Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Bank Reconnaissance
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The next day, as soon as Lee Jae-hyun arrived at the substation, he went looking for Park Dae-hyung.
“Inspector.”
“Yes, Sergeant Lee.”
Park Dae-hyung emphasized the rank of ‘sergeant’ in his response.
Normally, Lee Jae-hyun would have fired back with a joke, but not this time.
“Mind if I step out for a bit?”
“What is it? Another case?”
“……Can I ask why me stepping out always has to connect to a case?”
Lee Jae-hyun shot back with a sullen expression at Park Dae-hyung’s hardened face and question.
Park Dae-hyung let out a hollow laugh instead.
“Come on, think about it. Every time you head out, a case either follows you, you stir one up, or you get dragged into one. One of those three. How could I not react? Everyone else feels the same.”
Lee Jae-hyun started to say something but clamped his mouth shut.
He pondered it and realized Park Dae-hyung was right.
Park Chun-beom, Park Ye-chan—it was the same this time too.
As Lee Jae-hyun fell silent and reflected, Park Dae-hyung snorted as if to say ‘see?’ and continued.
“So, what is it this time?”
“Heading to the bank.”
“The bank? Geez, that’s nothing. It’s right up the street—no need to even ask.”
Park Dae-hyung shrugged, sounding oddly disappointed at the mention of the bank.
He must have thought it wasn’t a case.
But seeing his shoulders sag a bit more than usual, it seemed he was disappointed it wasn’t one after all.
‘Well, we’ve racked up some solid results lately.’
Serial killer, unsolved case, and now child kidnappers.
Not that Lee Jae-hyun’s cases were ever small fry, so it was understandable he’d expect something big.
That explained why Park Dae-hyung’s shoulders drooped more subtly than usual once he concluded it wasn’t a case.
But his reaction shifted again at Lee Jae-hyun’s follow-up.
“I’m going to the Daehan Bank at Tan-yeong Intersection.”
“Yeah, that’s a case. What’s up this time?”
Park Dae-hyung huffed through his nose and asked.
There was a bank right near Hanseong Police Substation.
Skipping that to go all the way to Tan-yeong meant there was more to it.
Lee Jae-hyun looked at Park Dae-hyung, who had caught the scent of a case, and spoke.
“There’s this kid named Song A-ram who helped out during the Park Chun-beom case.”
“Oh, the student with the evidence? The one getting bullied at school?”
“Yeah, I’ve got something to check related to that.”
“Didn’t I hook you up with someone from Incheon Western Police Station? School bullying still not resolved?”
Park Dae-hyung frowned as he asked.
He probably thought they hadn’t done their job.
Lee Jae-hyun immediately defended Oh Seo-hyun Inspector.
“Yeah, Oh Seo-hyun Inspector did her best…… But the bullies told A-ram’s friend they’d keep harassing her unless she dropped the complaint.”
“What? Have you ever seen such shameless scum. But what’s that got to do with the bank?”
“One of the bullies is the son of the bank branch manager.”
Lee Jae-hyun laid out what he knew.
Park Dae-hyung’s eyebrow twitched at that.
“The branch manager’s involved too?”
“That’s what I’m going to confirm.”
“Hmm…… Got it. Go ahead.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll come with.”
As Lee Jae-hyun bowed and headed for the door, Park Dae-hyung said that, then abruptly stood and threw on his overcoat.
He couldn’t just sit there if something shady was afoot.
Lee Jae-hyun paused mid-step and turned back to him.
“What’s up?”
“…….”
Lee Jae-hyun silently scanned him up and down without a word.
A face so fierce it could pass for a gangster’s, with a build that made gang bosses look scrawny.
Dragging that look along to dig into something…… Whatever he did, suspicion would hit first.
“……Could I go alone?”
“Alone? Why?”
“Well…… I’m planning to pose as a regular customer and poke around.”
“And?”
Park Dae-hyung tilted his head, wondering what that had to do with going solo.
As Lee Jae-hyun struggled for words, Kim Seok-hyun—who’d been quietly watching from the side—stepped in.
“Dae-hyung, look in a mirror. You think you can pass as a regular customer?”
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Ha ha, does your face even fit in the mirror? You lack self-awareness.”
Park Dae-hyung glanced at the substation mirror.
He groaned and waved Lee Jae-hyun off, as if to say handle it yourself.
Lee Jae-hyun flashed an awkward smile and left the substation.
* * *
Changed into plain clothes, Lee Jae-hyun chatted with Serhen as he headed toward Tan-yeong Intersection.
The topic was naturally Park Hyun-jin and his crew.
“Getting burned by a demon once and still at it…… Impressive in a twisted way. I thought we’d really scared them straight.”
Serhen grumbled, her voice laced with dissatisfaction.
Lee Jae-hyun shrugged and replied.
“Well…… The saying ‘humans are worse than demons’ isn’t for nothing. So the ghost those kids saw was you after all?”
