Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Securing the Child
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“How did you...”
Go Hyun-sook's face was still frozen in shock.
Lee Jae-hyun grinned.
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were fierce beyond measure.
He was barely suppressing the rage bubbling up inside him.
The moment he'd confirmed Go Hyun-sook's presence, an immense fury had surged from deep within.
Now, facing her directly and subduing her himself, his anger boiled even hotter, driving him to the brink of madness.
She'd slipped that ginger tea into his drink without a shred of suspicion, and he'd fallen asleep just like that.
Without Serhen, he might still be asleep right now.
Considering the input he'd given for this operation... and the fact that he'd personally taken down Go Hyun-sook.
If he'd been out of the picture, the fate of Choi Dae-hyeon lying on that sofa over there might have turned out differently.
No, it definitely would have.
‘Because I identified Go Hyun-sook and Park Ye-chan's identities, we were able to pull this off.’
Otherwise, the police would still be fumbling in the dark.
Naturally, Choi Dae-hyeon would have met the same end as in his previous life.
That thought made him want to lash out at Go Hyun-sook on impulse.
But he pushed down the urge and cuffed her hands instead.
“Go Hyun-sook. You're under emergency arrest for the ongoing crime of child abduction. You have the right to an attorney, the right to remain silent, and the right to request a review of your arrest.”
Even as Lee Jae-hyun recited the words, he doubted she'd get any lawyer beyond a public defender.
Child abduction with a ransom demand.
It was a serious crime that could land her anywhere from a minimum of ten years to life in prison.
As a perpetrator caught in the act, she had no defense, and exercising her right to silence would only hurt her.
On top of that, she'd tested the sedative on her cat beforehand, planning the crime meticulously...
She was looking at decades in prison at least, rotting away behind bars.
‘Given her age, she might never see the outside of a cell again.’
Lee Jae-hyun let out a deep breath and stood up.
Just then, Oh Min-seok slipped into the house through the back door.
“...Good work.”
Oh Min-seok glanced at the cuffs on Go Hyun-sook's wrists and spoke to Lee Jae-hyun.
It might seem a bit much for an elderly woman...
But this was child abduction.
With the victim right there beside her, it was standard procedure.
‘If I could... I'd want to restrain her even more.’
But that might actually kill her, so he held back.
One wrong punch from him, and a frail old woman like her could die for real.
Then he'd be charged with manslaughter.
Above all, she wouldn't face proper judgment.
What Lee Jae-hyun wanted was certain justice, so he gave her shoulder a pat and shoved her toward Oh Min-seok.
Go Hyun-sook grimaced, but she didn't complain.
Oh Min-seok silently checked the cuffs on her wrists and scanned the house.
In the meantime, Lee Jae-hyun checked on the child lying on the living room sofa.
Just like the cat before, the kid was lying utterly still, as if dead.
His heart dropped for a split second at the sight...
But as he approached, he saw the child's belly rising and falling with breath and felt a measure of relief.
Even with the blindfold on, it wasn't hard to tell it was Choi Dae-hyeon.
He slowly removed the blindfold covering the child's eyes.
“...Choi Dae-hyeon secured.”
Looking at the child's peaceful sleeping face, Lee Jae-hyun finally let out a sigh of relief.
Oh Min-seok nodded at his words, tapped his earpiece, and spoke.
“Yeah, suspect Go Hyun-sook secured. Child is safe.”
―Roger that. Relaying to the child's father immediately.
Lee Jae-hyun exhaled slowly as he listened to the radio response through his earpiece.
He even held his finger under the child's nose and checked his pulse before fully relaxing.
This time, he'd saved him in the end.
Failing to prevent the abduction was his mistake—a painful blunder.
But somehow... he'd stopped the child from losing his life.
The tension released all at once, but Lee Jae-hyun steadied his legs and spoke.
“I'll request firefighter support.”
“Yeah, yeah. I'll call the local substation for backup.”
The child was under sedation, so regardless, they needed to check his health first.
After requesting firefighter assistance, Lee Jae-hyun glanced at Oh Min-seok, who was calling the substation, then plopped down in front of the sofa.
His job for now was to wait for the firefighters.
* * *
Team Leader Oh Min-seok glanced toward Lee Jae-hyun as he requested substation support.
In front of the sofa where Choi Dae-hyeon lay asleep like the dead.
