Chapter 65: Breaking In

Lee Jaehyun glanced at Go Hyunsook and stealthily pressed himself against the nearby telephone pole.

The chances of Go Hyunsook suddenly turning this way were slim, but you never know.

Oh Min-seok also hid himself in the same way as Lee Jaehyun, then looked over at him.

“What should we do?”

“We need to check the child’s location first.”

“That’s obvious… Well, it looks like she’s heading toward the field, so should we carefully circle around and check from the opposite side?”

“Yes, that sounds best. Just in case, could you try to distract Go Hyunsook’s attention, Team Leader?”

That couldn’t be done by Lee Jaehyun.

After all, Go Hyunsook had personally given him sleeping pills—no way.

Oh Min-seok, who hadn’t yet been exposed to Go Hyunsook, needed to approach and draw her attention.

“Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll draw her attention, so check on the child as fast as you can.”

“Yes, sir.”

At Oh Min-seok’s words, Lee Jaehyun nodded.

Watching Oh Min-seok walk away slowly, Lee Jaehyun also quickly moved, avoiding Go Hyunsook’s gaze.

And even in that tense moment, he didn’t forget to report.

“Suspect confirmed. Repeating: suspect Go Hyunsook confirmed. Child’s location not yet confirmed.”

ㅡ Understood. Currently pursuing the child’s mother, direction is toward Gonjiam.

He’d connected the earphone in advance, so the wireless transmission came through to his earphone.

After confirming the situation on that end through the wireless, Lee Jaehyun moved again.

It was a classic countryside brick house, built from red bricks stacked high, something you could see anywhere in a rural area.

Behind the house, the suspect Go Hyunsook was walking along as if nothing were wrong, holding a hoe.

It looked just like an ideal healing lifestyle for those who dream of a peaceful rural life.

But in reality, she was nothing more than a criminal holding a weapon.

Oh Min-seok, the Team Leader, started walking naturally and began to make small talk.

“Wow, it must be really nice to live here.”

He seemed to be playing a part, speaking like that, then, sensing a presence, Go Hyunsook, who had been focused on working in the field, quickly stood up and turned her gaze toward him.

“Huh? Ma’am, hello there.”

“…Who are you?”

Go Hyunsook replied, her eyes wary.

She took off her gloves and subtly moved toward the front door.

Lee Jaehyun hid himself between the bushes, in a spot not easily seen by Go Hyunsook, and watched her.

Wearing baggy pants and holding a hoe in the field, she looked just like a typical countryside grandmother.

But remembering that a cruel face lay hidden behind that look made him uneasy.

‘Am I already too late…?’

Lee Jaehyun looked toward the field, eyes anxious.

The worst-case scenario flashed through his mind.

He feared that the seemingly gentle Go Hyunsook might have killed the child and buried him in the field.

But only for a moment.

Looking over the field, Lee Jaehyun let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Thankfully… looks like I’m not too late.”

If she had killed the child, there should be some trace of dragging the body.

But all that could be seen were evenly spaced footprints left by Go Hyunsook.

The even depth of the prints meant she’d come here dressed as she was.

And with only her footprints in the field, it meant nobody else had entered.

Furthermore, the spot where Go Hyunsook had been working wasn’t dug deep, nor did it show any signs of being disturbed, so the possibility she’d buried the child was almost zero.

“Now, it all depends on how long Team Leader Oh Min-seok can keep her distracted.”

Lee Jaehyun held his breath, tense.

Now that he knew the child was still alive, everything depended on how much time Oh Min-seok could buy.

And in the meantime, Lee Jaehyun himself had to quickly confirm the child’s safety.

He watched Team Leader Oh Min-seok for a moment, then started moving.

***

Team Leader Oh Min-seok bowed slightly and continued speaking to the wary Go Hyunsook.

“Ah, hello. I’m from Seoul. I’m looking around because I want to start a farm.”

“A farm?”

At the sudden statement, Go Hyunsook frowned and asked again.

Oh Min-seok chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, ma’am. The air’s clean here, the scenery is beautiful… the wide rice paddies and fields look just perfect, so I was wondering about the feel of the village. What’s it like?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Ahaha.”

At Go Hyunsook’s cold response, Oh Min-seok forced an awkward laugh.

Her gaze toward him seemed as if she was looking at some bothersome stranger.

And the moment her body, which had been turned to the front door, shifted to face Oh Min-seok—

Several scenarios flashed through Oh Min-seok’s mind.

“Should I just go for it right now?”

The primary objective of this operation was to secure the child’s safety.

But since the main suspect, Go Hyunsook, was separated from the child, subduing her right now might not be a bad idea.

Thinking that, Oh Min-seok almost raised his hand to act immediately, but stopped.

“No, let’s wait just a bit more.”

The distance from the field to the house wasn’t that far.

Since the field was attached to the house, it wouldn’t even take a minute for her to go inside and lock the door.

If she noticed anything strange and rushed back to the house to lock herself in—

Then things would get really complicated.

If she started using the child’s life as leverage, it’d be a disaster.

