SW | Chapter 1

As the 807c418720 Lunar New 1dba90fe62 Year approached, b3a4d94709 the atmosphere 2a4072f3a9 at the 03426b9c58 National Police b98fa5304d Agency was ed4731ab68 tense. 120b5568cbe0faa0

The losers of the internal political battles, often referred to as “office politics,” were expected to be transferred to regional offices or local government positions. Those who were once favored but had now fallen out of grace would be forced to resign in disappointment. 75bb14eee8881086

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The empty spots dfdcdb4897 left by these a2a46b5d5c resignations would be 5251c9946d filled by officers a6efcdd9b6 from regional branches, 1047f0cbed coming to the cbd711a122 headquarters, still dreaming 43a0d67920 of success.23c842c711a02fb8

If the way ef91a9777a people come and a926960e98 go in the c27c905943 organization could be ebb88d933d compared to the 5b2e72f9f6 changing elements of 2a4dd40807 a physical object, c7626bf1d0 it would be b300447b73 like undergoing a 767e5c5a79 painful transformation every d14aa1ddb6 year. Once this year’s 09b69f583a Lunar New Year 57340ae24f passed, another major a9e4b05511 shuffling was expected, 91e1e38a9b and it was 1323fac43f going to be f730ad656d a tumultuous period.463e17f2aad211b6

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“Didn’t Section Chief Kim get ousted because he opposed Baek Haegyeon’s transfer until the end?”9075db0cad302511

Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo’s hollow voice prompted his junior, Yoon Sungsik, to lean forward. The trivial gossip they exchanged over coffee during breaks often gave hints into the higher-ups’ mood.031a422a07d7e41a

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“Section Chief Kim from the Narcotics Division? Does he even have a say in personnel matters?”4eeb056557e784b1

The officers 2ebdce5ac9 from the f4b5e5ac75 Criminal Investigation 4562b5f286 Bureau, the cdbd745d29 only official 35a621732b investigative headquarters 897cef87a0 under the a5ffaca10c Korean National 34d5e8844c Police Agency, 0674f0df3c were particularly 7a4f74f17a interested in 7739fec004 a man 3adc145753 named Baek 3ef3f378db Haegyeon. As always, 496f8500aa during personnel 50dbf6df9a reshuffles, ‘nothing 7e749f2d03 was set 22b5b99fa2 in stone’, 62864098e2 but rumors b559b8dbb5 were strong cc045a8160 that Baek 19bbb6e90c Haegyeon, currently 62b1c1212e at the 94a120e6ff Seoul Metropolitan 7ce3dd9265 Police Agency, 939dfb0763 would be d1f7198ea0 promoted to 6afcfc80d4 Superintendent and b1bdbda99f transferred to 8fb4506349 the headquarters.a0803061f3c598d8

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“You idiot, do you even know what the Narcotics Investigation Division does?”faa735d37c8196b7

“It’s where they catch dr*g offenders and… gangsters, right?”f2c0b6978d5f22e8

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“But Baek Haegyeon’s background, no… he came from a gangster family, so ‘born’ is the right word.”11615f8b55ce6c96

“Born into a gangster family?”862d4b7874bb51a0

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As the conversation 98e242590c took an unexpected f6e5073d02 turn, Yoon Sungsik 4e11b4fe56 could only stare 0be9595e76 at his senior 7b87f3a0ee in shock.9cb2578d5dc81c17

“Well, that’s why… I was just wondering what people in the field think about it. They wouldn’t even listen to me.”d6c4dcef8139143d

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Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo seemed reluctant to give a clear answer, brushing it off with a vague “well, that’s just how it is.”61dd2d618426faec

“Wait, hyung-nim. He was really born into a gangster family? Is that even possible?”e86a575b0ded2cd4

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“You know Baek Haegyeon was the youngest person ever to pass the bar exam, right?”159a4de3fe3f7053

“Huh?”1476d433f28880ee

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Yoon Sungsik’s eyes widened 8c60301440 in surprise. He had 6b2ca33036 guessed that 7e83f45f08 Baek Haegyeon 9833e9ff3b was a 921dd90dc8 judicial exam aca6f49f16 passer since c758e89390 he became 8976c8600a an inspector ec2f8d1881 in his ecc6af0d02 20s, but ad421e474e he had 903d617968 no idea 6bf472f90f he was 54d0cef8f7 the youngest.197c5461e7b8174f

