Chapter 24
“What’s… this, Team Leader?”
“A special performance bonus.”
Juwon held the white envelope. It was quite thick.
“It’s usually deposited directly into your account, but I made a special request. After all, nothing beats holding cash in your hands, right?”
“Inspector, there’s also a cake!”
Officer Han Geon-woo held out the cake he was carrying.
“Ah, thank you. But why the cake…?”
Sergeant Kim Seok-ho chimed in.
“You contributed the most to our team’s performance this time, Inspector. The bonus was originally supposed to be distributed by rank, but this time it was based on contribution. It was a special order from Chief Myeong.”
Sergeant Kim Seok-ho gave a sly smile.
It seemed everyone shared the same sentiment about Juwon’s contributions to solving the case.
As Juwon smiled, touched, Terra spoke up.
[Are you planning to keep your team members standing at the door forever?]
“Ah.”
Juwon quickly gestured.
“Come on in, everyone.”
“Oh, it’s fine. We weren’t interrupting dinner, were we?”
“Ah…”
[It’s perfect timing. There’s exactly enough spaghetti for four people.]
At Terra’s words, Juwon’s eyebrows twitched.
‘What, did you know about this?’
[How would I know? You didn’t even know.]
‘But how did you know to boil extra spaghetti…?’
[After solving a case, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu always suggests a team dinner. But since he didn’t say anything this time, I figured he was planning some kind of surprise.]
‘What? You should’ve told me.’
[If you knew, would it still be a surprise?]
Juwon scratched his head.
‘Well, you’ve got a point.’
Juwon looked back at his team.
“There’s plenty to go around, so let’s eat together.”
“Shall we, then?”
The team members entered Juwon’s house.
“Chief Myeong feels really bad about this, even if he doesn’t show it. You solved an unsolvable case, but all you got was a performance bonus, no promotion.”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t expecting a promotion anyway.”
But then, Sergeant Kim Seok-ho, sitting next to Team Leader Gu Jin-gu, nudged him.
“Team Leader, are you going to keep hiding it?”
“Huh?”
“They’ll find out eventually. Just tell them now.”
“Ah…”
As Team Leader Gu hesitated, Sergeant Kim Seok-ho spoke up impatiently.
“The Team Leader got promoted. He’s now a Superintendent.”
“Really?”
“I’m sorry. You solved the case, but… I feel bad, like I stole the spotlight from my junior.”
“Oh, come on, Team Leader. Don’t say that. Congratulations! Ah, you should’ve been the one to cut the cake!”
Team Leader Gu awkwardly scratched the back of his head, and Sergeant Kim added,
“Among your peers, you were the last to get promoted. Last time during the personnel reshuffle, your junior got promoted to Superintendent before you, and your wife gave you an earful at home, didn’t she?”
“Ahem!”
“It’s practically a seniority-based promotion, so don’t feel too awkward. You earned it.”
Sergeant Kim’s straightforward tone eased some of Team Leader Gu’s guilt.
Meanwhile, Officer Han Geon-woo, sitting next to Juwon, got up and walked over to the frying pan with the pasta sauce.
“Wow, did you make this yourself, Inspector?”
Juwon nodded.
“Of course. I did everything, from boiling the noodles to making the sauce.”
“Wait, the sauce too… everything?”
For some reason, Officer Han’s voice sounded flustered, and Juwon turned his head.
But the expressions on the team members’ faces were strange too.
Team Leader Gu and Sergeant Kim were staring at the table…
Juwon was making a face as if he was looking at something he absolutely shouldn't be seeing while watching his pasta.
[It seems everyone has had the experience of tasting Juwon's cooking at least once.]
Terra's voice echoed.
[Team Leader Gu Jin-gu once ate kimbap made by Juwon during an undercover mission, Sergeant Kim Seok-ho had Juwon's fried eggs, and Officer Han Geon-woo had stir-fried vegetables during his first initiation ceremony.]
“Well, I enjoy cooking when I’m not too busy. What do you think? I’d make a good husband, right?”
[Your effort is commendable. Although the results don’t seem to be that great.]
Their expressions said it all.
The taste evaluation of Juwon's cooking was...
[Everyone looks like they’re on the verge of vomiting. Just how bad did you make it?]
It wasn’t completely inedible, though.
As Juwon tilted his head, Officer Han Geon-woo, who was standing in the kitchen, opened his mouth with a bright expression.
“Ah, it’s not as bad as that garbage-like food you made when I first joined, right…?”
Officer Han Geon-woo’s voice trailed off.
He could feel Juwon’s murderous aura.
“Officer Han, what did you say? Garbage?”
“Inspector! I respect you!”
Juwon clenched and unclenched his fist at Officer Han Geon-woo, who occasionally made unfiltered comments with an innocent face, whether by mistake or on purpose.
[He’s a young man who can’t lie. Admirable.]
Though Terra seemed to have a different opinion.
“No, get down.”
“I love you!”
“Officer Han, you’re not leaving my house until you finish everything today.”
[Are you planning to adopt Officer Han Geon-woo?]
‘You, stay quiet.’
Juwon then served spaghetti on plates according to the number of people.
The spaghetti looked perfectly cooked with an appetizing color.
Visually, it seemed like there was no problem with the food.
Of course, the issue was that his previous dishes also looked fine on the outside.
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu picked up his fork with a tense expression.
“Are we really… allowed to eat this?”
Sergeant Kim Seok-ho looked at Team Leader Gu Jin-gu with a serious voice.
“Team Leader, you have insurance, right?”
