The intoxicated man grabbed Haesu’s pant leg and drew pictures from his thigh to his ankle with the food he had eaten. The female officer half-opened her mouth in shock, then hurriedly grabbed a rag.

“Oh no, just a moment.”

Haesu stopped her hand from wiping his pants and only took the rag.

“It’s fine. I’ll clean it myself.”

“Oh, okay.”

The female officer cleaned up the vomit spread on the floor, while Haesu wiped his pants. It didn’t matter much since he would be changing into his uniform soon, but the fact that the liquid had seeped into his shoes and soaked his socks was quite unpleasant.

Just as he was finishing up, a middle-aged man sitting in the back slightly lifted his head. Two mugunghwa flowers—he was a team leader.

“You got a proper welcome as soon as you arrived. You’re the detective from Naejuseo, right? Come in.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Haesu stepped inside the reception area, the team leader scanned him up and down.

“You’ve got a solid build, as expected from a former detective. The chief isn’t here yet, so you can report in later. You see that staircase? Go upstairs, change into your uniform, and come back down. Officer Lim, guide him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Haesu followed Officer Lim, who had helped clean up the vomit, up to the second floor. Along the long corridor, he saw the locker room, a break room, and an equipment storage room.

“You can change here. Leave your clothes in an unmarked locker.”

“Got it.”

Officer Lim hesitated at the entrance, prompting Haesu to speak.

“I’ll change and come down.”

“Ah, yes… but, you don’t seem to show much emotion. Most people would at least get a little annoyed.”

Haesu stopped, turned his body, met her gaze, and shook his head.

“That’s not true. I get angry a lot—but only at bad things. Throwing up isn’t a bad thing.”

“Oh…”

“Well then.”

Haesu gave a small nod and entered the locker room.

Haesu had worked at a district police station for exactly one year, six years ago.

Since then, the reporting system had changed significantly, making everything feel new again, almost like he was a rookie.

Dongbu District Police Station had six patrol cars and a total of thirteen officers per shift.

They worked in pairs, forming six teams—three teams patrolled, while the other three waited at the station and responded to calls as they came in.

Haesu spent his time learning the duties from Officer Lim.

-This is Unit 101. There’s a report of an intoxicated disturbance at Peba Intersection in Jijeong-dong.

Unit 101 was the Kangjin Police Station control room. Unlike other places, Kangjin City operated its emergency dispatch center directly from the police station instead of the main police headquarters.

Intoxicated disturbances—cases of drunk individuals causing trouble—accounted for nearly 80% of district station reports.

“Another report already… Officer Lim, take this one. Go with the new guy…”

“Shin Haesu.”

“Right. Take Detective Shin with you.”

Officer Lim grabbed the radio and stood up.

Police radios were no longer the large brick-like devices from before. They now looked just like mobile phones, equipped with calling, messaging, and radio functions, and were paired with earphones that had built-in microphones.

Since calling them ‘phones’ could cause confusion with personal devices, they were still referred to as radios.

“Yes, sir. Dispatching Unit 4 to Jijeong-dong.”

-Dispatch confirmed.

Officer Lim smoothly got into the patrol car marked ‘Unit 4.’ Haesu quickly followed and took the passenger seat.

Beep beep.

As the patrol car started, the navigation system displayed the location related to the case.

Officer Lim pressed something on the radio, and a recorded consultation with the caller played.

[…Yes, so the lady here has a head injury, and the part-timer too…]

Listening to the recording, Haesu was surprised.

‘Everything is so advanced now… Things have really changed in just a few years.’

Seeing his reaction, Officer Lim casually explained while adjusting the navigation.

“It hasn’t been long since we started receiving cases directly via Smart Dispatch. Kangjin Station implemented it first.”

“Ah, I see.”

She shifted the gear into drive and spoke.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Vroom—

“Ugh.”

Despite her gentle appearance, Officer Lim had a surprisingly rough driving style.

Haesu unconsciously gripped the handle tightly.

They arrived at a small barbecue restaurant on the outskirts of town.

A few people were peeking inside the restaurant, making it easy to spot the location.

Through the glass door, the restaurant was a complete mess.

