The video of Seo Jung-woo taking down Choi Sun-Myung’s gang and rescuing Oh Dong-cheol and Na Hee-seon became famous even overseas. Subtitles were added to the version circulated abroad. Dr. Jung Ki-hoon and Jessica, who saw the video in the U.S., even called Seo Jung-woo to ask how he was doing.

At the police station, Baek Sung-min said to Seo Jung-woo,

“Hey. Seems like Choi Sun-Myung had quite a few connections. I asked the team you handed the case to, and they said they got a ton of pressure from everywhere. Their team leader even met with a member of the National Assembly.”

“A member of the National Assembly came there?”

“Come on, do you think someone that dumb would make it obvious? If things go south, that guy would be dragged in too. He just showed up like they ran into each other by chance, said he heard some nonsense rumor about Choi Sun-Myung being framed, and left it at that. What a joke. If you ask me, that assemblyman either got paid off or got some kind of favor from Choi Sun-Myung. One hundred percent.”

“Which assemblyman was it?”

“Lee Hong-guk.”

“Ah. Lee Hong-guk, the notoriously vicious assemblyman whose family line has been pro-Japanese traitors for a hundred years. Must’ve eaten too much and had to come check things out.”

‘So that bastard is still an assemblyman here too.’

Baek Sung-min asked,

“Huh? You know him well? I didn’t even know Lee Hong-guk was a pro-Japanese sympathizer. But he’s that bad?”

“Yeah. He’s worse than a dog.”

Even in that other world, Lee Hong-guk is a member of the National Assembly. A rotten politician who will do anything for money and power.

‘That garbage personality wouldn't change just because it's a different world.’

Most of the people Seo Jung-woo had seen lived different lives in the two worlds. There were some like Lee Seon-hwa who did the same job, but that was rare.

Still, even when their lives differed, their personalities didn’t change much. Good people were still good, and the bad ones kept doing bad things in both worlds.

Seo Jung-woo asked,

“So what now? Are they just giving up? I doubt there’s much pressure anymore.”

“How’d you know that? You really are something. The video of you beating those guys up spread all over the world. Because of that, no one’s putting pressure on them anymore. Everyone backed off, shocked.”

Seo Jung-woo and Na Hee-seon had judged that Choi Sun-Myung wouldn’t go down quietly. It’s not impossible for a talent agency CEO to have political connections. If Choi Sun-Myung used his influence to obstruct the investigation, things would get complicated.

That’s why they released the video online. Officially, it was said that someone found the USB stick Na Hee-seon lost and uploaded it, but in truth, she had someone from her law firm spread it.

‘We’ve chased out the ones getting in the way…’

There were still those tied to Choi Sun-Myung left.

“What about the guys he brought in?”

“Ah. Those guys. They’re from the Manager Do gang.”

“Manager Do? Manager of what?”

Baek Sung-min smiled with satisfaction.

“Heh. As expected, it’s Baek Sung-min teaching cases to Seo Jung-woo. But no one believes me. There’s a guy named Do Taek-soo. He used to be a hotel casino’s sales manager, and since then, everyone’s been calling him Manager Do. He’s their boss.”

“Did they catch those guys?”

“They’re claiming they barely know the ones who got caught this time and denying any connection. The Manager Do gang is known for cutting ties cleanly. On the surface, they pretend to be legit businesses and have backing too, so without solid evidence, it’s hard to arrest them. Still, if they find decent evidence, they’ll nab them all.”

Seo Jung-woo thought,

‘Those guys… prison would be safer for them.’

“Hey. That team’s bigger problem right now isn’t that. Seems like Choi Sun-Myung had deep ties with the Kinfe Gang. They think the murder was committed by Kinfe. But Kinfe got wiped out, right? All the leads went up in smoke too. The investigation’s stalled because of that.”

Baek Sung-min let out a relieved sigh.

“Man, if we’d taken that case, it would’ve been a nightmare. Handing it over was genius, really.”

That evening, as soon as he got off work at 6 p.m., Seo Jung-woo headed to ES Entertainment’s office.

People already knew he was Seo Sora’s older brother, and with the video of him saving Oh Dong-cheol out, no one would find it odd for him to visit the office.

But when he got there, the office door was locked.

“Hm? No one’s here?”

A high school girl sitting curled up in the hallway spoke to him.

“It’s been locked since earlier. Did you come here too, mister?”

“Yeah.”

Nam Soo-jung studied his face.

“Mister, are you a singer?”

“No.”

“So you’re a trainee. Seems like a bit late in age to debut though.”

“I said no. I’m not planning to debut. I’m here on business.”

“Looks like you are. Don’t be embarrassed. Dreams are precious. Age doesn’t matter.”

“I said no. Anyway, why are you here?”

“I came to ask them to sign me.”

