Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Onseo Rest Area Trap
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The vibrating sound echoing through the hastily assembled dedicated office for the Choi Dae-hyeon kidnapping case.
Felt strangely threatening.
Everyone tightened their tension.
“Hello?”
Choi Dae-hyeon’s father cautiously picked up the phone.
—Have you prepared the money?
“Yes, we have… What should I do now, sir?”
The child’s father asked in a truly desperate voice.
He must want to save the child somehow.
Parents with their child held hostage could bow their heads and kneel to anyone.
Even amid the father’s desperate voice, Park Ye-chan pressed on in a stiff tone.
—There’s Onseo Rest Area. Roughly an hour away.
“Yes, yes.”
The child’s father nodded repeatedly.
Finally, a clue about the location had been given.
He’d think everything would be resolved if he went to Onseo Rest Area.
—Come there, and you’ll meet the kid. Make sure you bring the money properly.
“I’ll head there right away, sir. Please, just let me hear the child’s voice once!”
It was a ridiculous situation, calling a child kidnapper “sir.”
But no one in the room could say a word.
They fully understood the father’s position—he had to remain endlessly submissive until the child’s safety was guaranteed.
—He’s sleeping…
“Th-then, at least a photo to confirm he’s safe! Please, sir.”
—A photo? Of course not.
“Then how can I believe…”
—Then don’t believe me.
He replied curtly.
“No, no. I believe you, sir. I’ll go to Onseo Rest Area.”
—When you arrive, wait quietly until I call.
“Yes, understood.”
—Oh, and of course… You know what happens if you bring cops, right?
“I’ll go just with my wife.”
—Uh, no. I’m alone, so you come alone too.
Park Ye-chan said.
By emphasizing that he was alone, it seemed he was… trying to hide Go Hyun-sook’s existence.
Lee Jae-hyun furrowed his brow.
In his past life, Go Hyun-sook’s existence hadn’t been revealed either.
It seemed deliberately concealed.
Intent meant purpose.
So, what was the purpose of hiding Go Hyun-sook?
Simply to sow confusion in the investigation?
Unlikely.
Sowing confusion in the investigation presupposed that the police were already conducting one.
Feeling like he’d missed something, just as he began to ponder.
The father’s voice snapped him out of it.
“Alone? What do you mean…”
The father started to blurt out excitedly, but Oh Min-seok Team Leader quickly waved a hand to stop him.
He rapidly typed on the monitor and showed it to the father.
The father absolutely could not give off any nuance here that he knew Park Ye-chan wasn’t alone.
The other side didn’t even know the police had identified them.
They suspected the parents might report to the police, but didn’t know if they had or not.
Just as they gave no clues, it was crucial not to give any here either.
—Huh?
“If I go alone… my wife will worry.”
—Your wife must be pretty overprotective.
“…”
Oh Min-seok Team Leader’s quick wit successfully shifted the conversation.
However, Park Ye-chan replied in a somehow meaningful tone, letting out a deliberate “hmm.”
Everyone held their breath in tension, waiting for his next words.
Soon enough, Park Ye-chan relented as if doing them a favor.
—Well, fine. You can bring your wife then.
Fortunately, the quick thinking paid off, and the situation was salvaged.
On top of that, the unexpected bonus of allowing the wife to come along.
But why was this?
Lee Jae-hyun couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole thing felt contrived.
It was like the kidnapper had changed his mind too easily.
He felt as if he were being drawn into Park Ye-chan’s setup.
It wasn’t just a hunch—there was clear evidence.
An emotional appeal working on a child kidnapper?
If that kind of thing worked on them, would they have kidnapped the child in the first place?
Unable to dispel the nagging unease, Lee Jae-hyun kept his ears on the father and kidnapper’s conversation.
“Thank you…”
—Honestly, I don’t want to kill a kid this young either. I just take the money… I don’t kill people, you get your kid back safe. Win-win.
“Yes, exactly. As long as the child is safe.”
—Yeah. See you at Onseo Rest Area later.
“Yes, sir. Thank you. We’ll head out now.”
The call ended like that.
After confirming the line was dead, Oh Min-seok Team Leader clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“Okay! Everyone heard that, right? We’re heading to Onseo Rest Area. Just in case, I’ve requested support too…”
Oh Min-seok Team Leader issued rapid instructions to the team.
In the midst of it all, Lee Jae-hyun carefully observed the father’s face.
At this stage…
Like it or not, the child’s parents had to be watched.
In child kidnapping cases, the biggest concern wasn’t external—it was internal.
