Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Suspicious Loiterer
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Lee Jae-hyun immediately turned around to confirm who had spoken to him.
The first thing he saw upon turning was two police officers in uniform.
The one who had addressed him was a patrol officer, and the woman beside him was a sergeant.
Lee Jae-hyun let out a quiet "Ah" and dipped his head slightly.
“Hello.”
“Yes, sir. Nice to meet you. Everything all right?”
“Nothing in particular. What’s going on?”
The patrol officer flashed a friendly grin as he replied.
To the question about whether everything was okay, Lee Jae-hyun nodded lightly.
“No, nothing in particular. We saw you wandering around the parking lot for a while, so we came over thinking maybe you’d lost something.”
The sergeant standing next to the patrol officer chimed in at his question.
Though she spoke softly, Lee Jae-hyun noticed a hint of wariness in her eyes, finally grasping the full situation.
He’d done the same thing himself from time to time—approaching passersby like this.
Police had the right—and the duty—to check anyone who seemed to be carrying a weapon or acting suspiciously, anytime, anywhere.
That’s what they were there for, to maintain public safety.
Lee Jae-hyun rummaged in his pocket as he continued.
“No lost items. I just stopped by on my way home to check for anything unusual.”
“What do you mean by...”
As the patrol officer furrowed his brow and his hand drifted toward his waist,
Lee Jae-hyun pulled out his wallet and showed his ID.
“Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun of Hanseong Police Substation. Thanks for your hard work.”
“Oh.”
The patrol officer relaxed upon checking his ID.
The sergeant beside him also pulled her hand away from her radio and extended it.
“Sergeant Oh Hye-rin. We got a report of a suspicious person, so we had to check. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“No, no. You shouldn’t have had to bother because of me.”
Lee Jae-hyun shook his head at Sergeant Oh Hye-rin’s apology.
When a report of a suspicious person came in, they had to check it out—it was their job.
Apologizing for doing police work would be the weird part.
Of course, in their position, where anyone could pick a fight at any time, she was probably just in the habit of offering a formal apology.
She glanced around the parking lot before speaking again.
“This isn’t Hanseong Substation territory, though. What brought you here to check things out?”
“We’ve had a bunch of cat-related reports lately.”
Lee Jae-hyun replied casually, as if it were no big deal.
He could share hunches with Park Dae-hyung or mention the child kidnapping-murder case because it was Park Dae-hyung.
Say the same to anyone else, and Lee Jae-hyun would be the one drawing suspicion.
“Huh? Cat reports?”
The patrol officer reacted with surprise at his words.
It seemed this area had seen a spike in cat-related calls too.
“Yeah, looks like you’ve had some around here as well?”
“Yes. Three in the last week alone. We’d get calls saying they were dead, go check, and they were just sleeping. Or the cats had just vanished.”
“Same MO as ours. Someone’s deliberately dosing them with sedatives.”
As he spoke, Lee Jae-hyun showed them photos on his smartphone: canned tuna and cats seemingly dead but only asleep.
The male patrol officer let out a startled “Huh.”
He muttered under his breath, “Serial sleep cat...”
Lee Jae-hyun gave him an odd look—the exact same phrase Park Dae-hyung had used.
The patrol officer scratched his head awkwardly.
“No idea why someone’s knocking out cats. Maybe putting them under for vaccines or something? Does rabies shot make them sleep?”
“...Never thought of that, but I doubt it’s anything that benevolent.”
Lee Jae-hyun paused at the vaccine mention before answering.
Honestly, it was something he’d never considered. If he weren’t fixated on the child kidnapping-murder case, he might’ve gone there himself.
“Thanks for sharing. We’ll keep a close eye out.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Sergeant Oh Hye-rin glanced at the photos on his screen before responding crisply.
That was enough.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded and pocketed his smartphone.
“We’ll head out then.”
“Yes, take care.”
After a quick bow, Lee Jae-hyun turned away again.
‘They came because of a report?’
Was he really that suspicious-looking?
Scratching his head at the thought, he caught a glimpse of himself in the convex mirror by the parking lot and started walking toward the exit.
“Hey, kid. You again?”
An elderly woman greeted him.
Lee Jae-hyun quickly recalled who she was.
“Oh, hello, ma’am.”
“That cat suddenly woke up and ran off—I was so shocked.”
