Chapter 2
Phones rang endlessly from morning; the security team came in and out to install security equipment, and new faces and footsteps drifted about swiftly. It was the very first day of the personnel reshuffle.
The police force was inherently an organization where people staked their lives on promotions. A transfer to the main headquarters was, in other words, a revelation that those individuals’ police careers were about to get interesting. Thus, several congratulatory potted plants adorned with pink ribbons were delivered that morning.
Among them, one with thick leaves was delivered to Baek Haegyeon.
It was pure luck that Seongsik saw the sight, considering they weren’t even in the same office. Coming out of the restroom, his jaw dropped when he saw the massive rubber tree being carried by two deliverymen, along with the equally large and gaudy ribbon attached to it.
To the Republic of Korea’s Lapdog Baek Haegyeon, Kick Some Fucking Ass
The incredibly vulgar and embarrassing message was written in thick, serious calligraphy.
A hollow laugh escaped him involuntarily. He wanted to crane his neck to see how that Baek Haegyeon across the hall would react, but the office door had already closed.
Lingering pointlessly in front of that office, Seongsik reluctantly turned around at the sound of someone calling him.
“Ugh. My aching bones.”
As expected, the first day was chaotic. Only after joining forces to move three desks did he finally sit down in his seat. Seongsik let out a groan and slumped back.
What kind of person is he? I should have asked Han that.
Weren’t there hundreds of possible answers he could have gotten? What his character was like, whether he was easy to get along with, how he treated his superiors and subordinates, whether he integrated well into the police organization, and whether he was someone who could be trusted.
Also… whether he reeked of gangster vibes like this every time he transferred.
Back then, his senior had been dropping bombshells left and right with an unusually grim face, so Seongsik had just been swept up and reacted like an idiot, leaving behind such a high-value question.
Baek Haegyeon’s transfer to the main headquarters was as expected, but it was surprising that he came as the Chief of the Organized Crime Investigation Division rather than the Narcotics Crime Investigation Division.
If it was preferential treatment based on his background, it had a nasty side to it. Wasn’t it basically telling him to personally look after his family’s affairs?
Wondering if he was the only one thinking this, Seongsik frequently checked Pol-net[1], to see if any posts had gone up. Unfortunately, there were no half-wits publicly running their mouths about a specific individual.
Just as he was wrapping up his fruitless thoughts, his Pol-message icon flashed.
—Jo Yongsu (silentsu@police.go.kr) _Organized Crime: Our new Chief told us to report to him as soon as we said our hellos, so I’ve been sweating blood making materials until now. Since it’s the first day lol. Seems a bit strict. But he’s a bit different from what I expected.
It was a message from his cohort. He had leaked a bit of the Baek Haegyeon story he heard from his senior, and now the favor was being returned.
A light sparkled in Seongsik’s eyes.
—Yun Seongsik (ss_yun@police.go.kr) _Narcotics: He’s already giving work orders? How is he different from what you expected?
—Jo Yongsu (silentsu@police.go.kr) _Organized Crime: He feels a bit more polite and neat than I thought? He’s a decent guy. Smart, too.
—Yun Seongsik (ss_yun@police.go.kr) _Narcotics: Did you see the plant that just went into your office?
—Jo Yongsu (silentsu@police.go.kr) _Organized Crime: What plant?
—Yun Seongsik (ss_yun@police.go.kr) _Narcotics: I think it went to your Chief, but the message on the ribbon was a bit much.
—Jo Yongsu (silentsu@police.go.kr) _Organized Crime: Looking now, there are a few plants at the Chief’s desk. No ribbons, though?
It was a plain reaction, as if he truly hadn’t seen it. It was a bit of a letdown, but since he ate lunch with his cohort every single day anyway, he expected to hear the detailed story soon.
That expectation was shattered to pieces a month later, right around the time the yellow forsythia flowers bloomed.
They say backroom politics run rampant in any group, but it would be rare to find a place where the rumors passed in the hallways dictate the major and minor affairs of the organization as much as they do in the police force.
The police organization was like a mix of civil servants and the military—bureaucratic and closed off at the same time. Perhaps feeling the agonizing lack of communication from their rookie days made them cling to rumors even more.
