Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Chief's Offer
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Knock knock.
The office of Choi Jeong-hyuk, Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit at Incheon Western Police Station, was tucked away fairly deep inside the station.
Lee Jae-hyun knocked on the door with a slightly tense expression.
"Come in."
"Yes, sir."
A brief exchange of words.
Lee Jae-hyun opened the door and stepped inside.
Choi Jeong-hyuk's office had a cozy atmosphere.
Bookshelves lined both walls, packed with various titles, and in the center sat an antique chair and desk.
Spotting Lee Jae-hyun, Choi Jeong-hyuk welcomed him with the brightest smile he could muster.
"Oh, Sergeant Lee Jae-hyun?"
"Nice to meet you, Chief Choi Jeong-hyuk."
Lee Jae-hyun bowed his head in greeting.
Choi Jeong-hyuk returned the bow while giving Lee Jae-hyun a once-over.
As if sizing him up.
Then, with a grin, he gestured toward the desk.
"Have a seat. What do you like? Green tea? Coffee?"
"Ah, coffee, please. Thank you."
Choi Jeong-hyuk nodded lightly at Lee Jae-hyun's response, headed to the water cooler, and soon returned with two cups of instant coffee.
"Here."
"Thank you."
Lee Jae-hyun bowed his head slightly, took a sip of the coffee, and spoke up.
"I heard you wanted to see me."
The position of unit chief wasn't one where you had the leisure to summon someone just for idle chit-chat.
There had to be a reason he'd called him here.
Choi Jeong-hyuk took a sip of his coffee and met Lee Jae-hyun's eyes.
"I heard you pulled off something impressive this time."
"It was nothing."
"Nah, it was. You cleared out that headache for us in one go. Felt like a weight lifted off my chest. Haha."
"Just doing my job."
Lee Jae-hyun bowed his head cautiously.
From Choi Jeong-hyuk's reaction, it seemed like there was more he hadn't said yet.
In his past life, the Choi Jeong-hyuk that Lee Jae-hyun remembered was a reasonable man.
In simple terms, his judgments could vary depending on the situation.
He wouldn't even open his door to those who couldn't help him or bring something noteworthy.
For such a man to invite Lee Jae-hyun to his office first in this life.
There had to be an ulterior motive.
"I've looked into you recently. Your record's been dazzling."
Had he checked Lee Jae-hyun's investigation files?
Choi Jeong-hyuk gazed at him with evident interest.
There was even a hint of greed in his eyes.
"Serial killer, animal abuse case, cracking down on illegal medical practices. I've been at this a while myself as a cop, but you're a first."
Choi Jeong-hyuk's praise continued.
But Lee Jae-hyun couldn't guess what lay behind that praise.
"Thank you for the kind words."
"Just stating facts. So, here's the thing."
Now they were getting to the point.
Lee Jae-hyun leaned in, ready to listen.
"Ever thought about joining us?"
"Pardon?"
Lee Jae-hyun looked flustered at the scouting offer from the unit chief.
In his past life, the man had been picky, and he'd never brought up scouting Lee Jae-hyun.
But Choi Jeong-hyuk pressed on, clearly hooked.
"Our Violent Crimes Unit at Incheon Western needs talent like you. To prevent more incidents, you know."
"......"
Rather than answering right away, Lee Jae-hyun chose silence.
This was the second time since Team Leader Oh Min-seok.
What to do...
"I'm sorry."
After a moment's thought, Lee Jae-hyun gave his reply.
It was too early to commit to anything.
Deciding could wait until he'd built a solid foundation.
Choi Jeong-hyuk seemed momentarily taken aback, then let out a chuckle.
"You're an interesting one. You know, it's rare for a unit chief to personally invite someone."
"Just my personal opinion. Sorry if I offended you."
"No offense taken. But take this."
With that, Choi Jeong-hyuk pulled his business card from his wallet and handed it to Lee Jae-hyun.
"Keep it. If you ever change your mind, call anytime. I'll be waiting."
Lee Jae-hyun looked at the card in his hand.
Choi Jeong-hyuk's name and direct line.
He bowed his head in thanks as he accepted it.
"Thank you."
He was the head of Incheon Western's Violent Crimes Unit, after all.
The card might come in handy someday.
Lee Jae-hyun tucked it carefully into his pocket.
* * *
Click.
The door to the unit chief's office closed.
Only then did Lee Jae-hyun exhale softly.
Even in his past life, meeting the chief had been daunting, and it hadn't gotten any easier this time.
In fact, back then, every meeting was just a scolding to stop causing trouble.
