An Illegal Proposal

“He’ll be fine. The disciplinary review will be dropped, too.”

My words and the announcer’s voice echoed simultaneously in the empty diner.

[…The culprit injured Detective Han with a weapon during the arrest and died while attempting to flee.]

Nowhere in the news was there any mention of Han Seungmin’s firearm incident.

‘They must have coordinated it.’

In a situation like this, nothing good would come from news of a police firearm incident getting out.
On the contrary, there was a chance all the focus would shift to that.

‘Are they investigating that separately then? They had guns last time and this time, so illegal arms trafficking must be involved.’

Just as my thoughts reached that point, Jeong Donghyeok added to my words.

“You don’t need to worry, Mr. Ilwoo. If you look online, it’s nothing but praise. They’re calling Detective Han a ‘true detective.’ It’s a good thing. For Detective Choi, too.”

Jeong Donghyeok smiled and pointed at the news.
The screen had switched to a familiar background.
It was the Songpa Police Station.

[“You guys are going through a lot because of those bad guys, a lot.”]
[“Haha, not at all, sir.”]

The screen showed a distant shot of Han Seungmin, looking uncomfortable as he received encouragement from an elderly citizen.

“…Whether it’s staged or real, that must be an ordeal in its own way.”
“I agree.”

Won Youngoh and Lee Ilwoo shook their heads in unison at the same speed.
At times like this, the two of them were remarkably in sync.

[Public support for this case is fervent. Citizens have been visiting the Songpa station, which was in charge of the case, to…]

“Shouldn’t Attorney Cha be over there too?”

Won Youngoh soon asked, his face and voice full of playfulness.
His joke immediately lightened the mood.
I glanced around the otherwise empty Family Diner and met the eyes of the three people sitting with me.
And also at Han Junyoung and his mother, who had welcomed us even at this awkward time for lunch.
I shrugged once, smiled, and answered everyone.

“The place I need to be is right here.”

As expected, Han Seungmin’s disciplinary review was canceled.
Not long after, he visited the office with Choi Suhyeok, a smile on his face.
Han Seungmin started the conversation by saying that these were probably the last tangerines of the spring.
We each peeled one of the tangerines, which he had likely chosen with care, and made small talk.

“Star Detective Han, congratulations on your successful return.”
“Now even Attorney Cha is joining in… The team members are already excited enough as it is.”

Han Seungmin winced and waved his hands in an exaggerated gesture of dismissal.

“They have every reason to be excited. It’s something worth celebrating.”

Choi Suhyeok nodded at Won Youngoh’s retort.
Han Seungmin silently peeled his tangerine for a moment before popping it into his mouth and chewing.
Choi Suhyeok smiled and pointed at Han Seungmin with his thumb.

“He’s acting like this because he’s embarrassed.”

Instead of denying Choi Suhyeok’s words, Han Seungmin just kept moving his jaw.
The office was soon filled with the fresh scent of tangerines.

[I’ve thought this for a while, but Detective Choi and Detective Han seem to have a strong bond.]

‘I guess it’s inevitable since they’re always facing life-or-death situations together.’

Han Seungmin picked up another tangerine and, while rolling it in his hands, moved his lips again.

“To be honest, I acted calm back then, but I was actually quite scared. I could see how it would end.”
“……”
“I realized it wasn’t something I could solve just by trying hard. I was just lucky this time.”

Han Seungmin was an honest person.
I knew that people who could confess they were scared were actually the strong ones.
Because it was the result of looking properly at their own emotions and accepting them as they were.
Han Seungmin gently kneaded the tangerine with his rough, scar-covered hands.
He continued speaking with a sigh that seemed to carry all the emotional distress he had been through.

“I wondered what I’d do after I took off the uniform, since this is all I know. Should I open a chicken restaurant? But I heard all self-employed businesses are in a slump these days. So should I just move to the countryside and start farming? I had quite a few of these stray thoughts.”

Han Seungmin’s story was quite specific, but we couldn’t help but wonder what to say.
He might be saying it like a joke now, but the situation had been that serious.
As I exchanged a look with Jeong Donghyeok, Choi Suhyeok spoke up as if throwing out a comment.

“I never knew my partner had such a rich imagination.”

Han Seungmin put down the tangerine and lightly tapped Choi Suhyeok’s shoulder.

“If you know, then be more careful, you bastard. My head never gets a rest because of you. The moment I take my eyes off you, you’re causing trouble again.”
“Trouble? You mean a case.”
“Can’t deny that.”

Choi Suhyeok answered confidently.
Han Seungmin burst out laughing.
So did we.
Even from this short conversation, I could understand why Choi Suhyeok had run to me in the middle of the night for him.

‘He couldn’t have afforded to lose a partner like this.’

Sometimes, there are relationships that are more like family than family itself.
Perhaps the loss they had both experienced had made the bond between Choi Suhyeok and Han Seungmin even stronger.
And the desperate wish not to repeat a similar experience.

“Why did you knead this one so much? Were you trying to make it explode?”
“They say rolling a tangerine makes it sweeter.”
“Still, this is a bit… extreme. It must be all mushy inside.”

All our eyes went to the tangerine in Han Seungmin’s hand, its peel having turned translucent.
With a careful touch, Choi Suhyeok rescued the tangerine that had been abused in Han Seungmin’s hand for several minutes.
Sure enough, as soon as Choi Suhyeok peeled it, juice trickled down, releasing a fresh scent.
Choi Suhyeok handed the neatly peeled tangerine to Han Seungmin.

“You take care of this one.”

It was a rather heartwarming scene.
Won Youngoh, who had been watching them quietly, carefully chose and picked up a tangerine.

