Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Child Kidnapping Priority
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Ilsan West Police Station.
Violent Crimes Unit Team Leader Oh Min-seok dragged his weary feet forward.
He hadn’t been home for days already, buried under a pile of cases.
He was heading to the division chief’s office at the summons of Violent Crimes Division Chief Kim Ho-cheol.
Things were so hectic he felt like he might drop dead, so it was obvious this was going to be a request to handle just a few more cases—sorry, but no thanks.
Determined to turn it down for the sake of his team this time, Oh Min-seok raised his hand and knocked on the door in front of him.
Knock knock.
“Yeah, come in.”
The voice of Division Chief Kim Ho-cheol came from inside.
Oh Min-seok let out a deep sigh and pushed the door open.
The first thing he saw upon entering the division chief’s office was Kim Ho-cheol, on the phone with a grave expression.
He gestured for Oh Min-seok to wait a moment before wrapping up the call.
“Yes, understood. We’ll assemble a team and head out right away.”
Oh Min-seok felt a twinge of unease as he watched the chief end the call like that.
Why?
Because the team being assembled on the spot sounded like it was going to be his.
And sure enough.
Kim Ho-cheol gestured toward the sofa as if to say sit down, and the moment Oh Min-seok took his seat, he spoke up.
“Min-seok.”
“Ah, Chief……. We really can’t take on more. The team’s going to drop dead at this rate.”
The instant his name was called, Oh Min-seok reflexively blurted it out.
They already had multiple cases stacking up—taking on extras would be a disaster.
Each one demanded full focus to barely resolve, but with new ones pouring in nonstop, they couldn’t even process them properly, let alone concentrate.
They’d begged for more manpower, but all they got were more cases, no people.
Kim Ho-cheol knew all about Oh Min-seok’s plight and the team’s situation, so he let out a small sigh before continuing.
“It’s a child kidnapping.”
“……”
Not just any case—a child kidnapping.
Oh Min-seok had nothing left to say.
If it had been drugs or assault, he could’ve pushed to handle the others first or pass it to another team.
Child kidnappings were on a whole different level.
As Oh Min-seok sat in silence, Kim Ho-cheol pressed on.
“Drop everything else and focus solely on the child kidnapping.”
“How old’s the kid?”
Told to zero in on the child kidnapping, Oh Min-seok nodded as if it went without saying.
The other cases were racing against the clock too, but most of what he was handling involved victims already dead.
Sure, uncovering who killed the deceased and catching them was crucial.
But keeping a living child from dying was even more so.
Instead of agreeing, he fired off a question.
The age.
The younger, the shorter the golden hour.
“Eleven. Boy. The kidnapper’s demanding fifty million won ransom. Looks like they used sedatives during the abduction—fed them to an on-duty cop too.”
“Crazy bastard……”
An eleven-year-old boy was young, but old enough to have some sense.
That extended the golden hour a bit.
And sedatives during the snatch?
‘Lucky break.’
Kidnapping wasn’t luck, but sedatives meant less resistance from the kid.
The more a child fought or made noise, the higher the chance the kidnapper would kill them.
Sedatives kept the kid asleep and quiet, lowering that risk.
Of course, escape odds were basically zero……
Kids couldn’t break free on their own post-abduction anyway, so staying docile without resistance was actually better.
Still, drugging an active-duty cop was a shock.
Real psychos.
Daring to touch police?
Then again, these were the types to kidnap an eleven-year-old—what’s touching cops to them?
With those thoughts, Oh Min-seok looked at Kim Ho-cheol.
The chief continued explaining.
“For now, the scene points to a woman in her sixties and a man in his thirties—mother-son duo, probably. Review that yourself.”
“……Got it.”
Oh Min-seok furrowed his brow and nodded.
A child kidnapping by a sixty-something woman and thirty-something man?
Definitely not your standard combo.
“The kid’s life hangs in the balance. It hasn’t leaked yet, but the press will swarm like mad. Solve it before then.”
“Yes, we have to.”
The moment the media caught wind of a child kidnapping, the golden hour meant nothing.
Once exposed, the kidnapped kid was as good as dead.
No reason for the perp to drag around the extra risk.
Then the backlash would hit the police for failing to maintain order.
That’s why they had to rescue the kid before the press sniffed it out.
Oh Min-seok nodded gravely in response.
Kim Ho-cheol waved him off.
“Go on, now.”
“Uh, Chief.”
“What.”
Oh Min-seok grabbed the turning Kim Ho-cheol.
