Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Safe Temptations
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Lee Jae-hyun caught Park Dae-hyung staring at him and took half a step back.
He'd been peering into the safe while talking with Serhen.
He could only imagine how that must have looked to Park Dae-hyung.
No need to overthink it—the conclusion was obvious.
Cops didn't make much money.
Patrol officers even less, so if one of them stared for ages at a safe stuffed with hundreds of millions...
Anyone would think the same thing.
Sure, he'd earned some suspicion.
But Lee Jae-hyun didn't bother explaining.
The devil had tempted him, and he'd resisted.
Well, less "resisted the temptation of money" and more "didn't want that particular cash."
End result was the same, though.
Lee Jae-hyun handed over the stack of documents in his hand to Park Dae-hyung.
"The ledger. These bastards kept it meticulously organized."
"...It's a hefty one."
At Lee Jae-hyun's words, Park Dae-hyung dropped the safe topic.
He glanced at the cash inside, then turned to the papers, flipping through them slowly.
"Mostly fifties and hundreds?"
"Who's gonna come to us borrowing thousands? They show up thinking, 'Just put out this fire quick.'"
The guy called First jumped in eagerly at Park Dae-hyung's remark.
Park Dae-hyung shot him a what-the-hell look.
Lee Jae-hyun chuckled and spoke up.
"He even gave up the safe combo, asking us to put in a good word with the judge."
"Oh yeah? We'll write you up nice and pretty. Keep cooperating."
Park Dae-hyung let out an "aha" and replied.
Truth be told, neither Lee Jae-hyun nor Park Dae-hyung had pull with the judge.
They could phrase the report favorably, sure.
But still.
Did they really need to go out of their way to lighten some criminal's sentence?
"Of course. We'll cooperate fully with whatever you detectives need."
Whether clinging to slim hope or just clueless, First flashed an idiotic grin.
Lee Jae-hyun and Park Dae-hyung glanced at him, then turned away in unison.
By then, the heavies pinned to the floor were groaning and finally sitting up.
Backup finally arrived.
Only Gu Hyun-seok was moaning in agony.
The others had taken a few hits and called it a day, but he'd cracked two ribs.
Even breathing hurt, so the complaints were par for the course.
Not that the rest were unscathed.
No broken bones or internal damage, but solid punches from grown men? No way they walked away fine.
They just chose silence over whimpering.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin and Inspector Kim Seok-hyun hustled up the stairs.
Kim Seok-hyun, who usually looked like he'd man a rural mart counter,
entered the office with a rare pissed-off expression.
It vanished the second he saw inside.
"What the...?"
Inspector Kim Seok-hyun blinked around the room.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin let out a small sigh.
"Come on, Dae-hyung. Was all this necessary? They didn't all gang up—it was just that Gu Hyun-seok guy..."
"That's why it's only this bad. And it wasn't me."
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin assumed Park Dae-hyung had caused the mess and scolded him.
Park Dae-hyung shrugged, protesting his innocence.
"So if this is 'only this bad,' what the hell did Gu Hyun-seok get? Wait—you saying it wasn't you?"
Mid-sentence, sensing something off, Oh Cheol-jin narrowed his eyes at Park Dae-hyung.
The look screamed, "How the hell wasn't this you?"
Park Dae-hyung laughed heartily and jerked his chin at Lee Jae-hyun.
"The rook did it. Wasn't me, so don't blame the wrong guy."
At that, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin and Inspector Kim Seok-hyun turned to Lee Jae-hyun.
Lee Jae-hyun, leaning against a desk or sofa base amid the heavies, scratched his cheek.
"Inspector, aren't partners supposed to cover each other's flaws?"
"Flaws, yeah, we'd cover. But this? That's just hide."
Park Dae-hyung shot back instantly.
A flaw was a flaw—mistake, error, or the shed skin of snakes and bugs.
Useless.
But hide?
Tigers got killed for theirs. Useful everywhere.
This was scolding material, but merit too.
Catching Park Dae-hyung's meaning, Lee Jae-hyun grinned lightly.
He hadn't thrown the "cover flaws" line out of ignorance, so Park Dae-hyung grinned back.
"Damn... The rook pulled it off again."
"This ain't rook level anymore. That's big-bro rook territory."
Sergeant Kim Jun-ho, who'd followed them in, chimed in.
Oh Cheol-jin looked puzzled at Kim Jun-ho's words.
