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CHAPTER 02
The moment Jincheol opened his eyes in the hospital, he was greeted by a doctor he knew well.
“It’s just a mild flu.”
“There’s no way. Did you even examine me properly?”
“You’re perfectly fine. Seriously.”
“I’ve never fainted once in my entire life. Hyung, are you a quack?”
“I wasn’t even the one who examined you.”
Mincheol hyung turned his head and looked to the side.
“Who—”
Standing beside him was a beautiful woman wearing the same doctor’s coat.
And she looked extremely displeased.
“A quack, huh.”
It seemed Jincheol had made a mistake.
He immediately looked at the name tag hanging around her neck.
[Department of Surgery Specialist]
[Jongam University Hospital]
[Kim Sunah]
“Senior Mincheol, seeing how he’s calling people quacks, I guess the patient’s fine. I have surgery calls waiting, so I’ll head out now.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
The moment Kim Sunah left, surgeon Park Mincheol burst into laughter he had been holding back.
“I came here trying to do something nice for you, and you call her a quack? Pfft.”
“…I messed up, didn’t I?”
“Completely. That friend of mine is insanely busy, but she still took time to help because you’re a detective chasing criminals. And you just called that kind person a quack. Hahaha.”
“No, I meant you when I said quack.”
There was no undoing the mistake now, but more importantly…
A mild flu?
“That makes no sense. There’s no way it was just a flu…”
“You were soaked in rain when they brought you in yesterday. It’s not strange you got sick.”
“Yesterday… Ah!”
Jincheol hurriedly searched his pockets.
He jumped off the bed and checked everything from the pockets of his flight jacket to his pants.
He even started reaching into his underwear.
“Hey, hey. Get ahold of yourself. There are other people here too. We took your clothes off because they were soaked.”
“That’s not it. Hyung! Didn’t you see it?”
“See what?”
“The blue stone! Didn’t you see a blue stone when they brought me in?”
“This punk fainted and completely lost his mind. Stones can’t naturally be blue. If a stone looks blue, it’s because something’s covering it or reflecting on it.”
“Damn it, listen to the college graduate showing off. That’s not the point! Did you see the blue stone or not?!”
It was precious evidence.
Evidence he had obtained after running around like hell and sacrificing sleep for over six months while chasing that murderer bastard.
It was the only clue that could finally lead him to the suspect.
That was why he had risked everything to secretly take it instead of handing the credit over to Chief Jo.
“I didn’t see it. Ah! But I did hear that the thing you treasured so much before fainting is with your senior.”
“Senior? Who?!”
“You know. That weak detective hyung you always carry around.”
There was only one “weak detective.”
Hwang Gyoman, the detective who collapsed almost every day despite being a cop.
A senior Jincheol was treasured dearly.
“Senior Hwang?!”
“Yeah, Detective Hwang Gyoman. I heard he’s coming soon since you woke up.”
Mincheol shrugged.
Then he pointed at Jincheol with a grin.
“Looks like it’s finally your turn to get teased. You’ve made fun of him enough already. Just take it today. I’m leaving.”
Mincheol turned around and waved as he walked away from the hospital room.
= = =
Not long later, the senior Jincheol had been waiting for finally appeared.
“Puhahahahaha!”
Apparently he had already heard that nothing serious had happened, because the moment he arrived, Hwang burst into laughter at the sight of Jincheol.
Maybe he had built up a lot over time, because he was clutching his stomach, laughing so hard that he looked ready to roll on the floor.
“You can make fun of me all you want, but where’s the stone?”
“The stone? The doctor asked about it earlier, so I brought it.”
Whoosh.
Gyoman casually tossed the stone he had kept in his pocket toward Jincheol.
It was dangerous, but Jincheol didn’t care.
After all, among Violent Crimes Unit 2, he was famous as a monstrous physical freak.
Thunk.
Catching the stone one-handed midair, Jincheol immediately checked its condition.
“Huh?”
But something about the stone, the evidence he had been waiting for, was strange.
It should have been a suspicious glowing stone constantly emitting blue light.
But the stone in his hand now looked no different from any ordinary rock lying on the street.
“Was it really so precious that you were reaching for it even while losing consciousness?”
“Senior…”
“What?”
“Is this really it? Is this really the stone I had?”
