Park Min-Joon stared at the second hand of the clock on the wall, counting it absentmindedly as the old three-legged ceiling fan rotated slowly where it hung, making quiet creaking sounds.
He was secretly calculating how long it would take for the person he was waiting for to arrive—until a knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Director Baek Dong-Hyun, you wanted to see me?"
Park Min-Joon looked at the person who had come, but he did not seem as sloppy as he had imagined.
Instead, he was dressed in corporate attire, with a short haircut, in black and white. Wearing the clothes, he looked very refined.
Director Baek chuckled and gestured for the visitor to look at Park. "My Kang, here's a promising talent for you to handle."
Park Min-Joon rose to the opportunity he was given by the newcomer. He called out, "Captain Kang Jae-Hyun."
The man standing in front of Park was someone he had heard about often when he was still in the academy. He was the captain of the criminal investigation team of the Seongrim District Public Security Bureau and had solved many major and difficult cases.
He was an idol to many police academy students.
But all this was irrelevant.
Kang Jae-Hyun didn't even glance at Park. At first glance, he complained to the director with slight dissatisfaction.
"Director, how many people have you sent here this year?"
Director Baek was still smiling. "They are not the same; he is not an intern."
Kang Jae-Hyun then gave Park Min-Joon a proper look.
His judgment came quickly. Min-Joon had a fair complexion, short hair, and wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt. His bright crimson-green eyes didn't even flinch under the stare.
Jae-Hyun finally broke the silence. "What's your name?"
"Park Min-Joon."
Jae-Hyun sighed softly as he commanded, "Let's go."
He turned around immediately and was about to leave when the director remarked, "Jae-Hyun, do not underestimate him. He's a top student of the Imperial Police Academy!"
"Also, my father is..." Min-Joon tried to say something, but was cut short by a wave of Jae-Hyun's hand.
"So what if it's your father? You won't be getting any special treatment from me. Let's go!"
Jae-Hyun continued muttering to himself as they walked down the corridor. "What era are we living in? Relying on our parents for everything—even something as simple as a connection?"
Min-Joon followed behind Jae-Hyun after bidding goodbye to the director.
The director shook his head helplessly as both individuals left his office. "That kid... he'll regret this one day."
Jae-Hyun's strides were long, and Min-Joon didn't slow down, so the distance between them wasn't far.
The two remained silent the entire way.
Until they entered the criminal investigation team's office.
The aroma of instant noodles lingered in the air, and Min-Joon saw the person diagonally in front of him swallow hard.
"It seems even Captain Jae-Hyun, who's a cracking genius, can't resist instant noodles."
Inside the room, there were two other people. One, engrossed in eating noodles, and the other, dressed in blue, was slumped over the table, catching up on sleep.
Jae-Hyun coughed lightly. "Allow me to introduce our new colleague, Park..."
He blinked slightly, looking a little embarrassed, and turned to Min-Joon, who calmly added, "Park Min-Joon."
The person eating noodles looked up but didn't say anything, while the one who had been sleeping raised his head from the table.
"Hello, hello, Jae-Hyun."
"He is Han Seo-Jin," Jae-Hyun said.
He continued, "Find a seat you like."
After saying that, he leaned closer to Choi Ara and asked, "Are there any noodles left?"
Ara took out a box of instant noodles and handed it to him. She continued happily munching without answering his question.
Min-Joon looked around the office. Although it wasn't exactly tidy, it was at least clean.
There were even two potted plants on the windowsill.
"I found a desk by the window," Min-Joon said.
Seo-Jin whispered to Jae-Hyun, "Captain Kang, did you poach one of our bureau's most handsome officers yet?"
Seeing that Jae-Hyun ignored him, he didn't feel embarrassed and instead went over to Min-Joon's desk. "University student intern?"
Min-Joon smiled slightly and said, "I have officially… taken the job."
Seo-Jin's gaze changed, and his tone became much more serious.
"Don't blame Captain Kang for being cold. It's just that several interns came before you. We always welcomed them sincerely, but they were all transferred to other departments."
He pointed to the flowers on the windowsill.
"These were bought by two of them. One of the girls was the fastest—she came in this morning with the flowers and left by the afternoon after forwarding a departmental report."
"So that's how it is," Min-Joon said.
After finishing her instant noodle soup, Ara listened to their conversation, scratched her head, and seemed like she wanted to say something, but didn't know how.
Finally, she said, "Welcome."
The words had barely left her mouth when the phone rang urgently, and everyone present changed their expressions.
After the call ended, the air became tense.
"Captain Kang, a murder case."
Jae-Hyun grabbed the still-hot instant noodles. "Let's go!"