Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Beyond Embezzlement
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Back at the Hanseong Police Substation, Lee Jae-hyun sat at his desk, tapping his notepad with a pen.
His notepad was filled with traces of words scribbled and erased under the terms "embezzlement" and "breach of trust."
'What crimes could a bank branch manager commit?'
Besides embezzlement and breach of trust, were there others?
The most obvious ones that came to mind right away were embezzlement and breach of trust.
They were the simplest crimes one could commit by abusing the position of bank manager.
But what else might there be?
He had been sitting at his desk for an hour already, pen in hand, but nothing was coming to him.
'I need to head to Incheon soon, but I haven't come up with anything.'
In a little while, he was set to meet Inspector Oh Seo-hyun at the Incheon Western Police Station for a briefing on their investigations so far.
With Serhen's words in mind, he had been digging around for anything else he could uncover before the briefing, but it was only giving him a headache.
As he furrowed his brow in thought, Kim Jun-ho approached and spoke up.
"What's with the long face?"
"Oh, Sergeant Kim Jun-ho."
"You've had that frustrated look for a while now. Something on your mind?"
"Well, actually..."
Lee Jae-hyun calmly gave Kim Jun-ho a brief rundown of what had happened.
He skipped the details about Park Hyun-jin, PMC, and the other school violence perpetrators.
Just the essentials about the bank manager and his son.
The bank manager's son was a school violence perpetrator using his father's position to intimidate others.
To stop the school violence, he needed to expose the crimes committed by the branch manager.
But he didn't know what those crimes were—that was the problem Lee Jae-hyun was facing.
"What crimes do you think a bank manager might commit?"
"Well... the usual suspects like embezzlement..."
"Yeah, but that's too obvious. There has to be something else."
Kim Jun-ho stroked his chin and muttered, while Lee Jae-hyun knitted his brows and replied.
From what Serhen had said, there was evil karma related to money, but also something beyond that.
And for some reason...
Lee Jae-hyun had a gut feeling that this evil karma was the key to solving the case.
However.
"...You need to be careful, at least."
"Pardon?"
Kim Jun-ho looked at him with half-lidded eyes and spoke in a displeased tone.
Lee Jae-hyun blinked and asked back.
Be careful? Careful about what?
'Did I miss something? Does Sergeant Kim Jun-ho see something I don't?'
Eyes full of anticipation, Lee Jae-hyun gazed at him and continued.
And...
"What exactly should I be careful about?"
"You're assuming right off the bat that the guy must have done something and digging for it."
At Kim Jun-ho's following words, he let out an "Ah."
Thanks to Serhen, Lee Jae-hyun knew the Daehan Bank branch manager had committed crimes beyond embezzlement...
But Kim Jun-ho didn't, so he could think that way.
It was a difference in perspective due to the information gap between them.
In truth, Kim Jun-ho was right—no need to overthink it.
"Anyway, don't go tunnel-visioned on forcing something out. Targeted investigations are dangerous. Mess up, and you're done for."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."
Lee Jae-hyun bowed his head.
He now knew Kim Jun-ho said this out of concern for him.
That's why the advice felt all the more grateful.
As Lee Jae-hyun smiled faintly, Kim Jun-ho shrugged and spoke.
"Anyway, so you're sure he's committed a crime, but you don't know what?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
Kim Jun-ho stroked his chin again, looking at Lee Jae-hyun.
He seemed lost in thought, with a hint of puzzlement.
Lee Jae-hyun tossed a question at him casually.
"Why the look this time?"
"No, sometimes you're so sharp a veteran detective couldn't touch you. But moments like this remind me you were just a patrol officer not long ago."
Kim Jun-ho shrugged as he spoke.
Lee Jae-hyun tilted his head.
What had he missed this time?
Was there something visible to Kim Jun-ho but not to him?
As he furrowed his brow in contemplation, Kim Jun-ho chuckled and continued.
"Forget the job—think about the position."
"The position...?"
Lee Jae-hyun asked back, his expression showing confusion.
Wasn't position determined by the job?
Excluding the job from the equation didn't make sense.
Seeing this, Kim Jun-ho gave a clear answer.
"A bank branch manager isn't limited to embezzlement or breach of trust. If he likes drinking, there could be something tied to booze-ups."
Hearing that, Lee Jae-hyun felt like he'd been smacked on the head.
'Why didn't I think of that?'
He admitted his thinking had been too narrowly focused.
