As soon as Lee Jaehyun and Min Ji-hye arrived at the Capital Region Police Station, the team members greeted them in the parking lot.
To be exact, they had come out to catch Jung Woo-min.
“Wow, seriously. That guy who kept running away for years got caught like this.”
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin muttered as he watched Jung Woo-min, handcuffed and escorted by Kim Junho, get off the patrol car.
It had been three years.
For someone to commit fraud and be on the run for three years in Korea, it meant this guy was more meticulous than expected.
Of course, after the first few months—at most a year—police interest inevitably fades.
Not because the police are incompetent or unwilling to work, but because that’s the harsh reality.
With a flood of new cases every day, how could they keep chasing a case from months ago?
Since the damages amounted to over a billion won, the police probably pursued the investigation with more patience than usual…
But at this point, after three years, it’s fair to say the case had practically been forgotten.
It was such a case that, through the attempted murder of a six-year-old child, started to resurface in the police station gossip.
And, in the midst of all that, the guy who just happened to come see his own daughter ended up being caught by none other than Lee Jaehyun, who had solved the attempted child murder case.
From the police and victims’ perspective, luck was on their side. From Jung Woo-min’s perspective, it was the worst possible luck.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin watched Jung Woo-min being taken inside the police station with Kim Junho, and clicked his tongue, amused.
“You said he begged you to let him off just once?”
“Yes.”
Though Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin asked out of the blue, Lee Jaehyun calmly nodded without any surprise.
He had just parked the patrol car and was about to enter the station himself when Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin, who’d been outside, threw him the question.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin shook his head slightly and spoke.
“Why would he go and commit fraud in the first place?”
“Right.”
Honestly, it would be a lie to say he didn’t feel any pity.
But that pity wasn’t for Jung Woo-min.
It was for the little child left behind—Jung Nara.
The child was blameless.
How could it be the fault of three-year-old Jung Nara that her father committed fraud and went on the run?
Getting her ribs broken by a Loan Shark was the same.
How could that be the child’s fault?
It was her father’s sin, and, in part… her mother’s responsibility too.
It’s not to say A-young Kim was entirely to blame for borrowing money, but she did borrow from a Loan Shark and got involved, so it’s true she can’t completely avoid responsibility.
But for the now six-year-old Jung Nara, there’s not a speck of blame or responsibility.
“People are so selfish. They do something wrong, and always take it out on their families first.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
At Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin’s words, Lee Jaehyun pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin was absolutely right.
Come to think of it, most scammers always said, “I did it to feed my family.”
They mess things up themselves and then shift the blame to their family. Isn’t that the most selfish thing?
“But, how did you catch him?”
“Sorry?”
As they entered the station, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin asked in a particularly curious tone.
He must’ve already gotten the situation report, but he was still curious about how they caught him, leaving Lee Jaehyun blinking in surprise.
“Did he really just walk right in front of you?”
“Yes, I was heading to the patrol car… and then I saw him walking toward the elevator in the distance. So I just followed.”
“Your eyesight is amazing. How did you recognize him from just one photo?”
He sounded incredulous.
Lee Jaehyun simply smiled at Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin’s comment about his sharp eyes.
Isn’t that something you develop through training?
Even if the body was that of a Sergeant, the mind inside was that of a Detective with ten years’ experience.
Of course his eyes were sharp.
“Exactly. Not only did you catch murderers, but now attempted murderers, scammers… You’re catching them all in a row. At this rate, shouldn’t you be promoted by at least one rank?”
While Lee Jaehyun was just smiling, Kim Junho, having just escorted Jung Woo-min, jumped into the conversation.
At his words, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin chuckled.
“If that happens, you’ll be the same rank. You okay with that?”
“Ah, uh, that’s true? But still, he should really get promoted. His record is insane.”
Kim Junho was a Senior Police Officer, the rank just above Sergeant.
If Lee Jaehyun got promoted by one rank, he would become a Senior Police Officer.
Though Kim Junho hesitated for a moment at the idea of being at the same rank as Lee Jaehyun, he wasn’t the type to be bitter or awkward about it.
Results are results, and he insisted that should be recognized.
“Well…”
“I’m fine, sir.”
At Kim Junho’s words, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin glanced at Lee Jaehyun and trailed off, as if finding it hard to answer.
It seemed there was no talk of a special promotion just yet.
Most likely, the news that Lee Jaehyun had caught the attempted child murderer had only just reached the higher-ups.
As for catching the fugitive scammer Jung Woo-min, that still needed to be reported with a written account, so who knows if they’ll even find out soon.
But Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin didn’t expect the higher-ups would promote him even if they found out.
And honestly, Lee Jaehyun didn’t care.
Of course, to catch more criminals and ultimately bring down Hyunmin Group, he would need to rise up the ranks, but there was no need to rush.
After all, Lee Jaehyun would be catching many more criminals in the future.
A promotion would come naturally.
There’s no need to be impatient.
“To be honest, I don’t think a special promotion is likely. Don’t get your hopes up…”
“Understood.”
