Yoon Minha, now a third-year reporter at Dongyeong Ilbo and recently promoted to senior, looked down at the disconnected call and smiled lightly.
They say even a school dog learns proverbs after three years.
Yoon Minha was a good deal smarter than a dog, and had spent three years covering incidents and accidents on the social affairs desk.
She could pick up on even the smallest rumors circulating inside the police station faster than anyone.
She dug into everything thoroughly.
To be honest, this wasn’t the kind of thing she’d normally be interested in.
Catching the serial killer Myung Jinhan?
That’s impressive, and certainly commendable.
But what if it wasn’t a Police Inspector, but just a mere Sergeant who caught him?
“From that point on, the story changes a bit.”
It’s different when a veteran gets an exclusive, versus an intern reporter landing one.
Especially when it’s about a serial killer.
If a ten-year detective had caught him, she would have thought, “Well, that figures,” and moved on, but a newly minted Sergeant catching a serial killer?
That’s something worth paying attention to.
She thought it was just a case of dumb luck, but as she dug deeper, a stranger rumor caught her ear.
Wasn’t it a mere Sergeant, and the same person at that, who discovered that a simple accident five years ago was actually a murder case?
From that point on, what was “something worth a little interest” became “something worth serious attention.”
A Sergeant who caught two murderers in one week—where do you ever see that?
She’d poked around relentlessly, managed to get a contact somehow, and even made a call.
“He’s pricklier than I thought.”
His response wasn’t like a typical Sergeant at all.
Is a Sergeant who catches two murderers in a week really that different?
One thing was certain: these rumors weren’t just rumors.
Whether he really did catch Myung Jinhan and Park Chunbeom, or if they were connected somehow, she didn’t know yet.
But judging by his reaction, there was definitely some connection.
‘Strangely… it felt like dealing with a ten-year detective.’
A regular Sergeant would never give off that impression.
Normally, a Sergeant gets tense and curious when they hear ‘reporter,’ but he didn’t show the slightest sign of caution when she revealed she was a reporter.
It wasn’t like he was being cautious because his seniors told him to beware of reporters, either.
He knew exactly why he had to be cautious, and walked that line perfectly.
Just a Sergeant?
“Absolutely not a normal Sergeant. Maybe he has connections in the police? Are his parents officers? Detectives? Someone in a high position?”
That would explain things.
If his parents were detectives, he might have learned a few things over their shoulders, and with a lot of luck, might even have caught a criminal.
If he’s the son of a high-ranking officer, that opens up another possibility.
“Handing over achievements.”
Start building up results as a Sergeant and roll out the red carpet for him. That might be the plan.
Of course, if that were the case, his rank would probably be higher, and the handed-over achievements would seem excessive and forced, but…
“That makes it even more plausible.”
Yoon Minha circled the name Lee Jaehyun written in her notebook as she muttered to herself.
It seemed more realistic than being a lucky rookie who caught two murderers in a week, though the odds were slim.
What was the truth?
While she was lost in thought, a young man approached her.
“What’s the possibility?”
The familiar voice made Yoon Minha furrow her brow.
A colleague who’d joined Dongyeong Ilbo the same year.
They were peers, but honestly, he was a bit of a nuisance to her.
With nothing better to do, he was always curious about whatever case Yoon Minha was digging into.
And somehow, he’d always get wind of a scoop or two and publish them at just the right time.
Minseok Han.
The son of Younghoon Han, a Commissioned Officer at Dongyeong Ilbo.
He was, so to speak, born to be a reporter.
“What’s this, Sergeant Lee Jaehyun…? Who’s that?”
Minseok Han glanced at the memo in Yoon Minha’s notebook and asked.
Yoon Minha closed her notebook with a click of her tongue.
She didn’t want to answer, but not responding would only make him more persistent.
“I heard he solved two notable cases recently. I can’t tell if he’s skilled, well-connected, or just lucky.”
“He solved two notable cases in a row, but he’s just a Sergeant. Then forget it. No matter how talented or lucky, a Sergeant can’t solve cases alone.”
Minseok Han spoke with conviction.
He shrugged his shoulders, and Yoon Minha could only stare at him in silence.
Here was someone right in front of her—someone who had no talent or connections, but kept stacking up good results because he had backing.
What more could she say when living proof was right before her eyes?
“Don’t bother poking around about someone with connections. No use for a story.”
With those words, Minseok Han turned away as if he’d done her a favor.
Since he was always the type to say his piece and leave, Yoon Minha simply looked down at the name Lee Jaehyun written in her notebook.
Maybe, just like Minseok Han said, he really did have some backing.
“But the feeling I got…!”
There was none of that air you get from someone with powerful connections.
If anything, he felt more like a detective who had jumped into the field dozens of times.
Which was the truth?
Yoon Minha couldn’t make up her mind right now.
But one thing was certain.
“It’s worth keeping an eye on.”
From now on, she’d keep a bit more interest.
***
After finishing the Reference Investigation with Sergeant Oh Seohyun, several more peaceful days passed.
Of course, that’s if you call dealing with drunks every day and cleaning up hours-old messes from intoxicated people “peaceful.”
In the midst of this, Lee Jaehyun was looking down at his notebook with a slightly subdued expression.
It was his Future Case Memo, where he tried to write down as many future cases as he could remember.
