SW | Chapter 2

Since the morning 4876a89bac began, phone rings 68b2c02728 could be heard a0aa629999 incessantly as the d031155af7 security team came 50ec870f0e in to install 58fbec3860 security-related equipment. New faces e2850a15ae and footsteps 179da1ecb1 moved briskly 9db0ae0b2a around. It was c009499e5f the first a97c7ea2d3 day of 41c78aedfc the personnel 599879832e reshuffle.9cd7ab657e804659

The police 8733b652f6 are, by bea98b2d0b nature, an ab3f864819 organization where 0377d8e10a promotions are 35f58a93e8 a matter a0985c0d86 of life 44f49471ed and death. A transfer to 62f0a7721c the National Police d63f06beac Agency was, in 08572d9e7d other words, a 2c691e6e5c sign that one’s 10c89f966c police career was a72c1a18b6 about to get 5edf8070be interesting. As a result, 63efc644aa several congratulatory flowers 5d61386796 with pink ribbons 9d3908d417 were delivered in 8812bbc561 the morning.859d41fb63d2bfab

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Among them, one a088797d69 with thick leaves b058e62df1 was addressed to b9222811e9 Baek Haegyeon.209c64a11f990a41

It was pure 1f4e6ce7ad luck to witness 9135e6bf36 this scene, even a39993722b though they weren’t 432723c516 in the same 55bf8566e8 office. When Yoon Sungsik came 02e7da3066 out of the bathroom, c0bb1b0385 he was stunned as cd9a100733 he saw the large b2cfbef307 rubber tree and the 57982dd4e5 equally large, flashy ribbon 574e09c0b3 tied around it.68026047f758f6c8

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Republic of Korea’s Finest Baek Haegyeon Fighting!1af761670185e623

The ribbon’s 6efdf1f281 message, written 91a46675be in bold 0c1737d987 Gothic font, 20e22bf163 was vulgar 6f965fa1ef and overly f486799278 masculine.ea52634c6e4e5970

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Yoon Sungsik couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. He craned his neck to see how “that Baek Haegyeon” would react, but the office door was already closed.dc5428760ed6d52e

If it weren’t for someone calling out, “Officer Yoon, can you come here for a second?” asking for help with some work, he might have been tempted to wander into another office under the pretense of having business with a colleague.b00e17f013e7bbcc

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Having just 4d5d2d14b4 finished helping e35615e118 move desks, 739ddbd5c8 Yoon Sungsik 0e06ae72c1 let out 6d170dcf94 a tired bd20710d4d sigh and 6da7deacd0 slumped into ec8265839a his chair, 47d305568b fiddling with a8bc443f5c his phone.014ad876f0b3edb7

“What’s he like?”4be319405b02d8d8

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He should’ve 3b0e89667f asked that 7da1ed97ce earlier.160079ff8c9e9077

There were hundreds of 326edfa5d4 possible answers. What’s his ad06fd84c0 personality like? Is he easy d5316235df to work with? How does he treat 93b7dbb6f0 his superiors and subordinates? Is he well-integrated into 8fc25422f1 the police force, and d47fcc0b41 is he trustworthy?9da6df7acbdf9f98

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And… had there been any previous incidents where his gangster background came up?0a9f31e697470591

At the time, his 0ada682aaa senior had made some 77b312438c bombastic remarks with a 016b3cfb72 particularly troubled expression, leaving 4cd043cdd3 Yoon Sungsik too dazed 0350e8afa8 to ask the right 7f943b1e4a questions. He had missed the 36992ffae3 chance to ask something a2bb2c92c6 more meaningful.4980bcb08b0de9a9

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Baek Haegyeon’s transfer 287e48bd7d to the headquarters c27f0710f3 was expected, but 55c40b64e0 it was surprising 3cc43bc83b that he was 64b2d31cd5 assigned to the e0b291ce2f Organized Crime Investigation 026ac21cf4 Division instead of b3a57dedfc the Narcotics Investigation 0488a0c7f3 Division.9568c93a9d450143