Chairs and tables were scattered, and shards of broken glass littered the floor.

In the middle of it all, two large men sat drinking, passing a bottle back and forth.

Under one of their feet, a young man—likely a part-timer—was curled up, being used as a human footrest.

“These insane bastards…”

Seeing this, Officer Lim bared her teeth and burst through the door.

Despite their obvious police uniforms, the drunk men didn’t seem startled.

“Oh, a young lady has come? Come here and pour us a drink.”

As they stepped inside, Haesu spotted a middle-aged woman near the kitchen, collapsed with blood trickling from her head. His gaze grew cold.

He stopped Officer Lim, who was about to rush at the men.

“Call an ambulance first.”

“These bastards… Okay, got it.”

One of the men grabbed a beer bottle, smashed it against the table, and pointed the jagged edge at Haesu.

“Get lost, asshole, unless you want to die.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Haesu casually deflected the bottle with his hand, twisted the man’s wrist, and slammed his head into the table.

Crash!

The man felt glass shards dig into his cheek. He could even feel one with his tongue.

“Y-you—”

Bang!

Before the second man could react, his head was slammed down as well. Unlike his friend, a glass shard embedded itself into his nose.

In such a short time, neither of them could comprehend what had just happened.

Then, a deep and chilling voice spoke from behind them.

“You are under arrest for aggravated assault, assaulting a police officer, sexual harassment, and obstruction of business. You have the right to an attorney and the right to make a statement.”

Click. Click.

Watching Haesu effortlessly subdue two men who easily weighed over 100 kilograms, Officer Lim’s previously half-closed eyes widened in shock.

The restaurant owner, fortunately, was not in critical condition.

After handing the two men over to the station and returning to the district office, Officer Lim kept sneaking glances at Haesu while whispering with her fellow female officers.

It was an unusual sight in a work environment where such things were rare. After all, there were no female officers in the detective or violent crimes divisions.

Haesu responded to over five calls with Officer Lim. Four hours passed, and soon, it was time for the shift change.

“Phew.”

As soon as he got into the patrol car, a short sigh escaped him. Seeing this, Officer Lim let out a small chuckle.

“It’s really busy, isn’t it?”

“It seems so.”

Since there was no specific destination this time, Officer Lim drove the car slowly.

“I heard the Violent Crimes Unit is also really busy.”

“Well, we don’t get dispatched immediately as often, but instead, we can’t go home.”

“Ah, I see.”

After spending a few hours together, Officer Lim seemed to have grown more comfortable, occasionally throwing questions at Haesu.

They continued exchanging small talk while patrolling, and soon, it was almost time to go home. Unless something urgent happened, the district unit usually got off work on time.

“It really felt like a war today. Should we start heading back to the station?”

There were ten minutes left until the end of their shift. If they returned to the station now, they would arrive just in time.

At that moment, the radio crackled.

- This is Baek Hana, a missing person report in Yongsu-dong. Any patrol units available?

Officer Lim let out a sigh before picking up the radio.

“Patrol Unit Four responding.”

- Copy that.

The recorded report revealed that a 21-year-old woman had been reported missing by a friend.

The two had left a bar together, but after excessive drinking, the missing woman had been left sitting while the friend went to the restroom. When she returned, her friend was gone. She wasn’t home either.

Realizing this wasn’t just a simple case, Officer Lim stared at Haesu intently, knowing his background as a detective.

Understanding her gaze, Haesu nodded and spoke.

“Let’s head to that bar first.”

“Got it.”

The vibrant nightlife district was filled with neon signs that lit up the black night like daylight.

In front of the bar, the reporting friend—wearing heavy makeup and a short skirt—was waiting.

“…She was supposed to call home as soon as she got back, and she didn’t talk to anyone else while drinking.”

“Right… She was completely wasted. There’s no way she just walked off on her own.”

Standing at the spot where the missing woman had last been seen, Haesu scanned the area. Two blocks away, a cosmetics store had a CCTV camera. He immediately headed over to request their cooperation.

There, with the reporting friend, they reviewed the footage from the relevant time.

“Oh? Here! That’s her, right?”

A man in a black hoodie was seen holding both of the missing woman’s shoulders, walking closely as if they were a couple.

