Choi Daehyun’s Mother, Kim Ga-eun, held her head in her hands inside the car.
Her eyes, full of anxiety, wandered without focus.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Usually, at this hour, her child would be back from the academy, eating a snack with her, chatting away as time passed by.
She never imagined that peaceful daily life would be shattered so suddenly.
“Will Daehyun be alright?”
Choi Ga-eun lifted her Smartphone, checking the screen as she thought to herself.
It was a photo taken with her family.
On the screen, Daehyun was smiling brightly, looking right at her.
But looking at that made her heart twist with pain.
“If only I had listened a little more to what Daehyun said…”
She tapped the screen to keep it from turning off, and memories of the past came back to her.
Before he went missing, Daehyun had run up to her and said something like this.
— Mom! I met a Police Officer in front just now.
— Police Officer?
— Yeah. He told me to listen to you, Mom!
She’d brushed it off lightly at the time.
She’d thought it was just a Police Officer talking to a naïve child.
The next day, Daehyun didn’t come home at his usual time.
She’d thought he was just a little late playing with his friends.
But soon, a strange feeling began to swirl in her mind.
The child she had given birth to and raised was never one to come home late.
And suddenly, a memory from the day before flashed through her mind.
The part where a Police Officer had spoken to her child.
There were a few odd things about that. One, the Police Officer knew Daehyun’s name.
It wasn’t like he was a stalker—how often would someone call a child by their name so naturally?
And that Police Officer—she couldn’t trust him.
He might have been a real Police Officer, but with just a few words, anyone could easily be deceived.
“I should have noticed back then…”
A hot tear fell onto her Smartphone.
He is her flesh and blood. Closer than anyone else.
Because she didn’t listen to her precious child, her everything…
Daehyun was now in danger.
She reported his disappearance belatedly.
But this time, not to someone who only called themselves a Police Officer, but to a real Police Officer.
Then, the Kidnapper called, and after that, she couldn’t keep herself together.
Who in the world would remain composed when their child has been kidnapped?
Her husband suggested talking to the Kidnapper first, but since they’d already reported it to the Police, there was nothing more the two of them could do.
In the end, she decided to officially report the kidnapping to the Police.
“Will they really… save Daehyun?”
Ga-eun looked nervously around her.
She could see Police Officers in plain clothes loitering nearby.
Even seeing them did nothing to ease her anxiety.
It’s not that they weren’t working hard.
But that didn’t mean her child’s safety was guaranteed.
Nothing had been resolved yet.
She felt stifled. It was as if a giant boulder was crushing her chest.
She knew the only thing she could do was trust and watch, but just sitting here was driving her insane.
Brrr—
It was as she sat there, steeped in anxiety.
Ga-eun’s Smartphone started to ring loudly.
Startled by the sudden call, Ga-eun slowly reached for her Smartphone.
It wasn’t a saved number; the caller ID read ‘private number’.
It might just be spam, but what if it was the Kidnapper?
With shaking hands, she picked up the Smartphone and carefully pressed the answer button.
— Are you laughing at me?
A deep, adult male voice.
Just that one sentence, and Ga-eun’s face went pale.
It was him. The one who’d kidnapped her precious son.
She wanted to scream at him to give back her child right now, but Ga-eun swallowed her surging emotions and spoke.
“What do you mean…?”
— I told you not to bring the Police. You thought I wouldn’t know if they wore plain clothes?
His chilling voice echoed through the car.
Ga-eun, shaking, looked around.
Was it that obvious they were Police?
How did he know?
No—that wasn’t what mattered.
The Kidnapper had her child. Now that he’d caught on that she’d reported it to the Police, her child’s safety was in danger…
As her thoughts spiraled, the voice came again through the phone.
— You still don’t get it? Can’t you see what’s going on? Your son’s life is in my hands!
With the Kidnapper’s words, Ga-eun’s shoulders shrank.
She couldn’t think of anything else.
All that spun in her mind was guilt and terror that, because of her wrong choices, her son might die.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”
— Haa. I said I’d let him go if you just gave me the money. Is that so hard? Do you want to see your kid as a corpse?
