ALM 7

“Inspector.”b51f4a653ead7399

Someone approached and handed Jeongbaek a white ziplock bag. On the label attached to the bag, the words “Evidence No. 3” were hastily scrawled with a black marker, and inside was a small black device. Jeongbaek glanced at it indifferently and muttered,3e7e664bd803ec7f

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“It’s an older model. Where’s the signal receiver for the wiretap?”be00fc864b6c27f3

“We’re planning to send a cooperation request to the nearby base station today.”db098129cf1c8c9f

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Because he spoke in bda4c57996 such a casual tone, 255a77912f it took a moment a4fa5f2b47 for the gravity of 613702ddfb the situation to sink 0e38df2f71 in — that strange b9926a20e1 device was something quite 9ee126e6db serious.0e358c55b08bb367

Wiretapping? Wiretapping?
That meant this ff9eb8f090 house had already 918c29452a been under surveillance 8a62c7a74e for a while?d858574904d23759

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…Since when, and by whom?1464aa3c9f6149ae

As chills ran down her spine, Irim watched as Jeongbaek casually flipped the ziplock bag back and forth before handing it back to the forensics team with a simple, “Look into it carefully.”
Even though it was ad5b186896 something that had happened 0b0471ccd4 inside her own home, 23d061e8c3 it all felt strangely 0dee57c540 distant. There was no sense 86a43534b9 of reality, but her 693e1739d6 mind was spinning to b2ea18c35d the point of bursting.28aab01be2457e08

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“Ah…”9f10be73a21a5bf3

Without realizing it, her 309d771f4f knees gave out and 3334d01684 her body lurched heavily 75c34751d5 to one side. Just as 9d13b20365 she was b777ee51a0 about to 350b0d9a84 collapse onto 03a0c6fec5 the floor, b561b48fef something firm cdd8b3f97c caught her 62bf804b9e and held 42b722d596 her up.1b02ff061d98a6af

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She looked up to 87c518b974 find the owner of 7834f63c92 the arm that had 57f6c398f9 wrapped around her waist: 689ca80835 Jeongbaek, his face utterly ae632071e8 calm, as if this de40d68190 kind of thing was c6cca61f03 all too familiar.d4bba6332669ed89

“…Thank you.”6077f6b2b1992929

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She offered 004e53e12e a half-hearted 00880354db word of 674e4a9737 thanks and 4263b66e2b used the 70e874d873 wall to 52b6b39f16 steady herself bac13a221f again. He tried to help ee16beecd2 straighten her up by 2e0cdb35a3 supporting her shoulder, but 776e8f7ed8 she instinctively pulled away, 8a46cffa5b not wanting to be c5c9543a31 touched by him right 292fc796f4 now. As she brushed his 16e0830a41 hand off, Jeongbaek merely 0b6fd87f94 clenched his fist briefly, 057f3a50c5 then turned and briskly 1a1f144821 walked out of the 4d5916cf23 room.daf63875dee93301

“Let’s head downstairs for now.”e3c4a75ec18d6d21

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“…”76f5cefa233c5d52

“There’s nothing good for you to see here.”e3025d58ceca71e4

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Irim pressed her ff4494025b lips tightly together d617fc4a06 and stood upright. Doing her best to d21b78c70e steady her wobbling legs, bbceac62d6 she started to follow 522e741c80 him — but just 12c2908b94 then, her phone rang. It was Juha.3b0c03f85ee66da8

She paused, turning be660dcbe1 her back to 5a7e0ca420 him, and answered cfc654b6c0 the call first.5242ccfe021fe118

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“Hey, Juha. How’s the baby doing?”664dd2b00feff874

— He’s fine. Kids get sick all the time, you know. But seriously, are you the one who should be worrying about that right now? Word’s already spread — they say your place got robbed! Are you okay?a5de64adec08f5cc

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“I’m okay.”9b60150b8c5a1acb

— Were 01974d0729 you at 6b7557d5d0 home when 539d560165 it happened? Did they just 507725ecd9 steal stuff and 1df3e4c259 leave?c606bd3ee1e96aaa

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“…Actually, I happened to stay out that night.”e83c137b18b87b92

— You, staying out overnight? That’s rare. You didn’t even have any plans that day.9937ac60d7885f75