“Isn’t it? This was definitely the thing you wouldn’t let go of before you fainted.”
“Was it always this color? You didn’t mess with it or anything?”
“I didn’t touch it, idiot. I know exactly how you’d react, so why would I mess with it?”
The strength drained from Jincheol’s hand.
Maybe he had been so out of it that he got the stone mixed up.
Otherwise, there was no way the blue light could disappear this completely in such a short time.
“I think it got switched. Damn it. I need to go look for it.”
Jincheol hurriedly got out of bed and started changing clothes.
“Forget it. Chief Jo already searched that entire area thoroughly.”
Just hearing Chief Jo’s name made him angry now.
His grip tightened around the flight jacket in his hands.
The jacket crumpled violently.
Slowly lowering it, Jincheol asked,
“They didn’t find a blue stone?”
“A blue stone? What are you talking about?”
“The blue stone… the murderer bastard dropped it when he disappeared…”
“Huh?”
“The blue stone! Evidence! The only evidence that can catch that murderer bastard!”
Only then did Gyoman finally understand why Jincheol treasured the stone so much.
And just like Jincheol’s face, Gyoman’s expression also turned serious.
= = =
Exactly six months and two weeks earlier.
Three men had been murdered in a quiet alley near Exit 3 of Wolgok Station.
Shockingly, the only witness to the crime was Jincheol himself, a detective from Jongam Police Station’s Violent Crimes Unit 2.
For some reason, he had felt uneasy that day.
He had been driving through the alley he always used while heading out for vacation.
Then suddenly, he felt a strange chill on the back of his neck and turned his head.
That was when he witnessed the murders.
Despite the bright sunny weather without even a drop of rain, the killer wore a black raincoat.
And at the killer’s feet, the third and final victim slowly collapsed.
Jincheol immediately stopped the car and ran after the bastard.
Among violent crime detectives, Jincheol was known as the “mad dog” because of his monstrous strength and speed.
But unfortunately, the black raincoat killer was just as fast as him.
Even so, Jincheol believed he could catch him eventually if he kept chasing.
Then—
“Cough… p-please… save… save me…”
While chasing the killer, Jincheol heard one of the victims crying out.
A trembling voice desperately begging for help while dying.
That voice stopped Jincheol in his tracks.
He abandoned the chase and ran back to the victims, calling the paramedics.
But despite giving up the pursuit…
All the victims died.
‘I’ll definitely catch him…’
Two weeks passed before he officially became the detective in charge of the case.
And today marked exactly six months since he truly began hunting the suspect.
At last, he had found a special piece of evidence that could identify the bastard.
Filled with excitement, Jincheol arrived at Violent Crimes Unit 2’s office.
Just as he was about to open the door—
“Jincheol.”
Gyoman grabbed his shoulder.
“Most days are fine, but just for today, no matter what happens, keep your temper under control.”
“What do you mean?”
Gyoman’s expression was darker than usual.
“I checked the magazine from the gun you returned. One bullet was missing.”
“I told you already. I fired one shot.”
“You’re going to get heavily disciplined. Depending on the chief’s decision… you might lose your position as the detective in charge of this case.”
The excitement in Jincheol’s chest instantly turned cold.
“…”
“So calm down today. No matter what happens, apologize. Do whatever the chief tells you. That’s the only way you’ll stay on the case.”
With his head suddenly cold, Jincheol’s thoughts moved even faster than usual.
He had expected punishment.
But he never imagined the position he had risked his life for in chasing the black raincoat killer would be at stake.
“Got it? Do you know how hard you worked to become the lead detective on this case? You can’t lose it over one mistake. Right?”
The monstrous mad dog of Violent Crimes Unit 2.
“I absolutely can’t.”
Today, instead of a mad dog, he would become a gentle retriever, wagging its tail for the chief.
Making that firm promise to himself, Jincheol took a deep breath and opened the office door.
Creeeak.
“Well, well~ Mad Dog~”
Had Chief Jo been waiting for this day?
The moment Jincheol entered, Chief Jo called out to him with the happiest smile he had ever shown.
‘Ah… damn it…’
Turning his head away to curse internally, Jincheol then looked back at Chief Jo with a bright smile.
“Yes! Chief! Did you call for me?!”
Hadn’t he decided to become a retriever?
Unlike usual, Jincheol quickly ran over with a cheerful smile.
