Shin Haesu gazed at Haru with a subtle expression. The sincerity in her eyes, her expression, and her trembling body—it wasn’t as if she was trying to mock him.

Having only heard rough language in that wretched underground world, is that the only way she knows how to speak? Or maybe, when I taught her how to use a phone and told her everything could be found by searching, did she come across the wrong information?

Haesu averted his surprised gaze, placed a piece of kimchi on top of her rice, and opened his mouth.

“Use ‘really.’”

“…Huh?”

“Use ‘really,’ ‘truly’—words like that. Not ‘fuck,’ ‘damn,’ or anything like that.”

“Y-yes! Really, truly, I’m so sorry!”

“…Eat.”

Thinking about Haru only made Haesu’s head spin even more. Where and how was he supposed to teach her? Should he send a fully grown girl to elementary school?

However, Haesu’s complicated thoughts led to silence, and Haru, assuming he was angry, spent the entire day watching his mood and feeling dejected.

‘I wanted to make a good impression, but I just ended up making him dislike me…’

“Nothing. We ran the missing persons data we have, but there were no matches.”

“I see. Thank you for your effort.”

Just in case, Haesu had taken Haru’s toothbrush and compared it with the missing persons DNA database, but there were no matches.

Finding her identity was a failure. If that’s the case, should he register her as an unidentifiable person…?

Haesu had taken a half-day off today. He could return to work, but since there wasn’t anything urgent, he decided to stop by another place.

He recalled a man named Jin from a few days ago.

‘He wasn’t normal.’

After the reset, he had caught him easily with a surprise attack, but before the reset, he had been cut once during the chase and ended up losing him.

He wasn’t as troublesome as Mo Chang-gwi, but he was still a tough opponent.

Upon reaching his destination, Haesu looked up.

[Hope Capital]

Unlike its flashy sign, the path leading to the office was dark and dingy.

BAM!

As he forcefully opened the door, a man sitting at a desk lit up when he saw him.

“What the hell, isn’t that Haesu?”

It was Hwang Jangsu, Haesu’s old classmate and training partner from his school days.

Jangsu jumped up from his seat and greeted Haesu warmly.

“What brings you here? Have you thought about my offer from before?”

There were three other rough-looking men inside. When Jangsu slung his arm around Haesu’s shoulder, Haesu coldly brushed it off and spoke icily.

“Cut the crap. Do you use knives?”

At Haesu’s question, Jangsu’s expression stiffened slightly, but it quickly relaxed.

“Knives? Why? What would I need a knife for in this business? We don’t even use our fists.”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

Swish—

Just then, a man who had been listening quietly couldn’t hold back and scowled, stepping toward Haesu.

“Damn, your mouth is filthy. Try talking a little nicer—”

Smack!

Before he could finish, Jangsu’s slap sent him flying. Jangsu, who had been about to sit down, stood back up, grabbed a glass ashtray, and approached the man.

“You’ve grown a lot, huh? Interrupting while I’m talking to a friend?”

“S-sorry!”

Thud!

“Then why’d you do something to be sorry for? Embarrassing me in front of my friend? Huh?!”

Thud—

At that moment, Haesu grabbed Jangsu’s wrist. He had missed once, but if he struck again, the man’s head would split open.

“Are you picking fights in front of a cop? Missing prison food or something?”

At Haesu’s words, Jangsu’s cold expression quickly softened into a smile.

“Right? My bad, my bad. Hey, you lot, this guy’s the cop I told you about. Even if a truckload of you came at him, you wouldn’t be able to touch a hair on his head, so don’t even think about it, got it?”

“Yes, understood!”

Haesu found Jangsu’s warning a bit burdensome, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

“Anyway…”

“So why the knife talk?”

“Do you know Mo Chang-gwi?”

“Ah…”

Jangsu’s expression stiffened again. As if recalling something from the past, he stared into the air before speaking.

“You were the one who caught that guy?”

