The morning after the President's visit, Dae-hyun's phone rang at seven-thirty. He was already at his desk, reviewing the new homicide case, when the screen lit up with a Busan area code.
He answered. "Kang Dae-hyun."
"Captain Kang." The voice was rough, emotional. "It's Park Sang-won. From Busan."
Dae-hyun set down his pen. "Detective Park."
A long pause. When Park spoke again, his voice cracked slightly. "I just wanted to say... thank you. For catching him. For giving those families answers." Another pause. "I carried that case for fifteen years. Fifteen years of nothing. And you solved it in weeks."
Dae-hyun's voice was quiet. "We had help. Your notes. Your memories. Your years of work."
"Still." Park took a breath. "Twenty-two women. Their families can finally bury them. Can finally stop wondering. That's because of you. Because of your team." His voice steadied. "So thank you, Captain. From me. From Busan. From all of us who couldn't finish what we started."
Dae-hyun was silent for a moment. Then: "You're welcome, Detective Park. And thank you. For never giving up on them."
The call ended.
Dae-hyun sat looking at his phone for a long moment. Then he stood and walked to his office door, ready to face the new case.
His phone rang again.
Commissioner Hwang.
"Kang." The Commissioner's voice was brisk, official. "The President's office just called. Tomorrow at ten AM. Blue House. Medal ceremony. I want your entire team there, dressed properly, no excuses."
Dae-hyun's jaw tightened. "Sir, we have a new case—"
"The case can wait one day. This is important. For morale. For public relations. For those families who need to see their daughters' killers brought to justice." The Commissioner's voice softened slightly. "Let them have this, Kang. Let your team have this."
A long pause. Then: "Understood, sir."
"Good. I'll see you there."
The line went dead.
---
Dae-hyun walked into the bullpen and faced his team. They looked up from various tasks, sensing something in his expression.
"Change of plans," he said. "The President is giving everyone the day off. Today. Now."
Soo-ah blinked. "The whole day?"
"Go home. Rest. Get some sleep for once." He paused. "Tomorrow at ten AM, Blue House. Medal ceremony. Wear your best suits. Formal attire."
Jin-young's jaw dropped. "The Blue House? For real?"
"For real." Dae-hyun's voice was flat, but something in his eyes softened. "You earned it. All of you."
Min-jun stood slowly, a rare smile crossing his weathered face. "Well, then. I guess I need to find something that isn't covered in coffee stains."
Shi-eok nodded quietly. Hae-rin gathered her things with calm efficiency. Soo-ah was already bouncing.
Seo-ah met Dae-hyun's eyes across the room. Something passed between them—a shared understanding, a quiet acknowledgment of how far they'd come.
Then she smiled slightly and followed the others out.
---
The next morning dawned clear and cold.
The Blue House stood against the hills of Seoul like a monument to history, its traditional architecture blending with the modern city around it. Flags snapped in the breeze. Security personnel moved with quiet precision. And in a reception room just off the main hall, Team Zero gathered, waiting.
Soo-ah had found a deep blue dress that made her look older, more polished. She kept smoothing it nervously. Jin-young was in a black suit that actually fit, his hair tamed into something resembling style. Min-jun looked distinguished in charcoal gray, his years of service lending him an air of quiet authority. Shi-eok filled a navy suit with the same solid presence he brought to everything. Hae-rin was elegant in cream, her sharp eyes missing nothing. And Seo-ah—Seo-ah was simply stunning in a simple black dress that somehow outshone everything in the room.
But their eyes kept drifting to the door at the end of the hall.
"He's been in there for twenty minutes," Soo-ah whispered. "With the President."
Min-jun nodded. "They have history. Let them have their moment."
Jin-young adjusted his tie for the hundredth time. "I can't believe this is happening. I'm a hacker. I'm supposed to be in a dark room, not at the Blue House."
"You're a detective now," Hae-rin said calmly. "Start acting like one."
The doors at the end of the hall opened.
Everyone turned.
President Moon walked in first, his familiar face warm with pride. But no one was looking at him.
Behind him, walking with quiet confidence, came Kang Dae-hyun.
He wore a perfectly tailored black suit that seemed made for him—not off the rack, but crafted to fit every line of his frame. The jacket sat perfectly on his broad shoulders. The white shirt was crisp, un wrinkled, with a simple dark tie that drew the eye to his face.
And what a face.
His dark hair was swept back slightly, revealing the sharp lines of his jaw, the intensity of his eyes, the quiet power in his expression. He moved with the same controlled grace he brought to everything, but in the suit, against the backdrop of the Blue House, he looked like something else entirely.
Like a man who belonged in history.
Like a man who could stand beside presidents and not be diminished.
Soo-ah gasped.
It was a small sound, barely audible, but everyone heard it. Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide.
"He's... he's so handsome," she breathed.
Min-jun snorted. "Took you this long to notice?"
"No, I mean—he's always handsome, but this—" She waved helplessly. "He looks like he should be in a drama. Like the lead in a romance."
