Chapter 13
"It's okay. You all go ahead without me."
3rd Team Office.
Sergeant Kim Seok-ho shook his head at the suggestion to join the dinner gathering.
"Come with us, Sergeant Kim."
Juwon approached Sergeant Kim Seok-ho. But perhaps Juwon's approach made him uncomfortable.
As Sergeant Kim Seok-ho silently shook his head, Officer Han Geon-woo grabbed his arm.
"Sergeant. It's beef, beef! And Chief Myeong is treating us, so there's no limit on the price. Let's go!"
At the mention of beef, Sergeant Kim Seok-ho's eyes seemed to waver for a moment, but he quickly shook his head firmly.
Then, Officer Han clung to him.
"Why are you like this, Sergeant Kim! Do you not like beef? Then, should we change it to pork?"
His expression remained resolute.
Sergeant Kim Seok-ho finally spoke.
"It's not that. I'm just not in the mood to eat."
He sighed, seemingly deciding not to join the gathering.
"Isn't this illegal? The meat is melting in my mouth! Did they drug the meat?"
A short while later, at a restaurant near Gangjung Station.
Sergeant Kim Seok-ho, with wide eyes, was shoving pieces of beef into his mouth.
He clearly said he wasn't going, but now he was eating heartily.
"Slurp. We really need to inspect this. Why is it so addictive? Did they really put something in it?"
As Sergeant Kim Seok-ho enjoyed the meat the most, Officer Han looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
"Sergeant Kim, you said you weren't in the mood to eat..."
"Officer Han, are you a mood person?"
"...Yes?"
"Well, no matter the mood, you have to do what you have to do, right? Professionally, I mean."
"Ah..."
He didn't seem to be like this before.
As Officer Han Geon-woo tilted his head in confusion,
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu raised a glass filled to the brim.
"Come on, today Chief Myeong is treating us with his personal card, so let's eat until we burst."
"Yep!"
The team members, including Juwon, raised their glasses high.
"Let's take down Chief Myeong, who's always on our backs about performance! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
As the glasses of the 3rd Investigation Team clinked together,
"Were you talking about me?"
Chief Myeong Gyeong-hyung appeared.
"Chief!"
Everyone put down their glasses and stood up.
"I thought I heard my name."
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu quickly waved his hand.
"Eh, no. You must be tired lately, hearing things."
"I was tired, but thanks to Team 3, I think I can sleep well tonight. Good job."
The team members shouted.
"Thank you!"
At their loud voices, Chief Myeong Gyeong-hyung let out a hollow laugh.
"I didn't know you guys had such broad shoulders. I thought you were all narrow-shouldered, always hunched over."
"Chief, you haven't eaten, have you? Join us."
"Is Team Leader Gu showing off with my card? Forget it."
Chief Myeong took out his wallet and pulled out a card.
"Eat until you burst. This might be the first and last dinner gathering."
"Yes!"
Handing over the card, Chief Myeong Gyeong-hyung leisurely left the restaurant.
"Auntie, 4 more servings of beef here!"
"And 2 servings of soybean paste stew!"
After several rounds of grilling and the team members' stomachs were full,
"Ha."
A deep sigh came from one side of the table.
It was Sergeant Kim Seok-ho.
In front of him were rows of empty soju bottles.
While everyone was filling their stomachs with meat, he started filling his with alcohol halfway through.
"Team Leader, shouldn't we stop Sergeant Kim?"
Unable to stand by, Officer Han Geon-woo voiced his concern with a worried tone.
At that, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu glanced at Sergeant Kim and shook his head.
"Let him be. He's been having a tough time lately."
Team Leader Gu, who seemed a bit drunk himself, gulped down water with a flushed face.
As Ju-won watched Team Leader Gu, Terra's voice echoed in his mind.
[Generally, the recommended daily alcohol intake for adult men is a maximum of 2-3 drinks per day. Excessive consumption can lead to long-term risks of liver disease or heart problems.]
'I know that.'
[It seems Sergeant Kim Seok-ho doesn't.]
Ju-won glanced at Sergeant Kim Seok-ho.
'He must know. But sometimes, when things get tough, don't you just want to overindulge in something?'
[There's a saying: "Too much is as bad as too little."]
Artificial intelligence continues to improve through constant learning, and it seems that's true. Terra's words feel more refined than when we first met.
'Yeah, you're so smart.'
[Ju-won, please limit yourself to just one drink today.]
'Me? Why?'
[You haven't been reviewing your analysis reports lately, have you? You haven't studied at all these past few days because you were focused on catching Kim Gab-doo. Remember, you caught Kim Gab-doo because you studied, not because you drank.]
The nagging is definitely getting more advanced.
As Ju-won tried to calm Terra down internally, a slurred voice called out to him.
"Detective Ju-won."
It was Sergeant Kim Seok-ho, his tongue heavily tangled.
"Yes, Sergeant Kim..."
"Do you enjoy acting all high and mighty?"
"Huh?"
Sergeant Kim, his face flushed red, stared at Ju-won with glazed eyes.
He looked like someone on the verge of making a mistake at a drinking party.
Officer Han Geon-woo, noticing Sergeant Kim's state, quickly tried to intervene.
