Tremble tremble tremble— Cheol-woo’s hands shook uncontrollably, and his heart pounded like crazy.
He had shot someone.
No, it was still unclear if that thing was even human, but at the very least, it used to be.
Aside from the recoil of the gun, he could still vividly feel the sensation in his hand as the bullet pierced an eyeball and shredded through the brain.
“……”
Soon, bloodied teammates were carried out of the building one by one on stretchers.
Some came out zipped in body bags that looked like silver foil.
There were more people coming out than had gone in.
That meant more had died inside.
“Rookie. You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Ah, no. I’m fine. Just a little scrape on the skin… But that woman who escaped in the car at the end—were we supposed to shoot her?”
“Yeah. She’s the one we were sent to catch. But don’t let it get to you. It’s your first mission and Team Leader Woo made the mistake of leaving you outside without any explanation.”
“Um, the team leader…”
“He’s dead. Kang Daeri’s taking over, so keep that in mind.”
“…”
“You must be confused, so listen carefully. Don’t try to know too much. This mission came from way higher up than you can imagine. What those people up top are thinking—we don’t need to know. We just shut up and follow orders. Got it?”
“…Yes.”
“Anyway, good work. Leave the cleanup to the cleaning team and let’s pull out.”
Manager Jeong gave Cheol-woo’s shoulder a strong squeeze and climbed into the vehicle.
‘Way higher up’?
What does that even mean?
Higher than company executives?
Is that even possible Major shareholders?
A chaebol family?
Or government agencies?
Cheol-woo tried to imagine it but quickly felt dizzy and gave up.
Who was that woman they were after?
What the hell was that thing that attacked me?
Cheol-woo couldn’t ask anything more.
He simply followed Manager Jeong into the car.
The day felt unbearably long.
He couldn’t remember how he made it back to the company, clocked out, washed the blood from his suit, and got home.
The house felt empty.
His sister must be working late due to a shoot.
“This job is way more dangerous than I thought…”
Danger didn’t just mean physical harm.
A shootout in the middle of the capital region?
It could’ve easily led to everyone getting arrested, and yet—there wasn’t a single news article online.
Do the police not know? Or are they just turning a blind eye?
Just as his head started spinning again, his phone rang.
[Mr. Min Cheol-woo?]
“Yes, who is this?”
[This is the police. We’ve found your girlfriend and are contacting you.]
News out of nowhere.
Police Station.
Detective Lee narrowed his eyes while digging through documents that were about to be shredded.
“Captain. That search of Min Cheol-woo’s house… Did we do that without a warrant?”
“Huh? You didn’t know? Why? Why bring up the Min Cheol-woo case all of a sudden?”
“Well, didn’t we say we found his girlfriend? That reminded me. So I went looking and… turns out we busted into his place without a warrant?”
Back then, he assumed a warrant had been issued, of course.
Even if it hadn’t, it wasn’t unusual to break in first, get a warrant after the fact, and adjust the timestamp.
So he hadn’t worried much.
But now, looking into it, all warrant requests had been denied by the court.
They never even got one, not even for show.
“Looks like we did the search without a warrant. If there hadn’t been drugs inside, we’d all be screwed. But there were, so it’s fine. Must’ve been based on some solid intel from up top, right?”
But where is ‘up top’, exactly?
One thing’s clear—it’s higher than the precinct chief, but no one can pinpoint who actually gave the order.
Like the captain said, it’s lucky they found a stash of drugs, but…
Just what kind of intel did that higher-up receive that made them take such a gamble—one that could’ve cost them their badge if it failed?
“Min Cheol-woo has no criminal record and a clean background. What the hell were they thinking…?”
But what if it wasn’t a gamble?
What if it was a guaranteed win?
What if whoever ordered the search already knew—with absolute certainty—that the drugs were hidden under the floorboards, even though Min Cheol-woo himself didn’t know?
Detective Lee shivered.
He knew it sounded like a conspiracy theory, but… wasn’t it a little too plausible?
“Oh. Min Cheol-woo’s here.”
“Let’s move.”
Detective Lee had almost forgotten—but the moment he saw Cheol-woo’s face, it all came rushing back.
Officer Kim took the driver’s seat, the captain sat in the front, and so Cheol-woo and Detective Lee naturally ended up in the back seat together.
An awkward silence filled the ride.
Lee snuck glances now and then and noticed Cheol-woo’s right hand constantly fidgeting near his waist.