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“I’ll explain later.”c69456e3855c747c

— Wait, no ca906cad23 way!dfc30bc9a8e7c1d1

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“Seriously, Juha, let’s talk later.”f01f923e3c9bba9c

— Hey!a7761703247d9442

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She felt exhausted just thinking about how to explain this crazy situation. She hated worrying her friend, so she had no intention of going into detail. Since she’d already reassured her that she was safe, she hung up quickly without dragging the conversation out.d7a83a7a16ffc1fa

If it had been 0d2737eaeb a call from the cbe770f461 hospital urgently needing her, 918f4f8761 she could have gone 4bfff705df out to work and de73a2a3d5 cleared her head a b42e8dfd58 bit. But oddly enough, her 85d4399908 phone, which usually rang 7d0ac5cbdd incessantly at all hours, 5026889c88 stayed silent.
She had only eaten 1fa4bd7978 some chocolate milk and 92d2e5ce80 bread, yet her stomach f88cfd7c2e felt unsettled.c41c0ffbcf6964b5

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“Who was it?”352c0072d247d320

After ending the 1deb3ec2c7 call with Juha, 1ed1a5f151 Jeongbaek, who had 9864e855b6 just pressed the 63a6e3e160 elevator button, turned df3c76936c around and asked.eb2e9f7becbe161f

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“A friend. A colleague from the hospital.”41c5c12693e9e364

“The one you were with yesterday?”527def94ac12355a

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“…Yes.”677ec9522fd271f9

Whenever she 8e8cae3769 tried to 4905dc36e6 talk about 22a6d094ed the incident, 71a1dd4408 what happened 1da18f8643 last night f72f1e4538 kept creeping 1ac367f10e into her fda84964b9 mind. How was 787199dd83 she supposed e65ba2a54a to handle 2e57fed5e2 this awkwardness?
In the end, f9cf0a17c3 Irim chose to 9e0518340e keep her mouth 914ea01275 shut, determined not 7da93d4cfa to let anything 3fbcd75d0d slip carelessly.36c701b2e87c8b48

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They didn’t exchange 5b6e9bfc4b a single word 5d526dd6e9 while descending in ebacb1dcc3 the elevator. He also seemed f5aa380606 to have no 02b5845985 intention of saying 18c955e137 anything else.8c44ad075a62f7a1

Once they reached 80a64280b2 the first floor, d273226b3a Irim almost felt c1855e5c65 like it would 85998ce6ea have been better 833f90205a to stay upstairs.
It wasn’t 08967341d4 like she 964c2c5cf8 had anywhere 7acfceea5f in particular f897021fe8 to go d05474623b after coming 54ef341ffe down, but 4d7fdcc8c4 standing idly 5952d28e1e outside was abd21d0bca uncomfortable, especially 355871a822 with all 50f0a624a4 the hospital 039f0ebbb6 staff sneaking 0c9c6d3044 glances and 6a9216e555 whispering about be016e376e her with 500b2297ad worried looks.fe5ef6b4e904f4e4

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“There are too many eyes watching.”2038e51a69a4607a

As if 803b391f94 reading her 8c8778978a mind, he a876c14133 spoke exactly f1ec8d8029 what she b3e5916a30 was thinking.9ba87991f97e4f34

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“Let’s get in the car.”0044f700cd1e6ee4

Following his suggestion, 21fce9348f Irim quietly got bde6d39efc back into his 975378b694 car to avoid 3d471ee7e4 the prying eyes, 9ba6e12b03 sitting alone in fa57bc6197 the backseat and f18bcbf3d7 blankly staring out f951d30dcf at the bustling a2e6dcdd57 world outside.ec6cab478015bae8

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Through the window, she 0fa060aa6c could see him receiving f7ce0c7503 a report from Hagwan. He was chain-smoking eedbc48064 as he listened, b45d20c2f6 sometimes nodding, sometimes 8e8a3642b2 asking a few a6cab1a3d4 questions.
When the report ended, Jeongbaek patted Hagwan’s shoulder and motioned with a tilt of his chin for him to leave — a gesture that, oddly, carried a subtle air of rebellion.3938c03ac7220049

