Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Gonjiam Station Arrest
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Lee Jae-hyun slammed the car door shut with a thud and lifted his head.
Gonjiam Station stretched out before his eyes.
It wasn't on a grand scale, but it wasn't small either.
A thorough search of the station would turn up Park Ye-chan eventually.
Even with the heavy foot traffic at a subway station... finding a man with his face partially covered might not be all that hard.
And besides.
"Let's head inside quick."
Serhen spoke while gazing at Lee Jae-hyun, as if she were all ready to go.
All Lee Jae-hyun had to do was scan for suspicious people, but Serhen was different.
She could see Evil Karma directly, so no one could beat her at picking out criminals in a crowded place like this.
Whether it was because she was eager to devour the kidnapper's Evil Karma soon,
or because she reacted especially sharply to crimes against children, just like before... either way, Serhen's motivated look was pretty reassuring.
Lee Jae-hyun gave a slight nod before stepping forward into the station.
The other detectives were probably already searching inside cautiously.
Team Leader Oh Min-seok entered the station alongside Lee Jae-hyun and radioed in.
"Me and Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun are entering. Report your positions."
―I'm in front of All-Star Coffee.
―In front of the sundubu jjigae place, nothing yet.
―Uh, yeah, I'm at the east restroom. Got it, be right there.
They were all wearing earpieces for radio comms, and some transmissions blended naturally into what sounded like phone calls.
If someone was in the restroom, radioing outright would tip off that police were there, so handling it this way wasn't unusual.
"Team Leader, I'll check this way."
"Alright, I'll go the opposite direction and look around."
Lee Jae-hyun glanced at a map of Gonjiam Station on his smartphone before speaking.
The info Serhen had relayed was that the kid's mom had stashed the money bag in a drawer-like spot.
In the station, the only drawer-like spots were the coin lockers.
That's why he planned to focus on the lockers while hunting for Park Ye-chan.
Lee Jae-hyun quickened his pace, then froze when he spotted a man heading toward the coin lockers behind a pillar and under the escalator.
Black hat and a mask to boot.
Sure, not everyone in a hat and mask was a criminal, but the guy's demeanor looked sharp-edged.
And...
"Oh, that's the guy."
Serhen's words turned his suspicion into certainty.
The moment the guy punched in the code and opened the locker door, Lee Jae-hyun broke into a sprint.
"Suspect sighted, near the escalator, coin locker area."
―Roger, checking.
His radio transmission got short, urgent acknowledgments as everyone scrambled.
Hearing his footsteps, perhaps, the man yanked the bag from the locker and whipped around.
Lee Jae-hyun locked eyes with Park Ye-chan head-on.
"Fuck..."
Park Ye-chan clutched the bag and bolted like a madman.
But detectives weren't detectives for nothing.
They had unmatched experience catching fleeing suspects compared to regular patrol officers.
Naturally, they moved to encircle him, forming a blockade.
Park Ye-chan spotted burly men closing in from the direction he was running, hesitated for a split second, then veered sharply to the side.
But in that brief pause, Lee Jae-hyun had already caught up.
He threw both arms out, shoving Park Ye-chan and tackling him down.
Crash!
Park Ye-chan tumbled across the floor.
The money bag skidded off to the side.
Two detectives charging from that direction snatched it up.
Lee Jae-hyun rolled once as he fell forward, then sprang back up and raised his head.
"Urgh..."
Park Ye-chan lay on his side, letting out a small groan before snapping to and trying to move.
"Stay still."
Lee Jae-hyun mounted him in an instant, pinning Park Ye-chan down.
Park Ye-chan thrashed, trying to wrench free from Lee Jae-hyun's grip.
But with Lee Jae-hyun sitting on him, escape wasn't easy.
His breathing was a bit ragged from the chase, but Lee Jae-hyun steadied it as he looked down at the guy.
He desperately wanted to land a punch right then...
"Whoa, what the hell."
"No way... Did he just catch the perp? What?"
As he'd said, it was a high-traffic area.
Hitting him here would mean photos, and inevitably noise about excessive force.
In the end, Lee Jae-hyun held back his fist and focused solely on restraining him.
"Police. Everyone, step back one pace."
Team Leader Oh Min-seok tried to control the gathering crowd drawn by the commotion, but it was tough.
The other detectives blocked people as best they could, but dozens had already swarmed.
They all raised smartphones to film, impossible to stop them all.
Amid the chaos, Park Ye-chan kept struggling to break free from Lee Jae-hyun's hold.
Even as he did, he didn't forget to threaten.
"You fucking bastards. Let me go? You wanna see what happens to the kid? Only I know where he is!"
Park Ye-chan pleaded desperately.
Even now, he was lying that he'd acted alone.
Lee Jae-hyun couldn't help but scoff at the sight.
"Cut the crap and stay still."
"If you take me in like this, I won't say a word. You'll never find the kid, and he'll just die!"
When Park Ye-chan dragged out the threat of the kid dying,
Lee Jae-hyun clicked his tongue and spoke.