“Ah, I can’t lose to this heartwarming moment. Attorney Cha, should I peel a tangerine for you?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Office Manager?”
“I’ll pass, Attorney Won.”
“Everyone’s so uptight. Mr. Lee Ilwoo?”
“I’d love one.”
“Hold on. I’ll peel it for you right away.”

When you looked closely, those two who didn’t seem like it were the most playful.
We watched as Won Youngoh, dressed in a suit with his brow deeply furrowed, peeled the tangerine.
I smiled, took out my phone, and took a picture.

“You refuse the tangerine but take a picture? It’s too late now, Attorney Cha. This one is for Mr. Lee Ilwoo.”
“I’m going to send it to Doyeong.”
“Take a few more, make them look natural.”

We all burst out laughing at Won Youngoh’s banter.
It was a peaceful time, the first in a long while.
That thought crossed everyone’s face.

It didn’t take long to return to the breathless pace of daily life.
Requests for cases flooded in, and I had to spend time filming two or three times a week.
Won Youngoh also had to go to trial.
Therefore, Jeong Donghyeok reviewed the requests first.
Then, Won Youngoh and I would check them again, spending our busy days.
Today was no different.

‘Where did I put the documents for next week’s trial?’

[The third pile of documents.]

‘Thanks.’

Just as I was about to turn over the document I had found, the phone on my desk vibrated.

Vrrr.

“Yes, Detective Choi.”
[Attorney Cha, is now a good time?]
“Now? Uh, I think I’ll be free in the evening. I’m a bit behind on work. What’s wrong?”
[Then I’ll head over there in the evening. I think you should check this out too.]

Choi Suhyeok’s voice was tense for some reason.
I stopped flipping through the documents and held the phone tighter.

“It’s not something you can talk about over the phone, is it?”
[Yes.]
“Then let’s meet around seven.”
[I’ll call you when I arrive. I’ll be at the cafe on the first floor.]
“Okay, see you then.”

Time flew by, and we met at Cafe Libra.
Ha Seonghui’s cafe, moderately crowded even at this hour, provided a suitable cover for our conversation.

“The scale is larger than we thought. What’s been revealed so far involves hundreds of billions of won being moved.”
“Through the MH business? Is the scale that large for that much money to be involved?”
“We’ve also seized all the phones and computers from the fake post offices. It seems like there’s something more.”
“So you’ve only gotten to the torso, not the head yet.”
“Yes. And we found a few untraceable burner phone numbers that seem to belong to him. But…”

Choi Suhyeok stopped, a somewhat reluctant expression on his face.

“Actually, I wanted to see you because I was curious about your thoughts, Attorney Cha.”
“My thoughts on what?”
“Right now, from the higher-ups to everywhere else, they’re only looking at this case. It’s literally the center of attention.”

As Choi Suhyeok said, even though nearly two weeks had passed since the arrests, people were still interested in the case.

“Last night, we arrested a manager who might not be the head, but is at least at the neck level. But this guy immediately hired CEO Hyeon Yeongje of ‘Justice’.”

The sudden appearance of a familiar name made me frown.

‘I heard things were difficult at Justice, but I guess they’re really taking on any case now. To even take on something like this…’

Was Hyeon Yeongje always this kind of person?
Did I know so little about him?
Even though I had spent a considerable amount of time with him, I couldn’t understand Hyeon Yeongje’s recent actions.
A wave of disillusionment washed over me.
The fact that not even a handful of the ‘Justice’ I wanted to create remained hit me viscerally.

‘Maybe this is what Hyeon Yeongje wanted from the beginning.’

“A law firm should be like a law firm.”

Was the ‘Justice’ of today the kind of law firm he often talked about?
Choi Suhyeok noticed my unusual reaction and tilted his head.

“What’s wrong? Do you know CEO Hyeon Yeongje?”
“Ah, I’ve seen him a few times in court.”
“You’re not acquainted, are you?”
“No.”

‘Not anymore.’

I swallowed a sigh and looked at Choi Suhyeok.
Waiting for his next words.

“Attorney Cha, you often find out a lot just by meeting people, so I’d like you to meet that manager.”
“Me?”

[But that manager isn’t in a situation where you can meet him right now, is he? You can’t meet him as his lawyer, and you have no right to…]

I thought the same thing as Gram.
When I tilted my head, Choi Suhyeok shrugged and leaned towards me.

“It’s not entirely impossible.”

He whispered in the noisiest space.

“If it’s okay for a detective to propose something illegal to a lawyer.”

A few hours later.

“Keeping your mouth shut like this won’t solve anything, so just spit it out, you bastard.”

Choi Suhyeok, on the other side of the dark mirror, was rather rough.

‘This is a side of him I’ve never seen before.’

[He’s like the bad cop from movies and dramas. And this situation too… I don’t know if this is okay. Isn’t this dangerous for Detective Choi?]

‘But right now, this is the only way.’

Bang!

At that moment, Choi Suhyeok slammed his fist on the table.
But the man in front of him just looked at Choi Suhyeok with an arrogant attitude.
Dressed in a light brown, high-end suit with his hair styled with wax, he rattled his handcuffed wrists and ran a hand through his hair.

“I’ve told you three times that I won’t say anything until my lawyer arrives, Detective. You’re quite inflexible. Don’t you understand words? Do you not speak Korean?”
“This son of a bich.”

[That’s the signal.]

I thought it was a bit funny that a curse was the signal.
But looking at the context, there was nothing more inconspicuous and appropriate.
I nodded once and headed to the interrogation room.

Click.

“I’m a little late. I’m Mr. Jo Minsu’s lawyer.”

Choi Suhyeok scowled at me with all his might.
In contrast, Jo Minsu smiled at Choi Suhyeok as if he had won.
So, to explain how this situation came to be…