Detective Oh realized too late that entering the precinct with Jinhwan might not have been the best idea. Her suspicion grew when she noticed two interns from the archives, watching them exit the same car and enter the glass sliding doors together. They exchanged whispers and giggles.
"Oh God…" Detective Oh sighed, exasperated, while Jinhwan seemed amused by the situation.
"Never been the center of gossip before, Detective?" he teased.
"No, and I don't intend to start now," she retorted sharply, quickening her pace towards her office. Despite her efforts to shake him off, Jinhwan kept up.
"It seems like some whispers might start soon," Jinhwan continued, "especially since they'll see us arriving together often."
"It's not professional to talk about these things at work," she snapped.
"What things aren't professional to talk about?" asked Detective Park, their superior, catching them off guard.
Both young detectives fell silent. Detective Park was accompanied by his secretary, Miss Kang, who clutched a thick stack of documents to her chest.
"Nothing, sir," Detective Oh quickly responded.
"I expect some progress on your case by the end of the day, understood? We still have no leads on the missing child," he said, almost reprimanding them.
But how could they be blamed? They were diligently investigating all the family's contacts, while the officers in the field searched for clues about the child's whereabouts. The teams were cooperating at their best, with everyone putting in 100% effort into the mission.
“Yes, sir,” they both replied.
Detective Park nodded in satisfaction and walked away with Miss Kang in tow, leaving the two agents visibly tense. The pressure was palpable, and Detective Oh, though concerned about her boss’s reaction, knew they needed to focus on the case and not let themselves be distracted.
Jinhwan pulled out his phone, took a quick glance at the notifications, and then stuffed it back into his pocket. “I received an email from the head of the archives. They’ve retrieved some documents I requested about the child’s father’s clients. I’ll focus on examining them today. Do you agree, Detective Oh?”
Detective Oh nodded. “Keep me updated before the end of the shift,” she said, and this time Jinhwan nodded in agreement.
Detective Oh finally closed herself in her office, alone. The silence echoed in her head, but it also allowed her to think freely for the first time in hours. She decided to set aside her personal life for the evening; now she needed to concentrate fully on the case.
She opened her MacBook Pro and conducted a quick review of the gathered information. Despite her generally optimistic nature, she had to admit there wasn’t much to work with. She brought a pen to her lips and began nervously chewing on the cap. It was as if the solution was right in front of her eyes, yet she still couldn’t see it.
She started doing what she always did when she was at a loss, which was to think outside the box. She had been so focused on the current aspects of the case that she had completely overlooked the past. So, she opened an online newspaper site, one with a rich archive of news from across the country. Admittedly, this kind of search was less effective than going to the library where you could directly access local newspapers and get a more specific view of the criminal landscape, but since she was in her office, it seemed like a good compromise.
She entered a few keywords and spent at least an hour sifting through article after article, looking for stories that could somehow connect this case to another. It wouldn’t be surprising if it turned out that the person who kidnapped the child had attempted or committed another kidnapping in the past, perhaps targeting someone of the same age. Her desk soon became cluttered with colorful notes where she jotted down names, dates, and circumstances. Many of these individuals were already in prison, others had died, but a few had been released recently. In the end, she was left with only three names, and two of these people lived in Seoul, one just three subway stops from the gym where the child had gone missing.
Maybe it was a dead-end lead that would lead nowhere, but she decided it was worth a try. She resolved to go interrogate the man as soon as possible, just to rule out any possible connection to the case. She closed her laptop with a snap and glanced quickly at the clock. Between one thing and another, several hours had passed, and she wondered how far Jinhwan had gotten with his work.
Since he hadn't yet given her the report, she imagined he was still deep into his work. She was almost tempted to send him a message, but then realized they had never actually texted each other. Almost as proof of this thought, she pulled out her phone and searched for Jinhwan's name on KakaoTalk. Their chat was completely empty, and it likely would remain so, given that between work and him hosting her, there would be few occasions to keep their distance.
She decided to take a break and stepped out of her office to head to the vending machines located in the lobby downstairs. Once in front of the machine, she inserted a few coins and selected a hot tea from the beverage options. Although she loved the refined and expensive teas that colleagues or distant relatives often gifted her for Christmas, she had to admit that there was something uniquely special about the vending machine tea. She preferred tart flavors to sweet ones, but the balance of this entirely chemical and not at all healthful drink tasted perfect to her palate.
The rest of the day passed fairly slowly, and it was already getting dark outside when Jinhwan knocked on her office door.
“Detective Oh, I’m late, but at least I’ve finished preparing the report for the boss.”
“Great work,” the detective said, stretching her legs under the desk and reaching her arms above her head. “I’ve identified a person who I think is worth questioning and have already submitted their name to the secretary so they can prepare a warrant for tomorrow.”
“I’d say we’ve earned a bit of rest then,” Jinhwan said. “How about we go park your car in the garage and then head home? We could order some takeout.”
Detective Oh felt oddly reassured by the suggestion. She had been alone for so long that she had completely forgotten the joy of sharing a meal with someone at home.
“Only if we order from my favorite tteokbokki place,” Detective Oh said with a half-smile.
“Deal, noona.”
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