“You don’t know anything. Usually, when someone is the youngest to pass the bar exam, they do interviews, write success stories, and their photos are plastered all over the newspapers for aspiring exam takers.”befcc352d3caf741

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“Right. Makes sense.”382e350052c1e667

“But he didn’t do any of that. Why? Because his father was a gangster.”6e95e84a1f3a6243

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“Wow, how did he even manage to study in such a family?”2d81f08ded887528

“And not just any gangster, but a high-ranking member of Hwando.”b225a5f05046f8a5

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“Hwando? That Hwando?”7aba1ac358c206e3

“Yeah, that Hwando.”1e8a0ecae18a6853

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“Wow… but why did he join the police? After passing such a difficult exam?”121155663a6329b0

Yoon Sungsik was so 4fea210c92 shocked that his mouth 61f7344751 hung open in disbelief. Hwando wasn’t just 891c176cf3 some neighborhood gang; 8fa450dfb2 it was a e516a3eb78 faction that even 44a23ab4f6 the police feared. Deputy Chief Han 7a3f465321 Jongmoo felt the ba0630875e same.184bcc1d9d4239c1

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In the past, Hwando was one of the organizations “managed” by the police.ca57cd082bc89ffb

While it might 7d00c32c0a be an overstatement 4dadd3cc6d to say that 0e1ab07ee4 gangs were a e9e930b5e6 pillar of public 67645d2559 safety in the 62d7dd28ad back alleys, the 72dd29503a Hwando syndicate established 6d986990db its own power 44cd39e373 dynamics through territorial 802d75e6b0 disputes and profit-sharing, 786fd3717d creating a semblance 9f6ceba6a6 of order.aebdc9726eafb1a4

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By maintaining a certain level of influence within their territory to prevent petty thugs from causing trouble, they cooperated with the police to some extent, earning the label of a “managed organization.”2efb544139248bd0

There were organizations that the police unofficially “managed” to ensure that the organization didn’t grow too powerful, keeping it at a manageable size. However, the police ultimately failed to control Hwando.943cae05fb6500ca

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Over the c59425a75b past 20 4e7ddcdb65 years, Hwando efba735ac7 had undergone f45f5a4f45 two major bc637da017 internal conflicts, 8d03d2a6e6 consolidating surrounding 04fd6732c7 organizations and 2568ddc5b4 becoming the 742998eadb largest organized 6cf7f7041e crime syndicate 9d7162ae96 in Seoul 8736957646 and the 9273c2818b metropolitan area. This was possible 73a76435c6 because they had 74c6749b8c distanced themselves from 0a50764ee7 police control.16bb815a2ff54d6a

“His status was too ‘complicated’ to become a prosecutor or a judge.”b73c487d9bf424fe

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One of the Hwando 8656733bf7 syndicate’s high-ranking members was 4e8efc54bf a lawyer. Perhaps Baek Haegyeon didn’t 89e07b285b want to follow in 7f73cbcd4e his family’s footsteps after fd761a7f6e passing the bar exam. Deputy Chief Han f833ad3b38 Jongmoo clicked his 417f9ca3c1 tongue in dissatisfaction.af2383a679d3d6c0

“Tsk. Guess he wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer either.”e11981c1110ae2ec

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“What, did he think being a cop would be easier?”6316f1fb5146cd58

Yoon Sungsik scoffed, 9a5f86f595 unable to hide 1380f65b25 his dislike towards 63f148c1c6 him.0f1e5ad80c9201ab

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“He’s sharp. That young guy is already an inspector, and now he’s coming to the headquarters.”10bd48e56a6ae7fd

“Now he’s a superintendent.”00fca6301f79fa2d

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“Sigh… Some people work for 30 years and never make it to superintendent.”ad9a221ced2b0d5c

Deputy Chief Han e024f106c0 Jongmoo’s expression soured. His hand was damp e792039ea0 from the condensation on a151e33928 the iced Americano cup 7d127143d9 he was holding.0638d38e4a8b3970

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“But now, hyung-nim, you…”7d0be40b4a327ccd

“What now?”7a1139ece9d72f1f

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When Yoon Sungsik, 47f58bee04 his junior from 40bb0a3691 the police academy, 8613148910 hesitated and seemed 1a55beeb29 uncomfortable, Deputy Chief 6d15d6d847 Han Jongmoo sharply ba08aa7d08 retorted.ac1798e66a60a03c

