Dangerous Investigation Diary

Ep. 25 ° Department Store Bomb Planting Incident (1)

After enjoying a dreamy week-long vacation, we returned to the office of Team 1. Over the past week, we'd heard a lot about Dahee and shared memories, growing closer. With a much lighter heart, we checked into the office.

하여주 [28]

"I'm here~"

김태형 [29]

"Oh, okay~"

하여주 [28]

"Today too... I think Officer Kim is late..."

정호석 [30]

"Oh yeah. I'm collecting the late fee~"

김남준 [30]

"Save...!"

08:01 AM

김석진 [32]

"It's 8:01 and you have to pay the late fee."

김남준 [30]

"Ah... Honestly, shouldn't it have been done when you entered the building..."

민윤기 [31]

"Informal speech?"

김남준 [30]

"still..."

전정국 [27]

"Oh, that's right. Officer Ha."

하여주 [28]

"yes?"

전정국 [27]

"So, what did he say?"

하여주 [28]

"ah..."

Before I left for vacation last time, I revealed my connections to my seniors, and even after I left, I was interrogated extensively. So, I ended up blowing the whistle on everything my seniors had vaguely known about me, including my relationship with the Chief of Police. So... why did my senior suddenly demand this relationship be made public?

I go back in time to the day the puppet suicide case was concluded. I received light treatment from Officer Jeong for the face I'd been hit in by Officer Choi, but Officer Jeong insisted I go to the hospital for treatment without a scar. So, I decided to take Ki-beom to the hospital, which was the beginning of the problem.

I reached the front door to get my wallet, but before I opened the door, a variable I hadn't considered occurred to me. If the man saw this face... I thought, not only would he be angry, but his father, and almost the police commissioner, would be angry too.

It was only a matter of time before my well-hidden, reliable support would be discovered. I quickly racked my brain to see if the old man was around at this hour... but it had been so long since I'd been home that even that was a vague memory.

하여주 [28]

"Ah... what should I do..."

윤도운 [35]

"What should I do?"

하여주 [28]

"Ouch!!! Ah, what the...!"

하여주 [28]

"Uh... sir,"

윤도운 [35]

"...Why is your face like this?"

I turned around to see the face of the person who surprised me. The old man was looking down at me... I thought it had been so long that I had forgotten his voice, but just then the old man grabbed my face with his hand. With a hard face and a low voice, he asked about my facial condition.

하여주 [28]

"...Oh, it's nothing. I fell and my face was a little scratched..."

윤도운 [35]

"What could possibly go wrong while investigating a high school student's suicide?"

윤도운 [35]

“It’s not like I’m running around trying to catch criminals in the act.”

하여주 [28]

"I'm a bit... reckless, haha..."

윤도운 [35]

"...Hey. You can tell it's a bruise just by looking at it, so tell me quickly. Who is it?"

윤도운 [35]

"Are your seniors treating you badly?"

하여주 [28]

"No...! That's absolutely not true."

윤도운 [35]

"Then what is it... Ah, let's get in the car first. Let's go to the hospital."

하여주 [28]

"...yes."

After going to the hospital for treatment and being questioned at home, I finally told the man in detail about my relationship with the Violent Crimes Unit 3, the sudden joint investigation, and Superintendent Choi's personality. Afterward, I confessed to the man that Superintendent Choi had done it. After listening to me, the man remained silent for a long time before leaving the house.

I was just watching him, wondering if he was angry, when the man came in after about five minutes, and the first thing he said was, "I said it's work hours. Go back." He must be really angry... I thought to myself as I got up from the sofa, and the man added another comment.

윤도운 [35]

"I've already contacted the Chief of Police, so stop by his office before you go to the office."

하여주 [28]

"...yes?!"

윤도운 [35]

"Go to the office with the Chief of Police and discipline them."

하여주 [28]

"...What are you going to do if I get cursed at?"

윤도운 [35]

"It's more upsetting that you got hurt. It's more upsetting that you got hit for such a simple reason."

윤도운 [35]

"So, go quickly. I'll be waiting for you, seniors."

하여주 [28]

"Yes...! Thank you, sir."

하여주 [28]

"Home... I'll come here often."

윤도운 [35]

"You don't have to do that. It's nice to see you working hard."

윤도운 [35]

"It's what you wanted. Do it without any regrets."

How can my uncle only care about me? Even though he's so busy, he takes in a fool like me... How did someone like him come into my life? I'm so blessed.

하여주 [28]

"Thank you... See you after the incident!"

