Cold Noodles cannot go without an egg. A boiling pot of water bubbled as an egg was dropped in.

A pinch of salt would make peeling the shell much easier, so in went a pinch.

No, let's make it two pinches.

Bubbling—!

Seo-jun turned on the burner of another stove. It was time to cook the Cold Noodles noodles.

As the water started to boil, he added the noodles.

Cold Noodles become chewier the longer they are boiled, so it's best to cook them as quickly as possible.

The ideal timing is when the noodles seem just slightly loosened in the water—right at that moment when one wonders, "Is it okay to take them out this soon?"

At that point, they should be immediately cooled in cold water. Even with store-bought noodles, this method keeps them bouncy.

Seo-jun drained the noodles in a colander and shook off the excess water. Then, he neatly twirled them into a bowl.

Ta-ta-ta-tat!

For toppings, thinly sliced cucumber seemed like the best choice.

Now, time to take out the egg.

He sliced it in half and gently placed it on top of the noodles alongside the cucumber. The dish wouldn’t be complete without the spicy sauce.

Once the bright red sauce was added, the dish looked quite impressive. If he topped it with floating ice cubes…

Slurp!

The sight alone made his mouth water. A perfect bowl of bibim Cold Noodles.

“Let’s have a taste.”

Just as he was about to mix the noodles with his chopsticks—

Ding-a-ling!

The chime of the doorbell rang as Go Hyung-geon appeared.

“Were you in the middle of a meal?”

“Yes. I was just about to start.”

“Oh, I’ve interrupted your meal, haven’t I? I’ll come back later.”

Seo-jun couldn’t help but think that Hyung-geon’s stiff way of speaking suited his sharp features quite well.

If someone else spoke that rigidly, it would probably feel unnatural, but for Hyung-geon, it was a perfect fit.

Thinking this, Seo-jun spoke.

“It’s fine. Did you come for a meal?”

“I had some things on my mind, so I came for a drink.”

Wouldn’t most people drink coffee when they had things to think about?

Well, to each their own.

“Then have a seat.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll finish eating quickly and serve you. What would you like?”

“Hmm…”

Hyung-geon suddenly fixed his gaze on the Cold Noodles.

Gulp.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t had Cold Noodles at all this summer. A cold bowl of Cold Noodles was just the thing for the season.

After all, there’s even a song about it.

Cold Noodles, Cold Noodles, Cold Noodles.

My heart feels so cold.

Cold Noodles, Cold Noodles, Cold Noodles.

“When I see you, I just…”

Seo-jun spoke to Hyung-geon, who had unconsciously started humming the song.

“Would you like some?”

“Pardon?”

“I haven’t even taken a bite yet. Just mixed it.”

“Aha… But I can’t take your meal.”

“I still have three more packs, so it’s fine.”

“Then… could I trouble you for some?”

“What about your drink?”

“I’ll have soju, please.”

Seo-jun smacked his lips and brought a bottle of soju along with the Cold Noodles.

“Is this instant Cold Noodles?”

“Yes, I bought it from the market.”

“The noodles look remarkably chewy.”

“You must like bibim Cold Noodles.”

“Huh? Ah… yes. I don’t care for mul Cold Noodles since it tastes too bland.”

“We have the same taste.”

“Do you as well?”

“Yes.”

Seo-jun smiled brightly.

He had found a fellow bibim Cold Noodles enthusiast.

“Let me know if you need anything.”

Seo-jun returned to the kitchen to make himself another bowl of Cold Noodles, while Hyung-geon absentmindedly stared at his dish before reaching for the soju bottle.

Or rather, he was about to.

“Are you some kind of precision sensor?”

Just as the drama on TV ended, Park Yeon took a seat across from him.

“Greetings.”

“Hand that over. I’ll pour for you.”

“Huh? It’s fine…”

“I’m not fine with it. I saw something interesting in a Korean drama.”

“What was it?”

“They say that if you pour your own drink, you won’t find love for years.”

“Ah… that one.”

