Patrol Officer Lim sighed again as before and picked up the radio.

“Unit 104, responding.”

- Unit 104, dispatching.

Unlike before, it wasn’t a few months ago—only about an hour had passed. But wasn’t it said that humans are creatures of adaptation? Though this was only his second time, Shin Haesu quickly pulled himself together and tried to organize his thoughts despite the confusion.

‘What should I do? Should I go straight to that karaoke room? No, the bastard must have looked around different places before ending up there. If we arrive first and he spots us first, he might slip away somewhere else—that would be a disaster.’

As before, Haesu checked the CCTV footage for the victim and the kidnapper’s appearances and passed their movement route on to the Violent Crimes Unit. Now was the time when the search would truly begin.

“That way.”

“Huh?”

Lim Sun-gyeong looked puzzled. Haesu wouldn’t even know the area, yet he was giving directions.

Haesu almost said it was just a hunch but kept his mouth shut, afraid he’d be called crazy. Instead, he chose a reasonable excuse.

“Assuming the suspect doesn’t have a car, he would have gone somewhere not too close but not too far from the abduction site—somewhere not too conspicuous but not completely hidden either. If we go into that alley, is there a karaoke bar there?”

“Uh… yeah. Is this that… criminal psychology stuff?”

“Yeah. If you want to catch criminals, you have to study. Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

They arrived in front of the same karaoke bar where Haesu had encountered the perpetrator in the past. As he reached for the car door to step out, he hesitated.

“Do you have a gun?”

“What? Ah, I have a taser.”

“Take it out and keep it ready.”

“…Alright.”

Lim Sun-gyeong looked doubtful but held the taser.

As soon as Haesu stepped into the dimly lit basement karaoke bar, he turned to the owner and said—

“We are searching for the kidnapper. Please cooperate. Sir, lock the door and wait outside. Quickly.”

“Huh? O-Okay.”

Though his voice was not loud, the commanding presence made the karaoke bar owner instinctively comply and get up.

Without even opening the door, Haesu pretended to examine the small window on it and spoke to Officer Lim.

“There’s a back door. Wait there. Take the taser.”

“…Understood.”

From the very beginning of the search, Officer Lim couldn’t understand why Haesu was acting as if the culprit was definitely here. But the aura he gave off was too intimidating to question, so she followed orders without a word.

The room where the culprit had appeared in the past—its small window made it difficult to see inside properly.

The glass wasn’t transparent but frosted with diagonal stripes, like a bathroom window.

But sound could not be blocked.

Slap! Slap!

- “Damn it, stay still!!”

Haesu immediately flung the door open. Inside, a man was straddling a woman lying on the karaoke sofa, slapping her across the face.

The man froze with his hand raised mid-air and slowly turned his head around.

“You son of a—!!”

Ta-da-da!

Seeing Haesu, his face twisted into a monstrous snarl as he reached into his pocket. Something sharp glinted.

Haesu instantly stepped onto the table and kicked the man's face with the tip of his foot.

Thud! Bang!

The culprit’s head slammed against the sofa, then bounced off and crashed onto the table.

Haesu grabbed a fistful of his hair, dragged him to the entrance, and twisted his arm violently.

Crunch.

“Gaaaah!”

The man, who had briefly lost consciousness, screamed in agony as he regained his senses. His right hand still clutched an awl.

The same size as the wounds on the woman’s neck in the past.

Click, click.

Haesu pressed a foot against the man's back and cuffed him.

“You are under arrest for kidnapping, attempted rape, and assault. Exercise your right to remain silent, and I’ll tear your damn mouth open.”

“Sargent Shin…”

Officer Lim, who had been guarding the back door, came rushing in with wide eyes at the commotion. Haesu jerked his chin toward the victim.

“Call it in. Get an ambulance.”

“Y-Yes… This is Sun-Net, suspect apprehended at Haedosi Karaoke…”

At the news of the arrest, detectives and officers searching nearby gathered to watch.

“Damn… His face is a mess.”

“His arm’s broken too… Won’t this be an issue?”

The sharp-featured detective shook his head at their concerns.

“He deserved every hit. This bastard was released just two days ago. Convicted of rape and murder. He only served ten years due to a diminished capacity plea, but I guess that wasn’t enough. This time, he’ll rot for good.”

“Ah…”

“Looks like he brought the awl to kill again. We’re lucky we caught him before something terrible happened. A life was saved. Good work.”

“Good job.”

The detective studied Haesu before offering a handshake, then took the suspect into custody.