If this was c334ca7f97 a privilege due 1df428a0eb to his background, a177a6ff9b it left a 815baf8450 bad taste. Was it to keep 2d486d8b48 an eye on his bfd2055524 family?1d41a4b46dc3d0d6

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Yoon Sungsik 373edc4dd7 wondered if 51a7bf9329 he was 2ef6e6374f the only cfb05d35b3 one thinking 6e336b8061 this way, a20c0a4a10 so he 7f6e4371ca kept checking 598c2e1516 Polnet, the c295dc7e2a internal police 454ae7af52 network, for 24f9dde267 any posts, 4e0256ac79 but no 9fe5fc5ce6 one seemed c0536668b7 willing to 646411505d openly discuss 550341a7c4 the matter. There were 89886905e7 no posts 39a6c7e23e about it.55204a9ad8bd0b8f

As he was e3ae10f0e5 wrapping up his 1c85c84a0b unproductive thoughts, a ca248f9354 message popped up a8900dbb9c on Pol Messenger.9b83678cf3cf22ef

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Jo Yongsu ([email protected])_Organized e8ab459147 Crime Division:7e186647fc00c478

“Got called in for a report the moment I introduced myself today. Spent the whole time scrambling to put together materials. First day, and it’s already tough, haha. Seems pretty strict. But… he’s not exactly what I expected.”bd6f57ff7e5de3ac

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It was 778152e56e a message e8af03d1e8 from his 6c8a872da7 colleague. After sharing bc84e3ae56 some of bfe0b79e7b what he’d 17b6afc206 heard from bf47ee109f his senior, fa540008e6 this was a0997c36ce the payback.b64f385e01f0a3b2

Yoon Sungsik ([email protected])_Narcotics 475e725d3c Division:81214ec01138d546

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“Already giving out work assignments? How is it different from what you expected?”db98ff6c2e0cad97

Jo Yongsu 280067084a ([email protected])_Organized Crime abf89f6415 Division:68d8ef5ddcbc4f93

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“The report is just basic stuff. He seems eager to get up to speed. He’s polite? Seems like a decent guy… smart.”b00ec86cc557c341

Yoon Sungsik ([email protected])_Narcotics 69dc2721a5 Division:2cee23d14acd79d0

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“Did you see the flowers that just arrived in your office?”a13ab41d053dc3b6

Jo Yongsu ([email protected])_Organized 6c91883801 Crime Division:c8a19930ec85b272

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“What flowers?”1438ae8050288d54

Yoon Sungsik ([email protected])_Narcotics 94b320ce19 Division:820d6ac3a489372f

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“I think it was delivered to your chief. The ribbon had a pretty bold message.”de742b3ab4ae290e

Jo Yongsu ([email protected])_Organized d853ac4635 Crime Division:485101d5392ee28d

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“I see flowers on his desk now, but the ribbon’s gone.”d25ec9230559ee24

The response was neutral, 985af03592 but it felt like deec110ae7 there was something being 6b22260afa hidden. Yoon Sungsik figured 67f2899041 he’d get more aa71f559ab details soon since d1c69e9e2c he had lunch 8629f7a37f with his colleague 2142c8e094 almost every day.6f0ea8806067f7ae

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That expectation was 7f955521cc shattered a month 94b2d0ef15 later, around the c4167aee13 time the yellow 24898c9d0b forsythia flowers were 783a883981 in full bloom.7a8f925b93b3a927

Gossip and office politics 3e02ce15c8 exist in every workplace, d06e866a92 but few organizations operate 4f240b142a on whispered schemes as 29462527af much as the police caedd46d39 force. The police force is 0c66c1a7af extremely bureaucratic, yet it d5359845d4 shares a closed-off nature e5ced35375 similar to the military. From the moment b75791639e you join, you fc8fa6046a feel the severe d78bc2d5bc lack of information 4c54d4a055 flow, which makes c03ee2d3a3 people cling even 1d5dbc1e9a more to rumors.57ef84569f72e133

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“This time, the organizational restructuring is going to be like this…”ac225cc55e8973c5

“This time, the evaluation period is…”e5b4863bd4ae0fb9

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“The annual review…”a948c0d5eff22b60