"Sergeant Kim, you seem quite drunk. Maybe it's time to head back..."
"Shh! Quiet!"
But it seemed he was far too gone.
Sergeant Kim, brushing off Officer Han's hand, shouted while looking at Ju-won.
"Detective!"
"Sergeant, really, before you do something you'll regret..."
"I have something to say! Be quiet!"
Even Team Leader Gu, who had been tolerating it, tried to stop him.
"Sergeant Kim, no. You're too drunk. If you have something to say, say it tomorrow..."
"Yes! I admit it! You're so great! That's why I can't stand you! Detective Ju-won, when I see you, I feel so pathetic!"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, it felt like a confession.
Ju-won, Officer Han, and Team Leader Gu blinked in surprise.
"You have no family to rely on, yet you work so hard... What have I been doing... Even though I'm older than you, even though your rank is higher... I'm ashamed."
As if reflecting on his past behavior, Sergeant Kim bowed his head.
For a while, the restaurant fell silent.
Then, glug-glug.
Sergeant Kim poured himself another drink, but Ju-won swiftly grabbed the glass.
"If you drink too much, your mother will worry."
"Detective..."
Tears streamed down Sergeant Kim's face.
"I'm sorry. I've been so sorry all this time."
"It's okay. I understand."
"To someone as magnanimous as you... I'm sorry..."
The drunk Sergeant Kim hugged Ju-won, and after a moment of surprise, Ju-won hugged him back.
Officer Han and Team Leader Gu watched as Ju-won and Sergeant Kim grew closer for the first time.
"Are you two filming a drama?"
Finally bursting into laughter, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu grabbed his cigarette pack and headed outside the restaurant.
"*Sigh*, youth, it's all about youth."
In front of the restaurant.
*Click*—*thud*.
Team Manager Gu Jin-gu, with a cigarette in his mouth, pulled out his phone. A new message had popped up. It was from his wife.
Manager Gu pressed the call button.
"Yeah, honey. I'm at a company dinner right now..."
-"The culprit attacked with a box cutter, huh? Are you hurt? Did you get stabbed? Any scratches? No bleeding, right?"
At his wife's rapid-fire nagging, Manager Gu let out a chuckle.
"It wasn't me he attacked. I wasn't even there at the time, don't worry."
-"*Phew*, that's a relief. So who did he attack? Did anyone get hurt?"
"Officer Lee. Remember him? That tall guy you said was too good-looking to be a cop."
-"Oh my! Is Officer Lee okay? Was he hurt? Did you take him to the hospital?"
"Hahaha, don't worry, not a single hair on his head was harmed. He and another officer had a good plan—one of them shot the guy with a taser from behind. But honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. Why do you sound more worried about him than me?"
-"Oh, you big-bellied husband of mine! You really think I'd do that? Officer Lee is someone's child too, so of course I'd be concerned. You're just too jealous."
"Really?"
-"You think I'm lying?"
"Well, that 'big-bellied' comment kinda hurt..."
-"Then lose some weight! Anyway, I’ve got to go now, I have a meeting. Don’t come home too drunk."
"Got it, take care."
Manager Gu Jin-gu, after hanging up, put the cigarette back in his mouth and smiled.
It’s been a while since he’s had such a happy day.
The case was solved, teamwork was solid, and the dark clouds were clearing, letting the sun shine through.
As Manager Gu exhaled a puff of smoke, his phone rang again.
This time, it was Captain Myeong Geon-hyung.
"Yes, Captain."
A moment later.
The dinner table fell silent.
Perhaps it was because Sergeant Kim Seok-ho, completely drunk, had passed out with his head on the table.
Officer Han and Juwon were quietly drinking.
"I’m going to the restroom."
"Yeah, go ahead."
As Officer Han headed to the restroom, Manager Gu Jin-gu returned to the table after finishing his call.
"Good work, Officer Lee."
"Manager."
As Manager Gu poured a drink into Juwon's glass, Juwon shook his head.
"No, we all caught him together."
"Let’s be honest with each other. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have caught him. A week? A month? No, even if we had a year, we wouldn’t have found a single hair of Kim Gab-du. Oh, and this."
Manager Gu took Juwon's glass, downed the drink, and handed over a memo from his pocket.
"What’s this?"
"A reporter’s phone number. It’s a journalist from KBN who wants to interview you."
*Thud*!
Manager Gu emptied the glass and patted Juwon on the shoulder.
"Your TV debut, congrats."
"Why don’t we do the interview together..."
"I was planning to. My youngest is in middle school, and she loves celebrities on TV. If her dad appeared, she’d probably brag about it for a year. But..."
Manager Gu’s gaze shifted to Sergeant Kim Seok-ho.
"At first, the KBN reporter wanted us all to do it together, but Sergeant Kim opposed it."
"Huh?"
"When the reporter called the Captain, Sergeant Kim was there, and he firmly objected to doing it together. He said your contribution was too big—almost like you solved it all by yourself."
"......"
"Officer Lee."
"Yes."
"You can do it. You’ve got justice and talent."
Manager Gu patted Juwon’s shoulder with his thick hand.
At the same time, Terra’s voice overlapped.
[That’s right. Juwon, you can do it.]
