Baekha Apartment Playground

Shin Haesu silently watched the female student crouched under the pavilion.

“You need to come out, student.”

At Haesu’s words, the girl slowly wriggled out from beneath the pavilion. The cramped space had left her school uniform covered in dirt.

The other students, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, burst into laughter.

“Look at her! Oh, that’s hilarious.”

“She’s like some kind of wild mountain hermit.”

Her arms and legs were dotted with small bruises, and a sharp object had left a scratch on her cheek.

Haesu, his gaze cold and steady, asked her, “Did these students do this to you?”

The girl remained silent, like a mute with a mouth full of honey.

Suppressing his anger, Haesu turned his eyes toward the grinning perpetrators.

At that moment, Officer Lim, who had been fuming in the corner, spoke up.

“Sergeant Shin, let’s hand this over to the Violent Crimes Unit. Those kids aren’t even under the Juvenile Protection Act—we should make an example of them. I’ll call it in.”

“Yes, go ahe—”

“I-I fell down the stairs!”

The girl's sudden outburst interrupted him. Clenching her small fists, she repeated her words.

“I fell down the stairs by myself! So please, just leave.”

“Damn, Ham Yuri, that was badass.”

“Absolute legend.”

“Yeah, she totally just fell on her own. Like a freaking snowman.”

Haesu’s gaze grew heavier. No matter how clear the circumstances, if the victim refused to report, there was nothing he could do.

Left with no choice, Haesu and Officer Lim identified the students, sent them home, and escorted Ham Yuri back to her house.

What surprised him was that her home was none other than Baekha Apartment, right next to the playground.

Just before she entered her house, Haesu called out.

“Yuri.”

She turned halfway without speaking.

Haesu handed her a slip of paper with his phone number written on it. His business cards weren’t ready yet, so this was the best he could do.

“When you find the ‘courage’ to ask for help, call me. Please.”

Yuri hesitated for a moment before finally taking the note and disappearing inside.

As they rode the elevator down, Officer Lim stared intently at Haesu.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“Yes.”

Startled, Haesu quickly turned to the mirror. Seeing this, Officer Lim let out a quiet chuckle.

“Just kidding.”

“Hmm…”

Haesu awkwardly rubbed his face.

A few days later, Shin Haesu was transporting an intoxicated person, as usual.

The most troublesome cases were those where the drunkard wasn’t physically violent but caused a disturbance at a business.

“Makgeolli! Bring me some makgeolli with a plate of green onion pancakes!”

“Sir, this is a burger joint. We don’t serve makgeolli.”

“I have money!! Here, here!! Don’t ignore me!”

The drunken middle-aged man scattered a few crumpled thousand-won bills around him.

“Sir, you can’t do this here. Let’s step outside. Officer Lim, pick up the money.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Who the hell are you? A chef? Where’s my makgeolli?”

A drunken man unable to support his own weight always felt heavier than he actually was. Practically dragging him, Haesu was leading the man outside when—

Ring ring ring—

His phone rang. Since officers only received calls when the radio wasn’t an option or in urgent situations, their phones were always set to loud.

Balancing the man with one hand, Haesu checked the number. An unknown caller.

“Sergeant Shin Haesu speaking.”

—…

There was no sound. Not even background noise. Frowning, Haesu spoke again.

“I’ve answered. Please speak.”

“You going for green onion pancakes? Earlier, I—urgh, blegh!”

“Sir, sir! Oh, come on.”

“Ugh…”

The man emptied the contents of his stomach all over the fast-food restaurant’s white marble floor.

Still holding his phone, Haesu had no choice but to carry the man outside before putting it back to his ear. But the call had already disconnected.

After handling the mess and escorting the drunk home, Haesu checked his phone again.

It wasn’t the time for a spam call, nor was he expecting a delivery. The call nagged at him. He dialed the number back.

[…The recipient is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep.]

“Something wrong?”

“No. Let’s head back.”

“Yes, sir!”

After two more dispatches and returning to the station, the radio crackled.

—This is Baekha Unit. We have a report of a suicide at Baekha Apartment in Yongsu-dong.

The moment Haesu heard it, a knife seemed to stab into his chest.

