Go Hyunsook gazed out the window with a pleasant expression.
Everything was unfolding according to plan.
At first, that Sergeant was a bit of a bother, but she managed to put him to sleep.
“What’s with all the suspicion over a single cat?”
He was an unusually suspicious Sergeant.
Still, in the end, he drank the ginger tea she offered and was probably still fast asleep, completely out of it.
If the effect was short, it would last about 4 hours, or up to 6 hours if it was longer.
He looked pretty tired, so he’d probably sleep for about 6 hours straight.
Even when he woke up, he wouldn’t immediately suspect it was a sleeping pill.
And from the start, there was little chance he’d connect it to child abduction.
Go Hyunsook had factored all of that into her calculations, and so she couldn’t help but feel pleased at how smoothly her plan was progressing.
“The police are a bit of a hassle, though….”
Honestly, it would have been much easier if she hadn’t reported it to the police, but she was prepared even with the report made.
After telling them to come to the Onsan Rest Area, she planned to check whether the police were there.
She even installed a separate camera, so if the police showed up, or if anything even slightly suspicious happened, she could catch it right away.
Even if nothing seemed particularly off, she decided to send a bait text message just in case.
She’d sent the message just about ten minutes ago.
Up until then, the police had been fairly well disguised.
But there was no one who could just stand by and do nothing while the child’s parents desperately tried to escape and made a scene.
Several police officers started to move, and after confirming their movements on her phone, Go Hyunsook let out a snort.
“What, did they bring out this many people?”
There were more than she had expected.
Well, considering they’d abducted a child, that number made sense.
And watching the police flounder, failing to properly deal with the child’s father and then letting the mother slip away, it was obvious that they were just a bunch of rookies, numbers aside.
There were a few who looked experienced, but only a handful.
Those must be the detectives, not regular police officers.
“These days, it’s hard to tell regular police officers from detectives, but I guess not after all.”
Honestly, even though she’d meticulously planned things out, she couldn’t help but be a little nervous before committing the crime.
One Sergeant had been so persistent in following her, giving off the feeling that he’d ruin her plans no matter what.
If it hadn’t been for that guy, she would’ve taken another day to prepare before proceeding.
Part of the plan started a day early because of him… really, what a troublesome brat.
The way he talked and acted didn’t fit his age, either.
Even more so, considering that kind of guy was the youngest Sergeant, she couldn’t help but wonder how exhausting the other police officers must be—so she’d been a bit tense.
But as it turned out, the others were more like a disorganized rabble.
“Even after living this long… you still can’t know the world.”
Muttering to herself, Go Hyunsook turned her head and looked at the young child sleeping on the living room sofa.
An eleven-year-old boy.
His name was Choi Daehyun, and his family wasn’t bad off.
Wasn’t his father a Middle-Sized Company Director or something?
Anyway, she’d chosen them because they could easily come up with fifty million won.
Once she set her sights on the target, it wasn’t hard to figure out their routine.
Maybe you couldn’t really call it the ‘Land of Eastern Etiquette’ anymore, but still, this was a country where people basically knew how to treat each other with respect.
When an old lady asks for directions or requests a child to accompany her, not many refuse.
Well, there were a few who did, but at least Choi Daehyun wasn’t one of those kids.
That way, she was able to walk with him for a bit and chat, collecting information.
Which academy he attended, when his classes finished, what he usually did at that time…
Choi Daehyun, rambling on and on, was practically saying, ‘Please kidnap me.’
So, she granted his wish.
Looking at him still sleeping peacefully, it was laughable… and somehow, even a little cute, given the circumstances.
“Not as much as when our Yech’an was little, though.”
Is it foolish to be thinking about her own son even in this situation?
Go Hyunsook let out a small chuckle.
She’d administered enough for another four hours of sleep, but just to be sure, she checked the spare blindfold she had prepared one more time before letting out a deep breath.
The child hadn’t woken up once and hadn’t seen her face or Park Yech’an’s.
At most, he’d seen her briefly when she gave him the drug, but she’d been wearing a hat and mask, so he probably hadn’t gotten a good look.
Now, all that remained was for Park Yech’an to do his part.
Everything was going smoothly, and all she had to do was wait for the situation to resolve itself.
That way, there’d be no need to kill the child, and the fifty million won would soon belong to Go Hyunsook and her son, Park Yech’an.
She smiled at the thought of the fifty million won that felt almost within her grasp.
On the living room sofa, Choi Daehyun still slept as if dead.
Go Hyunsook let out another small laugh as she watched Choi Daehyun.
“Yeah, sleep as much as you can….”
By the time you wake up, everything will be over.
Go Hyunsook’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“Eh?”
