Dangerous Investigation Diary

Ep. 73 ° Alleyway Dawn Delivery Incident (1)

After a grueling conversation with the 3rd Violent Crimes Unit, Superintendent Kim grabbed his car key, intending to head straight to the hospital room. Just then, his cell phone in his other pocket rang. The caller was… Superintendent Kim?

김석진 [33]

- "hello?"

김남준 [31]

- “Inspector, here I am.”

김석진 [33]

- “What’s going on? What happened to the kids?”

김남준 [31]

- “No… that’s not it.”

김남준 [31]

- “I am contacting you because I received a request for an investigation.”

김석진 [33]

- “…In this situation right now?”

김석진 [33]

- “Detective Kim. You should have handled this on your own.”

김남준 [31]

- “It would be impossible to directly enter that organization again.”

김남준 [31]

- "The best thing to do is to narrow down the scope of the investigation by investigating the case."

김석진 [33]

- “…Ha, why are you like this too, really…”

김남준 [31]

- “You sent me the initial investigation report by email, so we’re going together now.”

김석진 [33]

- “…Hey. You,”

김남준 [31]

- “Just trust me once, just once.”

김석진 [33]

- “…..who is there at the hospital?”

김남준 [31]

- “Officer Park is here, but I think he’ll have a hard time holding up mentally.”

김남준 [31]

- “So, I contacted you because I thought it would be good if you could go there.”

김남준 [31]

- “I will organize the initial investigation report.”

김석진 [33]

- “…See you later, Officer Kim.”

김석진 [33]

- “I’m going to the hospital first, so get things sorted out, whether it’s an incident or something.”

김남준 [31]

- "thank you."

The call ended, and Detective Kim felt like throwing his phone away. He wasn't the type to be this reckless... Why was he acting like this in this complicated situation? For now, he'd just follow Detective Kim's orders... But he'd have to have a proper discussion later.

After driving back, Sergeant Kim sat alone in his office, checking his email. It was the initial investigation report from the superintendent… It was written during the initial investigation, so it only outlined the outline, but it was quite detailed. He must have been quite troubled.

김남준 [31]

“…Gwanglim-dong?”

The incident occurred in Gwanglim-dong. Gwanglim-dong... it was a neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul that even the government had given up on developing. It was a place where many heinous incidents occurred quietly. Here... the investigation might be a bit difficult.

김남준 [31]

“…It’s definitely weird.”

김남준 [31]

“All the circumstances fit together perfectly to dismiss it as a simple traffic accident.”

김남준 [31]

“It’ll take a long time for the kids to get better and go.”

김남준 [31]

“…What should I do?”

Upon reviewing the initial investigation report, Detective Kim found himself in a much more complex case than he'd anticipated. Perhaps it was a relief to finally be able to look at the documents and get a headache after a long time.

After a while, the door opened and Officer Jeong came in. He seemed to be on his way back from checking on Officer Ha. Officer Jeong was slightly surprised to see his longtime colleague clutching his head.

정호석 [31]

“…Can I come in?”

김남준 [31]

“Uh… Are you coming to see Officer Ha?”

정호석 [31]

“Yeah. I just stopped by to grab my investigation log.”

정호석 [31]

“What are you doing here?”

김남준 [31]

“…Ah, I…”

Officer Kim hesitated, wondering whether he should speak up, since it hadn't yet been officially announced, having only been relayed to the team leader. Officer Jeong, perhaps sensing his hesitation, sat next to him, glued to his computer, and Officer Kim's conflict was resolved.

정호석 [31]

"What did I say? The initial investigation report?"

김남준 [31]

"huh…"

정호석 [31]

“…What, are we in charge?”

김남준 [31]

“That’s how it happened…”

정호석 [31]

“Just do it. It’s our job.”

정호석 [31]

“But this time, we might be able to proceed without those who are returning late.”

김남준 [31]

“Right. The children’s safety comes first.”

김남준 [31]

“That was the goal…”

정호석 [31]

“…Shouldn’t we go to this alley first?”

정호석 [31]

“Is the scene preserved?”

김남준 [31]

“I don’t think it’s possible.”

김남준 [31]

“At first, it was treated as a simple traffic accident…”

정호석 [31]

“…Really? I should go anyway.”

정호석 [31]

“Let’s talk more when everyone comes back later.”

김남준 [31]

“…Detective Jeong. Should I go and come back alone first?”

정호석 [31]

“Absolutely not.”

정호석 [31]

“Don’t act alone. Especially not in a situation like this.”

정호석 [31]

“I wonder what happened to the kids, what we heard there… I wonder.”

김남준 [31]

“…Okay. Sorry.”

김남준 [31]

“I feel like something is constantly being delayed… I feel like we’re trapped.”