Officer Lim, sensing something, exchanged a grave look with him. Slowly, she picked up the radio.

“Unit 104, responding to Baekha Apartment.”

A crowd had gathered by the flowerbeds of Baekha Apartment.

“Tsk tsk… what a shame.”

“Damn, is this going to drop property values?”

“Ugh, that’s gruesome…”

“Such a young girl… What a waste.”

“Police. Please step back. Step ba—”

Haesu froze when he saw the body. A school uniform. Identical to Ham Yuri’s. Her face was unrecognizable from the fall.

Expression darkening, he dialed the last number that had called him.

Ding, diring, ding, ding—

The ringtone echoed nearby.

At the same time, Haesu’s knees hit the ground.

“Sergeant Shin!”

“It was Yuri’s call… It was…”

A thought suddenly struck him. He raised his wrist to check the time.

9:37 PM. The report had come in at 9:03 PM. The call had been at 8:38 PM.

Desperation welled inside him. Haesu pleaded to the force that had once sent him back in time.

‘Please, please send me back!’

The moment the words formed in his mind, the surroundings changed.

Darkness was replaced by a flood of bright white light. The floor was white. A fast-food restaurant.

Haesu immediately checked the time. 8:37 PM. Exactly one hour earlier.

Ring ring ring—

The moment he registered the time, his phone rang. Without hesitation, he let go of the drunk and answered.

“Sergeant Shin Haesu speaking.”

—…

Silence again. Haesu grabbed a paper bag from a nearby table and held it to the drunken man’s mouth.

“Yuri?”

This time, there was a slight rustling on the other end. At the same time, the drunk grabbed the bag and vomited.

—Yes…

Haesu lightly tapped Officer Lim’s shoulder and moved.

“Stay right there. Don’t hang up. I’m coming right now.”

—sniff…

“Sergeant Shin? Sergeant Shin!”

Ignoring Officer Lim’s call, Haesu jumped into the patrol car and sped toward Baekha Apartment. Anything could happen on the way.

Keeping the line open, he kept Yuri talking.

“Yuri, you have something to say to me, don’t you? Go ahead, I’ll help you.”

Yuri was silent for a few seconds before answering in a cracked voice.

“-…No. I pressed the wrong button.”

“Huh? No, Yuri, wait a minute!”

Click.

“Yuri? Yuri?”

The call was disconnected. She wouldn’t pick up even when called again. Haesu blamed his own lack of conversational skills and pressed down harder on the accelerator.

He arrived at Baekha Apartment just three minutes after the call was cut off.

The elevator was on the 12th floor. There was no time to wait.

Haesu sprinted up the stairs so fast it felt like his thighs would burst. Yuri’s home was on the 8th floor.

Bam, bam, bam!

“Yuri! Yuri!”

He kept calling her, but there was no ringtone coming from inside the house. Without hesitation, Haesu ran straight up to the rooftop.

Bang!

“Yuri!”

He flung open the iron door and shouted. But no matter how much he looked around, there was no sign of Ham Yuri.

He clung to the railing and looked down, but it was too thick and slanted to get a proper view below.

‘Where the hell are you, Ham Yuri?’

Haesu turned toward the elevator. He planned to pick the lock on Yuri’s door and check inside. Luckily, the elevator was nearby. He pressed the button and caught his breath.

“Huff, huff…”

- 14th floor. Doors opening.

The elevator doors slowly slid open. Inside, Yuri was sitting with her knees drawn up, her face buried in them.

“Hah…”

Haesu let out a long sigh of relief.

At the sound, Yuri lifted her head. Her face was drenched in tears.

Her eyes widened when she saw Haesu.

“Ahjussi…?”

Haesu extended his right hand toward her, trying to smile as warmly as possible.

“You did well, calling me.”

Inside Ham Yuri’s home, Shin Haesu explained the situation to Officer Lim and took some time alone with her.

Since Yuri didn’t want anyone else there, Officer Lim waited in the patrol car.

No one else was in the house. She lived with her father, but he wouldn’t be home until almost midnight.

Haesu sat across from Yuri at the dining table.

“…Can I take this as a sign that you had the courage to ask for help?”