“Haha. Yeah. All good with you?”
He smiled back at her cheerful face.
Elders were often bored, and they’d chat him up now and then—it wasn’t unfamiliar.
“Nothing much. You look busy, though. Dumped by a girlfriend?”
“No girlfriend... Just haven’t slept much.”
He chuckled dryly at the girlfriend comment and shook his head.
“Aigoo, sleep’s my problem too as I get older. Try a warm tea sometimes.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thanks. I should get going...”
“Yeah, sorry to hold up a busy young man.”
“No, no. Stay healthy.”
Worried it’d drag on, Lee Jae-hyun cut in politely and hurried off.
No point sticking around the food mart parking lot anymore.
Next up: the playground.
* * *
Maybe because it was the weekend and the weather was nice.
The playground had quite a crowd.
Several kids playing, parents on benches a short distance away.
Lee Jae-hyun sat on an empty bench and scanned the area.
Committing a crime required preparation.
Especially kidnapping—thorough prep was essential.
Which meant prior reconnaissance.
‘Park Ye-chan will definitely scout the crime scene.’
Checking three spots alone was tough.
But he wasn’t without options.
He had a demon named Serhen.
“Serhen.”
Her form materialized in the air at his quiet call.
“Great. Shall we finish that talk from earlier?”
‘First... I’ll stop the kidnapping and do my utmost to catch the criminals.’
As soon as she appeared, Lee Jae-hyun met her gaze and replied.
Truthfully, he couldn’t promise to catch every criminal.
He needed the chance first.
But he could promise to give it his all.
He’d never slacked off with a criminal right in front of him.
Serhen nodded at his words.
“Fine.”
‘And I have a favor to ask.’
“No favors. Deals only.”
He’d let “favor” slip, feeling closer now, but she was a demon.
No matter her little girl form or their casual chats, a demon was a demon.
Her tone was firm.
Lee Jae-hyun corrected himself.
‘Then, how about a deal?’
“What’s the offer?”
‘Of the suspected crime spots, check the alley for Park Ye-chan.’
“...I can look for suspicious types.”
Lee Jae-hyun nodded at Serhen’s response.
She wouldn’t know Park Ye-chan—no photo, no access to his memories.
‘Or maybe she could?’
Demon powers might allow it.
But offering to check for “suspicious people” seemed the limit of what she’d accept now.
That was enough for starters.
As a demon, Serhen could reliably spot “suspicious” with her abilities.
A child kidnapper-murderer.
Park Ye-chan had been an ordinary rural worker.
But he’d have evil karma, big or small.
Something definite, since child murder didn’t come out of nowhere.
“What do I get?”
‘Ice cream. Like the one you loved last time.’
“...Deal.”
Lee Jae-hyun offered ice cream as payment.
Small for him, but she needed him to provide it in the real world.
She’d devoured the last one, so it seemed fair.
His hunch was right.
Serhen hesitated, then nodded and vanished.
Lee Jae-hyun relaxed a bit, surveying the playground...
Thud.
A ball rolled over, hitting his foot and stopping.
A child approached, bowing his head.
“Sorry.”
An unfamiliar voice, but a face he knew all too well.
“Ah...”
Lee Jae-hyun couldn’t help a soft groan.
The 11-year-old boy kidnapped by Park Ye-chan, who’d lost his life.
Choi Dae-hyeon stood there, glancing awkwardly at him.
“It’s fine... Dae-hyeon-ah.”
Lee Jae-hyun reassured him, instinctively reaching out to ruffle his hair.
“Huh? You know me?”
Choi Dae-hyeon blinked up at him curiously.
“Of course.”
“Who are you?”
“Police.”
“Wow...”
Lee Jae-hyun flashed his ID, and the boy’s eyes widened in awe.
Such an innocent child, murdered in agony.
Kidnapped for money, tortured to death.
How terrified must he have been?
How much pain from that madman Park Ye-chan?
Park Ye-chan, who’d kidnapped him, ended up wounding an officer pursuing him, then suiciding with pesticide.
He’d carried it planning to die.
But right before facing police, he killed the boy.
If he planned to die anyway, he could’ve spared the child—but no, he didn’t want to go alone.
Whatever the reason, Lee Jae-hyun would stop it this time.
‘I’ll stop it, no matter what.’
He gritted his teeth, vowing silently.