Looking back on this life, he'd racked up an astonishing number of merits.
But his past life had been full of equally astonishing mishaps.
Of course, none of those were regrets.
How could a cop regret taking down criminals?
But this life went beyond that—he was drawing attention from those around him.
People were starting to covet Officer Lee Jae-hyun.
Something unimaginable in his past life.
That's why these moments made him tense.
Unfamiliar experiences were bound to feel strange, and strangeness bred tension.
Watching Lee Jae-hyun exhale and relax, Oh Seo-hyun smirked.
"You get nervous too, huh?"
"Huh?"
"You charge into the Axe Gang boss without a second thought, but you tense up for this?"
"...I get nervous. I'm human."
Lee Jae-hyun shot her a look asking what she took him for.
Of course he got nervous.
He had been tense facing Axe Gang boss Do Kang-cheol too.
It was just that anger overrode the nerves then.
Now, with no one to direct anger at or need for it, tension took the forefront.
"It's about lunchtime. Wanna grab a bite?"
Oh Seo-hyun changed the subject casually.
Lee Jae-hyun pondered briefly, then nodded.
She probably meant Song's Gukbap House—no reason to refuse.
But first, one stop.
"Hey, mind if I swing by the holding cell?"
"The holding cell? Sure, but... what good's gonna come from going there?"
Oh Seo-hyun stared at him, puzzled.
Normally, it'd be empty or full of unrelated crooks.
But today, every cell was packed with guys Lee Jae-hyun had busted.
Even Kim Jin-cheon, the Daehan Bank branch manager from Tan Young intersection, had been transferred here for questioning and locked up.
All the scum from last night, courtesy of Lee Jae-hyun.
Going there meant a barrage of filthy insults.
"Just wanna see their faces one last time."
"...Fine."
Oh Seo-hyun still looked baffled but didn't stop him.
She escorted him to the holding area.
Lee Jae-hyun entered cautiously.
And then.
"Hey, you bastard! Get over here!"
Park Man-seok spotted him instantly and started yelling, jabbing his finger.
It didn't stop there.
Starting with Park Man-seok, the others kicked up a fuss.
Axe Gang boss Do Kang-cheol flinched at the sight of Lee Jae-hyun, then scowled—maybe aware of the eyes on him, or displeased with his own flinch—and spoke up.
"You... when I get out of here, you're dead."
Lee Jae-hyun nodded vaguely and waved dismissively, as if to say suit yourself.
Do Kang-cheol wasn't getting out anyway.
His underlings might serve a few years, but he'd ordered the kidnapping and attempted murder.
At least ten years, plus... the entire unit was digging into Park Man-seok's drugs and Do Kang-cheol's past crimes.
No way those wouldn't surface. A couple more, and it was life without parole.
The only different reaction came from Kim Jin-cheon, the bank branch manager.
"Um, officer. There must be some huge misunderstanding... Could you give me a chance to explain?"
Taking bribes for loans, ties to crimes.
And right after news of his investigation broke, complaints poured in about verbal abuse and sexual harassment at the branch.
Yet here he was, clueless, pleading with Lee Jae-hyun.
Did he even know Lee Jae-hyun had asked Inspector Park to nab him?
'Doesn't matter.'
Caught was caught.
Lee Jae-hyun thought to himself and summoned Serhen.
'Serhen.'
"Wow, a proper feast today."
Serhen appeared instantly, scanned the criminals in their cells, and beamed happily.
"Thanks for the meal, as always."
She moved her hand.
As usual.
At her touch, black energy billowed from the detainees and flowed into her mouth.
So much, so dense, it felt like the world was shrouded in black clouds.
Soon after, Serhen patted her belly contentedly.
"Even looked amazing before, but after... even better."
'Glad you're satisfied.'
"Please keep 'em coming."
Serhen grinned.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded and turned to leave.
As he exited the holding area, Serhen added,
"So much that digestion might take a while. Unless it's urgent, don't call me for a bit."
'Got it. Let me know when you're done.'
First time she'd asked not to be summoned unless urgent.
Lee Jae-hyun was mildly surprised but stayed calm.
With that much evil karma absorbed, it made sense.
"Now let's go."
"Yeah."
Serhen fed, time for Lee Jae-hyun's lunch.
Heading to Song's Gukbap House with Oh Seo-hyun, he spotted not just Song A-ram but another familiar face.
"Welcome."
"Oh? Hi, mister."
Song A-ram and Choi Su-jin greeted him together.
Lee Jae-hyun smiled and nodded.