Gwak Cheol-min didn't even get the chance to take out his jackknife from his pocket.

Seo Jung-woo came crashing down from the air and kicked Gwak Cheol-min.

“Keh-ek!”

Gwak Cheol-min flew backward, landed on the alley floor, bounced three times, and then rolled over.

Seo Jung-woo used the recoil from his kick to momentarily hover in the air before lightly landing on the ground.

“Why is it that none of the criminals in this neighborhood wear bulletproof vests? I just can’t get used to this.”

He grumbled as he walked over to Gwak Cheol-min and nudged him with his foot.

No response.

“Hey. I know you're not dead. I made sure to hold back so you wouldn’t die, and now you're pretending to be unconscious? Are you planning to run the moment I let my guard down? Guess I’ll have to break your legs so you can’t run, huh?”

Only then did Gwak Cheol-min twist his body.

“Ugh… H-how is this… holding back…?”

“If I had kicked you seriously, you’d be dead.”

“P-please spare me.”

“I won’t kill you. There are witnesses today.”

“W-what does that mean…?”

Baek Sung-min arrived, panting heavily.

“Huff, huff… Hey, what happened? Ah! You caught him!”

After taking a few deep breaths, Baek Sung-min pulled off Gwak Cheol-min’s glasses, fake beard, and the prosthetic skin used for disguise.

“It’s really Gwak Cheol-min. Yeah, it’s him. This bastard is so fast and such an expert at running away, he’s been a pain in the ass. But of course, with you on the case, it’s resolved in one shot. Khuhuh.”

Seo Jung-woo looked at the delighted Baek Sung-min and said,

“Since this case is wrapped up, I’ll be leaving work on time today.”

“If you want to, go ahead! Who’s stopping you? I’ll handle the report! Gotta at least make it look like I contributed!”

If he wanted to claim that they caught Gwak Cheol-min together, Baek Sung-min needed to do something.

Baek Sung-min was excited.

“If I keep racking up results like this, a promotion is in sight!”

He personally cuffed Gwak Cheol-min and hauled him up. As he turned to drag him back to the station, he glanced at the spot where Seo Jung-woo had leapt from one alley wall to another.

Baek Sung-min thought as he looked at it,

‘I think he jumped from there…’

But the alley was quite wide.

‘Did he really clear that in one jump? From wall to wall?’

If someone else had told him that, he would’ve called it nonsense. But he saw it with his own eyes.

He hadn’t seen it perfectly since he was at a distance, but he was certain that Seo Jung-woo hadn’t dropped down into the alley—he had leapt straight across.

He stared at Seo Jung-woo, who asked,

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Baek Sung-min thought to himself,

‘He could seriously compete in the Olympics. When’s this year’s National Sports Festival? Should I push him to enter?’

Back at the station, they threw Gwak Cheol-min into a holding cell.

Baek Sung-min reported the situation to Violent Crimes Team Leader Kwon Byeong-cheol.

“So, Jung-woo was chasing that bastard in front, and I was backing him up from right behind. I was about to take a shortcut through the side alley when—bam! Jung-woo caught him before I could even act. If he had slipped away, I would’ve grabbed him, though.”

Kwon Byeong-cheol smirked.

“So Jung-woo caught Gwak Cheol-min, and you just added your name to the effort?”

“Ah, come on, Team Leader. I provided intel and backup, you know?”

“Since when are you a support?”

“You’re looking down on supporters. Supports are crucial in games too!”

Seo Jung-woo, who was standing nearby, looked at Baek Sung-min.

“Games?”

“Yeah. The ones where you fight in the Rift. You don’t play?”

“I do. That one, and the shooting one.”

Seo Jung-woo often visited PC cafés after work to gather data on this world.

Watching others play made him interested, and now he played too. But only the two most popular games.

‘Games here are way better. But if I brought them over there, they wouldn’t even run on a PC. And since both are online games, I couldn’t play them over there even if I installed them on a laptop.’

Baek Sung-min asked,

“Really? Then should we meet in the Rift tonight?”

Kwon Byeong-cheol smacked Baek Sung-min’s back.

“You have a report to write. Why are you talking about games?”

“Ah, but why am I the only one stuck with this while Jung-woo gets to slack off?”

“Jung-woo has a visitor. You, on the other hand, need to get to work.”

“I was going to write it anyway.”