Right after his father’s death, life had been a blur, so he didn’t remember much.
But he did recall that next week, a Child Kidnapping Case would occur, so he’d jotted that down.
It was a case where an eight-year-old child was kidnapped, and he remembered struggling to catch the kidnapper.
In fact, it was from that point on that he began steeling his resolve and developed a sense of Revenge against criminals, so it stuck in his memory all the more.
“I have to prepare for it in advance.”
Back then, the case ended with the kidnapped child being killed.
He couldn’t let that happen again.
He had to find a way to prevent it.
Lost in these thoughts, Kim Junho suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, rookie.”
“Yes, Senior Police Officer Kim Junho.”
“What should we have for lunch?”
He’d been brooding over the Child Kidnapping Case, so the sudden lunch menu question caught him off guard.
He couldn’t respond right away, so Kim Junho peeked over at him and spoke again.
“By the way, what have you been looking at all this time?”
“Just a notebook where I jot down memos.”
Lee Jaehyun closed the notebook naturally as he replied.
Ever since returning to the past, he’d written down all the cases he could remember in as much detail as possible, and always carried the notebook with him.
Of course.
All the cases in this notebook would be future cases from the present standpoint.
If anyone else saw what was written in it, they’d definitely think it was strange… who knew what kind of misunderstanding could arise.
He had to be careful.
“Memos?”
“Yes, just things I need to remember.”
“Ah, that makes sense. You’re still a Sergeant, right? I almost forgot since you don’t seem like one. Still plenty to memorize at this stage.”
At Lee Jaehyun’s composed answer, Kim Junho gave an “Aha” and nodded.
Thinking there would still be plenty for a Sergeant to memorize.
That he thought so on his own was a relief for Lee Jaehyun.
“So, what do you want for lunch?”
“How about black bean noodles?”
“Classic, not bad. Okay, jjajangmyeon it is.”
Kim Junho nodded in response.
He’d just blurted it out, unable to think of anything else, but it seemed to fit Kim Junho’s taste.
Lee Jaehyun wasn’t picky about lunch, so it was just as well.
“I want jjamppong.”
Min Ji-hye, who’d been quietly staring at her monitor, spoke up.
She’d been so quiet that her emotionless voice caught Lee Jaehyun off guard, but he nodded in response.
“Yes, two jjajangmyeon, one jjamppong. Sergeant Park Daehyung, what would you like?”
“I’ll have jjajangmyeon too. I’ll pay for the sweet and sour pork, so order that as well.”
“Wow, as expected of you, sir!”
At Lee Jaehyun’s words, Park Daehyung flashed a grin.
Kim Junho reacted with delight to Park Daehyung’s offer to buy sweet and sour pork, sending a finger heart his way.
Park Daehyung just frowned and waved his hand.
Kim Junho wasn’t a normal person either, sending finger hearts so cheekily to Park Daehyung, who looked every inch a gangster boss.
The food arrived quickly.
Cops always ate quickly, since they never knew when a call would come in.
As soon as the food arrived, everyone gathered together and started setting up in a hurry.
Min Ji-hye spread newspaper on the table, Kim Junho and Park Daehyung quickly unwrapped everything.
Lee Jaehyun got the chopsticks ready for everyone.
“But come to think of it, isn’t it really lucky?”
Lee Jaehyun, just about to mix his jjajangmyeon with chopsticks, looked up as Kim Junho, who’d just taken a bite—unsure if he’d actually mixed the sauce in or just dunked the noodles—spoke up.
Park Daehyung paused mid-mix and responded.
Meanwhile, only Min Ji-hye kept her attention on the jjamppong in front of her, quietly sipping the soup and noodles, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
“What is?”
“I honestly thought you were a disaster magnet. You know how with Detective Minhwa, wherever he goes, a case is sure to pop up? I thought you were that type.”
“You thought?”
Park Daehyung’s face stiffened a little at Kim Junho’s words.
He calmly asked Kim Junho for clarification.
“Well, it’s been quiet for a week, so I guess that’s not the case after all. Lucky, right? Or maybe not? If you drag cases around with you, you rack up results, so maybe that wouldn’t be so bad after all.”
In the end, Senior Police Officer Kim Junho just shrugged as if it didn’t matter.
Everyone flinched a little at his words.
And at that, Park Daehyung let out a heavy sigh.
“Junho.”
“Yes, sir?”
“I haven’t eaten my jjajangmyeon yet.”
Park Daehyung pointed at the untouched jjajangmyeon in front of him with his chopsticks, and only then did Kim Junho realize the situation.
“You punk, seriously. Looks like it’s not Jaehyun who needs to memorize things, but you. Why are you saying things even the rookie wouldn’t dare say?”
One of the classic unwritten rules for cops.
Never say, “There aren’t any cases,” or “It’s been quiet.”
Kim Junho had unknowingly broken that cardinal rule, and gave an awkward smile.
“Well, it’s nothing. Let’s eat. Yeah.”
Kim Junho spoke quickly and gestured for them to dig in.
Lee Jaehyun nodded and mixed up his jjajangmyeon.
Just as he was about to take a bite—
Ding-a-ling.
A foreboding bell sounded.
And then—
“Excuse me…”
A trembling female voice, choked with fear, followed.