Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: After-Service Check
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“Let’s take my car.”
The moment they stepped out into the parking lot, Oh Seo-hyun said.
It didn’t matter to Lee Jae-hyun whose car they took, so he nodded.
Oh Seo-hyun pulled her keys from her pocket and pressed a button.
With a beep, the lights of a car far off flashed on.
A compact SUV.
It had a cute vibe, completely different from the sharp edge she’d shown last time—a refreshing contrast.
What was it like?
Normally, she gave off the vibe of a hunting dog ready to pounce and tear into prey at any moment, and that hadn’t changed.
But it was like that same hunting dog peeking its head out from a small, adorable doghouse.
Lee Jae-hyun climbed into the passenger seat with an odd expression.
“We’re off.”
Oh Seo-hyun hit the accelerator as she spoke, and Lee Jae-hyun rode with her toward the gukbap house.
Of course, Song’s Gukbap House.
From the outside, nothing had changed.
Naturally. What could change in just a few days?
But after parking and stepping inside, the scene was totally different from his last visit.
“No, I’m telling you, I thought something was off back then.”
“Aigoo, this guy’s talking a lot again.”
A group in hiking gear, laughing loudly and boisterously about something.
“Section Chief Choi said so...”
“Choi’s been acting weird lately, yeah.”
There were also office workers in suits, eating quietly.
Everyone had claimed a seat and was digging into bowls of gukbap, with every table full.
“Oh? Welcome!”
A cheerful voice rang out.
Song A-ram approached Oh Seo-hyun and Lee Jae-hyun with a bright smile.
It was school time for her, so Lee Jae-hyun gave her a puzzled look.
Catching his gaze, Song A-ram flicked the apron she was wearing.
“Ah, school’s out for a few days. Seo-hyun unnie came by and nearly turned the place upside down. The teachers kept apologizing, saying they hadn’t known and to take a few days off...”
Song A-ram giggled.
At least it seemed things had worked out, not some truancy issue.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded and spoke up.
“How’s the A/S effect? Satisfied?”
“You didn’t even do it yourself...”
Song A-ram muttered playfully, then chuckled.
“Well, the A/S hasn’t fully kicked in yet, so I’m not sure... but it feels solid for now.”
She glanced around the shop after saying that.
Just then, two office workers stood from their seats.
“Please wait a sec. I’ll clear it and show you to a table.”
“No rush.”
Lee Jae-hyun spoke softly, but Song A-ram’s hands moved quickly.
In the meantime, Song Boss nodded warmly to Lee Jae-hyun in greeting and rang up the office workers’ meals.
Soon after, Lee Jae-hyun and Oh Seo-hyun settled in and ordered.
Two bowls of pork gukbap.
Oh Seo-hyun calmly set out her utensils and waited.
Lee Jae-hyun looked at her and said,
“A-ram calls you Seo-hyun unnie... You two must’ve gotten close.”
“More like A-ram’s just naturally outgoing... She warmed up quick.”
True, Song A-ram had her sharp edges, but after seeing Lee Jae-hyun boot out the school bullies, she’d latched on right away, even asking for A/S.
Since Oh Seo-hyun had handled the bullying directly, it was natural she’d feel close to her.
“Oh, and I went to the school to sort things out, but it was already halfway handled by the time I got there.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I showed up the next day, and the bullies didn’t even come to school that day. They did later, but... they were weirdly subdued, apparently.”
As Oh Seo-hyun spoke, Song A-ram brought over the two bowls and chimed in while setting them down.
“Yeah, they’ve been quiet for days. Everyone’s saying it’s like they saw a ghost and got spooked.”
“A ghost...?”
Lee Jae-hyun let out a hollow laugh at Song A-ram’s words.
Ghosts in this world? Come on.
They probably skipped school fearing cops, and with Oh Seo-hyun actually showing up, they stayed low to avoid trouble...
‘Huh...?’
Something felt off.
They didn’t seem like kids who’d cower that much from police.
And for a ridiculous ghost story to spread like that, maybe there really was a ghost.
Conveniently, Lee Jae-hyun knew someone ghost-adjacent, if not a ghost herself.
No way Serhen actually did something.
As he thought that,
“Those weren’t kids who’d go quiet from a little scare.”
“......”
Lee Jae-hyun stirred his gukbap in bewilderment at Serhen’s words.
Sure, with a demon right in front of you, anyone would behave.
But it wasn’t like they’d stared death down like he had—you couldn’t accept it otherwise.
Still, it felt oddly fishy, just like Serhen said.
Direct A/S wasn’t feasible right now, so trusting Song A-ram and Inspector Oh Seo-hyun was best.
“Got it. Call anytime if you need more help.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Inspector Oh Seo-hyun shrugged with a light tone.
He worried, but there wasn’t much Lee Jae-hyun could do right now.
He could do reference interviews like this, or testify in court if things escalated, but since they were quiet now... best to gather evidence and monitor.
If they needed more help later.