The parents were usually gripped by extreme anxiety and fear.
Naturally, distrust arose toward everything, including the police.
And if the kidnapper said, “I just take the money. I don’t want to kill the kid…”
Maybe I could get the child back safely if I went alone?
Five million won ransom?
That wasn’t important.
As long as the child was safe, the parents didn’t care if the kidnappers got away.
They had to proceed cautiously in case the father had second thoughts.
Fortunately, the father’s face showed only joy at the emergence of hope—no complicated expressions.
Lee Jae-hyun watched the father for a moment before turning his gaze away.
Everyone was jumping up from their seats, rushing out to head to Onseo Rest Area.
Some were explaining instructions to the father, others requesting support from other substations…
Watching the scene, Lee Jae-hyun felt an inexplicable anxiety.
But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was making him uneasy, which frustrated even him.
‘The father’s sudden outburst…?’
No signs of that so far.
Then what was it?
Lee Jae-hyun quickly racked his brain, reviewing the situation step by step.
Seeing that, Oh Min-seok Team Leader spoke up.
“Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun.”
“Ah. Yes, Team Leader Oh Min-seok.”
“Not going?”
“…I have to.”
At Oh Min-seok Team Leader’s words, Lee Jae-hyun dragged his reluctant feet into motion.
Whatever the anxiety, they had to move first.
As he walked alongside Oh Min-seok.
Reaching the parking lot and seeing the car, a sudden thought struck him.
Park Ye-chan might not know how, but Go Hyun-sook did—how to deceive and exploit the police.
She was someone who calculated possibilities well, highly likely to suspect a police report.
And such a person chose a rest area as the exchange site… with police attention focused there.
On top of that, if they had reported, he’d thrown out words that would make it seem like a foolish choice.
It could be that the “money prepared” line psychologically loosened things up, softening it with “I just take the money, don’t want to kill the kid.”
But really?
“Team Leader!”
“Yes, Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun. Go ahead.”
Lee Jae-hyun cautiously called out to Oh Min-seok Team Leader, who responded with a face like he’d been waiting, glad to hear it.
At that reaction, Lee Jae-hyun momentarily hesitated.
Oh Min-seok gestured for him to speak quickly.
“It seems suspicious. Rather than everyone heading to Onseo Rest Area… we should consider other possibilities.”
“Reason?”
At Lee Jae-hyun’s words, Oh Min-seok nodded as if to say, tell me.
Lee Jae-hyun had judged from the start that the rest area wasn’t the real exchange site.
Explaining the reason to Oh Min-seok wasn’t hard.
“A rest area allows easy escape, but only in one direction.”
“Right. That’s why I called support to the next rest area too.”
Naturally, Oh Min-seok knew that and had arranged for support to wait at the next one.
It was obvious with a little thought—would shrewd Go Hyun-sook not consider it?
She might not have, but they had to keep possibilities open.
“Yes, and the other side can think of that too.”
“So the rest area isn’t the real exchange site?”
Oh Min-seok quickly grasped what Lee Jae-hyun meant.
“They’d choose a place with minimal CCTV, multiple escape routes even if police show up. Somewhere positioned to quickly reach Icheon for psychological comfort.”
Lee Jae-hyun said, looking at Oh Min-seok.
The more he spoke, the more conviction grew.
If Park Ye-chan emphasized being alone to eliminate other possibilities?
If he pretended the emotional appeal worked to allow the wife, removing the variable of her going elsewhere?
Then all his actions made sense.
At Lee Jae-hyun’s words, Oh Min-seok smirked.
“Yeah, that’s why I requested your dispatch—for opinions like this. Good job.”
Oh Min-seok Team Leader spoke as if pleased with the input.
But for Lee Jae-hyun, it still felt off.
He’d argued against piling everyone at the rest area, but he hadn’t predicted the actual site either.
If not the rest area, then where?
Close to Icheon but not on a highway…
He kept turning it over in his head, but clues were lacking.
Perhaps sensing his worry.
Oh Min-seok Team Leader lightly snapped his fingers.
Snap.
With the small sound, Lee Jae-hyun snapped to attention.
“Anyway, we have to move toward Icheon—it’s the only clue, right? Worry on the way.”
Saying that, he rummaged in his pocket and tossed a car key toward Lee Jae-hyun.
Lee Jae-hyun caught it reflexively.
“You drive.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Oh Min-seok strode off quickly.
Lee Jae-hyun followed behind.
And… just as he’d thought, Oh Min-seok Team Leader was someone who gave off a pretty solid impression.