Chapter 3 : The Extension of the Investigation, Part 2

“Hey, Song Jiwon!”

The ferocious voice that rang sharply in her ears snapped her dazed mind back to reality.

She barely managed to turn her head toward the sound, and sure enough, Team Leader Jo Young-bae from Team Two was striding toward her with a face twisted in fury.

“You little punk, I told you not to move on your own—!”

Jo Young-bae, who looked like he was about to explode at any second, suddenly halted mid-step.

His foot stopped dead when he instantly recognized the face of the person pinning Jiwon down on the hood.

Frowning deeply, Team Leader Jo looked at the man and asked,

“You are Team Leader Cha Seowan, correct?”

At the name spoken like a final confirmation, Jiwon let out a silent groan.

Cha Seowan… Team Leader.

While she stood there blankly rolling the unfamiliar title around in her head, the cold metal pressed against her abdomen was removed.

Click.

Stepping back leisurely, he reset the cocked hammer and casually tossed the gun onto Jiwon’s chest.

“Watching a suspect escape without lifting a finger wasn’t enough, so you even got your gun taken by some gangster’s lackey.”

“……”

“Guess I can imagine what the atmosphere’s been like in the Violent Crimes Unit lately.”

His eyes, looking down at Jiwon as if she were pathetic, were filled with open contempt.

As though he’d touched something unpleasant, he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands slowly.

“Wrap up the scene.

One of them slipped away, so sweep the ship and the entire port again.”

With that short order to Kim Min-hyung, who stood beside Team Leader Jo looking dazed, the man turned away.

What… what on earth just happened?

Cha Seowan—Team Leader?

The new team leader rumored to be joining Team One was Cha Seowan?

Her head spun as half-formed assumptions collided chaotically in her mind.

“Song Jiwon.

We’ll talk once you’re back inside, got it?”

She was so stunned she barely registered Team Leader Jo’s vicious threat.

Jiwon simply stood frozen in front of the dented hood, clutching the gun the man had thrown back at her.

Staring blankly at his retreating figure, disappearing like a dream in the distance.

Jiwon pressed down repeatedly on the bandage stuck to her right cheek, her eyes rolling quietly.

Beyond the transparent glass wall, she could see a man in the middle of a meeting.

Sitting with one leg crossed, he flipped through documents with ease in front of team leaders who were at least ten, maybe twenty years older than him.

For reasons unknown, the other team leaders looked flustered, breaking into visible cold sweats.

As Jiwon secretly watched the scene, only one thought filled her mind.

Why.

Why hadn’t she recognized that rare-looking man immediately?

Cha Seowan.

Just two days ago, he had been transferred to the Violent Crimes Unit, Team One, as their new team leader—and he was also Jiwon’s senior from the police academy.

Of course, back then, with different graduating years and different classes, he would never have known of her existence.

But she knew him well.

During her university days, Cha Seowan had been famous in every sense.

Born into wealth, graduating top of his class from entrance to commencement, overwhelming ability—and on top of that, an appearance so striking it was almost burdensome.

There was no way someone like that wouldn’t draw attention.

So whenever she’d caught glimpses of him in passing back then, Jiwon had thought to herself that he was clearly a completely different species of human from someone as ordinary as her.

After graduation, once she was assigned to the field and buried in work, she’d completely forgotten his name.

She never once imagined she’d run into him again like this—as superior and subordinate.

“Keep this up and I’ll really shoot you.”

“Give me the bag, you bastard!”

Just recalling her own words made her shudder.

The memory of her behavior was horrifyingly vivid.

She’d lost her mind.

This damn mouth of hers.

Overwhelmed by self-reproach, Jiwon buried her face in her hands.

“What are you gonna do?

I heard his personality is seriously filthy.”

Jaehong had crept up beside her at some point, his expression deeply worried.

Staring through the glass, he added casually,

“Not just dirty—like, unbelievably dirty.”

Minjeong slid in just as smoothly and chimed in,

“They say once you’re on his bad side, it doesn’t matter who you are.

If he doesn’t like you, he’ll grind you into dust.”

“My buddy over at the Southern District told me—

You know what his nickname was back then?”

At Jaehong’s question, Tae-o reacted with interest.

“What was it?”

“Southern District Legend.”

“Legend?”

“For real, insanely dirty temper.”

Jiwon, who had been listening silently, squeezed her eyes shut, her face dark with despair.

