Chapter 23: The Village Chief in the Hot Seat

Lee Jaehyun watched as Park Chunbeom was led into the Investigation Room.

Naturally, Han Seona, whose questioning had already ended, had been moved elsewhere.

Now, it was his turn.

Park Chunbeom followed Park Daehyung into the Investigation Room, and Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin beckoned to him.

As he approached, Oh Cheol-jin pointed at the Investigation Room and spoke.

“Maknae, you should go in as an observer.”

“Me?”

Lee Jaehyun pointed at himself, surprised.

It was unexpected.

The incident had already been clarified.

It had grown too big for a Sergeant to handle alone.

That was why, instead of sending Lee Jaehyun to apprehend Park Chunbeom, Park Daehyung and Min Ji-hye were sent.

So he thought Park Daehyung and Min Ji-hye would be in charge of this investigation as well.

Oh Cheol-jin grinned, the corners of his mouth lifting as he continued.

“You started this. You should see it through to the end.”

“Understood.”

Lee Jaehyun nodded, a faint smile on his lips.

What Oh Cheol-jin had just said meant, since you started it, you should take full responsibility.

And—

It was also his way of making sure Jaehyun got due credit.

“No need to look after me like this.”

Even if they sent senior officers instead of leaving it to the Sergeant, since the case was too big for him alone—

To outsiders, it might look like they were trying to steal his achievement.

But Lee Jaehyun knew these people weren’t like that, so it didn’t matter. As long as Park Chunbeom was caught, he didn’t care who got the credit.

But Oh Cheol-jin wanted to give him the chance to see this through, even though he was just a Sergeant.

“Our youngest! Do your best!”

He laughed heartily, clapping Lee Jaehyun on the back.

Lee Jaehyun chuckled and made his way into the Investigation Room.

“If you spoon-feed me like this, I’ll get spoiled.”

He had just been thinking about how he might be able to directly interrogate that guy.

Lee Jaehyun was the only one in the Capital Region Police Station who knew that Park Chunbeom had committed murder.

“In the end, I have to do it. I’m the only one who can expose his crime.”

With that thought, Lee Jaehyun entered the Investigation Room, where Park Daehyung was waiting.

He took a seat next to Park Daehyung.

Park Chunbeom squinted, recognizing him, and spoke.

“Young man…?”

“We meet again, village head.”

“Haha, I see, so that’s how it is.”

Lee Jaehyun smiled as he greeted him.

Park Chunbeom let out a dry laugh and nodded.

Just from Lee Jaehyun’s appearance, he seemed to understand how things were unfolding.

“Well, shall we start the investigation?”

“Yes, let’s do that, Detective.”

Park Daehyung cut in at just the right moment.

Park Chunbeom smiled with ease and nodded.

Being called “Detective” seemed to throw Park Daehyung off for just an instant, but only someone familiar would have noticed.

He quickly composed himself and began the investigation.

“Han Seona’s illegal medical activities. It was you who introduced her to her clients, Mr. Park Chunbeom, correct?”

Park Daehyung got straight to the point.

He must have already explained everything necessary while bringing Park Chunbeom to the station.

At his question, Park Chunbeom nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. But, Detective, I didn’t know it was illegal.”

He answered without a hint of hesitation or awkwardness.

Watching him, Lee Jaehyun felt a sense of discomfort.

Most people shrink in front of the police during questioning.

But Park Chunbeom didn’t show any of that.

“Is he looking down on the police?”

Lee Jaehyun frowned slightly as he stared at Park Chunbeom.

The man slapped his own chest with the palm of his hand, as if wronged, and continued.

“She said she was a nurse, so I thought, ‘Ah, that must be fine,’ and since the elderly around here have a hard time getting to the hospital, I just recommended someone with good medicine to the neighbors.”

In the end, Park Chunbeom was saying that his actions were out of goodwill and that he was in an unfair position.

Everything else he said from then on was only to his own benefit.

There was no sign of guilt or remorse.

Park Daehyung smirked.

“So, while you were making those recommendations, you didn’t receive any compensation?”

“Sometimes I got some pocket money.”

“You received pocket money… How much did you get?”

“Just enough for a meal.”

At that answer, Park Daehyung’s eyes sparkled.

The moment he accepted money, he was already confirmed as an accomplice.

Above all, Park Daehyung would have already noticed if he was lying.

He was a sharp and insightful person.

Park Daehyung surely didn’t believe any of Park Chunbeom’s claims of innocence and ignorance.

With a piercing gaze, he pressed on with his questions.

“What’s the exact amount? Did you receive it every time you made an introduction, or was it per person? That’s important.”

“I didn’t keep track, just accepted a meal’s worth now and then.”

“…Did you receive compensation in cash?”

“Well, we weren’t even close as neighbors or anything. Really, just the occasional pocket money, that’s all, honestly.”

Park Chunbeom skillfully tried to dodge the questions, emphasizing that he wasn’t closely connected with Han Seona.

But from Lee Jaehyun’s perspective, knowing that Park Chunbeom was a murderer, it was simply pathetic.

While the investigation continued, Min Ji-hye came into the Investigation Room carrying some documents and placed them in front of Park Daehyung.