Kwon Byeong-cheol turned to Seo Jung-woo.

“President Kim Seong-jun is waiting for you in the meeting room.”

AKX Pictures was a company that produced movies, dramas, and commercials. Its president, Kim Seong-jun, was working on his laptop in the meeting room. The moment Seo Jung-woo entered, he stood up and greeted him.

“Detective Seo, how have you been?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

Not long ago, Kim Seong-jun had been falsely accused of murdering his girlfriend and was arrested. The one who found the real culprit and rescued his girlfriend was Seo Jung-woo.

“Yoon-mi is hospitalized, so she couldn’t come. She really wants to thank you in person…”

Kim Seong-jun hesitated before continuing.

“But every time she thinks about what happened, she gets terrified. I don’t think she’ll be able to meet you for a while.”

Seo Jung-woo understood the situation.

‘Nana had no trauma after being rescued, but it seems Lee Yoon-mi suffered deep emotional scars. Being stabbed by someone you trusted… of course, it would leave a mark.’

“That’s alright. Just focus on her recovery.”

Kim Seong-jun’s expression brightened a little.

“I heard you solved another major case recently. It was on the news.”

“Ah, well.”

He was referring to the case where Detective Kim Jeong-ho was kidnapped and later rescued. Not only did Seo Jung-woo save the missing officer, but he also freed all the people previously kidnapped by the Sagori gang.

The entire process, from learning about the case to solving it, took less than two hours.

The police had heavily publicized the incident. They had refrained from direct promotion, but they ensured positive media coverage.

“As expected, any case is instantly solved when you step in.”

“It’s not like that. I was just lucky.”

Baek Sung-min, who had followed them into the meeting room instead of writing his report, interjected with pride.

“President Kim, Jung-woo and I just caught another guy. A robbery suspect. The bastard was in disguise, but Jung-woo spotted him instantly. He tried to run, but no matter how fast he was, he couldn’t outrun us. We nabbed him right away.”

Kim Seong-jun was impressed.

“As expected! I have no choice but to ask for Detective Seo’s help.”

“I helped too, you know.”

Seo Jung-woo asked,

“Ask for help with what?”

“Do you know the drama The Princess’s Redemption that our company is currently producing?”

Baek Sung-min chimed in.

“Of course! It’s really popular these days. So AKX Pictures is behind it?”

Kim Seong-jun waited expectantly for Seo Jung-woo’s response.

Seo Jung-woo shook his head.

“No, there are too many dramas I need to watch these days.”

Seo Jung-woo didn’t just play games after coming to this world. He also watched a lot of movies and dramas.

In the other world, producing war supplies was the top priority, so they didn’t build large entertainment facilities or performance venues that required heavy investment.

Instead, music, television, and alcohol made from ethyl alcohol formed the core of entertainment.

News programs in that world provided detailed reports on the state of various gates and battle situations. They also frequently aired reality shows filmed with film cameras right in the middle of monster battlefields.

But if they only broadcasted such things, ratings would inevitably suffer.

People didn’t just want information from television—they wanted entertainment.

Thus, dramas became a major component of television programming in that world.

Dramas from the other world were quite different from those of this world.

Due to a lack of production budgets, they couldn’t build large-scale sets. Instead, they filmed in existing houses, offices, and other real locations.

On the other hand, they enhanced action scenes by casting awakened individuals with combat skills.

Action sequences in those dramas were often more intense and spectacular than those in Hollywood blockbuster films from this world.

Scenes that would typically be done with special effects here were instead performed directly by actors with awakened skills in that world.

As a result, the atmosphere of the dramas in both worlds was completely different. Even the popular genres were vastly distinct.

Since arriving in this world, Seo Jung-woo had been thoroughly enjoying dramas that had a completely different feel from those in the other world.

However, he had yet to watch The Princess’s Redemption.

Kim Seong-jun looked disappointed.

“Its ratings are really high…”

“I’ll watch it when I get home today.”

“You should definitely give it a try. It’s not just because my company produces it—it’s genuinely fun. Anyway, in next week’s episode, the main character, Na Gong-ju, gets attacked. And in that same episode, the police capture the culprit. That culprit is…”

“Wait, hold on. You’re about to spoil the whole episode before I’ve even watched it.”

Kim Seong-jun apologized.