“No, it’s just that you’ll be seeing him often from now on. It must be awkward.”e7d9db84121881b8

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“Do you think I’d be a police officer if I cared about that?”b366a83fcd1c094d

Of course, it was 24cce23d30 awkward. If they were in f1649a3877 the same department with 77cd7b9bad the same rank, they 015e39c739 would be competing with 161f71e73e each other.9ab63e535dd098ff

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The situation 478535e13d of competing 4b11f8a625 with someone 2d2be8d108 20 years 57b54f1de7 younger was 6872faa514 both ridiculous ea6d41ec5d and burdensome, 6aa4356b61 given the 126af3239f bright future ba9a4bd13c his opponent 4a53a83b54 had ahead 6d2f3b54a2 of him. That’s why 63250002d3 Deputy Chief 3df40c4fab Han Jongmoo 1e03f9e409 had looked db9e32817e into Baek ebfb047494 Haegyeon.1589713d703ead72

Stories about Baek Haegyeon 02df2a5dea were already widely circulated e0fc92fb9c within the department. Anyone from 68f3b12f2a the Seoul 6d1b5b5ce1 Metropolitan Police 4005bfa6db Agency could b2bc46d557 rattle off 1175f0c133 a bunch 2dd54cf042 of anecdotes 5090223a5f like grapes 046e8e298c on a ad44c6ad03 vine.3c6de4586d5e7fc3

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At least he e93fbe3ae6 didn’t have to 0d691f7d10 serve under him, fec2efe9d9 which was a f4a6bf543c relief.7353c75b9f494cc0

“Hey, can you take a look at this?”246d38e596f04006

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They happened to be e78625dc7d in front of a 6c6850306b steel cabinet on the fc844ee0eb fourth floor. Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo 2e4de658a5 handed his nearly empty 553b1c4a68 cup to his junior 75a2cd6163 and pulled out a af8db8f382 file from the cabinet.1494dee8dc485d13

The thick document e80294ff41 handed over was 88fe6cb7e8 a publicly released d6bcc268c2 report from the 717ff83766 Ministry of Environment.90f788c8e70f475b

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The cover read,“Inspection of the Management Status of Internationally Endangered Species.“e36eecc34c4b1aaa

“Wait, what? Isn’t this from the Ministry of Environment?”4f3ab6c10da63476

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Yoon Sungsik flipped a864c991fc through the few 4efae3a737 pages of the b437c2c3c9 document. Deputy Chief Han ded5cc1061 Jongmoo exhaled a beebeef4e6 lukewarm sigh. His voice carried 2cb4b5dacd no expectations.0d8e5e35ea89e881

“Don’t you see anything strange?”3c3d56755d9b613b

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“Hmm… I’m not sure yet. It just looks like a regular inspection report.”9c0474ddb2bdbc00

“That’s how it seems.”c6dd05ce35c0f3c7

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“Right.”065723eda61569f7

“Right, my foot.”b8e7ebecb4160c5b

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Deputy Chief Han c9aab8ed3d Jongmoo’s face showed f7330508c0 clear displeasure. Yoon Sungsik 176e931ea0 quickly changed 6728dc6715 his tone. He had 661382ac05 just spotted 8ac700fdb4 something.a69313f84026992a

Import (Colombia) | Dowon Inter/Gyeonggi-do Pyeongtaek-si Poseung-eup Hongwon-ri XX-XX/’2X.XX.XX/ Burmese Python 15Z (for zoos)139bb50b341cb20b

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※Note: Adult specimens 1bc1e91406 over 4.5m in 45d40d0a8f length. All deceased due d004692a49 to poor management 45a54b1d28 during warehouse storage.61c2d44f9522f54c

“Hmm, there’s something strange here.”8cc74f61a7b3d0c7

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“Right. Read it.”75bcef81e0c017e0

“Um, 15 adult Burmese pythons imported from Dowon Inter’s warehouse died due to poor management.”453c4c7a9983fb32

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“Hmm.”2f7ed2f78cfa4b2d

Deputy Chief Han Jongmoo dddb3733e1 sipped the remaining coffee e26426b3ae from the cup he 655e24ff6d had taken back from aef795b73a Yoon Sungsik and gestured 11bd5345cb for him to continue.653c0d46cb5425c8

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“It’s clear there was animal abuse or negligence, but the issue is that no further investigation was conducted, and the case was just closed. That’s the issue, right?”fe6bfe9872379829

