The chief’s office of East 7th Police Substation.
After returning from patrol, Gang Jinho and Park Eunyoung reported the information they had obtained from Do Jinhyeok. (They maintained appropriate anonymity regarding Clayboy himself.)
“You’re saying the Heuksa Gang seems likely to commit an armed robbery soon?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. To be honest, this is a little bewildering.”
Chief Raphael frowned as he stroked the horn between his brows. Intelligence about a robbery had suddenly rolled into a police substation that usually dealt with neighborhood petty thieves and drunks.
“Well, that’s that… If you compile the information you obtained and submit it as a report, I’ll approve it and send it up to Eastern Headquarters. Good work, rookie. You brought in a big one, didn’t you?”
“There is something I’d like to say regarding that.”
Gang Jinho hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind and spoke confidently.
“This case. I want to investigate it myself.”
“…Huh?”
Chief Raphael looked flustered, as if wondering what on earth he was talking about.
“Uh… rookie. You want to investigate? A gangster case?”
“Yes.”
“I’m asking just in case, but you do know investigations are handled by the Criminal Affairs Division or the Investigation Division, right?”
“Yes. But I want to investigate it myself, no matter what.”
Gang Jinho knew better than anyone that this was unreasonable. A newly appointed patrol officer wanted to investigate a robbery? Of course it made no sense.
‘I have to push it, even if it’s unreasonable.’
But from his position, he had no choice. He absolutely had to resolve this case personally. Not only were the chances of success higher if Gang Jinho himself handled it rather than some other policeman rumored to be incompetent, but he also couldn’t give up the fame and karma that would come along with the investigation process.
“Hmm. Jinho. To be honest, it’s impossible. If it were up to me, I’d like to let you. Everyone at our substation knows you’re a genius. But I’m not the police chief, and it’s not something that happens just because I want to make it happen.”
“…Is there really no way?”
“Haah.”
Chief Raphael let out a sigh, thought for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.
“Then let’s do this. Later, I’ll add a comment to the intelligence report. Something like: the newly appointed patrol officer who first obtained the information wishes to take charge of the investigation. That’s the best I can do. You understand, right?”
“Yes, thank you. That alone is more than enough.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too much. This is something that normally can’t be done, and an organization like the police runs according to what it ‘normally’ does.”
“Yes, I know.”
—Click.
“Tsk.”
After leaving the chief’s office, Gang Jinho clicked his tongue inwardly, feeling bitter.
If this were a game, the appropriate hero would have been dispatched with a few clicks and the case would have been resolved in an instant. But the real-world police, and especially the status of a low-ranking patrol officer who had just been appointed, came with far too many restrictions.
“It can’t be helped.”
It was frustrating to have to back down with a case that was certain to grant a large amount of karma right before his eyes, but in an organization with a strict chain of command, he couldn’t push any further than this. What Chief Raphael had done for him just now was already an enormous favor.
‘Is there no way I can get a spoon in somehow?’
Of course, just because an official investigation was blocked didn’t mean he intended to give up on this massive lump of karma. If there was truly no other way, he would have to use methods like lying in wait near the scene in plain clothes on his day off, or subtly getting caught up in the case when another hero was dispatched.
Gang Jinho consoled his disappointment while calculating the possible scenarios in his mind.
But one week later.
“Uh, rookie?”
“Yes, Chief.”
“…You know that robbery case you mentioned before? They say you should investigate it. As long as a B-rank or higher hero accompanies you, it’s fine.”
“Uh, yes? Really?”
“Yeah. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this in my police career, so I’m a little bewildered too. Congratulations.”
“Th… thank you?”
Gang Jinho was pleased on the inside, but he couldn’t hide his conflicted expression.
I’m still a rookie patrol officer. Honestly, I only threw it out there because I thought it wouldn’t work. It was supposed to be build-up so I could say later, “What did I tell you!”
And the higher-ups actually approved this?
**
Light City is part of the Republic of Korea. More precisely, it is located within the territory of the Republic of Korea.
The small city once called “Gwangmyeong” became, for certain reasons, a land that drew everyone’s attention. Now, it had become “Light City,” the largest megacity in the entire world. (Seoul had lost a considerable portion of its land to Light City.)
Then was Light City part of the Republic of Korea’s territory? It was difficult to say that, because the city’s administrative authority was divided three ways among the Hero Association, the Administrative Committee directly under the UN, and finally, the government of the Republic of Korea.
Which of the three had the weakest influence? Naturally, the government of the Republic of Korea.
The Hero Association possessed military might, since the strongest heroes belonged to it. The UN Administrative Committee had legitimacy, since it represented the opinions of the other nations.
Then what about the government of the Republic of Korea? It had nothing in particular besides the fact that “it was originally the owner of this land.”
“We can yield everything else, but the police must remain under the control of the Republic of Korea!”
“That’s right! That way we can emphasize to the citizens that the Republic of Korea is also contributing to Light City’s security!”
On the surface, it was a perfectly respectable justification, but in truth, it was the government’s last scrap of pride after being pushed aside by the Hero Association and the UN. Since people would say at the drop of a hat, “Why does the Republic of Korea even have administrative authority over Light City?” they intended to put the police forward and shape public opinion more positively.