“…I don’t know. I really don’t know. Honestly… I don’t think I can trust anyone.”

Yuri buried her face in her knees again. She had told her homeroom teacher, but the school had ignored her. The bullies taunted her, saying even the police wouldn’t be of any help.

After a brief silence, Haesu spoke.

“Yuri, good news spreads right in front of you, but bad news travels far. The police aren’t as incompetent as you think. Can you trust me just once?”

Yuri lifted her head and pouted.

“You sound like a boomer.”

The unexpected attack made Haesu falter for a moment, but he quickly steadied himself.

Yuri stared at him with eyes like glass marbles.

“Ahjussi, can you really save me?”

Looking into those clear eyes, Haesu nodded with sincerity.

“I will save you.”

They even sealed their promise with a pinky swear before leaving the house. Until the situation was resolved, Yuri wouldn’t be going to school.

The moment Haesu stepped out of Yuri’s home, he made a phone call.

- Well, well, since you’re desperate, even you call me first now?

“Team leader, are you busy?”

- Huh? Why? This feels ominous. I’m busy.

“Even if you’re busy, take this case. It’s the Yongsoo-dong group assault case.”

- Yongsoo-dong? That’s Kangjin Precinct’s jurisdiction.

“The case hasn’t been officially filed yet. Please take it.”

- …Damn it. Tell me everything.

A few days later, an empty classroom at Seongyeong High School.

Ham Yuri and her homeroom teacher sat together. The teacher held her hand tightly, but Yuri’s trembling wouldn’t stop.

Bang—!

The classroom door was thrown open, and the bullies barged in. It was the same group from the playground.

“Fuck, why the hell are we being dragged here during our precious lunch break?”

“Teach, why’d you call us?”

“What the hell? That bitch Ham Yuri actually came to school?”

“She looks happy. Guess she hasn’t been beaten in a while.”

Even with the teacher present, they cursed at Yuri as if she were invisible.

Crime education.

The school had ignored the homeroom teacher’s request for a disciplinary hearing. Seeing that, the students felt emboldened to act without fear.

Yuri had mustered great courage to come, but seeing her tormentors in front of her, fear overwhelmed her again.

The teacher stood up and motioned for the students to take a seat.

“Yuri has reported you all to the police for group assault. A formal investigation is starting. Before that, I called you here for a discussion. This entire meeting is being recorded, so watch your words. First, hand over your phones.”

“Huh? What the fuck? What did you just say?”

“The police? An investigation? Oh, I’m so scared.”

“Recording? Fuck your recording.”

Ignoring the teacher’s words was expected. Cursing in her face was just a bonus.

A girl with a yellow hairpin strode up to Yuri and grabbed her by the hair.

“You fucking bitch, what the hell did we do to deserve this? Guess we haven’t beaten you enough yet.”

She raised her hand high, ready to slap Yuri across the face. The teacher gasped and shoved the girl away.

“Kang Juri!! What do you think you’re doing?! Do you not see me standing here?!”

The girl, Jung Juri, fell to the floor and muttered.

“Wow. The teacher just hit a student.”

“Yeah. The teacher just fucking hit a student.”

“Then this is self-defense now. Hey, boyfriend, what are you waiting for?”

At Jung Juri’s cue, a male student stepped forward and grabbed the teacher’s hair.

“Ahh! Let go of me!”

“Bite down, Teach.”

Then, with a hand the size of a pot lid, he swung at the teacher’s face. She instinctively shut her eyes tight.

Thud.

Just then, his attack was stopped by someone’s hand. The student turned around.

Standing there in plain clothes was the same cop they had seen at the playground.

Shin Haesu’s face had turned as terrifying as a demon’s.

“You dare lay a hand on a teacher?”

“What the— Aagh!”

Crack!

Haesu twisted the boy’s wrist, throwing him backward. Then he grabbed him by the throat, lifted him up, and slammed him down onto a desk.

Crash!!

The impact was so strong that the desk shattered, and the boy gasped for air, unable to breathe.

Haesu knelt on one knee, gripped the student’s hair tightly, and whispered.

“Nice to meet you. It’s your first time seeing a cop who specializes in excessive force, isn’t it?”