Chapter 23
<Star Police Officer Juwon Lee has once again solved a tricky case. After taking over a case that had been closed as a suicide at Gangnam Station, Detective Juwon Lee, through persistent investigation, revealed that it was not a suicide but a homicide...>
As planned by reporter Sohee Young, the attention surrounding the death case of Soyeon Young, which Juwon was handling, was immense.
Of course, the buzz wasn’t solely due to Juwon, the star detective, but rather because of the exposure of Jung-ho Moon’s personal information, which amplified the public interest.
<The face of Mr. Moon, the perpetrator of the illegal distribution case whose identity disclosure had been rejected and who is currently on trial for murder, was accidentally revealed.>
Whether it was an uncontrollable coincidence caused by the crowd or someone’s deliberate intention, no one could tell.
<Some argued that the incident occurred due to the disorderly conduct of reporters and YouTubers, but ultimately, the prosecution’s failure to manage the situation while escorting Mr. Moon was unavoidable. Meanwhile, some public opinion suggested that it was a good thing the criminal’s identity was exposed this way...>
The prosecution immediately announced that those who leaked Jung-ho Moon’s personal information would be punished.
However, by the time the prosecution made the announcement, Jung-ho Moon’s face had already been broadcast live by YouTubers and spread across the internet.
In short, Jung-ho Moon’s identity had already been “preserved” online.
“Wow, this is huge. They’ve already dug up everything about Jung-ho Moon’s family.”
At the KBN Broadcasting Station’s social affairs department.
A junior reporter, looking at their phone, turned the screen toward reporter Sohee Young.
“Look, senior. They’ve even found out that Jung-ho Moon’s father is Cheong-seok Moon, a city council member.”
Reporter Sohee Young silently stared at the phone.
“This is amazing. I feel so relieved. Councilman Cheong-seok Moon won’t be able to set foot in politics again, right?”
“Unless the party leader is out of their mind, they won’t let him.”
“Wow! This is justice. We really got lucky this time! That jacket just came off in that situation!”
The junior reporter nodded enthusiastically.
Sohee remained silent, showing no reaction.
She turned her head back to her monitor.
Jung-ho Moon’s face floated in front of her eyes.
“......”
She simply smiled quietly.
The next day.
Reporter Sohee Young visited her sister’s columbarium alone.
“......”
Beside the urn was a photo.
It showed her sister, Soyeon Young, smiling brightly, and Sohee, still expressionless.
Sohee had never told her colleagues about her sister’s case.
She didn’t want sympathy, comfort, or anything else.
What she needed was revenge.
And she had brought the life of the man who took her sister down to the same depths.
“Until the end... even on the day he finishes his sentence... I’ll write the article.”
Her revenge wasn’t over yet.
No, it wouldn’t end until either he died or she did.
As Sohee looked at her sister’s photo, she heard footsteps behind her.
“Are you okay?”
It was Juwon.
Sohee smiled faintly.
“Yes, thanks to you.”
She then clasped her hands and bowed her head to Juwon.
“Thank you, Detective.”
“No need.”
Juwon also bowed his head to Sohee.
After exchanging greetings, Sohee looked back at her sister’s urn and spoke.
“If it weren’t for you, Detective, we wouldn’t have caught the culprit. I should repay you somehow.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t do it expecting repayment.”
“But you’re not saying anything about it.”
“Huh?”
“You knew I was using you, didn’t you?”
At Sohee’s words, Juwon chuckled.
Sohee had deliberately handed the case to Juwon.
While there were reasons why Gangnam Police Station, the original investigating agency, had handled the case differently from her wishes, the transfer of the investigation didn’t necessarily have to go to Gangjung Station.
It was only because Sohee had chosen Juwon that the case went to him.
And the reason Sohee chose Juwon was simple.
[It’s his star quality. To be precise, the star quality of a skilled police officer.]
A detective with the ability to capture public attention.
Sohee used her own skills to further elevate Juwon’s star power.
As a result, Juwon continued to appear in the news and gained favorable public support.
[While politicians engage in media play through hospitality, Officer Juwon received it for free.]
‘It’s not exactly free, is it? He solved the case, after all.’
[If you put it that way, sure. But did you know? Reporter Sohee Young planned to turn Juwon into a full-fledged star and use him to bring down Jung-ho Moon.]
Juwon smiled and spoke to Sohee.