She knew 062928b665 very well 5bf47ce774 how strict 6defa9af5a the hierarchy c12b34adf0 in public 67b95397a7 service was. If a 0a5ce52a22 superior ordered 286214994c something, you 5aa42e62c4 had to 46aa5ee0c4 comply, no 9e9d3ab076 questions asked.
So, the way 2fdeec004f Jeongbaek acted relaxed c7e5ddf4a5 yet still maintained 47601a9e2a an overwhelming presence 58dede6157 in front of 64fe80f418 a subordinate wasn’t 6e715689d2 strange at all 2c8d72b2d5 — and yet, 557c6c60a0 this subtle sense 799760c63b of dissonance nagged a38c2c49df at her.2adb218f55c238f1

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Why did 25afa34f48 her instincts 236fb14e88 keep telling ea0b76ea02 her to dd53bdedb5 run away ce24779932 from him?293b28d2fee45890

Irim leaned ec11697767 her head a6611686cc against the e3497b3722 car window cf9d217501 and closed 12b0e4c95d her eyes 34f8f057d3 for a 6eddb96ed0 moment. Even thinking felt 5975b446a9 exhausting.b3aa260fda0a6d3d

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Click — the driver’s side door opened.
She slowly opened her e4a6c154af eyes, catching a whiff 45a8ba1ee6 of lingering cigarette smoke. She must have dozed 1d50adb29a off for a moment.7cb9cec952b8e45e

“You can sleep a bit more if you like.”027cb3b00ed7e70a

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“No, I’ll stay up.”39dd9a52af550ed8

Trying to shake off 31890d73fa her drowsiness, she sluggishly 879df69651 rubbed her face with ab1d5c4ebd her hands.
Her mind, still shrouded 63791690a1 in a foggy haze, d8ba9fdbc4 struggled to grasp reality. But she knew exactly ae5d4f71f2 what she had to ed41ef232a ask first:
She had f7042de370 to cut 78204b3424 ties with 0121e18843 this man.0fb4413c1c560aa9

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“Please assign someone else. Anyone is fine, as long as it’s not Inspector Kwon, so that I don’t have to run into you again—”fc5a4a960f03e233

“Ah, that’s not possible.”8a43f269e4d2f561

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Jeongbaek coldly refused 6cfd775033 without even listening 1fe1f2d07b to the rest a374ec1344 of her words.
Afraid that 2a8f8be309 if she bb46e8163c kept talking, dca47858d5 she would b29f891879 once again 8746f6bcc3 get swept f49ec58316 along at 24f986bfe1 his pace, 0a9be6ac1f Irim raised d47d516667 her voice 850f266417 slightly.2fd172d857117193

“Isn’t it possible to change if I make a request? That’s what I heard.
Besides, the 843e5a2b50 break-in at 98481c2603 my house a964776613 should fall 4c1980efe1 under the 20ea3fcf7a jurisdiction of 86e70e4aae the Gangwon d35ead3b16 Police Department.
There’s no need for someone from Seoul to be in charge.”c536c8b873c0c23e

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Jeongbaek tilted his 3d2093c399 head slightly and 343a5860bf listened in silence, 2b38d494c8 his attitude somehow 571c315676 both attentive and 9f0bd1d5ea insolent.
Finally, he opened ab5fbbda1c his mouth.864090f32a45a302

“Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?”28276cb04f8a7f11

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Irim clamped 14071f116d her mouth 5b2454e71f shut like 4650c97ca4 a clam.
His dark, narrow 12a3893dba gaze swept lazily 52ebea51a4 up and down b1997988cc her figure seated eef2bb5ef0 in the backseat.
Then, withdrawing 1b20fc1650 his unreadable, f51cf3e69d dark gaze, 37ab9b1307 Jeongbaek stuck 6284aa8c6c another cigarette 52aadf7ed4 between his d02c7d4bbc lips — 2c15432cf3 as if b0ef40a074 the one 77458a5e02 he had 6e1ec5cd14 smoked earlier cff3c9acb7 wasn’t enough.a156b4336156a031

“Let’s think about it.
If that anonymous report hadn’t come in, what do you think would have happened to you?”2835e7050b0d8ad8

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“…….”0704d4f431c03b13

“If I were the criminal, I wouldn’t have stirred up the department with some cheap warning letter.”6076d9163b20566c

