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CHAPTER 04
They say climbing up is hard, but falling down is like sliding down a playground slide.
Whoever said that deserves an award.
A funeral wreath award.
“You’re not coming out?”
Quick-witted Junseong was hiding in the stall next to Jincheol’s.
All he had to do was receive the blue stone evidence.
It should’ve been simple…
The problem was that idiot senior outside, grinning like he had loose screws in his head, refused to leave the bathroom stall entrance.
“Why? You out of toilet paper?”
“Just a moment!”
He even shoved his face under the stall door while saying it.
“Could you move your head?”
“Nothing interesting to look at anyway.”
Seungcheol’s head disappeared back out.
“Haa…”
Jincheol let out a deep sigh.
Then he pulled out his phone and sent a text.
[Can’t you pass it underneath?]
[The gap’s too narrow. It won’t fit.]
A shadow moved back and forth from Junseong’s stall.
It looked like he was trying hard, but it wasn’t easy.
‘If only I hadn’t fainted… damn it.’
It was originally his evidence, so why was it so difficult to get back?
Just then—
“Done!”
Junseong’s voice came from the next stall.
And beneath the divider, a stone was carefully pushed over.
“Huh? What’s done?”
Seungcheol’s shadow moved again.
Apparently he was trying to stick his head under the stall once more…
At this rate, they might get caught passing evidence.
Jincheol quickly reached under and grabbed the stone.
And the moment he tried to shove it into his pocket—
Seungcheol’s head popped underneath faster.
‘Caught…’
It was an extremely dangerous moment.
If Seungcheol saw the evidence from Chief Jo’s case in Jincheol’s hands, everything would be over.
Right as Seungcheol’s hair came into view—
Bang!
“Ahhh, that feels better. My constipation’s gone.”
Junseong suddenly kicked open his stall door and walked out loudly.
His distraction tactics were incredible.
For just two seconds, Seungcheol froze.
And in that gap, Jincheol quickly shoved the stone into his pocket.
“What? You still not done?”
After that, Seungcheol pushed his head back under the stall again.
Jincheol looked at him with complete disgust while pulling up his pants.
“I’m coming out. I’m coming out.”
Though he looked annoyed on the outside, inwardly he was celebrating.
Finally…
He now had the evidence that could identify that black raincoat killer bastard.
The first real evidence in six whole months.
‘You’re dead.’
Jincheol tightened his belt and wiped the smile from his lips.
Then he walked out.
= = =
On the way back to the Missing Persons Team office, Seungcheol kept staring at Jincheol suspiciously.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No matter how I look at it, something feels off.”
“What does?”
“What were you and the rookie from Violent Crimes Unit 2 doing together?”
His instincts really were sharp.
But—
“Do you have any proof? You know suspicion alone doesn’t count as evidence.”
There was no physical evidence proving anything.
And suspicion alone could never convict anyone.
Wasn’t Jincheol the person who understood that better than anyone?
Shrugging his shoulders, he quietly enjoyed his victory.
“That’s true. I guess nothing important could’ve happened anyway.”
Seungcheol accepted defeat since there was no proof.
“You didn’t secretly pass evidence in a bathroom stall while taking a dump or something, right?”
Flinch.
What exactly was wrong with this guy?
His instincts were seriously insane.
Cold sweat ran down Jincheol’s back.
If they found out he had secretly taken evidence, things wouldn’t end with losing his position or getting transferred.
He might actually lose his badge entirely.
“As if something like that would happen.”
But Seungcheol just shrugged casually, like he’d only been joking.
‘Thank god… wow…’
Walking behind Seungcheol, Jincheol quietly sighed in relief.
The man had sharp instincts, but he didn’t fully trust them himself.
If Seungcheol were his junior, Jincheol would’ve cursed him out thoroughly.
But right now, he had never been more grateful for that flaw.
Twitch.
He could feel the evidence in his pocket.
The same familiar feeling from before he fainted.
If Seungcheol had trusted his instincts completely, this would’ve ended as Jincheol’s total defeat.
His detective career would’ve ended over the serious crime of stealing evidence.
‘Seriously… thank god.’
Feeling relieved thanks to his senior’s inability to trust his own instincts, Jincheol arrived in front of the Missing Persons Team office.
Seungcheol raised his hand toward the door.
‘The moment we go in, I’ll check the stone—’
That was the plan.
But Seungcheol simply held the doorknob without opening it and looked at Jincheol.
Did he notice the sigh of relief?
Jincheol wondered that for a moment.
Then—
“But seriously, be more careful next time. What kind of guy takes a dump without using toilet paper or flushing?”
“…?!”
“Just saying.”
Jincheol’s eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out.
But Seungcheol simply smiled with his usual playful grin, as if he meant nothing by it.
Then he opened the office door and loudly greeted everyone again.
“Good morning~”
Still stunned, Jincheol stepped through the closing door while staring at Seungcheol for a long time.
= = =
The moment Jincheol entered the Missing Persons Team office, he immediately had to go out on fieldwork with Seungcheol.
Sitting in the passenger seat of Seungcheol’s car, Jincheol frowned deeply.
“They even assign investigations to someone who just transferred in here? There’s no standby period or anything?”
“That’s true for actual newcomers. But you’re not one.”
Seungcheol smirked.
“Detective Kim Jincheol of Violent Crimes Unit 2?”