“If it’s for something like this, I’d gladly let you use me a hundred times.”
[He didn’t know. How shameless.]Juwon smiled, ignoring Terra's words.
"Thanks to you, I became a star too, and it was great. You even wrote a lot of articles about me."
"They were events worth paying attention to. I thought everyone should know how skilled this detective is."
Juwon nodded with a smile. Then he paused and looked at her.
"But... no, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"The jacket of Moon Jeong-ho... Some say it was a coincidence, others say a YouTuber obsessed with views did it. But none of the reporters seemed to suspect anything."
It was just a thought.
Reporter Young So-hee, who had been watching Juwon, smiled an enigmatic smile and spoke.
"It must have been a coincidence. Bad luck for Moon Jeong-ho, good luck for us."
"Good luck."
[Let's just believe that. Whether Reporter Young So-hee's words are true or not, the probability of the jacket coming off at that time was higher than expected.]
Well.
Even if I think more about it, nothing will change.
As Juwon nodded, Reporter Young So-hee gave her final farewell.
"Please contact me if you need anything, I'll help."
"Yes, take care."
That evening.
[Red. Didn't you say it was red?]
"Hey! Everything is red, how am I supposed to know the order!"
[At this rate, everything will burn. How did you even get into the police academy with a brain that can't even make a single sauce?]
"Is the police academy a cooking school?"
[Pathetic.]
"Do you really want to die?"
[I'm not human, so I can't die.]
"Ugh, seriously!"
Juwon's house, kitchen.
On one side, pasta noodles were boiling, and Juwon was making tomato sauce.
Following Terra's instructions.
"Numbers! Express it in numbers!"
[There's no need to express it in numbers. Once the minced meat is cooked, just add all the other ingredients and stir-fry.]
Then just say that!
Juwon clenched his teeth and threw the ingredients into the frying pan.
[You're definitely not going to be a good husband.]
"Who gets it right on the first try? There's charm in growing."
[But this is just too bad. If Gordon Ramsay were here, he would have thrown the frying pan at your head.]
"Your wording is harsh?"
[I'll say it again, my tone is all derived from your thoughts...]
"Ah, I get it."
With a look of annoyance, Juwon picked up the pot where the spaghetti noodles were boiling.
"Just drain the water, right?"
[Just in case, use a colander to drain it.]
"Got it, man."
So Juwon drained the water from the pot.
And as he turned around.
"Olive oil? This is red too."
[Sprinkle olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking while you make the sauce.]
"Ah."
Juwon picked up the olive oil.
Terra distinguishes the importance of objects by colors that only Juwon can see.
From experience, red indicates important items.
Things that need to be secured immediately or have a clear connection to the crime.
And yellow indicates things that need to be checked.
"But the noodles seem a bit undercooked, is that okay?"
Juwon tilted his head as he sprinkled olive oil.
[It's al dente style. It's a style where the noodles are less cooked, giving them a firm and chewy texture.]
"Ah."
[Now let's finish the sauce.]
Juwon returned to the frying pan.
[Now mix the tomatoes and the store-bought sauce...]
And so, 20 minutes passed.
"It's done!"
[Congratulations. You've finally completed a dish that even a middle schooler could make.]
The homemade tomato spaghetti was complete.
[Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, and the vegetables in the sauce are packed with nutrients. It will be much more helpful for replenishing your energy than the frozen food you've been eating.]
"Got it. Can you stop talking so I can focus on my meal?"
[Understood. But eat slowly. Eating too quickly can lead to overeating and digestive issues. Also, a rapid rise in blood sugar can lead to diabetes...]
"You're going to give me health problems."
Shaking his head, Juwon twirled the spaghetti with his fork when...
Ding dong!
The doorbell rang.
"Seriously, it's hard to even eat spaghetti once."
Juwon's head turned.
"There's no one who should be coming..."
Creak.
Juwon got up from his chair and headed to the front door.
"Who is it?"
"..."
Ding dong!
No answer, just the doorbell being pressed again. Juwon carefully grabbed the doorknob.
And slowly opened the door,
Pop!
A small firecracker exploded above Juwon's head.
"Congratulations, Inspector!"
"Congratulations, Inspector!"
"Congratulations!"
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu, Sergeant Kim Seok-ho, and Officer Han Geon-woo were standing there with a small piece of cake.
"Everyone, what..."
And suddenly.
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu handed something to Juwon.
A thick white envelope.
