FBF chapter 6 part 1

Five by Five (5×5) Volume 2

Chapter 2×5

There are holes in organizations, whether large or small. This was the first fact I learned when I entered a national organization. I also learned that there are more holes made from the inside than those penetrated from the outside. Many things spill out or flow through the gaps created by someone, at some time, for some reason, and in some way. Sometimes, it’s so overwhelming that even the one who made the hole can’t handle it.

“Isn’t Jonman getting a bit too big for his britches, just believing in words? How many have been dispatched now?”

Ha sunbae, who sat next to me, was grumbling as he had been the entire way here. He seemed irritated about being assigned to something other than the recent undercover investigation in Majangdong, as he had been busy contacting various places on his phone the whole way. I glanced at him but didn’t respond. It wasn’t a question I could answer anyway, plus I knew he wasn’t really asking for a response.

“Well, we dealt with the sentence, so can’t we trust him a little? Even if that guy’s mouth is light, he went to Mexico with Choi Jeong-ho pretending to be his henchman, and to tell you the truth, he’s picked up a lot of things here and there.”

Jung sunbae in the backseat took over for me. It seemed he had already finished the hamburger he bought three minutes ago, and the sound of him slurping his drink through a straw was clear.

“Even if he’s picked up a lot, he’s still a small fry.”

“Right, but even if we have to deal with a small fry now, that’s important to us. Honestly, there hasn’t been any progress on Choi Jeong-ho. From what I saw yesterday, it seems like our team leader received a scolding from above after the meeting.”

Having worked longer with Ha sunbae than I had, he was someone who could easily throw back a comment about our superior’s grumbling. He had also semantically conveyed to the junior who didn’t need to go further that it wouldn’t be useful to continue. Even after that, Ha sunbae kept his mouth shut, his face still expressing dissatisfaction.

Inside the narrow car, the greasy smell from the hamburger and fries mixed with the smell of cigarettes, yet no one suggested opening the windows. It was a familiar night. Even during this conversation, everyone’s nerves were focused on the shabby building’s entrance.

It wasn’t far from the downtown area, so occasionally people passed by. Among them, not a single person paid attention to this old building nor set foot inside. Choosing a transaction location close to a busy street full of civilians was a bold yet clever choice. People who weren’t us wouldn’t have imagined that a deal worth hundreds of billions would take place inside this shabby building in just an hour.

“Is there still no contact from the team leader?”

“No.”

I nodded slightly without taking my eyes off the outside. Among the people in this alley, the ones who could actually enter were limited. Outside the convenience store three blocks away, there was one plainclothes officer who pretended to be talking with someone. There were also two police cadets disguised as a couple eating fish cakes at a street vendor just a block over for the last thirty minutes. And lastly, there were those like us, hiding in unseen places waiting for the dispatch order.

“Aren’t those practice trainees over there?”

“Oh, yes. The team leader said they wouldn’t be of any help at the scene, so he told us to make them do that instead.”

“Good grief, leaving those kids around… To be blunt, do you think they’ll even remember this as a crime scene later?”

Ha sunbae, who had burst into laughter, seemed to have a look of incredulity directed at me.

“Let’s be honest, there aren’t any nobodies volunteering like our Ji Kyung-wi in the drug investigation unit, right?”

I shook my head while forcing a bitter smile.

“I didn’t know I would end up in the drug investigation unit back then either.”

It was rare for a police cadet to volunteer for the drug investigation unit, and after joining this team, I had heard that too many times to the point where I didn’t even think about its underlying meaning. Still, I had adapted to it more easily than the peers who had warned me against taking the harder path over an easier one. Thinking back, even though Jung sunbae and Ha sunbae, who were sitting in this car with me, were detectives who had come in through the regular recruit process, instead of being hostile, they teased and derided me for being one who chose to roll with the unfamiliar, which made things a lot easier.

Ding— The sound of my phone vibrating brought the stares of the two who had been rummaging through their lap and jacket pockets up to me. I pulled my phone from my pocket. I was surprised to receive a message this early, since it was earlier than the operation time I had heard before they dismissed us.

Lee Jihoon

7:30 PM

Tomorrow we’ll finally see each other, huh?

7:31 PM

It’s even the birthday of the guy who actually gives me time to eat.

7:32 PM

The photo Jihoon sent was a screenshot of Kang Youngsoo’s SNS. It turned out he had just had lunch with Kang Youngsoo, who had briefly stopped by the police station today, and had posted that photo. In the perfectly tagged square picture of the pot rice restaurant that Kang Youngsoo was hell-bent on going to for thirty minutes, my profile was captured alongside him. The message revealed Jihoon’s discomfort clearly. I squeezed my eyes shut while reading through the tense messages.

