Dangerous Investigation Diary

Ep. 06 ° Strong Team 1, Scenery of the Four Seasons

I've been spending time chatting with Officer Jeong. I've always had a quick resilience, so I've been able to move my neck a bit, but Officer Jeong still firmly shakes his head at me and tells me I can't return to work... Well, it's true I was involved in a major accident.

Last night, my uncle contacted me, apparently seeing the news about my injury, and I barely managed to stop him from making a fuss. He told me not to come visit him, because a lot of his seniors were coming too... and it could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

정호석 [30]

"By the way, why haven't I been able to contact them since last night..."

하여주 [28]

"You must be very busy. I wonder if you caught the culprit..."

정호석 [30]

"You were delayed because you were injured."

하여주 [28]

"That's... true."

정호석 [30]

"Haha ...

정호석 [30]

"Just looking at them, it looks like they worked all night. They must have a lot of work to do."

정호석 [30]

"The article about you and Lee Han-min needs to be taken down too..."

하여주 [28]

"...Come to think of it, Officer Kim told me at dawn that Ms. Han Kyung-sook came to turn herself in."

정호석 [30]

"Did Officer Kim come and go? At dawn?"

하여주 [28]

"Um, it's not dawn... Sergeant Jeong went to bed early yesterday."

하여주 [28]

"I think you arrived around that time."

정호석 [30]

"You even came all the way here...? What did you say?"

하여주 [28]

".....that is."

김남준 [30]

"Ms. Han Kyung-sook has come to turn herself in. She says she is the real culprit."

하여주 [28]

"...yes?"

Hearing that, I finally took a look at Officer Kim's appearance. His hair was a mess, clearly a sign of a night of agony, and the dark circles under his eyes were so deep they seemed to reach his chin. He looked tired, suggesting he'd been working late into the night.

김남준 [30]

"I came here because I felt like I had to tell you something."

김남준 [30]

“If it weren’t for you, Han Kyung-sook wouldn’t have had to turn herself in.”

하여주 [28]

"...What is that."

김남준 [30]

"It looks like a knight has appeared."

김남준 [30]

"I never revealed that Lee Han-min was the culprit."

김남준 [30]

"They're writing articles as they please, and articles about your injury are pouring out."

김남준 [30]

"I guess I didn't know things would get this big."

김남준 [30]

"They're going to have to get him to turn himself in now to see if he's the real culprit or not."

김남준 [30]

"...Anyway. Thanks for your courage. I came to tell you this."

하여주 [28]

"...Ah. No, I..."

김남준 [30]

"If you hadn't stepped forward, we would have been completely embarrassed."

김남준 [30]

"Not only did the public criticize them for failing to catch the culprit, but the higher-ups must have also been very critical."

김남준 [30]

"It's all thanks to you that things turned out like this. So don't be sorry anymore."

김남준 [30]

"We all want you to keep feeling sorry."

김남준 [30]

"So, think about getting better soon."

하여주 [28]

"...Yes. I will make sure this doesn't happen again."

김남준 [30]

"...Okay. I'll go. Take care of yourself, and when you wake up, call me."

하여주 [28]

"Yes, please go in carefully."

하여주 [28]

"After saying that, he left."

정호석 [30]

"So, you're saying that Han Kyung-sook is the real culprit?"

정호석 [30]

"You told me to contact you, but you didn't even reply..."

I was silently watching Officer Jeong, who was sighing deeply, when the hospital room door opened loudly. Soon, a swarm of seniors rushed in. The room suddenly became noisy.

김태형 [29]

"Officer Ha, are you okay?"

하여주 [28]

"yes...?"

민윤기 [31]

"What? Why are you up?"

전정국 [27]

"Sergeant Jeong, you should have let Officer Ha lie down!"

정호석 [30]

"Isn't he being stubborn? He's got a quick resilience."

What is this distinctly different atmosphere? I knew you were keeping a clear distinction between public and private, but is it okay for it to be this different?

하여주 [28]

"Ah, the culprit!"

박지민 [29]

"huh?"

하여주 [28]

"The culprit...! Did you catch him?"

박지민 [29]

"Are you worried about the culprit first..."