“I heard the organizational restructuring is going to be like this, this time…”
“The performance review period this time is…”
“The public opinion is…”
The information given by someone who had grabbed onto a powerful line was definitely different, so those coming and going from the main headquarters walked around with their eyes peeled for high-quality intel.
Seongsik, who was known as somewhat of an informant as he flowed through the various departments in the main headquarters like a stream, had also gone around investigating Baek Haegyeon, but he had almost nothing to show for it.
Well, there was something.
Gangster-born. The youngest of three sons. His two older brothers were also gangsters, and his father, an executive, was the second-in-command of Hwando. That was all—stories that had already been wrung out so many times they were as bland as water.
Even when he asked his seniors and juniors at the Seoul Metropolitan Agency, there was nothing much besides the story he had heard from Chief Han before.
Considering the murmurs before his transfer, it was an unusual silence.
The incident with the ribbon message on the plant should have been discussed quite a bit, but there wasn’t a single word about it, as if no one in the Organized Crime Division had noticed.
Either he was so ordinary that there was nothing to gossip about, or… he had properly silenced them.
Meanwhile, the Organized Crime Investigation Division, led by Baek Haegyeon, seemed busier than ever. There wasn’t a day when the office lights turned off before midnight, and grabbing a drink with his cohort was out of the question.
Whenever the Organized Crime Division passed by, a dozen or so field officers followed behind Chief Baek Haegyeon. The police officers at the main headquarters had a sort of elitism, so they tended to dress neatly. But perhaps because they were all being worked to death, everyone’s hair was a bird’s nest, and their skin was either greasy or dry and flaky.
Everyone was like that, except for Baek Haegyeon, who was always immaculate.
I don’t know what kind of work they’re doing like that…
It was to the point where Narcotics Chief Han made a comment after seeing their state. What were they so fired up about right after he took office? Those belonging to the National Investigation Headquarters were secretly curious. It seemed like they had caught a big case, but not a single word leaked about what it was. There was only talk that Baek Haegyeon was being called around to Director-level meetings.
Because of these various situations, Seongsik must have unconsciously kept glancing at Baek Haegyeon when he ran into him in the elevator today.
The clothes he wore had a sleek sheen, and the perfectly tailored fit held sharp, knife-like creases. Not only did he stand straight without a hint of disarray like a soldier, but his skin was also bright and smooth. His silent face, devoid of any particular expression, had clean lines and sharp contrast, evoking the feeling of a black-and-white photograph.
Encountering a face that would be memorable even from afar in such a cramped space left Seongsik feeling surreal, as if he had run into a celebrity.
The light faded behind Baek Haegyeon. His shadow was long because he was so tall, but just making one realize that anew was a testament to his extraordinary presence.
“Hello.”
“Ah, ah… Yes. Hello, Chief.”
Not expecting him to suddenly offer a greeting, Seongsik stammered.
The police organization is a strictly hierarchical society. It was rare for a superior to greet someone first.
Between Baek Haegyeon and Yun Seongsik, there was a gap in rank between Superintendent and Inspector, and a gap in position between Chief and field officer. A river of decades flowed between them. It meant that it would take Seongsik decades to be promoted to a level as high as Baek Haegyeon’s.
“You’re with Narcotics, correct?”
Even his voice is nice…
“Yes. Yeah, I’ve seen you around a few times. I’m Yun Seongsik.”
Yun Seongsik handed over his business card almost automatically. It was standard etiquette for regular office workers, but many police officers didn’t carry them. At the Inspector level, most of their “business partners” were criminals, making them largely unnecessary. Plus, many cops felt awkward acting like corporate suits.
“I don’t carry business cards.”
Baek Haegyeon offered a closed-mouth smile, took the card, and slipped it into his pants pocket.
“Right, a lot of people don’t.”
Then, silence fell. Yun Seongsik gulped, focusing solely on the quiet, floating sensation of the elevator. Fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor…
“So, how’s the background check on me going?”
“…Excuse me?”
The sudden drop to a casual tone caught him off guard.
Baek Haegyeon slowly turned his head to look down at him. Red to the tips of his ears, Yun Seongsik could only let out a meaningless noise.
Translator’s Note
[1] Pol-net: The police internal network.