Chapter 53: The Boy at the Playground

Lee Jaehyun immediately turned around to see who had called out to him.

The moment he turned, he saw two police officers in uniform.

The one who spoke to him was a Sergeant, and beside him stood a female Senior Police Officer.

Lee Jaehyun let out a small “Ah,” and gave a slight nod.

“Hello.”

“Yes, sir. Nice to meet you. Has everything been alright?”

“There’s nothing in particular. Is there something going on?”

The Sergeant gave a friendly smile as he replied.

At the question of whether anything was wrong, Lee Jaehyun nodded lightly.

“No, there’s nothing in particular. We just saw you walking around the Parking Lot for a while, so we thought you might have lost something and came to check.”

In response, the Senior Police Officer standing next to the Sergeant smoothly cut in.

Though her words were gentle, Lee Jaehyun could sense a hint of wariness in her gaze, and only then did he fully grasp the situation.

After all, he too would sometimes approach pedestrians like this.

Police officers, at any time and in any place, could approach and confirm if someone seemed to be carrying something suspicious or was a Suspicious Person.

It wasn’t just a right—it was a duty.

That’s what police are for, to maintain public order.

Lee Jaehyun reached into his pocket as he continued.

“I haven’t lost anything. I just stopped by on my way home from work to check if there’s anything unusual.”

“What do you mean…”

The Sergeant furrowed his brows and reached toward his waist.

Lee Jaehyun took out his wallet and showed his Badge.

“I’m Sergeant Lee Jaehyun from the Han-seong Capital Region Police Station. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ah, I see.”

Upon confirming his Badge, the Sergeant relaxed.

The Senior Police Officer also quietly took her hand away from the Walkie-Talkie at her side and extended her hand.

“I’m Senior Police Officer Oh Hyerin. We got a call about a Suspicious Person, so we came to check—sorry for the trouble.”

“No need. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

Hearing Oh Hyerin’s apology, Lee Jaehyun shook his head right away.

If a report about a Suspicious Person comes in, of course the police have to check.

If anything, apologizing for doing their job would be stranger.

Of course, if they didn’t at least offer a formal apology, they might end up in some pointless dispute later, so Oh Hyerin probably apologized out of habit.

She glanced around the Parking Lot before speaking again.

“This area isn’t under Han-seong Capital Region Police Station’s jurisdiction, right? What brought you here?”

“There have been a lot of recent reports related to cats.”

Lee Jaehyun answered in a casual voice, as if it was nothing.

He was only able to speak even a little about his uneasy feelings to Park Daehyung, or mention the Child Kidnapping Case, because it was Park Daehyung.

Naturally, if he talked like that to others, he’d just end up being the one under suspicion.

“What? Cat-related reports?”

The Sergeant’s face registered surprise at Lee Jaehyun’s words.

It seemed like there had been similar reports in this area as well.

“Yes, it looks like you’ve had some reports, too?”

“Yeah. In fact, there have been three cases in the past week. People reported dead cats, but when we checked, some were just sleeping, and others had disappeared altogether.”

“Same pattern as what we’re seeing. Someone seems to be feeding the cats sleeping pills or something similar.”

As Lee Jaehyun spoke, he showed the photos stored on his Smartphone—cans of Tuna Can and pictures of cats sleeping as if they were dead.

The male Sergeant let out a surprised “Huh!”

He muttered quietly, “Chain Sleep Demon of the Cat…”

Lee Jaehyun looked at the Sergeant, who was repeating exactly what Park Daehyung had said, with a curious glint in his eye.

The Sergeant scratched his head awkwardly.

“Why would someone put cats to sleep and walk around? Maybe they’re doing Preemptive Vaccination or something? Or does the Rabies Prevention Drug knock them out?”

“I haven’t thought of that, but I doubt the intention is that good.”

When the Sergeant mentioned Preemptive Vaccination, Lee Jaehyun paused before replying.

Honestly, it was something he’d never even considered, but if he wasn’t preoccupied with the Child Kidnapping Case, maybe he might have thought that way too.

“Thank you for sharing the info. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on it as well.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Oh Hyerin, after taking a look at the photo on Lee Jaehyun’s Smartphone, answered crisply.

That should be enough.

Lee Jaehyun nodded and put away his Smartphone.

“Well then, we’ll be off.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

After a simple bow, Lee Jaehyun turned away.

“But, you said you came because of a report?”

Was his appearance really suspicious enough to be called in as a Suspicious Person?

Thinking such things, Lee Jaehyun shook his head.

He glanced at himself in the Supervision Mirror installed in the Parking Lot, then began to walk out of the grocery Mart.

“Oh, young man. We meet again?”

An elderly lady greeted him.

Quickly jogging his memory, Lee Jaehyun remembered who she was.

“Ah, hello, ma’am.”

“I was so startled when that cat suddenly got up and ran off that time.”

“Haha. Right? I’m glad nothing else happened.”

Seeing the cheerful face of the old lady, Lee Jaehyun replied with a smile.

The elders always tended to be a bit lonely, and it wasn’t unusual for them to strike up conversation like this from time to time.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. But you look like you’ve got something on your mind, young man. Did your girlfriend break up with you or something?”