김석진 [32]

"I got you. It's Han Kyung-sook."

하여주 [28]

"Thank goodness... I was worried it wouldn't be Han Kyung-sook either..."

김남준 [30]

"The professional spirit of catching criminals. I really like it, I like it."

전정국 [27]

"When will you be discharged, Officer Ha?"

하여주 [28]

"I think I'll be discharged from the hospital next week!"

정호석 [30]

"Your recovery is really fast. You barely managed to stop a kid who wanted to go outside for a walk?"

김석진 [32]

"Why don't you go for a walk? The weather is nice today."

김태형 [29]

"I guess heaven is happy that we caught the culprit."

하여주 [28]

"Oh really? Can I really go?"

정호석 [30]

"...Instead, you have to go in a wheelchair while getting an IV."

정호석 [30]

"Is that okay?"

하여주 [28]

"What's so bad about it? It's a bit of a shame that I can't walk, but I'm going out to get some fresh air."

Have I ever laughed like this lately? The thought of going outside, feeling the breeze, and breathing in the fresh air made me laugh out loud without even realizing it.

전정국 [27]

"Wow, what is this_ I've never seen him smile before."

김태형 [29]

"Your smile is so pretty. Smile a lot."

하여주 [28]

"Let's go!"

민윤기 [31]

"okay_"

And I've never seen it before. My seniors smiling like that. They're smiling brighter now than when I first arrived, when Officer Kim smiled. My seniors used to seem cold, but seeing them smile at me makes me feel twice as good.

The air outside was clearer than I'd expected, and the spring scenery was more spectacular than I'd imagined. I hadn't seen it in a while because I was busy preparing for the police mission, but it was actually one of my favorite things about seeing the trees covered in the four seasons.

In spring, I loved seeing cherry blossoms, cotton blossoms, and cotton balls blooming cutely on the branches and running a finger over them. In summer, I loved seeing the dense green leaves blooming and feeling the hot sunlight all over my body.

In autumn, I loved the vivid red and yellow leaves that fell to the ground, creating a path and the sound of them crunching as I walked along it. In winter, the bare branches were covered in layers of white snow, creating a spectacle that made them look like white trees.

These were things I'd always loved, so I'd seen them every year since I was a student. But I'd missed them for a full nine years, from when I was 19 to 28. It hadn't been long since I'd seen them, but as I took in the warmth of my seniors and myself, who had achieved their dreams, I felt a strange ache in my eyes.

When I first walked down a path lined with cherry blossom trees during my dark childhood, running away from home to escape my parents' fight, and seeing the cherry blossom petals blown by the wind and settle on my hand, I felt that same feeling again as a police officer, and it was even more so because I felt that way.

하여주 [28]

"...It's really pretty."

김남준 [30]

"The weather is really nice today."

The seniors, as if they recognized me, silently pushed my wheelchair and walked alongside me. It's only been two days since I met these seniors, but I've decided to open my heart, even just a little.

하여주 [28]

".....When I was 5, my parents divorced."

Sergeant Jeong, who was pushing the wheelchair, paused for a moment, perhaps slightly surprised. I felt his hands tightening as he held the wheelchair, and he soon began pushing again. Matching his pace, I continued speaking.

하여주 [28]

"When did it start? My parents' fights got worse and worse, and my tears wouldn't dry."

Maybe I should go back to that time.

When I woke up in the morning, my first day consisted of staring blankly at my mom as she cleaned up broken bottles and scattered household items. No matter how good my dreams were, the sight of her always chilled me out.

"Hey, the female lead is awake?"

하여주 [5]

"Dad...?"

"Dad's at work. It's already lunchtime."

"Hey, what do you want to eat?"

Daycare? Kindergarten? I've never been to one. I didn't want to be mistaken for domestic violence, and I didn't want rumors about my parents' troubles to spread throughout the house. I avoided crowded places at all costs, so I didn't have any close friends growing up. Well, I still don't have any.

Because I wasn't very social, I couldn't talk to my friends in college and often stayed alone... I was sensitive and prickly even to those who tried to talk to me, so rumors spread around the university. So, I ended up studying like crazy and playing sports, and graduated at the top of my class.

