Tak.
Lee Jaehyun closed the door and got into the driver’s seat.
Park Daehyung took out two jackets from the patrol car’s trunk, handed one to Lee Jaehyun, put the other on himself, and spoke up.
“Let’s head toward Tanyang Intersection.”
“Yes.”
Lee Jaehyun immediately understood why Park Daehyung handed him a jacket.
Just wearing a jacket over his clothes could hide that he was a police officer.
Looks like there’s something we have to do without openly revealing we’re police.
After putting on the jacket, Lee Jaehyun immediately started the car.
It was only after the car began to move that Park Daehyung started explaining.
“It doesn’t look like the child’s mother was the one who hurt her.”
“Then…”
“After A-young Kim’s husband disappeared, she met a man named Goo Hyunseok, but that guy turned out to be a loan shark.
Yeah. She borrowed money from him.”
At Park Daehyung’s words, Lee Jaehyun frowned, unable to reply.
The husband was wanted for fraud and was on the run, but during all that she started dating another man.
And of all people, her new boyfriend was a loan shark, and she borrowed money from him?
“That’s tangled, really tangled up.”
Dating another man while still married…
People might judge, but even if it’s not legally wrong, as a person, some part of it made sense.
If her husband was just an ordinary man, it’d be different. But he was a fraudster on the run.
And he’s been gone for three years, so the divorce wouldn’t go smoothly either. In A-young Kim’s position, she must’ve needed someone to lean on.
Especially since she wasn’t alone—she had a child with her too.
Her kid is six now, so three years ago, the child would’ve been three.
Lee Jaehyun couldn’t perfectly understand how hard it must be to raise a young child alone, but he could imagine.
He sighed softly and glanced at Park Daehyung.
“So, the husband’s a fraud, and the ex-boyfriend is a loan shark, right?”
“Yeah. Talk about rotten luck.”
When people say they’re attracted to bad men, this probably isn’t what they mean.
Lee Jaehyun swallowed another sigh that was about to slip out, and continued.
“Then… are you saying that loan shark bastard came looking for her and hit the kid?”
“Yeah. At first, it seemed like he came to see A-young Kim to demand payment, but A-young Kim put the child to bed and stepped out for a moment.”
When they checked the scene, there was no sign that the door had been forced open.
If the door had been forced, there’d be obvious traces, and it would’ve been discovered right away.
But it didn’t seem like he waited in front of the door in the dark either.
When Lee Jaehyun pointed that out, Park Daehyung clicked his tongue and replied.
“The secret code was the daughter’s birthday. He already knew it, apparently.”
“Huh…”
Sharing your secret code with a loan shark—she really did one of the most dangerous things possible.
Park Daehyung shook his head in frustration and kept explaining.
“Then A-young Kim came back. The child was already crying and making a scene. Maybe that annoyed the loan shark, so he started swearing at the kid.”
“They fought, things got physical, the loan shark hit A-young Kim a few times, and hit the child again…
Looks like, in the chaos, the child lost consciousness.”
Once the child passed out, the loan shark must’ve panicked and ran away.
Afterwards, A-young Kim hurried to the Capital Region Police Station.
Now that the situation was somewhat clear, Lee Jaehyun couldn’t help but have questions.
Then why did A-young Kim say that she killed her daughter?
“So why did A-young Kim say she killed her daughter?”
“She blames herself. She keeps saying it’s all her fault… Anyway, we need to catch that loan shark bastard and check.”
Whatever it is, you can’t just trust one side’s story.
Even if it’s unlikely, there’s still a chance that A-young Kim tried to kill her own daughter.
Like Park Daehyung said, they’d have to catch the loan shark and see if the stories match and if there’s any evidence.
Of course, since the CCTV footage and A-young Kim’s witness statement matched up, it was natural for Lee Jaehyun and Park Daehyung to lean to one side.
“I don’t know exactly where those bastards’ office is, but they always met near Tanmyung at the Tanyang Intersection. It’s probably nearby.”
“We’ll have to go search.”
A loan shark’s office, especially one run by guys who use violence so openly, isn’t likely to be just sitting around in plain sight, so they’d have to search thoroughly.
They can’t hide forever.
Lee Jaehyun pressed his foot on the accelerator.
Vroom.
The car surged forward with power.
***
Since the jurisdiction wasn’t that big, Lee Jaehyun was able to reach the Tanyang Intersection area quickly.
“I’ll check this way, so you circle around the other side and let’s meet up.”
“Okay, understood.”
At Park Daehyung’s words, Lee Jaehyun answered simply and turned to leave.
It was routine work for them to search from both sides and close in; they were used to it.
But maybe Park Daehyung was worried.
He called out after only a few steps.
“Hey, Rookie.”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
Hearing himself called, Lee Jaehyun stopped and turned to Park Daehyung.
Park Daehyung looked into Lee Jaehyun’s eyes for a moment, then spoke.
“Living like a proper police officer is good, but don’t go running in alone or anything like that. If you find them, don’t make a move—call me. We don’t know how many there are.”
