NOVEL NEXT Chapter 85
Episode 85
Lee Si-hyun and Kang Baek were leisurely sitting, watching the busy police officers moving around.
The area near the scene was brightly lit, as if it were midday, with lights on everywhere.
It was quite a grand sight, one that was hard to see at any other time.
It felt like a scene straight out of a mystery movie featuring the police.
“It’s always the lower ranks doing all the running around, you know. They must be having a tough time tonight, really tough.”
Kang Baek clicked his tongue, feeling a sense of kinship with the hard-working officers.
“That’s why there’s a saying: if you’re unhappy, just get promoted. Just look at the detention center cafeteria. Anything above section chief gets a full meal setup.”
When you go to the cafeteria in the detention center, one table is always left unused.
And that table is fully set with cutlery and everything.
Only staff above the section chief rank are allowed to dine there.
Even in such small matters, the power of hierarchy becomes evident.
Age, gender, personality, skills, experience…
These were all secondary.
What transcended everything was rank.
Having a higher rank was a clear proof that you were immensely above the lowly humans below you.
And social proof was manifested in the status and position within society.
“Ugh… You’re right. I want to get promoted too.”
How many people have no desire for advancement?
Of course, Kang Baek had that desire too.
But thinking about it often felt futile, so he usually let it slide.
Lee Si-hyun needed advancement for a different reason.
Getting promoted means getting stronger.
So let’s just get promoted.
It was a very simple logic.
Of course, rising in social position was important.
However, after facing dangerous situations involving Face-avoidance Technicians, the Giant Monkey, and Black Cross, his perspective had changed.
Having experienced life-threatening crises multiple times, becoming stronger had become his number one goal.
“You’ll be promoted soon enough, really.”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t know?”
As Kang Baek looked perplexed, Lee Si-hyun asked.
“What do you mean?”
“If we catch Kang Tae-eun, a special promotion is all but guaranteed.”
“Whoa, really?”
“Yeah, everyone who’s captured a high-caliber escapee so far has gotten a special promotion. But Kang Tae-eun is on a whole other level. A serial killer and an escapee at that. It’s a sure thing.”
“Wow… I didn’t know at all. But how can you be so calm about it, even knowing that?”
“I’m a bit overwhelmed.”
Lee Si-hyun candidly expressed his feelings.
That was understandable.
Suddenly encountering a human from Black Cross, chasing after them, fighting, and then, trying to interrogate Kang Tae-eun only for him to die, and then some utterly annoying police officer showing up to be a nuisance…
All of this had happened in less than half a day.
“Well… It’s just that so many unusual things happen all at once, I’m feeling dizzy too. Oh, but you caught Kang Tae-eun all by yourself, right? Does that mean I can get a special promotion too?”
Kang Baek asked, his eyes wide with hope.
“Normally, if you’re nearby the arrest scene, you just piggyback on it for a special promotion. And since it was just you and me there, it’s really a done deal.”
“Really… I hope that’s true.”
Kang Baek’s face broke into a subtle smile as he envisioned a sweet future.
At that moment, an unpleasant face slowly approached.
Kang Baek’s expression hardened again.
Lee Si-hyun narrowed his eyes and stared at Park Cheol-gon.
“It’s barely been an hour, hasn’t it?”
“It’s been 50 minutes. And I have a habit of moving ten minutes ahead of schedule.”
“So?”
“Let’s go in.”
“….”
After a moment of hesitation, Lee Si-hyun moved.
Fine, whatever you say, I’ll play along for now.
It’s bound to hurt more if I let loose and get hit once.
As Si-hyun moved, Kang Baek followed suit.
They entered the tent first, followed by Park Cheol-gon and the detectives accompanying him.
Inside, Jeong Ah was fiddling with her cell phone when she heard people coming in and quickly put her phone away, adjusting her posture.
Soon, they faced each other in the same manner as before.
Park Cheol-gon opened his mouth first.
“Let me ask again. How many times did you hit him?”
Just like that, he posed the same question, as if rewinding time back 50 minutes.
“Do I really have to repeat what I told that officer?”
“Repeating the same thing several times is standard procedure in investigations.”
“Well… fine. I hit him three times. Is that enough?”
Lee Si-hyun replied.
To Park Cheol-gon’s eyes, he may have seemed like he was reluctantly backing down.
However, Si-hyun thought differently, of course.
Alright, now I’ll play to your tune, do as you please, I’ve got nothing to hide anyway, he thought.
Furthermore, what he was saying was something he wouldn’t mind admitting.
Aside from the fact that Kang Tae-eun died during the interrogation, he had no intention, nor reason, to lie.
“Three times, huh? That’s just the right number to get beaten to death.”
This guy seemed determined to link everything back to that.
Seeing him moving as if he had a pre-set answer made Lee Si-hyun chuckle.
Naturally, it made sense for him to look for a cause of death when an Awakened Being died suddenly.
Yet it was ridiculous how he was making conclusions without even witnessing the event himself.
It seemed he could not accept that a mere correctional officer had become a hero.
He was evidently intent on finding a flaw no matter what.
“Well, fine. So exactly where did you hit him….”
As Park Cheol-gon was about to fire off his next question, someone entered the tent, cutting him off.
He looked at the approaching subordinate with a displeased expression.
“What’s going on? Why are you interrupting in front of guests?”
“Sorry. Someone else unexpectedly showed up at the scene….”
“Who is it?”
“Well… Jang Hak-ki has just arrived.”
“Jang Hak-ki?”
At first, Park Cheol-gon seemed puzzled, as though struggling to recall who that was.
No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t remember, but it was so famous that he was searching for someone else with that name.
“The representative of the Korean Party, Jang Hak-ki.”
“What?”
Park Cheol-gon’s face was genuinely surprised.
Jang Hak-ki was a big shot representing current Korean politics.
The son-in-law of a former president, a six-term legislator, the leader of the ruling Korean Party occupying the majority seat, and a strong candidate for the next presidential election.
Although he had faced hardship during an illegal political funding scandal, eventually being acquitted had only boosted his momentum, according to public opinion.
Rumor had it that the current police chief was a junior to Jang Hak-ki in high school and that the chief was appointed due to Jang Hak-ki’s recommendations to the Blue House.
Park Cheol-gon stood up immediately.
If it truly was Jang Hak-ki, he was someone he couldn’t just sit down and meet.
He had to welcome him outside.
But he was a step too late.
Jang Hak-ki had already entered the tent.
The scholarly-looking, neatly groomed middle-aged man from the screen, indeed, was Jang Hak-ki.
As Park Cheol-gon began to rise, so did the warden and the others inside the tent, caught up in the tense atmosphere.
“Oh my, Representative! I just heard you were coming and couldn’t greet you properly. I apologize.”
Park Cheol-gon, who had been stiff, bowed deeply.
Seeing that made Si-hyun silently grin, unable to hide his amusement.
This was a characteristic of people like Park Cheol-gon.
They were arrogant towards those of lower social standing but submissive to those above them.
And for the sake of climbing up the ladder, they’d rather suck blood from the lower ranks than lick the boots of the upper echelons.
Now, let’s see how he behaves in front of someone superior.
During the 50 minutes of waiting, Lee Si-hyun had once again conveyed his intentions through a phone call to Jang Hak-ki.
If Jang Hak-ki was as clever as he was reputed to be, he would surely act accordingly to his objectives.
Now, it was just time to enjoy the unfolding drama.