Taeseok's Fate (2)
A few days later, just before dawn, Taeseok and his fellow detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit received a report and parked their car near an abandoned building. They were preparing to enter when Na Gyeongjun raised his radio.
The Taeil-pa was a subordinate organization of the Gangryonghoe, and a tip had come in that they were currently in the middle of an arms deal with the Russian mafia. That was why the detectives had rushed to the scene.
When Gyeongjun finished his radio report, a reply crackled through the speaker.
Gyeongjun, Taeseok, and the rest of the detectives kicked the door open and stormed inside. The moment they entered, several men inside tried to block their path.
"You can't just barge in here!"
Gyeongjun shoved one of them aside and flashed an arrest warrant in his face.
"We've got a warrant. Step aside while I'm still asking nicely."
"Damn it... Hey!! Stop them!!"
The gangsters inside swarmed forward, using their massive bodies to block the detectives. Taeseok clicked his tongue in disbelief.
"Oh? Look at these bastards."
He threw a punch straight into one gangster's jaw, dropping him instantly. Then he began advancing, kicking and punching every thug who tried to stand in his way.
"S-screw it!!"
Gyeongjun shouted as he slammed one of the gangsters to the ground with a shoulder throw. From that moment on, a fierce brawl erupted between the police and the gangsters.
"Stop them! Stop them!"
"You son of a bitch, let go of my hair!!!"
"Aaaargh!!"
In the middle of the chaotic fight, Taeseok drew his revolver and headed up to the second floor.
They said some of them are armed. Better stay sharp.
He moved cautiously, revolver raised, scanning the unusually quiet second floor. Suddenly, a door beside him burst open and several gangsters charged at him.
"Die, you bastard!!"
They swung steel pipes and aluminum bats at him. Taeseok blocked some strikes with his arms and countered with punches and elbows to their jaws and cheeks, knocking them down one by one.
While he was busy subduing the gangsters alone, a commotion erupted from another room, followed by several gunshots.
The sudden gunfire froze both Taeseok and the gangsters for a split second. Taeseok quickly regained his composure, finished off the remaining thugs, and rushed into the room where the shots had come from.
Inside, several well-built Caucasian men and a few Koreans lay on the floor, bleeding out. Pistols were still clutched in their hands. The gruesome scene reeked of gunpowder and blood—a clear sign of a shootout. Golden bullet casings littered the floor.
Right beside the door, one Korean man was slumped against the wall, gasping for air as blood poured from his abdomen.
"Are you... police...?"
"Yes, I'm with the police. What happened here...?"
Before Taeseok could finish, the man pulled a small red USB drive from his pocket with a trembling hand and held it out. The moment Taeseok took it, the man spoke in a voice that sounded like it could cut out at any second.
"This... absolutely... do not... give it... to your superiors... Report it... separately..."
With those final words, the man's eyes stared wide open as his breathing stopped. Soon after, Taeseok's colleagues rushed up to the second floor to check on him.
"Detective Min!! Are you okay??"
"Yes, I'm fine."
Taeseok looked down at the man who had given him the USB and breathed his last, a question forming in his mind.
What on earth did he just give me? And why did he say not to hand it over to my superiors...?
After the operation to arrest the Taeil-pa ended, someone approached Taeseok as he was getting ready to leave for the day.
"Detective Min. I have something to ask you."
It was Oh Byeongmin, Taeseok's senior and the leader of the Violent Crimes Unit.
"Was there anything unusual during the Taeil-pa raid earlier?"
"Unusual, sir?"
Taeseok thought of the red USB the dying man had given him, but remembering the man's desperate plea not to hand it over to the police, he lied.
"No, nothing in particular."
"Hmm... I see. Alright then."
As Taeseok stood up to leave, Byeongmin watched his retreating back with a meaningful gaze and sent a text message.
A reply came back shortly after.
Byeongmin replied immediately.
After getting off work, Taeseok sat staring at the red USB with a troubled expression.
What could possibly be on here that he begged me not to give it to my superiors?
Unable to contain his curiosity, he plugged the USB into his laptop. The moment he opened the files, the contents hit him like a shockwave.
What the hell is this...??
The files contained photos and videos of weapons deals between the Gangryonghoe and the Russian mafia. Some of the images showed a man receiving sexual services from beautiful blonde women with blue eyes. The man in those photos was none other than Kim Gyeonggeun, a high-ranking police official.
Chief Kim Gyeonggeun...? Why is he...??
As Taeseok looked through the other photos, he found countless images of other high-ranking police officers and prosecutors accepting bribes or sexual favors.