“No, I don’t have a girlfriend… I just haven’t been sleeping well.”

Lee Jaehyun chuckled and shook his head at the mention of a girlfriend.

“Goodness. I can’t sleep well myself now that I’m older. Sometimes, a cup of warm tea helps.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you. I’d better get going…”

“Go on, then. Sorry for keeping a young person so long.”

“Not at all, ma’am. Stay healthy.”

Feeling that the conversation could go on forever if he let it, Lee Jaehyun smoothly excused himself and walked away.

He figured there was no need to check the grocery Mart Parking Lot any further.

Next up was the Playground.

***

Maybe because it was the weekend and the weather was nice.

There were quite a few people at the Playground.

Children were playing, and a few adults, probably parents, were sitting on the Bench a little ways away.

Lee Jaehyun also sat on an empty Bench and looked around.

To commit a crime, you need preparation.

Especially with crimes like kidnapping, meticulous planning was essential.

Which meant there must be some prior scouting.

“Park Yech’an will definitely come to the Crime Scene.”

Trying to keep an eye on all three suspect locations by himself was stretching him thin.

But it wasn’t like he had no options.

After all, he had Se-re-hen—the demon.

“Se-re-hen.”

When he called her name softly, she appeared in midair.

“Alright. Shall we pick up where we left off earlier?”

“First… let’s stop the kidnapping, and I promise I’ll do my best to catch the criminals.”

As soon as Se-re-hen appeared, Lee Jaehyun met her gaze and replied.

Honestly, he couldn’t promise to actually catch the criminal.

You could only catch them if you got the chance.

Still, he could at least promise to do his best.

He had never once failed to do his utmost when confronting a criminal.

At his words, Se-re-hen finally nodded.

“Fine.”

“And, I have a favor to ask.”

I don’t do favors. Unless it’s a trade.

Out of growing familiarity, he’d called it a favor, but then remembered—she was a demon.

No matter how much she looked and talked like a little girl, a demon was still a demon.

She spoke in a firm voice.

So Lee Jaehyun corrected himself.

“Alright, then. I have a trade proposal.”

“What is it?”

“Among the suspected Crime Scenes, can you check the alley to see if Park Yech’an shows up?”

“Well… I can at least check if there’s anyone Suspicious.”

At Se-re-hen’s reply, Lee Jaehyun nodded.

Of course, Se-re-hen didn’t know who Park Yech’an was.

She hadn’t seen a photo, and she couldn’t see his memories.

“Or… can she?”

Maybe, if she used her Supernatural Power, she could.

But since she said she’d check for a Suspicious Person, it seemed that was as much as she could promise right now.

That was enough for now.

As a demon, Se-re-hen had the ability to definitively identify a Suspicious Person.

He was dealing with a child kidnapper and murderer.

Park Yech’an had originally been an ordinary man working in the countryside.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t have his share of evil deeds.

Great or small, there was definitely something.

Child kidnapping and murder was never something you could do out of nowhere.

“What do I get in return?”

“Ice Cream. You liked it last time, right?”

“Deal.”

Lee Jaehyun offered Ice Cream to Se-re-hen as the price for the trade.

It was small, but for Se-re-hen to eat Ice Cream in the real world, Lee Jaehyun had to give it to her.

Remembering how much she enjoyed it last time, he thought that would be enough.

And sure enough, his guess was correct.

After a moment of hesitation, Se-re-hen nodded and accepted the trade.

Then she disappeared.

Relieved, Lee Jaehyun turned his attention back to surveying the Playground.

Tok.

A ball rolled up and stopped at Lee Jaehyun’s feet.

A boy ran over and bowed his head.

“Sorry.”

A child’s unfamiliar voice—but that face… was not unfamiliar.

“Ah…”

Lee Jaehyun let out a soft sigh before he could stop himself.

The eleven-year-old boy who was kidnapped and lost his life to Park Yech’an.

Choi Daehyun stood there, watching Lee Jaehyun awkwardly.

“It’s okay… Daehyun.”

Lee Jaehyun assured the boy and, almost unconsciously, reached out to gently pat his head.

“Um, do you know me?”

Choi Daehyun blinked at him with a puzzled face.

“Of course, I do.”

“Who are you?”

“Police.”

“Wow…”

When Lee Jaehyun said this and showed the Badge from his wallet, the boy looked up at him with wide, amazed eyes.

Such a pure child had died with a face full of pain.

All because someone needed money, he was kidnapped and ended up dead.

How terrified must he have been?

How much did he suffer before he lost his life to that madman, Park Yech’an?

The man who kidnapped Choi Daehyun ultimately injured the police who came to arrest him, then drank Nongyak and died.

He’d had the poison on him from the start, intending to die.

Right before the police confrontation, he killed Choi Daehyun.

If he intended to die anyway, he could have spared the child—was it that he didn’t want to die alone?

Whatever the reason, this time, Lee Jaehyun was determined to prevent it.

“I’ll stop it. No matter what.”

Lee Jaehyun clenched his teeth and muttered to himself.