"Give it a rest. Go Hyun-sook's already in custody, and the kid's en route to the hospital."
"...What bullshit? Don't fuck with me!"
Mentioning Go Hyun-sook made him freeze, visibly rattled.
Lee Jae-hyun pressed down hard on the guy's arms, which were resisting even more fiercely now.
He fumbled in his pockets for cuffs...
'Oh, right, none left.'
He'd already used them on Go Hyun-sook.
In the frenzy, he hadn't grabbed cable ties for improvised restraints.
Lee Jae-hyun quickly scanned around.
"Team Leader, cuffs over here..."
He called out to Team Leader Oh Min-seok, requesting cuffs.
Oh Min-seok, blocking others' approach, dug into his pocket, pulled out cuffs, and tossed them.
The instant Lee Jae-hyun reached out with one hand to catch them...
"Ugh...!"
Park Ye-chan surged with force, shoving Lee Jae-hyun off.
He was a sturdy farmhand from the countryside, after all.
Even Lee Jae-hyun had to stagger back from that full-powered push.
In the end, Park Ye-chan broke free and tried to flee again.
'Actually... perfect.'
Lee Jae-hyun had wanted an excuse to clock him anyway.
Resisting and attempting escape like this...
'No choice but to subdue him again.'
And this was an emergency situation.
Naturally, one requiring a bit of physical force.
Lee Jae-hyun immediately raised his fist.
The hand holding the cuffs.
As Park Ye-chan moved to run again,
Lee Jae-hyun kicked off the ground hard and lunged forward.
The body of a twenty-something Lee Jae-hyun, who'd trained like a maniac to pass the police exam.
Versus Park Ye-chan, a thirties farmer.
No need to explain who had the physical edge.
Thanks to that, Lee Jae-hyun moved a step faster.
Thwack!
Lee Jae-hyun's fist slammed into Park Ye-chan's side.
"Hk?"
Park Ye-chan doubled over with a sharp gasp.
His body wobbled, and his forward momentum sent him sprawling across the floor.
His ribs were probably cracked at least, if not fully broken.
"Try running once more. Please."
Lee Jae-hyun said it slow as he leisurely cuffed the guy's hands.
But Park Ye-chan could only writhe in pain, unable to escape his grasp.
* * *
Dragged forcibly amid agony, Park Ye-chan spotted Go Hyun-sook in the police van and started thrashing.
"M-Mom...!"
"...Son."
For that moment, he'd forgotten the pain of the beating.
His face looked ready to burst into tears as he stared at Go Hyun-sook, then twisted again to break free from the detective holding him.
Of course, no chance of that.
In the end, Park Ye-chan just glared daggers at Lee Jae-hyun while grunting.
"Hey, you bastard! Get over here."
He bellowed for Lee Jae-hyun.
Lee Jae-hyun clenched his fist tight and stepped up.
As he strode toward Park Ye-chan, Go Hyun-sook shrieked.
"You hit my son even once, and I'll sue your ass!"
Her threat of a lawsuit drew hollow laughs from Lee Jae-hyun and the other detectives alike.
"Seriously, you're old enough to know better—what's this bullshit? Granny, still haven't grasped the situation?"
Team Leader Oh Min-seok stepped in front of Lee Jae-hyun, ripping into Go Hyun-sook harshly.
He knew Lee Jae-hyun didn't need to get hands-on again here.
Lee Jae-hyun got the intent and lowered his fist.
He'd never planned to really hit anyway.
Just load 'em into the van quick.
Any collisions while wrestling a violently resisting criminal in were unavoidable.
"You little..."
Go Hyun-sook started up again, but before she could finish,
Lee Jae-hyun subtly stepped in.
Pretending to help the detective stuffing Park Ye-chan into the van, he lightly stomped down on the guy's foot.
"Aaagh!"
Park Ye-chan screamed, instinctively curling up.
In the chaos, Lee Jae-hyun reached out and pressed his palm into the bruised side where he'd punched while holding the cuffs.
"Aaaaagh!"
Go Hyun-sook's words drowned in Park Ye-chan's screams.
In the end, Park Ye-chan writhed in torment as he was loaded into the police van.
Lee Jae-hyun shut the van door.
It clicked shut with a thud, and the van sped off soon after.
He watched it go, clenching and unclenching his fist, exhaling long.
Having gripped the cuffs and punched away, traces lingered on his knuckles too.
Seeing the red welt, Lee Jae-hyun smirked faintly.
His hand bore marks and throbbed a bit...
But it didn't feel bad.
"Good work."
Team Leader Oh Min-seok clapped Lee Jae-hyun's shoulder as he spoke.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded slightly before replying.
"Yes, you too, Team Leader Oh."
As he spoke, Serhen popped up beside him.
"That guy—mind if I chase and eat him?"
Serhen smacked her lips as she said it.
Lee Jae-hyun chuckled lightly.
'Yeah, go eat.'
He gave her a crisp mental reply.
Now, it was truly over.