Dangerous Investigation Diary

Ep. 57 ° One day in 2003 (3) _

After a wide-awake night, I came down to the living room, still in my uniform, feeling a bit woozy. I saw the man at home, apparently on vacation, but I didn't need to worry about it. Yesterday's conversation had ended in mutual anger.

윤도운 [36]

"Eat and go."

What the... why are you talking about food all of a sudden? Since when did you start making meals for me... Now that I think about it, all the housekeepers must have gone on vacation, so the old man is sitting alone at the kitchen table.

하여주 [29]

"...I have no thoughts."

윤도운 [36]

"Should I pack you a sandwich? Do you want to go and eat it?"

하여주 [29]

"...don't try hard."

하여주 [29]

“Please don’t get hurt any more because of me.”

After snapping out of it, I was about to put on my shoes and leave when the man strode briskly behind me from the kitchen. He then handed me a strawberry-flavored yogurt, which I often ate for breakfast.

윤도운 [36]

"Eat this."

I'd never seen such obsession, so I finally accepted the yogurt and put it in my bag. Today, especially, I felt a shiver as I looked into the old man's eyes. Was it because of what he said yesterday, or because it had been a year since I'd seen him like this?

하여주 [29]

"...Thank you. I'll be back."

The man smiled faintly and nodded at my words. A pang of inexplicable tingling in my chest made me hurriedly open the door and leave the house. I'd been on the verge of tears because of him since morning. Why would someone who's never been like that act like that?

After arriving at work, I sat down and took out the necessary documents for work. Then, a strawberry-flavored yogurt caught my eye and I couldn't pass it up, so I started eating it. As I was almost done with it, a stranger came into the office, looking familiar. I stood up and spoke to him.

하여주 [29]

"Uh, over there... who..."

이민혁 [31]

"Hmm? Oh~ Hello!"

하여주 [29]

"yes?"

이민혁 [31]

"Are you the new recruit who came when I was away?"

이민혁 [31]

"Nice to meet you. I'm Detective Lee Min-hyeok from Police Administration Team 1."

하여주 [29]

"Ah...! Hello. My name is Officer Haejoo."

이민혁 [31]

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard a lot about it."

이민혁 [31]

"I heard you're really good at your job?"

이민혁 [31]

"It's a shame I'm late because I'm on a long vacation."

하여주 [29]

"Oh, no. Not that much..."

It was my first time seeing his face, but his name was familiar. He was a team member on extended leave, so his seat was always empty, and his nameplate on his desk kept a sense of loneliness. It was the first time I'd seen him in a year since I'd moved teams. Superintendent Park must have talked to him a lot about me.

박성진 [33]

"What~ You were greeting everyone before me?"

이민혁 [31]

"Wow! Inspector Park~ Long time no see~"

박성진 [33]

"It's disgusting, so get out of here."

박성진 [33]

"How have you been?"

이민혁 [31]

"Of course~ Nothing much has happened so far, right?"

박성진 [33]

"It was so quiet without you."

박성진 [33]

"Good morning to you too, Officer Ha-"

하여주 [29]

"Are you here?"

박성진 [33]

"By the way, why did you finish breakfast?"

하여주 [29]

"Ah... yes. Thank you for taking care of it..."

박성진 [33]

"Yeah. You have to eat well-"

이민혁 [31]

"Inspector Park, how about having a dinner together to commemorate my arrival today?"

박성진 [33]

"If you're going to buy it, go~"

이민혁 [31]

"Ahh... why are you complaining like that again?"

박성진 [33]

"Sergeant Ha, what do you want to eat?"

박성진 [33]

"Come to think of it, our team has never had a company dinner with a lower-ranking officer."

하여주 [29]

"Oh, I... don't mind."

박성진 [33]

"Really? Should we go to the meat restaurant in front of here?"

이민혁 [31]

"Okay! Are you using a law card?"

박성진 [33]

"Are you going to get permission?"

이민혁 [31]

"Hey, that's something the team leader should do..."

박성진 [33]

"Hahaha, seriously, I just..."

이민혁 [31]

"Hehe. Did you say Officer Ha?"

이민혁 [31]

"I'm going to a company dinner later, so prepare to burst!"

