in the meantime, so he came out early.
“Oh? Then what’s up?”
“I think I need to head to Incheon.”
“Incheon? Why?”
“I suspect Park Chun-beom is hiding something there.”
Oh Cheol-jin tilted his head in confusion.
Lee Jae-hyun answered immediately.
It was the notable detail from the investigation report Min Ji-hye had provided.
His gut had rung alarm bells.
Park Chun-beom’s evil karma was tied to it.
At Lee Jae-hyun’s sudden declaration of needing to go to Incheon, Oh Cheol-jin looked incredulous.
“Hah, Incheon? You’re really gonna tour the whole country. Daejeon last time, Incheon now?”
“I’ll be quick.”
Oh Cheol-jin narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering.
Daejeon was far, but Incheon was relatively close.
It wouldn’t take long.
Of course, assuming he found a lead quickly.
‘That part…… I’ll figure it out once I’m there.’
They couldn’t hold Park Chun-beom indefinitely.
Before releasing him, they needed evidence of his murder.
For now, it was time to move.
He had a solid justification too.
They had caught Han Sun-ah, the IV Aunt running her illegal operation, and her accomplice Park Chun-beom.
If he suspected something hidden in Incheon, what choice was there?
If pressed for evidence, he’d chalk it up to instinct.
But.
“Alright, go ahead.”
Perhaps because they had already proven it by capturing Han Sun-ah and Park Chun-beom.
Oh Cheol-jin gave permission without further ado.
Lee Jae-hyun snapped a salute.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, Team Leader. Oh, and about Park Chun-beom…….”
Park Chun-beom couldn’t be released until he returned.
There was a flight risk.
He started to say as much, but Oh Cheol-jin nodded preemptively.
“Don’t worry. He’s basically confirmed as an accomplice. They’ll keep him locked down. I don’t get why you’re heading to Incheon, but good luck.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be off.”
With that, Lee Jae-hyun turned and headed straight for Incheon.
Left alone, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin shook his head in disbelief.
‘Has he started liking going solo since last time……?’
Lee Jae-hyun hadn’t been this proactive before.
He’d just diligently done his job, which let Oh Cheol-jin not worry much.
In an organization, the key was blending in seamlessly, neither too visible nor invisible.
Lee Jae-hyun fit “whatever, moderately” perfectly.
No need to fret about him causing trouble.
But lately, something had changed.
Probably starting with the Myeong Jin-han case.
‘Come to think of it, today was his trial day?’
It was a high-profile case that captured public attention, so the court had expedited it.
The ironclad evidence helped too.
Neither defense nor prosecution had much prep needed.
‘He pretty much handed it all to them.’
Myeong Jin-han’s first and second crimes were already well-analyzed.
The third plot, methods, evidence…… all neatly compiled by Lee Jae-hyun for the prosecutors.
It started then, and today he’d requested field duty in the morning, caught a scammer.
And uncovered an accomplice to boot.
The proficiency he showed far exceeded a patrol officer of barely a month.
‘I thought he was just hyped from catching Myeong Jin-han and acting out, but it’s real.’
Some rookies hit it big early on—beginner’s luck.
They mistake it for skill, rampage around, and crash if left unchecked.
Oh Cheol-jin had pegged Lee Jae-hyun as one and paired him with Kim Jun-ho to ground him.
But incredibly.
He actually caught the criminal.
‘I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it myself.’
If it were just hearsay, even Oh Cheol-jin wouldn’t have bought it.
He let out a sigh and gazed at Lee Jae-hyun’s retreating figure as he left the substation.
What would he bring back this time?
It was hardly something to expect from a patrol officer.
Yet.
That back looked reliable.
‘Even if it’s a bust, it’s his effort. He’ll learn from it.’
He tried not to expect anything.
But the subtle anticipation……
No one knew why.