Underground Interrogation Room.

While the team leader went to retrieve the evidence, Chief Ha meticulously described when and how he infiltrated the house and the method he used to kill Shin Ira.

But something crucial was missing.

“Why did you kill her?”

“It's simple. Congressman Kim Sang-tae and idol Kang Min's cases had drawn too much police attention, so I determined that he was a threat to Red Moon and acted independently.”

This wasn’t just Chief Ha acting alone—it was the stance of Red Moon. A truthful motive for murder, not a lie.

“Then Kim Sang-tae would have been next?”

“Yes, but you had already hidden him away.”

“So I ended up saving a criminal’s life.”

Based on Chief Ha’s confession, they found the clothes worn during the crime and confirmed through CCTV footage that the suspicious man seen was indeed Chief Ha. A hair strand, presumed to belong to Shin Ira, was found on the clothes and sent for analysis.

But, as expected, there was no evidence linking Madam Yu to the order.

Haesu immediately went upstairs to interrogate Madam Yu.

“Chief Ha confessed to everything.”

“Haha.”

Madam Yu let out a thin smile, as if to say, ‘That’s impossible.’

“He said it was an independent action and that President Yu had nothing to do with it.”

Madam Yu’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Haesu revealed everything—where Chief Ha said the evidence was hidden, and even the reason Shin Ira was killed.

The relaxed expression on Madam Yu’s face gradually twisted.

“That idiot…”

“Since you two were together all the time, there’s no evidence that you gave the order. But Chief Ha is the kind of guy who wouldn’t even shake hands without your command. And that guy independently committed murder? Ridiculous. We’ll use video footage of him shaking hands with me to establish the hierarchical relationship and pile on circumstantial evidence to charge you with incitement to murder.”

“Alright, I get it.”

She maintained an unexpectedly composed attitude, as if she had already given up.

Haesu glanced outside the interrogation room, then turned off the microphone and spoke quietly.

“Shin Jeong-seok. Do you remember him?”

“Shin Jeong-seok? Who’s that? I thought you were going to say something important with all this secrecy.”

“You people killed him 13 years ago. In the exact same way as Shin Ira.”

“How am I supposed to remember that? I don’t know.”

Her tone was odd. It wasn’t that she couldn’t remember because it happened so long ago—it was the nuance of someone who had killed so many people that remembering just one was difficult.

“The police officer who investigated Congressman Lee Seong-jin’s murder and came to Red Moon.”

“Lee Seong-jin…”

At Haesu’s words, Madam Yu rolled her eyes, repeating the name to herself before raising a finger.

“Ah, that cop? I didn’t kill him.”

“Don’t play dumb. The method was the same, even down to the noose knot…”

“That method—everyone in our organization…”

Madam Yu trailed off mid-sentence, then stared at Haesu before changing her words.

“Why don’t you ask loose-lipped Chief Ha about it?”

“Fine.”

Haesu had just learned two things from Madam Yu’s reaction.

First, all executive-level members of Red Moon used the same murder method.

Second, his father’s death was connected to Red Moon.

However, something about Madam Yu’s words suggested that Red Moon itself might not have been responsible.

Among all the known executives of Red Moon, none matched the man Haesu had seen in the elevator 13 years ago.

If Madam Yu was right, then Chief Ha might know more.

Haesu returned to the underground interrogation room to face Chief Ha.

“It wasn’t us,” Chief Ha said. “I remember that officer. He dug into Lee Seong-jin’s case and approached Red Moon, which was troublesome, but we didn’t touch him. If we had, the police would’ve focused on us.”

“There are more executives than we know about, aren’t there?”

For just a moment, Chief Ha’s pupils wavered. Since he didn’t know Haesu was searching for his father’s killer, he had answered without hesitation.

But now, he suddenly clammed up.

“I see. So it’s not just a few of you. Red Moon didn’t create you guys; you were sent to Red Moon from another organization. That means Red Moon isn’t the body—it’s just the tail.”

Chief Ha’s eyebrow twitched.

His reaction confirmed Haesu’s suspicions. Red Moon alone was already powerful enough to shake the country, yet it was merely a subsidiary of a larger organization?

“Who are you people?”

Chief Ha remained silent, his lips sealed as tightly as before. The only reason he had spoken up earlier was because of Madam Yu. Now, why was he silent again?

“Madam Yu is in danger, isn’t she?”

Chief Ha slowly raised his head as if Haesu had hit the mark.

“The reason you dealt with Shin Ira must be the same. Let go of any foolish hope. Do you think keeping silent now will prevent them from eliminating Madam Yu? If you tell me everything, I can promise to protect her. You saw what happened to Kim Sang-tae.”

Chief Ha stared at the table for a long moment before finally speaking.

“The police cannot protect the President.”

His eyes burned with conviction.

And with that, he completely shut his mouth.

As Haesu left the interrogation room and headed back upstairs, he ran into Oh Kang-seok on the stairs.

“Damn, you were hard to find.”

“What’s wrong?”

“This whole thing is way bigger than expected. The police, the prosecution, politicians—everyone’s involved… It feels like we’re going to lose control of this case soon. No matter how hard we fight, if we don’t secure something solid, it’ll all be for nothing. I need you to put up some kind of shield.”

It was an open secret that Haesu had the backing of Daeseong.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good. I’m counting on you.”