Lee Jae-hyun sat quietly, watching over him.
He'd heard the guy hadn't slept properly for days already.
Something about not sleeping for days because of that cat serial sedation case...
And it had ultimately led to cracking this child abduction.
Not a wasted moment.
Oh Min-seok found himself admiring the guy once more.
‘Is he really insane...?’
It started when a colleague's cat went missing, ate something bad, and died.
Then a report came in about a cat, and they found it sleeping like it was dead.
Sure, it might feel a bit off, but few would suspect foul play from that alone.
Even if suspicion arose, it'd fade quickly amid busy work.
Not for Lee Jae-hyun.
He'd clung to it relentlessly, uncovering that someone was deliberately sedating cats.
‘And from that moment, he suspected child abduction...’
He'd heard it from Inspector Park.
After finding the cat asleep next to a tuna can during patrol.
He'd suggested it might be a crime rehearsal, even predicting a child abduction.
Something no one could know without foresight, yet he'd intuited it. Utterly unbelievable.
‘He's just too damn talented.’
Same with the Myeong Jin-han case before, and all the others he'd solved since.
How could he not be envious?
As a team leader, the guy had nabbed illegal medical practice, uncovered a hidden murder in the process, and now caught a child abductor.
And that wasn't all.
‘He caught a fleeing scammer with nothing but sharp eyes.’
That instinct either came with veteran experience or was innate—no other way.
The guy seemed born with it.
And then... his performance in this case.
“He's got a brilliant head on him, fundamentally.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”
Lee Jae-hyun reacted from where he sat by the sofa, and Oh Min-seok waved it off.
His gaze was fixed on Lee Jae-hyun as he spoke.
The public's image of police was still of those who toiled endlessly, chasing down criminals on foot.
An image perpetuated by movies, dramas, and media.
Sure, there were plenty like that back in the day.
But not so much anymore.
Tech was advancing, shifting more work to desk-based support teams rather than pounding the pavement.
‘Interesting guy.’
Team Leader Oh Min-seok sipped his coffee, eyeing Lee Jae-hyun with keen interest.
Criminals weren't idiots.
Idiots who left obvious evidence were rare.
Especially violent offenders—they were usually planners.
Many twisted their wits to evade pursuit, forcing detectives to get smarter too.
Of course, not all cops relied solely on brains.
‘I'm that type myself...’
Oh Min-seok looked down at his shoes.
Caked in dirt from the scene.
Police shoes had thick soles for longevity, but tossing worn-out ones stained with blood and mud wasn't heroic.
Yet even after all that running, letting criminals slip away was routine.
‘But with him...’
Oh Min-seok slowly shifted his gaze from his shoes to Lee Jae-hyun.
Today's events had shown him Lee Jae-hyun was the piece he needed.
With the guy, it wouldn't just be brute-force pursuits.
They could think like the criminal, predict movements, operate efficiently.
Arrest rates would skyrocket, no question.
‘Can't let a talent like this slip away.’
Oh Min-seok leaned back on the sofa, head tilted, replaying Lee Jae-hyun's actions from today.
Dodging sedatives meant for police, not flinching when the parents bolted with the money bag at the kidnapper's word.
A chaotic day of back-to-back curveballs.
Yet he'd navigated it all instinctively, knowing exactly what to do.
‘That's why we nabbed her without casualties.’
If he'd hesitated on finding the kid...
Everything would have changed.
Go Hyun-sook might've fled with the child upon seeing police.
Or held his life hostage for negotiations.
In that light, Lee Jae-hyun's role was huge.
Opening up possibilities around the suspect's contacts.
Digging relentlessly into every angle.
Then, at the critical moment, putting cuffs on her himself.
Taking down a filthy criminal masquerading as a good citizen.
“If this guy joined our team...”
Oh Min-seok muttered under his breath.
He watched Lee Jae-hyun silently gazing at Choi Dae-hyeon.
His face deep in thought.
‘The cases ahead...’
His team had a mountain of ongoing investigations right now, and the child abduction wasn't fully wrapped up yet—no need to worry now.
But once they nabbed the remaining perp, Park Ye-chan, they'd dive back into that pile.
And countless more cases to come.
Yet somehow...
‘With him around, it feels like none of it would be a problem.’
Just having Lee Jae-hyun seemed like it would cover everything.