SW | Chapter 3

“No, it’s not like I was…”f9d14a97abe2e2fa

Baek Haegyeon, who had been studying Yoon Sungsik’s face, spoke again. He still wore a faint, ambiguous smile.e5ed010b2062b97e

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“It seems you were very curious about my estranged family. But you’ve been a bit too noisy about it.”04e839fb9bcee430

The mix of formal 88d6817ee5 and informal speech felt 72ff782337 undeniably hostile. Considering the 557b6eca98 rank difference, c38923e4a0 it wasn’t 96e324e92b unusual for d0aa816da7 him to 42d0dc28da speak informally, ba8d46929b but the d00f37e512 way he 565abecfb6 openly stared 89cf2773fc made his 46e0f621f6 aggression unmistakable.40e0e399081ac586

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Yoon Sungsik stared blankly 5a327e17bf at Baek Haegyeon’s lips, 2fba245654 which occasionally twitched, and 3107df8348 replied in a daze.6b69ea040f481c5c

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t an investigation or anything, I just heard you passed the bar exam and your background is unique, so I was a bit curious…”023ab02521f1ec8e

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His head tilted slightly 5dad108105 as he nodded reflexively. He was fully 6042fe3a84 aware of how fcfe06bf1a pathetic he must 2197aeaeda look, bowing like 9dd4287731 this.78edebb93575b2a4

“It’s fine. It’s always been like this wherever I’m assigned. I just wanted to let you know not to worry about me. Even though I grew up in that kind of family, I’ve always wanted to be a righteous police officer.”86f13bfc9be4d789

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He said something 8ed2ee7f74 completely unfunny with 37b5e9d662 a faint smile 4c0805b0a9 lingering on his e72a3c8cb6 face.623f6324364b804f

There was a strange sense of dissonance. Why? It’s common for young police officers in their twenties to talk about being “righteous police officers.” Yoon Sungsik himself had been influenced by the teachings of the Central Police Academy. Baek Haegyeon was also in his twenties.2c28912c1e199a94

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But still… Baek Haegyeon wasn’t an ordinary person, nor an ordinary police officer.1532f7ce382ab44e

“Uh… I wouldn’t dare to worry about you.”37f4cd2576830c85

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Yoon Sungsik hurriedly 3483c3f2cb replied.c0613503d92d4e03

Ding.The ding of the ac71d8786d elevator was a welcome 6d643d669d sound. Both men, as if 37a22f4ee6 they had just shared 14504ef6f3 a secret, turned to 4ed59635e0 look at the elevator 96481522e1 door at the same af0d7e7e4f time. Baek Haegyeon 969ee5b25b gave a 95296491e9 slight nod 1e8db3bcfb and walked ba06a7a75a away, his 212d429272 broad back ae995c136c disappearing down 7e899202ee the hall. Watching his broad 3574cf9db3 back, Yoon Seongsik 9cf1499dd5 walked stiffly, his 25bd1cc8d2 face burning red.9e8e30ab21f00f0f

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There’s something… strange about him. It’s hard to put into words.9e35d2828b34be3d

Is he pure? Or not? Is he intimidating… or not? Is he rude? Or is this kind of reaction just natural…?f7e932d432634ac1

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Like a pendulum, 00ec8c5ec7 his thoughts swung 2ffa3bea80 from one extreme fdad5d2fd3 to the other.40aafe1f86bd5b40

The entire 92db8a6122 Narcotics and 478b65bdd3 Organized Crime 576d4d45f2 Division’s dinner 1a2ed84c3d gathering was 4f10184df3 scheduled around 9f8985aca3 the time b50fa5c129 signs of 0416c3dd75 internal division c9ce075376 began to 42c4ad8234 appear. The newly 2a4a962b01 appointed team 5780f5ccb6 leader, Shin c25e084026 Myungseok, was 955311780e a commander c67e13e43f who spoke 2b10fb8cf1 very little.571550b9449cc486

