Chapter 75: The Bank Where Evil Sleeps

The next day, as soon as Lee Jaehyun arrived at the Capital Region Police Station, he went looking for Park Daehyung.

“Sergeant.”

“Yes, Senior Police Officer.”

Park Daehyung emphasized the word ‘Senior Police Officer’ as he replied.

Normally, Lee Jaehyun would’ve responded with a joke to such playful words, but today wasn’t like that.

“Would it be alright if I stepped out for a bit?”

“What is it? Another case?”

“…May I ask why you always connect me going out to some sort of case?”

As Park Daehyung’s face hardened and he asked, Lee Jaehyun replied with an awkward expression.

But then, Park Daehyung actually laughed out loud and began to speak.

“Hey, think about it. Every time you go out, you either bring back a case, start one, or get caught up in one… It’s always one of those three, so how could I not react this way? I’m sure the others feel the same.”

Lee Jaehyun started to say something in response but soon closed his mouth.

Thinking it over, it was exactly as Park Daehyung said.

Park Chunbeom, Park Yech’an—same with them. And this time was no different.

As Lee Jaehyun bit his lip and reflected on himself, Park Daehyung, as if to say “see what I mean,” snorted and continued.

“So, what is it this time?”

“I need to go to the bank.”

“The bank? Oh, I see. It’s just right next door, no need to make a big deal out of it.”

At the word ‘bank,’ Park Daehyung shrugged his shoulders as if disappointed.

He must’ve thought it wasn’t another case.

But seeing his shoulders droop lower than before, it seemed he was honestly disappointed that it wasn’t a case.

“Well, you have scored quite a few achievements lately.”

A Serial Killer, an Unsolved Case, and now even a child Kidnapper.

Honestly, with the sort of cases Lee Jaehyun was bringing up, it was only natural to have high expectations.

That’s probably why, after deciding it wasn’t a case, Park Daehyung’s shoulders seemed a bit more slumped than usual.

But when Lee Jaehyun spoke again, Park Daehyung’s reaction changed once more.

“I’m planning to go to the Daehan Bank at Tanyang Intersection.”

“So it is a case. What’s going on this time?”

Park Daehyung exhaled deeply and asked.

There’s a bank right near the Hansung Police Station.

To skip that and go all the way to Tanyang Intersection meant there must be some other reason.

Lee Jaehyun looked at Park Daehyung, who had caught the scent of a case, and began to speak.

“There’s this friend named Song Aram, who helped out with the Park Chunbeom case last time.”

“Oh, the student who had the evidence? The one who was being bullied?”

“Yes. There’s something I want to look into regarding that.”

“Didn’t we connect her to a Detective from Incheon Seobu Police Station? Has the Hakpok issue not been resolved yet?”

Park Daehyung frowned as he asked.

He must have thought the police over there weren’t doing their job.

Lee Jaehyun quickly opened his mouth to defend Police Officer Oh Seohyun.

“Yes, Police Officer Oh Seohyun did her best, but… the Hakpok perpetrators kept harassing Aram’s friend, saying that unless she withdrew the charges, they’d keep tormenting her.”

“What? Who the hell are these shameless punks. But what’s that got to do with the bank?”

“One of the perpetrators is the Branch Manager’s son.”

Lee Jaehyun laid out the information he knew.

Park Daehyung’s eyebrows twitched at that.

“So the Branch Manager is involved in this too?”

“I’m going to check that out.”

“Hmm… Alright, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

“No, I’ll come with you.”

Just as Lee Jaehyun bowed his head and was about to leave the Capital Region Police Station,

Park Daehyung spoke up, then immediately stood up and threw on his coat.

He looked like he couldn’t just sit still when something shady was going on.

Lee Jaehyun paused mid-step and looked back at Park Daehyung.

“What’s wrong?”

Without a word, Lee Jaehyun swept his gaze over the man.

A face intimidating enough to be mistaken for a gangster, a physique that could rival any mafia boss.

Bringing that kind of visual along to snoop around… Whatever he did, suspicion would surely follow.

“…Wouldn’t it be better if I went alone?”

“Alone? Why?”

“Well… I plan to go disguised as an ordinary customer and see what I can find out.”

“And?”

Park Daehyung tilted his head, as if he didn’t see the connection between going alone and going undercover.

Just as Lee Jaehyun was struggling for an explanation,

The one who helped him was Lieutenant Kim Seokhyun, who had been quietly watching their conversation from the side.

“Daehyung, look in the mirror. Do you really think you could pass for an ordinary customer?”

“What, what’s wrong with me?”

“Ha, maybe it’s because your whole face doesn’t even fit in the mirror? You really lack self-awareness.”

At those words, Park Daehyung turned to the mirror hanging in the station.

Soon, with a deep sigh, he waved his hand at Lee Jaehyun as if to say, “just go.”

With an awkward smile, Lee Jaehyun left the Capital Region Police Station.

***

After changing into plain clothes, Lee Jaehyun walked towards Tanyang Intersection while talking with Se-re-hen.

Naturally, their conversation centered on Park Hyunjin and her group.

“To keep going even after what happened with a Demon… They’re pretty impressive in their own twisted way. I really thought I’d scared them properly that time.”

Se-re-hen muttered, her voice sullen with annoyance.

Lee Jaehyun shrugged and responded.

“Well… There’s a reason they say some people are worse than Demons. So the Ghost the kids said they saw back then was you after all?”

“Yes. I honestly didn’t expect them to go out and commit more Evil Karma after that experience. At this rate, all the Akmadeul might lose their Qualification Certificate.”

“Demons have qualification certificates too…?”

“Of course. To make legitimate deals, having a certificate is a must.”

