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CHAPTER 03
Why was the mad dog called a mad dog?
Because normal people, dogs, and animals all instinctively know there are things they shouldn’t do.
But a mad dog doesn’t have that kind of thinking process.
When it gets pissed off, it just does whatever it wants.
That’s why it’s called a mad dog.
Boom!
And what if that mad dog also had monstrous physical strength?
Then another title gets added.
The absolute kind that says the following:
Never mess with him.
Bang!
Jincheol kicked open the door to Violent Crimes Unit 2.
Junseong saw it for the first time.
A thick soundproof door getting blown open by a human kick.
Crash!
As the door shattered open, the detectives jumped from their seats in shock.
And the moment they saw the crazed look in Jincheol’s eyes standing at the entrance, they realized it.
‘We’re screwed.’
Jincheol himself might not know it, but all the detectives knew that Junseong was a huge fan of the mad dog.
Maybe this disaster had been inevitable the moment Junseong followed him out.
“Hey! Stop him!”
“Huh? Uh—”
“You son of a bitch!”
Using the broken door frame as a step, Jincheol launched himself forward.
Could a person really jump that high and that far?
“Hey!”
The detectives rushed forward to stop him.
But before they could, Jincheol’s kick smashed into the partition surrounding Chief Jo’s desk.
Boom!
The divider slammed backward, violently shaking Chief Jo’s desk.
“Y-you crazy…”
The laptop on the desk crashed to the floor, and documents scattered everywhere.
Then the partition toppled over.
Crash.
The divider split open like peeled onion layers, revealing Chief Jo face-to-face with the enraged Jincheol.
Chief Jo’s face turned pale with shock.
“Stop him!”
Rumble.
The detectives surrounded Jincheol.
They threw themselves against him to push him away, but Jincheol’s overwhelming physique barely budged.
He only slid back slightly while glaring murderously at Chief Jo.
“You were playing with me?”
“T-that’s…”
“You said it was already sent upstairs. Was that true or not?!”
“T-that… w-well…”
Chief Jo was so frightened he could barely speak.
Because for the first time, he genuinely thought he might die.
“Chief… I really need this case. I have to work this case. So why… why the hell did you do this?!”
“W-what are you doing?! Stop him! Stop him!”
Five detectives tried pulling Jincheol away from Chief Jo.
But it was like his feet were rooted into the ground.
He didn’t move an inch.
“Stop me?”
Jincheol’s eyebrow twitched, and Chief Jo clasped both hands together pleadingly.
“J-Jincheol… I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“R-right! Manager Park! Manager Park rushed me for it…”
The timing truly couldn’t have been worse.
“Were you calling me?”
Right in the middle of the chaos inside Violent Crimes Unit 2—
The person Jincheol least wanted to see walked in holding a document.
Manager Park.
Chief Jo’s academy classmate, but unlike Jo, he had climbed to department manager through a completely different route.
An elite officer of Jongam Police Station.
Manager Park stepped calmly into the chaos and scanned the detectives.
“What a pathetic scene.”
“M-Manager…”
“Why aren’t you working? Do you all want disciplinary action too?”
“We’re sorry!”
The detectives surrounding Jincheol quickly scattered back to their desks.
Straightening his wrinkled clothes, Jincheol glared at Manager Park.
“So you’re the mad dog?”
Unlike Chief Jo and the other detectives, Manager Park was different.
Even under Jincheol’s murderous glare, he stood there without the slightest fear.
“Then show me your mad-dog act against me too.”
Jincheol’s eyes moved to the document in Manager Park’s hand.
[Disciplinary Action Confirmed]
After confirming Jincheol had seen it, Manager Park smirked.
Then he held the paper out and said,
“I can add a few more lines to this. Go ahead and try something.”
From the rough glance he got, Jincheol could already see that he had been removed as the lead detective on the case.
It was already over.
If he caused any more trouble here, not only would he lose the case, but his detective career itself could be in danger.
‘No. Absolutely not. Not until I catch that bastard.’
Grinding his teeth, Jincheol dusted off his flight jacket.
“Who told you to do all this? You acted on your own, so who are you trying to blame? And you still call yourself a detective?”
Manager Park shoved Jincheol’s shoulder.
But Jincheol didn’t move at all.
“From this moment, Detective Kim Jincheol is removed from the Wolgok Station murder case. Detectives who handle cases emotionally always end up causing problems eventually. Any complaints?”
“No, sir.”
“Also, Detective Kim Jincheol is hereby reassigned to the Missing Persons Investigation Team.”
Jincheol’s eyebrow twitched.
They were kicking him out of Violent Crimes Unit 2 entirely.
But just as Manager Park said, all of this had been Jincheol’s own doing.
And honestly, the punishment wasn’t excessive.