Haesu touched the scar from where Mo Chang-gwi had stabbed him and nodded.

“I see… No wonder. I was wondering how the cops managed to take him down.”

“You know him well?”

Jangsu shook his head as if disgusted and replied.

“That guy was practically a legend—in a bad way. I only saw him once, but it was intense.”

“Could you take down Mo Chang-gwi?”

“Me? I…”

Jangsu glanced at his subordinates before leaning back into the sofa and laughing loudly.

“Of course! Who do you think I am? I’m Hwang Jangsu, Hwang Jangsu!”

There was some bravado in his words, but his subordinates seemed to believe him. Their gazes shifted into looks of admiration.

Haesu had never properly fought Jangsu except for sparring at the gym back in high school. Fist to fist, he had been the toughest opponent.

“I heard there’s a gym in the basement. Can we use it?”

“Oh, that? It’s ours.”

“Perfect. Grab a knife.”

As Haesu stood up immediately, Jangsu looked troubled.

“Huh? Right now?”

“Detectives don’t waste time.”

“Man, you act like I’ve got all the time in the world. Hey, keep an eye on things. Call me if anyone shows up.”

“Yes, sir!”

In the underground gym, Haesu and Jangsu stood facing each other.

“So you came to me to train against guys with knives because of Mo Chang-gwi? What were you doing before? You’ve been a cop for a while now, haven’t you?”

“I never felt the need before.”

“You’re a monster. So is Mo Chang-gwi.”

“Grab a knife.”

“You think I just carry one around all the time?”

Jangsu went to the storage room and pulled out a practice knife. The blade was made of rubber.

“Why do you even have that?”

“Uh… you know, for preparedness?”

As Haesu silently took his stance, Jangsu grabbed another container, dipped the rubber knife inside, then pulled it out. Red paint coated the blade.

“It washes off easily. Let’s do it like this so we can see where we get hit.”

“Weirdly systematic. Get in here.”

“Aren’t you gonna grab one?”

“I always fight barehanded.”

“That’s gonna be tough.”

“Get in here.”

Before Haesu even finished speaking, Jangsu thrust his knife forward.

Thud—thump thump—

When the blade lunged at him, he struck the flat side or deflected it with his arm. When it swung, he stepped back or blocked.

That was all Haesu did—block Jangsu’s attacks. At some point, Jangsu stopped attacking and shrugged.

“You're dead.”

“What?”

Jangsu raised his index finger and pointed at Haesu’s body. Following his gaze, Haesu saw red paint smeared here and there.

Most of it avoided critical spots, marking cuts on his forearm and thigh, but there were stab marks near his side and collarbone.

“Hmm…”

Haesu nodded slightly.

He already knew. The moment had come when he should have defended by attacking, yet he hadn’t, leading to these fatal wounds.

At any rate, this confirmed it. Hwang Jangsu wasn’t as cruel or fast as Mo Chang-gwi, but he was skilled enough to be a good training partner.

“You, train with me from now on.”

“A friend’s request? Anytime.”

“Every morning at six, here.”

Jangsu, who had been brimming with confidence, instantly looked troubled.

“Six is a bit… How about seven?”

“Five.”

“Okay, okay, six it is. Looks like I’ll be living a disciplined life again.”

Setting the training schedule with Jangsu, Haesu left the place.

[…I don’t want to be kicked out of the house. Please tell me what to do.]

┗Hey, it’s that foreigner again.

┗Something about this is oddly pitiful.

┗Let’s help, she’s trying hard.

┗Wait, so what’s the relationship here? OP, are you a guy or a girl? What about the house owner?

As usual, the keyboard warriors—experts in everything—began asking about Haru’s details, and she answered truthfully.

A young man and a young woman lived in the same house. However, they weren’t in a relationship. Crucially, the poster was female.

That fact alone sent the users of the lighthearted humor site into a frenzy.