But seeing both Chief Jo and Jincheol acting so differently from normal, the other detectives in Violent Crimes Unit 2 looked nervous.
“What’s this? You actually came when I called? Usually you ignore me.”
“Oh no, Chief. I think I was just too busy and sleep-deprived before.”
“Really? Then let me wake you up properly.”
Chief Jo threw a file folder toward Jincheol.
It only landed in front of him.
Yet somehow it made him unbelievably angry.
‘Ah… it’s because it’s Chief Jo.’
Having figured out the source of his anger, Jincheol forced himself to smile and picked up the file.
“What’s this?”
The file opened.
[Disciplinary Subject: Detective Kim Jincheol]
The contents were simple.
He had carried his firearm and fired one round without receiving authorization.
That alone was enough for severe disciplinary action.
And if higher-ups learned it was connected to this case, he would naturally lose his position as lead detective for the black-raincoat murder case.
“What else would it be? It’s a record of exactly what you did.”
“Chief, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! I’ll do anything you ask! I’ll clean the bathrooms alone for a week, no, a month! I’ll even take all your overtime for three months! So please…”
“You know that if this report goes up, you’ll be removed from the case, right?”
“Yes, I know! Is three months of overtime not enough? I’ll do six months! You should go home early and spend time with your daughter, who looks just like you!”
At Jincheol’s shameless flattery, laughter burst out among the detectives.
“Pfft.”
Chief Jo had the face of a bald vulture with wide flat features.
His facial features looked messy, and even his normal expression always seemed angry.
But shockingly, his daughter apparently looked exactly like him.
“Looks like you still haven’t come to your senses? Right now I should—”
“Ah, I forgot the subject of the sentence. I meant your daughter who looks just like Hwang Yesul. Maybe you didn’t hear me because I spoke too quietly.”
“Hwang… Yesul?”
Hwang Yesul was rumored to be the most beautiful actress currently alive.
What father wouldn’t like hearing that his daughter resembled such a famous beauty?
“Kuhahahahaha! Did everyone hear that? I thought so too! Hahahaha!”
Seriously, was he shameless?
Or blind?
Jincheol wanted to say the following:
“Sorry to your daughter, but she got unlucky with her father. Don’t compare her to Hwang Yesul!”
But of course, he swallowed those words.
“Hahahaha, of course!”
He kept laughing like an idiot.
This situation was humiliating as hell, but humiliation was temporary.
Once this case passed…
He planned to pay Chief Jo back tenfold later.
“Suddenly, I feel like having coffee.”
Had Chief Jo read his thoughts?
“Coffee…?”
“Yeah. Iced coffee. With lots of ice.”
Chief Jo clearly had no intention of letting things end easily.
Of course, Jincheol already knew that too.
“Yes! I’ll go get it right away!”
Jincheol immediately turned around and grabbed a paper cup to make instant coffee.
Then Chief Jo shouted from afar.
“You’re not making instant-mix coffee, are you?”
Flinch.
“That’s too cheap for the father of a future superstar actress. Go buy iced Americano instead.”
You dumb bastard.
He almost cursed again but swallowed it back down.
The paper cup in his hand crumpled with a crunching sound.
When he sharply turned his head, the other detectives quickly avoided his gaze, afraid of getting bitten by the mad dog.
‘One day, I’ll definitely…’
Creak.
‘Get revenge. Once this situation passes…’
Just as Jincheol was about to head outside to buy coffee—
Someone brave enough to approach the crazed mad dog appeared.
“Senior.”
It was the youngest member of Violent Crimes Unit 2.
Hwangbo Junseong.
Following Jincheol outside, Junseong grabbed his hand with an apologetic expression.
“What is it?!”
“Please stop now, Senior.”
“What?”
The first thought that crossed Jincheol’s mind was the following:
Did this bastard lose his mind?
And just as he started planning how to beat this bastard up—
Junseong said something shocking.
“The disciplinary report has already been sent up.”
“…”
“It’s already been submitted. Stop now. The chief just wants to toy with you.”
Snap.
For the first time…
Jincheol felt something break inside his head.
And he soon realized that what broke was his reason.
“That son of a biiiiitch!!”
A roar filled with fury, pressed out word by word, echoed throughout the hallway of Violent Crimes Unit 2.