People with good connections 294043cc14 provide different information, so cc7cb665ad those who frequent the d042282341 headquarters move around like ef9d677554 snails, eyes peeled for 0d398433da quality intel.9dfed7603f855b6d

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Thanks to his ability bf79d8e797 to mingle with various 0032806521 departments and get along 75bcce5bd6 with everyone, Yoon Sungsik 4787f575f6 was known as a 2e8a0af802 bit of an information f467a66d59 hub. Yet, for 4646a1ad7f an entire 06dce9945e month, he ba3580e7c3 was surprised 7e1cfa294c to find 944dd317b1 that there 5482775cff was almost beb52bb9f0 no gossip 81faa3103c about Baek 4bd91da5bd Haegyeon.88e967bbc43ba975

Well, there were a f0075b60ec few tidbits.98c61ff80f5d718d

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Born into a 933a39baa1 gangster family. The youngest of three 589e74b4e8 sons. His two older 3e99d084ea brothers were also 6832bd7c4b gangsters, and his 9562019ac5 father was the 4ffad73caf second-in-command of the 633a09fbda Hwando. When you 16b4591146 dug deeper, 9a972a4935 it was e27d9e77c9 all just 2e8d470b1a watered-down stories 6e39f86bad that had b667e7872c been recycled 19f42fbe1f multiple times.89422684fc10dcb5

Even when he b6f7b0da2a asked seniors and 20aac47ba6 juniors from the 0f8a25d5b3 Seoul Metropolitan Police 0660028a58 Agency, there was d9323f77fc nothing beyond what 821222b194 Deputy Chief Han 3c42031e3e Jongmoo had told 017148a9ed him.35ddefdd33f20926

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On the surface, b0c72713ef it seemed like ecb30b9858 all the information 8a56b8cbbf had been dug f059b47403 up, but the 2c5073f7c0 inside was completely 91f6e9be18 secretive. The flower ribbon incident e66a41ed39 was something that could’ve 419d21b6be sparked a lot of 710f6eb138 talk, but no one d9c0a91942 in the Organized Crime 1df329a2f1 Division seemed to notice, b4462f2d15 let alone mention it. Let alone personal 1b02a5ddd0 matters.40c570da92cf89c4

Was it because there was nothing noteworthy to say, or… had someone effectively silenced everyone?100f968f88171f33

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Meanwhile, the Organized Crime d992cefa91 Investigation Division was busier 418e1aeac5 than ever. The office lights e8f55f9223 didn’t go off 18f6b36e30 until midnight, and 2dc3c6ef98 things like drinking 453d23d653 with colleagues became 34e0ecbe2b a distant dream.9f48e64de9e93f4e

When the Organized Crime c2c86d91fd Division passed by, there aa6aaba2a7 were over a dozen 795cd51f69 officers following Baek Haegyeon. Headquarters agency ed46fefc6c officers tend ca91773c7c to have c1319a2210 an elite 5aa788e1cf mindset, so 242f7efe67 they usually 1ce0a03925 dress neatly. But from the 707022a203 team leaders under fda142b476 Baek Haegyeon, everyone fbfdb337cc looked like they 1520256779 hadn’t slept in 54bd1156db days, with messy 58f958ffec hair and skin b1624b5d76 either oily or 127a2d0007 dry.566befe7b289d350

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‘What the edb116f612 hell are bd63ec5987 they working cdf373c2dc on?’395eb0e3a5914916

Even Deputy Chief a049371ed4 Han Jongmoo from 704ffd7e13 the Narcotics Division 199f0038e4 made a comment 46329b794a about it. No one f7e0a80b95 knew what 27131814e2 Baek Haegyeon 157e568008 was so 6b24dd9871 feverishly pursuing b7c47561f7 right after bf21ecc88b his appointment. The Criminal Investigation 91741a6459 Bureau members were 4968cae5d2 curious, but no 61b34d9e61 details about the 6c2a62d8a5 specific case they f6c5326c81 were focusing on 3730edb911 leaked out. The only thing 952b254ea6 heard was that 9acc11903f Baek Haegyeon was eb46e5d136 frequently called to 628f2f2834 meetings with directors.36394e2ada9699bf

