Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Rehearsal
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Park Dae-hyung furrowed his brow at the incredibly dangerous word choice: rehearsal.
It was only natural.
Any cop who heard "crime rehearsal" and didn't frown would be the weird one.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I just have a feeling it might be something like that. It could be a child kidnapping..."
"Ugh, hey. Take that back right now. Don't you know words can jinx things?"
It was a jinx.
Whenever someone said things like "it's been quiet lately," "no cases coming up," or "feels like something's about to blow," sure enough, a case would pop up.
As a cop working at a police substation, how could he not be spooked by that?
Lee Jae-hyun couldn't take his words back.
He had to say it like this.
That way, Park Dae-hyung would stay on guard, even just a little, and respond quickly if something happened.
"Inspector Park Dae-hyung."
"...What is it, man."
"I really have a bad feeling about this."
"Sigh, seriously... You're driving me crazy. You're not some ten-year veteran detective. You go around saying you have a bad feeling about a major violent crime—a child kidnapping, no less—and you expect me to think, 'Oh, got it, better catch the perp before it happens'?"
Inspector Park Dae-hyung burst out laughing as he said it.
But his eyes had darkened a bit.
Which meant he didn't entirely dismiss Lee Jae-hyun's words as nonsense.
After years of knowing Park Dae-hyung, how could Lee Jae-hyun miss that?
Naturally, having read his mind, Lee Jae-hyun just stared quietly.
Finally, Park Dae-hyung let out a heavy sigh and continued.
"It's not impossible that a crime's brewing, but child kidnapping is a stretch. Being proactive is good, but don't go overboard."
"I know I'm going overboard, but this doesn't feel like some prankster just knocking out cats for fun."
"Yeah... probably not for fun."
Who would feed sleeping pills to cats for kicks?
Park Dae-hyung nodded in agreement.
He scratched his head for a moment, then spoke up.
"Cat Chain Sedation Maniac."
"..."
Lee Jae-hyun shot him an incredulous look at the bizarre phrasing.
They were short-staffed, failing to crack a child kidnapping-murder, and this was a lead they'd finally gotten.
So when Park Dae-hyung cracked what could pass for nonsense, Lee Jae-hyun's reaction was inevitable.
In his previous life, that glare would have been par for the course with their close bond.
But now, they weren't quite that tight yet.
"You punk, I'm your senior by a long shot. You think you can give me that cheeky look?"
"Sorry. It just slipped out."
"Heh."
Park Dae-hyung let out a small chuckle at the honest apology.
As long as it wasn't outright insubordination, he was surprisingly lenient despite his tough exterior.
He shook his head once, then kept snapping cat photos as he continued.
"Should mention it to Jun-ho too. Tell him to check what Po-sun ate before dying."
"Yeah, could be a sleeping pill overdose."
Sleeping pills knocked people out, but too much could make them sleep forever.
Maybe Po-sun had OD'd.
If the cat napper really was Park Ye-chan, the child kidnapping-murder suspect, that'd be another charge...
Even if not, he'd definitely be someone they needed to nab.
No solid evidence or proof, so Lee Jae-hyun couldn't flat-out say the "Cat Chain Sedation Maniac" was Park Ye-chan, the future child kidnapper-murderer.
'Honestly... I'm convinced.'
One big no-no in investigations: fixating on a target.
Once you lock in a suspect, your thinking tunnels there.
You start forcing evidence to fit, even if it's thin.
Lee Jae-hyun was hyper-focused on the child kidnapping-murder coming in days, so yeah, his bias toward Park Ye-chan as the cat guy made sense.
He knew his thinking was skewed but believed it anyway.
If, by some miracle, they weren't the same person?
'Then I'll catch both.'
Lee Jae-hyun clenched his fist, thinking it.
* * *
Word of the Cat Chain Sedation Maniac spread quietly through the team.
Kim Jun-ho and Min Ji-hye, on day shift, had patrolled the same area but found no tuna cans or cats.
Lee Jae-hyun and Park Dae-hyung checked again on night patrol—no new red flags.