At Se-re-hen’s words, he couldn’t help but laugh.

These days, having a certificate was a given, but to think even Demons needed one…

While Lee Jaehyun was still caught up in the fresh shock of Demons and their certificates, Se-re-hen paused, then spoke up.

“How about scaring them again? It’s fun.”

“Pretending to be a Ghost is just a temporary fix; it won’t have any lasting effect.”

He shook his head as he spoke.

No matter how frightening the act, something so unrealistic wouldn’t solve the problem at its root.

No matter how much you scare them by pretending to be a Ghost, with time, they’ll just brush it off as a bad dream.

You could already see that from the current situation.

Lee Jaehyun’s eyes flashed sharply as he continued.

“If we want to stop them, we need to dig in properly and judge them for their crimes.”

He clenched and unclenched his fist as he spoke.

No matter how much they tried to silence others with money or build walls with status…

If every one of their crimes were exposed, it would all come crumbling down eventually.

“If I can get even a little revenge in the process and get a step closer to Hyunmin Group, all the better.”

With that in mind, the bank appeared before Lee Jaehyun’s eyes.

***

Lee Jaehyun entered the bank naturally, just as if he’d come for routine business.

He took a queue number and sat in the waiting area for a moment.

With a ping, the number on his ticket appeared on the display board.

“Customer number 261.”

Lee Jaehyun got up and walked to the counter.

“How can I help you?”

“I’d like to open an account.”

“An account, you say? Would you like a savings, installment savings, or a checking account?”

“A checking account.”

“Alright. We’ve just launched a new checking account product—if you look here…”

The Bank Employee smiled kindly and began explaining the various account products to him.

Lee Jaehyun half-listened to her explanation, and after signing where she indicated, he opened the account.

“That’s all for the account issuance. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yes, I have a question.”

Just as the transaction was wrapping up, Lee Jaehyun quietly asked.

“Yes, sir. What are you curious about?”

“How much do I have to deposit into an account here before the Branch Manager comes out?”

For a moment, the Bank Employee, who had been smiling the entire time, looked at him as if she couldn’t quite believe what she’d just heard.

Perhaps it was such an unexpected question.

She forced a businesslike smile and answered.

“Well, I’m not really sure. The Branch Manager is very busy, you see…”

“If I put in about 500 million won, would he come out and help me personally?”

“It’s not really a matter of the amount… If the Branch Manager is in, he’ll help any VIP customer personally, but he’s often out for external meetings. Would you like me to explain the criteria?”

Perhaps because she had a strong sense of professionalism,

Even when faced with a question that could only come across as the work of a troublemaker, she quickly regained her composure and answered politely.

‘There’s someone else who committed the crime, but only the innocent are suffering.’

As Lee Jaehyun was feeling apologetic inside,

“The Branch Manager has arrived.”

He heard the voice of a Cheongwon Police behind him.

Turning his head, Lee Jaehyun spotted a middle-aged man entering the bank while on his phone.

“Yes, of course. Don’t worry about that.”

Upon seeing him, Lee Jaehyun wondered if he should have brought Park Daehyung after all.

The Branch Manager’s build was in no way inferior to Park Daehyung’s.

The difference was, if Park Daehyung’s body was all solid muscle, the Branch Manager’s was wrapped entirely in fat.

If you stripped all the muscle from Park Daehyung and filled him up with fat instead, you’d get this.

Every time the Branch Manager spoke, his jowls, connected right up to his neck, wobbled.

“Please, come in.”

Even though it was already well into autumn, with chilly winds blowing, the man’s scalp still gleamed with sweat, reflecting the light.

“Ah, Dokdookkaebi’s here.”

Who had just muttered that?

It was definitely one of the bank staff.

Whoever it was, Lee Jaehyun silently agreed with the remark.

The Branch Manager looked exactly like a Dokdookkaebi.

Like a toad entering its own house, the Branch Manager brushed past Lee Jaehyun and disappeared into the office in the back.

He had just barely brushed past.

But—

That was more than enough.

“Ugh, I wouldn’t say I like that guy, but… There’s a lot of Evil Karma built up there.”

Se-re-hen had sniffed it out.

“…Why are you pinching your nose?”

“Ah, he smells like earth.”

Would Defamation apply to Demons when you state the truth?

Lee Jaehyun thought absently as he left the bank.

He had accomplished his goal for today’s visit, so it was time to return.

“Weren’t you going to catch that guy?”

“I need to watch him for a bit. I can’t arrest someone with no evidence.”

“Didn’t that man’s son use him to threaten someone? Isn’t that enough to arrest him?”

“It was Kim Seonwoo who made the threat, not the Branch Manager. There’s no guilt by association in Korea.”

At Se-re-hen’s persistent questioning, Lee Jaehyun shot a sidelong glance at the bank as he spoke.

It was true that Kim Seonwoo had used his father to threaten Song Aram, but there was no proof the man’s father was actually involved.

“The Branch Manager might have no idea about Kim Seonwoo’s evil deeds.”

Of course, Se-re-hen had confirmed there was a lot of Evil Karma clinging to the man.

But without knowing what crimes that Karma was related to, they couldn’t arbitrarily investigate the Branch Manager.

Lee Jaehyun pondered.

What kind of crimes might a bank Branch Manager commit?

“The easiest thing to suspect… is probably Hyeongryeong.”

News of bank Branch Managers committing embezzlement was something you heard every now and then.

That’s what Lee Jaehyun naturally thought, too.

But Se-re-hen shook her head.

“No, it’s a little different from that. There’s definitely stuff related to money, but… there’s a mix of other things too. But I’m not sure exactly what.”

It seemed there was something more.