But once he’d stopped him, the words stuck, and he hesitated.
Was this really the right call?
Oh Min-seok wavered for a second but remembered the urgency.
He couldn’t be sure this choice was correct……
But first, act—worry later.
“Send one more person with our team for this case—not from us.”
“Who? No inspectors.”
“Just a patrol officer.”
Kim Ho-cheol gave him a puzzled look at that.
Fair enough.
Requesting a patrol officer for a time-sensitive case?
Even Oh Min-seok thought it was weird.
“A patrol officer? Whatever, do what you want. Put my name on the manpower request.”
“Thanks. We’ll wrap it up and report back.”
“Keep it quiet—no fuss.”
Oh Min-seok saluted the chief, who gestured for him to handle it himself and get moving fast.
Kim Ho-cheol reminded him to process it without alerting the media.
As Oh Min-seok nodded, the image of Lee Jae-hyun smashing into that pet shop without warning flashed in his mind.
“……We’ll get it solved.”
In the end, that was all Oh Min-seok could promise as he left the station.
* * *
At Hanseong Police Substation, Team 4 was at the center of efforts to strategize on the Choi Dae-hyeon kidnapping.
The incident had unfolded around Team 4, so they had no choice but to lead.
Kim Jun-ho’s Po-sun had died from sedative overdose, and Lee Jae-hyun had dosed himself to sleep.
Who else to take charge?
That said, no single substation team could handle a child kidnapping alone, so the others pitched in.
Even a meeting with all the team leaders was held.
Which was why Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin was attending it now.
“All we can really do is block the middle ground. Rest stops seem the most likely spots.”
Park Dae-hyung said.
Lee Jae-hyun pondered his words.
Rest stops—plausible.
Convenient for travel, distant from cities, easy to spot suspicious activity.
A clever, cautious kidnapper might pick one for the exchange.
But in his past life, no deal had gone down there, so he couldn’t be sure how Park Ye-chan and Go Hyun-sook’s plans had shifted.
He couldn’t speak freely, but personally……
‘Rest stop’s possible, but if I were the kidnapper, I wouldn’t choose one.’
Several reasons.
CCTV everywhere.
And crucially, rest stops were great for spotting suspects……
But if the cops were onto them, the kidnappers themselves would look suspicious.
Plus, the big one.
‘Only one escape route.’
No matter where they fled, it funneled to the highway.
Regular roads offered branches, less CCTV.
Highways? Cameras at every exit.
And before any exit, just one path.
Pros and cons.
A perp using cops but wary of them……probably skips rest stops.
Lee Jae-hyun thought it through but kept quiet.
Not zero chance, no need to narrow focus.
As everyone racked their brains desperately.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin approached Team 4’s area, looking a bit drained.
“Team Leader, what’s the word?”
Kim Jun-ho couldn’t hold back, asking before Oh Cheol-jin could speak.
He was chatty by nature, often jumping in.
But this felt different.
Po-sun hadn’t died in vain.
Kim Jun-ho was more solemn than usual—far from his usual banter during cases.
He was all in on this one.
“A proper team’s being formed. Centered on Violent Crimes’ Oh Min-seok. And they’ve requested support.”
“Support’s a given.”
Min Ji-hye replied matter-of-factly to Oh Cheol-jin.
Child kidnapping.
Not just Hanseong Team 4—every team, even from other substations, would pitch in.
But Oh Cheol-jin shook his head, implying more than basic aid.
“No, not just support…… They’ve requested a dispatch.”
Dispatch meant sending one team member outright.
Violent Crimes was always short-staffed, so it made sense……
But with nearby substations sending plenty, why request a full dispatch? Hard not to wonder.
“A dispatch? From our team?”
“Yeah.”
Oh Cheol-jin nodded at Kim Jun-ho’s question.
Park Dae-hyung creased his brow before speaking.
“Just general manpower? Or specifically requested?”
“Specifically.”
Oh Cheol-jin answered curtly.
Naturally, all eyes turned to Park Dae-hyung.
He had ties to Oh Min-seok, ex-detective.
Dispatch? Obviously him.
But Park Dae-hyung’s expression didn’t shift as he asked Oh Cheol-jin.
“Who.”
“The rookie.”
Oh Cheol-jin replied instantly to Park Dae-hyung’s question.
Knew it—Park Dae-hyung nodded.
“No, what……”
Min Ji-hye muttered in disbelief.
Suddenly dispatched to Violent Crimes, Lee Jae-hyun……
‘Not bad.’
Saw it as an opportunity.