Chapter 1: Mad Dog: Rebirth of a Detective

He couldn’t remember exactly when, but becoming a Police Officer was his goal.

He didn’t call it a dream.

Because, to be honest, it wasn’t something worthy of being called a “dream” in the first place.

He simply wanted to live as a stable Civil Servant, and what caught his eye happened to be the Police.

Maybe, seeing Police Officers blankly directing traffic just made them seem like an easy target.

He didn’t approach it with any special sense of vocation or mission.

Even so, Lee Jaehyun studied diligently for the Police Civil Service exam.

His grades weren’t bad, and he was athletic enough, so it wasn’t particularly difficult.

Fortunately, he passed the exam and became a Police Officer.

Feeling that he’d achieved everything, he began to live a complacent life.

Police “Civil Servant.”

The so-called “iron rice bowl” was no longer as true as it used to be, but even now, being a Civil Servant was a decent job.

The work of a Police Officer didn’t suit him so well as to call it a perfect fit, but it wasn’t so bad that he disliked it, either.

He just lived, more or less.

Day by day, adapting to police work, and living steadily.

The turning point in his life came just as he’d gotten used to his new assignment as a rookie Sergeant at the Capital Region Police Station.

At the time, all the Police Officers were on edge due to a Serial Murder Case that had occurred in their jurisdiction.

Back then, as a Sergeant, he too was a bit tense, caught up in the atmosphere, but deep down, he just hoped things would be resolved soon.

And then, his Father passed away.

His Father was a good man.

He took responsibility for the family, driving a taxi for ten hours every day to make a living.

That day, too, his Father was driving his taxi.

Lee Jaehyun had just recently passed the Police Civil Service exam and was a fresh Sergeant.

By pure coincidence, he ran into his Father, who was driving his taxi, while out on a drunk driving checkpoint.

Since his Father had a passenger, they couldn’t talk for long.

His usually playful Father gave him a salute as a joke, and Lee Jaehyun returned the salute with a smile. That was it.

“I’ll see you at home later.”

“Yes.”

He didn’t know then.

That simple phrase, “see you at home.”

Would become a promise that could never be kept.

If he had known.

He never would have let his Father go like that.

After losing his Father, Lee Jaehyun finished the midnight drunk driving checkpoint as usual and returned to the Capital Region Police Station.

It wasn’t hard to sense that something had happened, seeing how unusually noisy the station was.

Even in a tense atmosphere caused by the Serial Murder Case.

In truth, Lee Jaehyun didn’t take the Serial Murder Case too seriously.

A person dying was a tragic thing, but to him, it still felt like a story from another world.

It wasn’t like he had some profound sense of mission as a Police Officer.

Besides, cases like Serial Murder were for the Strong Crime Unit to handle anyway.

But then.

“Jaehyun, your Father…”

His Father had passed away.

The cause of death was excessive blood loss.

He was stabbed and left to die.

The culprit was the Serial Killer the Police had been looking for at the time.

After hearing that the culprit had been caught, Lee Jaehyun rushed to the scene, only to fall into utter despair.

Because Lee Jaehyun recognized the culprit’s face.

A man in a shabby outfit, hat pulled low, hugging a travel suitcase.

The killer was the very passenger sitting in the backseat when Lee Jaehyun last met his Father.

“If only I hadn’t let my Father go that day.”

That regret remained deeply in Lee Jaehyun’s heart and tormented him.

So Lee Jaehyun gave up his stable life.

He went wild—no, half-mad—catching criminals wherever he could find them.

In the process, he became a Detective.

And earned the nickname “Mad Dog.”

***

“Hey, Mad Dog!”

Lee Jaehyun frowned at the familiar voice calling him and turned around.

In the distance, a man who looked for all the world like a gangster boss grinned and waved.

Seeing him, Lee Jaehyun chuckled.

A welcome face.

He’d known him since he was just a Sergeant.

Park Daehyung, Inspector.

They didn’t see each other as often these days, but whenever they had time, they would sometimes meet for a drink.

“Ah, hyung. Mad Dog, seriously… Even you call me that?”

“What else should I call a Mad Dog when I see one?”

Inspector Park Daehyung laughed lightly and slapped Lee Jaehyun on the shoulder.

He’d earned the nickname Mad Dog, but there were few people who called him that to his face.

He considered pointing it out, but Park Daehyung seemed to genuinely like calling him Mad Dog.

In the end, Lee Jaehyun just smiled and shook his head in reply.

“Come on, I’m buying from the first round to the last today.”

“Wow, senior. I respect you!”

Lee Jaehyun immediately bowed and answered playfully.

The place they headed to was a typical pork belly restaurant.

“I said I’m buying, and you pick pork belly?”

“You know I love pork belly.”

Park Daehyung looked at the mountain of pork belly before him with a slight grumble.

Lee Jaehyun shrugged and answered lightly.

The difference in pay grade and rank was real.

But in the end, a Police Officer’s salary is a Police Officer’s salary.

Unless you were taking bribes, it was all pretty much the same.

And Park Daehyung, as far as Lee Jaehyun knew, would never take bribes.

