IMTS 02

Chapter 2

A few days before Cheong-A’s shift at Boksan University Hospital.

Bang! With a loud crash, the door to the Violent Crimes Unit opened.

“Good morning! Top of the morning to you all!”

Her booming voice echoed throughout the office.

All eyes immediately turned to Cheong-A, who had just entered, swinging the door open with her Walker boots.

She walked in briskly, linking arms with the two big guys on either side of her. Each of her wrists was cuffed to one of theirs.

The team’s expressions immediately soured.

Although the guys beside her were the actual criminals, it was Cheong-A—the officer who had captured them—who looked worse for wear.

Her hair was greasy as if she hadn’t washed it in days. Her hoodie looked so grimy that dust might puff up at the slightest tap. Several shriveled hand warmers were stuck to her ankles.

“What is this… are you a beggar?”

“And why are you handcuffed on both wrists? Did they arrest you?”

Team Leader Jeon Hong-Nam, sitting at the head of the office, squeezed his eyes shut, while Officer Oh Seong-Min at the central table clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Anyone could tell they were trying hard to suppress harsh words.

Cheong-A, seemingly unfazed, grinned widely.

“Senior, I told you, these guys didn’t quit their drugs on their own.”

“…Are you sure you’ve got proof this time? You didn’t just drag innocent people in, right?”

Team Leader Jeon Hong-Nam, suspicious of Cheong-A’s confident expression, interjected nervously.

“Oh, Team Leader. I recorded everything on video. They were passing white packets to each other and taking money. I even collected the bags with fingerprints.”

At her explanation, everyone in Violent Crimes Unit 2 crowded near the central table.

Their eyes first landed on the man on Cheong-A’s right, wearing a silver bracelet, then shifted to the man on the left who had received the bag.

Finally, their gaze settled back on Cheong-A.

“Hmm, did they switch the drugs?”

“I was already suspicious if it was the Cheonghwa gang’s stuff. How did you know?”

“Hmph. The smell was off.”

“The smell…?”

Cheong-A sniffed alternately from both arms, and each time the cuffed criminals’ biceps twitched.

“Ah, senior… I think the stinky one is me. I was undercover at Wang Gildong.”

“Wang Gildong?”

“You know, the landfill over there.”

A chorus of “Ugh!” escaped the team.

They each covered their faces or pinched their noses and quickly stepped back from Cheong-A.

“Go wash up immediately!”

“Yes, sir. I’ll be right back. Take care of these guys while I’m gone.”

Cheong-A spun in a wide circle, and the two cuffed criminals awkwardly mirrored her movement. She then looked at Officer Park In-Kyu with a troubled expression.

“Hyung… can you take off my handcuffs?”

“….”

Watching her head to the duty room to wash up, Team Leader Jeon shuddered.

“Ugh… how could someone survive three days in that stench…”

No one argued. Only the two captured criminals quietly nodded in agreement.

After some time, Cheong-A returned to the office, shaking her hair dry with a towel.

She had discarded the grimy clothes and now wore dark pants and a comfortable T-shirt.

Her tall frame and long legs made her stride appear commanding, her wet hair swinging with every step.

Her features weren’t large or dramatic, but everything—eyes, nose, and mouth—was delicately proportioned on her small face.

Her rosy, makeup-free complexion and resolute expression drew attention naturally.

Officer Park In-Kyu couldn’t help but follow her movements with his eyes.

Cheong-A, however, was unaware—or pretended to be.

She scanned the empty office, realizing the captured druggies were gone.

“Where did the kids go, senior?”

“They’re in the holding cell. The evidence is airtight. Upload the video file today.”

“Yes, sir,” Cheong-A replied and poured herself a cup of instant coffee.

Sitting at the central table, she flipped through her notebook.

“By the way, Team Leader, I tracked their movements before I swooped in. For months, their paths only crossed at Boksan University Hospital and that landfill.”

“Boksan University Hospital?”

The office fell silent. Frowning deeply, Team Leader Jeon swiveled in his chair toward In-Kyu.

“Hey, last month’s capture, Jang Yun-Hoo—didn’t he go there too? He requested leave for a medical check-up.”

“That’s right. Some gastro department, I think?”

Cheong-A’s eyes widened.

“Hyung! They got checked at the gastro department too. That’s suspicious! Is there really something there?”

Oh Seong-Min crossed his arms and exhaled heavily.

“This is tricky. Of all places, a hospital.”

They suspected something was happening but couldn’t figure out what.

Investigating a hospital required time, and hospitals generally didn’t welcome police presence—especially not Violent Crimes Unit officers who looked so similar to criminals that staff couldn’t easily tell them apart.

To medical staff, they were just a nuisance, offering no help to patients who needed peace of mind.

“Boksan University Hospital is especially strict. If you don’t have a warrant, they make you wait outside.”

“That’s probably because you all look scary,” Cheong-A replied, hitting the mark.

The team exchanged glances, shaking their heads and clicking their tongues at each other’s grim faces.

“…Sigh.”

The office of Violent Crimes Unit 2 filled with a collective sigh.

After a moment, Team Leader Jeon snapped his fingers at Cheong-A, a smile spreading across his face.

“The point is, you don’t need to look scary, right?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t say ‘huh.’ Look at her. See? She doesn’t look scary.”

Three pairs of eyes followed his pointing finger. Cheong-A, sitting at the table, noticed all the attention and looked around.

“…Me?”

She snapped her notebook shut, gripping the ends of the towel around her neck in disbelief.

“Should we put you in the hospital?”

“Wow, Team Leader, perfect timing.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

“No matter how good I am at undercover work, a hospital…?”

“Exactly. Better to get a proper job than go undercover.”

“A job? Is there even anything I can do at a hospital?”

The answer came a few days later:

“Sejung Park Work Clean: Ms. Park Bok-Seon, you have been accepted for the Environmental Staff position at Boksan University Hospital. Please bring your documents to the B1 office according to the training schedule.”

A text arrived on Cheong-A’s phone days later, offering a job she hadn’t even applied for.

“What is this, Team Leader?”

She shook her phone at Jeon, forcing a smile, but rage lingered behind it.

He laughed along with her.

“Even so, Bok-Seon? How outdated. Might as well have called you Da-Bok-Seon.”

From behind, In-Kyu whispered softly:

“That’s our sister’s name we borrowed for undercover work.”

Cheong-A’s lips trembled.

“Actually, it’s a really kind name! I’ll take good care of Bok-Seon unnie!”

“Yeah. Good luck.”

Jeon nodded with a warm smile.

“Take care, Bok-Seon. We, the scary-looking ones, will keep the office safe.”

Splash, splash.

Cheong-A vigorously scrubbed the floor, recalling the events of a few days ago.

The polished floor gleamed, reflecting her own scruffy appearance.

“Ugh… I’m dying.”

She looked down the hallway; the cleaning area stretched endlessly.

Her first day involved only submitting documents, being shown the orientation (how to clock in, where cleaning tools were kept), and then being assigned a cleaning zone.

It was the fifth floor—research offices and endoscopy rooms of gastroenterology professors.

Wow… why is my luck so good?

At first, she thought it fortunate; she could observe the suspicious gastro professors up close.

But it didn’t take long to realize this was an illusion.