Listening to Park Daehyung, Lee Jaehyun immediately understood what was worrying him.
The easiest mistake a rookie could make was getting ‘excited.’
Acting alone out of excitement could get you hurt, and detectives handling serious crimes could really die that way.
Lee Jaehyun knew that well, so he had always intended to stick with his partner, Park Daehyung.
But in Park Daehyung’s eyes, even though Lee Jaehyun had recently caught two murderers, he was still an inexperienced police officer.
Sometimes he even forgot that Lee Jaehyun was just a patrolman because of how he acted, but at times like this, you never know what could happen.
Sensing Park Daehyung’s worry, Lee Jaehyun reassured him.
“Being with my partner is the most police-like thing to do, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s right. That’s what being a real police officer is.”
Park Daehyung emphasized in a firm voice, then turned away.
Lee Jaehyun also started walking, scanning the nearby shops.
Someone might wonder if there’s any point to just looking around like this, but sometimes even a simple scan would reveal clues.
People with tattoos smoking together, for example—those are all hints.
But today, just wandering around didn’t seem like it would work.
After making a full round and meeting up with Park Daehyung again, both had come up empty-handed.
“Looks like until we get a lead on these bastards, all we can do is wander around for now?”
Park Daehyung clicked his tongue and said.
It wasn’t just Lee Jaehyun and Park Daehyung having a tough time.
At the Capital Region Police Station, Min Ji-hye was probably still trying to communicate with A-young Kim.
Kim Junho and Oh Cheol-jin, the Team Leader, would be out gathering information on the loan shark’s exact identity and location.
Hearing Park Daehyung’s words, Lee Jaehyun thought for a moment, then bent down.
“What are you doing?”
Park Daehyung asked in a puzzled tone as Lee Jaehyun suddenly bent down.
Lee Jaehyun simply reached out and picked up a business card lying on the ground.
One of those payday loan cards you see everywhere.
[We Lend Money.]
“How about we try calling this number?”
Lee Jaehyun showed the card as he suggested.
Park Daehyung let out a small laugh.
“Yeah, well. Not a bad idea, I guess…”
As soon as he said that, Lee Jaehyun dialed the number on the business card.
He couldn’t know for sure if this was the place they were looking for.
But you never know unless you try.
That was Lee Jaehyun’s mindset as he called the number.
After only a short ring, someone picked up.
— Hello?
A man’s voice.
Lee Jaehyun replied calmly.
“Ah, hello. Sir.”
He pretended to stutter slightly, greeting him in a cautious manner.
He even called him ‘sir.’
Park Daehyung, hearing Lee Jaehyun’s sudden change in tone and speech, looked at him in disbelief.
— Ah, yes, hello. Who is this?
“Um… I saw you lend money and wanted to ask.”
Lee Jaehyun continued acting, ignoring Park Daehyung’s expression.
The man’s voice instantly changed.
— Oh, you’re a customer! Yes, yes, how can I help you?
“I urgently need a large sum of money. How much can I borrow?”
He’d never borrowed money in his life, but that didn’t mean he was clueless about how loan sharks worked.
He’d already dealt with loan sharks several times before.
If he acted like a clueless police officer, they might get scared and run away.
— So you need a large sum, huh? Well, regardless of the reason, the minimum is five hundred.
“Five hundred…?”
He let his voice trail off.
As if it wasn’t enough, hoping the guy would take the bait.
And as expected, the man took the bait.
Of course.
Loan sharks never do anything at a loss. If they figure you need more than five hundred, they’ll dig up everything about your credit and background and lend you as much as they possibly can.
— Not enough?
“Ah, yes. I need a little more. Is there any way…?”
Lee Jaehyun asked in a pleading tone.
The man paused as if thinking, then spoke again.
— Do you have a job right now?
“Yes, yes.”
— Registered for social insurance?
“Yes, I am.”
— Any bank loans?
A little. I have some.
It would be ridiculous to say none.
Who would use loan sharks if they had no bank loans?
If you don’t have any, just go to a bank.
— Hmm… If we do some counseling, up to ten million won might be possible… Of course, since we also have to make a living, I can only give you an exact amount after a face-to-face counseling session.
“Um… Would it be possible to visit your office? I’m near Tanyang right now…”
Lee Jaehyun cast the bait.
If their office was in Tanmyung, the odds were high.
Maybe it was asking too much to expect to hit the jackpot at once, but it’s not like you need a conscience to catch criminals.
He waited quietly for the man’s answer, and soon the man replied brightly.
— Oh, we’re in Tanmyung too. Fifth floor of the building with the Tanyang Intersection No. 5 Convenience Store.
Lee Jaehyun looked around and quickly spotted the No. 6 Convenience Store, then raised the corners of his mouth.
Found you, bastard.
“I’ll be there soon, sir. Is there anything I need to bring?”
He didn’t drop the act until the end.
The man replied with a reassuring laugh.
— Just bring your badge. That’s all, sir.
“I’ll be there soon.”
And he really would—so wait right there.
Thinking this, Lee Jaehyun hung up the phone.