Don't Forget the Present.
Detectives. They aren't the kind of guys who get tossed into murder cases like the ones you see in comics or anime.
In reality, their main work involves behind-the-scenes investigations and gathering information. Park Dohyeon was one of them. He had served as a police officer in his younger days, but after an accident he retired and took up this line of work.
“No, ma’am. What am I supposed to do if you don’t pay the promised fee? I already snapped photos of the hotel and caught the two of you kissing.”
He snarled into the phone, voice rough with anger.
“You promised to pay the retainer! That’s how you fight with clients who think they’re special.”
“If that’s not enough, I’ll tell her husband everything—starting with the fact that you broke your promise first!”
Park Dohyeon ran a hand over his uneven beard and hung up.
Then another call came in.
“Yeah, Seongrak? How’s the China route going? Send a few ethnic-Chinese guys. They’re impatient. The detective agency is a joke. If you take good care of them, they’ll run off. What? Looking for me?”
From his ethnic-Chinese collaborator came a suspicious story.
Recently, the rumor had spread in the industry that anyone who could handle China was in high demand.
“I knew some ethnic-Chinese and Chinese guys back when I was on the force, so of course I’m still in touch with Seongrak. Anyway, since I introduced you, I want three percent. You better know who the client is!”
After giving that warning, the collaborator hung up.
Park Dohyeon stared at the phone in disbelief.
“That was sudden… but since it’s a client…”
He glanced at the family photo on the old wooden desk.
Because he had to support his family, he had revived his old police connections and taken up this work.
That’s right. If this old man needs money, I’ll do anything dangerous.
He had gone undercover at every kind of scene while running a detective agency, especially using his strong ties with ethnic-Chinese and Chinese networks to handle their jobs as well.
But like any business, there were times when the cold wind blew in.
Just when things were going well, jobs suddenly dried up and he was left with nothing but idle manpower.
Damn it. I need money.
His phone kept buzzing with messages from his subordinates.
The dozens of KakaoTalks all said the same thing.
“Money. Money. Money. Damn it!”
He slammed the desk hard.
His underlings were shouting for money.
Since there’s no work right now, I’m cutting their salaries. Annoying.
His finances were tight these days, so he had to take any client who came his way.
Is there a job involving China? It can’t be a murder request or something like that.
Park Dohyeon shuddered at the dangerous thought. Even as a former cop, he still had his pride.
But because he needed money, he decided to hear the details first.
A little later, a knock sounded on the door of his cluttered office.
“Come in.”
Park Dohyeon stood up to greet his new client, and he sensed something unusual in the air.
…There’s a vibe here.
The man wore a simple jacket and slacks—business casual for a meeting.
But the old detective’s instincts told him the client was far from weak or fragile. He had sized up the eyes and posture in an instant.
“Hello. I heard you’re reliable and came to ask for help.”
He gave a light greeting and sat down casually.
This is the first time I’ve used a detective agency, yet he sits down without hesitation. He’s the type who’s ready to talk business right away.
Typical clients who come for help usually have a firm request in mind.
His veteran instincts told him this was a good client, so he went straight to the point.
“Would you like some tea? What would you like?”
“Anything is fine. I heard you’re good at your work.”
It was a subtle probe. The words weren’t asking about his reputation directly, but rather, If you’re really that good, you can handle difficult jobs, right?
He caught the meaning immediately, like an experienced detective.
“I see. I have connections in China too, and I still have police ties. It seems like a fairly big job.”
He also tested the waters and watched the client’s reaction. Soon the client’s mouth moved in the direction he wanted.
“Of course it is. That’s why I need someone reliable and capable.”
“Oh ho.”
The man’s reaction was exactly what Park Dohyeon needed right now—someone desperate for money.
“Could you tell me more specifically what the job is?”
He poured the client a cup of tea and hid his excitement.
Now he wondered what kind of big client this was.
“In short, there’s a pharmaceutical company in Wuhan, China. I need you to bring me information about their new drug.”
“Wuhan? What are they making over there?”
The client’s words stirred painful memories of the coronavirus. In fact, the large-scale epidemic had been the one who ruined his finances.
“I don’t know the details. The important thing is that I need the information. That’s why I’ve been looking for someone with connections in China. And you recommended this agency.”
“You came straight here. You must have gone through a lot.”
“At first I asked other agencies and looked for connections like finding sweet potatoes, but it took about two days. You were saying it was easy earlier, weren’t you?”
The client held up his thumb and index finger to show money, and Park Dohyeon smiled with satisfaction.
This is definitely a client with money.
He realized this client was someone he could make a lot of money from, so he knew he had to take the job no matter what.
“So you want information on the Wuhan pharmaceutical company? If I have to seduce the employees with money, that could be a problem.”
“That’s why I’m asking you to take this job.”
“Honestly, as a former cop I don’t usually recommend this, but if it involves some illegal stuff, the cost will be high.”
In fact, Park Dohyeon felt no unease about stealing the information.
He was simply negotiating in advance that the client would pay a lot.
“How about it? To gather information, I’ll need to stay there for a while and provide ongoing support…”
“Money is not a problem. Whether I grill the pharmaceutical company employees or whatever, the important thing is to bring back the information. How much do you think the cost will be?”