“Could he be her boyfriend or someone she knows?”

“She doesn’t have a boyfriend! This is weird.”

Cases of criminals pretending to be acquaintances to abduct intoxicated women and sexually assault them were all too common.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Haesu turned to Officer Lim, his expression serious. Without hesitation, she picked up the radio.

“This is Patrol Unit Four. Yongsu-dong missing person case is now classified as an abduction. Requesting backup. Suspect description: black hoodie, jeans…”

For missing persons cases, the initial response was critical. The station understood this and quickly responded. Within minutes, three patrol cars had arrived to assist.

- If he didn’t take her by car, he’s still nearby. Search all motels, karaoke rooms, and coin karaoke places.

- Violent Crimes Unit One responding. Patrol Unit Four, provide suspect’s movement data.

Violent Crimes Unit One had joined in. Since sexual assault cases were classified as Code Zero, they were prioritized.

In less than ten minutes, the three patrol cars had converged and begun searching nearby motels and karaoke bars.

The detectives soon arrived and asked Haesu for details on the suspect’s movements.

A slightly shorter detective with sharp features spoke up.

“We’ll take over from here. Officers, please focus on the karaoke bars instead of the motels.”

“Understood. Good luck.”

As they got back into the patrol car, Officer Lim asked, “Why did they tell us to skip the motels?”

Without hesitation, Haesu answered, “Other patrol units are already searching the motels. In missing persons cases, the search prioritizes the most likely locations first, based on numbers and cost-effectiveness.”

“Ah…”

There were far more karaoke rooms than motels in the area, and a person who couldn’t even stand properly wouldn’t have been taken far.

Haesu and Officer Lim began searching karaoke bars.

About fifty meters from the disappearance site, in a secluded basement karaoke bar.

“Ah! What the hell?”

“Who do you think you are?”

“Just because you’re cops?”

In missing persons and abduction cases, time was of the essence.

Haesu and Officer Lim barged into rooms one after another, searching without hesitation.

Just then, a man quietly slipped out of an unchecked room and headed toward the back exit.

Black hoodie, jeans.

“You there, hold on a moment.”

The man hesitated for a brief second before suddenly breaking into a run. Haesu immediately took off after him.

Officer Lim followed close behind while calling it in.

“This is Patrol Unit Four! Suspect sighted! Sunrise Karaoke! In pursuit!”

Thud—

While chasing the suspect, Haesu abruptly stopped outside the room the man had emerged from.

Inside, a woman lay sprawled on the karaoke couch, her clothes disheveled.

“Guh… guh…”

Her chest heaved, and the room was splattered with blood.

“Call an ambulance! Now!”

Haesu shouted in panic as he rushed inside to check her condition.

Two gaping wounds on her neck, blood gushing out.

He pressed both hands against the wounds to stem the bleeding, but it was no use. The couch and floor were already soaked in red. She had lost too much blood.

“H-holy…”

Officer Lim, following Haesu’s orders, called for an ambulance but froze upon seeing the scene. She then remembered the suspect and moved to chase him, but Haesu yelled.

“Don’t! The police are already covering the exits. He’ll be caught soon.”

Chasing an armed murderer alone was something even seasoned Violent Crimes detectives avoided. The risk of additional casualties was too high.

“Damn it…”

The paramedics had yet to arrive, and the victim’s breathing was slowing. She had lost too much blood. Blood continued to seep through Haesu’s fingers.

Had the police startled the suspect into killing her? Had he intended to kill her from the start? Or had she resisted too much?

It made no sense to kill her so sloppily, in a place where he would easily be caught.

They had missed her by mere moments. If they had arrived just one minute—no, even thirty seconds earlier—she might have survived.

If he hadn’t stopped to berate the karaoke owner for being uncooperative, if he had ignored the drunk who grabbed his collar, if he had searched the right side of the street first.

Just a little sooner… Just a little earlier…

Regret flooded his mind.

Then—

As if flipping a photograph, the world around him suddenly changed.

He was back in the patrol car.

- This is Baek Hana, a missing person report in Yongsu-dong. Any patrol units available?

Haesu’s head snapped up.