Dangerous Investigation Diary

Ep. 46 ° Strong Team 1, Sergeant Jeong Ho-seok

"Houn High School, scholarship student representative. Jeong Ho-seok, class 5, grade 3. This student has been recognized for his excellent academic performance and exemplary attitude throughout his three years of service.

My high school graduation ceremony was held, where I excelled academically, living up to my student's expectations, and thus, without a single flaw. I was proud to receive the award as a student representative, having never missed out on being ranked first in the entire school. I was also happy to be able to be a proud son and get into the university of my choice.

I was thrilled to be accepted to a top-three medical school in Seoul. It was especially heartwarming because all the years I'd spent pursuing this goal, all the time I'd dreamed of since I was young, hadn't been in vain. With things this way, I felt like my future was only going to be filled with flowers.

College life was tens, if not hundreds, of times more splendid and dreamlike than I'd ever imagined. Studying what I wanted to do and getting closer to my dream of becoming a doctor was as joyful and fulfilling as the innocent smile of a child.

I graduated from college with a solid GPA and a scholarship. And then, during those days, when I was running around from hospital to hospital, doing internships in preparation for becoming a doctor, I met a girlfriend. She was a year younger than me, and meeting her was a welcome relief from the tough days of internship.

Until then, that was it.

May 16, 1998, Shinim General Hospital.

정호석 [26]

"Oh, yes, yes. I understand. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Yes, please do this much!"

정호석 [26]

"thank you-"

"Hey, as expected, Hoseok is the most savvy among the trainees."

“If you become a doctor, you will definitely come to our hospital?”

정호석 [26]

"It would be an honor for me to work at this hospital~"

이수담 [25]

"...Brother."

정호석 [26]

"Huh? Sudam is here?"

"Oh, right. You two were dating, right?"

"I don't know how much of a lover Hoseok is~"

정호석 [26]

"Ah, haha... eh... no."

이수담 [25]

"Hey, look at me for a second."

정호석 [26]

"It's work time now, but after work..."

이수담 [25]

"Aren't you going to watch it?"

정호석 [26]

"...No. Then, I'll go first-"

"Why is the atmosphere like that?"

"Soodam-ssi is holding on to Hoseok-ssi tightly-"

"Why are you looking at my boyfriend with such scary eyes..."

"Is it true that you two are dating?"

"Even so."

At some point, Soodam's obsession with me intensified, and rumors about it spread even at the hospital. It couldn't be helped. Even the slightest hint of a smile or conversation with someone would immediately drive me crazy and send me flying, so I started secretly chatting with people. It's been exactly two weeks since this happened.

Sudam dragged me up to the rooftop, then started yelling at me, asking if I'd forgotten what he'd said. I couldn't stand listening to him rant so long that my ears started ringing and my head started pounding. So I interrupted him, interrupting him.

정호석 [26]

“Aren’t you tired of doing this?”

이수담 [25]

"If you had behaved properly from the beginning, I wouldn't be doing this!"

정호석 [26]

"I'm just talking to my seniors."

이수담 [25]

"If you're done talking about work, why don't you just leave?"

이수담 [25]

"Why are you laughing and hitting back at me?"

정호석 [26]

"What, I don't have a social life?"

이수담 [25]

"Who told you not to?"

정호석 [26]

"Please... we're twenty-six now. Stop it."

정호석 [26]

"If you keep doing this, we'll both get fired."

이수담 [25]

"So, you were trying to do well on your own?"

이수담 [25]

"Do you think I'm funny too, oppa?!"

Again, again... I knew the reason for my obsession was my inferiority complex stemming from my far inferior skills and my seniors' evaluations, but seeing it with my own eyes was just so repulsive. This isn't why I dated you. I couldn't draw strength from Soodam anymore.

정호석 [26]

"Okay. Let's stop now."

이수담 [25]

"...Are you saying we should break up now?"

정호석 [26]

"Uh. I can't date you anymore."

정호석 [26]

"You need to meet someone who can tolerate this kind of temper."

정호석 [26]

"Because I can't stand your inferiority complex."

이수담 [25]

"...Don't you regret it?"

정호석 [26]

"You should regret your actions."

When he snapped at me like that, my heart sank at the sight of his tearful eyes, but I hadn't just blurted out the words "let's break up," so I left the rooftop. And I had no idea what was about to happen, and if I had, this day shouldn't have happened.

May 27, 1998, the new general hospital director's office.

For several weeks, dozens of pages of deliberately disparaging comments had been arriving in my messenger box, where I was evaluating fellow doctors. There were also repeated instances of my lab coats being damaged or lost, and even worse, death threats. So the director called me into his office.

Perhaps this happened to me, the trainee with the highest evaluation and performance. I had a rough idea who it was, but without any concrete evidence, it was hard to pinpoint the cause. The director asked me what had happened, and I cautiously explained what had happened.

양신임 [45]

"Yeah... I thought it was kind of strange."

양신임 [45]

"There was even talk at the hospital about who would treat their boyfriend like that and make him work for them."

정호석 [26]

"Yes... right."

양신임 [45]

"I'll make sure you don't have to worry about Mr. Jeong."

양신임 [45]

"I'll somehow get the evidence, so just focus on your work, okay?"

정호석 [26]

"Thank you, Director."