The victim, still dazed, was taken to the hospital in an ambulance alongside the friend who had reported her missing.

In the patrol car heading back to the station, Officer Lim furrowed her brow, tilting her head as if in thought. Then, when the car stopped at a red light, she suddenly turned her head sharply with a serious expression.

“How did you know? Was this also from studying criminal psychology? Or just detective intuition?”

Haesu was at a loss. His head was already about to explode from all the thoughts running through it. He had anticipated this question, but how could he possibly answer? If he said he had seen the future, he’d be labeled a lunatic.

Then, the perfect excuse came to mind.

“I was just lucky.”

“…Ah.”

Officer Lim blinked blankly, as if struck by a hammer, then quietly turned back to face forward.

Back at the station, the team leader approached Haesu and gripped his shoulders.

“Wow, you really are something else. First day on the job, and you already caught a murderer. Great work. I’ll smooth over that excessive force complaint from earlier—go home and get some rest.”

“Thank you.”

After changing into casual clothes, Haesu got into his car and let out a long sigh.

What a day. More than twenty dispatches, traveling back in time again, catching a murderer, and even saving a life.

‘Just what the hell is happening…?’

The other officers glanced at his car—more specifically, at him inside it.

It was only his first day, yet he had already stirred up the entire station with an excessive force incident and the arrest of a serial rapist-murderer.

Feeling burdened by their stares, Haesu drove home.

His new apartment, a clean one-room studio, was only ten minutes from the station by car. A recent rental in Gangjin City.

Shhh, shhh.

After washing his face in the bathroom, he stared at himself in the mirror, then slowly raised his hands.

The sensation of pressing against the victim’s bleeding neck was still vivid. This was no dream, no mere premonition.

Traveling back in time—twice now.

Haesu carefully recalled both incidents and searched for a pattern.

Violence, or murder. Desperation… The crime scene?

Mere desperation wasn’t enough. There had to be a case involved.

And time. The first time, he went back by several months. The second time, about an hour before the crime.

Haesu resolved to experiment again tomorrow as he drifted off to sleep.

The next day, as he was preparing for duty at the station, a young woman in a neat dress walked in.

Most visitors came in drunk and barely able to stand, so her appearance caught attention.

One officer greeted her with a friendly smile.

“How can we help you?”

She glanced at his name tag, then looked around and asked, “Is Sergeant Shin Haesu here?”

“Ah…”

Though Haesu had only worked one day, all his team members already knew his name.

Haesu turned to look at her. He had only seen her with closed eyes, but he recognized her instantly. The college student who had almost met a terrible fate yesterday.

“I’m Shin Haesu.”

“Oh! Thank you for yesterday!”

She bowed deeply, her voice loud enough for everyone in the station to hear.

“I was just doing my job.”

“Y-Yes…”

Yet, she remained in front of him, her head slightly lowered, fidgeting with a paper bag in her hands instead of handing it over.

Haesu asked evenly, “Is there something you’d like to say?”

“Ah, well…”

Though he didn’t realize it, quite a few eyes were on them. Officers and civilians alike.

The team leader gestured to Haesu with his chin.

“Sergeant Shin, it’s fine. Step outside and talk for a bit. Don’t be so stiff with someone here to thank you.”

“Ah… Yes. Shall we step outside?”

Haesu exited the station with her.

Watching their retreating figures, the other officers murmured.

“Ah, youth. Feels nice, huh?”

“They look good together.”

“What? She’s just here to say thanks. You’re talking like they’re dating.”

“Yeah, seriously. You old guys…”

In a corner of the station parking lot was a rest area.

Four benches, wooden pillars, and above them, a leafy canopy that shielded against rain and sunlight.

As soon as she sat down, she handed Haesu a paper bag. Inside were milk and a sandwich.

“…I didn’t buy many, but there were more officers than I expected, so I couldn’t give them out inside.”

“Ah, you don’t need to give me things like this.”

“Please take it. Yesterday, I really… thank you.”

Her voice trembled at the end of her gratitude, making her sincerity clear. Even though Haesu had been a police officer for seven years, every time he received such words of thanks, his heart softened as if he had returned to his rookie days.

He glanced at her briefly. Though the swelling had gone down, there were still scratch marks on her cheek from the criminal’s nails.

“You should only drink as much as you can handle.”

At Haesu’s advice, she lightly hit her own thigh with her fist and muttered.