Hae-rin, who rarely commented on such things, spoke quietly. "He's more handsome than most actors I've seen."
Seo-ah said nothing. But her eyes were fixed on Dae-hyun, and something in her expression shifted—softened, warmed.
Jin-young leaned toward Shi-eok. "Are we all just going to ignore how the captain cleans up?"
Shi-eok's lips twitched. "I'm choosing to focus on the medals."
Min-jun grinned. "Smart man."
Dae-hyun approached them, his face unchanged despite clearly overhearing at least some of their comments. He stopped before them and looked at each of his team members in turn.
"You all look presentable," he said. "Good."
Soo-ah giggled nervously. "Presentable? Captain, you look—"
"I look like a police officer in a suit." His voice was flat, but his eyes held a hint of warmth. "Now line up. The ceremony starts in five minutes."
---
The ceremony hall was filled with dignitaries—government officials, police brass, reporters, and, in the front row, families of the victims. Their faces were a mixture of grief and gratitude, loss and closure.
President Moon stood at the podium, his voice carrying through the hall.
"Today, we honor heroes. Not the kind in movies or stories. Real heroes. The kind who walk among us, unnoticed, until the moment they're needed most."
He looked toward Team Zero, lined up at the side of the stage.
"Twenty-one women were taken from us. Twenty-one families lived with pain and uncertainty for years. And then, a squad was formed. A team of extraordinary individuals who refused to let those women be forgotten."
One by one, they were called forward.
Kim Min-jun received his medal with a quiet nod, his eyes meeting those of a family in the front row—parents of one of the Busan victims. They nodded back, tears in their eyes.
Park Jin-young shuffled forward, accepted his medal, and somehow managed a dignified bow before retreating.
Hwang Shi-eok stood tall, his medal catching the light, his expression solemn.
Kang Soo-ah's hands trembled as the President placed the medal around her neck. She looked like she might cry, but she held it together.
Jung Hae-rin accepted hers with calm grace, her eyes moving across the room, cataloguing everything.
Yoon Seo-ah stepped forward, and a murmur ran through the crowd. The actress-turned-detective, now a medal recipient. She accepted with quiet dignity, her gaze steady.
And then it was Dae-hyun's turn.
President Moon placed the medal around his neck and gripped his shoulder. "Thank you, Kang. For everything."
Dae-hyun nodded once, then turned to face the room.
The podium was offered to him.
He stepped up to it slowly, his eyes sweeping across the assembled crowd. Past the dignitaries, past the reporters, past the cameras. To the front row.
To the families.
He was silent for a long moment. The room waited.
Then he spoke.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was quiet, but it carried.
"I'm sorry it took us this long. I'm sorry those families waited years for answers. I'm sorry those women spent months in a mountain when they should have been home, with people who loved them."
He stepped back from the podium.
And then he bowed.
Not a nod. Not a slight inclination. A full, deep bow, held for a long, agonizing moment. His head low. His body still. Offering respect to the families who had suffered most.
Behind him, Min-jun moved first.
He stepped forward and bowed.
Then Shi-eok. Then Hae-rin. Then Jin-young. Then Soo-ah, tears streaming down her face. Then Seo-ah, her own eyes bright.
Team Zero bowed as one.
The hall was silent.
Then, slowly, the families began to stand. One by one, they bowed back.
No words were needed.
---
The ceremony ended to thunderous applause.
Later, at a private restaurant in Seoul, Team Zero gathered around a large table. The medals had been removed, tucked carefully into pockets and bags. Suit jackets hung on chairs. Food covered the table—grilled meat, side dishes, bottles of soju.
They were exhausted, exhilarated, and slightly overwhelmed.
Jin-young was scrolling through his phone, his eyes wide. "You guys. You guys, look at this."
He turned the phone so everyone could see. A news article, already trending number one.
TEAM ZERO: THE HEROES WHO NEVER STOPPED
Below it, photos from the ceremony—the bows, the tears, the families standing. And comments. Thousands of comments.
I'm crying. Look at them bowing to the families.
Captain Kang is the most beautiful man I've ever seen. Inside and out.
Team Zero. Remember that name. They're the reason twenty-one families have peace.
The way he said "I'm sorry" first. Not "we caught him." Just "I'm sorry." I can't.
Yoon Seo-ah chose the right path. She's a real hero now.
That bow. That bow will stay with me forever.
Soo-ah sniffled, dabbing at her eyes. "People are so nice."
Min-jun grinned. "For now. Wait until we screw up the next case."
"Min." Dae-hyun's voice was warning.
"What? It's true. Public opinion is fickle. Today we're heroes. Tomorrow we're—"
"Let us have today," Hae-rin said quietly. "Just today."
Min-jun nodded, conceding the point.
Seo-ah looked at Dae-hyun across the table. He was reading the comments on Jin-young's phone, his face unchanged, but something in his eyes... softer.
She raised her glass. "To Team Zero."
They all raised theirs.
"To Team Zero."
The soju burned warm going down. The food was good. The company was better.
And for one perfect evening, they were simply seven people who had done something impossible together.