박성진 [33]

"Hey, Sergeant, are you ready to get to work now?"

이민혁 [31]

"yes!"

Seeing the bustling office after so long brought a smile to my face. It was probably the first time I'd smiled since I'd moved teams. It wasn't a formal, socially awkward smile, but a genuine, genuine smile.

I was busy with administrative work for a while when my phone vibrated briefly. I checked and saw it was a text from my uncle. Come to think of it, it's been a year since I last texted him.

윤도운 [36]

[Sir, I came to a new department store. If there's anything you want to buy or eat, send it to me.]

It was a very old-fashioned way of expressing myself. It must have been incredibly expensive at the newly opened department store in Imjeon-dong... If I didn't send anything, I might see the old man say he bought a bunch of things, because I didn't know what he'd like. So I thought about it carefully and sent him something I'd always wanted.

하여주 [29]

[It's a large teddy bear.]

At one point, I was having trouble sleeping due to my rapidly increasing anxiety, and I thought it would be nice to have something soft to cuddle and sleep with. The thought of my uncle walking around with a large teddy bear made me laugh. It was a peaceful day, after a long time.

박성진 [33]

"...This slope. Turn on the TV."

As I put down my phone, smiled, and turned my gaze to my work documents, I heard Inspector Park's low, muffled voice. That voice was the kind that came from a person who was really sensitive... I looked up toward the television, wondering what was going on.

And I... couldn't do anything after hearing the news flash on television.

"This is breaking news. An illegal organization has reportedly stormed the newly opened Jooeun Department Store in Imjeon-dong, Seoul, and opened fire. The number of casualties is beyond imagination, and the injured are being transported to Korea University Hospital. The identities of the victims are difficult to determine...

The interior of a department store, now ravaged by blood, was shown on the screen, with one by one the injured, pixelated, appearing. It was the same department store the man had visited. Even though he wasn't on TV, I couldn't help but think he was safe.

박성진 [33]

"I got an urgent email and asked you to turn it on..."

박성진 [33]

"Those guys are totally crazy."

이민혁 [31]

"I see... Officer Ha? What are you doing?"

The detective who found me frozen in place, out of my mind, tried to speak to me, but his voice was a buzzing noise in my ears, and I couldn't hear it clearly. As I grabbed my phone with trembling hands, it was now Superintendent Park who spoke.

박성진 [33]

"Officer Ha, what's wrong? What's wrong?"

하여주 [29]

"Uh, uh... Can I call you for a moment..."

박성진 [33]

"Uh, yeah..."

I was in a panic and couldn't even breathe, but it was better than not being able to call my uncle, so I quickly ran out of the office.

"The connection is not established and will be transferred to voicemail. After a beep,...

I tried calling five times, but the caller wouldn't connect. All I got back was a businesslike voice. So I leaned back against the wall and slumped down. Sweat was running down my body, and my vision was blurry.

김원필 [31]

"Hey... are you okay?"

I lifted my head at the sound of someone grabbing my sweaty shoulder. It was the same medical team member I saw yesterday. And next to them was Sergeant Jeong. Why at this particular moment...

정호석 [31]

"...Officer Ha, are you okay?"

하여주 [29]

"Ah... that's..."

정호석 [31]

"Why are your hands shaking like this? And why are you sweating like this?"

정호석 [31]

"Where does it hurt?"

하여주 [29]

"I... I, what should I do, Detective Jeong..."

정호석 [31]

"...uh?"

하여주 [29]

"Mister... Mister..."

김원필 [31]

"Hey! Hey, come to your senses!"

With those words, I lost consciousness and collapsed in the middle of the hallway. I don't remember anything after that.

김원필 [31]

"What's wrong with him! Inspector Park...!"

박성진 [33]

"What, what's going on..."

박성진 [33]

"Officer Ha?!"

김원필 [31]

"Call your guardian, quickly!"

정호석 [31]

"I know, Guardian. I'll take care of it..."

As Officer Jeong pulled his cell phone out of his doctor's coat pocket, he saw a call coming from Officer Ha's phone, clutched tightly in his hand. Seeing that the phone was saved as "Mr.," Officer Jeong knew it was Officer Ha's guardian, so he answered the call.