“No! No…”
— I didn’t want to make a scene, but if you keep being uncooperative, who knows what I’ll do? You get it, right?
At the Kidnapper’s words, Ga-eun lowered the Smartphone as if it were a bomb and clasped her hands in desperate prayer.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
All she could do was repeat, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
— This is your Last Chance. Take the Money Bag, leave the scene, and call this number. If you don’t, you’ll meet your son’s corpse.
With an irritated voice, the Kidnapper spat out his threat and hung up.
Ga-eun stared at the ended call, muttering thank you.
Then, wiping away her tears, she rolled down the window.
Outside, there was Daehyun’s worried father, Choi Min-hyuk, loitering and scanning the area.
“Dear.”
“Yeah?”
At Ga-eun’s voice, Choi Min-hyuk turned and came over to the car.
“That guy just called me.”
“What? The Kidnapper?”
For a moment, Choi Min-hyuk’s eyes were filled with alarm.
Of course, until now, the Kidnapper’s calls had come to Min-hyuk’s Smartphone.
Now that the call had come to Ga-eun’s Smartphone, it was only natural to be flustered.
“Yeah. And he asked why we brought the Police… He said to bring the Money Bag right away…”
Ga-eun said, wiping her tears.
Her words were barely understandable, but her emotions were vividly clear.
Anxiety, worry, fear.
Choi Min-hyuk reached out and handed her a handkerchief.
“Calm down for now.”
“How am I supposed to calm down? That guy—he said he’d kill Daehyun. If we don’t want to find his corpse, we have to do as he says!”
Ga-eun snapped back in a voice full of despair.
This was about their child.
Even someone who never lost their temper would in this situation.
Choi Min-hyuk squeezed her hand as if to say he understood.
“Let’s just do as he says for now. I’ll put the Money Bag in the restroom. You get out right away.”
“Huh?”
Ga-eun wiped her tears with the handkerchief Min-hyuk handed her.
She was scared, terrified, but forced herself to suppress those feelings.
Choi Min-hyuk told her to wait a moment, then strode off somewhere.
In the end, what the Kidnapper wanted was money.
If they gave him the money, perhaps peace would return—a hope without guarantee.
Left alone in the car, Ga-eun wiped away all her tears and tried to calm herself as much as she could.
Her child’s only support was his parents.
If the parents were trembling, who could the child rely on?
As she was trying to steady her emotions—
Click—
The car door opened, and Choi Min-hyuk appeared with the bag of money.
He was out of breath from rushing, but his eyes were full of concern for Ga-eun.
“Here. Money Bag. You head out right away—I’ll block for you.”
“Um… Sorry for yelling at you earlier…”
“It’s fine. Daehyun comes first right now.”
At Choi Min-hyuk’s words, Ga-eun felt tears welling up again and forced them down.
Yes, he was right.
This was no time for apologies or reconciliation.
Her precious son was waiting in the hands of the Kidnapper.
Vroom—
Ga-eun started the car and slowly pressed the accelerator.
Choi Min-hyuk used his body to awkwardly shield her car as it started moving.
“Uh, please wait—!”
But it was only for a moment.
A Police Officer, seeing Ga-eun’s car move, rushed over to stop her, but Choi Min-hyuk physically blocked them.
Then he gestured with his chin for her to hurry and go.
Seeing that, Ga-eun gripped the steering wheel, turned sharply, and stepped on the gas.
She could hear the Police Officers shouting something behind her, but she ignored them.
It couldn’t be helped.
The Police had come to investigate, but the Kidnapper already knew everything about their side.
Now that she’d provoked the Kidnapper, this was the only choice left for her.
She felt sorry to the Police—
No, not even sorry. They weren’t her family. If she wanted to save her own son, this was the best she could do.
The car’s exhaust spewed black smoke as it sped along the asphalt.
Kim Ga-eun fumbled for her Smartphone, looking up the Kidnapper’s number.
Brrr—
The dial tone rang out for a long time.
— Yeah.
The Kidnapper answered again.
***
Through the urgent voice over the radio, Lee Jaehyun immediately turned to Team Leader Oh Min-seok.
