An Officer’s Dilemma

People of all different intentions and purposes came to our office.
After our reputation grew, there were days when only salespeople visited instead of clients, but they were usually escorted out of the office by Lee Ilwoo within a minute.

“Are you here to make a request?”
“No, it’s not that, but,”
“Then please come back when you have a matter to request.”

It was a skill that was new to me every time I saw it.

“Excuse me… Is Lawyer Cha Yohan here?”

If they weren’t salespeople, the clients who came to see me usually opened the door cautiously like this.
That’s why I could now distinguish them to some extent just by their presence.

‘At this hour, I thought it would be a salesperson or a very urgent client… but to think it was Choi Suhyeok…’

Jingle.

The wind chime on the door was still swaying as if he had run here in a frenzy.

“Uh, Detective Choi. Please sit here first. Would you like some water? Since it’s late, tea would also be good.”
“…Cold water, please. Thank you, office manager.”

At the sight of Choi Suhyeok, which I had never seen before, I was momentarily flustered, but Jeong Donghyeok skillfully led him to the table.
I smiled at Jeong Donghyeok to thank him.

‘What would I have done without the office manager.’

Choi Suhyeok had not been flustered even when he had jumped into that fire pit.
Seeing him so confused, I was also momentarily shaken.
Because it seemed like something really big had happened.

“……”

The tension in the office was now rising in a different sense.
Because Choi Suhyeok, after gulping down the cold water, had been silent.
We all sat around the table, waiting for him to speak.
My eyes met with Won Youngoh, who was sitting opposite me. Won Youngoh asked with his eyes.

‘What is going on?’

I shrugged lightly in response.
I really want to know too.

“You have to tell me what’s wrong so I can help you, Detective Choi.”

And so, after a long silence, I spoke first.

“Haa… so, this is. It’s about my partner. The detective you’ve seen a few times, Lawyer Cha.”
“Yes, Detective Han Seungmin?”

Choi Suhyeok answered after washing his dry face for a long time as if in pain.

“…Yes. Detective Han shot someone.”

The incident had happened just a few hours ago.
It was a place where the lights went out early due to its nature, but it was also late in the first place.
An untimely light appeared on the deserted market street.

Vroom.

The light from a motorcycle swept through the dark market street.

Screech.

The motorcycle stopped on the excessively quiet street, where the sound of vinyl swaying in the wind was a noise.
With his body pressed against the wall.
The rider looked around without taking off his black helmet even in the darkness.

Swish.

Then he took something out of his jumper’s pocket and inserted it into a crack in the brick.

Creak.

It was just as the man was about to start again.

Thump!

The man was now lying on the ground.
Because someone had ambushed him in the darkness in an instant.

“What, what the!”
“What do you mean, what. The police, you bastard. Hey, rookie. Check it out.”
“Yes!”
“Let go! Let go of me!”

The people who had been hiding and waiting for him in the darkness revealed their identities.

“You’re so damn loud.”

Click.

They turned on the flashlights they had hidden in their pockets.
A cluster of light spread in the dark street.

“Senior! It’s MH5.”

The detective who was called the rookie carefully took out the packaged bag from the crack in the brick and checked it.
He shone the flashlight on the bag and then nodded with conviction.

“There’s a mark here too. It’s theirs.”
“Anyway, they’re some bold bastards. Putting their names on the drugs. They’re looking down on the police. Now, handcuff him, Detective Lee.”
“Yes. You’re caught red handed, you’re on a drug,”

It was just as the detective who was on top of the man and subduing him was taking out his handcuffs.

Bang!

‘Bang?’

Only one letter came to everyone’s mind.

“Ugh…”

Soon after, the smell of blood and gunpowder spread at the same time.
The man who was called Detective Lee, who had first subdued the man, was now rolling on the ground.

“Senior!”
“Everyone, take out your guns!”
“Please send an ambulance to Ilwon-dong, inside Ilwon Market! We have a gunshot victim!”
“The suspect has a gun! The suspect has a gun! The suspect has fired and is fleeing! Stakeout team, be careful!”

A couple of detectives ran to Detective Lee, who had been shot in the stomach, and someone called 119 and requested backup.
It was a complete mess.

Vroom!

The culprit, who had boldly shot a police officer, started to flee on his motorcycle.

Bang, bang!

‘I can’t let him get away.’

Han Seungmin, who had hurriedly fired a warning shot in this chaotic situation, thought.

‘I can’t lose him again.’

He didn’t know he would see something like this in a situation where he had been called in for support at the last minute because of a shortage of personnel.
He took a deep breath and then aimed at the wheel of the motorcycle that was getting farther away.

BANG!
Thud!

The culprit, who had tumbled to the ground with the motorcycle with a loud noise, did not move anymore.
The smell of blood grew even thicker.

“…So what happened to the culprit?”
“He’s in surgery right now. But the doctors told us not to expect much. The situation is not good. That’s why I came straight here.”

Choi Suhyeok’s expression was dark.
The culprit was clearly a 현행범.
And a culprit who had shot a police officer during the arrest process and fled.
It was a situation where a police officer had fired at such a culprit, but…
It was a situation that could not be optimistic.

‘The outcome might not be good. If the culprit survives, the chances will be higher, but…’

If the culprit died, Detective Han Seungmin also could not avoid the disciplinary action that would follow.
In the worst-case scenario, he might have to take off his uniform.

‘It would be a relief if it ended there.’

It was an accident that had occurred during the arrest process, but the higher-ups did not seem to consider it a ‘justifiable’ suppression.

‘Choi Suhyeok seems to have come with the same thought.’

He rubbed his haggard face with a dejected expression.

