The DPO Office
"And what's this I hear about you digging around Jungwon Enterprises?" the DPO added, his voice rising. "Stick to the Xiu Min case. Don't poke your nose in other businesses unless they're directly connected. The next time we will talk again is that you have found the killer, Understood?"
Do Hyun bowed respectfully.
"Understood, sir."
As he exited the office, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked the screen and see it was Unknown Number. He picked up.
"Detective Kang?" the voice was low, familiar.
"Lee Chae Min." Do Hyun recognized the voice.
"I've thought about your proposal," Chae Min said. "Let's meet. But not at the station. There's something I need to show you."
Do Hyun's brow furrowed.
"Where?"
"I'll send you the address. Come alone."
"Why not here?"
"Because I don't trust you yet and what I have… might change everything."
The line went dead.
Do Hyun looked at the phone screen, then slowly pocketed it. His gut told him he was stepping into dangerous territory but he also knew the answers were getting closer.
As Do Hyun stepped out of the police station after seeing the pop up message for Chae Min showing the address, Jin Ho saw him heading out in a hurry.
"Hyung, where are you off to?" Jin Ho asked, curiosity in his eyes.
"I'll be back soon,"* Do Hyun replied casually, waving it off. *"Just meeting someone."
Later on,Do Hyun pulled up near the address Chae Min had sent. He stepped out of the car, eyes scanning the area.
"This is… his home? Nice and convenient" he muttered.
He knocked once on the door. A few seconds later, Lee Chae Min opened it, dressed in casual clothes. He didn't invite him in instead, he stepped out and locked the door behind him.
"You're here," Chae Min said simply.
"You live here? I thought we were meeting somewhere discreet," Do Hyun said, raising an eyebrow.
Chae Min started walking. "We are. Follow me."
Do Hyun kept pace with him, half-joking:
"You're not planning to kill me in some alley, right?"
Chae Min smirked, but didn't stop walking.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it a long time ago."They entered the old basement beneath the apartment complex. The air was thick with dust, the floor slightly damp. A faint buzzing sound from overhead bulbs filled the silence. Do Hyun looked around as they walked deeper inside.
And then he saw it.
The basement wall was covered with clippings, surveillance photos, documents, and handwritten notes. There were pinned strings connecting figures corporate names, faces of high-ranking officials, and photos of shady meetings.
In the center of it all:
Keunsa Financial Groups.
Do Hyun stood still, visibly impressed.
"You've been working on this for a while..., I am quite impressed."
Chae Min nodded, arms crossed.
"Everything connects back to Keunsa. Xiu Min, Jungwon Enterprises, shell companies, illegal construction permits, smuggled funds, even politicians. It's bigger than you think."
Do Hyun took a step closer, studying a photo of Kim Tae Won shaking hands with an official.
"So this is your war board..." he murmured.
"You've turned your house into an investigation bunker. How Nice!"
Chae Min turned to face him and said :
"You wanted collaboration. You're in now. But you follow my rules."
Do Hyun met his gaze.
"Then show me everything". In a quiet, dimly lit apartment tucked away in a forgotten alley of Busan, Lee Chae Min dropped a thick brown envelope onto the coffee table in front of Detective Kang Do Hyun. Dust particles floated in the air, lit by a single ceiling bulb swaying slightly.
Do Hyun picked up the contents,the ledger from Xiu Min's office, worn at the edges, along with a charred piece of paper recovered from the director's office in Jungwon Enterprises.
"This is the information I have been collecting so far before you came in," Chae Min said, his voice low. "Proof or at least… pieces of it."
Do Hyun scanned the documents, flipping carefully through the faded ink and scorched fragments.
"It's still not directly tied to Keunsa Financial Group," he noted, brow furrowed. "There's no company seal, no signature, nothing that points to Kim Tae Won."
Chae Min leaned back, exhaling sharply.
"Exactly. He made sure of that. Tae Won is too smart to leave a trail. Every illegal transaction goes through shells offshore companies, ghost partnerships, fake names. And they all have a ledger that contains their information.The ledger's just a map... but he hides behind it. The only way is to fish it out which is going to be a bit difficult."
Do Hyun closed the folder and then said:"And anyone who might have known more,Xiu Min, the Jungwon director are now dead. The assistant is nowhere to be found and that is thanks to you… and Tae Won."
Chae Min's expression darkened. He didn't flinch, but his jaw clenched slightly.
"Well Maybe but not all the pieces are lost."
Do Hyun raised a brow.
"You think there's still a way in?"
Chae Min nodded slowly, his eyes sharp.
"There's a clue. Someone that can get us through the wall if we just stick to the goal."
"Right, Stick to the goal." Do Hyun said nodding his head.
"I just need more time to find out more --"
BANG
A noise echoed from outside,a sharp metallic clatter, like a kicked can or a dropped tool that affect their conversation.
Both men froze.
Do Hyun stood up immediately, hand drifting toward his waist reaching for his gun.
"You expecting someone?"
Chae Min shook his head, already reaching under the table for something.
"No one knows about this place, except someone was being followed here or you brought someone with you."
"Then I was being followed" Do Hyun said
They exchanged a quick look , nodded a silent agreement and began moving toward the door quietly, every step careful.
Chae Min got hold of a bait sitting close to the table while Do Hyun brought out his gun pointing to the direction of the door.