“These are the suspect’s personal details and records of related incidents. I’ve noted any special points at the very front.”

She spoke with her characteristically businesslike tone, then left the room.

Lee Jaehyun picked up the documents Min Ji-hye had left and checked them.

“This is…”

As he read through the Report, he frowned.

Among the documents was a record of an incident from five years ago.

It said that Park Chunbeom’s older brother died when their car fell into the sea while visiting Incheon, and that Park Chunbeom himself almost died.

As he read, Lee Jaehyun’s instincts whispered to him.

This is it.

There’s something in Incheon.

***

Lee Jaehyun quietly slipped out of the Investigation Room and went to find Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin.

Oh Cheol-jin, who was handling another matter, greeted him with a big smile.

“Oh, maknae. Are you done with the investigation already?”

“No, sir.”

Lee Jaehyun shook his head.

He’d come out in the middle of the investigation.

It would still take some time for Park Chunbeom’s questioning to finish.

But there was something he needed to deal with in the meantime, so he’d come out early.

“Is that so? Then what is it?”

“I need to go to Incheon for a bit.”

“Incheon? Why?”

“I think Park Chunbeom is hiding something in Incheon.”

Oh Cheol-jin tilted his head and asked.

Lee Jaehyun replied immediately.

The special note written in the investigation Report by Min Ji-hye—

He’d seen it, and his instincts rang alarm bells.

He sensed that Park Chunbeom’s evil deeds were related to that incident.

Hearing Lee Jaehyun suddenly say he had to go to Incheon, Oh Cheol-jin looked dumbfounded as he spoke.

“Heh, Incheon? Are you planning to tour the whole country now? Last time it was Daejeon, now it’s Incheon?”

“I’ll be back soon.”

At Lee Jaehyun’s words, Oh Cheol-jin frowned a little, looking troubled.

Daejeon was far, but Incheon was relatively close.

It wouldn’t take too long.

Of course, that depended on whether he could find a clue quickly.

“Well… just go and take care of it however you can.”

They couldn’t keep holding Park Chunbeom forever.

Before releasing him, they needed evidence that Park Chunbeom had committed murder.

For now, it was time to move.

He had a clear justification.

They’d already caught Han Seona, the Ringer Lady, and now her accomplice, Park Chunbeom.

If Park Chunbeom seemed to be hiding something in Incheon, there was no choice.

If asked for evidence, he’d just say he had a hunch.

But—

“Alright, go ahead.”

Perhaps because Han Seona and Park Chunbeom had already been caught and that fact was proven—

Oh Cheol-jin gave his permission without another word.

Lee Jaehyun saluted sharply.

“Thank you, Team Leader. Oh, and about Park Chunbeom…”

They mustn’t release Park Chunbeom until he returned.

There was a risk of escape.

He was about to say so, but Oh Cheol-jin nodded and spoke first.

“Don’t worry. He’s as good as confirmed as an accomplice. We’ll keep him well guarded. I don’t know why you’re going to Incheon, but good luck.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Lee Jaehyun turned and immediately departed for Incheon.

Left alone, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin shook his head as if in disbelief.

“Has he started liking solo missions lately…?”

Lee Jaehyun wasn’t originally this proactive.

He’d just tried to do his job diligently in his own way, so Oh Cheol-jin hadn’t needed to pay him much attention.

In any organization, the most important people are those who blend in quietly.

In that sense, Lee Jaehyun was the perfect example of someone who fit the phrase, “do just enough.”

No need to worry about him causing trouble.

But lately, something had changed.

He guessed it started with the Myung Jinhan case.

“Come to think of it, isn’t today the trial?”

Because public interest was so high, the Court had hurried the trial.

The evidence was so clear, there probably wasn’t much for the Lawyer or the Prosecutor to prepare.

“He practically handled everything by himself.”

The first and second crimes committed by Myung Jinhan had already been analyzed well from the start.

The third crime’s plan, its method, the evidence—Lee Jaehyun had neatly sorted it all and handed it over to the prosecution.

It started with Myung Jinhan, and now, after requesting to go out this morning, he’d caught a scammer.

As if that wasn’t enough, he’d even uncovered an accomplice.

The skill he’d shown in the process was far beyond what a Sergeant of just one month could display.

“I thought he was just excited after catching Myung Jinhan and going wild, but maybe it was real…”

Sometimes there are people like that.

Beginner’s luck, rookie Sergeants who hit the jackpot early in their careers.

They think it’s their own ability, get cocky, and start acting out—let that go unchecked, and they always cause trouble.

Oh Cheol-jin thought Lee Jaehyun was that type, so he sent Kim Junho along.

To give him a taste of reality.

But what had happened?

He really did catch the criminals.

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

If he’d only heard the stories, even Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin wouldn’t have believed them.

He let out a sigh, exhaling deeply, and kept his gaze on the retreating figure of Lee Jaehyun leaving the Capital Region Police Station.

What would he bring back this time?

It was never something you’d expect from a Sergeant.

And yet—

Why did that back seem so reliable?

“Even if he comes back empty-handed, at least he’s learning something from the effort.”

He tried not to get his hopes up, but—

For some reason, he couldn’t help but look forward to it.

The reason why… was something no one could know.