It's better that way. If you become close to them for no reason and attach yourself to something as trivial as affection, there will be times when they'll open up to you. They take that for granted, and if you don't, they'll feel upset. If you have no choice but to open up, they'll gossip about it later, because that's their hobby.

하여주 [5]

"Okay, fry an egg for me..."

"Okay, I get it. Mom will make it delicious for you."

"Don't step on the broken pieces over there!"

하여주 [5]

"Yeah..."

One day, feeling aggrieved, I asked my mom, "Mom and Dad, can we stop fighting?" I swallowed the words I couldn't bring myself to say as a child. Why couldn't I be normal? Looking back, I wish I'd just let it be.

하여주 [5]

"...Momma, can't you get along with Dad?"

"...What are you talking about~ Mom and Dad are on good terms~"

Of course, nothing would change just because I said something like that. I asked a hundred, a thousand times, with that damned hope in my young mind, but each time, the fight only got worse.

When I was injured because of Lee Han-min, the dream I had while unconscious was truly painful. I came to the house where my parents and I used to live, and I saw the sound of them fighting right before their divorce, and there was me, five years old, crying and knocking on the locked door, trying to stop them.

I tried to reach out and grab her arm, telling her to stop crying, but instead of touching it, it was transparent, like I was a ghost. Ultimately, I could only watch, and as forgotten memories came flooding back, I cried harder than Hae-joo did when I was five.

The fight I saw in my dream was probably my parents' last fight. It was after that fight that they divorced. At first, my mother raised me, but soon after, she said the divorce settlement was too much and left me with my grandparents. We haven't heard from them since.

Of course, my grandparents were already quite old and couldn't hold out long before they passed away. While they were still alive, they raised me incredibly well. Anyway, after all this horrible situation was over, I was 18.

After both of their funerals, I devoted myself to my studies to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a police officer. Well, I even played around the school. That was also my last promise to my mother: to fulfill my dream of becoming a police officer...

Even though I was focusing on my studies, I'd sometimes visit my grandparents' funerals when they missed me so much, and I'd cry every time. After a few months of this, I became a total wreck, and my grades dropped from the top 10 to the 20s, then the 30s. Every test I took, I'd drop by a dozen places.

Ultimately, I realized that if I were going to live like this, I should stay by my grandparents' side, who had taken responsibility for me and raised me wholeheartedly while they were still alive. So, in June of my second year of high school, around the time I finished my mock exams, I climbed up to the roof of the house where I was slated for eviction due to non-payment of rent.

It must have been early evening. The sun was already setting, creating a sunset. It was truly beautiful that day... Well, I didn't really have any regrets, so I sat on the rooftop railing.

하여주 [18]

"...after."

하여주 [18]

"Now... time flies, Grandma, Grandpa."

하여주 [18]

"Thank you for your hard work..."

The thought of finally being able to close my eyes in peace brought a smile to my face for the first time in ages. I slowly relaxed my grip on the railing and stood precariously in front of it. As I lifted my feet from the ground and stuck them out into the air, my wrist was grabbed tightly.

윤도운 [25]

"What are you doing...!"

It was Mr. Yoon Do-woon, who had happily let me into his home and with whom I'd been living for ten years. He stopped me from committing suicide, and when he grabbed my wrist, the panic in his eyes was palpable.

하여주 [18]

"...let go of this."

윤도운 [25]

"Let's talk about ourselves first..."

하여주 [18]

"What are you talking about! Do you know me?"

윤도운 [25]

"I don't know. But..."

윤도운 [25]

"I want to remember your last moments."

하여주 [18]

"What are you talking about... Are you trying to sell memories of my suicide?!"

윤도운 [25]

"Yes, that's what I'm thinking. So, let's sit down and talk."

At first, I thought, "What kind of crazy person is this?" I thought he was trying to sell me memories by using my family history, so I intentionally said something barbed, but he said he was going to sell me memories and asked if we could talk.

I came down from the railing and sat down on the chair on the roof, but my mouth just wouldn't open. Still, the man from back then waited for me. After a while, I finally opened my mouth and told him my story. He nodded silently and listened.

