All of the police officers at the Capital Region Police Station stared tensely at Choi Daehyun’s father’s cell phone.
The voice coming through the receiver, though mixed with mechanical distortion and clearly altered, was undoubtedly that of an adult man.
In the midst of this, the officers busily moved about.
One group was swiftly working to trace the call.
Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin hurriedly sat in front of the computer, turned the monitor toward the boy’s father, and tried to communicate using a notepad application.
— What’s wrong, why aren’t you answering? Don’t tell me… the child will die…
As the words “Please follow our instructions” appeared on the monitor and the father nodded to show he understood, he was momentarily unable to respond.
Immediately, another threat came from the caller.
The boy’s father hurriedly spoke up.
“Please! Just spare my child. I’ll get the money together somehow, I promise!”
The father’s voice was desperate.
He exchanged a few short words with the kidnapper.
Lee Jaehyun clenched his fist tightly as he listened to the kidnapper’s voice.
Though the man tried to act calm and maintain a relaxed tone, the emotion hidden in his voice was ‘fear.’
Park Yech’an was afraid of the current situation.
— So, how long do you need to get ready?
“If you just give me an hour… I’ll get the money as quickly as I can. Where should I go?”
Seeing the word “location” hastily typed by Team Leader Oh Cheol-jin, the father asked the man on the phone.
But Park Yech’an gave away nothing.
— Hey, man. Does rice appear just because you blink after planting it?
At that remark, everyone froze, glancing at one another.
They were confused by his words.
Only Lee Jaehyun, who already knew Park Yech’an was from Icheon and had farmed there, immediately understood his meaning.
He was telling them not to rush.
Team 4, who had already figured out his identity, understood a beat later.
The father, who had no information on the kidnapper, furrowed his brow.
In case any clues could be drawn out, they intentionally refrained from revealing anything about the kidnapper before the father and mother’s interviews were over.
They hadn’t had enough time to talk anyway.
Naturally, not understanding the situation, the father replied in a puzzled voice.
“Excuse me? What does that mean…”
— You’re so impatient. Get the money ready within an hour. I’ll call again exactly in one hour. Talk to you later…
Whatever the case, the important thing was that Park Yech’an hadn’t revealed his location or given any hints about the rendezvous spot.
As the kidnapper seemed to be ending the call, the boy’s father, reading the message to stall for more time, stood up desperately and pleaded,
“Sir! Please, before you go—just let me hear my child’s voice once!”
It was wise to ask, as they needed to confirm the child’s safety.
But—
— He’s sleeping.
Coldly, Park Yech’an ended the call after just that.
The boy’s father collapsed into his seat as if his legs had given out.
Lee Jaehyun looked over to where Min Ji-hye was.
She and another officer were desperately working to track Park Yech’an’s location…
Min Ji-hye let out a small sigh and shook her head.
They hadn’t been able to pinpoint his location.
The officers muttered curses under their breath.
Lee Jaehyun unclenched his fist and took a deep breath.
After surveying the hectic interior of the police station, Lee Jaehyun eventually walked outside.
He felt he needed a quiet moment to collect his thoughts.
He headed for the vending machine in front of the police station.
Clunk.
Two cans of can coffee dropped in succession.
As he took out the coffees, Lee Jaehyun turned around.
Park Daehyung had exited the station and was walking toward the vending machine.
Lee Jaehyun handed one of the can coffees he’d just bought to Park Daehyung.
“You bought two because you knew I’d come out?”
“I figured at least one of you seniors would step out.”
“Geez…”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Park Daehyung accepted the can coffee Lee Jaehyun offered.
He gulped down the coffee, then spoke.
“How are we supposed to catch this bastard? We can’t just sit around waiting for an hour.”
Park Daehyung sounded frustrated.
Lee Jaehyun nodded heavily.
Like a fool, he’d missed the accomplice to the Choi Daehyun Hostage Situation right in front of him.
But that didn’t mean Lee Jaehyun was truly a fool.
He’d been called a “mad dog” in his detective days for always nabbing criminals for sure.
Lee Jaehyun calmly began to explain the thoughts he’d quickly put together.
“Icheon is the most likely location.”
“Because it’s his hometown?”
Park Daehyung sipped his can coffee and asked.
Partly because Go Hyunsook and Park Yech’an were both from Icheon, but even more because Lee Jaehyun knew how Park Yech’an met his end in his previous life.
Still, it wasn’t a careless guess based just on the past.
“Yes. Even during the call, he was anxious. He’ll look for a place where he can naturally feel at ease.”
Indeed, anxiety and fear were evident in Park Yech’an’s voice.
Naturally.