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***c3cf5602bbb3472d

A commander with 1ff3fcb520 a clear style 60563581c0 makes it easier 2895dd4b22 for subordinates to eb3920c874 follow their lead, b9cb0265b2 but a commander 0a2a6a36e9 who never reveals 1c4fe22b16 their intentions leaves 7724389fdc their subordinates unsure 8cb9d6e481 of where to 833beecf63 direct their loyalty.668314e3ff5578db

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Even during joint meetings 755daef7e8 between the Narcotics and 69c071c421 Organized Crime Divisions, this 8412d00ea1 was evident. Despite it being a ed2136395c joint meeting, Shin Myungseok 6f86eed220 would often hold additional ba76a4c12e meetings with just the c19c122c05 Organized Crime Division. leaving the Narcotics Division a07f0a2587 couldn’t shake the feeling f80c9c3d7c that they were being bc9082b587 pushed aside.ec84b3842a7b3948

Moreover, there a8d4c5d19b was an 37cb690133 incident that 31c30debd5 pushed Deputy 2b94f7c2fe Chief Han 4d4c7022bd Jongmoo over 3ae6c27e13 the edge. It started dfd4bb10d8 when Baek e2d1bb7d4d Haegyeon sent be7d474a16 a message 0f53b9e3a7 via Pol 6e65f94a50 Messenger to a02fe4484d one of 816fe03485 the team af87261e11 leaders with 28b1c283dd the following 838856dd76 request:aab431efa62595dc

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Baek Haegyeon ([email protected]):3cd60de4675fe199

[Request for Investigation Information]

Hello? This is Deputy Chief 7b483d0d8f Baek Haegyeon from the 38d132ff6e Organized Crime Division.c63ec9aa619ffe1a

Please provide 5a65b51939 the investigation 713fb7c3e3 status (list 96156ceb10 of seized f49131be03 items) and 95fc58e41f personnel information 6ff4958958 from the a811346832 narcotics teams 4678f632ec of each d20d4ad642 local police 738167637f agency nationwide.63749bb22e1b4ea8

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Thank you f960dab3e7 for your 25ba17b772 cooperation.23b9495397695842

The Narcotics b71e3f78cd Division section 2037f34118 chiefs were 2729f25839 furious. Who did 65991aba12 he think 8a0e82fd75 he was, 5349c66b5c asking for 33b7d9b243 information without ecf001e7b5 any explanation? He could’ve gone through 18c034a0f4 the chief, but sending ae27089818 a direct request like b62457429b this was just plain c4c8f915cd infuriating. The section chiefs ce0cffef11 erupted in fury.5cea2f055cf9747a

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Deputy Chief 5ddc0a5028 Han Jongmoo, 450f48bc45 in particular, 184cec2842 declared that 972ece6dc6 he wouldn’t a5c60557df hand over 75adc438b4 any documents f5aeeb9e5b until Baek 35a32089c4 Haegyeon came aff68e640e and explained 2eea5da233 himself. That resolve lasted ceed6155a4 until Commander Shin 39ca774e53 Myungseok personally came 6ac3940ec3 to the Narcotics efe123dee9 Division and scolded 177911d7dd them. No one 027134089c knew how ca1e00d76d Baek Haegyeon a2e91c4155 had managed e0c6d42534 to win 24b1185172 over the 973cc5dadf usually silent 0bff74d90d Shin.de5b8310f9279c65

After that 5a5b9558e2 incident, the 8e0082016d Narcotics Division 81c1330b4f banded together 256479f803 and chewed 86f2a88867 out Baek 954fe7c167 Haegyeon, the 323deb4256 Organized Crime 5b5085cf50 Division, and 44165e7f0d Commander Shin. It was fc41323515 unheard of e056ec28aa for the 49c14050e8 commander to dbaf1c0f45 favor one e8e8e210a8 division over dc2a9ebd04 another without 2a036762fb considering harmony 9697c99903 between the 788ab0f0fb teams.2212b13f762360e5