So, the punishment for the 3rd Violent Crimes Unit was successfully completed. The expressions on the 3rd Violent Crimes Unit's faces after my background was revealed... it was truly a sight to behold.

정호석 [30]

"I'm glad it worked out. I don't think it was a scar."

민윤기 [31]

"You won't be able to touch us for a while."

김태형 [29]

"Then, let's start work today!"

As soon as Officer Kim finished speaking, the office was once again filled with the deafening roar of a siren. Perhaps because I'd had a good rest, it didn't feel overwhelming; rather, I felt a thrill. What could it be this time? I listened intently to Officer Jeong, but his eyes darkened.

김남준 [30]

"...Detective Jeong, didn't you get the information? What are you doing if you don't read it?"

정호석 [30]

"Oh... I'm sorry."

정호석 [30]

"Incident number 2002do258, Daehan Department Store in Sinjeong-dong. A bomb has been reported inside Daehan Department Store. Dispatch immediately."

민윤기 [31]

"Strong Team 1, prepare to deploy."

정호석 [30]

"And... it's an emergency."

김석진 [32]

"what?"

정호석 [30]

"The bomb has been planted and is scheduled to detonate in three hours, at 1 p.m."

정호석 [30]

"But I don't know where or how many of them are installed, so I think we need to find them quickly and dismantle them."

전정국 [27]

"Is this the work of terrorists?"

정호석 [30]

"I think so... I'll have the car ready, so Officer Park, please bring my equipment with you."

박지민 [29]

"all right."

My seniors and I were busy with a case we'd never encountered before. While we were always at risk of injury, I felt like we needed to be even more careful this time. A single mistake could have killed us.

Seeing my nervousness, Sergeant Kim reassured me, saying it was okay. Sergeant Park, without saying a word, checked my equipment for me. With a trembling heart, I opened the office door and rushed out, ready to tackle my first case after my vacation.

The place we arrived by car was Daehan Department Store in Sinjeong-dong. It was famous for being the largest department store in Korea and the first of its kind. But why would a bomb attack occur in such a place? Well, the incident doesn't discriminate between locations, but the terrorists seem to be no ordinary person.

김석진 [32]

"This is Inspector Kim Seok-jin from the Violent Crimes Unit 1 of the BU Police Station. I would like to meet the first reporter first."

박수연 [29]

"The first person to report... is me."

김태형 [29]

"Oh, yes. Are you a staff member here?"

박수연 [29]

"Yes... I work at the Rosher store."

"Rosher" is a luxury clothing brand popular with people of all ages and genders. A young, attractive woman, befitting a "Rosher" employee, spoke with us, claiming to be the first person to report the incident.

김태형 [29]

"I would like to hear the details of the incident."

박수연 [29]

"At 10 o'clock, someone announced on the department store broadcast that he had planted a bomb inside the department store."

박수연 [29]

"They said it would explode in three hours, so we evacuated the customers first and then reported it."

박수연 [29]

"Currently, all CCTVs in the department store are being checked... so it will be difficult to catch the culprit right away."

박지민 [29]

"Okay, I understand. First, the person reporting the incident should evacuate immediately."

박수연 [29]

"yes..."

민윤기 [31]

"Foreign police officers, evacuate all employees out of the department store."

전정국 [27]

"all right."

김석진 [32]

"All personnel other than the police officer are to search for the bomb and defuse it immediately upon discovery."

박지민 [29]

"yes."

김남준 [30]

"And according to our investigation, the second and first basement levels are parking lots, the first through fourth floors are stores, and the fifth floor is the rooftop, so it would be a good idea to search them separately."

김석진 [32]

"Okay, then..."

김석진 [32]

"Sergeant Kim and I will take care of the basements, Officer Min and Officer Park will take care of the first and second floors, Officer Jeong and Officer Ha will take care of the third floor, and Officer Kim and Officer Jeon will take care of the fourth and fifth floors."

김석진 [32]

"To each his own position."

So we began our endless, reckless pursuit of the bomb, risking our lives.

10:37 AM

[Daehan Department Store - 1st floor]

While Officer Park was searching the second floor and Officer Min was searching the first, Officer Min heard a faint, mechanical beeping sound. He confirmed the source of the sound was the information desk and began searching through it.

Having discovered the bomb affixed to the inside of the information booth, Lieutenant Min took out a pair of small scissors from his personal equipment and dismantled all the bomb cables. Only after the bomb's beeping stopped did Lieutenant Min take out his grinder and remove the bomb from the information booth.

