We Are Police
The detectives of Team 3 returned to the office.
Detective Kim Seok-ho and Officer Han Geon-woo sat in front of a monitor, comparing photos of the elementary school teacher murder victim's scars and Kim Gap-du's weapon as Ju-won had said.
"It really is similar..."
Officer Han Geon-woo looked at Ju-won with a surprised face.
"They say even the detectives at the time couldn't find the weapon, how did you know?"
Ju-won, who was in the next seat, answered.
"Ah, I discovered it by chance while looking at a case analysis book."
"Wow, you're really amazing."
At Officer Han Geon-woo's praise, Ju-won smiled and waved his hand.
Then Terra's annoying voice followed.
[There is no need to be conceited. It is just that he doesn't know of my existence; Officer Han Geon-woo is praising me.]
Consistent fellow.
I knew it would say something like that.
'I know, I know.'
Just then, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu, who had gone to call Gangnam Police Station, returned to the office.
It was a call to ask if Kim Gap-du's weapon was still kept at Gangnam Police Station.
However, Team Leader Gu's expression is dark.
"It seems they've already disposed of it. Since it was so long ago."
Kim Gap-du's weapon, which might have killed the victim of the elementary school teacher murder case, is gone now.
All that remained were the photos left in the computer system.
Detective Kim Seok-ho spoke.
"So we can't find direct evidence."
"Haa— Still, we should search through other things."
"But given the current situation, isn't it just simple speculation?"
Detective Kim Seok-ho's head turned to Ju-won.
"That they just passed over Type 1 diabetes or needle marks and failed to discover drug injection marks."
Ju-won nodded.
"Yes, that's correct."
Then he looked at Detective Kim Seok-ho.
"Are you going to oppose again..."
"No, that's not it."
"Pardon?"
"We have to check. Either way, we've found a clue after 15 years."
Although he said that, Detective Kim Seok-ho still didn't seem pleased.
At that moment, Officer Han Geon-woo, who had returned to his seat and was typing on the keyboard, spoke.
"Kim Gap-du, after serving time for robbery with injury at the time, committed several more injury crimes. He went in and out of prison a few times like that, and was released a year ago."
At that, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu's head turned.
"His address?"
"It's 10-8 Maju-dong, Gangjung City."
At Officer Han's words, Ju-won stood up and said.
"I will go to Kim Gap-du with Officer Han."
"Will you do that?"
Nodding, Team Leader Gu looked at Detective Kim Seok-ho.
"Then we'll go visit the bereaved family of the elementary school teacher murder victim. We'll find out if there were any drug-related circumstances before the victim's death."
"Detective Kim, what's wrong with you lately?"
Inside the car heading to the victim's bereaved family's house.
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu, holding the steering wheel, turned his head towards Detective Kim Seok-ho in the passenger seat.
"No matter how much you dislike Inspector Lee, you should distinguish between public and private matters."
Detective Kim Seok-ho hadn't liked Ju-won since he first joined the team.
The reason was that Ju-won was a greenhorn from the Police University.
Having dropped out of high school due to family circumstances and worked various part-time jobs before barely becoming a police officer, he thought of Ju-won as a flower in a greenhouse.
Of course, it was also because he didn't know Ju-won was from an orphanage.
No, he didn't want to know.
From the first case he took on, Ju-won put more effort into 'solving' the case than 'closing' it.
To Detective Kim Seok-ho, who wanted to retire safely as a police official, he was just a noisy pebble blocking his path.
'It's all just youthful spirit.'
Detective Kim Seok-ho had been promoted faster than his peers, from officer to senior officer, and from senior officer to detective.
Because police work was fun.
He had a sense of justice he wanted, and there was the thrill of catching bad guys.
However, perhaps he was too absorbed in police work.
Detective Kim rebelled against a superior who tried to close a case, and was kicked out of the team after that.
It was poison.
Justice, for a person who wants to live as a police official.
So after that, like that team leader he had defied, he focused on closing cases rather than solving them.
"...."
"I heard your mother's condition isn't good lately. The hospital bills are burdensome and it must be very hard, right?"
The only family Detective Kim Seok-ho has, his mother.
At the mention of his mother, Detective Kim Seok-ho looked at Team Leader Gu.