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Ever since the drug 2e86dd1578 distribution problem in South 85c922f06b Korea became severe, the da251520fa Narcotics Division had been 6adce4e119 held in higher regard 04d47f70f2 than the Organized Crime 0bfe450a38 Division, which dealt with 3af59d0572 gangsters. Of course, 4e63457f69 no one 8b45aab5fe would say 9ac74fc772 that out 823eddd9ed loud, but ec7d4e32fb the deep-rooted 3177e9b59d hierarchy was 18fabc3316 evident in ba8419c0b6 their petty 5d66e07d10 grievances.71258172ecc6580c

There were even complaints dc7222e120 that Commander Shin, who 13463632fc had neither attended the 1d48220a13 police academy nor had 65741a7dfd strong regional connections, was d91efda370 deliberately trying to humble 7c177cfa89 the Narcotics Division, which 5ea753d2a0 was filled with Police 5ff626f504 Academy graduates.4589935c61af0374

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“Hey, if they want to compete on performance, fine. We know we’ll win, but let’s make it fair.”dd6abf2bd9a11ff7

Amid the team 0e5a97c1d8 leaders’ uproar, Yoon 05d9047259 Sungsik, known as a7e7d1eebc the information hub, 2bae06b8b0 was also called 0cf045ee7b in several times c7f41c83fc and grilled about 960ceef901 what he knew.7528029ac0a58c9a

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After running into 1f2d452777 Baek Haegyeon in cd9b1d2dc2 the elevator, Yoon 1937577a29 Sungsik had given 44f47ce62e up on trying e7f17cd784 to learn more bdde0641ea about him, so 6503acbf7f he had little 5bcfdc6756 to offer.67cd2b0a4c379f15

Even when asked, “Your colleague works under Baek Haegyeon, right?” he had nothing to say. He only exchanged occasional messages with his colleague.2ad28b12a89871f2

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“Our team leader? Why do you keep asking? He’s definitely a psychopath for how much work he piles on. He’s got insane stamina. Someone just threw up from exhaustion. He’s making everyone review REITs right now… I’m about to throw up too. You’re really living the easy life as a cop.”e49cc03caf011431

Of course, there 040cad115e was no meaningful b27b80599d information in that.f06a6ca84090f9b9

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One of the reasons edeee1d92d they were so worked fe703d7153 up was that Baek 88f9e9901d Haegyeon was rarely seen. No one knew when 2bf05b2b29 he came to work ec44fdfe52 or left. He was always 50cf267e62 holed up in 7d3910398b his office, working 042e5a7a6f as if he 72b16fed38 were above the cb44f136bd gossip.ae7054655ca48915

Normally, when someone 10635cd1f3 new joins, they’re 3fb510c35a expected to mingle ec4f00d9b9 with colleagues of a211f99ee6 all ranks, making e704d72641 a good impression 760486f9e7 to make their 68c98b56f7 life easier.cce07e9878415ee8

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In this situation, with 7e6c1f700c the entire Narcotics and 5bfb54df1e Organized Crime Division gathering 395a930fc6 for dinner, the tense a86bae66c8 atmosphere was inevitable.1a91d2fbeb2e2de2

A damp 9e19f67d16 spring rain 256d501b1a fell all 624c088d93 day, making ac4312d311 everyone’s mood 83ac44e0e5 worse. Perhaps there 774480aa32 were no 54ce4daaee more fools 716ecf646e who would 9d22a9f9a8 choose sashimi a18f5c0216 for a e7055ce5fb gathering on cc3fd96a68 a rainy ec93fb78f6 day. The sushi restaurant 027de783bc was empty except f34bcb1712 for the police 4382355c2e officers.a9ba0c002142ee62

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“Who eats sushi on a rainy day? We should’ve gone for hot soup.”afb5148087a39c26