“I do, but it’s not time yet. My youngest is still in middle school…”
“Team Leader.”
Juwon patted the terrified Team Leader Gu Jin-gu and said,
“Don’t worry, just eat.”
As if being threatened, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu nodded and slowly put the spaghetti into his mouth.
[Prepare yourselves; someone might faint.]
At Terra’s confident voice, Juwon observed his team’s reactions.
The team members, who had tightly closed their eyes, put the spaghetti in their mouths and then…
“…How is it?”
“Oh?”
“It’s… so delicious, Inspector!”
“What’s this, Inspector? Did you secretly attend a cooking class or something?”
Everyone’s eyes widened as they alternated their gaze between Juwon and the spaghetti.
[I told you. Everyone would like it.]
‘No one fainted.’
Juwon finally smiled in relief.
“Please, eat up.”
With that, Juwon’s successful meal ended, and the team enjoyed the cake they had brought for dessert.
“So, Officer Han checked the apartment CCTV, but nothing showed up.”
“Just in case, I even checked the trunk of the car where the lost golf clubs were found last time, but they weren’t there.”
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu and Officer Han Geon-woo discussed the theft case they were handling.
It was a case reported a few weeks ago about stolen golf clubs.
The golf clubs were eventually found in the trunk of the reporter’s car.
So, Team Leader Gu and Officer Han thought this was another case of simple loss rather than theft, but…
“It seems like it’s definitely theft. The reporter’s movements are only between work and home, and the clubs aren’t in either place.”
Juwon tilted his head as he listened to the story.
"But why do you think it's theft?"
"They said the front door lock was broken at the time. It was around the same time the ring went missing, and it took a while to fix, so the lock was out of order for a day or two. You wouldn’t know if the front door lock was working or not unless you tried opening it yourself."
"So you think the door was unlocked, and since the house was empty during that time, theft was possible?"
"Exactly."
Juwon nodded.
It was a situation where theft seemed plausible, yet there were no traces of a thief anywhere.
Just then, Terra's voice chimed in.
[The person who reported this lives in an apartment, right?]
'Yes. It’s the Mari Apartments, a famous upscale apartment complex in Gangjung City. There’s only one unit per floor.'
[There are a few things I need to check.]
As Juwon listened to Terra, he glanced at Team Leader Gu Jin-gu.
"Did you happen to carry anything heavy before losing the ring?"
"Huh? Oh…"
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu rolled his eyes.
Then, Officer Han Geon-woo spoke up.
"Ah! The day before losing it, he said he went grocery shopping with his wife and bought a lot. That’s why when he came to the police station to report it, he mentioned his back was hurting."
"So he carried something heavy…"
Juwon’s thoughts trailed off.
Everyone looked at Juwon curiously.
Juwon asked again,
"Did you drive your car after losing the ring?"
"My car? Probably not. The apartment is right across from the Gangjung Police Station, and since it’s his wedding ring, he’s been searching for it for days."
"Did he go to work?"
"He’s a freelancer."
Juwon nodded.
Why was he curious about such things?
But then, Juwon’s eyes lit up.
"Did you happen to check the top of your car?"
"Huh?"
"Officer Han, you said you checked the car, right? Did you look at the top?"
"Ah… I don’t think I checked the top. I only looked at the trunk, back seats, and front seats…"
"When carrying something heavy, he might have briefly placed it on top of the car and forgotten about it. Tell him to check the top of the car."
At Juwon’s words, Sergeant Kim Seok-ho looked puzzled.
"Really? Would he have left it there and even reported it to the police?"
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu smiled as if amused.
"What’s going on? Sergeant Kim, have you completely become Inspector Juwon’s fanboy now?"
"Huh?"
As Sergeant Kim Seok-ho looked horrified, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu laughed and said,
"No, you used to dislike Inspector Juwon so much, but for the past few weeks, you’ve been completely on his side. You even pushed for his KBN interview, and last time, you reported negative comments on his news video…"
"Just check it, Team Leader."
At Sergeant Kim’s stern expression, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu took out his phone.
Ring ring.
The call went through.
"But thinking about it, it doesn’t seem like such an unreasonable deduction."
As Team Leader Gu Jin-gu held the phone to his ear, his gaze shifted.
"Yes. This is Team Leader Gu Jin-gu from Gangjung Police Station. Could you check the top of the car? Ah, I think it’s worth checking… Really? Okay."
A brief moment of waiting.
But soon.
"Really… Really? Ah, yes! That’s great!"
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu nodded.
"Was it there?"
Team Leader Gu hung up the phone.
"Yes! They found it! They just went down to the parking lot and checked, and it was on top of the driver’s seat! He must have taken it out when he was carrying heavy groceries and forgot to put it back in his pocket."
Juwon’s deduction was correct.
Suddenly, Sergeant Kim Seok-ho clapped his hands.
"I told you! Our Inspector Juwon is no ordinary… ahem."
"I told you, he’s completely become Inspector Juwon’s fanboy."
As everyone tried to hold back their laughter while looking at Sergeant Kim, Team Leader Gu’s phone rang again.
"Huh? It’s the Team Leader from Team 2?"
He held the phone to his ear.
"Yeah, what’s up?"
-Team Leader! You said you were going to buy cake near Gangjung Elementary School, right?
"Huh? Yeah. I’m at Inspector Juwon’s place right now…"
-Could you head to the scene then? We’re mobilizing now, but the officers at the precinct are tied up due to an accident on the way!
"The scene? What scene?"
-There’s a stabbing incident happening nearby right now!