Lee Jaehyun nodded calmly at Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin’s words.
It was actually Kim Junho beside him who seemed unable to accept it.
“But why not? The results Jaehyun achieved in the last few weeks are about the same as what the whole station does in a year!”
“He hasn’t even been here six months yet; they’re not going to promote someone that quickly.”
That was the problem.
It was true Lee Jaehyun had done something remarkable.
The issue was, Lee Jaehyun wasn’t just any Sergeant, but a rookie who’d barely been on the job for a few months.
With so little time for proper training, it would be a tough decision to promote him on the spot.
“Even so…”
“I know he deserves a promotion, but realistically, it’s difficult. You understand, right?”
“Of course.”
It felt like Kim Junho was more disappointed than Lee Jaehyun himself.
But Lee Jaehyun answered lightly.
Honestly, in his previous life, he’d even been passed over for promotion for using excessive force, so not getting a special promotion now wasn’t hard to accept.
Seeing him so calm, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin sighed, perhaps feeling a bit disappointed himself, and spoke up.
“Still, you never know. But let’s not expect too much.”
“You never know what?”
“Well… Even an organization stingy with promotions has to promote you if you solve a case that gets national attention, right? With achievements like this, if it gets enough public interest, they’d have no choice but to promote you.”
At Kim Junho’s question, Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin shrugged as he answered.
Even if it’s tough for a rookie Sergeant to be promoted…
If he handles just one more case with high public interest, honestly, the higher-ups would have no choice but to promote Lee Jaehyun.
That’s what Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin believed.
“Honestly… If he were already a Senior Police Officer, they probably would have promoted him.”
The timing and Lee Jaehyun’s career were just too awkward.
Still, if these results keep stacking up, he’ll get extra points on promotion exams, so it shouldn’t be hard for Lee Jaehyun to get promoted in the future.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin smiled contentedly as he watched Lee Jaehyun and Kim Junho walking ahead.
***
Perhaps for all the workers in the world, the happiest day each month is payday.
That payday had come for those working at the Capital Region Police Station.
Everyone was in a subtly uplifted mood.
It was always like that, but this month felt a little more special.
And for good reason—the results Team 4 had shown this month were extraordinary.
Of course, it was all thanks to Lee Jaehyun, but—
Still, when you’re part of the team, you naturally share in the credit.
It was already confirmed that Team 4 would be getting a Bonus, so everyone couldn’t help but smile.
Even Min Ji-hye, who usually kept a blank expression, had the corners of her lips turned up slightly today.
“When did the Team Leader head out?”
“He left about thirty minutes ago.”
“He should be coming back soon.”
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
At Kim Junho’s comment, Lee Jaehyun replied.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin, as Team 4’s leader, had gone into a meeting with the police station chief—essentially, the highest-ranking officer at the station. It had been thirty minutes.
Though it was called a meeting, it was basically a time for the boss to take credit and hand out the Bonus.
Kim Junho, perhaps a bit excited at the thought of getting the Bonus, glanced at Lee Jaehyun and spoke up.
“Hey, rookie.”
“Yes, Senior Police Officer.”
At Kim Junho’s call, Lee Jaehyun answered right away.
Kim Junho was always talkative, and since others found him annoying, lately Lee Jaehyun had become his main conversation partner.
When Lee Jaehyun hadn’t been around, it was probably Min Ji-hye who’d had to listen to him, so it was understandable she seemed more annoyed by him than the others.
“What are you going to do with your Bonus?”
“I haven’t really thought about it, but I think I’ll probably buy my parents a gift each.”
Since he hadn’t thought about the Bonus at all, nothing came to mind except buying gifts for his parents.
He hadn’t even thought about what to get them.
Kim Junho nodded, looking a bit awkward.
Apparently, Kim Junho didn’t have those ‘dutiful son’ thoughts like buying gifts for his parents.
“Ah, gifts for your parents…”
“What about you, Senior? Any plans?”
Lee Jaehyun asked quietly, and Kim Junho’s face immediately brightened.
He replied with an excited expression.
“I’m going to buy a new PoSoon Tower.”
“PoSoon…?”
At the sudden mention of the police mascot’s name, Lee Jaehyun wore a puzzled expression for a moment.
Min Ji-hye, who’d been listening quietly, explained.
“That’s Kim Junho Senior’s cat. He acts like that, but he’s actually a proper cat owner.”
“Ah…”
So Kim Junho had a cat.
It was something Lee Jaehyun hadn’t paid much attention to.
Even in his previous life, he hadn’t known Kim Junho had a cat.
Maybe he just hadn’t cared enough to remember, or maybe Kim Junho never mentioned it.
While they chatted about these little things,
Perhaps the meeting with the station chief had ended, as Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin returned to Team 4’s office.
He was carrying several envelopes in his hand.
But his expression didn’t look good.
“I’ve got good news and bad news.”
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin spoke as soon as he came in.
At his words, the atmosphere instantly tensed.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.