After sitting down for a moment and wiping away the sweat that was flowing like water, Officer Min raised his right hand and took out the radio he had kept in his pocket.

민윤기 [31]

@ "1st floor information, bomb found. Disarmed."

Only when he heard Inspector Kim's confirmation signal over the radio did Inspector Min struggle to get up, clutching the bomb. After running nonstop for about 30 minutes, his legs were starting to tremble.

민윤기 [31]

"My body isn't what it used to be..."

11:46 AM

[Daehan Department Store - 3rd floor]

Meanwhile, Detective Jeong and Officer Ha were conducting a thorough search of the third floor, which housed many clothing stores. Perhaps that's why Superintendent Kim assigned two officers to each floor, and they were starting to feel overwhelmed. Then, Officer Ha entered the warehouse of the "Rosher" store, the place of work of the first reporter.

As his nerves were on edge, he opened the warehouse door and heard the faint sound of machinery. It was different from the usual mechanical noises, and as he moved, holding his breath at the unfamiliar mechanical noise, Officer Ha noticed a flash of light among the clothes.

As he approached and gathered up the clothes, he discovered a bomb, its stopwatch ticking down, making the faint mechanical noise he'd heard before. Officer Ha immediately radioed Officer Jeong.

하여주 [28]

@ "Detective Jeong, I found it."

정호석 [30]

@ "Disband, Officer Ha."

하여주 [28]

@ "How... do you do it..."

정호석 [30]

@ "Is there anything heavy around... Oh, scissors! Do you have scissors?"

하여주 [28]

@ "wait a minute..."

After hearing Officer Jeong's words, Officer Ha began to clear away more piles of clothing. A box emerged. Inside were various items, including a tape measure, scissors, and sewing tools. Officer Ha picked out the scissors, thinking they were probably used to manage clothing.

하여주 [28]

@ "Sir, I found the scissors."

정호석 [30]

@ "Good job. See how there are several strings attached to the scissors?"

정호석 [30]

@ "Cut out every single line."

하여주 [28]

@ "all right."

정호석 [30]

@ "After cutting everything, you have it."

하여주 [28]

@ "yes..."

정호석 [30]

@ "Don't be nervous. You did well just by finding it."

Sergeant Jeong gently comforted Officer Ha, whose hands were trembling with nervousness, and silently helped him dismantle the bomb himself. He continued to ask for his location in a gentle voice.

Just as Officer Ha finished cutting the bomb cord and dropped the scissors he was holding with trembling hands, Officer Jeong arrived at the warehouse just in time. Officer Jeong hugged Officer Ha, who finally burst into tears as the tension eased, and still collected the bomb.

It was a moment when the depth of his career could not be ignored.

정호석 [30]

@ "3rd floor 'Rosher' store warehouse, bomb discovered. Disarmed."

12:55 AM

[Daehan Department Store - 5th floor rooftop]

After over an hour without any further reports of bombs, Team 1, growing increasingly anxious, began searching for the bombs with even greater urgency. They even visited areas outside their assigned areas to focus on the search.

When Officer Jeon quickly circled the fourth floor and entered the fifth-floor rooftop, he breathed in the open air and heard the incongruous sound of machinery. He kept his footsteps as quiet as possible and focused on the mechanical sounds.

Unlike indoors, the outdoor noises drowned out the subtle mechanical sounds, making it difficult to find the bomb. Eventually, the bomb was found, but with no scissors or sharp objects on the empty rooftop, detonation was impossible. Officer Jeon called the nearest officer, Sergeant Kim.

As the bomb's scheduled timer drew nearer to 0 minutes 0 seconds, I desperately tried to hit the bomb and step on it, but the bomb remained resolute and did nothing, as if cutting the rope was the only option.

When time was running out, Sergeant Kim arrived on the rooftop and began to dismantle the bomb with the small scissors he had brought, but only had five seconds left.

전정국 [27]

"No... Sergeant Kim, you have to come out...!!!"

As Officer Jeon grabbed Sergeant Kim by the shoulder, a loud explosion was heard. It was the sound of a bomb exploding. As the bomb exploded, the department store building began to collapse as well. Officer Jeon and Sergeant Kim clasped each other's hands and fell along with the rubble of the collapsing department store.

In the end, trying to protect the citizens, our lives were put in danger.

_ Character Count: 5677 characters (+ What will be the fate of the Strong Team 1?! 🤔 This case seems a bit short 🥹 Sorry for the shorter length per episode 🙇‍♀️)