"They say the attending physician is the best professor in our country. Published some papers in America... Haa. But even with such a famous professor looking after her, it's difficult. Team Leader."
A police official's salary isn't much.
Most of that salary goes to his mother's hospital bills.
Plus the interest on existing loans.
"So problems must not arise. If my salary gets cut or I get demoted..."
"...."
"That's why I don't like Inspector Lee."
At Detective Kim Seok-ho's words, Team Leader Gu shut his mouth.
He was silent for a while.
Then,
"Still, what can we do. We are police."
Stopping the car at a red light, Team Leader Gu looked at Detective Kim Seok-ho.
"We have to resolve the deep sorrow of the victims, the bereaved families. Especially for this case, the victim's family must have lived in hell for 15 years. In a vain hell without even someone to hate."
"...."
"My wife says she won't let me be if I come home stabbed. But even if a situation arises where I get stabbed, if it's my job, I'll do it. It's not that I don't know my wife's worried heart. I know, but still, we are police."
At that time.
A secluded house near a reservoir.
A quiet place with a small house and an unmanaged garage next to it.
Officer Han Geon-woo and Ju-won approached that place.
"Would he be home?"
"I don't know. I can hear something like a human voice... Shh!"
Suddenly, Ju-won grabbed Officer Han's arm and ducked down.
Because there was a sign of presence from the garage.
"Anyway, retards."
It's a middle-aged man's voice.
A man holding a large sports bag in his hand walked out to the garage with heavy steps.
"Kim Gap-du...?"
When Officer Han whispered quietly, Ju-won nodded.
That man coming out holding a bag full of something is definitely Kim Gap-du.
Thud.
Kim Gap-du placed the mobile phone he was holding in his other hand on top of a cabinet in the garage.
A news video was playing from there.
<...Due to the broadcast's significant topicality, public interest in the elementary school teacher murder case is intense. Whether the current police can make up for the failure of 15 years ago regarding the unsolved case that happened then is...>
Listening to the news, Kim Gap-du burst into loud laughter.
"Unsolved, unsolved my arse. It's not like they're bragging about their heads being stupid."
Kim Gap-du's house is near a deserted reservoir.
Thinking no one was around, Kim Gap-du shouted while giggling.
"Anyway, there's a reason why our country's police are called cops! Hahahaha!"
His tone felt no guilt whatsoever, as if bragging about his crime.
Laughing alone for a long time, Kim Gap-du ripped open the shopping bag he brought.
"I mean, how could they catch me, there's no evidence."
Then he put his hand into the shopping bag and pulled something out.
It looks like a quite large object.
It's hard to see clearly because of the distance and darkness.
Just as Han Geon-woo frowned, the contents reflected red in Ju-won's eyes.
'Terra, nice.'
Something that looks too thick and sharp to be a pickaxe.
[It matches Kim Gap-du's weapon that was in the case file.]
'You're certain, right?'
Perhaps because a lot of time has passed, it looked quite different from the weapon seen in the photo.
[I am certain.]
Ju-won looked at Officer Han Geon-woo.
"That's it. The weapon Kim Gap-du possessed, similar in shape to the victim's scars in the elementary school teacher murder case."
"Pardon? You can see that?"
"Yeah, it seems deformed over time, but it's correct."
"Inspector, he's taking something else out..."
Kim Gap-du, having put the weapon down on the floor, put his hand back into the bag and took out another thing.
But this time it was yellow.
'What is that yellow thing?'
[It is an item that requires verification.]
Ju-won frowned.
"A notebook?"
It's a notebook that looks old.
Terra's voice rang out.
[It appears to be the elementary school teacher victim's notebook. The design is similar to the photos of the victim's belongings. However, it is an item that requires verification.]
'The elementary school teacher victim?'
Then does it mean it's a notebook he took from the victim after murdering him in the elementary school teacher murder case?
But why?
It's just a notebook, not even the weapon that directly killed the victim.
[It is presumed to contain evidence that the victim and Kim Gap-du are connected by drugs or something else.]
At that moment, Kim Gap-du mumbled to himself.
"Haa, I mean why receive the goods and not pay the price?"
Clicking his tongue, he threw the notebook next to the pickaxe.
"If only he had paid the price back then, those cops wouldn't be suffering like that talking about unsolved cases and whatnot, truly a pity. Tsk."