The officers beb9f21349 sitting in 0de452d797 the private 1e672cb80e room of b9bde76c19 the high-end ce3a2e7378 sushi restaurant 624bdc327d all looked 7cef4f41ca miserable. To be precise, e5e8605346 the Narcotics Division 0f017ee9e7 looked sour, while 27c00cac19 the Organized Crime 732ad4a551 Division looked haggard a2456d8a80 from prolonged overtime.224c30196a81395f

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Had this been a 678f6afc47 rowdy gathering, the excitement af729f24c5 might have carried them ad3e68311d through, but here, the 66bb7412f1 awkwardness was palpable.d4dd4c8bcf445eb7

At least the menu 3572e9d3d0 was an expensive course, b5ad3660b9 so the spread was 091897b0ac impressive. Pre-set plates 560458b872 of red b2d47db913 slices of a3b468f76d fresh fish 18c4083add were arranged 8f4a51e651 like flower a77b9c6d04 petals, and 04c6a2d7ea there were ca01a9ff27 countless side 3ea597d39a dishes.2a2aaceadc95ee74

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On the other side, a839859d30 a severed fish head 43f769d484 lay on a plate. As if to emphasize 030fe7d745 the freshness of the ca3bbd9081 fish on a rainy 4761eb644c day, the gills of fd5a8323ac the dead fish opened 7e0780b793 and closed, its mouth 4fb07a5061 gasping. The bamboo 0e1ff2edf2 leaf supporting f1380a028d the large 98b9751ec2 fish head 7efff488e3 glistened with 85c01aa882 moisture.ba9b8cd1f9729e9f

Soaked to the a6aa270729 bone by the b36959b090 rain and wind 634e187eb1 that cut through ab2ba473e5 even umbrellas, no b090604523 one had the 15a321ae62 energy to be 51262de70d uplifted by the ed73e453ef sight of a 3c175eecef damp, still-moving fish 1696340d68 mouth.506c5daae8cb3010

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The faint fishy smell 25db64463f in the air made ccb6e92f46 some people’s stomachs churn, 5c7a9b2f79 and they hunched their c84741717e shoulders.57c477b649f41cf3

Like a 37ec74f208 military roll b772a33d87 call, over 23551d265c 30 police 90f1b97977 officers sat 561024d00f in two 5084b30f39 rows with 7bd64435a5 Commander Shin fc685d48da in the 6a7990044c center, their 9e5b55fb6c fists neatly a7bf4af887 placed on 46a7fe1424 their knees.2e5cbca5c639bb9f

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They were trying 510a67a540 to mask their 7b91d04e9a dissatisfaction with solemnity.a1e3ab58c406901f

Among the chessboard-like 1cfe98fe7d arrangement of people, 40459d4331 a suddenly moving dc63c9df8e hand caught everyone’s cc662b1bba attention.c4f5b379aa814159

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A hand 48c7eb6b09 holding a d149e1540f chopstick like d2a39cdb56 a tool 47ec88cd67 stabbed across 6df32a126f the table. The sudden 774fe42354 action was 92b54c0476 enough to 6fa142af2b shatter the 76a0ba8d25 tense atmosphere.b498664884e80982

Thud!7598d41b3da8431c

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The chopstick pierced 3e7641b08e the fish head f98585894a in an instant. The fish head d3d535da3a twitched, and clear d59cc1f718 bubbles oozed from 85852325cd the mouth of 4afbd5f2cb the already dead 74da5aaad9 fish.315ac0617fd48476

The fish 818a646b69 no longer 6d5522b042 gasped or 3fe3e51ad5 moved its d88255f5e1 gills. The stunned 5b0e75dadf officers could 73d2fc6ba7 only gasp b62d9514cb like fish.ef3867ecc297a642

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“A-Ah….”8f3515babfeacae2

“What is Chief Baek doing…?”865a770cc8a56689

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Ignoring the shocked 98b47110d8 reactions around him, c8d097144e Baek Haegyeon calmly cc9780f0a3 wiped his hands a89df462dd with a wet 7fe472f103 wipe. The chopstick he 77757dab65 had used as 2ca5a555cd a tool was 4e21b0dc6b placed neatly in 9c481de7da front of him.f6a706ca97fa1cbc