정호석 [31]

“I’m anxious too… I wonder if I should have never started in the first place.”

정호석 [31]

“But you know that if it’s not us, this situation won’t end.”

정호석 [31]

“I’m going to try to see it through to the end, even if it’s just for that reason.”

김남준 [31]

“Yeah… That’s right.”

The office, now filled with sighs, was filled with air, so the two got up and left to smoke a few cigarettes. The guilt of even smoking again, something they'd barely managed to quit a year ago, was unbearable, and they felt like they were going to explode.

After compiling the initial investigation report, Sergeant Kim headed to the infirmary with Sergeant Jeong. He wanted to check on Officer Ha's condition, and he also knew that Officer Ha might have some insight into how to handle this case.

Even while lying in the infirmary, Officer Ha, a workaholic who insisted on finishing the investigation log with Officer Jeong, felt he could find the answer. He certainly hadn't learned anything in vain while on the police administration team.

김남준 [31]

“Officer Ha, are you okay?”

하여주 [29]

“Oh, Officer Kim is here.”

하여주 [29]

“I’m fine.”

김원필 [31]

“Don’t be ridiculous… I told you not to come back immediately.”

정호석 [31]

“Officer Ha, you still need to rest for about three days.”

정호석 [31]

“You should also see a psychiatrist.”

하여주 [29]

“That’s… but.”

하여주 [29]

"Anyway, please give me the investigation log. I think we need to wrap it up quickly."

김남준 [31]

“It’s not that urgent.”

하여주 [29]

“…I don’t want to incur hatred again.”

Even though a year had passed, the events of that day still deeply scarred everyone. The anxiety of being hated again and the team falling apart again might have gripped Officer Ha now.

김남준 [31]

"Oh, right. Officer Ha, we've received a new case this time."

하여주 [29]

“…A new case?”

김남준 [31]

"Yeah. I think it probably has something to do with the Med side."

김남준 [31]

“It’s towards Gwanglim-dong… Want to take a look?”

Officer Ha's eyes sparkled as he slowly scanned the initial investigation report. "Yes, you were such a sparkling, case-loving kid, but now you've ended up like this… We're sorry about everything."

하여주 [29]

“If it came from the Ministry of Transportation, then the site wouldn’t have been preserved…”

하여주 [29]

“If there’s no CCTV…”

하여주 [29]

“I think we need to perform an autopsy on the victim first.”

정호석 [31]

“The victim hasn’t had a funeral yet?”

김남준 [31]

“Yeah. Things took a turn when they were about to hold the funeral.”

하여주 [29]

“I think it would be best to discuss this matter with Detective Min and have him conduct an autopsy.”

김남준 [31]

“Yeah, that would be good.”

김남준 [31]

"thank you."

하여주 [29]

“No… I need to help you too. I’m sorry.”

정호석 [31]

“Sigh- You should think about getting better soon.”

정호석 [31]

“I don’t know what makes you so anxious, but…”

정호석 [31]

“Whatever it is, it’ll get better soon, so don’t worry about it. Okay?”

하여주 [29]

"…thank you."

하여주 [29]

“I’ll get treatment right away.”

김남준 [31]

“Okay. Get some more rest… I’ll go see Officer Min.”

정호석 [31]

“I’ll be here, okay?”

하여주 [29]

"sure."

김남준 [31]

“Sergeant Ha, please take good care of me.”

김원필 [31]

“Don’t worry and have a safe trip.”

After exchanging brief greetings, Sergeant Kim was about to leave the infirmary when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He stopped and checked it. The caller was Sergeant Kim. As luck would have it, Sergeant Jeong received the same text message.

김석진 [33]

_ An emergency meeting is being called. Come to the office immediately after seeing the text.

It wasn't because of his blunt, text-only tone, but because it was the first time he'd ever spoken so firmly, so both Officer Kim and Officer Jeong stormed out of the infirmary. Before leaving, Officer Jeong gave Officer Kim one more word of advice.

정호석 [31]

“Officer Kim. Please take good care of Officer Ha…”

정호석 [31]

“I have something urgent to do right now… I’ll go first.”

정호석 [31]

“Officer Ha, please don’t let me come out. Understand?”

김원필 [31]

“Oh, oh, oh… Okay. Have a nice trip.”

Only after somehow managing to get an answer from Officer Kim was Officer Jeong able to leave the infirmary and head to his office. Whatever the reason, we now had to focus on the case.

Sergeants Jeong and Kim ran side by side up the stairs to the Violent Crimes Unit 1 office, which was at least three floors above. They were drenched in sweat when they arrived. As they sat down, trembling on their heels, and caught their breath, Sergeant Min asked them matter-of-factly.

