Lee Jaehyun headed to the Security Room with Kim Junho.
Knock, knock.
As they knocked on the door, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the Security Team Leader stepped out from inside.
He looked Lee Jaehyun and Kim Junho up and down before opening his mouth.
“Who are you? You can’t come in here without permission.”
Was it because they were in plain clothes that he mistook them for civilians?
He frowned as he spoke.
Rather than bother with a lengthy explanation, Lee Jaehyun pulled out his wallet and presented his ID.
“We’re Police Officers. We’d like to check the CCTV footage.”
“Police Officers? What brings the police here…”
The Security Team Leader mumbled in a small voice after checking their police IDs.
Then, with his brow furrowed, he blocked the doorway and spoke up.
This time, instead of mumbling, he spoke firmly with a hard tone.
“Did you bring a Warrant? By what right are you trying to check the CCTV…”
“Ah, sir, you seem a bit agitated.”
Kim Junho gently raised his hand and cut him off.
The Security Team Leader froze for a moment as his words were interrupted.
Kim Junho shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the Security Team Leader.
“We’re not here to cause trouble for the Hospital. …We just need to check on one Nurse.”
“No way. If you want to come in, bring a Warrant.”
The Security Team Leader shook his head, making it clear he wouldn’t allow it.
As Kim Junho hesitated, unsure how to proceed, Lee Jaehyun interjected.
“Do you really want us to bring a Warrant?”
“So you were just going to check the CCTV without a Warrant?”
The Security Team Leader replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In response, Lee Jaehyun took a half-step forward and continued in a low voice.
“The Warrant will come out in a few days anyway. But if we come back with a Warrant and conduct a formal Investigation throughout the Hospital… Can you handle that?”
The Security Team Leader, who had been fast and resolute just moments ago, now hesitated.
A formal Investigation, one that would thoroughly search the Hospital?
If things got that noisy and drawn out… he honestly might not be able to handle it.
Naturally, he couldn’t help but be conflicted. While he hesitated, Kim Junho quickly spoke up.
“Hey, we’re all just trying to do our jobs, right? It’s not like we’re targeting the Hospital—just need to check one Nurse. Once we confirm that, we’ll quietly leave.”
“You’re saying bring a Warrant, so there’s nothing else we can do.”
“Come on, sir, is there really no way? We don’t want to have to do this twice. But if you absolutely need it, I guess we’ll have no choice…”
“…Come in, then. But only check on that one Nurse.”
In the end, the Security Team Leader decided to let Lee Jaehyun and Kim Junho in.
As he opened the door, Kim Junho winked subtly at Lee Jaehyun.
Of course, Kim Junho had caught on that Lee Jaehyun had deliberately acted tough to create an opening.
Following the Security Team Leader inside, they saw a room where one wall was covered in panels.
Dozens of screens showed various scenes from the Hospital as captured by the CCTV cameras.
“Please wait a moment. I have to enter the password to access the CCTV footage.”
Han Seona’s route for obtaining the Nutrient Solution was actually quite obvious.
Where else but the Hospital?
Serhen said it was theft or fraud, but she could very well have committed both.
Normally, there are two ways for a Ringer Lady to get drugs.
One is by stealing Pharmaceutical Inventory from the Hospital, the other by colluding with a Supplier’s staff to obtain drugs.
Of those two, Lee Jaehyun believed Han Seona had stolen the drugs from within the Hospital.
“Of course, she could have gotten it from a Nutrient Solution Supplier staff, but… companies supplying to large Hospitals wouldn’t lobby a Nurse.”
Maybe if it were a private clinic.
A Supplier has nothing to gain by supplying drugs to a Nurse at a big Hospital rather than the Chief of Hospital, so it’s unlikely.
Kim Junho thought the same.
If a Nurse administered a Nutrient Solution illegally, it was most likely sourced from the Hospital.
With that in mind, Lee Jaehyun waited for the Security Team Leader to unlock the system.
“All set. It’s been a while since I’ve checked the CCTV, so it took me a bit to find the password.”
“No problem. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Lee Jaehyun approached the CCTV control panel.
After fiddling with the controls a few times, he more or less figured out how to use it.