Then—suddenly—Cheol-woo turned his head sharply toward him.
Detective Lee froze, staring straight out the window.
From that point until they arrived, he couldn’t look anywhere else.
“Where is this…?”
“This is a rehab center for drug addiction.”
“She’s admitted here?”
“Yes. She used a fake name to get in. We found her because she had to reissue her ID and her fingerprints were flagged.”
Cheol-woo’s face twisted into a scowl.
He’d thought she’d fled abroad.
But what?
A rehab center?
And she got caught because she stupidly tried to reissue her ID?
He didn’t even know whether to laugh or cry—it was just so absurd.
“This way.”
When they entered the room, it was a spectacle.
A woman with disheveled hair sat on the bed in a restraint suit, staring blankly into space.
Her eyes were unfocused, and she didn’t react to any sounds.
Even when someone clapped loudly right in front of her—nothing.
She was completely out of it.
“Can I talk to her alone for a moment?”
“She’s probably not capable of conversation.”
“Still, please—just for a bit.”
“Let’s give them some space.”
The officers all stepped out, and the door shut with a heavy thud.
Still, they couldn’t completely look away, so they peered through the glass window on the door.
Cheol-woo dragged a chair in front of his ex-girlfriend and slumped down.
“…Why did you do it?”
“……”
“Why did you hide drugs in my house? Who made you do it?”
“Goddammit, who was it? Say something. Say it!”
“Hey! Stop him!”
Crack! Thud! Crunch!
Cheol-woo’s fist slammed into her face.
Blood sprayed from her nose, and teeth scattered across the floor.
Detective Lee, Officer Kim, and the captain all rushed in and pulled him off, but by then, her face was a complete mess.
And yet—she just laughed, her broken jaw flopping loosely.
Heeheeheehee…
Only after seeing that deranged smile did Cheol-woo finally drop his fist, drained of all strength.
“H-Hick? H-Heek!?”
“…?”
Just as the detectives were dragging Cheol-woo out and his collar shifted—
The woman suddenly jolted in terror, trembling uncontrollably.
The detectives figured it was just a delayed reaction to the beating, maybe from the drugs still in her system.
But Cheol-woo saw something else.
She’d flinched the moment she saw inside his jacket.
Specifically—when she saw the holster holding his handgun.
“She reacted to the holster?”
Most regular people wouldn’t even recognize a shoulder holster at a glance.
She had seen one before.
No—she’d seen a gun in a holster before.
And not in the typical way criminals carry guns—shoved into their waistband or pocket.
This wasn’t common.
This was trained.
Ignoring the nurses rushing in and shouting in panic, Cheol-woo walked out silently.
“Haa…”
He wiped his face dry, trying to calm his pounding heart.
Detective Lee followed, but said nothing.
He couldn’t bring himself to scold Cheol-woo for the assault.
That woman—her mind had checked out long ago.
No family.
No acquaintances.
Who would even file a report?
As long as the police kept quiet, this could all disappear.
“Can I ask you something, detective?”
“Yes.”
“That time you broke into my place… Was it because someone called it in?”
“…”
Silence.
Which meant no. Or yes. Or maybe both.
Point was—the answer wasn’t a regular police procedure.
If it had just been an anonymous drug tip, it wouldn’t have justified a forced entry without a warrant.
So someone powerful enough to override due process must’ve given that order.
“Don’t try to know too much. This mission came from way higher up than you can imagine. Who knows what those people are thinking? We just keep our mouths shut and follow orders. Got it?”
Cheol-woo’s pupils widened as Chief Jung’s words echoed in his head.
An unauthorized search—only possible by direct order from someone at the very top.
And then there was Geummyeong Security—his new employer—whose upper management also seemed to come from some far higher place.
Was it all just coincidence?
The girlfriend who hid drugs in his home—
The same girlfriend who reacted like she recognized a shoulder-holstered gun—
She didn’t steal anything.
Didn’t take anything from him.
The most likely scenario?
Someone hired her to plant the drugs and stir up a scandal.
And whoever hired her… had shown her a gun like this before.
Who in Korea walks around with a holstered pistol under their jacket?
The first person that came to Cheol-woo’s mind was a Geummyeong Security operative.
“Was this whole thing… orchestrated just to get me into Geummyeong Security from the start?”
A ridiculous conspiracy theory.
A conclusion he didn’t want to believe—
But one he couldn’t ignore anymore.
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