“Yeah, I never imagined they’d rack up more Evil Karma on someone else after that. At this rate, demons might lose their licenses.”
“Demons have licenses…….”
“Of course. You need one for proper dealings.”
“…….”
Her words drew an involuntary chuckle from him.
Sure, certifications were everything these days, but he never thought it applied to demons.
As Lee Jae-hyun reeled from the novel idea of demon licenses, Serhen paused thoughtfully and spoke.
“How about scaring them one more time? Could be fun.”
“Ghost cosplay’s just a band-aid. No lasting effect.”
He shook his head.
Unreal tactics wouldn’t solve the root.
Even if they spooked them as ghosts, time would turn it into ‘just a bad dream.’
The current mess proved it.
Lee Jae-hyun’s eyes sharpened as he continued.
“To stop them for good, we dig deep and judge their crimes properly.”
He clenched and unclenched his fist as he spoke.
No matter how they sealed mouths with money or built walls with status……
From one to ten, exposing every sin would bring them down.
‘And if I get some revenge along the way and inch closer to Hyeonmin Group, even better.’
With that thought, the bank came into view.
* * *
Lee Jae-hyun entered the bank casually, like any customer there for business.
He took a number ticket and waited in the seating area.
Ding-dong—the number on his ticket lit up on the display.
“Customer 261!”
He rose and approached the counter.
“What can I help you with?”
“I’d like to open an account.”
“An account? Which type—savings, time deposit, or checking?”
“Checking account.”
“Yes, we just launched a new checking account product. If you look here……”
The bank teller smiled warmly, explaining the options one by one.
Lee Jae-hyun half-listened, signed where she pointed, and opened the account.
“That completes your account opening. Anything else?”
“Yeah, I have a question.”
As the transaction wrapped up, he slipped in his query.
“Yes, sir? What’s on your mind?”
“How much do I need to deposit here for the branch manager to show up?”
“…….”
The teller, who’d smiled throughout, stared at him in mild disbelief.
The question had caught her off guard.
She mustered her sales smile and replied.
“Well, I’m not sure. The branch manager’s so busy……”
“What about five hundred million? Does he come out personally then?”
“It’s not really about the amount…… He could assist VIPs anytime if he’s in, but he has a lot of external commitments. Not sure. Shall I explain our VIP criteria?”
The teller was a pro, snapping back to polite service even for what seemed like a troublemaker.
‘Someone else committed the crime, and innocents suffer.’
As Lee Jae-hyun felt a pang of guilt,
“Branch manager, you’re here.”
A security guard’s voice came from behind.
Lee Jae-hyun turned to see a middle-aged man on his phone entering the bank.
“Yes, of course. Don’t worry about that.”
Seeing him, Lee Jae-hyun thought maybe bringing Park Dae-hyung wouldn’t have been so bad.
The branch manager’s bulk rivaled Park Dae-hyung’s.
The difference? Park Dae-hyung was all solid muscle…… while the manager was wrapped in fat.
Peel off the muscle and fill with fat—that’d be him.
His double chin jiggled with every word.
“Yes, come on in.”
It was well into fall with chilly winds, yet sweat glistened from his forehead to his scalp, reflecting the light.
“Ah, the toad’s here.”
Who muttered that?
One of the bank staff, for sure.
Whoever it was, Lee Jae-hyun inwardly agreed.
The branch manager looked just like a toad.
Like a toad hopping home, he passed Lee Jae-hyun and headed to the office inside.
Just a brush-by.
But……
That was enough.
“Oh, he doesn’t seem like a total fan favorite…… but he’s got quite a pile of Evil Karma.”
Serhen had caught the scent.
‘……Why isn’t your nose plugged?’
“Oh, the sweat stench.”
Did defamation apply to demons too?
Lost in idle thoughts, Lee Jae-hyun left the bank.
Mission accomplished for the day—it was time to head back.
“Weren’t you here to nab that guy?”
‘We watch first. Can’t drag someone off without evidence.’
‘His son used him to threaten, right? Isn’t that enough?’
‘The threat came from Kim Sun-woo, not the manager. No such thing as guilt by association in Korea.’
Lee Jae-hyun glanced back at the bank as he answered Serhen.
Kim Sun-woo wielding his dad as a threat was fact, but the dad’s involvement wasn’t confirmed.
‘The manager might be clueless about his son’s antics.’
Sure, Serhen saw the Evil Karma.
But without knowing what crimes it tied to, they couldn’t investigate rashly.
Lee Jae-hyun racked his brain.
What crime might a bank branch manager commit?
‘The obvious one…… embezzlement.’
Embezzlement scandals from bank managers popped up regularly.
That’s what he figured too.
But Serhen shook her head.
“Not quite that. There’s money stuff, sure…… but mixed with a variety of others. Can’t pinpoint exactly.”
Something else was in the mix.