Seriously, that useless Kang Youngsoo…

“What’s that? Team leader?”

Jung sunbae’s voice brought me back to reality. I flipped my phone face down and quickly shook my head.

“It’s nothing. Just received a different contact.”

That ‘just a different contact’ was a lie since I’ve been getting such messages from Jihoon all week. He relentlessly sent messages looking for me right before the end of my shifts, and his persistence was notable. Thanks to that, I was constantly reminded that the one sending such messages was trying to cut off even my last chance to escape.

November 3

Lee Jihoon

Are you working late today?

8:30 PM

10:30 PM

Okay.

Lee Jihoon

Got it.

10:31 PM

November 4

Lee Jihoon

You too today?

8:30 PM

11:50 PM

Okay.

November 5

Lee Jihoon

Not coming home for three days is excessive.

8:40 PM

10:00 PM

I’m busy.

10:01 PM

Don’t wait for me, just do your thing.

Lee Jihoon

I stopped doing my work just to wait for you.

10:04 PM

If you don’t come home tomorrow either, I’ll bring a three-tiered lunch box and come find you, so keep that in mind.

10:06 PM

10:39 PM

Don’t come. I won’t have time to see you.

Lee Jihoon

So I’m saving you that precious time.

10:41 PM

Come home. While the message is still good.

10:42 PM

What on earth does he intend to do? It was as if Jihoon knew that I was spending the nights awake in the night duty room because he kept repeating nonsense about coming home. Last night, he even called. Although he hung up quickly since I didn’t answer, the message that his patience was about to run out was delivered sufficiently. I knew that Jihoon was one of the few places where he could show his patience. It was only now that I realized that this applied even to our already frayed friendship.

“What is that?”

Ha sunbae muttered, sounding perplexed. Jung sunbae was also peering closely outside the window. A white car that hadn’t been visible just a moment ago slid into the alley and came to a halt in front of the building. The face of the man who got out of the passenger seat seemed somewhat familiar. He was looking around, phone against his ear, like a wild animal. As if he didn’t find anything of particular note, he approached the back door intending to hold it open but suddenly lowered his phone from his ear and hurriedly shut the door. His movement back to the passenger seat was quick.

Ding—Ding—Ding—

The vibration sound rang out in succession. Right before Jung sunbae and Ha sunbae darted outside, they hesitated and checked their phones. We all sensed it. Information had leaked, and the bad guys had just caught on to that fact. No one knew the source of the leak, but it meant that today’s planned transaction here had just been canceled. Still, the need to check their phones before rushing out stemmed from the necessity of orders. Fortunately, the message on my screen from the team leader served that role well. He was watching this situation from not too far away today.

Team Leader Jung Myungho

Catch them first.

I threw my phone and quickly grabbed the wheel. Jung sunbae and Ha sunbae, as if they anticipated what was about to happen, each held on tightly to whatever they could from their seats. The moment I confirmed that both had buckled their seatbelts, I stepped on the accelerator. I had no choice but to close the distance with the culprits’ car in order to escape the alley. It was too late to block them in front, so I had to ram from behind. Fortunately, I caught up with the white car at the end of the alley. With a loud screech, the car came to a stop.

Bodies lurched severely as the airbag deployed. The moment we realized we were all still alive, as if by a promised signal, we opened the car doors and dashed toward the car spewing smoke ahead.

*

“Looks like they’re not saying a word.”

“Both of them?”

“Yeah.”

Ha sunbae, who returned after finishing a call, heavily sighed as he recounted the information he had just received. The only person left in the car was a subordinate playing the role of the driver. As soon as he confirmed the empty passenger seat, he rushed to catch the guy trying to flee the alley, yet even he was tight-lipped, making interrogation difficult.

Even though we had apprehended two out of the three in the car, one couldn’t say it went well. By the time we finally entered the building, the necessary information had already evaporated.

“Aah, these damn bastards…”

There’s nothing more exhausting than a fruitless scuffle. Ha sunbae, who had been tugging at a guy as big as a bear to cuff him, looked exceptionally worn out. As he moved his neck, stretching it, I decided to speak with him. It had been troubling me how he lurched so badly when we crashed into that car earlier.

“Shouldn’t you get an X-ray for your neck?”

Ha sunbae replied bluntly.

“Should I leave the knifed up guy behind and go get the paperwork for industrial injury first?”