“Haa…”
Jincheol shook his head, deciding this was someone he should avoid getting involved with.
He wasn’t part of Violent Crimes anymore.
He wasn’t even the detective in charge of the black raincoat killer anymore.
Now he was simply the youngest detective in Missing Persons.
Far removed from violent criminals like murderers and robbers.
‘Chief Jo, that bastard.’
Thinking about it again only made him angrier.
Was he really supposed to let the black raincoat killer go like this?
Looking out the car window with clenched teeth, Jincheol swore to himself again and again that he would somehow return to Violent Crimes and reclaim the case.
Then—
A familiar sight entered his vision outside the speeding car window.
‘Wait… that’s…’
The car was climbing toward the hillside slum neighborhood.
And outside, he saw a familiar fish-shaped pastry cart.
[Real Taste Bungeoppang]
[2 for 2,000 won]
There was no way he could forget it.
At first, he thought the pastries were ridiculously overpriced and wondered who would even buy them.
But now it had become one of the most unforgettable memories burned into his mind.
“This place!”
Jincheol quickly looked around.
Only then did he realize where they were.
The flooded hillside neighborhood where he had nearly caught the black raincoat killer.
Screech.
The car stopped, and Seungcheol stepped out, leaving the stunned Jincheol behind.
“Hey!”
Jincheol hurriedly got out and grabbed Seungcheol’s shoulder.
Seungcheol turned around with a grin.
“Looks familiar, doesn’t it?”
It was a place he could never forget.
Jincheol silently stared at him.
Then Seungcheol unfolded the document he was carrying and held it up.
[Detective in Charge of Wolgok Station Murder Case]
[Lieutenant Shim Seungcheol]
“…Crazy, right?”
The moment he saw the paper, Jincheol froze.
Because of Chief Jo.
No, because of his own greed.
The authority he had lost… why was it here?
Proudly tucking the document away, Seungcheol patted Jincheol’s shoulder.
“Life really is funny, isn’t it?”
Seungcheol started walking away, but Jincheol remained frozen.
Then he suddenly snapped back to his senses and shouted,
“Isn’t this the Missing Persons Team?! How… how does a Missing Persons detective become the lead detective on a murder case?!”
“Right? How did that happen? Weird, huh?”
Seungcheol only shrugged and continued walking uphill through the neighborhood.
“Answer me!”
Not getting a proper response, Jincheol stubbornly kept demanding answers.
And instead of replying—
“If you’re late, I’ll bring someone else instead.”
“Damn it.”
Seungcheol simply kept walking ahead.
= = =
Manbok Supermarket.
One canned coffee cost 2,000 won.
A ridiculously expensive canned coffee worth an iced Americano.
There was no way Jincheol could forget it.
Back then, he had cursed internally while barely resisting the urge to buy one.
Click.
“Kyaah~ Ma’am, this is seriously delicious!”
But now Seungcheol naturally sat down on the wooden bench and casually chugged the expensive canned coffee.
At other stores, you could buy at least three cans for that price.
Yet Seungcheol emptied it in only two gulps.
Meanwhile, Jincheol just stared at the can in his own hand, which had been pushed onto him by the shop owner’s aggressive salesmanship.
“I’m telling you, coffee from other places doesn’t taste like this. Lots of people come here just for that coffee~”
She practically scammed people with overpriced canned coffee while acting proud of it.
Jincheol stared at the woman strangely, and Seungcheol suddenly snatched the can from his hand.
“If you’re not drinking it, I will.”
“N-no!”
Jincheol immediately snatched it back and opened the can.
Then he gulped it down.
‘Let’s see if it’s really worth the price.’
And then he finished the entire can in one shot.
“I-it’s delicious!”
How was this possible?
Why did it taste so good?
Did they mix something into it?
No, impossible.
He opened the can himself.
That meant it came directly from the factory.
It was the exact same product sold everywhere else.
“See? I told you it was good. But you look familiar…”
The shop owner narrowed her eyes and approached Jincheol, who was staring at the empty can in shock.
Flinch.
“Hey, ma’am! If you run your business like this, you’ll go bankrupt!”
“What!? Watch your mouth!”
“Did I ask for something outrageous? I said I’m trying to catch a criminal! I asked for information, and instead you tried to scam a detective to make extra money?!”
“Who are you calling a scammer! Fix that rotten attitude. You’re a detective with no virtue, so everything you do ends in failure.”
“What did you just say?!”
One hour before nearly catching the black raincoat killer.
On that rainy day, Jincheol had met this store owner here at Manbok Supermarket.
As the memory surfaced, Jincheol slowly turned his head away to avoid her gaze.
“Hmph, guess I’m getting old. My eyesight’s getting worse.”
Thank god her eyes were bad.
Otherwise he might’ve ruined everything before the investigation even restarted.
Just as Jincheol sighed in relief once more, Seungcheol spoke to the owner.
“By the way, ma’am.”
“What is it?”
“A while ago, the police flooded this area, right?”
“That’s right! The whole neighborhood got nervous because of it.”
As if remembering something, the owner suddenly clapped her hands.
Clap.
“Oh! Come to think of it… I think I’ve seen that criminal before.”
“…?!”
What the hell was this?
The owner’s unexpected words stunned them both.
“You mean that criminal. The guy wearing the black raincoat, right?”
Seungcheol and Jincheol looked at each other at the exact same time.
Then they shouted together.
“Ma’am! What did he look like?!”