정호석 [26]

“Thanks to you, I am having a good time during my internship.”

양신임 [45]

"Oh, I trust you because you're Mr. Jeong."

양신임 [45]

"Go now. Is there a third test tomorrow?"

정호석 [26]

"Yes, that's right."

양신임 [45]

"Well, I guess I got full marks on the last test..."

양신임 [45]

"They say this third test is a bit difficult."

양신임 [45]

"But you know that if you just look at this carefully, you can get an internship, right?"

정호석 [26]

"Yes. So I'm preparing really hard."

A system has been popular at new general hospitals for several years now, offering internship opportunities to those who achieve a certain score on a test administered exclusively to interns. If I do well on the third test tomorrow, I'll be one of those honored candidates.

양신임 [45]

"Okay then~ I'll cheer you on."

양신임 [45]

"Let's see you as an intern next time."

정호석 [26]

"thank you-"

After saying those greetings, I grabbed the doorknob to leave the director's office. Then, I heard someone screaming outside, saying there was a fire. The director must have heard the noise, because he and I hurriedly came outside.

The fire broke out in my room. It was a private room, a privilege granted to me as the top performer, so it was crammed with study materials, leaving me with no room to sleep. I have a test tomorrow, and I haven't even finished reviewing yet.

정호석 [26]

"iced coffee..."

Tears flowed unexpectedly, and while those around me were busy putting out the fire, I met someone's tear-filled eyes in the crowd. It was none other than Sudam. I thought, "You're going to ruin me."

My phone rang with a cheerful, incongruous tone, beeping, a text message. Seeing the chilling message from Sudam, "It's not over yet," on my phone sent a shiver down my spine. Could this be worse? What could it possibly be?

Anyway, I thought I could use this text message as evidence to report her, so I asked the director to take a picture with her phone before it was deleted. I wasn't sure if this was the Sudam I knew, and I was scared to see how far she was going to take this.

And that fear soon became a stark reality. Someone had intentionally laced the milk delivered to my parents' home with a lethal drug, and they drank it and were rushed to the emergency room. And it just so happened that it happened while I was doing my rounds.

I collapsed to the ground and wept as I saw my parents being carried out on a stretcher, foaming at the mouth, eyes barely able to close properly, unfocused, limp and limp. To think that my parents, who had supported me their entire lives, would suffer this? I was the most unfilial son alive.

I already lost all my study materials because of the fire, so I don't know how I was going to take the third exam, and I had a headache because I didn't know what the results would be, but now that my parents are like this, I'm completely mentally exhausted.

How can I appease Sudam to stop this behavior? Will she even stop? Is it even right for me to be a doctor who saves lives? A tear or two falling on the cold emergency room floor didn't resolve my worries, only brightened them.

March 15, 1999, BU Police Station Violent Crimes Unit 1 office.

I had a chance to apply for an internship, perhaps because I didn't do too badly on the third exam, but I just couldn't seem to seize the opportunity. My parents were still struggling, and I needed a more stable job. Of course, that wasn't the only reason I took the police civil service exam.

Above all, Sudam felt like he'd only stop if I disappeared from his sight and memory, so he wasted all the time he'd spent studying. Despite the director's strong protests, I threw away my doctor's gown.

I added a few lines on my resume saying I was a talented individual at a new general hospital, and I was assigned to the ambitiously new Violent Crimes Unit 1 medical position at BU Police Station, the best police station in the country. Today is my first day. I'm determined to start a new life here.

정호석 [27]

"Hello. My name is Jeong Ho-seok. Starting today, I will be working in a medical position in the Strong 1st Team."

As I greeted them, someone poked their head out from above the partition in the bleak office, glanced at me, and gave me a quick nod. Before I could even acknowledge their greeting, the other two people also poked their heads through the partition.

김남준 [27]

"Oh, so you're the one coming today."

김석진 [29]

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Seok-jin, the leader of Team 1."

민윤기 [28]

"My name is Min Yoongi."

김남준 [27]

"I'm Kim Namjoon. Please take the seat next to me."

정호석 [27]

"Oh, yes..."

The people wearing the same uniform as me had a rather stiff demeanor, but they seemed to welcome me. Apparently, the team was still recruiting new members. It was a welcome surprise to see a new face on a team that was already struggling.

김남준 [27]

"Would you like to eat this?"

정호석 [27]

"Oh, thank you."

김남준 [27]

"How old are you? You look about the same as me."

정호석 [27]

"I'm 27 years old."

김남준 [27]

"Oh? It's me! Should I talk?"

정호석 [27]

"Uh, uh... okay..."

I happened to strike up a conversation with Kim Namjoon, a fellow my age who seemed surprisingly friendly. He must have come here around the same time as me. I felt like I'd already made some good friends.

Sudam, I'll be happy to be free from your clutches. But I hope you won't be happy. Because I can never forgive you.

It turns out that Officer Jeong's past wasn't that long...! I wanted to write it well... 🥺 I hope you enjoy the high-quality stories of the powerful 1st team that will be revealed one by one in the future💓

And it was my 6th anniversary not long ago 🥹 I'm so grateful to have been able to spend 6 long years with you all 🥰 I'll continue to write many good articles in the future! I love you, Adi 🩵🩵

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