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-hyun hadn't slept, eyes hollow.
"Whoa, rookie... Don't you need a real break?"
"Yeah, go home already."
Kim Jun-ho and Min Ji-hye spoke up, seeing him still glued to the monitors despite their arrival.
Lee Jae-hyun had been reviewing CCTV from the playground where the tuna cans appeared, since Saturday.
But why was that spot pegged as a crime scene?
CCTV blind spot.
Of course, nearby cameras didn't catch the exact placement.
Still, he kept watching for anyone passing by.
'Where the hell is this guy?'
He'd only seen Park Ye-chan's face in old photos from ten years back—memory fuzzy.
But he'd recognize him.
With that certainty, he scanned footage nonstop.
Two days in, no Park Ye-chan.
Starting to wonder if it was coincidence after all.
"Hey."
Min Ji-hye tapped his shoulder.
Lee Jae-hyun snapped to, looking up.
"Oh, yes. Sergeant Min Ji-hye."
"You look like you're about to drop dead. Go home. Jun-ho and I got this."
"...Yes, got it."
Lee Jae-hyun nodded reluctantly.
No suspicious folks, no Park Ye-chan.
Effort wasted, frustration mounting.
But he couldn't stubborn it out forever.
He changed out and clocked off.
Of course, knowing the kidnapping-murder hit in two days, he couldn't just go home...
His feet naturally took him toward the presumed crime scene.
First stop: behind the food mart parking lot.
Scanning the area, Serhen popped up, blocking his view.
"Whoa, seriously."
Emerging after days, Serhen gazed at him with quiet admiration.
Lee Jae-hyun gave her a puzzled look.
She shrugged and spoke.
"No, but after a few days, your eyes are just..."
"My eyes?"
"Like a starving wild dog that's gone days without food, right?"
Lee Jae-hyun chuckled despite himself at the description.
Starving wild dog.
Haggard, worn out... but menacing?
Or pitiable?
Whichever, it nailed his state.
No mirror needed—he knew how rough he looked.
His light laugh made Serhen cross her arms, watching him.
"Kinda sexy in a rugged way... When'd you last sleep properly?"
"Dunno. Can't remember."
Thursday, maybe.
Last time he lay down proper was Thursday; since then, just dozing over CCTV.
Sunday today—barely slept since Friday.
"Demons aside, humans need rest."
"Once I catch the child kidnapper-murderer... Park Ye-chan, then I'll sleep."
He'd thought knowing future crimes meant easy blocks.
Nope.
This was soul-draining.
Lee Jae-hyun sighed softly, shaking his head.
Serhen watched, then swept back her scattering hair.
Her horns sharpened into view atop her head.
As he glanced at them, she tossed out casually.
"Anyway, that's fine. But I'm starting to get hungry too."
"You get hungry?"
"Figurative. Point is, when's the next Evil Karma meal?"
"Two days. I'll nab Park Ye-chan."
"Hmm. Weren't you trying to stop the kidnapping?"
Serhen eyed him curiously.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded like it was obvious.
What a question.
Of course stop it.
"Have to stop it."
"But if you stop it, he's not a kidnapper. Attempted kidnapping."
"..."
Lee Jae-hyun narrowed his eyes at her words.
Attempted.
Meaning no crime committed.
"No Evil Karma builds if no crime. Block it clean, no meal for me."
Then Park Ye-chan skips proper judgment, naturally.
Worse...
'No real way to lock him up then.'
Nothing stopped him from grabbing another kid—not Choi Dae-hyeon, the original 11-year-old target.
Mistake.
Tunnel vision on stopping the kidnapping.
Or honestly...
'Was I ignoring it?'
Deep down, pretending not to know.
Lee Jae-hyun ruffled his messy hair.
Mind tangled.
But...
Couldn't just watch Choi Dae-hyeon get snatched and killed.
Deal with fallout later.
Best he could do: stop Choi Dae-hyeon's kidnapping.
Sorting his thoughts, he looked up.
About to ask Serhen to wait—
She was gone.
And.
"Excuse me."
A stranger's male voice came from behind.
