'Reset'

Shin Haesu's world peeled back a layer. He had returned to just before his shift ended.

To minimize the butterfly effect, Haesu acted similarly, leaving work at the same time, getting on his motorcycle, and calling the chief.

[The phone is turned off—]

'Of all times…'

Ignoring the risk of being caught on camera, Haesu sped toward the intersection where the accident had occurred.

At a red light, his hands trembled. It wasn’t just the lingering sensation of touching a corpse.

Resetting meant that someone’s life and death were now in his hands.

No matter how many times he experienced it, he never got used to it. The weight of it never lessened. Because it was a person’s life.

Especially in situations like this, where every second mattered.

Vroooom!

Haesu reached Kanghwa Intersection at least five minutes earlier than before the reset.

To respond quickly to the oncoming wrong-way vehicle, he parked his motorcycle near the crosswalk and dialed again.

[The phone is turned off—]

'Shouldn’t asset managers be good at answering their phones?'

Frustrated, Haesu hung up and slipped his phone into his pocket. Sharpening his senses, he scanned his surroundings.

Trying to find the chief and block him in advance was risky—if he wasn’t there, Haesu couldn’t prevent the accident. Waiting here minimized variables.

'Huh?'

On the other side of the street, a suspicious figure stood. A woman, judging by her physique, wearing a hood pulled low over her face. Her lips moved continuously—she seemed to be on a call.

Even when the pedestrian light turned green, she didn’t cross, making Haesu suspicious.

Suddenly, she moved. As she turned, her lips moved more animatedly. Her gaze had just landed on someone—Director Gu had appeared.

Director Gu ran forward. Just like before the reset, he barely made it across the crosswalk before the green light turned off.

Vroooom!

The same wrong-way car barreled toward him. Haesu shouted:

“Director Gu, stop!!”

Startled by the tiger-like roar, Director Gu froze. At least he listened well. He now stood at the exact center of the crosswalk.

Though his position was different from before, the feeling was bad. The approaching car reeked of bloodlust.

Haesu yanked the throttle of his motorcycle.

Unlike before, the black sedan swerved, aiming directly for Director Gu.

Screech—! Bang!

Just in time, Haesu grabbed Director Gu and yanked him away. The sedan clipped the rear of the motorcycle instead.

“Ugh.”

“Ahhh!”

The motorcycle spun out as both men tumbled onto the road. The car fled.

Haesu scrambled up and checked on Director Gu. Fortunately, nothing was broken—just minor bruises.

Recognizing him as his helmet fell off, Director Gu’s eyes widened.

“President Shin?!”

“Go to the hospital first.”

Leaving those words, Haesu picked up his motorcycle and sped off. The rear was slightly damaged, but it still ran.

Chasing the black sedan in the distance, he dialed 112.

In emergencies, calling the control room was best for immediate support.

- "Emergency dispatch, 112."

“This is Sergeant Shin Haesu from Dongbu Precinct. I’m in pursuit of a hit-and-run suspect. Fleeing from Kanghwa Intersection toward the overpass. Black Sonata, license plate 21 Rainbow Mu 330.”

- “21 Mu 330… Looks like a stolen vehicle. We can’t let it get away. Keep updating your location if possible. Dispatching patrol units.”

Vroooom!

Haesu relayed his position while pursuing the black Sonata. The suspicious woman from earlier flashed through his mind.

'Focus on catching this car first.'

Traffic ahead was congested—probably due to the police adjusting the signals.

The Sonata didn’t hesitate. It swerved into oncoming traffic.

Just then, two patrol cars shot forward, perfectly blocking its path.

Vroooom! Crash!!

Like a desperate criminal, the Sonata rammed the patrol cars, forcing its way through.

There wasn’t enough time to set up a spike trap.

But now, Haesu had closed the distance.

Pulling up beside it, he met the driver’s enraged glare before the car swerved toward him.

Screech—!

Haesu quickly turned his wheel to avoid the collision.

The driver tried again, angling for another hit. Haesu fell back slightly, then kicked the rear passenger window.

Bang! Crack!

As the glass shattered, he didn’t hesitate—he launched himself off the motorcycle and into the car.

“You son of a bitch!!”

As soon as he landed inside, the driver pulled out a knife and swung.

Thud.

One strike landed on Haesu’s shoulder, but it barely stung. Before a second attempt, he grabbed the man's wrist.

With his free hand, he smashed the guy’s throat against the car’s ceiling.

Thud!

“Gah!”

He still held the knife—one more hit.

Bang!!

Then, a shadow loomed over them—a dump truck was barreling toward them from the right.

Haesu abandoned the man, yanking the side brake and jerking the wheel.

Screech—! Crash!!

Haesu and the driver flew through the windshield, rolling onto the road.

At least they hadn’t been crushed, but his stomach stung.

Looking down, he saw the knife lodged in his abdomen.

“Damn it.”

“Hkk… Hhh…”

The driver staggered up, trying to flee in the opposite direction.

But arriving officers surrounded him.

“H-Hyahhh!!”

Bzzzt—

A taser dropped him instantly.

Daeseong Hospital emergency entrance.

An ambulance arrived.

The back doors opened, revealing a man with a knife in his stomach walking out on his own.

The paramedic rushed to support him.

“I’m fine. I’ll walk myself. Please continue your work.”

“Ah… Alright then.”

Sending off the paramedic, Haesu slowly stepped forward.

To avoid worsening the wound, he moved very, very carefully.

Since his condition wasn’t life-threatening, the hospital hadn’t been alerted in advance, and no medical staff were waiting.

As Shin Haesu stepped into the emergency room, holding the knife embedded in his side with one hand, all eyes immediately turned to him.