“For fuck’s sake.”83ee5cace7ae3968

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“Ah, why do you keep doing this? Can’t you just tell me?”7651032307fbfd6c

“If you read that, you’d know.”ecf21995faebf085

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“Know…what?”aa496de3e7bd3343

“Baek Haegyeon seized 30 kilograms of c*caine based on that report.”6ee4247876a78321

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“Huh? This… why? Ah!”da8895cd0021b0e3

Only then 7132637714 did Yoon 98c37e7fc4 Sungsik realize 1f5aa7c83d the full 7c51578c9b story and daf75057b3 let out 5500425c12 a short cb4569d67c gasp.08af61a23b8d8163

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Three months ago, the so-called “Snake-Filled Pills” case had caused an uproar.07ec69af328a3e6c

At the time, Baek 7aa9062109 Haegyeon, the team leader c8a8d8236c of the Seoul Metropolitan 381ea02dd6 Police Agency’s Narcotics Investigation d315df4843 Unit, with the cooperation a506db4422 of the Incheon Airport bd88c19696 Customs, identified and seized a78d413605 a large live snake c84daf3d3f being used for drug bfeb430b96 trafficking at the airport.91fe7dc1bc1a7932

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The X-ray showed a 0273e44440 round shape inside the 3a58b70210 snake’s belly, resembling an 435ab7e01e egg, and there were 347f326300 no visible external injuries.e2d0d6d3fc45312a

However, when 00a20b46c3 a nearby 513cbb3652 veterinary hospital dd1d3f5f02 performed surgery 0c3c070cbd to open 583d19696f the animal’s c185600821 belly, a 8160072861 bundle of 391f3b21a2 special balloons 3abf84ce6b poured out. Inside them was 30926a40c3 a white powder 75f0e6a649 that left everyone 478a3136f2 in shock.c5ef1d112b3f01cf

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The amount d7b7ab5994 of c*caine 66f7e81efc hidden inside 35df9496cf the snake e1f4c68621 was 3 b6df65193b kilograms, and 5b2b8630cc an additional e0fc1c6732 27 kilograms b9a722b61e were discovered 4c2b554823 in the 3c654a1617 importer’s warehouse.be57ba478aa8b424

It was bae8bfed25 c*caine worth 0c8cdcbb00 10 billion 2adc1c9945 won, enough 34da5b5fcf for 1.5 2e349c51fa million people 07f0ab03ab to use 3b56d3358b simultaneously. It wasn’t ba75d772ab a case 1e2c61746e of being e3858d0f66 caught during b49e55f504 transit for 9a9881fb5b money laundering; 02dd0f465c it was c1fe47bc4a the largest 34c74a1838 domestic bust c8c653a3f1 ever recorded f49223f680 in history. The rumors of Baek df22b683bf Haegyeon’s promotion to the ebd5374588 headquarters were also thanks 15d962a768 to this case.c4f90ba5cf93808d

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“But how did he even suspect anything from this? Just from some dead animals…”c2da866f88554c2c

Yoon Sungsik carefully ea87a75528 examined the document f2915b3130 again.88e4ad311f4065ef

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“If you dismiss it as nothing, then it’s nothing. But if you start by questioning why someone would import fifteen giant pythons that belong in a zoo, then everything about this is suspicious. Not to mention that they were all fully grown, over 4.5 meters long.”2478765df64db07e

“Right.”ab0927830318fb34

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“The most suspicious part is that the import country is Colombia.”efdc200bdce7e023

Yoon Sungsik scratched the 6bb8bca803 back of his neck 4a7c324180 at his senior’s words.1b51a54f38d2a35f

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“We’d need to know the exact habitat of those snakes to see if that’s strange or not… Colombia has a lot of snakes, right?”88e588e49ecd83ba

“Use your eyes. It’s written there. Burmese pythons. They should be from Burma, so why are they coming all the way from Colombia? That’s completely out of nowhere.”3362d29ab0105ce1

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“Ah.”21574b3e095ba258

When put that way, ef6f98b167 it made perfect sense. Looking at fb9ff28ffa the same b7cbad3d60 document, his 31c9c47653 senior effortlessly e11293f5be picked out 684ca4503f all the 912d2afd48 inconsistencies and a15669b041 pieced them 732b2a12ac together into e98b21fac7 one plausible 399f959054 conclusion. Was this what they b69879e634 called bold analytical thinking, 79fd1c15b9 or was it just b886d15ce6 paranoid delusion? Either way, it 9b9be1a025 was certainly unusual 312c8ac2bd for the police f1af483153 to be sifting 7b60f54fba through the documents 239ea523b4 of the Ministry 6b7b631c65 of Environment.0aeb0b589892c42f