“Ah, I just assumed you’d find out about it anyway. What I wanted to ask is if you could provide some consultation on the arrest scene.”

“What?”

“Detective Seo, you’re the best detective in the world, aren’t you?”

“Me?”

“There are opinions that the male lead’s method of identifying the culprit is too ordinary. If you could advise us on how the culprit is discovered, we’d reflect it directly in the script. Both our director and writer were ecstatic when I suggested asking you.”

Seo Jung-woo was taken aback.

‘How am I supposed to advise them?’

He never caught culprits through brilliant deduction.

Sometimes, he simply used his detection skill to immediately identify them. Other times, he crossed over to the other dimension and beat up the same person there to get information on the victim’s whereabouts.

Obviously, he couldn’t just explain that. His abilities had to remain a secret.

So he refused.

“I don’t want to disclose my investigation techniques.”

Baek Sung-min, who had been listening, jumped in.

“I’ll do it!”

Jo Min-seok, who had somehow slipped into the meeting room, also raised his hand.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this!”

Team Leader Kwon Byeong-cheol scolded them.

“You idiots, what are you doing? Put your hands down.”

Grumbling, Baek Sung-min and Jo Min-seok lowered their hands.

Kwon Byeong-cheol turned to Kim Seong-jun and said,

“Look at the experience here. Obviously, I, the team leader, should be the one giving advice! Hahaha!”

Kim Seong-jun left the police station and stopped by the hospital.

His girlfriend, Lee Yoon-mi, was in a private room.

As she lay on the bed, she asked,

“Did it go well, oppa?”

“No.”

Kim Seong-jun shook his head regretfully.

“He saved you and cleared my name, but repaying that debt isn’t so easy.”

She wasn’t the only one traumatized by what had happened. Just thinking about it still sent chills down his spine.

The man he had considered a friend, Lee Cheon-sang, had framed him for murder. He had even fabricated multiple pieces of evidence. On top of that, the real culprit, Lee Cheon-sang, had been assigned as his defense attorney in court.

Afterward, Kim Seong-jun analyzed the situation with another lawyer. If he had gone to trial as things stood, he wouldn’t have stood a chance—he would’ve been convicted.

And Lee Yoon-mi? She had been kidnapped after being stabbed.

But Seo Jung-woo had exposed the truth, cleared his name, and rescued Yoon-mi just before she was about to be killed. He had also revealed that Lee Cheon-sang was the real culprit.

‘If it weren’t for Detective Seo, I would have lost everything. Yoon-mi, my company, my entire life…’

That was why he had come up with this plan.

In the next episode of the drama, a supporting actor would attack the female lead, flee, and eventually be caught. The script for that sequence was already written. Kim Seong-jun had proposed adding Seo Jung-woo as a consultant.

The writer and director had enthusiastically welcomed the idea when they heard that the detective they’d seen in the news would be involved.

But Seo Jung-woo had turned them down.

“Detective Seo refuses to do media interviews, so I guess it makes sense that he’d decline this too.”

Lee Yoon-mi also looked disappointed.

“I wanted to repay him, even just a little.”

“It’s okay. There’s still another way.”

“Huh?”

Kim Seong-jun smiled slyly.

“You know I’m not the kind of person who gives up after just one rejection, right?”

The next day, the production team of The Princess’s Redemption visited the police station.

Police Commissioner Yeom Ki-hoon personally came out to greet them with a big smile.

“It’s an honor to meet you. My wife is a huge fan of your drama. Hahaha. She told me to get autographs from all the actors.”

The director smiled and replied,

“Of course, we’d be happy to.”

“If there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

The director immediately made his request.

“We’d like Detective Seo Jung-woo to consult with us.”

Yeom Ki-hoon had already guessed why they had come to his police station.

‘President Kim must’ve pulled some strings.’

“Of course, that makes sense. He’s the best detective, after all. I’ll give instructions to fully support you.”

They planned to film the scene where the culprit was identified and arrested near the police station.

“There’s also a scene inside the station where the female lead does a flying kick on the culprit. We’d appreciate your cooperation with that as well.”

“Oh? Then when you shoot that scene, I’ll personally assist.”

“Huh? You, Commissioner?”

“I’ll dress up as a field detective. Or should I just play the role of the culprit myself?”

“The culprit is a recurring character, not just a minor role, so that might be difficult…”