Chapter : 4. I’m Prosecutor Jang Jihyeok
The guitar academy was not far from the Prosecutors’ Office.
It was located on a street that prosecutors and police officers passed every day on their way to and from work.
The criminals who had chosen to set up shop there—whether they were unbelievably stupid or unbelievably bold—were now…
“Move it! Hurry up and get down!”
…being dragged out one by one by police officers dressed in dark navy uniforms.
There were all kinds of them.
Skinny men, hollow-cheeked addicts, an ordinary-looking young man with glasses, a huge muscular guy, and even a plain-looking woman with heavy dark circles under her eyes.
They were a remarkably diverse bunch.
Except for a few who stood out, they all looked so ordinary that they would be impossible to remember.
No wonder nobody noticed there was a drug den in the neighborhood.
Still, today had gone well.
A large shipment had arrived, and there were even more suspects involved than expected.
There had been little resistance during the arrests, too.
After confirming that the operation had been carried out properly, Jihyeok, who had been directing the raid, stepped outside.
Looking at the long line of vehicles filling the alley, he put a cigarette between his lips, lit it, and pulled out his phone.
He was calling the Deputy Chief Prosecutor to give a verbal report.
“Sir, this is Prosecutor Jang Jihyeok. At the scene—”
That was when it happened.
A junior prosecutor came running down in a panic.
Shouts from detectives erupted all around them.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Detectives from the violent crimes unit sprinted off in different directions.
WEE-OO! WEE-OO!
Police sirens blared.
A bad feeling crept over him.
“Senior! Have you seen a huge guy? About this tall, with a tattoo on his neck?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Uh… one of the biggest bastards here attacked two officers with a knife and escaped!”
“That crazy son of a bitch. Which way?”
“That way!”
“Call for backup. Have everyone available spread out and search. I’ll go this way.”
Jihyeok broke into a full sprint.
Damn it.
A huge man with a neck tattoo.
He didn’t even need the name.
He already knew exactly who it was.
Jo Mandeok.
One of the three distribution managers.
With a body that massive, he couldn’t keep running forever.
Assuming the fugitive might try to hail a taxi, Jihyeok followed the roadside instead of heading into the alleys. The detectives would already be searching those.
Today really was his lucky day.
Across the street, he spotted an enormous muscular man running frantically.
The man was built like a monster.
Jihyeok glanced at the road.
Cars sped along the six-lane street, but there was still a chance to cross.
For most people, it would be impossible.
But Jihyeok had been a track athlete until middle school and held a black belt in judo.
He could make it.
HOOONK!
Without hesitation, Jihyeok dashed into the six-lane road.
Cars slammed on their brakes.
The screech of tires and the smell of burning rubber filled the air.
“Hey! You crazy bastard!”
Ignoring the driver’s furious shouting, Jihyeok reached the other side and yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Jo Mandeok!”
Startled by someone calling his name, the giant turned around.
The moment he saw Jihyeok, he took off at full speed.
A criminal.
And a prosecutor.
The two raced through the middle of the city.
The giant suddenly veered toward a taxi that had just stopped.
The quick-witted driver refused to unlock the doors.
Thrown off, the giant immediately resumed running.
Whether because he was high or because he didn’t know the area, he ended up running toward the Prosecutors’ Office.
Conveniently enough.
The fugitive sprinted past “Tuna Is Cham Cham Cham,” knocked over the standing sign for “Let’s Have a Drink,” and shoved several pedestrians to the ground.
He staggered as he ran, somehow managing to keep moving.
But eventually, his drug-ravaged lungs gave out.
His pace slowed.
Then he came to a stop.
Right in front of a pet grooming salon called “Solsol Pet Salon.”
The instant Jihyeok caught up, he grabbed the giant by the back of the collar.
Jo Mandeok spun around and swung his arm downward.
At that exact moment, Jihyeok’s judo training came into play.
His grip twisted the man’s collar.
The giant’s massive fist sliced harmlessly through empty air.
Then his enormous body lifted off the ground like a soccer ball before crashing back down under the pull of gravity.
Crunch!
Thud!
The startled giant cursed loudly.
“Let’s stop this. There’s no point wasting each other’s energy.”
“Get lost. Once I snap, I don’t see anything.”
The man’s face was deathly pale with a bluish tint.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
It wasn’t the shaking of fear.
It was withdrawal.
One look was enough.
A junkie.
Still lying on the ground, the giant spat out another curse before pulling a knife from inside his clothes.
There was blood on the blade.
Probably a police officer’s.
Whoosh!
The dagger, honed to a razor’s edge, sliced through the air.
Jihyeok instantly released his grip and stepped back.
Taking advantage of the opening, the giant climbed to his feet and pointed the knife at him.
“You’d better not.”
“You’re funny. Come on then, pretty boy.”
“Pretty boy?”
Jihyeok let out a mocking laugh.
The giant violently swung the knife.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The blade cut through the hot air again.