If the kids weren’t behaving but plotting, and started up again... then he could step in actively.
Police were weak on past events without evidence.
But with evidence, they were stronger than anyone—so if the bullies acted again, creating direct proof.
Then Lee Jae-hyun would move first.
He said nothing more, just focused silently on his meal.
Old detective habit, maybe.
Lee Jae-hyun polished off his gukbap in no time, and Oh Seo-hyun finished at a similar pace.
By then, the crowd had thinned, half the tables empty.
Oh Seo-hyun pulled out her smartphone with a blank expression.
“Just in case, I’ll record.”
“Sure.”
“Shall we... start?”
“Here?”
“Yeah, it’s just formalities.”
Oh Seo-hyun shrugged, and Lee Jae-hyun nodded—location didn’t matter for a reference interview.
Was this okay? But like she said, just formal.
His statement would hugely help Song A-ram anyway, and Oh Seo-hyun would handle the paperwork later.
The questions were basic.
Name, age, then a straightforward account of events.
Lee Jae-hyun explained easily.
“Thanks for your time.”
“You too.”
Oh Seo-hyun gave a crisp reply after hearing him out.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded back in return.
Then a buzz—his phone vibrated.
Oh Seo-hyun paused mid-pocket, shook her head—it wasn’t hers.
Lee Jae-hyun took out his smartphone.
Unknown number.
“I’ll take this outside.”
He stood as he said it.
* * *
One of a detective’s many occupational hazards.
You hand out cards asking for tips on evidence, so you tend to pick up unknown calls.
Same now.
Sure, he wasn’t a detective anymore—just a patrol officer, no cards needed—but habit kicked in.
“Yes, hello?”
—Hello. Is this Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun?
A young woman’s voice came through.
Soft, but formal.
“Yes, that’s me. Who’s this?”
—Hi. Yoon Min-ha from Dongyoung Daily.
Lee Jae-hyun froze at “Dongyoung Daily.”
Detectives and reporters: inseparable, for better or worse.
Like crocodiles and plovers.
Or some indescribable bond.
Symbiotic at times, rivals at others.
Reporters crave stories.
Detectives sometimes need their info or media pressure.
But reporters who leak sensitive cases without syncing? Always around.
He’d hit snags plenty from them stirring things up during quiet investigations.
Naturally, wariness spiked with one on the line.
“You’re a reporter?”
—Yes.
“Why call me...? How’d you get my number?”
Lee Jae-hyun furrowed his brow.
Reporters call—that’s fine.
With recent buzz, interview requests made sense.
But... he hadn’t shared his personal number. How?
—Getting cop contacts isn’t hard. It’s our job.
“Since when is stalking part of the job?”
—Hey, stalking? Since when is getting a cute guy’s number stalking?
Yoon Min-ha replied smoothly.
Her tone reminded him of Kim Jun-ho, always called sly in the unit.
Lee Jae-hyun tsked inwardly.
Didn’t like it, but picking fights with proactive reporters wasn’t smart.
Especially from a big outlet like Dongyoung Daily.
“So, what’s this about?”
—I heard rumors. That the one who caught serial killer Myeong Jin-han was a patrol officer.
“That so?”
Lee Jae-hyun deflected naturally.
Not surprising a reporter knew a patrol officer nabbed Myeong Jin-han.
Not public news, but buzzing internally at the station.
Reporters haunt press rooms—easy pickup.
—And that same patrol officer uncovered the truth in the Park Chun-beom case from five years ago.
“......”
That was unexpected.
Myeong Jin-han was nationwide chaos.
Park Chun-beom? Not so much.
Some talk after the reveal, but attention-wise, a tenth of Myeong’s at best.
Barely rippled internally.
Digging that up meant she moved fast.
—I think that patrol officer might be you, Lee Jae-hyun. Got some grounds for it...
Yoon Min-ha started explaining softly, but.
Lee Jae-hyun cut her off.
No need to hear more.
He had zero intention of confirming to a reporter that he caught Myeong Jin-han and cracked Park Chun-beom.
“Sorry, think what you want... but I’m busy. Gotta go.”
—Huh? Wait—
“Have a good day, Ms. Yoon Min-ha of Dongyoung Daily.”
Lee Jae-hyun hung up cleanly and pocketed his phone.
No callback, thankfully.
Turning back to the restaurant, he saw Serhen eyeing him curiously.
“Why play dumb?”
“Hm?”
Serhen cleared her throat and asked.
Lee Jae-hyun met her gaze.
“Don’t humans love fame? Most do, anyway.”
Most love fame?
Well, most crave recognition over raw fame.
Lee Jae-hyun didn’t hate recognition.
But headlines? Problematic.
Simple reason.
“Gotta catch bad guys ahead. Spotlight makes it messy.”
So many criminals left to bag—face in the media would complicate police work.
Serhen watched his retreating back, a strange look on her face.
“Destined for the spotlight anyway. Doesn’t he know?”
Or pretending not to.
She muttered softly.