In the end, Team Leader Oh Min-seok, unable to do anything, stood still, feeling his lips drying out and awkwardly bowed his head.

Go Hyunsook glanced at him, looking annoyed, then spoke.

“I don’t know, so just go on your way.”

“Oh, ma’am, please don’t be like that… I really can’t live in Seoul anymore. My wife just nagged me all the time, so I got divorced and even lost my job. Using my savings to farm is my last dream.”

“…Divorced?”

Go Hyunsook reacted to the word “divorce.”

Her face, which had shown only annoyance before, now showed a hint of interest.

Team Leader Oh Min-seok seized the chance and spoke.

“Yes.”

“Hmph. A man who can’t even take care of his wife—how could you take care of crops? Just give up on your farming dream and get lost.”

“Ah, ma’am, that’s too harsh.”

“I said, get lost.”

Her voice was icy cold.

Surprised by her sudden change in demeanor, Team Leader Oh Min-seok’s eyes widened slightly.

She’d seemed interested a moment ago, but the mood had shifted so quickly.

But he couldn’t back down now.

For the child, and for Lee Jaehyun, he had to buy more time.

“I, Oh Min-seok, will even get on my knees like this!”

Oh Min-seok made a show of kneeling dramatically.

Just like meeting his in-laws for marriage approval.

At the same time, his hand moved to his waist.

He felt the cold touch of handcuffs.

If she made any sudden moves, he could subdue her immediately.

But in the end, Go Hyunsook just waved her hand dismissively and hurried into the house.

“Just hurry up and get lost! Want me to call the police?”

“No, there’s no need for the police…”

Oh Min-seok muttered, his face baffled.

Go Hyunsook still watched Oh Min-seok warily through the front door.

Thanks to the opaque glass unique to countryside homes, he could still see her figure, so it wasn’t hard to tell.

Eventually, Oh Min-seok pretended to bow his head and lightly tapped the earphone in his ear.

“Should I call 112 this time?”

Remembering the first time he’d seen Lee Jaehyun at Myung Jinhan’s pet shop, Oh Min-seok spoke.

***

Lee Jaehyun circled the house as quickly as he could, peering into every window.

Thankfully, there were plenty of windows.

It meant he had to check more places, but it also meant confirming the interior was easier.

The only tricky part was checking the living room.

Though there was a large window installed in the living room, unlike the other windows, the curtain was drawn.

Because it was hard to check the interior, Lee Jaehyun pressed himself close and peeked in through the bottom of the curtain.

And then—

“There.”

He spotted a figure lying on the living room sofa.

It wasn’t a large figure, lying completely still.

He couldn’t see the face, but he was sure it was Choi Daehyun. Lee Jaehyun let out a breath of relief.

At that moment, the earphone buzzed.

ㅡ Should I call 112 this time?

“Choi Daehyun confirmed. Lying on the living room sofa… Is Go Hyunsook still in the field?”

ㅡ No, if she was, I wouldn’t have sent this message. She’s inside the house now, probably on guard. I don’t think I can stall much longer.

At Oh Min-seok’s words, Lee Jaehyun glanced at the child for a moment.

He thought he’d done a good job drawing her attention, but it seemed this was as much as he could do.

It would have been better if he could’ve bought time until the child could be rescued.

But this was probably his best.

After that previous encounter with Lee Jaehyun, she would have become wary of the police and treated outsiders with suspicion.

Still, confirming the child was here was a significant gain.

“Escaping while Team Leader Oh distracts her is out of the question. The only way left now is…”

His mind whirled.

Now that the child’s safety was confirmed, the next step was returning the child to his parents, unharmed.

There could be no mistakes in that process.

After some thought, Lee Jaehyun raised his hand and lightly tapped the earphone.

“Go Hyunsook is still near the front door, right?”

ㅡ Yeah, it’s a bit opaque, but there’s a small glass pane in the door, so I can see.

“Hold on a moment.”

Lee Jaehyun immediately moved to the back of the house.

There was another door, probably for the kitchen, and it looked weaker than the front.

The frame was metal, but it had a large glass panel; if he broke the glass, he could open the door.

This door was in a straight line with the front door…

The living room was between them. If he broke in through this door and quickly subdued Go Hyunsook, the child would be safe.

Taking a deep breath, Lee Jaehyun steeled himself and sprang into action.

Tap tap tap.

Lee Jaehyun sprinted, taking a short run-up.

Just before hitting the door, he twisted his body and led with his shoulder.

And then—

Crash!

The glass shattered, echoing loudly throughout the house.

Naturally, Go Hyunsook, inside the house, turned her gaze toward where Lee Jaehyun had broken in.

“You… you’re…!”

Spotting him, Go Hyunsook shouted in shock.

She should have done something in that moment of surprise.

But Lee Jaehyun quickly reached through the broken glass and unlocked the door.

Though Go Hyunsook tried to regain her senses and flee—

It was too late.

She was still an elderly woman; before she could even take a few steps, Lee Jaehyun lunged forward and firmly grabbed her.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Lee Jaehyun growled in a low voice.