“At least one hundred million won. I don’t know when the information will come in, so I’ll have to entertain them while staying there.”
One hundred million. That was a huge amount. Think about how much a murder contract used to go for. Even though providing information was relatively easier, he was asking for one hundred million.
Park Dohyeon saw the client’s calm expression.
How much money is this person? He’s not even blinking.
He realized this was a big client.
“That’s sufficient.”
“But before I accept the job, I have one thing I want to confirm. Is there a reason you need to take the pharmaceutical company’s information?”
“I’ll just say it’s related to stocks.”
“Ah… right. Pharmaceutical companies’ stocks fluctuate a lot. There was a big commotion recently when some forces made a quick profit and then everything blew up.”
He pretended to agree, but his veteran instincts told him something was off. The client wasn’t really after stocks.
But I don’t need to ask. It’s not a murder request.
If it was just stealing confidential documents, that was enough.
“Then I’ll take half the retainer as an advance—fifty million won…”
“Wait a moment. Before that, I have one question.”
“Yes.”
“If you leak fake information and just take the money, what then?”
Park Dohyeon felt the good job he had been waiting for suddenly collapse.
“All I can say is to trust me. To check the materials I use in China, you’ll have to come and verify it yourself.”
“Right. That would be really troublesome.”
“Yes. If you really want to do that, it’s fine.”
The client turned his gaze to the TV inside the office.
“I don’t want to make it more troublesome. Instead, I’d like you to show me some credibility.”
“Credibility?”
“Yes. Let’s call it a practice problem. The pharmaceutical company thing can be done slowly. Could you turn on the TV?”
The TV turned on with the remote. A news channel appeared, and the client reached for the remote.
“Show me your skill. From now on, approach the celebrity I point out and deliver every move and detail to me. Got it? This is a rehearsal. If you plant someone inside, that would be even better.”
“This is an unexpected problem. The money is…”
“I’ll pay for that separately. I’ll give you three million as the advance. Approaching the celebrity and bringing back all that information is light work, right?”
“What’s the deadline?”
The client made a V sign.
“Two months. You cannot miss this deadline. You’ll need evidence photos too—photos of the information. Understand?”
“Haha, that’s exactly what detective agencies do. We find the hidden daughter, lovers, and even the walls of the target. Which celebrity is it?”
“Decide after watching the channel. Women are more interesting than men.”
The client moved the remote, and the TV channels kept changing until it stopped on the entertainment channel.
[Melonia’s Hyojin reaches number one with her solo track!]
[Melonia’s advertisements sell out completely! The next big girl group!]
At that moment, a special Melonia feature unfolded.
Information about a popular celebrity… Men would love this. Huh?
Park Dohyeon laughed as he openly showed his male instincts, but he sensed something strange in the client’s expression.
It wasn’t desire or envy for the popular celebrity.
It was pure killing intent.
It was a gaze that looked like he wanted to kill.
…I don’t get it.
But since he couldn’t let such a big client slip away, he accepted the job.
*
Even though I was only waiting for the survival bag, I couldn’t just sit still.
Lee Soyeon’s body sparkled before my eyes, but in the end my goal was to achieve revenge and fulfill my wish to help the predecessor who had helped me.
I couldn’t neglect any of it.
Five days after I returned, I finally succeeded in finding the China route.
By moving between detective agencies and providing information fees, I met them for three days. I finally found a capable place.
“As long as it’s not a scam.”
As a former detective and an information-providing request, they wouldn’t backstab me.
But this was a job involving hundreds of millions of won. They were saying I had to carefully obtain credibility.
And it was a win-win plan to bring Melonia’s Hyojin into my jurisdiction at the same time.
Why did I deliberately turn on the TV at the right time?
I had turned it on at the exact moment I knew a Melonia special would air.
China was sincere, but Melonia was the same.
Using the credibility check as an excuse, I pulled Melonia in too.
Of course I had to play with the future Melonia, but I had no reason to leave the present Melonia alone.
It would be even more fun. The future and past Melonia would thoroughly humiliate me.
The pleasure was exploding.
Good. With this emotion, shall I finally go hunting zombies?
Finally, after a week, the second entry had begun. Current time was 11 a.m. I would go in, deal with some zombies, come back to Soyeon, and gradually expand the range.
“But I have too much luggage.”
I turned my head and saw the food stacked in front of the door.
Rice, canned goods, and instant food—everything was full.
I deliberately brought only items with long expiration dates.
[Jin Dohyuk-ssi. I will visit on Friday this week for remodeling.]
“Two days… not enough time.”
Finally, I started the major renovation of my house and prepared thoroughly.
Finally, I opened the double-locked door with a lock and steel chain, and the zombie world waited for me.
“Let’s go!”
The outfit was similar to last time. But this time, there was a new weapon in the means of transportation.
An electric bicycle, specially modified with a spiked iron plate in front and folding blades on the rear wheel.
“…This is a real mess.”
Anyone could see it didn’t look like a normal bike and shouldn’t be ridden.
Because of this, the probability of problems while riding increased.
Of course, it was only in normal road conditions. But thinking about the zombies that could come out at any time, this was better here.
“Gazaa!”
With full resolve, the second journey finally began.