It was a child kidnapping.
No matter how determined they were, the fact that they’d committed such a serious crime would inevitably instill fear.
People, when afraid, instinctively seek out places where they feel safest.
“Most people feel safest somewhere familiar.”
Unless he was a SocioPath or Psychopath, but that wasn’t his type.
Of course, there was the variable of his mother, Go Hyunsook…
But Lee Jaehyun had already considered that.
“And the other side is more cautious than you’d think. Go Hyunsook tested the effects of sleeping pills on a cat for days, moved cleverly enough to deceive the police, and even after Lee Jaehyun was questioned as a suspicious person in the Shikjae Mart Parking Lot, she never appeared again.”
Which meant Go Hyunsook had reported it herself.
That meant she wasn’t just deceiving the police, she was using them.
Given all that, it was clear she took the police lightly while still being wary.
Lee Jaehyun continued his explanation.
“Even if they name a spot, it’ll likely just be a decoy, or somewhere they can check if police are involved.”
“Makes sense. They’ll definitely suspect the police have been notified.”
Park Daehyung nodded in agreement.
From his perspective, Lee Jaehyun’s reasoning was perfectly logical.
“Yes. They’ll probably change the meeting place several times. Gradually, they’ll guide things closer to Icheon… and in the end, make the deal somewhere they know best, with extreme caution.”
“Then shouldn’t we just head to Icheon in advance?”
“No, we can’t do that.”
At Park Daehyung’s suggestion, Lee Jaehyun immediately shook his head.
Just because they’d go to Icheon, should they wait there?
That was absolutely not an option.
In his past life, what happened when they went to Icheon?
Choi Daehyun was killed, and Park Yech’an, after holding out, injured officers in the chaos before drinking Nongyak.
He was taken to the hospital, but died in the end.
Park Yech’an’s death wasn’t his concern, but there was no way he could allow the child, Choi Daehyun, now only eleven, to meet such a fate.
“What do you mean, we can’t go to Icheon? Why not?”
“If they reach a place they feel truly safe, it means they’re exposing their hideout to the child. Do you think they’ll let the kid live?”
Park Daehyung tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
Lee Jaehyun answered calmly.
It was the same logic as a criminal not leaving alive anyone who had seen their face.
Once their hideout was revealed, the chances of Choi Daehyun’s survival vanished.
At his words, Park Daehyung’s face hardened, and he nodded slowly.
“You’re right.”
“They’ll never risk exposing their hideout, so they’ll keep close to Icheon, but avoid actually making the deal there. If they do reach Icheon… the child’s life is in grave danger.”
So Go Hyunsook and Park Yech’an must not be allowed to reach Icheon.
They needed to rescue Choi Daehyun somewhere close enough for the criminals to feel safe, but where their hideout wouldn’t be exposed.
“Don’t go to Icheon, but catch them before they get there?”
“That’s right.”
Park Daehyung, checking his understanding, asked.
Lee Jaehyun nodded in response.
“…You’re amazing.”
“Yes, Sergeant Park.”
“You really didn’t just catch major criminals all this time by dumb luck, did you?”
Park Daehyung looked at Lee Jaehyun with an impressed expression.
Lee Jaehyun let out a soft laugh with a shy look.
“…It’s all thanks to your good teaching, Sergeant Park.”
“What did I ever teach you?”
With that, Park Daehyung patted Lee Jaehyun’s back as if to say “Well done.”
Lee Jaehyun flinched but accepted the gesture.
Park Daehyung tried to give him all the credit, insisting he hadn’t taught him anything…
“I really did learn everything from you, though.”
In his previous life, Lee Jaehyun had learned everything about being a detective from Park Daehyung.
Even what he’d just explained came naturally.
Of course, if he hadn’t been certain Park Yech’an would eventually head for Icheon, he might not have reached this conclusion.
But Lee Jaehyun knew that in his past life, Park Yech’an had held out in Icheon, killed the child, and wounded officers who came to catch him.
Knowing that, as a detective, this kind of deduction was as natural as breathing.
“Let’s head back in. We need to draw up a plan.”
“Alright.”
With Park Daehyung’s words, Lee Jaehyun nodded and finished his can coffee in one gulp.
Just as Lee Jaehyun was about to return to the police station—
“Hey, Maknae.”
“Yes, Sergeant Park.”
At Park Daehyung’s call, Lee Jaehyun turned back to him.
His face was expressionless, but his voice was tight, as if suppressing rage.
“We’re catching that bastard. No matter what.”
“Yes.”
Grinding his teeth, Lee Jaehyun answered, crushing the can in his hand as if to vent his anger.