It was a peculiar urban legend unique to Korea, where self-serving a drink was considered bad luck in romance.

Clearly, the drama fanatic across from him had picked it up from one of his shows.

With a reluctant expression, Hyung-geon handed over the bottle and carefully received the drink, as if being served by an elder.

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

He turned his head and downed the shot in one go.

“Ahh!”

The bitter taste of soju spread through his mouth, prompting him to quickly grab his chopsticks.

First, the egg.

The spicy sauce clinging to the egg gave it a pleasantly spicy yet mild flavor. Next, the well-mixed noodles.

Slurp—!

The strong seasoning completely washed away the bitterness of the soju.

“Is it to your taste?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

“Hmm. Have another drink.”

“Much appreciated.”

Meanwhile, Seo-jun was draining his noodles in the colander.

‘Should I add some pickled radish instead of the usual pickled daikon?’

Come to think of it, he did have some pickled radish.

He thinly sliced both cucumber and pickled radish before adding them in. The finished bowl looked even more appetizing than the one he had given Hyung-geon.

Ding-a-ling!

Was today some kind of special occasion?

Seo-jun wondered.

This time, it was Officer Park who entered.

Unusually, he was alone.

"Boss, do you have any food available?"

"Yes. What would you like?"

"The fried rice I had last time…"

Officer Park’s eyes drifted toward Seo-jun’s Cold Noodles.

Gulp.

Seo-jun let out a sigh.

"Would you like some?"

"It looks like you made that for yourself…"

"It's fine."

"Haha, then I’ll take you up on that."

As Officer Park was about to take a seat, he hesitated.

It was because he spotted an unexpected guest.

"Greetings."

"Oh, Hyung-geon, you're here too."

"Yes. Just having a drink."

"You got home safely last time, right?"

Hyung-geon smirked.

"Of course. What about you, Officer Park? Your eyes looked pretty unfocused back then."

"What do you mean? I walked home just fine."

In reality, Officer Park had blacked out just before reaching his front door and ended up sleeping in the elevator instead of going inside.

The morning after, he received a smack on the back from Deok-sun as a bonus.

"Ahem. I don’t see Si-hyun around?"

"Ah, Si-hyun is somewhere else today. I just stopped by while running an errand."

"You and Si-hyun aren’t getting into any trouble, are you?"

“Of course.”

Park Joon-sik nodded.

Indeed, while working in District 12, he had never seen Hwang Tae-su’s faction cause any trouble.

If there was any recent incident, it would be the unification of District 12, but even calling that an “incident” was questionable.

It was a case where the disorganized 47 Gang and the Itaewon Gang had been swept aside, allowing them to take over effortlessly.

Despite their rapid expansion, Hwang Tae-su’s faction was focused on improving their image, even running scholarship programs.

“Let’s eat together.”

Park Joon-sik took a seat across from him. Park Yeon had already left a long time ago to watch another drama.

“Enjoy your meal.”

As Seo-jun smacked his lips and set down the bowl of Cold Noodles, Park Joon-sik gave him a polite nod.

“Thank you. I’ll eat well.”

“Please enjoy.”

Seo-jun headed into the kitchen.

Now, only one serving of Cold Noodles remained.

Hopefully, no more unexpected guests would arrive this time…

“So, did you hear anything?”

At Park Joon-sik’s question, Hyung-geon flinched.

“Huh? Hear about what?”

“Yeah. The random shooting in District 13.”

“That…”

As he trailed off, Park Joon-sik nodded as if he understood.

“Never mind. It happened in District 13 anyway, and even if your younger brother knew something, it’d be hard to talk about.”

“……”

“Ah, am I interrupting your meal? Go ahead and eat.”

Hyung-geon cautiously set down his chopsticks.

“How did you end up becoming a police officer, Sergeant Park?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I’m curious.”

“Then what about you? How did you end up in that world?”

“I…”

“If it’s difficult to talk about, you don’t have to.”