“Give me a quick report!”
— Kim Ga-eun just escaped with the Money Bag!
“What about the father?”
— He took one of our cars and is blocking the Rest Area exit… Sir! Please get out of the car!
Amid the chaos, frantic shouts came through.
It was now impossible to communicate properly.
“Damn it…”
Listening to the rapidly worsening situation, Team Leader Oh Min-seok let out a curse.
Things had gone wrong.
They’d anticipated that Go Hyunsook and Park Yech’an might not be at the Rest Area, and that they might only want the Money Bag dropped off—both within expectations.
But they hadn’t expected the mother to escape with the Money Bag.
It was irrational, and some conflict with the Police was to be expected.
But for both parents to act together—one blocking the Police, the other running away—no one could have foreseen that.
Lee Jaehyun had thought Go Hyunsook and Park Yech’an might use the child’s parents, but he hadn’t expected them to act like this.
If it had been an ordinary day, they could have responded right away.
They would have tried to stop the mother and talk her down.
But right now, the Kidnapper had sent a message, and all their attention was drawn to that side.
Of course, the Investigation Team should take the lead, focusing all efforts on catching the Kidnapper.
The Support Team should have paid more attention to the parents’ side…
“What’s done is done. Can’t be helped.”
There was no point in blaming anyone.
What mattered now was that the mother was on the run.
And, naturally, she was doing it to save her child.
She must have received instructions from the Kidnapper. If they followed her, they might reach the Kidnapper.
But who knew if that was the right answer?
The Kidnapper could change the location again, or deceive the mother.
“Catching them isn’t the point.”
Right now, catching Park Yech’an or Go Hyunsook wasn’t the highest priority.
Still, it needed to be done, and chasing after the mother would help.
With the Rest Area exit blocked, immediate pursuit would be difficult.
Then, the only option…
“Se-re-hen, I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Right, do you know where the other Police are?”
“Yes, I’ll follow them for now… If I see anything tasty, I’ll let you know.”
Se-re-hen nodded once, then disappeared from sight again.
She was off to chase the mother.
Nothing would be resolved right away, but at least that was reassuring for now.
Even if the mother met Park Yech’an or Go Hyunsook, they’d know immediately.
“Team Leader.”
“Yeah?”
“We’ll leave following the mother to the other Support Team and move separately. Catching the Kidnapper is important, but…”
“The kid comes first.”
“Yes.”
Child Kidnapping Case.
The essence isn’t the Kidnapper.
It’s the ‘child’.
The child’s safety is the highest priority…
That should never be forgotten.
Originally, they’d planned to lure the Kidnapper in with the Money Bag and rescue the child.
But with the mother, Choi Ga-eun, making a move, everything had changed.
Instead of waiting for the Kidnapper to walk into their trap, the flow was now in the Kidnapper’s hands.
As Lee Jaehyun quickly turned things over in his mind, he stopped for a moment.
“Park Yech’an kept emphasizing he was alone on the last call, so he probably doesn’t want Go Hyunsook to be exposed.”
“He doesn’t even know we’ve already identified both of them, so that makes sense.”
“Then Park Yech’an will be the one to act, but he can’t drag the child around by himself.”
“So the child’s with Go Hyunsook?”
“Yes. If the mother’s taken the Money Bag, whether she goes straight or takes a roundabout way, she’ll end up meeting Park Yech’an.”
“Then…”
“We need to find Go Hyunsook.”
They didn’t know where Park Yech’an was.
But at least, they had a good idea where the child was.
The place where the child had died in the previous life.
And the place where Park Yech’an had fought the Police and drank poison in the end.
“It was originally an Ichon address, and there’s Soyu’s Farm, so probably…”
“Chances are high the kid’s there.”
“Most likely.”
Lee Jaehyun nodded.
Team Leader Oh Min-seok, his expression grim, spoke to Lee Jaehyun.
“What are you waiting for? Step on it.”
“Yes.”
Please, please don’t let us be too late.
Muttering that under his breath, Lee Jaehyun pressed on the accelerator.