A nurse, upon seeing him, rushed over in a panic but hesitated to get too close. There was a slight wariness in her gaze.

“P-Patient, please come this way. Dr. Kang, please contact the police.”

It was protocol to notify the police when dealing with injuries caused by knives, guns, or other weapons. Haesu took out his police ID from his pocket and showed it to the nurse.

He didn’t want to trouble the detectives by making them come back and forth unnecessarily.

“This case has already been reported, so it's fine.”

“Oh, I see… You're a police officer. Thank you for your hard work.”

Only then did the tension ease from the nurse's face, and she went to call the doctor.

While waiting, a loud voice suddenly rang out from nearby.

“P-President Shin!!”

The voice belonged to Director Gu. He had also come to the hospital for treatment of his bruises. When he saw the knife lodged in Haesu’s abdomen, his face turned pale with shock.

“W-What happened?! You were chasing that car earlier!”

“Lower your voice… That hit-and-run suspect had a knife. He's been caught, so don’t worry.”

Director Gu grabbed Haesu’s hands with both of his own, trembling violently. His eyes welled up with tears.

“This… This is because of me…”

“It’s nothing. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“Ah… I dropped it, and it shattered… But how could you have such a knife wound… You're still young, you haven't even had the chance to enjoy life yet…”

“Who's dying? Why are you acting like I’m already dead?”

Director Gu didn’t seem to hear Haesu’s words and simply bowed his head, letting his tears fall like raindrops.

‘Was he always this soft-hearted?’

Just then, the doctor arrived, and Director Gu was ushered out.

Right there in the emergency room, Haesu pulled out the knife and received treatment. Fortunately, no organs were damaged, but he needed more than ten stitches.

Although he was advised to be hospitalized, Haesu opted for outpatient treatment and got up from the bed.

In the corner, Director Gu was still standing there, unwilling to leave, his face looking as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Of course! My savior was hovering between life and death—”

“Would a dying man be discharged the same day? Director Gu, do you have time?”

“I have an important appointment, but…”

“Cancel it and come with me to the police station.”

“…Huh? Me? Why me…?”

Being told by a police officer to go to the station, Director Gu instinctively shrank back in fear.

“That hit-and-run wasn’t just an accident. There's a possibility it was a planned crime.”

“What? Then… someone was targeting me…?”

“Yes, which is why we need to check.”

“…Alright.”

With that, Haesu and Director Gu left the emergency room. However, near the hospital’s main entrance, a large crowd had gathered, and there was a commotion.

“Hey, you bastards!!”

“Ugh!”

“Ack!”

A hulking man, taller than most adults by a head, roared out a curse as he twisted his body. The four hospital security guards clinging to him wobbled, struggling to hold him down.

A crowbar, presumably his, lay abandoned on the ground.

“I'm telling you! Just bring out Kang Sunmi! I'm being civil here!”

“Urgh…!”

The man's strength was monstrous. The four guards were barely managing to hold onto him, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

Click, click, click.

Just then, from inside the main entrance, a young woman in a black two-piece suit walked out with an air of authority, flanked by medical staff.

Two men stood close on either side of her—one in a pinstripe suit, likely her secretary, and the other in a black suit, seemingly her bodyguard.

The gathered crowd instinctively parted like the Red Sea at her approach.

Despite the danger, she fearlessly stepped within two paces of the hulking man.

“What’s the issue here?”

“Who the hell are you? Just bring out Kang Sunmi already!”

Even as the man glared menacingly, she didn’t flinch.

“I have the authority to bring Kang Sunmi here. Now, what is the matter?”

Seeing her attire and the presence of her bodyguards, the man seemed to acknowledge her position of authority. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

“That bitch promised to be with me, but I saw her messing around with other guys! How could I not lose my mind?! Just bring her out! I’m gonna bash her head in!”

His anger flared again as he shouted. Meanwhile, Haesu noticed a nurse trembling in fear among the crowd. Her nametag read "Kang Sunmi."

It was obvious. The man had mistaken simple kindness during his hospital stay for romantic interest.

The man in the pinstripe suit leaned toward the woman and whispered something.

She gave a slight nod, then turned her gaze toward both Kang Sunmi and the man. She had grasped the situation.

Her eyes grew colder as she looked back at the hulking man.

“There’s nothing more to discuss. Hand him over to the police.”

“What? You bitch! I’ll kill you first!!”

At the mention of the police, the man erupted in fury, pulling a knife from his pocket. The bodyguard immediately stepped in front of the woman, seizing the man’s wrist.

Snap!

“Let go, you bastards!!”

The woman took a step back, and more security guards rushed in. But an unexpected situation unfolded—the man’s wrist was so thick that the bodyguard failed to subdue him completely, getting shoved to the side.

Taking advantage of the gap, the hulking man lunged at the woman with his knife. For a split second, her pupils trembled.

His approaching face looked like that of a demon crawling straight out of hell.

Thunk.

Suddenly, a large hand clamped over the man’s face. The once-unstoppable brute was effortlessly thrown backward, his knife flying away from the woman.

Thud!

The man, now on his back, was completely bewildered, glancing around in confusion. He soon spotted a stranger standing nearby—Haesu.

Instinctively, the man realized this was the person who had taken him down. He pushed himself up and reached toward Haesu.

“Who the hell are you, you son of a—”

Bang!

Before he could finish, he was slammed into the ground again, his head cracking open and blood pouring out.

“Ugh…!”

Haesu stepped on the man’s throat, looking down at him with a gaze of utter contempt—as if staring at an insect.

Gripping his phone with one hand, Haesu calmly spoke.

“This is Sergeant Shin Haesu of the Dongbu Precinct. There’s a violent suspect with a weapon at Daeseong Hospital’s main entrance. He’s subdued—just send officers for the arrest.”