It looked sharp enough to slice a person apart with the slightest touch.
“Ahhh!”
“He’s got a knife! Call the police!”
Pedestrians screamed and scattered.
The giant charged forward, blocking Jihyeok’s vision with his huge frame.
In that respect, Jo Mandeok was the perfect drug addict.
Charging in without a thought.
People whose bodies and minds had completely rotted away.
That was what addicts were.
Jihyeok twisted his body aside to avoid the dagger flying straight toward him.
Using nimble footwork, he widened the distance again.
Judo was a martial art meant for close combat.
But it was difficult to subdue someone armed with a knife.
Besides, he wasn’t a violent crimes detective.
He wasn’t accustomed to situations like this.
“Hey! Drop the knife, you bastard!”
A middle-aged detective’s booming voice echoed over the street.
Detectives were rushing toward them from the opposite direction.
“Shit.”
Realizing he had nowhere left to run, the giant held the dagger close to his body and backed himself against the shop.
Jihyeok quickly looked inside through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
He saw the profile of a woman with her hair tied high in a ponytail, holding a hair dryer.
There was nowhere for her to escape.
She was in danger.
Jo Mandeok lowered his stance.
His thick tattoo-covered arms tightened.
The dagger gleamed coldly beneath the sunlight.
Despite the murderous atmosphere, Jihyeok remained calm.
His eyes carefully tracked the man’s knife… and his feet.
“Heh… heh…”
The giant grinned wickedly.
He casually tossed the dagger into the air and caught it several times.
“Your hands are shaking. Running out of drugs?”
The laughter vanished.
“Put it down.”
“Funny. I’ll make that handsome face of yours even prettier. I’m pretty good at drawing. A scar across that nice face would look great, don’t you think?”
The provocation failed.
Jihyeok simply continued analyzing the situation.
That knife.
Taking it away came first.
Never taking his eyes off his opponent, he spoke calmly.
“If you think you can, then try. What? Scared?”
The taunt worked.
The giant narrowed the eyes buried beneath his thick flesh.
Though unfocused, they were filled with murderous intent.
How many victims had cried beneath that gaze?
There was no telling.
Jihyeok took a slow breath, calming the rage building inside him.
Without looking away from the knife, he prepared himself.
“Bastard… you’re dead.”
Cursing, the giant backed toward the salon door and suddenly tried to rush inside.
Jihyeok grabbed the salon’s standing signboard and shoved it across the entrance, blocking the way.
Whoosh!
The knife struck again with a hiss like a snake.
The blade grazed the edge of Jihyeok’s left hand.
Ignoring the pain, he raised the signboard and blocked the next strike.
Thud!
The giant continued slashing wildly.
Again and again.
Each attack bounced harmlessly off the sturdy signboard.
Several deep cuts were carved into the words “Solsol Pet Salon.”
Then…
With perfect timing, Jihyeok swung the signboard.
Clang!
The knife flew from the giant’s hand.
Without hesitation, Jihyeok threw the signboard aside and lunged forward, grabbing the giant by the front of his clothes with both hands.
The man struggled desperately, losing his balance.
Jihyeok pivoted.
He seized the giant’s thick arm and turned his hips.
Locking both arms tightly, he explosively straightened his bent knees.
The giant’s massive body rose high into the air.
BOOM!
It was a shoulder throw so flawless it could have been printed in a textbook.
The airborne giant crashed through the salon entrance and slammed into the wooden safety gate inside.
The gate—once a cheerful barrier that dogs must have wagged their tails around every day—splintered into pieces.
At the same moment—
WEE-OO! WEE-OO!
The sound of police sirens arrived.
Two detectives rushed into the salon.
“Put the handcuffs on him.”
“Yes, Prosecutor.”
One detective immediately cuffed the giant.
“Are you alright, Prosecutor?”
Jihyeok simply raised his right hand, signaling that he was fine.
Only then did he notice a woman in an apron standing inside Solsol Pet Salon, staring at him with a pale face.
He looked at her.
Her hair was tied up high, and she was wearing an apron.
Even so, he recognized her immediately.
She was the owner of the troublesome dog that had marked his leg and even mounted him.
Jihyeok walked over to the wide-eyed woman and presented his prosecutor’s identification.
“My name is Prosecutor Jang Jihyeok. The drug suspect arrested at the scene escaped custody, and as a result…”
His eyes quickly read the name tag pinned to her uniform.
[Solsol Pet Salon – Owner: Jin Dasol]
“Ms. Jin Dasol, property inside your business has been damaged during the pursuit. We will proceed with the compensation process.”
“…Um…”
The woman named Dasol lowered her gaze toward his left hand before covering her mouth.
Don’t tell me…
Did something mark me again?
Jihyeok followed her line of sight.
Blood was dripping steadily from his left hand.
When he opened his palm, the cut the knife had made earlier had split open, and fresh blood flowed from the wound.