“You insane tax-thieving bastards!”
“What do you even do? Old folks could direct traffic!”
“I’d rather give more money to the heroes than give it to you lot!”
Unfortunately, the prestige of the police had not only scraped the bottom, but drilled straight through into the basement. To begin with, the very idea of trying to accomplish something with ordinary police officers in a city overflowing with superhumans was absurd.
Couldn’t they use heroes as police officers? Did they even know how much heroes were paid in the private sector when they said that? The government of the Republic of Korea couldn’t even afford ten percent of proper pay.
And so, although the government of the Republic of Korea did maintain the police, the present reality was that it had virtually no great expectations for them.
“What did you say?”
“The police? Caught a superpowered criminal?”
“And not just once or twice—everything he touches turns into a hit?”
“His XTube video views passed two million?”
“The Hero Association is secretly investigating his background too?”
“…Really? For real?”
News of a rookie police officer who was suddenly doing an incredible job had reached the government.
“Goodness, what an excellent young man!”
“He was already famous as a genius? No, why is he working as a police officer?”
“Gang… Gang Jinho? Even his name has real fighting spirit!”
His accomplishments were still so minor they couldn’t compare to thriving S-rank or A-rank heroes. But this was the first time since superhumans had appeared that an active police officer had produced such results.
It was an astonishing event on par with the first Korean soccer player to win the EPL Golden Boot, the first Korean director to win the Palme d’Or, or the first Korean singer to reach number one on the Billboard chart!
“We must give him a special promotion at once!”
“We should raise his salary drastically and support him with the latest civilian equipment!”
“How about forming a dedicated backup team for Officer Gang with the ace detectives of Headquarters’ Metropolitan Investigation Unit? We can award him a commendation and make him a model for government publicity!”
As the excited officials threw out all sorts of ideas, the president, who had been quietly listening, spoke in a weighty voice.
“Everyone, be quiet.”
“But…”
“We will do nothing. Intervening for no reason is more likely to be a bad move.”
In the president’s view, it was impossible for a young man who stood out this much to be working as a police officer. He had intuition that allowed him to uncover the truth just by roughly examining a case? He could earn a fortune simply by getting hired as a hero’s assistant or working as a private consultant.
“And yet, seeing as he is working as a police officer, he must have some sort of goal. The Korean government will not interfere with him. If he learns that we are paying attention to him, he will only feel uncomfortable.”
“…Mm, you’re absolutely right!”
“Indeed! If we make unnecessary contact, he might suddenly quit the police.”
Just as the officials, finding the president’s words persuasive, were all nodding—
—Bang!
The door opened, and a minister entered and hurriedly made his report.
“Mr. President?”
“What is it?”
“The newly appointed patrol officer you mentioned has submitted a criminal intelligence report! He’s obtained information about a gangster organization’s robbery plan, and says he would like to investigate it himself if possible!”
“A newly appointed patrol officer? He wants to investigate, even though he’s not a detective?”
“Hmm…”
Just as an atmosphere of “even so, that’s a bit much” began to creep through the room, the president made his decision.
“Let him. But have him accompanied by a B-rank or higher hero. We have to ensure his safety, don’t we?”
“A-are you serious?”
“We will not touch Officer Gang Jinho first, but if Officer Gang Jinho requests something, grant it as long as it is within reason. We shouldn’t get in his way.”
Light City’s police had already been like an abandoned child to begin with. If there was now a rookie producing such excellent results, there was no reason not to back him.
“It’s not as if Headquarters is guaranteed to produce results just because they investigate, is it? Let’s use this opportunity to set the stage so that young man can run around as much as he likes. If he succeeds, it becomes a brilliant achievement for the police, and even if something goes wrong, there were no expectations for the police in the first place, so there is nothing to lose.”
Having sorted out the situation like that, the president gave one final order—one that would have made Gang Jinho scream if he had heard it.
“Instead, make sure no stories about Officer Gang Jinho spread outside. He is, after all, quietly working as a police officer because he has some purpose. If there is anything we can do, it is merely to protect his secret.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
**
Having formally obtained investigative authority, Gang Jinho took action with Park Eunyoung’s help.
“The necessary documents are all prepared…”
Now there was only one condition left.
He had to be accompanied by a B-rank or higher hero.
“Then…”
He accessed the Hero Association’s dedicated website and posted an official request for cooperation according to the format.
—Recruiting heroes to participate in a National Police Agency-led operation to suppress a robbery gang.
—Requirement: B-rank or higher.
—Compensation: In accordance with National Police Agency internal regulations.
An investigation backed by Headquarters. On top of that, a fairly large-scale robbery case.
Naturally, the moment the official notice went up, applications from heroes should have come flooding in. Heroes were always thirsty for achievements, and for a case of this scale, they could rack up sweet accomplishments without much trouble.
But after one day passed, then two, and by the time the third day arrived.
“…Why?”
Sitting in a corner of the substation and looking at the monitor, Gang Jinho let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
Current applicants: 1.
—A-rank Hero: Trace
…What is going on here?