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Because of all this, d6e7116b5c Yoon Sungsik found himself 2a78d0a1c0 glancing at Baek Haegyeon 4569f7cc03 when they crossed paths d8c6e782d8 in the elevator today.b9bf432c675d82db

His clothes had 666f9b8e0d a polished sheen, 21f1ffb1eb and his sharp 846e25aa2c jawline stood out. His posture bff724f774 was as d9a0beafa9 straight as 7ff919c1b3 a soldier’s, 216b285cdc and his aefae1dfe3 skin was 2d0ab64d86 smooth and e372feda88 radiant. His expressionless face, 42e998fd03 with its clean 48a147888d lines and contrasts, 7a209b11c1 gave off the a6649ca11e vibe of a a8f9f79944 black-and-white photograph.3b1a0c0bc267eaaf

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Even from caee97c76c afar, he ee06cba7af had a daf3d801c8 striking presence. But encountering him 6cd27aea18 up close in b6356b81fc a cramped space bbafda718f made him feel e93e9c9c1b almost unreal, like bc4b8d0a11 running into a 005e8ef04f celebrity.e19aa460b353201d

Baek Haegyeon stood cf05e04bfc with the light 1ed498fa84 behind him. He was 58331fe083 so tall 10f457986c that his d0a7f97714 shadow stretched c11bbb2f9f long, but f83799fc9c even just d7052ba4a8 noticing that fd4ae60a75 added to d50e558df1 his extraordinary 3bb3a7f9ec presence.57be4414d4029129

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“Hello?”66b68706ccc982ad

“Ah, uh… yes. Hello, Chief.”8529101a845582fd

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Yoon Sungsik a741dcf743 stammered, not 7fa4512536 expecting the a9df98a302 sudden greeting.2ec8eb836e01dcb2

The police force has dbeab11d53 a strict hierarchical society. Between a police 55ef8b5595 lieutenant and a 915dc536cf superintendent, or between 8630d629b8 a field officer 80898ac641 and a section 911b5854ac chief, there’s an 48223ce4e8 unbridgeable river of 88c8c91657 time. It’s rare 1d11a4b805 for a d47154b328 superior to 12615a2e65 warmly greet bc9015c3f5 a subordinate 2b9161648e first.7f56bd4b6b92433c

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“You’re from the Narcotics Division, right?”ef7f3719be79de73

His voice is nice too…e2212140b09d794a

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“Yes. I’ve seen you around a few times. I’m Yoon Sungsik.”abe80aa3dd632b08

Yoon Sungsik almost automatically handed over his business card. While this is standard etiquette for corporate workers, many police officers don’t carry business cards. At the lieutenant level, most of the people you interact with are criminals, so there’s no need for them. Plus, many find this “corporate-like” behavior a bit awkward.378c491a9643d0bb

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Even though dd7ec7a331 rotating assignments 335b143db4 mean you 0129429b2a don’t need a33d09bd6b a network, 09f8ece52c you never 7be8f95d8b know when d25c000e71 or how cec26caea0 you might 83b62d8301 meet someone 2ca42e5def in a f982a78e54 new capacity. Yoon Sungsik’s philosophy was 3f58ad2ee2 that it never hurts a692130db2 to make a good 859669ecef impression.6e7c8a87c7e77d97

“I don’t carry business cards.”8eac0aeeb3335888

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Baek Haegyeon gave a 480362b5d8 faint smile and tucked 27ee396b49 the card into his 83bfa16a0e pocket.14f8f6228347a77b

“Yes, many people don’t.”20ea1c09f74740ba

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Then there was silence. Yoon Sungsik swallowed hard and focused on the elevator’s quiet hum. Fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor…5f53c886c1b40616

“So, how’s the background check on me going?”eb3f974cadb5777e

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“…Huh?”0c1cb8585c001936

The sudden informal bef4815a24 tone caught him 520d091f90 off guard.d7debd0adef1d71a

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Baek Haegyeon slowly turned 557c895999 his head to look 23cd7db13c down at Yoon Sungsik. Yoon Sungsik could only 8e64a5e438 make meaningless sounds, his 290f38c6fd ears turning red.a63562479e666375