So that's why he told me not to hand it over. Then where am I supposed to send this...?
After much agonizing, Taeseok made up his mind about what to do with the USB.
Right. I'll send it straight to the press. That seems like the best option. But just in case, I'll make a backup.
He copied all the files from the USB onto a folder on his laptop.
A few days later, Taeseok stood in front of a convenience store. He kept glancing around as if waiting for someone. Soon, a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties approached him.
"Excuse me, are you Detective Min Taeseok?"
The man greeted him politely and handed over a business card.
"I'm Ki Sangjun, a reporter for the Hanmin Ilbo."
"Yes, I'm Min Taeseok."
Taeseok spoke carefully.
"Shall we move somewhere more private to talk?"
"Of course."
The two men moved to a nearby café. Once they were seated, Sangjun asked,
"Is the information you provided true? That the police and prosecutors have been turning a blind eye to arms trafficking between gangsters and the Russian mafia in exchange for bribes?"
Taeseok handed him the USB.
"Everything is documented here."
Sangjun took the USB and asked cautiously,
"Are you really okay with us reporting this as-is? What if... what if something bad happens to you? What if they suddenly frame you for something? Aren't you worried about the consequences?"
"If I were afraid of consequences, I never would have become a police officer in the first place. Isn't it our duty as officers to prevent harm to citizens?"
Taeseok let out a heavy sigh, his face filled with shame and anger at the filthy reality that the very institution he served had colluded with violent criminal organizations.
"If guns that threaten the safety of citizens are being openly traded among gangsters, and the police and prosecutors who are supposed to stop it are accepting bribes and looking the other way... that's just wrong."
Sangjun stared at Taeseok with a complicated expression. Then his phone rang.
"Excuse me for a moment. I need to take this call."
"Go ahead."
Sangjun stood up and headed to the restroom to answer the phone.
"Yes, this is Ki Sangjun."
"Reporter Ki. Are you meeting with that detective right now?"
The caller was Kim Gyeonggeun, Chief of the International Crime Investigation Division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
Sangjun answered with visible tension in his voice.
"Yes, I'm with him now."
"What about the USB? Did you get it?"
"......Yes. I just received it."
Gyeonggeun chuckled, sounding pleased that things were going smoothly.
"Good. Then bring the USB to me later. If any word about this gets out... I'll assume you ran your mouth, Reporter Ki. Understood?"
"Yes... I understand."
"By the way, I hear your daughter is starting elementary school this year. Was it OO Elementary?"
Sangjun's voice trembled with fear as he pleaded,
"I won't say a single word about this, so please don't touch my family. I'm begging you."
"Of course. If you stay quiet, I'll make sure someone covers your daughter's tuition all the way through college. But... if you break your promise... you know what happens, right?"
"......Yes. I know."
"Then I'll see you later, Reporter Ki."
Gyeonggeun hung up. Sangjun let out a deep sigh and left the restroom. He sat back down across from Taeseok, who told him,
"Please make sure this gets reported properly."
"......Of course."
Despite his words, Sangjun's expression was far from bright. Perhaps it was the guilt of deceiving a righteous officer who was willing to risk everything to expose corruption at the highest levels.
Completely unaware of how badly things had gone wrong, Taeseok said his goodbyes to Sangjun and was leaving the café when his phone rang. It was Jaehyuk.
"Hey, kiddo. What's up?"
"Just wondering when your next days off are, hyung."
"Me? The 10th, 11th, and 12th. Why?"
The 11th...
Jaehyuk, sitting on the bed in his room, recalled how Taeseok had been killed in the original timeline—struck by a drunk driver, or more precisely, a dump truck driven by someone hired by the Gangryonghoe.
If my prediction is right, they'll make their move on the 11th to kill Taeseok-hyung. If he rides public transportation with me and Dahyun and sticks to crowded places... they won't be able to stage an accident and kill him.
Jaehyuk was certain that if Taeseok used public transit frequently, even the Gangryonghoe and their corrupt police allies wouldn't risk killing him in a way that would cause major harm to other innocent citizens on the bus or subway.
"Then how about we meet up on the 11th? You, me, and Dahyun. Don't drive your own car."
"Huh? Don't bring my car? Why?"
"Well... after we drop Dahyun off, maybe we can grab some drinks nearby. You said you wanted to drink with me, right?"
"Yeah, I did say that. Alright, let's meet on the 11th then?"
"Sounds good. See you on the 11th."
"Got it."
Taeseok hung up. Jaehyuk stared at his now-dark phone screen with a worried expression.
Please... let nothing happen...