He turned to the Security Team Leader and asked,
“When do you usually dispose of expired Pharmaceutical Inventory?”
“Pharmaceutical Disposal Day is twice a month. The second and fourth Fridays.”
“So last Friday was Pharmaceutical Disposal Day. Let’s start from that day.”
At the Security Team Leader’s answer, Lee Jaehyun manipulated the panel.
Beep, beep, beep.
He couldn’t check all the footage recorded here.
There was no need for that.
He only needed to start checking from the day the drugs were likely stolen.
Lee Jaehyun rewound the footage to three days ago, then looked at the screens on the wall and spoke.
“Which of these is the Drug Storage?”
“It’s over here.”
The Security Team Leader pointed to a screen installed in one corner of the wall.
Fixing his gaze on the screen the Team Leader indicated, Lee Jaehyun increased the playback speed.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
Exactly five times speed.
At this speed, ordinary people would struggle to follow any changes with their eyes.
“Can you really see anything like that…?”
“Shh.”
A Security Team Member started to speak to the Team Leader, but Kim Junho placed a finger to his lips to keep him quiet.
In the silent room, Lee Jaehyun focused both eyes on Screen 001.
Kim Junho and the security staff watched from behind.
Time passed slowly…
“There.”
Lee Jaehyun spoke and pressed the stop button.
Because of the slight delay between pressing the button and the actual footage stopping, the screen only showed an empty Drug Storage.
But when he rewound the footage a little, soon a person appeared in the Drug Storage.
“Huh? Isn’t that Nurse Han Seona? Why is she there…?”
Just then, one of the Security Team Members watching from behind muttered, tilting his head as he saw the face on Screen 007.
Lee Jaehyun turned his head toward that person and asked,
“Is there something odd?”
“Well…”
Trailing off, the Security Team Member glanced at the Team Leader.
He seemed unsure whether he should say what came to mind.
When Lee Jaehyun looked at the Security Team Leader, the Team Leader nodded.
With permission given, the Security Team Member spoke.
“There’s a Nurse assigned specifically to Pharmaceutical Disposal. Besides, Nurse Han Seona works in Sanbuingwa, so she shouldn’t have any reason to come here. It’s odd.”
“Okay, that’s enough.”
Lee Jaehyun glanced at the Security Team Member’s name badge and jotted down the name in his notebook.
Just in case he needed their cooperation during the next stage of the Investigation.
The Security Team Member, watching this, asked in a worried tone,
“Um, did Nurse Han Seona do something wrong? Judging by that footage… is it theft?”
Kim Junho pointed to the CCTV and replied lightly.
The Security Team Member scratched his cheek and spoke.
“Nurse Han isn’t the type to do something like that… She may not be from Pediatrics, but she really likes children and is a bright person.”
“Yes, thank you. We’ll keep that in mind.”
Contrary to his words about keeping it in mind, Kim Junho dismissed it without much thought.
There are two common things people say when someone around a criminal is investigated.
One: ‘I always knew he was trouble.’
The other: ‘I never would have guessed.’
Without exception, the ones labeled as ‘never that type of person’ sometimes end up committing crimes.
There is no absolute evil in the world.
Even the most heinous criminals, reviled by society, can be a good person to someone.
“Even that Myung Jin-han, before it was revealed he was a serial killer, was just the owner of a normal pet shop.”
It later turned out, he was especially kind to dogs.
Who could have predicted that such a person would be a serial killer?
In the end, saying ‘not that type of person’ is no different than saying, ‘My dog doesn’t bite.’
“So, what now? Are we going to arrest her?”
“Yes.”
Kim Junho approached Lee Jaehyun, whose brow was furrowed, and asked.
Lee Jaehyun nodded without hesitation.
They had secured at least minimal Evidence.
Now, it was time to catch the culprits.
***
Lee Jaehyun and Kim Junho headed to Sanbuingwa to find Han Seona.
She seemed startled to see Lee Jaehyun, her eyes going wide.
“You’re…”
“Ms. Han Seona. Do you have a moment?”
He asked Han Seona gently.
Of course, even if she didn’t, she’d have to make time.
If she resisted, he was ready to force her if necessary.