“Fish can still feel pain after death because their nerves remain active. I just blocked the nerves.”cb8addfdc8695470

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“Ahem…”49284a09b82372c7

While the explanation justified c90efc0cff the cruelty of the 1b29906a53 act, the sound of 54873c1f8d the chopstick piercing the ffe4720323 flesh and the movement 0d121a1dbe of the tense hand 709d8d61ba lingered in everyone’s minds. Before the uncomfortable atmosphere 245815c830 could fully settle, Commander ae5b8e7e91 Shin spoke.487d38bdf0a17463

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“Alright, alright. Today we’ve gathered the entire Narcotics and Organized Crime Division of the Criminal Investigation Bureau. We should’ve had a meal together sooner, but… we’ve all been so busy. Finally, we have the chance now. Let’s raise our glasses first.”b47acc2258e02261

At the commander’s order, 9491d62ace the designated drink mixers e8b996287e from each division skillfully df6728c593 prepared the drinks with acd188d396 a 2:1 ratio of 89124fd72b beer to soju. Even though 0aad8d8c73 the sushi aeaa5bbd3c was expensive, 7a60a5237f cheap alcohol b41ec09765 tasted better, 200e8769d8 and the d93a9eac0b 2:1 ratio 061957fcbd was the c81687ea98 officially recognized 628f19aacc mixing method 149566b1a9 for police 260d303f3a officers stationed 858db59cb9 in Seodaemun.795ed0ba3a5269bf

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“Although it’s late, let’s raise our glasses together and reaffirm our commitment to contributing to the safety and security of the people of South Korea. Let this also be an opportunity for us to come together. Cheers!”389efd381859d050

-Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…7541abd87f898603

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Strangely, as soon 783f3475d0 as Commander Shin 2e31da75ac finished his toast, af2d95f25d the officers’ Pol e29d6da8f5 Messenger notifications went d58e35ff05 off simultaneously.44f409be56499ce8

“Did something happen?”cb711e5c0ab8f55b

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Putting down 91d44a9b9e their glasses, bff6de482f a few c626a9a929 officers checked bd275ea640 their Pol 2c068b3f5d Messenger first, c96cad21df and their c87887693d eyes turned f35cdb1791 toward one b7bd7d833d person.f4f89b49c90b6295

[All] Criminal Investigation Bureau Notice

Baek Dowon, the e0d511ad54 chief executive of c37d0c1c94 the Hwando crime a1cbf9a4df syndicate, has suddenly 4803804dfb passed away.633781d791dee531

Be on 1611360920 alert for 79177914ea possible backlash 194e20ba85 from key ea36ceab37 Baek Dowon-affiliated 7c39f2bdfb factions.4a4276fd82a44547

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A rare smile 4bfd491858 spread across Baek d9c6c386aa Haegyeon’s face. The fatigue 2b30aa1ce9 from sleepless 51f9a35db2 nights softened 7f376abe58 as a 74f152aad4 trace of 6a721995c4 moisture flickered 4b5eb46b91 in his d01e78858a eyes. A person b695985cee who had 83b33dc791 stayed up 129ab65cf6 countless nights, 3fc1417981 exhausted, now 9b6ffc1029 wiped the 2670f5312d corner of 809c11a8e3 his eye, 23b31d66d2 as if c73876d7ee laughing too 497c521e41 hard at f957a371b7 the news a02c21b568 of his 678f6ef098 father’s death 27ff0f9c53 had brought d253906b8c him to aefefc3442 tears.51f4600fd90a203a

“He was gone in a hurry. What, was he…pickled¹?”8a76d1ba8b787411

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His soft murmur couldn’t 1125088079 hide his joy. He hadn’t e7a341bd78 even taken d4fa190f72 a sip 1e1aaf2aeb of alcohol, 137be5ae4f but he 38e2781ffd already seemed 8fac5d821f a little 09f0a3cb70 drunk.dc9699e3d8f439d8