하여주 [18]

"...Is that enough? That's all for my story."

하여주 [18]

"So don't stop me anymore."

윤도운 [25]

“Did you say you had nowhere to go?”

하여주 [18]

"Yes. I'm on the verge of being evicted from the house I live in now because I'm behind on rent, and I don't have any family left!"

하여주 [18]

"What did you really take me for..."

윤도운 [25]

"I understand why you don't have any friends. You're so sensitive."

하여주 [18]

"Did you add anything to my personality?"

윤도운 [25]

"You can start adding from now on."

하여주 [18]

"What did you say?"

윤도운 [25]

"I live in my house. I need to fix my sensitive personality. I'll do anything."

하여주 [18]

"...what."

윤도운 [25]

"Do you have a dream?"

The man, who couldn't even see my flustered face, asked if I had a dream. I was dumbfounded and couldn't answer. I've had that dream since I was little—to be a police officer—but when I decided to go up to the rooftop, I'd already given up on all my dreams, so it was hard to speak.

하여주 [18]

".....What kind of dream is it?"

윤도운 [25]

"Didn't you say you're 18? You must have at least one thing you want to be."

하여주 [18]

"no."

윤도운 [25]

"Lies. Tell me anything you want."

하여주 [18]

".....I was going to become a police officer."

하여주 [18]

"But now, no."

윤도운 [25]

"At what age did you want to be a police officer?"

하여주 [18]

"Five years old."

윤도운 [25]

"I guess you really wanted to be like that"

하여주 [18]

"...It was my last promise with my departed mother."

윤도운 [25]

"It'll work out. It's even more important because it's my last promise to my mother."

하여주 [18]

"...yes?"

윤도운 [25]

"I'll make that precious dream of yours come true. That dream of becoming a police officer."

하여주 [28]

"So... I moved into my uncle's house, and thanks to his generous support, I was able to come this far."

하여주 [28]

"I think I was a little moved because it was spring, one of the four seasons I hadn't seen in almost 9 years since I was preparing to be a police officer."

하여주 [28]

"...Are you crying, Officer Kim?"

김태형 [29]

"...Hmph."

박지민 [29]

"Here he is again."

민윤기 [31]

"...It must have been hard."

하여주 [28]

"That's how it was back then. It was hard enough to die, maybe even harder than that."

하여주 [28]

"The fact that it was like that in the past doesn't change. It's just..."

하여주 [28]

"How I view the past depends on my current mindset."

하여주 [28]

"I... had a hard time even bringing up the past."

My story, one by one, unfolded along with the cherry blossom petals falling before my eyes, the stories I had been unable to tell for fear of being burdened, of being displeased with a day like this. And, even the true feelings I held within.

하여주 [28]

"But I think I was able to say it because the target audience was my seniors."

When I reached the end of the road lined with cherry blossom trees, I said those words, and at that moment, my seniors stopped and the wheels of my wheelchair stopped rolling for a moment.

하여주 [28]

"Thank you so much."

하여주 [28]

“Thank you for being that person to me when I was alone.”

정호석 [30]

"We appreciate it more. You told us your story."

하여주 [28]

"Sometimes... I want to meet the 28-year-old Hae-ju, not the 1st Division's detective."

하여주 [28]

"Is that okay?"

When I asked cautiously, Inspector Kim smiled, saying, "What's wrong?" and that it felt like having a little sister, he said, making me feel good. Only then did I feel at ease. My anxiety, that I might be nothing more than fluttering cherry blossom petals to them, melted away like snow.

김남준 [30]

"Don't get hurt. That's enough."

Of course. To quickly return to a team that feels like family.

It's been a while...🥺 I studied more during the vacation,, sorry 🙇‍♀️ I've been studying all night for 3 days and going for a walk around 5:30 in the morning, and I liked it so much that I wrote about it in connection with revealing Yeoju's past! The four seasons scenery that almost became a memory...🤓

"The National Secret Vault Theft Case" will be serialized starting next week! Let's take a break and then run with the powerful 1st team again. 🏃 I'm always grateful and love you, Adi! 💖

_ Character count: 7340 characters [It's been a while since I've had so much content!...!]