“Huh? Are you some famous singer?”

“I’m just a student.”

“Looks like it’ll be hard to get a contract. Don’t be embarrassed though. Dreams are fine. Even if it’s time to study now.”

“I was originally supposed to debut with Wind Planning, you know?”

“What?”

“But Wind Planning is basically going bankrupt. Can I debut in that situation? I went down with them.”

“So you want them to take responsibility?”

Nam Soo-jung shook her head.

“No. I don’t want to be in a company run by a murderer either. But I really have to debut. And I sing really well. If they sign me, ES Entertainment will totally blow up.”

Seo Jung-woo chuckled.

“My sister bragged like that too, but it took her a while to debut.”

“Wow. Your sister’s a singer?”

“Yeah. She’s a rookie.”

“Ah, so seeing your sister debut made it look easy, and now you’re trying too. This industry’s not that easy, though.”

“I know. It took her years to debut.”

Nam Soo-jung stood up.

“I can’t afford to wait that long. I don’t have time.”

Seo Jung-woo asked,

“Why? Did you give up because it took too long?”

“No. I have to get to my part-time job.”

Oh Dong-cheol arrived 10 minutes later.

“Sorry I’m late. There was a sudden traffic jam on the way.”

“You don’t have a car.”

“The, the bus. H-ha ha ha.”

Inside the office, Oh Dong-cheol said to Seo Jung-woo,

“Detective Seo. I mean, Dimension. This is really an opportunity. All the singers under contract with Wind Planning have turned against them. Director Seo.”

“There are a few things you should never do in life, and one of them is becoming business partners. So don’t call me Director Seo.”

“Then how about starting a new company altogether? Form a strategic alliance with us.”

“I’m working solo anyway, so whether I start a company or not, what difference does it make? And if I do, are you saying I should quit the police?”

“Quitting the police would be hard, right? You’re such a famous detective. Then let’s put Sora up as the figurehead CEO.”

“Do you think I’d do that?”

“O-of course not. Ha ha.”

“I came today because I wanted to hear more about how things are in the industry right now.”

In the other world, Lee Seon-hwa had explained how to extract the valuable parts from Wind Planning in this situation. Her plan overlapped quite a bit with what Oh Dong-cheol proposed.

‘President Oh said he heard it from Seon-hwa, but Seon-hwa and Lee Seon-hwa’s ideas are strikingly similar.’

“I’d also like to hear more details about the plan you mentioned on the phone.”

After finishing his conversation with Oh Dong-cheol, Seo Jung-woo returned home.

‘Could it be that Seon-hwa and Lee Seon-hwa have similar ideas because they do similar work?’

It’s convenient to pack the bag with snacks and canned goods when crossing over to the other world, so it’s important to stock up in advance. That’s why he stopped by a nearby supermarket before heading home.

There, he spotted Nam Soo-jung, the high school girl who had been sitting in front of ES Entertainment earlier. She was working a promotional part-time job at the supermarket.

Seo Jung-woo asked,

“Huh? You live in our neighborhood?”

“Ah! It’s that aspiring singer ajusshi from before!”

“I told you I’m not trying to become a singer.”

“Why are you embarrassed about having a dream?”

Nam Soo-jung was wearing a slightly revealing outfit. Seo Jung-woo pointed it out.

“You were wearing a school uniform earlier. What’s with that outfit now? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“They pay more if I dress like this.”

“This store owner has issues. Making a minor wear something like that.”

Nam Soo-jung quickly waved her hands.

“Shoo, shoo. Go away. Don’t get in the way of me making money.”

High schooler Jeong Hyun-su was walking toward the supermarket and greeted Seo Jung-woo cheerfully when he saw him.

“Ah! Detective Seo hyung!”

Nam Soo-jung was startled.

“Ajusshi, you’re a cop?”

“Yeah.”

“Can a police officer be an aspiring singer?”

“You’re a student and you’re working a part-time job here.”

“W-Well! But it’s kind of weird for a cop to become a singer!”

“You just said dreams are important.”

“It’s fine to dream, but isn’t it good to have dreams like catching lots of bad guys?”

“I do catch a lot. As long as I don’t perform on stage, just releasing digital songs should be fine. But should a minor be doing a job like this?”

“Ugh… Ugh… I’ll give you an ice cream, so can’t you just overlook it?”

“Is that a bribe?”

“Are you going to arrest me?”

“No. I only catch serious criminals. Ice cream won’t get you arrested.”

“Truly a humane officer! The people’s protector! So forgiving too!”

Jeong Hyun-su casually joined the conversation and spoke to Nam Soo-jung.

“Oh? It’s Soo-jung? You’re working here today?”