But… her reaction was odd.
“Hah, I thought it was strange when I ran into you at the Senior Citizens’ Center last time. Did I really leave such an impression? Is this stalking…?”
Han Seona blurted out something strange, clearly misunderstanding the situation.
Before she could get any more worked up, Lee Jaehyun presented his ID.
“We’re Police Officers. Please come with us for a moment.”
Han Seona’s eyes grew even wider as she looked back and forth between Lee Jaehyun and the police badge.
“You’re… Police…?”
“Yes. Please accompany us to the station for a bit.”
Unable to hide her flustered expression, she asked in a trembling voice.
Lee Jaehyun calmly put his wallet back in his coat.
“Wait a second. What happens if I refuse? No, I haven’t done anything wrong, so why… And is it really okay to just barge into someone’s workplace like this?”
When she saw the jingling handcuffs in his hand, Han Seona’s eyes quivered and she began to babble incoherently.
A textbook reaction of small-time criminals when caught off guard.
Clack, clack!
Lee Jaehyun snapped his fingers in front of her panicked eyes and spoke.
“Ms. Han Seona. Please calm down. We’re just taking you in for questioning, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Questioning…?”
“Yes. You’ve seen Reference Investigations on dramas, right? Just think of it like that.”
“Ah… Okay.”
He flashed a gentle smile to reassure her.
She seemed a little relieved, exhaled a shaky breath, and nodded.
It wasn’t a lie.
Once the charge of Illegal Medical Practice was handled, a Reference Investigation into Park Chunbeom’s Murder would follow.
Reference Investigations like you see on dramas?
Naturally, experiencing it yourself is different from just watching.
With that, Lee Jaehyun and Kim Junho escorted Han Seona back to the Capital Region Police Station.
***
Kim Junho looked at Lee Jaehyun, who had convinced Han Seona, with a look of wonder.
“Seriously, what’s up with him?”
He handled the suspect far too skillfully.
Honestly, when Lee Jaehyun first brought up the Ringer Lady case, Kim Junho hadn’t trusted him.
He’d chased his goal of becoming a Police Officer and finally made it.
As a Police Officer, his pride was sky-high.
But reality, as a freshly commissioned Sergeant, was full of disappointment, quite different from the police life he’d imagined.
Yet in the midst of this, Lee Jaehyun had caught a serial killer, restoring the pride and sense of justice that had been fading since starting as a Sergeant.
When he heard about the Ringer Lady, he thought Lee Jaehyun was blinded by the urge to catch another criminal and was taking unnecessary risks.
“Maybe Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin had assigned me to keep the rookie in check.”
To rein him in if he crossed the line.
It was probably also why Team Leader Oh let Lee Jaehyun off the leash this time—to let reality hit him hard.
But when he saw things unfold, reality was a bit different than expected.
Talking to the elders at the Senior Citizens’ Center proved Lee Jaehyun right.
Seeing how quickly he moved and got into the case, he reminded Kim Junho of Detective Park.
Requesting voluntary cooperation, handling things calmly without provoking the suspect, guiding the situation as he wanted—all skillful points.
The only concern was,
“He’s a bit too reckless, isn’t he?”
If only he’d be a bit more cautious.
It felt like he always decided the conclusion first and moved toward it.
A common mistake among young, passionate investigators.
Even so, one thing was undeniable: he was a promising seed.
A seed that could grow into a Detective.
At this rate, he’d probably transfer to the Detective Division soon.
“If he keeps this up, he won’t even need to apply—they’ll just pull him in from the other side.”
That’s how it usually goes.
Outstanding Police Officers are headhunted by the perpetually understaffed Detective Division.
But it’s not easy to actually be scouted without showing real talent.
The surprising thing is, that now seemed entirely possible.
“By the way, he said he had a bad feeling earlier… Is something more going to come up?”
At this point, Kim Junho had to rethink Lee Jaehyun’s earlier comment about his bad feeling.
Would this end as just Illegal Medical Practice, or would something else come out of it?
He didn’t know what it might be.
But if some even bigger crime were uncovered and Lee Jaehyun solved that too…
At the very least, he’d definitely draw a lot of attention among the Police Officers.