If people only committed crimes related to their jobs, Myeong Jin-han would've abused animals instead of serial killing.
Humans, unlike other animals, could "imagine."
Whatever it was, if it benefited them, they could step outside their domain to act.
Because the guy's job was bank manager, his mindset had stayed trapped in banking crimes.
Now that the frame was broken, he knew what to do next.
Figure out what the branch manager did outside the bank, and something would turn up.
But with the appointment time approaching, Incheon came first today.
"Sergeant Kim Jun-ho, thank you."
"Looks like you had an epiphany. Nothing more for me to say."
"I'll head to Incheon for a bit."
"Sure."
Lee Jae-hyun bowed once more in thanks.
Kim Jun-ho watched him leave the substation, chuckled softly, and returned to his desk.
* * *
Lee Jae-hyun pushed the new idea aside and decided to observe the situation a bit more.
'Might need to hear from the bank employees too.'
From their reactions, it was clear they weren't fond of the branch manager.
Lee Jae-hyun had overheard one unidentified teller mutter under their breath, "The toad's here."
When the manager appeared, some shot him uncomfortable glances.
Others passed by without greeting him.
Minor things, but each reaction spoke volumes about how the staff viewed him.
A kind of nonverbal language.
The question was whether they'd cooperate.
If they did, internal bank crimes would be solvable.
External matters were for him to dig into.
'We'll think about that later.'
Pondering it now wouldn't solve anything.
Better to tackle what he could do right away.
With that thought, Lee Jae-hyun stepped into the Incheon Western Police Station, which he'd arrived at before he knew it.
Ding-a-ling.
Opening the door, he was greeted by a familiar yet unfamiliar scene.
Uniformed officers in blue stared intently at their computers.
Some took calls, sharing case updates.
Police stations were all much the same—familiar—yet different enough from the substation to feel strange.
"What brings you here?"
As Lee Jae-hyun scanned for Inspector Oh Seo-hyun, a patrol officer approached.
"Ah, he's my guest."
Inspector Oh Seo-hyun appeared behind him.
Like the others, in her blue uniform, standing ramrod straight.
The epitome of a standard cop.
She flashed Lee Jae-hyun a slightly bright smile and spoke.
"You're earlier than I expected."
"Can't sit still when there are criminals to catch."
Lee Jae-hyun grinned.
Inspector Oh Seo-hyun chuckled at his words and gestured inside.
"This way."
They entered the meeting room and began the briefing.
Lee Jae-hyun sat, pulled out his notepad, and spoke.
"Shall we start with Daehan Bank?"
"Sure. Find anything?"
He nodded at her question.
"First, I obtained info on embezzlement suspicions."
"Info? Not something you uncovered yourself?"
Lee Jae-hyun's eyes narrowed slightly.
Information was crucial in solving cases.
Each piece built grounds for searches, becoming key evidence to catch perps.
But if it was false?
Obvious.
It'd become a loophole for the criminal to escape through.
"It's from a reliable source."
"...Whoever this source is, they must be solid."
Inspector Oh Seo-hyun replied with conviction.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded at her tone.
He didn't know who the reliable informant was, but cops didn't lightly call someone that.
Dealing with liars daily, it was natural.
For her to say it meant high credibility.
Her implication that she'd found something lit up his eyes.
"Did you uncover anything?"
"The PMC I investigated has ties to Daehan Bank internally."
"Ties...?"
"Loans. Whenever cash flow issues hit, Daehan Bank lent them billions—sometimes tens of billions. Nothing else special yet."
"Hmm..."
"Also, rumors say the CEO's a bad guy. Some assault issues, apparently."
Assault issues opened another angle.
But like school violence, it required victims to come forward.
Not something he or Inspector Oh Seo-hyun could force.
As he mulled this, she continued.
"Oh, and he loves clubs... Goes two or three times a week..."
"Clubs? Any specifics confirmed?"
"Well, clubs are everywhere. Haven't pinned down which ones."
Lee Jae-hyun stroked his chin.
Clubs were always close to crime.
Now and in the future.
Plenty of illicit funds flowed through them.
Plus, the private rooms were great for secretive talks.
Just watch the booze-bringers, and no leaks.
Most noise drowned in the blaring music outside.
No wonder deals happened there.
That's why gangs ran so many...
Worth checking.
"Let's check it out starting today, then."
"Pardon...?"
Inspector Oh Seo-hyun's eyes widened in surprise.
Lee Jae-hyun just wore an enigmatic smile.