Lee Jaehyun glanced out through the crack of the shop door.
Thankfully, it seemed Sergeant Oh Seohyun was doing a good job stalling for time, so it looked like it would be a while before the owner came back to the store.
In the meantime, Lee Jaehyun continued talking with Song Aram.
“So, Sujin’s father… works at the perpetrator’s father’s company, right?”
“Yes. She’s the one who bullies me the most. Sometimes she does it herself, sometimes she makes other kids do it. Park Hyunjin.”
“Hmm, I remember. Just hearing that name, you’d think she’d be a school bully.”
Lee Jaehyun nodded in reply.
He couldn’t possibly forget, since he’d seen Song Aram being bullied last time.
The ringleader was Park Hyunjin, then Oh Yeonseo, Kim Seonwoo, and Park Hansol.
Those names were engraved in his mind.
“There’s a construction company called PMC. Park Hyunjin’s dad is the CEO there.”
Lee Jaehyun had also heard, in passing, from Sergeant Oh Seohyun, that Park Hyunjin’s father ran a construction company.
He hadn’t remembered the name, but apparently it was PMC.
“You don’t know exactly what Sujin’s father does?”
“She just said he’s an Assistant Manager… But when Hyunjin threatened to have Sujin’s dad fired, Sujin couldn’t do anything. And even when I said I’d file a lawsuit, she begged me not to…”
Perhaps it was lucky, in a way.
This friend named Sujin had begged Song Aram not to file charges.
If Sujin had asked her to file charges, what decision would Song Aram have made?
She’d only just managed to clear her name after years of false accusations, and now her friend was begging her for a favor.
Who knows… She probably wouldn’t have been able to turn her back so easily.
But even so, this wasn’t the worst-case scenario Lee Jaehyun had imagined.
“The worst would be… if they tried to put all the blame on Aram.”
Lee Jaehyun’s expression hardened as he recalled what he considered the worst possibility.
Song Aram, who had only just started making friends, must have felt…
Excited, nervous.
Thinking about what to do with her friends tomorrow, where to go together.
She must have dreamed of those things.
And then, if she heard, ‘This is all your fault’…
Lee Jaehyun, imagining that, closed his eyes for a moment.
“…It’s fortunate that Sujin is a kind friend.”
Lee Jaehyun hadn’t lived all that long, but…
One thing he’d learned from his years as a police officer: people break much more easily than you’d expect.
He opened his eyes again, looked at Song Aram, and spoke.
“For now, I understand the situation. Is there anything else I should be aware of?”
“Uh… Seonwoo’s dad is the Branch Manager at Daehan Bank.”
“Bank Branch Manager? Which branch?”
“Um… the one near Tanyang Intersection.”
“Incheon, right?”
Lee Jaehyun blinked and asked again.
Song Aram nodded.
“Yes, it’s about thirty minutes from here…”
“Ah, I know. That’s within our jurisdiction.”
He nodded.
Tanyang Intersection was under the jurisdiction of Hanseong Capital Region Police Station.
Which meant Lee Jaehyun could act on it directly.
Since the incident happened in Incheon, no matter how motivated he was, he would have had to act through Sergeant Oh Seohyun.
Otherwise, Sergeant Oh Seohyun would have to specifically request his support for the case, but unless it was a special circumstance, that was unlikely to be approved.
He had been wondering if there was any way he could get involved, but this worked out well.
If the son of a local bank branch manager was involved in school violence, it gave Lee Jaehyun another reason to intervene.
“Anything else?”
At his question, Song Aram hesitated for a moment.
And at her next words, Lee Jaehyun’s expression grew even more serious.
“Oh, Hyunjin once said this too. Her family’s company is close with the Hyunmin Group, so she could really ruin everything for us if she wanted.”
“…Hyunmin Group.”
Hyunmin Group.
In his previous life, they were the ones who harassed him through all sorts of means as soon as he started investigating them.
And when he wouldn’t give up, they eventually sent someone to kill him.
“To think I’d hear that name here.”
The target of his revenge had appeared earlier than he’d expected.
Unconsciously, he clenched his fist tightly.
Lee Jaehyun knew well enough that realistically, it would be impossible to expose the Hyunmin Group with this incident alone.
However, if he could at least establish a connection to his enemies, that would be enough for now.
With the feeling that his target for revenge was right in front of him, he forced himself to suppress the burning desire for vengeance as much as possible.
“Ajusshi…”
Song Aram looked at Lee Jaehyun with slightly anxious eyes.
And he immediately realized why.
When he heard the name Hyunmin Group, his reaction must have made her worry, as if things were hopeless.
“If Hyunmin Group is involved… is it going to be too difficult?”
“No. That doesn’t matter.”
Lee Jaehyun spoke with conviction, hearing the despair in Song Aram’s voice.
The truth was, it did matter.
But that just made Lee Jaehyun all the more determined to dig into it.
His voice, full of conviction, rekindled hope in Song Aram’s dimming expression.
“Will you really be able to handle it properly?”
“I promise.”