Lee Jaehyun smiled as he put the pork belly on the grill.

Sssssss.

A mouthwatering sound sizzled softly.

Park Daehyung looked a bit regretful, but soon swallowed hard.

“Looks tasty after all.”

“Pork belly is always good.”

At Lee Jaehyun’s words, Park Daehyung nodded.

The meat cooked quickly, and they began their meal.

The two ate quietly for a while.

The silence was broken by Lee Jaehyun’s question.

“So, why did you call me out?”

“Do I need a reason to see you?”

“Last time you called me, you tossed a case my way. Even before that, it was the same.”

Lee Jaehyun narrowed his eyes and looked at Park Daehyung.

They could meet without any particular reason, but usually when Park Daehyung called Lee Jaehyun first, he brought some case, big or small.

At Lee Jaehyun’s words, Park Daehyung cleared his throat and rubbed the scar under his eye.

He’d gotten that scar trying to subdue a knife-wielding thug while working at the same station as Lee Jaehyun.

Not just any scar—he got it by pushing Lee Jaehyun aside when he was about to get stabbed.

Seeing Park Daehyung fiddling with his scar, Lee Jaehyun smiled.

“What’s with all the scar-fiddling? Something big?”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Come on, just tell me, hyung.”

Lee Jaehyun waved his hand, urging him on.

Park Daehyung clicked his tongue, then spoke with a somewhat embarrassed look.

“To be honest, I never thought I’d say this to you.”

“Yes?”

“I think it’s time you really eased up.”

At those words, Lee Jaehyun’s face hardened.

Time to ease up?

When is that “time to ease up,” exactly?

After a Victim is dead? After there’s a new Victim?

Lee Jaehyun suppressed his irritation.

Until now, Park Daehyung had told him to be careful, but rarely to “ease up.”

That was because they knew and trusted each other that much.

If he was saying it now, despite knowing Lee Jaehyun wouldn’t be swayed, there must be a reason.

Thinking so, Lee Jaehyun forced a smile and spoke.

“Hyung, where’s the ‘easing up’ when it comes to catching criminals? Of course you go after the bad guys.”

“Catching them is fine, but you beat them up.”

“All the guys I catch are murderers, rapists, or violent felons… They all deserve it.”

“Still, there’s a minimum line you have to keep. If you get called out for excessive force again, even I can’t cover for you.”

Park Daehyung let out a sigh.

Lee Jaehyun shrugged.

Excessive force?

There’s no such thing.

Every guy he caught was a violent criminal, and there’s no “excess” against those types.

How could you calmly and gently subdue a murderer?

Besides.

“Criminals don’t draw lines when they commit crimes, so why should the Police keep lines when catching them?”

“I know, I really do… Sigh, maybe I shouldn’t have said ‘ease up.’ But about your current case.”

Lee Jaehyun frowned as Park Daehyung brought up his case.

He immediately knew what Park Daehyung wanted to say.

The case Lee Jaehyun was focusing on was the Hyunmin Group Chairman’s Grandson, who, drunk and rampaging, killed someone.

There could only be one reason Park Daehyung was bringing this up so cautiously.

“At least let that one go.”

Just as he expected.

Park Daehyung lowered his head as he spoke.

His face was full of wrinkles.

He, more than anyone, was overflowing with the Police Officer’s sense of mission and pride.

Saying this to Lee Jaehyun was hard for even him.

“Hyung.”

“Jaehyun, with the Hyunmin Group case, you really have to ease up. This one’s dangerous. I looked into it, and every single person in Hyunmin Group isn’t normal.”

Lee Jaehyun called him.

Park Daehyung quickly continued.

It was clear he was genuinely worried.

Lee Jaehyun was grateful, but he couldn’t do as Park Daehyung said and “ease up.”

“Someone died. He was the father of a five-year-old kid.”

“You know as well as I do, ‘easing up’ doesn’t belong anywhere near scum like that, hyung.”

Lee Jaehyun stared Park Daehyung straight in the eye, his voice firm.

This wasn’t just some drunk and disorderly case—it was murder.

A case where a family’s breadwinner was killed.

And he was supposed to ease up?

No way.

Seeing Lee Jaehyun’s unshakable attitude, Park Daehyung let out a small sigh.

“I like how you go all out, no matter what. But… this time it’s really dangerous. Jaehyun, this is different from the cases you’ve handled before. If you mess up, you’ll be targeted by higher-ups, and I can’t shield you.”

Park Daehyung didn’t avert his eyes as he spoke.

So far, Lee Jaehyun had solved cases, and it wasn’t always smooth.

He’d tangled with upper management, and sometimes was accused of excessive force.

Park Daehyung was the one who always shielded him.

But now, even Park Daehyung was warning him.

That it was really dangerous.

Lee Jaehyun looked at his earnest gaze for a moment, then stuffed a piece of pork belly in his mouth and chewed.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever seen a Mad Dog ease up?”

At those words.

Park Daehyung opened his mouth as if at a loss, then mussed up his hair.

“Ha, damn it… I don’t know anymore. Yeah, it’d be weird if you eased up.”