“An inspection will probably begin as soon as it gets light. The station is a mess right now. We’ve put an embargo on it, but… the reporters will smell it soon.”
“Objectively, it’s not a good situation.”

I spoke honestly.
In a situation like this, an absurd comfort like “it’ll be fine” or “it’s no big deal” would not only not be touching but also be useless.
It seemed that the other people in this room felt the same way.
Won Youngoh and Jeong Donghyeok, who were listening together, also just had a sad expression without saying anything.
Lee Ilwoo had a face that was suppressing his anger.

‘Lee Ilwoo must feel that way even more, since he’s had a similar experience.’

Choi Suhyeok checked his phone again. He kept his attention on his phone even while he was speaking.
He seemed to be waiting for a call to see if the culprit had died, or if the surgery had ended successfully.
Firearms are legally banned in our country.
This was a well-known fact that all citizens of the Republic of Korea knew.
Accordingly, there were many restrictions on the professions that legally handled firearms.
The police could only use guns as a means of threatening a culprit to drop their weapon, and in fact, firing was close to impossible.
Even if they did fire, it had to be for the purpose of suppression.

‘As a result, it has now exceeded that level.’

And the higher-ups only focus on the results.

‘They’ll probably say that it would have been fine if he had just chased the motorcycle instead of firing. Excessive suppression will definitely be mentioned, and if public opinion gets involved, they’ll look for a tail to cut…’

It was obvious who that would be.

[If that’s the case, why do they even give them guns? Why is the law always…]

A sense of pity was in Gram’s voice.

‘But there must be a way.’

I poured water into Choi Suhyeok’s empty cup and opened my mouth again.

“I want to help as much as I can. I’ve also been indebted to Detective Han a few times. Before that, please tell me the direction you’re hoping for.”
“…If the worst-case scenario comes, I’d like you to take on Detective Han’s defense.”

Instead of me, Won Youngoh opened his mouth first.

Swish.

He uncrossed his arms, which he had been crossing out of habit, and placed his clasped hands on the table.

“Strictly speaking, since the target was a criminal during an investigation, that is, during an arrest, and a 현행범 at that, a legal defense will not be necessary.”
“…Then what happens?”
“That… depends on the death of the culprit. If that culprit dies by any chance, the bereaved family could file a civil suit,”

Vibrate, vibrate.

Won Youngoh also stopped talking and looked at Choi Suhyeok’s phone.
We all did the same.
I nodded.

“…Uh, Detective Kim. What happened? What? …Alright. I’ll be at the hospital soon. Please take a picture of that and send it to me.”

It was a short call, but with every few seconds, Choi Suhyeok’s expression turned even grayer.
Even after the call ended, Choi Suhyeok looked at the screen for a moment.
Then he finally held out his phone to the center of the table.

“They found it on that guy’s phone. It’s a memo he wrote a long time ago, and he seems to have forgotten about it.”

A familiar eleven-digit number was written on that memo.
I reached for Choi Suhyeok’s phone without realizing it.

“This is…”

At my reaction, Won Youngoh narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Lawyer Cha, what’s wrong? Do you know that number?”
“When we caught the terrorist who attacked you last time, this is the number that guy had. It’s gone now, but it’s presumed to be one of the numbers that K used.”
“Lawyer Cha’s story is correct. They said it’s the only thing they got from this case.”

‘The only thing?’

A strange sense of incongruity was felt in Choi Suhyeok’s words.
The screen of Choi Suhyeok’s phone, which I had been holding, gradually darkened and then turned black.

“Then the culprit is…”
“…They said he died in the hospital room a little while ago, after the surgery.”

Choi Suhyeok said painfully.
He looked so pained that I couldn’t say anything.
It’s better not to offer a half-hearted comfort.
Sometimes silence was the biggest affirmation and comfort.
I looked at Choi Suhyeok for a long time and then opened my mouth.

“Detective Choi, where is Detective Han?”

We headed not to the police station, but to Han Seungmin’s house.
Choi Suhyeok repeatedly opened the car window, and then, as the air in the car became completely cold, he would consciously close it again.

Whir.

I pushed the file I was looking at back into my bag.
And I deliberately lowered the passenger seat window and looked outside.

“It’s refreshing and nice. They said winter is over. It was the beginning of spring a few days ago, wasn’t it?”
“…I’m sorry. I’m just a little stuffy.”
“I feel refreshed and good too.”

After that, we were each lost in our own thoughts.
I was thinking about what to do after meeting Han Seungmin, and Choi Suhyeok was mulling over all sorts of things, including that thought.

Screech.

After listening to the sound of the wind for a long time, we arrived at Han Seungmin’s house.

“…Thank you for coming, Lawyer Cha.”

Han Seungmin opened his mouth first, saying that he had heard the news that the culprit had died.
I nodded and answered.

“Can I hear about that situation in more detail?”
“Yes, lawyer. Of course, I should. Please sit here. …Suhyeok, you sit down too, you bastard, don’t just stand there.”

Instead of sitting next to Han Seungmin, Choi Suhyeok sat in the middle seat.
I took out the file that Jeong Donghyeok had handed me before leaving the office from my bag.

“Uh, lawyer. I think you should check this.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a document that is unfavorable to Detective Choi’s partner. I thought you should know, Lawyer Cha.”

And Jeong Donghyeok was right about that.
As much as Jeong Donghyeok’s expression had not been good when he handed me this document.
I quietly placed the file on the table.
Choi Suhyeok, who was sitting in the middle like a mediator, opened his mouth.

“Lawyer Cha, I’ve been curious from a while ago. What is that? You were looking at it in the car all the way here.”

I took a deep breath and then slowly asked Choi Suhyeok as an answer.

“You knew, didn’t you, Detective Choi? What connection ‘MH5’ has with Detective Han.”