Seo Jung-woo turned to look at Jeong Hyun-su. In the other world, Lee Seon-hwa often did everyday acting performances with Seo Jung-woo. Hyun-su’s current comment was natural, but it felt like he was acting like Seon-hwa.

‘Huh? This kid’s got a talent for acting. Pretending to run into me by chance… He’s definitely done this more than once.’

Nam Soo-jung waved her hand dismissively.

“You again? You go too. Shoo. Why are there so many people getting in the way of me making money today?”

Seo Jung-woo and Jeong Hyun-su were chased out of the supermarket.

“Hyun-su, do you know her well?”

“Soo-jung? Sure. We go to the same school.”

“From how you two talk, she must be a senior too?”

“Yeah.”

“But why is a senior working a part-time job?”

“She quit studying before I did. She said she’s just going to get her diploma.”

Seo Jung-woo had met Nam Soo-jung in front of ES Entertainment.

“She’s not going to college and wants to be a singer?”

Jeong Hyun-su’s eyes widened.

“She wants to be a singer?”

“Oh? Then why did she quit studying?”

“She said she needs to earn money.”

“Huh?”

“She just sleeps at school and works part-time all night. She’s really pretty, right? So convenience stores and night PC rooms pay her double. But she doesn’t take fixed jobs—she keeps switching to short-term gigs. Since lots of places want her, she says switching helps her get paid more. When she has spare time, she does ultra-short-term gigs like today’s.”

“So today she’s doing a promo event at the supermarket. She wasn’t there yesterday.”

“Yeah. She probably earns more than a regular office worker.”

“You sure know a lot about her.”

Jeong Hyun-su grinned.

“Hehe. We go to the same school and we both gave up studying, so we’re kinda close.”

“Did she ever say why she’s trying so hard to earn money? From what you’re saying, she must be earning more than basic living expenses.”

“I haven’t asked. It’s not like she’s doing it for fun. I’m afraid she’ll dislike me if I ask.”

“So you didn’t ask what really matters, and you just find out where she’s working so you can pop by and get noticed?”

“N-No! It’s just coincidence.”

“You said you were kinda close… Guess it’s really just kinda.”

Jeong Hyun-su sighed deeply.

“I want to get closer, but it’s hard. I’ve got lots of time, but she’s always busy.”

“You’re not supposed to have lots of time. What about your dream?”

“Why are you coming at me all of a sudden?”

Two days later, Seo Jung-woo spotted Nam Soo-jung dancing in front of a newly opened store in the neighborhood.

“Hey. You.”

“Ah! Police ajusshi?”

Seo Jung-woo checked his watch.

“It’s school time. What are you doing here?”

She averted her eyes and said,

“Today’s the school foundation day…”

“Hyun-su already used that excuse before.”

“He’s really no help, huh?”

“Don’t change the subject. You said you’d get your high school diploma.”

“You can still graduate even if you skip sometimes. And today’s a store opening event, so they’re paying a lot. Officer ajusshi, go catch some bad guys. Shoo, shoo.”

Seo Jung-woo gave her a warning.

“At least cover your belly button while dancing. If not, I’ll arrest the store owner right away.”

“Tch. Fine.”

As Seo Jung-woo walked away, he turned back. A kid whose dream is to become a singer wouldn’t be living like this just because she likes part-time jobs.

He called Oh Dong-Cheol. Oh Dong-Cheol sounded delighted.

– Whoa. You’re the one calling first? Ah! Have you decided?

“No. I just wanted to ask something. Have you checked out Soo-jung’s skills?”

– Huh? Soo-jung? Who…

“She came to your office a few days ago. Said she didn’t get to meet you and left. Don’t you know her?”

– Ah, I remember now. That girl who suddenly came and begged to debut, right? Wait, is she your trainee or something? If so, I’ll sign her right away!

“No. I met her in front of the office two days ago. Turns out she’s from my neighborhood, so I’m just asking.”

Oh Dong-Cheol let out a long sigh.

– She came yesterday, but I told her to wait and try out at the next public audition.

“When’s the public audition?”

– I just said that to turn her away for now. You know our situation, right? We can only take in a new singer if you give us a song. Even if we did, we’d prioritize established talents. There wouldn’t be a song left for her. We can only hold auditions after the company grows more.

Then Oh Dong-Cheol added a condition.

– Of course, if Dimension were to give her a song, the story would be totally different.

“Don’t guilt-trip me like that.”

Oh Dong-Cheol’s tone brightened.

– Does it burden you? Then I’ll call her in and check her skills! I’ve got plenty of time tomorrow evening… Ah. Right. I didn’t get her contact info.

Seo Jung-woo turned his head. Nam Soo-jung was borrowing a long piece of cloth and wrapping it around her waist.

“If she doesn’t hear from ES Entertainment, she’ll probably visit again soon. Doesn’t seem like someone who gives up easily.”