“Exactly. There’s no ‘ease up’ here. Someone died.”

“Then just do it right. If you’re going to drag me into it, only go as far as I can cover. Beyond that, I really can’t help you.”

Lee Jaehyun laughed at Park Daehyung’s words.

He’d lost count of how many times he’d heard that line.

Even so, Park Daehyung always helped him avoid disciplinary action.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do it right.”

Lee Jaehyun, as if making a vow to himself, raised his glass.

That drinking session only ended the next day.

***

To make a long story short.

He struggled, but it was useless.

A chaebol wasn’t a chaebol for nothing.

Indeed, in modern society, money was absolute power.

No, it wasn’t just about money.

Their own cartel was already established.

After drinking with Park Daehyung.

Not two days later, a text arrived on Lee Jaehyun’s smartphone.

A photo of his Mother lying in a hospital bed.

His eyes turned upside down, and he was determined to put the Hyunmin Group Chairman’s Grandson behind bars, no matter what.

He asked Park Daehyung for help, too.

“Alright, I’ll look into it.”

That’s what Park Daehyung said, but a few days later, he was transferred to the provinces.

A truly absurd demotion.

And then, a few more days passed, and now Lee Jaehyun was dying in some unknown factory.

“Tsk, I told you to stop when you were warned. Why did you let things go this far? Our young master got really mad, you know.”

A long-haired man nudged Lee Jaehyun’s head with his foot as he spoke.

Four big guys stood next to him, and behind them, half a dozen more glared at Lee Jaehyun with grim faces.

“Cough.”

Lee Jaehyun coughed, spitting up blood.

“Stupid of me.”

He lost his mind after being threatened with his Mother and after Park Daehyung was demoted.

Normally, he would never have fallen for such a ridiculous trap.

He blamed himself, taking deep breaths to steady himself, scanning his surroundings.

He’d gone to the address provided, lured by the promise of an internal tip-off, only to be attacked by ten men.

He managed to take down six of them, but that was his limit.

In the end, he ended up tied to a chair, hands and feet bound.

“Hey, smile for the camera.”

As he wrinkled his nose at a strangely familiar smell, the long-haired man approached, shoving a smartphone camera in Lee Jaehyun’s face.

Cackling, the man snapped a photo, fiddled with his phone, and grinned widely.

“Okay, the payment’s confirmed. Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The thugs silently followed the long-haired man.

Lee Jaehyun blinked rapidly, trying to stay conscious as his vision blurred.

He gritted his teeth and inhaled deeply.

As his head cleared slightly, Lee Jaehyun stared at the back of the long-haired man and spoke.

“Hey, if I get out of here…”

“Ah, almost forgot. I need a smoke before I go.”

Before Lee Jaehyun could finish, the long-haired man interrupted with a playful voice and signaled to the burly guy beside him.

The thug took out a lighter and cigarette from his pocket and handed them over.

The long-haired man waved the cigarette at Lee Jaehyun and spoke.

“Want one?”

“…Sure.”

“Ah, too bad. Why would I share something this good? Never mind, I’ll just enjoy it myself.”

Ignoring Lee Jaehyun’s answer, the long-haired man lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

He exhaled the smoke and smirked.

“Ah, that’s the stuff.”

He hadn’t come for the cigarette in the first place, because, after saying that, he flicked the cigarette away without hesitation.

The cigarette flew through the air.

And landed with a peculiar sound next to Lee Jaehyun.

And then—

Whoosh!

Flames erupted in an instant.

It was only then he realized the source of the scent that had filled the place.

“It was gasoline, huh.”

Lee Jaehyun frowned as he watched the flames rapidly spreading across the gasoline.

It wouldn’t take long for the fire to reach him.

“Well then, have a good time.”

The long-haired man waved lightly and left the warehouse.

Lee Jaehyun stared at the man’s retreating figure, cursing under his breath.

The warehouse door closed.

The fire had already engulfed half the warehouse.

The heat was insane, but the smoke was even worse.

“If I’d known it’d end like this, maybe I should have listened to Daehyung-hyung.”

He thought that to himself.

But no.

That didn’t matter now, and Lee Jaehyun knew himself too well.

No matter how many times he repeated this, he’d probably make the same choice.

The heat grew even fiercer, and now even breathing was difficult.

He struggled to crawl away from the flames, but at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he was swallowed up.

“Damn it, seriously.”

Where did it all go wrong?

No, there was no need to ask.

His life fell apart after his Father’s death.

If only he had noticed something suspicious that day, if only he had caught the culprit, what would have happened?

If only he had saved his Father, what kind of life would he have lived?

It didn’t matter.

No matter how much he regretted it, it was something he could never set right.

Maybe, ever since that day when he went half-mad and began running wild.

This ending was set in stone from the start.

So, just as Lee Jaehyun was about to give up on everything and accept his end—

Tap, tap.

Footsteps in dress shoes—totally out of place for this abandoned warehouse—rang out.

And Lee Jaehyun, mouth agape, stared at the unbelievable scene unfolding before his eyes.