Spitting out incomprehensible rubbish, Kim Gap-du dragged over a drum that was in the corner.
Then taking a match out of his pocket, he lit the wick and threw it into the drum.
There must have been wood inside the drum, for shortly after Kim Gap-du threw the fire in, flames began to blaze.
"He's going to... burn that soon. What do we do, Inspector?"
"What do you mean, we have to catch him."
Ju-won jumped up.
"What should we do when we see a criminal attempting to conceal evidence, Officer Han?"
Although they can't search Kim Gap-du's house right now because they don't have a warrant, there is one thing they can do.
Officer Han Geon-woo stood up.
"We must make an emergency arrest."
Nodding, Ju-won went around the wall and walked out to the garage.
"Mr Kim Gap-du!"
Kim Gap-du, who was watching the blazing drum, turned his head in surprise.
"Who..."
However, his face contorts at the handcuffs held in Ju-won's hand.
"F**k, police?"
"Yes, we're from Gangjung Station."
"Gangjung Station? Why? What did I do wrong? I paid for my crimes and was released not long ago, you man."
Ju-won looked at the pickaxe fallen below.
"That pickaxe, you made it yourself, right? The notebook... you stole it from the elementary school teacher victim."
Kim Gap-du's eyes tremble.
Soon, thinking Ju-won knew something, he took an industrial box cutter out of his pocket.
Click—
The sharp box cutter blade coming up.
Terra's voice was heard.
[Mr Ju-won, this is different from Go Sang-yeop last time. If that weapon even touches the carotid artery, you could receive a fatal wound.]
'So? You want me to use the gun?'
[Yes. For safety, you must use it. Do not be stubborn like last time...]
Bang!
Terra's words stopped at the gunshot sound.
"I can distinguish that much."
Because Ju-won was already aiming the gun at Kim Gap-du.
Of course, at the sound of the blank cartridge, Kim Gap-du's steps, slowly approaching with the box cutter, also stopped.
"Are you... going to shoot that?"
However, the surprised expression was brief; he laughed while clicking the box cutter.
"I'm a person who has eaten bean rice (prison food) more than 5 times. That means I've seen as many police officers carrying iron bracelets as I've eaten bean rice. I've never seen one, those cops shooting guns."
Kim Gap-du, confident that Ju-won would absolutely not shoot.
But looking at him, Ju-won also raised the corners of his mouth.
"Really? Then you'll see it for the first time today."
"Bastard..."
As Ju-won approached slowly while aiming the gun, Kim Gap-du gripped the knife even tighter.
[Strength went into Kim Gap-du's hand holding the weapon. It appears to be an intention to wield the weapon soon. Be careful.]
A quiet tension hovered.
Ju-won and Kim Gap-du had become quite close.
But suddenly, Ju-won raised the gun to the sky.
And then.
Bang!
Fired the last blank cartridge.
But at that moment.
"You cop!"
Just as Kim Gap-du, who was waiting for the moment the muzzle moved away from him, raised the box cutter high and tried to rush at Ju-won.
With a Zap! sound,
"...Aaargh!!"
Kim Gap-du trembled and collapsed as if electrocuted.
Thud!
Simultaneously, Ju-won ran to the fallen Kim Gap-du and kicked the weapon in his hand away.
"Wow... Inspector."
Officer Han Geon-woo appeared from behind Kim Gap-du.
While Ju-won diverted Kim Gap-du's attention, Officer Han approached from behind and fired the Taser gun.
Watching Officer Han exhale a tense breath, Ju-won climbed onto Kim Gap-du's back.
"How is it? Seeing a police officer shoot a gun for the first time. Ah, of course, it's a Taser gun though."
Clack.
Like that, handcuffs were placed on Kim Gap-du's hands.
"Next time we meet, let me know how the 6th round of bean rice was."
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_________________________________________________________________________
🔥 Hey legends! Quick updates! 🔥
💥 Support me on my Patreon account!
👉 patreon.com/cyci07
✨ Power Stone Challenge! ✨
If we hit 100 power stones, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters! Let's see if you guys can make me suffer! 😂
💬 Enjoying the story? Leave a review and let me know your favorite moment so far! It helps the novel grow and reach more readers!
Thanks for all your support—you guys are awesome! ❤️