“Then, I won’t withdraw the complaint. I’ll stick it out.”
“Good. Just give me a few days, and I’ll make sure to resolve it.”
Lee Jaehyun answered firmly.
***
After finishing the conversation with Song Aram.
Just as he wrapped up, Sergeant Oh Seohyun returned, and together they finished the now-cold gukbap before leaving the store. Lee Jaehyun’s mind was racing.
“I never expected those guys to be connected to the Hyunmin Group.”
Lee Jaehyun took a deep breath, trying to calm his still-pounding heart.
He hadn’t expected the Hyunmin Group to appear so suddenly.
That name, so unexpected—at its mention, he involuntarily recalled the day he died at their hands.
The sensation of his skin burning in the flames, the agony that pierced his whole body.
The acrid smoke stinging his lungs, the feeling of his chest being squeezed tight.
He could still remember, vividly, the moment death had come right up to his nose.
“Is that man… still out there killing people, even now?”
Lee Jaehyun recalled The Long-Haired Man he’d seen at the Warehouse that day.
The man Hyunmin Group had sent to kill him.
Where was he now, and what was he doing?
“Maybe it’s actually a good thing that the Hyunmin Group showed up here.”
Hyunmin Group was Hyunmin Group, but he also didn’t know what The Long-Haired Man was up to now.
Maybe, even at this very moment, there were people like him dying at their hands.
He needed to catch them as soon as possible.
If he started going after Hyunmin Group, the day he’d meet The Long-Haired Man would come that much sooner.
He’d been startled at first, surprised to face Hyunmin Group so soon—but thinking about it, it might actually be for the best.
As Lee Jaehyun was considering all this, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Your eyes look pretty cool right now.”
He reflexively lifted his head, and as expected.
Serhen was there.
But Serhen shook his head, as if to say he wasn’t the one who’d spoken.
Lee Jaehyun shifted his gaze to see Sergeant Oh Seohyun walking beside him.
She shrugged her shoulders, then continued.
“I watched a Documentary recently. You know Kingdom of Animals, right?”
“Yes, I know it.”
“There was this scene where a snow leopard was hunting, and the look in its eyes was just like yours right now, Senior Police Officer Lee.”
“Is that so?”
Lee Jaehyun chuckled, letting it pass.
She probably hadn’t said it expecting any real response.
Just trying to lighten the heavy mood.
But then, Sergeant Oh Seohyun grinned at him and, with a light laugh, added,
“To be honest, you might be more like a hunting dog than a snow leopard.”
Seeing her joking like this, it seemed she was feeling a bit better than before.
Sergeant Oh Seohyun continued,
“Still, I’m glad. Aram managed to explain things well. I guess… you really are more reassuring than I am, Senior Police Officer Lee.”
“Maybe it’s because I was the first person to help her…”
“Is that so? I think it might just be because of that look in your eyes.”
Her words made Lee Jaehyun tilt his head.
“Because of my eyes?”
“I’m not just joking about the snow leopard. Your eyes were really intense just now. If I were on the other side of you, I’d hate to face you, but being on the same side… I feel really reassured.”
Lee Jaehyun didn’t know how to respond and just looked at Sergeant Oh Seohyun.
Honestly, he didn’t quite get what she meant.
He had no idea what kind of look he had in his eyes just now.
At his silence, Oh Seohyun let out a short laugh and waved her hand.
“I don’t even know what I’m saying. Just forget it.”
“Is that so?”
Lee Jaehyun shrugged.
He didn’t show it, but just a moment ago, when she called him a hunting dog, it had startled him.
That was understandable—his nickname was Mad Dog, after all.
“She couldn’t have known.”
It was a surprisingly accurate comment.
Really, a mad dog is just a hunting dog that’s gone crazy for its prey.
While he was mulling over such idle thoughts, Sergeant Oh Seohyun spoke up.
“So, how do you want to handle this? I’ll look into PMC.”
“Alright. I’ll take Daehan Bank’s Tanyang Intersection branch.”
“There’s definitely something going on with these kids. If we dig deep enough, I’m sure we’ll find something.”
Lee Jaehyun nodded at her words.
If you dig, you’ll always find something.
It was time for Mad Dog to show what he could do again.
As he raised his head with that in mind—
He met Sergeant Oh Seohyun’s eyes, fixed firmly on some point ahead, and suddenly he understood what she’d meant earlier.
“Ah, that’s it.”
That reassuring gaze.
Oh Seohyun’s eyes were unwavering as they stared ahead at their goal.
No matter what obstacles came, she wouldn’t stop until she reached it.
There was a determined will shining in her eyes.
As Lee Jaehyun stood silently watching her, Sergeant Oh Seohyun cocked her head.
“Why? Something on your mind?”
“No, it’s just…”
Lee Jaehyun looked into her eyes and let out a small laugh.
As he thought, his first impression of Oh Seohyun hadn’t been wrong.
With the corners of his mouth lifted, he continued.
“I think things are about to get interesting.”
She was one of his kind.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.