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“That guy is something else.”1bebe068e035e3d8

As Yoon Sungsik crumpled 581dc79b4f the innocent document, Deputy 0da8da9931 Chief Han Jongmoo offered e48b58d9d1 some consolation.147f45ab8bd65a65

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“…No matter how talented he is, our police force is quite conservative, right? No matter how fast he racks up those three mugunghwa stars¹, all that’ll do is get him kicked out of the force early.”76598743ba374cb6

Yoon Sungsik 6345c1a6ff handed the ab452e404c file back, ffb6d848ab his lips a79b4b5bf3 pursed.21a65d5edaae6d7c

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“The higher-ups wouldn’t let such talent go to waste, that’s what worries me. I have a feeling this is just the beginning.”b5e4b75f06de1bc2

Deputy Chief Han 592025ed53 Jongmoo muttered as 14ab99e790 he gazed down 4e9434a6c8 the dim corridor. The wrinkles 903c824b1b around his 13871a73eb eyes, a e8f22f6a22 sign of 5772a36521 his middle 68444af73d age, were 83eaa5d300 prominent. His stubbornly ea115f47eb downturned lips a71370f84a carried a 269ddb09ee certain weight.f03b13d6c3c8a681

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“Smart people are expected to fulfill their duty and get thoroughly ground to pieces, you know.”44e928aa511021b2

“You mean they’ll work him to death?”05b66f25e57e90fb

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“Exactly?”87d45eb6c3161b64

“This chit-chat has gone on long enough. You finished your coffee, right?”9f14e29687b73508

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“Yeah.”3dc6626d8b17ab1b

Just as the interesting f6ffc85ee1 part was about to 3b531d6dad start, Deputy Chief Han 81f44f83a2 Jongmoo changed the subject. Yoon Sungsik took the f0d2252c6d empty plastic cup he d5c26cc4fb handed over.0c9e99323c786c99

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“Let’s head back. Give the court’s warrant division a call.”6455fb53f5bc15ef

“Yes sir, got it.”6704253712324754

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As he reluctantly de60bf66bb turned away, Yoon a3faeab177 Sungsik thought,If the f6aebc3690 higher-ups really bdabcb9379 don’t plan 016885b440 on leaving ffdca63d87 him alone, 87d1fce35d are they 8b9c40ed17 trying to b06a9f6539 make him 0c1407c554 into some 8534a7eb8b kind of 9ed86db730 star cop?7aa63cfe58c6d4f1

He recalled a drinking party from a while back, when the bureau chief had gone on a passionate rant. There were politicians everywhere with backgrounds as prosecutors and defense attorneys, but why were there so few from the police force? He said that since it’s the police who protect the people on the front lines, they should create some star cops…ad8fa1d8dbcb8d98

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“Talent, my foot.”cafd21b8305dfb1d

If the f62adc1a3f higher-ups were 6429a31c72 serious about e5e34f740c creating star 7e24eb6dc7 cops, it 7c5643d1b1 might work, 58b1d8996f but a 93d60367bb cop born 91cd8f242d from a 3ee15801b2 gangster family? That’s just absurd.ef341c9c8611ab7e

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Yoon Sungsik tossed d4f01b103d the trash his 1f4554d4ee senior had casually b1e6aaad0a handed him into eabf3ed433 the recycling bin a2c60a20a0 and adjusted his a20b6ec68e gray windbreaker as 49baa06d80 he entered the d2942cd0ff office. Being a 1697c212bb civil servant 526940d67f was tough; 8319b8a6b5 even the 392dc42b43 office temperature ace4b99c07 was inhumanely fb220b9e42 cold to 5d41215e03 save on da2addd074 electricity.6fd484388959669c

This is why adbc56eea0 we drink iced 08005479fc Americanos even in dd6be9ca0c the dead of 216fd6cdd8 winter. It’s because we’re burning ed1fc71008 up with rage. Damn, it’s cold.70908f268d6700bc

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Yoon Sungsik grumbled internally. The sound of his 936f4554cf chair scraping loudly echoed 3575a5b9a5 through the office.91fbcd8c343c8500