Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: After the Takedown
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A few hours later.
The first thing Lee Jae-hyun saw upon regaining consciousness was the ceiling of some hospital room.
He struggled to lift his head and looked down at his arm.
IV fluid dripping steadily through a long tube into his body, nurses bustling between patients.
'What the hell happened?'
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Lee Jae-hyun pieced together his fragmented last memories.
He had smashed the Axe Gang and gotten Park Hyun-jin arrested.
Song A-ram and Choi Su-jin had watched indifferently as Park Hyun-jin and the rest of the Axe Gang were hauled away in police cars.
'They looked too drained to even get angry—just utterly hollow.'
Recalling the girls' final expressions, Lee Jae-hyun's face soured bitterly.
Normal people would vent their rage or show some emotion when their tormentors got caught, but not them.
It was like they didn't want to waste any feelings on those scum—they just hoped it would all end quickly.
'And... they said they'd nabbed bank branch manager Kim Jin-cheon too.'
Remembering the last conversation before blacking out, Lee Jae-hyun's lips quirked up slightly.
Good. At least everything wrapped up nicely.
—You're awake?
'Serhen.'
He turned toward the voice and found Serhen gazing at him with a worried look.
Seeing her after so long, Lee Jae-hyun gave a faint smile.
'Long time no see.'
—I was getting worried since you were out so long.
'Yeah? How long was I under?'
—Twelve hours.
Twelve hours? Felt like I just blinked.
Serhen approached the puzzled Lee Jae-hyun, plopped down in front of him, and spoke.
—It's aftereffects.
'Aftereffects?'
—Yeah, simply put... like slapping a sports car engine into a compact and blowing it out. But your body's fine overall.
Some kind of overload, huh.
Glad there wasn't major damage...
'A compact? Come on, at least call it a midsize.'
As he thought about needing to hit the gym, Serhen continued.
—Anyway, we should swing by the station later for what happened during this case.
'What? Why?'
—I haven't collected the Evil Karma yet.
Serhen slumped her shoulders like she was totally deflated.
Lee Jae-hyun spoke to her in a warm tone.
'Alright. We'll make time later.'
It wasn't urgent right now.
She'd checked his body and he'd collapsed after.
Time to focus on recovery first.
—Promise. You have to.
'Yeah, yeah. Got it.'
Only after he promised several times did Serhen finally crack a smile.
Evil Karma must mean that much to her.
He had no clue what it tasted like or felt like.
But the way she always drooled at the scent, it had to be more than just food to her.
Last time, he'd collapsed too suddenly to collect it.
For her sake, he figured they should drop by Incheon Western Police Station.
That wrapped up his chat with Serhen.
—Here's the top internet buzz from this week.
Lee Jae-hyun's eyes shifted to the TV voice coming from the corner of the room.
A news broadcast was on.
—Kim, manager of the Tan-young Intersection branch of Dahana Bank, has been booked on embezzlement and breach of trust charges. Dahana Bank has decided to dismiss Kim and will pursue a damages lawsuit over the hit to its corporate image.
—The CEO of domestic construction firm P, a Mr. Park, has been booked on drug and employee assault charges. The Ministry of Justice stated it will closely review the executive's misdeeds and deliver a fair verdict.
—An illegal gang in Incheon kidnapped minors. Luckily, police rushed to the scene after a tip-off and rescued them unharmed. Shockingly, the gang is tied to the P Construction CEO and...
News stories about him poured in from the screen.
Seeing the cases he'd cracked make the headlines, Lee Jae-hyun smirked softly.
'Glad it all worked out.'
He repeated to himself.
* * *
While Lee Jae-hyun was out cold, plenty had gone down outside.
Hanseong Police Substation was busy enough, but Incheon Western Police Station was total chaos.
"Write it in detail. Dates, and times if possible."
"Yeah, yeah."
The criminals gave half-assed replies to the cops and scribbled on their statements, pencils looking comically tiny in their meaty hands.
Just the ones writing statements had the place bursting at the seams.
Clack.
As the criminals focused on their paperwork, Incheon Western Police Station's Violent Crimes Chief Choi Jeong-hyeok kicked open the door.
He scanned the interior, then burst out laughing in disbelief.
"What is this, a police station or a study cafe...?"
Rough-looking guys who could eat you alive, huddled shoulder-to-shoulder like good students, jotting away—it gave Choi Jeong-hyeok a weird vibe.
Catching these types was his job, sure, but he'd never seen the station this packed with them.
"Chief."
"Yeah, yeah. Hey, Yoo-jun."
Choi Jeong-hyeok grinned warmly as Inspector Seo Yoo-jun pushed through the criminals toward him.