"Big-bro rook? What's that?"
"Top-dog rookie. Best stats in the squad, peak performance. Gotta call him big-bro rook."
Kim Jun-ho slapped on his signature sleazy-smooth smile and clapped Lee Jae-hyun's shoulder.
Tap tap.
"Good work, big-bro rook."
"Nah. You had a tough one too, Sergeant Kim Jun-ho."
"Me? Just spinning phones from the office."
Kim Jun-ho shrugged it off.
But Lee Jae-hyun knew he'd hustled, so he just smiled.
"Alright, let's haul these guys out one by one?"
Kim Jun-ho clapped his hands.
Schlepping eight grown men to the substation wasn't easy, but they cooperated more than expected.
First had spilled the safe combo from the jump—no surprise there.
"Second" followed suit, begging nicely and offering to fetch anything they needed.
The rest? With those two cooperating, resistance evaporated.
Only Gu Hyun-seok put up a fuss...
"I'll take him."
"See you there."
With cracked ribs, Gu Hyun-seok couldn't ride to the substation.
Ambulance it was, with Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin riding along.
Right before transport, Serhen stepped up first and absorbed everyone's evil karma.
With a wave, black energy flowed into her mouth. She looked pleased.
Waving to Lee Jae-hyun, she said her piece.
"Not bad at all. I'm done here—see ya. Keep it up."
Lee Jae-hyun nodded in reply.
"Let's roll."
"Yeah."
At Park Dae-hyung's word,
Lee Jae-hyun started the car.
The patrol car sped down the road, criminals aboard.
* * *
Interrogating them and filing reports was a pain.
Luckily, Lee Jae-hyun and Park Dae-hyung dodged paperwork duty.
After tangling with those bruisers, they got leniency.
Inspector Kim Seok-hyun and Sergeant Kim Jun-ho shooed them out: "We'll handle reports. Go ice any boo-boos."
A few punches landed, but nothing needing ointment.
Lee Jae-hyun and Park Dae-hyung slipped outside, staring blankly at the vending machine by the substation.
"What you drinking?"
"Coffee for me."
"Yeah, coffee it is."
Park Dae-hyung fed coins in, pulled two canned coffees.
"Thanks."
Lee Jae-hyun took one with thanks.
Park Dae-hyung chuckled.
"Thanks? Nah, that's me owing you."
"..."
Park Dae-hyung smacked Lee Jae-hyun's back roughly.
Lee Jae-hyun turned to look.
Ignoring—or dodging—the gaze, Park Dae-hyung stared at the darkening sky.
"Those four heavies earlier. You worried I'd get hurt. Never thought I'd live to see a patrol officer fret over me like that."
"Oh... You could've handled four easy, but with numbers, better me taking hits."
Park Dae-hyung could handle heavies fine.
Not your average cop—he was ex-detective.
Still carried those instincts.
Kept fit, ready for anything, anyone.
Still, in a fight, Lee Jae-hyun preferred leading the charge.
Park Dae-hyung chuckled at that.
He went quiet awhile, then broached carefully.
"Cop life's rough."
"...?"
Lee Jae-hyun eyed him curiously at the out-of-nowhere gripe.
Park Dae-hyung shrugged.
"Brawling criminals like this. Pay's peanuts."
"Well, that's cop life."
Catching crooks for pocket change—that's the gig.
Lee Jae-hyun kept it light.
He got why Park Dae-hyung brought it up.
That safe stare-down earlier.
Sure enough.
Park Dae-hyung hesitated, gazed at distant hills, then tried again.
"...Need money?"
"Honestly? Yeah."
Money was needed.
To smash chaebol cartels, like he'd said.
Not all crooks were broke.
Past life taught him: nailing rich ones took cash.
For that.
"Family stuff?"
"Nah, personal. I'm good."
Revenge on Hyeonmin Group was personal.
Park Dae-hyung dropped it at that.
If he said he was fine, what more to say?
"Alright. Got it. Thanks for the solid work... Breaking ribs felt good, but ease up next time."
"Got it."
Lawsuits or claims could bite, so watch it, Park Dae-hyung warned, then downed his coffee.
"Good job closing it out."
"You too, Inspector."
Lee Jae-hyun replied crisply.
They'd nabbed the bastard who'd nearly killed a six-year-old with his fists.
"Job well done" fit today.
Of course, Lee Jae-hyun had no clue then the case wasn't fully wrapped.