“I mean, what were you thinking?

You can say you were just following Team Leader Jo’s orders by standing around, but losing your gun—how are we even supposed to cover for that?”

Jaehong’s blunt remark struck straight to the heart.

It was painfully accurate—there wasn’t a single wrong word in it.

Disciplinary action wasn’t out of the question.

And why did it have to be Cha Seowan?

Why now, when she’d only just barely avoided punishment after the internal report mess?

“Yeah… why did I even do that?

Why.

Why, why….”

Unable to withstand the anxiety, Jiwon leaned forward and began thudding her forehead against the partition.

“Is the building gonna collapse?”

Clicking his tongue, Hwang Seong-il spoke up.

Jiwon grabbed his arm with a miserable expression.

“What do I do, Captain?

I think I seriously messed up this time.

What do I do?”

“Like there was ever a time you didn’t.”

Hwang snorted.

“You heard what kind of guy he is too, right?

I’m already in deep trouble, and now I’ve even gotten on the team leader’s bad side—

What do I do if I really get fired?”

“Didn’t I tell you over and over?

Get rid of that explosive temper.

Your biggest problem is swinging first and thinking later.”

“Did I do it on purpose?

Of course not!

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have!

He showed up out of nowhere and started beating up thugs—

How was I supposed to know the new team leader would appear at a crime scene before even officially starting?”

Hwang shook his head.

“What choice do you have?

You go and apologize properly.

You’re good at that.

And come on, it’s not like you lost your gun to an actual criminal—it was another cop.

He’s not really gonna fire you.”

“Captain!”

Jiwon raised her voice.

Hwang’s casual attitude toward her impending doom felt downright infuriating.

“By the way, why’d someone at superintendent rank come in as a team leader?

Was he demoted or something?”

Minjeong tilted her head in curiosity.

Come to think of it, transfers of superintendents to frontline team leader roles were extremely rare unless it was disciplinary.

“Demoted? No way.

Apparently he got promoted way too fast, so this was to appease people around him.

Too many folks couldn’t accept someone so young as their superior, so they sent him here on purpose.

This place is just a brief stop—

He’ll probably move on to some high-ranking position soon.”

“No wonder Team Leader Jo’s acting so deferential for once.”

The more she listened, the deeper Jiwon’s regret grew.

Someone that powerful—someone you’d want to flatter, not threaten with a gun.

What on earth had she done?

“I really lost my mind….”

“Hey, at least he’s not our team leader, right?”

Minjeong patted Jiwon comfortingly.

Click.

Right then, the meeting room door handle turned.

She glanced over to see the team leaders and Cha Seowan exiting together.

Jiwon immediately spun around.

Every instinct screamed at her to get out of this office.

Laying low—staying invisible—felt like the best strategy right now.

She signaled her teammates with her eyes and began to move carefully, holding her breath—

“Inspector Song Jiwon.”

The low voice behind her made her heart drop straight to the floor.

She froze on the spot.

Then, clearly and distinctly, her name was called again.

“Inspector Song Jiwon.”

Swallowing dryly, Jiwon turned around.

An awkward smile tugged at her lips.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

With a nod toward the team leader’s office—clearly meaning follow me—Seowan turned and walked ahead.

The color slowly drained from Jiwon’s face as she stared at his back.

“Man, poor Jiwon.

Her luck really is legendary.”

“Hang in there, Inspector.

Fighting.”

Glaring resentfully at her teammates’ pitiful expressions, Jiwon headed toward the team leader’s office.

She knocked lightly on the half-closed door.

A short “Yes” came from inside.

She opened the door carefully and stepped in, immediately meeting Cha Seowan’s gaze as he leaned against his desk.

Hesitating, she moved closer.

And only then did details she’d missed the night before come into view.

A perfectly tailored suit.

Polished, expensive-looking shoes.

And beneath his cuff, a watch that looked undeniably luxurious.

Even for a high-ranking officer, none of it seemed affordable on a civil servant’s salary.

It practically radiated wealth.

Thinking back, she realized she’d felt the same way during their university days.

From head to toe, refined and elegant, yet somehow cold—a nobleman’s aura.

That image had always defined Cha Seowan in her memory.

Facing him now only made last night feel more surreal.

No matter how dark it had been, how had she failed to recognize such a striking face immediately?

Suppressing the flood of self-blame, Jiwon composed herself and spoke calmly.

“You called for me, Team Leader.”