Lee Jaehyun sped toward Icheon with a hardened expression.
Beside him, Oh Min-seok was busy tracking down Go Hyunsook’s address.
“Hello?”
— Yes, Team Leader Oh.
Min Ji-hye’s voice came over the phone.
Oh Min-seok quickly exchanged greetings and continued.
“Yes, could you send me Go Hyunsook’s address in Icheon?”
— I’ll send it by text right away.
Min Ji-hye’s reply came almost immediately.
There was no petty rivalry or childish territorialism over information, even though they were from different teams.
The fact that Lee Jaehyun was temporarily assigned to Oh Min-seok’s team didn’t matter either….
With a child’s life at stake, there was no time to worry about whose team was whose.
Not even a few seconds after Min Ji-hye’s reply, Go Hyunsook’s address flew in via text to Oh Min-seok’s phone.
“Thank you.”
— Of course. By the way…
As Oh Min-seok expressed his thanks, Min Ji-hye responded politely and trailed off.
A moment of hesitation stretched between her words, as if she was debating whether to speak.
Lee Jaehyun, listening from the side, cracked a small smile for a moment.
Soon, Min Ji-hye’s voice came back, as if she’d made up her mind.
— Please take good care of our team’s youngest.
“Huh?”
— He’s always been terrible at looking after himself.
“That’s true. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Oh Min-seok cocked his head for a moment, but then laughed at Min Ji-hye’s words and glanced back at Lee Jaehyun.
Lee Jaehyun awkwardly averted his gaze from the look.
He wasn’t a kid.
It was a little embarrassing, being fussed over like that at his age….
But it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
The only regret was that there was no time to savor those sentiments in the current situation.
“Now that we have the address, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
With those words, Lee Jaehyun pressed harder on the accelerator.
Once he secured the child’s safety as quickly as possible… this case would be ninety percent resolved.
On the other hand, until the child’s safety was guaranteed, nothing would be resolved.
That was why he hurried, and Oh Min-seok also kept his mouth shut and eyes forward, perhaps feeling the same tension.
The one to break the silence first was Team Leader Oh Min-seok.
“I knew it—you’d be useful if I brought you along.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for.”
Lee Jaehyun tilted his head and recalled the conversation they’d had earlier.
Come to think of it, Oh Min-seok had only said, ‘He seems reckless, but actually acts cautiously and deliberately in a pinch’ in response to his question…
In the end, he’d never clearly answered the real question: ‘What were you hoping for when you asked for my support?’
Still, based on the conversation that followed, he’d assumed Oh Min-seok wanted someone who’d produce results even if they got into trouble.
But it didn’t seem to fit the current situation.
“We still haven’t secured the child. I need to get him out safely before I become what you expect of me.”
“That’s true… but even what you’ve shown so far is more than enough, don’t you think?”
“Is that so?”
“In this urgent situation, you instinctively set priorities and solved problems one at a time in order. You did what needed to be done, just like that.”
Lee Jaehyun didn’t say anything to that.
He didn’t know what to say, honestly.
Oh Min-seok glanced at Lee Jaehyun and continued.
“It’s like how a veteran detective draws up an operation before heading into the field. But you’re doing it in the moment, on-site. Impressive.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
After some hesitation, Lee Jaehyun gave that vague response.
He couldn’t help it—he’d never once thought of himself in the way Oh Min-seok described.
The reason Lee Jaehyun really started living like a true police officer was the sense of loss after losing his father.
He was just trying to fill that emptiness within himself….
He thought that the only way to fill that bottomless void was to catch criminals as quickly as possible.
Maybe that’s why Lee Jaehyun had developed his dogged, almost crazed side.
He always devised the quickest way to reach his goal, and if it meant achieving that, he’d cut out everything else.
After that, their conversation ended again.
There wasn’t any particular reason.
It was just that their destination, Go Hyunsook’s house, was finally coming into view.
Without a word, both Lee Jaehyun and Oh Min-seok fell silent.
“Let’s get out here.”
“Yes.”
Lee Jaehyun parked the car a bit away from Go Hyunsook’s house.
If they got any closer, she might notice them.
He and Oh Min-seok got out of the car and walked down the path between the fields.
Crunch, crunch.
A village where clusters of farmhouses stood, surrounded by green fields.
Lee Jaehyun was heading toward the blue-roofed house indicated by his navigation when—
Beyond the wall, a figure appeared.
An elderly woman came out of the house, heading for the field in the yard.
After seeing the old woman’s face, Lee Jaehyun clenched his fist tightly.
“Found her.”
The old lady who took walks, fed stray cats, and even offered him ginger tea.
The criminal who wore the mask of a kindly grandmother.
Go Hyunsook was there.