His dissatisfied gaze was fixed on my arm. When I yanked the neck of the guy around the corner, his open jackknife had deeply cut into the inner part of my arm. Although it was a wound that couldn’t even qualify as a knife gash, it was indeed deep enough that I had to stop the bleeding until just before. The seniors disliked me getting hurt. Perhaps that was due to the times when, in a different era, I’d be scolded for getting into a scuffle and they’d always summon me as an example. Remembering how the team leader had sighed the moment he saw me and pushed me to go to the hospital, I decided to keep my mouth shut sheepishly.

“Don’t mess your body up just because you’re young.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m not just saying this for nothing, you bastard. You’re going to end up in a world of pain when you’re young. Lately, I haven’t had tissues on my desk because you keep dripping blood.”

Seeing Ha sunbae’s nagging lengthen, I realized that my recent behavior had likely been a bit excessive. It was true that I had been focusing more on work, trying to escape from Jihoon.

“Yes, I will be careful.”

Only then did Ha sunbae’s expression gradually soften.

“Have you completed the treatment?”

“They said I could go once they check that the stitched part isn’t bleeding anymore.”

“Is the doctor the one confirming that?”

“Yeah, he’ll be here soon.”

As soon as his words ended, footsteps resonated around us. Someone in a long gown was approaching me through the line of emergency room beds lined up with charts in hand. It was undoubtedly the doctor that the nurse said would call me. The emergency room was surprisingly crowded at this late hour. However, the number of medical personnel available to handle it was limited. Right now, from the opposite bed, an elderly lady who had fallen in the bathroom was groaning, and in the bed next to her was a child complaining of stomach pain. I focused on a woman walking quickly with thick horn-rimmed glasses and a tired expression.

From the moment I spotted her from a distance, I knew who she was. Still, I never thought I would see her here.

“…Ah.”

Suddenly feeling my arm tense up, I felt dizzy. A little groan escaped my lips as the woman pulled her gaze from the chart.

“Ji Seon-uk, your arm… oh?”

In the late-night emergency room, the normally indifferent and weary look of a doctor quickly crashed, and her eyes blinked in confusion as soon as she saw my face. I tried to relax my arm as much as I could while confirming the name on her gown.

[Doctor Yoo Hye-eun]

“Wh- I received a call and… in that case, I’ll go settle the account. Call me if anything happens.”

Ha sunbae, who sensed the strange atmosphere between a doctor and a patient, moved aside. Realizing that only the two of us were left, Yoo Hye-eun paused for a moment and then quickly wiped clean the remnants of memories that remained in her expression. As she approached me, her intent seemed solely to check the wound.

Looking back, we weren’t close enough to be happy about running into each other again. It might be surprising considering the significant amount of work we were supposed to do together as team leader and deputy team leader, but it wasn’t unexpected, given that neither Yoo Hye-eun nor I had any interest in casual chit-chat to begin with.

“Can you raise your arm for me?”

She probably wouldn’t dare use such familiar language with other patients. Instead of pointing that out, I flipped my inner arm to show it more conveniently. Yoo Hye-eun carefully grasped my elbow and scanned the wound with her eyes. The area around the stitch was quite messy, with remnants of either disinfectant or blood flowing indistinguishably. With a frown, Yoo Hye-eun eventually picked up an alcohol swab nearby.

“The blood is seeping a bit. It doesn’t seem like the stitches have burst, but just in case, I’ll wipe it again and keep monitoring it for a little longer.”

As she gently cleaned around the wound while speaking, I nodded silently. Even after wiping the blood clean, Yoo Hye-eun continued standing there, as if she was genuinely keeping an eye on the situation.

“…”

“…”

How much longer will we be here like this? Unable to bear the boredom, I turned my head slightly and our eyes met. Yoo Hye-eun, who was looking down at me with her hands tucked into her gown, had an expression that seemed like she had something to say. It was surprising, and at that moment, she asked:

“…Are you working as a police officer?”

For a brief second, I was surprised at how she knew my profession, then sank back into thought. In reality, how many people would be coming to the hospital at this hour after getting stabbed? Looking back, she had indeed been checking the chart when she approached earlier. The paper containing personal details was probably filled with information that could imply my profession. After concluding that, I nodded. I then turned to ask a proper question so as not to catch her off guard.

“And you? Are you a doctor?”

“Yeah. Well, I’m still just an intern though…”

She fumbled with her horn-rimmed glasses, avoiding my gaze. She looked a bit shy. The moment reminded me of when she was the vice president struggling to stand in front of us while being uneasy for a long time. I couldn’t help but let a faint smile escape, finding it a bit fascinating. Despite all these years, some things remained unchanged.

“You look good in your gown.”

It seemed an unexpected compliment to her, as her eyes widened, and then she smiled faintly. It was as though she found some past part of herself within my awkward praise. Although her tired expression had not changed much, she seemed a lot more relaxed compared to earlier. After checking her phone to confirm there were no urgent messages calling for her attention, she sat next to me.