Oh Kang-seok patted Haesu on the shoulder.

No matter how much the media exploded with articles and covered the case on broadcast, if the case was handed over to the prosecution improperly, only the severed tails would be caught, and the whole matter would be wrapped up neatly.

It would end up being a flashy but ultimately empty case.

Haesu immediately went up to the rooftop.

“…So, to ensure they are properly punished, we need Ahn Seo-eun’s help.”

- This one’s quite big. Even I’m scared.

“You don’t have to do it. There are three people in Daeseong, so the damage will be significant.”

- Hey, we can’t pick and choose cases. We’re on the same boat. I’ll find a trustworthy prosecutor to handle it.

“Understood.”

- This is going to be a tough fight, so I’ll push as much as I can.

Haesu suddenly had a question. It made sense for him to be involved since he was a police officer, but Ahn Seo-eun was a businesswoman, and this could bring harm to her group. What sense of justice was driving her?

He suddenly recalled the words she had muttered when they made the contract, along with the emptiness in her eyes at that time.

‘Because South Korea is too dirty.’

From her vantage point, what had she seen in this country?

Not long after Haesu went down to the Major Crimes Unit, the chief personally came looking for him.

“…Chief.”

“Chief, you came all the way here…”

Nobody asked why. This was a case involving the commissioner. The chief must have been under the heaviest external pressure.

The detectives looked at the chief with tense expressions.

“Alright, everyone, stop what you’re doing.”

“Chief…”

“Let’s pray.”

“…Huh?”

The unexpected words left the detectives dumbfounded, while the chief stood in the middle of the Major Crimes Unit, clenched both fists tightly, and closed his eyes.

“I have just unplugged the phone line and put my cell phone on silent. Please protect our Gangjin Station from external pressure, grant us the strength to make those bastards who did wrong realize their mistakes, and let us punish them properly! Amen!”

“Amen!”

“Aja!”

The detectives’ voices were louder than ever. The chief clapped his hands firmly once and continued speaking.

“We may not have money, but do we lack justice? From now on, anyone who tries to apply pressure, even if it’s the presidential secretary, put their name on the list and prepare an investigation. If we all get fired, I’ll open a fried chicken restaurant and hire you as my employees, so don’t worry and go all out, got it?!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes, sir!!”

The detectives’ shouts rang loudly throughout Gangjin Station.

With his determined resolve, the chief reignited the detectives’ fighting spirit before leaving the Major Crimes Unit.

The detectives once again busily prepared to take down the trash of South Korea.

Not even a few hours had passed.

Screech—

The office door opened, and a man in a suit walked in. Since they were expecting visitors, the detectives’ gazes immediately turned toward the entrance.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

A sharp-looking man with neatly combed-back hair. One of the detectives recognized him and spoke up.

“Prosecutor Kang Ji-tae?”

Kang Ji-tae, nicknamed ‘Hwang Si-mok.’ Hwang Si-mok was the name of a righteous prosecutor from a popular drama. Kang Ji-tae was famous for never bowing to power and always handling cases strictly by the book.

He should have been buried long ago, but his skills were too good. Two years ago, during the prosecution reform, he spearheaded the movement, overturning the prosecution, and rose as a star prosecutor.

“I’m Prosecutor Kang Ji-tae from the Criminal Division 5 of the Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office. Where is Sergeant Shin Haesu?”

“That’s me.”

When Haesu stepped forward, Kang Ji-tae extended his hand first for a handshake. His cheeks were sunken, but his grip was strong.

“I have been assigned to the Red Moon case. I was told to receive the materials directly from you.”

“That was fast. We haven’t even formally transferred the case yet.”

“Given the nature of this case, there’s a high chance it could get tainted with all sorts of filth.”

Kang Ji-tae grinned. Despite his sharp features, his smile was refreshingly open. Haesu grinned back.

Thud, thud, thud.

Less than an hour after Prosecutor Kang Ji-tae swept through the place, a group dressed in black appeared.

“Alright, stop what you’re doing. I am Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim In-cheol from the Central District Prosecutors’ Office. From now on, the Red Moon Gate case will be handled by the Central District…”

A prosecutor who looked like a raccoon. The leader of Team 1, who was perched on the edge of a desk, tilted his head and cut him off.

“Oh, we already transferred it.”

“…What?”

“Uh, who did we give it to, Dolguk?”

“To Prosecutor Kang Ji-tae of Criminal Division 5, Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office.”

“Kang Ji-tae…”

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim In-cheol’s face twisted as if he had bitten into dung. He, too, had heard of Kang Ji-tae’s infamous reputation.

“What?! How could you just hand it over… Damn it, let’s go!”

He quickly turned around. At that moment, Team 1’s leader got up from his desk.

“Wait a moment, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim In-cheol?”

Kim In-cheol’s group stopped as the team leader approached and flared his nostrils.

Sniff sniff.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, I smelled something foul. You should wash up a bit. Not that you’ll have time to clean up now anyway.”

“What, what did you say?!”

As Kim In-cheol snapped, Haesu and Oh Kang-seok stood up and flanked the team leader. The team leader crossed his arms and lifted his chin arrogantly.

Kim In-cheol hesitated at the aura emanating from their expressions and bodies, then gritted his teeth and turned away again. As he walked off, he muttered under his breath.

“Are they cops or gangsters…?”