Seo Yoo-jun gave a casual salute and headed to the spot beside him.
"You get home okay last night?"
"Me? Same as always. Anyway, that's not the point. What's all this?"
Choi Jeong-hyeok gestured at the criminal horde filling the station and asked Seo Yoo-jun.
A few crooks shot sharp glares, sensing his reaction.
Noticing, Choi Jeong-hyeok lowered his voice and eyed Seo Yoo-jun.
"They all look like crooks. What, did they all do drugs together yesterday or something?"
"Huh? You didn't hear?"
"Hear what?"
"We wiped out the Axe Gang yesterday."
"What?"
Choi Jeong-hyeok's eyes bulged at Seo Yoo-jun's words.
Who were the Axe Gang?
Offshoot of Incheon's infamous Twin Axe Gang—the second-gen version.
Split in two, so weaker overall, but supposedly tighter-knit.
And they'd swept them in one day?
Choi Jeong-hyeok looked baffled, so Seo Yoo-jun nodded.
"Got a tip on Axe Gang stuff yesterday, and when we tugged the thread..."
"All hooked?"
Seo Yoo-jun answered with a smile and a nod instead of words.
Choi Jeong-hyeok still couldn't buy it easily.
Yakuza types don't all go down when you nab one.
By the time you gather evidence and hit the scene, usually just a decoy's left—or nothing.
They squirm and dodge to survive, that's gangsters for you.
And they'd nabbed the whole lot in a day?
Choi Jeong-hyeok wandered among them, scanning faces.
Wondering if any rang a bell.
'Chinggu, Seokbong, Line, even Face-shaver?'
Familiar mugs popped up fast.
Guys he'd chased his ass off for, always slipping away at the last second.
'Never thought I'd see 'em all rounded up like this.'
The so-called execs rarely showed their faces.
For org security, and 'cause enemies were everywhere in their line of work.
'Was about to give up on these slippery bastards, and boom—jackpot rolls in.'
Choi Jeong-hyeok smirked faintly.
For cops, performance meant arrests.
Axe Gang hid too well; he'd been thinking of shelving it.
Then the whole damn plant falls in his lap—who wouldn't be thrilled?
Sure, he hadn't caught them himself.
But as chief, skimming credit off others' work wasn't a big deal.
Muzzle the crew right, and no one'd notice—he was confident.
Weaving through the crooks, marveling nonstop, Choi Jeong-hyeok sensed something off and turned to Seo Yoo-jun.
"Hey, Yoo-jun."
"Yes, Chief?"
"Great catch, but... why's every one of 'em banged up somewhere?"
Just like he said, every crook here had a cast or bandage—arms, legs, necks, waists.
Seo Yoo-jun hesitated, then spoke up.
"Oh, that... There's this Sergeant Lee Jae-hyun from Hanseong Substation. Friend of Inspector Oh Seo-hyun."
"Why bring him up outta nowhere?"
"Guy's got heavy hands."
"What're you on about? Spill it straight. You know this could blow back as excessive force if mishandled?"
Choi Jeong-hyeok looked flabbergasted.
Seo Yoo-jun was sharp.
Quick, efficient, got shit done smooth.
So why drag in some other substation sergeant?
No clue what he was getting at.
"Sigh, I know. That's why I'm telling you."
"What're you saying? That one sergeant took 'em all down solo?"
Choi Jeong-hyeok raised his voice a bit at the absurd claim.
Sure, grown men can scrap, but against this many?
Differences in skill aside, impossible.
Especially against gangsters—tougher builds, no qualms about weapons.
One guy handling that?
Tease all you want, but dial it back.
Unlike Choi Jeong-hyeok—who figured bullshit—Seo Yoo-jun confirmed stone-faced.
"Yes."
"You're kidding."
"..."
"...For real?"
"Yes, sir."
Choi Jeong-hyeok's eyes widened at Seo Yoo-jun's dead-serious tone.
He could tell it wasn't a joke or lie—just facts.
'Was gonna slide the excessive force blame and pocket the glory.'
Choi Jeong-hyeok's mind raced.
Axe Gang wasn't chump change.
Decent size, solid foundation from the old guard.
Still hard to swallow some outsider sergeant crumbling them overnight.
'But if Yoo-jun's straight...?'
Greed lit up Choi Jeong-hyeok's eyes.
A detective racking up merits like that in one night.
Get him under you?
No need to steal credit—wins would pile easy.
'Changes everything.'
Choi Jeong-hyeok scrapped his old scheme, plotting fresh.
How to reel in this golden goose, Lee Jae-hyun, to his side.