민윤기 [32]

“Didn’t you take the elevator?”

김남준 [31]

“Yeah, gosh… there are so… many people…”

민윤기 [32]

“Drink water.”

정호석 [31]

“Ah, it’s been a while since I ran…”

민윤기 [32]

“Be careful. You can’t run like that yet.”

김남준 [31]

“It’s been a year, what…”

정호석 [31]

“What about Officer Park?”

김석진 [33]

“It’ll take a while. I’m coming from the hospital.”

김석진 [33]

“I might be sleeping…”

김남준 [31]

“Detective Kim, didn’t you go to the hospital…?”

김석진 [33]

“You said you had a new case, so how can you go to the hospital with peace of mind?”

김석진 [33]

“I just came back from a game with the superintendent, huh…?”

김남준 [31]

“Inspector?!”

Just minutes before Superintendent Kim summoned his team, immediately after hearing the report from him, he went not to the hospital rooms where the team members were admitted, but to the Superintendent's Office. Even in this situation, how could they possibly be doing this to us...

김석진 [33]

“This is Inspector Kim Seok-jin from Team 1.”

경무관 [44]

“Oh my gosh, I’m surprised… He’s just coming in without even knocking.”

김석진 [33]

“I have something important to tell you.”

경무관 [44]

“…Yeah. I can guess what you’re going to say.”

경무관 [44]

“It’s impossible to talk without going through you anyway. Sit down.”

김석진 [33]

“…How long did you think I wouldn’t know?”

김석진 [33]

“Or did you think I would just close my eyes and let it go?”

경무관 [44]

“I never thought of it that way.”

경무관 [44]

"Actually, it's true that I was most worried about Officer Kim. That's why I called him."

경무관 [44]

“Sergeant Kim is a person who endures everything without complaining about hardship.”

경무관 [44]

“I was going to tell you too, but I thought Sergeant Kim would be a good one to talk to you.”

김석진 [33]

“…That’s not what I’m talking about.”

김석진 [33]

“I’m asking if you still want to file a case in this situation.”

김석진 [33]

"Answer me. I'm so busy worrying about my teammates, why do I have to come all the way to the police chief's office and be so upset?"

경무관 [44]

“You know better than anyone that in this situation, there’s no one else I can ask for help.”

김석진 [33]

“Why? There’s a strong team 3 and a strong team 2.”

김석진 [33]

“The 3rd Violent Team, who harassed and assaulted their teammates all day, received a pay cut and a few months of suspension…”

김석진 [33]

“If this was going to happen in the first place, you should have prevented the disbandment.”

경무관 [44]

“…You are still trapped there.”

경무관 [44]

“At that time, I was buried in the opinions of my superiors and couldn’t do anything.”

경무관 [44]

“I’m setting up this defense line because I want to protect you even now.”

김석진 [33]

“The defense line…”

김석진 [33]

“…Yes. We’re still trapped there.”

김석진 [33]

“How can I ignore these kids who, even after going through something like this, still sparkle with excitement whenever a case comes up?”

김석진 [33]

“I took this case for the sake of the children, not to please my superiors.”

경무관 [44]

“Anyway, isn’t the ultimate goal to catch those guys?”

경무관 [44]

“If you investigate little by little while handling the case, you will achieve that too, and then you too…”

김석진 [33]

“My goal is to restore stability to my team members.”

김석진 [33]

“Since that day, all the kids who have been living like corpses have gathered together and that’s all I can do.”

김석진 [33]

“Catching what Med or what else is there comes later.”

김석진 [33]

“So, from now on… if you want to give me a case, please contact me first.”

김석진 [33]

“That’s how we survive. Commissioner… Please.”

경무관 [44]

“…Okay, I understand.”

경무관 [44]

"This incident was my fault. I'll be careful."

경무관 [44]

“Let’s talk again later.”

I need to confess this, even if it's just like this, to let go of some of my resentment toward you. I'm an incompetent team leader. I have to do whatever my team members want... It's foolish and stupid.

Has it been a month... 🥹 First of all, I'm so sorry and I missed you!!! Rather than saying I was busy, I think time passed while I was thinking about how to continue 🥺 Please understand a little. I'm a person who thinks a lot... 💦

I'm not entirely satisfied with it, even though I kept thinking about it and editing it while writing it (I even deleted an entire scene 🥲)... Please look at it kindly, and I'll come back next time with a full story 🙌🏻

It seems like the FanPlus boom has come! Since I'm a writer who can't grab the opportunity even when it comes... I guess I have no choice but to work hard to write 😓 I hope you all enjoy it and I love you, Adi 🩵🩵 Have a happy Chuseok holiday 🌝🌾

_ Number of characters: 6044