Hyung-geon gave a bitter smile, poured himself a full shot of alcohol, and downed it in one gulp.

“It’s not that it’s difficult… it’s just embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing?”

“I have two younger brothers. Both of them are smart, unlike me. And my second brother even got into Seoul National University.”

“Hmm.”

“There was no one else to help, and I wasn’t educated. The only thing I had was my strength, so after quitting my career as an athlete, I jumped into this world. Now, it’s your turn, Sergeant Park.”

Park Joon-sik glanced at Seo-jun, who was in the kitchen. He had told Seo-jun this story before.

Slowly, he opened his mouth.

“…That’s why I wanted to catch that bastard with my own hands. That’s why I became a cop. There’s nothing more to it.”

“Did you catch the guy?”

This time, Park Joon-sik gave a bitter smile.

“No, I didn’t. And at this rate, I won’t catch him this time either. Damn it.”

“……”

“Ah, sorry. That must’ve ruined the mood.”

“Actually, I did hear something.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. But…”

As Hyung-geon hesitated, Park Joon-sik seemed to understand and nodded.

“I swear I won’t reveal my source.”

With that, Hyung-geon shared what he had heard from his arcade buddy about the Gas Station Gang. After listening to the explanation, Park Joon-sik let out a deep sigh and clenched his teeth.

“So it was those bastards. Sons of bitches.”

“Do you have any ideas? I can’t think of anything. I have a rough idea of where it might be, but…”

“Where?”

“It’s probably in Park Jae-seok’s home safe.”

“A safe? Isn’t that too obvious? Who would keep evidence in their home safe?”

“He doesn’t even trust his own subordinates. He records videos when he recruits new members. He wouldn’t keep it in his office, and it’s not like he can bury it in a garlic field. That only leaves his home.”

“That makes sense. The real question is, how do we find the recorded videos?”

As he was contemplating, something suddenly flashed through Park Joon-sik’s mind.

“Has the Gas Station Gang done anything shady recently?”

“Those guys? It’s not just once or twice. Drugs are a given.”

“Drugs… Drugs, huh.”

“Since the 47 Gang disappeared, their operations have only gotten bigger.”

“Really? That’s all we need.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Hyung-geon, do you know this?”

“Know what?”

“Evidence found during a search and seizure, even if unrelated to the original case, is still admissible in court.”

Of course, a follow-up warrant would be required afterward.

‘This time, I’m going to catch them. No matter what!’

Seo-jun silently cheered for Park Joon-sik.

Hopefully, this time, he would succeed.

“How is the South Korean side moving?”

“No noticeable movements have been detected yet.”

“They’re still holding out, huh…”

“It seems they haven’t resorted to torture.”

“They know that no matter how much they torture them, they won’t confess.”

“Yes. However, if the United States decides to get involved…”

That was something he didn’t even want to imagine.

“Damn it. Do you have a cigarette?”

With a curse, Liu Qiang asked. A subordinate quickly pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his hand.

“Baisha… A mild one.”

Click—

The subordinate lit it for him.

Hoo—!

Smoke dispersed into the air.

The subordinate cautiously asked,

“What… should we do?”

Liu Qiang remained silent.

He never imagined that Gui Xuan and his entire team would be wiped out. If only one had died, he could have understood, but they were annihilated.

And two of them had even been captured alive.

It was the worst possible scenario.

The only silver lining was that South Korea had yet to take any major action.

Deep in thought, Liu Qiang finally spoke as his cigarette burned down to the filter.

“Who was the analyst responsible for extracting data on Kim Chul-jun?”

“Yi Xian.”

“Send him to a labor camp.”

“With all due respect, Yi Xian is a highly skilled analyst. If you give him another chance, he can—”

“The Five-Star Red Flag doesn’t need skilled analysts.”

“……”

“It needs perfect ones.”

“…Understood.”

After the subordinate left, Liu Qiang fell into deep thought.

‘Kim Chul-jun…’

The man who had wiped out Gui Xuan’s team.

He couldn’t just let him be.