“What are you standing there for? Pack your things and move.”
Who could he even blame?
This all happened because of his obsession with catching the black raincoat murderer.
Chief Jo.
If the man had truly seen how hard Jincheol had worked and how many sleepless nights he spent chasing the killer, then as a team leader, he could’ve overlooked this much.
That was why Jincheol was angry.
Not because of the punishment itself, but because Chief Jo showed absolutely no understanding despite witnessing all his efforts firsthand.
Jincheol glared at Chief Jo.
“Heh.”
Chief Jo laughed mockingly while looking at Jincheol’s situation.
No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t resemble a proper leader at all.
“No wonder your subordinates don’t want to follow you.”
One of his own men had just been effectively demoted.
Maybe not officially ruined, but still forcibly transferred.
And yet the only thing their team leader did was sneer.
Jincheol roughly grabbed the file from Chief Jo’s desk and returned to his seat to pack his things.
= = =
“Thanks. Seriously, thanks.”
After Jincheol transferred to the Missing Persons Team, Chief Jo spoke comfortably to Manager Park, who had remained behind.
“That bastard made my life miserable.”
“Miserable…? How exactly?”
At his classmate’s question, Chief Jo grinned and counted on his fingers.
“He poked around where he shouldn’t and nearly ruined a nightclub, and while chasing that killer, he searched places without warrants, so I had to constantly stop people from filing legal complaints. I couldn’t even go home on time.”
“He really ran around that much?”
“He practically never stayed at the station. All for one killer. Tsk. Anyway, life’s easier now. The idiot should’ve just stayed quiet. Hah.”
Manager Park quietly listened before leaning back in his chair with a faint smirk.
Then he looked at the instant coffee on the desk and said,
“That’s why you’re still only a team chief.”
“What’s wrong with being chief? It’s comfortable.”
“And because you only care about being comfortable, you let go of something valuable.”
“You’re not calling that mad dog valuable, are you? I feel relieved.”
“Well, you never did understand things properly.”
Manager Park never even took a sip of the coffee.
He only stared at it before standing up.
“What do you think the police are?”
“Civil servants. Iron rice bowls. A cushy job where you get a pension as long as you don’t stand out.”
“I see.”
Manager Park walked toward the door of Violent Crimes Unit 2.
“Thanks. Thanks to you, I could handle it.”
“No, I’m the thankful one. He never suited you anyway.”
“Right? He was just an overtime machine.”
“No. I meant he was too good a talent for you.”
“What?”
Chief Jo really was unbelievably clueless.
Manager Park fixed his suit with an annoyed expression.
“I mean, it was a waste to leave him rotting in this dying department. Honestly, I don’t think this team will last much longer either.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what I said. This team’s going to be dismantled soon. The golden rope you called an overtime machine is gone now.”
“Golden rope? What the hell does that mean… Manager Park! Explain it properly—”
Before leaving, Manager Park stopped and stared directly at Chief Jo.
“Chief. Watch your tone. I’m a manager now. Not your classmate.”
“……”
Chief Jo froze in place.
= = =
The world had changed far too much over the last ten years.
The way society viewed the police had changed.
Even the officers themselves no longer seemed to understand what being police meant.
“Good morning, Manager.”
“Iron rice bowl, huh…”
As Manager Park walked toward the Missing Persons Team office located on the opposite side of the station, many officers greeted him.
Like always, he ignored every greeting.
He simply glanced at them and kept walking.
Then he overheard two officers whispering behind him.
“They say he’s an elite officer… but what’s with that attitude?”
“You still have to greet him, though. Maybe one day he’ll finally respond.”
“That’s exactly why I keep doing it. Who knows? Maybe he’ll acknowledge me someday and I’ll get promoted.”
“Hehehe.”
The two officers laughed together as they walked away.
Manager Park stopped walking.
“So that ridiculous rumor still hasn’t disappeared.”
His face twisted in annoyance.
Then suddenly someone popped out from around the hallway corner and stood before him.
“How could the rumor disappear? It’s famous. The rumor that anyone whose greeting you return gets promoted within months.”
The newcomer hadn’t even greeted him.
And yet, unlike with the others, Manager Park spoke first.
“Seungcheol, you’re here.”
“I’m dying from work. I don’t know what kind of blessing I was born with. Everywhere I look, I see evidence and clues. How am I supposed to ignore them?”
“That blessing is why you got promoted faster than all your classmates.”
Manager Park’s expression relaxed slightly as he resumed walking.
The man called Seungcheol walked alongside him.
“That’s why the rumor won’t disappear. People interpret it differently, but half of it’s true.”
“What a pain…”
Manager Park sighed deeply.
“If Manager Park returns someone’s greeting, that means they caught your attention. And if they caught your attention? That means they have exceptional attitude and ability as police officers.”