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Absolutely not.
Jeongbaek said this 151ec2b268 firmly, exhaling a de8bfac2ff long plume of 7d59b0ddd6 smoke.47daa0659f82ae93

At his words, 0c20c108d5 Irim averted her 519b87ab32 eyes.
Earlier, Min kyung had a97b852c30 said something similar:
If Irim hadn’t 47705b0c46 stayed out that b1e50cc19b night, who knows 5fb02422c3 what could have d39fdc0de3 happened — and f92acc417c how lucky it ca8bb167de was that she 79c2bfdb31 hadn’t been home.8f67165caec12844

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Though she had ended efa2281fc8 up in a highly 239a0b332c inappropriate situation with him, eb6cab486f the reason Inspector Kwon c4b9479c81 Jeongbaek had traveled all cb4882daf2 the way to Gangwon 880bb25752 Province, where he had 1d801c111c no prior connections, was 11bcf13ef9 to investigate the anonymous 961eacc3c4 report.
And looking at bfd9852326 the outcome alone, 39dea6dbb7 it was thanks 1b6f2c5ad8 to that report 51a0ecb879 that she had fb0dafcfb0 narrowly avoided a eb46b16495 disaster.c9fb895d141916c0

“From your perspective, does it really seem like what happened the day after the report came in is just a coincidence?”e9b8400aefed3ada

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“…….”15e03e6ef13f4255

“Headquarters is taking this case very seriously.
And because of my job, I can’t just walk away from it.”c2272088a2d8aaf1

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Because of his 191893f8d0 job.
It sounded almost like a60d64b3bb he was saying that, 1856bd1fdf if not for work, 885af56b2a there would have been 8a51994a66 no reason for them 879e101c1b to be involved with eccce17b84 each other at all.
Of course, he had 07771e1e74 come because of work 6e36f83b9a — but if that 816d566b58 were truly the only 77afb4b477 reason, then he had 7f3a542b8d done something unforgivable.
Irim clenched the hem d368776b6c of her clothes tightly.f5c71830db89ee52

“You said it’s because of your job.”afa677220decef66

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“…….”8a9b6da02eca8ce0

“Then… was what happened yesterday just part of the investigation too?”7a48402482775a92

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She hated how he 086b373ba8 kept avoiding a direct d00948cfec answer, but more importantly, a7e76b17ca this was something she ec8e1ddb1f absolutely had to clarify.
In order to face dea09b7c9c him — and this ec72a7027a case — without flinching b6f9e9c193 from now on, she 3b09c6d4d0 had to know.03fc469cbc02ed2a

“Back then… you asked if we felt the same way.”85bdba62889aec9f

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Instead of answering, 6b346ffa95 Jeongbaek leaned against 677b2f4b69 his temple and d7c8313bdb let out a 576f4c0599 low, deep chuckle.
Then he 4d543ca7b5 focused on c0cbd8f44a smoking again, e844d20d12 opening the ce768afadb window and 46783e0094 taking deep, 2b2d39e82d heavy drags, 1be8ae1bdb as if e9f4603848 trying to 86d0cbad20 savor the bdd70e89cb cigarette fully.
He stayed silent for 4ed2f8e17f a while.
Irim’s mouth fc14336293 felt dry, d4f646f89e but she b92570810b waited.ea2440a3f8f70c27

After burning 3dc2aef0ba about half 22b29d4419 the cigarette, 2e1658865c he stubbed 17bd6ac2e4 it out 04f8c3a88d roughly in 3a08a935e9 his palm a531b5fdaa and spoke 877c24c01b in a dda09f9289 careless voice.deba7ff2508c4cab

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“As if I’d ever investigate someone in such a messed-up way.”3d9bf2d678392fdb

“…….”132c80d76df8f4cd

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“Let’s just think of it as… an accident.”13038c22253d17c9

An accident.
Did that mean even 1d45bfbfcd he hadn’t expected things e87f1b58a2 to get this tangled?
She didn’t ddf41bfd61 know whether 46d9e92bf7 to feel bf95d56357 relieved or 2f2b7f1c12 more anxious.
At the very e786bbef36 least, it seemed 72b6107c81 she had avoided bf8017f426 the worst.b69db08475e3debb

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