“Ah, I don’t usually drink that much, but I failed my exam…”

Despite what she had gone through, she looked rather resolute. It was a relief that she seemed brighter than expected.

Crime was abundant in a police station, but how many times in a lifetime would an ordinary person experience such a thing?

Yet, the fact that she could put on a bright face in just one day meant there was hope it wouldn’t turn into lasting trauma.

“Please be careful from now on.”

“…Okay.”

She quickly made a sullen expression.

Then, her eyes slightly changed as she touched her neck.

“But… it’s strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“I… I thought I was going to die. I remember being stabbed in the neck with an awl, but when I woke up, there was no scar, and everyone said it never happened. It felt so real, though…”

Haesu’s eyes widened. Could those caught in the overlapping timelines retain their memories from that moment?

Confused and unable to say anything, he watched as she gave an awkward smile and waved her hand dismissively.

“Sorry. That was such a weird thing to say, wasn’t it? Anyway, thank you so much for saving me.”

“Ah… it was nothing. Just doing my duty.”

Silence fell again. She remained quiet, and with nothing left to say, Haesu stood up, taking the paper bag she had given him.

“I’m on duty, so I’ll be going now. Take care.”

“Yes, um, f-fighting!”

She clenched both fists and raised them before quickly lowering them again.

Haesu found himself at a loss, unsure of how to respond to the gesture.

After some thought, he decided to mimic her pose.

Feeling embarrassed about making such a gesture, he gritted his teeth and raised one fist, tightly clenched. Since he was holding the paper bag with his other hand, this was the best he could do.

However, upon seeing this, her face instantly turned pale, and she quickly bowed before rushing out of the station.

For a brief moment, fear had flashed across her face.

‘Of course, it’d be hard to overcome in just one day, especially if that memory is still with her…’

Misinterpreting the situation on his own, Haesu returned to the police station building, replaying her words in his mind. However, the next case did not wait for him to process his thoughts.

“-This is Unit 101. Report from a student at the playground near Yongsoo-dong Baekha Apartment.”

A student report usually referred to delinquent students smoking, drinking, or causing disturbances.

Lim Sun-gyeong, who had somehow ended up as Haesu’s partner and team leader, was technically still just a patrol officer, making her the youngest among the squad leaders.

So, before the team leader could even say anything, Lim Sun-gyeong sprang to her feet and responded to the radio.

“Unit 101 responding.”

When they arrived at the playground, about six students in school uniforms were sitting in a pavilion, openly smoking.

Upon closer inspection, a newspaper had been neatly spread out on the pavilion floor, with bottles of soju and snacks placed on top.

Three male students and two female students. One of the girls was sitting on a boy’s lap, and he had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

‘Kids these days sure grow up fast.’

“Oh, look, it’s the police.”

“Wow, the cops are here.”

The students dramatically stubbed out their cigarettes and sat primly.

With dry eyes, Haesu scanned them before fixing his gaze on the soju bottle and asking,

“Where did you get the alcohol and cigarettes?”

At his question, one of the girls cupped her face with her hands and brightly replied,

“Obviously~ I stole them from my dad.”

“She took them from her house. Her family runs a convenience store.”

“Shut up, you bitch. Hehe, anyway, we know we did wrong. We’ll clean up everything and leave quietly, so please let us off just this once, okay?”

As if rehearsed, they all sat up straight in a row, waiting for his answer. Seeing this, Lim Sun-gyeong whispered to Haesu,

“They don’t seem like they’ll cause too much trouble. Why don’t we just take down their names and send them home?”

Although Haesu was technically a rookie at this station, Lim Sun-gyeong had already begun deferring decisions to him after just one day.

There were plenty of other incidents in Gangjin City that required their attention. If they had to call another patrol car just for this, it would be a waste of resources. So, Haesu was about to agree with Lim Sun-gyeong’s suggestion.

Then—

A glint flashed in Haesu’s eyes. He slowly approached the girl who had cupped her face and crouched in front of her.

“Huh? What is it? Do you want a closer look?”

The girl grinned mischievously and pointed inside her skirt with her index finger. The corners of her mouth trembled slightly. At her age, acting cheap was often mistaken for acting tough.

Still looking at her with dry eyes, Haesu waved his hand dismissively.

“Move.”

“What? You want me to spread my legs? This damn cop is crazy! Hey, are you recording this? Kyaa—!”

Haesu abruptly pushed her and the boy beside her apart.

And then, between their legs, something came into view that had been completely hidden before.

A girl in a dirt-stained school uniform, her legs covered in wounds.