Seungcheol pointed upward while talking dramatically.
Manager Park shook his head.
“So that’s why you got promoted too?”
“Probably? As you know, my abilities are exceptional.”
“Oh? Sounds like even you know your attitude has problems.”
“Hehe~”
Seungcheol, whose cute appearance didn’t match a police officer at all, stuck out his tongue playfully.
Then he noticed the file in Manager Park’s hand and leaned closer curiously.
“I heard a newcomer’s arriving today. Is this the new guy? The one who couldn’t shine because his superior sucked?”
“Don’t exaggerate. He’s new to Missing Persons, but he’s a veteran who’s spent years grinding away in Violent Crimes.”
“Whew~ Hearing you say that makes me even more curious.”
Seungcheol licked his lips.
For Manager Park to speak that highly of someone was enough to spark his interest.
While chatting, they eventually arrived in front of the Missing Persons Team office.
Manager Park stopped and smirked.
“See for yourself. Ah, and even if you’re curious, hold back today. That guy’s in a very bad mood.”
“Yes sir! Leave it to me!”
Manager Park handed Seungcheol the file he was carrying.
“Enter safely!”
As Seungcheol bowed ninety degrees, Manager Park raised a hand without even looking back and walked away.
“A golden rope in Violent Crimes, huh… Gold can mean treasure, but it can also mean a beast. Hehehe. Looks like a bloodstorm’s coming to Missing Persons.”
Touching the words “Missing Persons Investigation Team” on the office sign, Seungcheol smiled deeply.
An unsettling and strange smile.
= = =
“Damn it…”
Assigned to the last desk in the Missing Persons Team office, Jincheol finished unpacking and buried his face in his hands.
It wasn’t because he had been transferred.
It wasn’t because he lashed out at Chief Jo either.
He was angry because, in his rage, he failed to bring back the most important thing.
The black raincoat murderer’s evidence.
‘I seriously need to control my temper…’
Ding.
At that moment, a notification sound came from the phone he had tossed on the desk.
His eyes widened at the message.
[Makdoongie]
[Senior, I secured the evidence you were looking for. Let’s meet in the restroom now.]
Screeech!
Jincheol immediately kicked back his chair and stood up.
“You adorable little genius!!”
He kissed his phone and immediately tried heading outside.
“Wait a moment.”
Detective Kim Seungbae, his new senior in the Missing Persons Team, stopped him.
“Yes?”
Jincheol paused and looked back.
“Where are you going?”
“…Do I need permission just to leave?”
At Jincheol’s words, Seungbae twisted his lips in disbelief.
“Hah! You don’t even have a case assigned yet. Where exactly do you think you’re going?”
“Ah…”
Back in Violent Crimes, he had been the detective in charge of the black-raincoat killer, so he could freely run around investigating.
But now he wasn’t the lead detective anymore.
Right now, Jincheol was just the youngest member of Missing Persons.
And a heavily overworked youngest member at that.
“So I can’t even go to the bathroom freely?”
“The bathroom…?”
“Yes. The bathroom.”
Even if he was technically the rookie here, he still had years of detective experience.
He could easily improvise his way through something like this.
“Then I’ll come with—”
Creeeak!
“Good morning!”
The door Jincheol was about to leave through opened.
And in walked the strange oddball of the Missing Persons Team.
Seungcheol entered with a bright smile and raised his hand.
“Where’s the rookie?”
“Ah! Perfect timing.”
Seungbae, who outranked Seungcheol, waved him over.
Then Seungcheol noticed the unfamiliar face standing near the door.
Jincheol.
“So you’re the one?”
“Take Cheoli with you. He says he’s going to the restroom, but after seeing the message he got earlier, it feels like he’s trying to run off somewhere. Keep an eye on him.”
“Yes sir!”
Seungcheol saluted.
Worried by Seungcheol’s overly playful demeanor, Seungbae warned him again.
“Manager Park said to watch him carefully today. Keep your eyes open. If he pulls another stunt, things could get really bad.”
“Yes sir!”
Even after the warning, Seungcheol gave another playful salute before placing a hand on Jincheol’s shoulder.
“Well then~ Shall we go take a dump?”
Led away by Seungcheol, Jincheol walked outside.
‘Damn it, this is bad.’
His plan to retrieve the evidence had completely fallen apart.
Just as he was about to change his plan—
“Ah! Someone’s waiting in front of the restroom. Holding a weird stone? Oh, and your Violent Crimes chief seems to have lost something too… He looked desperate while searching for it…”
We’re screwed.
Jincheol’s face twisted instantly.
“Let’s go take that dump.”
There would be no change of plans.
Time was critical.
He absolutely couldn’t let that crazy bastard Chief Jo get his hands on such valuable evidence.