정호석 [31]

- "Hello? This is Detective Jeong Ho-seok, a senior from the powerful, no, lower-ranking police department...!"

윤도현 [52]

- "...Isn't that the female protagonist's cell phone?"

When he heard the voice of an unfamiliar man instead of a familiar one, Officer Jeong was taken aback for a moment, but then quickly began to introduce himself.

정호석 [31]

- "Oh, I'm... Sergeant Jeong Ho-seok from the BU Police Station."

정호석 [31]

- "He was my senior when we were in Team 1. Now he's in the medical team."

윤도현 [52]

- "Oh, I see... But our heroine..."

정호석 [31]

- "Oh, that's right, Officer Ha suddenly collapsed... and I was just about to contact his guardian."

정호석 [31]

- "And since Mr. Yoon Do-woon often acts as Officer Ha's guardian, I answered the call from that number in a hurry."

윤도현 [52]

- "I think I've already seen the heroine collapse."

정호석 [31]

- "...Huh? What..."

윤도현 [52]

- "There was a helper at a department store where illegal organizations were running rampant..."

윤도현 [52]

- "Do-woon's condition is not very good right now."

Upon hearing that, Officer Jeong froze, unable to respond. Only then did he understand why Officer Ha had collapsed. She's having trouble adjusting to life... And on top of that, she must have been confused by so many things lately, and now this...

윤도현 [52]

- "Please take Yeoju to the first floor. I will pick her up there."

정호석 [31]

- "...Ah, yes. The part about leaving work early is not mine, but my direct senior's responsibility, so I'll pass the call on now."

윤도현 [52]

- "thank you."

Detective Jeong said he needed to move Officer Ha to the first floor, and focused solely on follow-up measures. He felt like he would truly collapse if he were to focus on this matter himself.

Even before I opened my eyes, I knew I was in a hospital because of the pungent, unpleasant smell of disinfectant that assaulted my nostrils. It was a spacious VIP ward, and I was lying on a cot, perhaps a single bed. And on the main bed... was someone I didn't want to see, at least not here.

하여주 [29]

".....ah."

And as soon as I saw the teddy bear, the size of my body, sitting next to the bed, tears welled up in my eyes. Judging by the slight blood on it, I knew it was the teddy bear my uncle had bought for me. If only I had just said I didn't need it... if only...

윤도현 [52]

"The heroine is awake."

Before I could even stop crying, my father returned, and when I tried to get up, he stopped me, saying I didn't have to. Come to think of it, it seemed like it had been a year since I'd seen my father. It was only natural, since I had no reason to see him unless I was with him.

하여주 [29]

"I...is your condition very serious?"

윤도현 [52]

"...he is unconscious now."

윤도현 [52]

"So I don't know what will happen."

윤도현 [52]

"I can't guarantee anything, not even waking up... or being able to move."

하여주 [29]

"...It's because of me."

하여주 [29]

"The old man said he would buy me something and went to the department store..."

하여주 [29]

"I replied to the text from the man who said, 'If there's anything you want, send me something.'"

하여주 [29]

"I was ticking for no reason..."

하여주 [29]

"It's all my fault. I'm sorry..."

윤도현 [52]

"...It's not your fault."

윤도현 [52]

"Maybe... I shouldn't have disbanded your team."

윤도현 [52]

"I should have opposed it until the end..."

Yes, that illegal organization. What kind of formidable entity is it that can't be suppressed and yet engages in such a scale of crime? I'm curious about the identity of its leader and the true nature of the criminal organization. For the first time ever.

하여주 [29]

"...I'll return it."

윤도현 [52]

"...what?"

하여주 [29]

"I can just... put it back."

하여주 [29]

"I'll catch that organization."

하여주 [29]

"Even if the powerful team 1 reassembles again."

So, I went to my inbox and replied to the email the Chief of Police had sent me a few days earlier. It read, "I accept your request. I request a meeting."

And as I lay in bed, eyes closed, looking at the man on the oxygen mask, I made a promise to myself: now was the time to repay the kindness that saved my life that day. When he woke up, he'd be a proud child.

The next episode's length is really vague, but a promise is a promise, so I'll come back with a full episode. 🥳 Thank you so much for 200 subscribers. 🩵🩵

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