They dropped whatever they were doing and passionately started giving Haru advice.

┗First, stop calling it “house owner.”

┗Is he good-looking?

┗Men like this kind of clothing.

┗I recommend this one.

┗Why are you suggesting what you like? LOL

┗I’m a guy too.

┗Sorry.

┗But isn’t the main goal to win favor so you don’t get kicked out? Not seduce him? Then try cooking or cleaning.

┗OP: I clean every day. I will try cooking.

┗That house owner is insanely lucky. Damn.

┗Must’ve saved a whole nation in his past life.

Determined, Haru resolved to try cooking. Using the ingredients available at home, she decided to make kimchi stew.

It was her first attempt, but she followed the online recipe as closely as possible. Later, the smell seemed promising, and when she tasted it, it wasn’t bad for a first try.

‘I hope he comes home soon.’

Imagining Haesu eating her food and enjoying it made Haru feel lighthearted.

Beep beep beep. Click—

“You’re home…”

Shin Haesu stopped mid-step while taking off his shoes, his movements freezing at the sight of the dinner spread before him. He remained still, only turning his head to meet Haru’s gaze.

She lowered her head shyly and gestured toward the table.

“I followed an online guide.”

“…I see.”

And so, a silent meal began.

Whether it was because she had made it herself or because she was nervous, Haru found the kimchi stew tasteless.

Apparently, Haesu felt the same.

“Ugh.”

Hearing Haesu’s strange groan, Haru, who had been feeling down, immediately looked up.

Seeing her reaction, Haesu forced himself not to show anything and continued eating.

“…Is it good?”

Haesu’s eyes wavered at her question as he hesitated. It tasted as if she had used seawater instead of regular water for the stew.

He swallowed what he was chewing, clenched his jaw, and answered.

“It’s good.”

At his compliment, a faint smile spread across Haru’s stiff face.

That night, as Haru watched TV, Haesu quietly observed her, deep in thought.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand her. If she had been kidnapped eight years ago, that meant she had been at least twelve at the time. Yet teaching her felt like educating a five-year-old.

Even if she had lost her memories, it was rare to forget everything she had ever learned. It didn’t make sense.

He had never asked, thinking it might be too painful to bring up, but he couldn’t keep avoiding the question forever.

“Haru, have any of your memories come back?”

At his question, Haru’s expression noticeably hardened. She deliberately avoided looking at him and kept her eyes fixed on the TV as she spoke softly.

“No…”

“From when? Before you were kidnapped? After?”

Her head slowly lowered, and her lips quivered.

Haesu’s suspicions deepened. The emotion she displayed wasn’t confusion—it was guilt.

“I don’t remember… I don’t remember anything… I’m sorry…”

Forcing out the words, Haru buried her face in her knees and trembled.

Seeing her reaction, Haesu was sure.

‘She didn’t lose her memories—she’s hiding them.’

He hesitated before reaching out to pat her back, then carefully did so.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Feeling the warmth of his rough hand on her back, Haru renewed her resolve.

‘I must never, ever tell him. If I do… the house owner will abandon me.’

“Huff, hoo, huff, hoo.”

The sound of breathing accompanied the rise and fall of the team leader’s body. Beneath him, the rookie was pinned.

Ogeng entered and muttered.

“That muscle freak never stops working out, even in the office. Take the case.”

Haesu, who had been lifting dumbbells, set them down and asked,

“What is it?”

“Missing person.”

“Young woman?”

“A man in his forties.”

“What?!”

At that, both Haesu and the rookie shot up. The sudden movement nearly toppled the team leader, who had been sitting on the rookie.

When a young woman went missing, it usually indicated a high chance of abduction. But a missing man in his forties? That meant one of two things.

Suicide or murder.

As Haesu and the rookie gathered around, Ogeng sat down and began the briefing.

“His younger brother reported it. The guy is divorced and went to meet his ex-wife and kid a few days ago. He hasn’t been heard from since.”