“I’ve never heard that before.”

“Really?”

“Just that all the people I’ve known since childhood find it fascinating. They always ask, ‘Did you become a doctor because you hated being sick?’”

Was I that sickly? Now that I thought about it, I might have seen her leave for school a few times. I never asked what the reason was, so I didn’t know that those absences were due to hospital visits. Just as I was lost in thought, I felt a burning gaze on me and flicked my head away. Yoo Hye-eun was examining the area around my arm, which bore the wound from the knife earlier. She opened her mouth hesitantly,

“To be honest… it was a bit unexpected.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I never thought you would become a police officer. I never imagined I would meet you like this, injured.”

Her eyes were fixed not on my wounded arm or my face but on the air around us, as if she was looking back on some shared memory. It seemed like she was comparing the me of today with the me she remembered. I quietly gazed at Yoo Hye-eun’s face. I realized it felt different, even though I often heard comments about how I looked compared to my past, especially when someone spoke about the forgotten time in my life.

“Both in terms of image and all, you seemed like someone whose job wouldn’t involve much physical activity, something like being a prosecutor or a lawyer… something like that.”

Yoo Hye-eun stopped speaking. Seeing her anxiously glance at me, it seemed she was worried that her recent statement might have come off as rude.

“Ah… I’m sorry. What I meant to say is that it’s not that your profession doesn’t suit you…”

I quickly nodded so she wouldn’t feel awkward for her misunderstanding.

“I understand what you mean. You don’t have to worry; it didn’t hurt my feelings.”

“…Okay.”

After confirming that I didn’t seem offended, Yoo Hye-eun let out a sigh of relief. I remained silent, enduring the prickling sensation in one of my eyes as I closed them tightly for a moment. This had been a frequent symptom lately, especially when staying up all night or during high-stress events. I suddenly felt my poor physical condition, likely worsening due to the fatigue weighing me down. Glancing at the clock hanging on the white hospital wall, it was already 2 AM. By now, the billing process should be nearly complete, and I would need to head back to the police station to write a report about the events that occurred today. That way, I might find time for a short nap. Although I wasn’t particularly sleepy, the extreme fatigue was such that I could scarcely see two people if I just stayed still; I needed to sleep to relieve that fatigue. I slowly blinked my excessively dry eyes open, turning my head towards Yoo Hye-eun.

“Could you take another look at the arm? I feel like I need to leave soon.”

“Ah… okay.”

Fortunately, the gauze covering my wound was clean this time. Once Yoo Hye-eun nodded, she stood up quickly. As she rose, she rapidly recited the precautions I needed to take. Perhaps it seemed like I was about to leave at any moment, her tone was urgent.

“For the time being, you should avoid letting water touch the wound. This way, you won’t aggravate the injury.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you.”

As I packed my wallet and put it in my pocket, a vibrating sound echoed out from somewhere. Thinking it was an emergency call, Yoo Hye-eun began searching the pockets of her gown at an unexpected speed, glanced around, and sounded perplexed. The vibration was ringing from another location. Yoo Hye-eun, who was closer to the table than I was, picked up my phone for me.

As she looked down at the vibrating phone’s screen, she hesitated for a moment, but it was just long enough for me to sense the visible agitation she felt. I soon learned the reason why when she quietly added something as she handed my phone back to me.

“It looks like you two are still doing well.”

I took the phone from her and immediately focused on the notification that had appeared on the screen.

Missed Call

[Lee Jihoon] (1)

“Is Jihoon doing well?”

It was difficult to discern Yoo Hye-eun’s thoughts behind her words that seemed to continue a conversation I presumed was over. Perhaps it was a question she casually threw out of curiosity upon hearing Jihoon’s name, or maybe it was one she had held back until she couldn’t any longer. Should I answer him differently depending on whether it was the former or the latter? What qualifications did I have to respond? Just as I was lost in thought, unable to respond, it seemed Yoo Hye-eun interpreted my silence differently, and she hurriedly continued speaking, masking her awkwardness.

“If it’s something difficult to answer, you don’t have to say it. I just….”

“…”

“Honestly, I thought of him right when I saw you. But looking at Jihoon’s name pop up on your phone… it was kind of surprising.”

It was a sort of explanation. At the same time, it felt like an excuse that someone who couldn’t forget another yet had already lost that person would always carry with them when faced with news about him. Naturally, I started to ponder a bit. If Jihoon had been here instead of me, would she have been able to directly ask him? If she had asked, what would Jihoon have said? Would he have pretended not to know her, just as he did in the third year of middle school, or would he…?