Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Newsroom Rumors
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Newsroom offices are usually noisy.
The Dongyoung Daily newsroom was no different right now.
Everyone was chattering loudly.
Yoon Min-ha, the reporter who had just returned from the field, was used to the scene and naturally headed to her desk.
“A child kidnapping case just broke.”
“That got solved ages ago.”
“Huh? It’s already solved?”
At the mention of the child kidnapping from a fellow reporter, Yoon Min-ha glanced their way.
Apparently, a child kidnapping had blown up while she was out reporting.
And it had been resolved in the meantime, judging by another reporter complaining about how slow the news was. The one who first mentioned it looked baffled.
His expression said it all: ‘How could it be solved already when we just heard about it?’
Kidnapping cases usually involved a ton of hassle—police mobilizing for searches, reviewing CCTV footage, and so on.
But if it was solved before the word even spread to reporters... that speed from the police was downright ‘abnormal.’
Curiosity piqued, Yoon Min-ha leaned back in her chair and eavesdropped on the others.
They kept talking, ignoring her completely.
“They say it was wrapped up in four hours. Five tops.”
“Damn, that’s fast. Kid okay?”
The first reporter tossed out the question.
Sure, solving it quick was one thing, but the real key was securing the victim’s safety.
No matter how fast they wrapped it up, if the kidnapped kid wasn’t unharmed, it was all for nothing.
And that would dictate their headlines too.
[Police Swift But Incompetent.]
[How Long Will Police Keep Hiding Behind ‘But They Were Fast’?]
Articles ripping into the cops.
Or maybe...
[ Korean Police Rescue Child Safely in 4 Hours.]
[Safe Today Because Police Are Here.]
Pro-police pieces, depending on the kid’s condition.
One staffer tapped their pen against their head and spoke up.
“No official statement yet, so it’s not confirmed... but word inside is the kid’s fine, and they nabbed both kidnappers.”
“Damn, what balls does it take to kidnap a kid in Korea?”
“Right? They had to know they’d get caught quick. CCTV everywhere, and for a child snatch, police throw everything at it.”
One reporter exhaled, baffled by the criminals’ logic.
Another nodded in agreement.
Korea had solid public safety overall.
Sure, incidents popped up daily, so it didn’t always feel that way... but the crime rate was low compared to most places.
That’s why major violent crimes like this were rare.
Compared to other countries with them every other day... it wasn’t even close.
So fraud rings, serial cases, arsons—anything high-profile blew up big.
Kidnappings fell into that category.
Public sentiment hated them, morally unforgivable, so media swarmed.
Naturally, police threw all resources at solving them fast...
Amateur kidnappers didn’t stand a chance.
“Caught in four, five hours? They had no clue what they were doing. Just dumb impulse, trying to score cash.”
“Yeah... probably a spur-of-the-moment crime.”
Yoon Min-ha smirked as she listened.
Spur-of-the-moment kidnapping? Please.
Not just any crime—kidnapping.
You needed planning to pull it off.
Random abductions happened, sure... but they still required intent.
Targeting random people like hunters—that took planning.
Social affairs reporters calling kidnapping impulsive? Idiots.
Then the conversation continued.
“But can a kidnapping really be impulsive...?”
“Makes no sense, but they caught ’em in hours...”
“Sloppy planning, that’s all.”
The reporter who broke the kidnapping news chimed in lightly.
He chuckled casually.
“Nah, get this—the one who caught the kidnappers was a patrol officer.”
“A patrol officer?”
Yoon Min-ha perked up at that. Couldn’t ignore it.
The others kept chatting.
“Yeah. Either total amateurs or pure impulse. One or the other.”
“Man, props to that patrol officer either way.”
“Patrol officers these days are no joke. Remember that attempted child murder bust? Rumor was a patrol officer too. Don’t know who exactly...”
“Crazy. Patrol officers nabbing kidnappers and attempted killers? If they were all like that, criminals would’ve gone extinct ages ago.”
Yoon Min-ha paused, brushing back her brown hair.
She didn’t know exactly who solved this kidnapping.
But if it was who she thought...
‘Jackpot, no question.’
She had a feature piece in the works, rough draft done.
It’d blow up if she ran it, but she’d promised to hold off.
Weekend drop.
It was Monday evening now.
Week just starting... could she wait?
If she was sure no one else would ID the patrol officer solving recent violent cases first, sure.
But no guarantees... nerve-wracking.
‘Wait it out for now.’
Torn, she decided to hold off a bit longer.
How long her patience would last? Who knew.
* * *
Lee Jae-hyun took Tuesday off entirely.
Woke up in the afternoon, paid Serhen the price for their deal to stop the Choi Dae-hyeon kidnapping—that was it.
Meaning, ice cream from the convenience store out front.
Wednesday rolled around, but he still couldn’t jump back into work right away.
Something came up.
Lee Jae-hyun eyed his uniform—awkward after so long—and straightened it.
Scratching his cheek, he headed toward the National Police Agency building.
Moments later, he flinched.
Bzzz.
His smartphone vibrated wildly in his pocket.
He pulled it out stiffly and checked the caller.
Yoon Min-ha.
Dongyoung Daily reporter.
Calling at this exact moment—what did she know?
He answered, thinking that.
“Yeah, hello.”
Ah, hello. Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun. Yoon Min-ha from Dongyoung Daily here.
“Yeah, Reporter. Been a while.”
—Yeah, it’s been some time... I, uh, heard some rumors lately?
Lee Jae-hyun’s lips curved slightly at her words.
Her tone said she didn’t have solid info yet.
Calling anyway meant fishing for confirmation.
Playing dumb, he held the phone closer, feigning surprise.
“What rumors?”
—The big child kidnapping making waves? Solved by a patrol officer...
“Rumors are just rumors.”
—From experience, when it spreads this far, there’s truth to it. It’s really you, right, Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun?
Her voice probed slyly, but she already seemed convinced it was him.
Lee Jae-hyun chuckled.
“Haha... nope.”
—Come on, that’s not fair. Video’s circulating. Side profile only, but that stance, that build—it screams you...
She pressed like she wanted the truth, but he just found it amusing.
From her tone, she wouldn’t believe him even if he kept denying.
“Really?”
—Yeah. Everyone’s scrambling to ID him, can’t run the story yet. But most reporters have heard the buzz. Might break before the weekend.
Yoon Min-ha grumbled.
Lee Jae-hyun knew what she wanted, so he laughed lightly.
“Got it. So... you’ve got that piece prepped?”
—Of course.
She answered quick, like it was obvious. Voice laced with hopeful anticipation.
She’d mostly finished her Lee Jae-hyun feature.
Only reason it wasn’t out: him.
He’d asked her not to run it, so she’d sat on her scoop.
He hadn’t wanted the spotlight on himself back then.
Not anymore.
“Run it.”
A startled squeak came through the line.
Yoon Min-ha sounded genuinely shocked.
They’d agreed on the weekend—maybe she figured he had reasons to delay, but he greenlit it easy.
Whatever, she lit up and jumped in.
—Oh man, I’ll package it pretty and drop it big. Thanks, Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun.
A cat couldn’t resist fish dangled in front; a reporter couldn’t sit on a scoop forever.
She’d stared at it long enough.
Now the leash was off.
Of course she was thrilled.
“Oh, and Reporter.”
—Yes?
“Not a patrol officer anymore.”
—Huh...?
She fumbled confused on the other end.
But Lee Jae-hyun just smiled and hung up.
He’d told her everything needed.
The rest was on her.
He hurried into the National Police Agency building.