The afternoon light had faded to evening by the time Soo-ah approached Dae-hyun's office door. She hovered there for a moment, her hand raised to knock, and Dae-hyun looked up from the reports he'd been reading.
"Yes?"
Soo-ah straightened. "Captain, I've finished organizing everything on the board. All the evidence, witness statements, and traffic camera data that Jin-young oppa found. It's all there."
Dae-hyun set down his pen and stood. He followed her out to the bullpen, where the others had gathered around the whiteboard. Even Yoon Seo-ah stood at the edge of the group, watching quietly, still an outsider in every way that mattered.
The board was impressive. Soo-ah had divided it into sections—timeline, evidence, witnesses, suspects, and dead ends. Photos were pinned with colored strings connecting related pieces. Notes in her neat handwriting filled the margins. Jin-young's traffic camera timestamps were printed and attached to the relevant moments. Shi-eok's observation about the witness inconsistencies had its own section. Hae-rin's profile notes occupied a corner.
Dae-hyun stood before it for a long moment, reading, absorbing, and connecting. The others watched him, waiting.
"This," he said finally, "is perfect."
Soo-ah's face lit up. Even Jin-young looked pleased, though he tried to hide it behind a shrug.
Dae-hyun turned to face them. "Tomorrow, we start fresh. We've got the foundation. Now we need to build on it." He paused. "I've spoken with the jewelry shop owner. He's agreed to let us look at the store again. It hasn't reopened since the robbery—everything is exactly as it was left. We'll go there first thing in the morning and see what the original investigation missed."
Min-jun nodded. "Fresh eyes on an old scene. Good call."
"Which means tonight, we rest." Dae-hyun reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, checking something. "I've booked a room at a restaurant nearby. Samgyeopsal. Let's go."
Jin-young's eyes widened. "Beef?"
"Beef."
For a moment, no one moved. Then Shi-eok stood, a rare smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Soo-ah clapped her hands together softly. Even Hae-rin looked interested.
Min-jun grabbed his jacket. "Well, you don't have to tell me twice."
They filed out of the station together, the evening air cool against their faces. The restaurant was only a ten-minute walk away, tucked into a side street with warm light spilling from its windows. The owner, an ajumma with a broad smile, greeted them like old friends and led them to a private room in the back.
They settled around the table, the grill already heating in the center. Plates of pork belly arrived, along with side dishes that kept coming—kimchi, ssamjang, garlic, peppers, and lettuce for wrapping. Jin-young's eyes were practically sparkling.
Dae-hyun waited until the meat started sizzling on the grill before he spoke. He picked up his glass of soju, and the others followed suit.
"I'm Kang Dae-hyun," he said. "Thirty-four years old. Captain. I've been on the force for fifteen years. I don't talk much about myself because I don't see the point. But if we're going to work together, you should know that I expect competence, not conversation. Do your job well, and I'll never have a reason to raise my voice. Do it poorly, and you won't want to be in the same room as me."
Min-jun snorted. "Charming."
Dae-hyun's lips twitched, just slightly. "I'm not here to make friends. But I am here to solve cases. And I chose each of you because you're the best at what you do. That means something." He raised his glass. "To Team Zero."
"To Team Zero," they echoed, and drank.
Min-jun went next, setting his glass down with a satisfied sigh. "Kim Min-jun. Forty-five. Senior Detective. Twenty-three years on the force, six transfers, too many cases to count. I've seen partners come and go, watched young hotshots burn out, and old-timers fade away. I'm here because Captain Kang asked, and because I'm too stubborn to retire." He grinned. "Also because someone needs to keep you all from making stupid mistakes."
Jin-young leaned forward, reaching for a piece of meat. "Park Jin-young. Twenty-eight. Officer. They call me a hacker, but I prefer 'digital forensic specialist. "I can find anything on any network, and I've forgotten more about cybersecurity than most people will ever learn." He paused, a piece of pork belly halfway to his mouth. "I don't like people much. But I like puzzles. And this squad seems full of puzzles."
Shi-eok waited until Jin-young had eaten before speaking. His voice was quiet and thoughtful. "Hwang Shi-eok. Thirty-two. Detective. Former special forces. I joined the police because I wanted to protect people without..." He trailed off, then started again. "I don't talk about the past much. But I'll have your backs. All of you. That's what I do."
Soo-ah was practically bouncing in her seat. "Kang Soo-ah! Twenty-six. Assistant Inspector. I just graduated from the academy, so I know I'm the youngest and the newest and probably the most inexperienced person here. But I promise I'll work harder than anyone. I notice things—small things, details that don't seem important—and I won't let you down, Captain. Any of you."
Hae-rin smiled slightly. "Jung Hae-rin. Thirty-four, Inspector. Criminal profiler. I have a master's degree in psychology and a PhD in progress. I read people the way Jin-young reads code." She glanced at the young man, who was too busy eating to notice. "I joined this squad because Captain Kang asked, and because the cases we're investigating interest me. That's all."
All eyes turned to Yoon Seo-ah.
She sat at the edge of the table, separate despite being in the same room. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then she set down her chopsticks and looked at each of them in turn.
"Yoon Seo-ah," she said quietly. "Thirty years old, Inspector." She paused. "You all know who I am. Or who I was. I spent fifteen years acting—on screens, on stages, and in front of cameras. I won awards. I made more money than most people see in a lifetime. And then I walked away from all of it."
No one spoke. Even Jin-young stopped chewing.
"I enrolled in the police academy because I wanted to do something real. Something that mattered." Her voice was steady, but there was something beneath it—a rawness that surprised them. "I graduated top of my class. I earned this uniform. I know none of you asked for me here, and I know Captain Kang didn't choose me. But I'm here anyway. And I'll prove myself. However long it takes."
The silence stretched.
Then Soo-ah picked up a piece of lettuce, loaded it with meat and ssamjang and garlic, and held it out to Yoon Seo-ah. "Here. You should eat. The captain bought beef, so we have to enjoy it, right?"
Yoon Seo-ah stared at the offering for a moment. Then she took it, a small smile crossing her face for the first time. "Thank you."
Min-jun raised his glass. "To proving ourselves, then. All of us."
They drank again, and this time the tension around the table eased just slightly. Jin-young went back to eating with renewed focus. Shi-eok asked Soo-ah about her training at the academy. Hae-rin engaged Min-jun in a quiet conversation about the jewelry store case. And Dae-hyun watched them all, saying little but noting everything.
By the time they left the restaurant, the city had fully surrendered to night. They walked back toward the station together, full and warm and somehow more solid than they'd been just hours before.
At the station entrance, they paused.
"Tomorrow," Dae-hyun said. "Six AM. We go to the jewelry store. Be ready."
"Yes, Captain," they answered in varying degrees of unison.
He watched them disperse—Min-jun heading toward the subway, Jin-young already on his phone, Shi-eok walking slowly, Soo-ah chattering at him about something, and Hae-rin disappearing into the night like a ghost. And Yoon Seo-ah, standing alone at the edge of the street, looking up at the station building with an expression he couldn't read.
She felt his gaze and turned. For a moment, they simply looked at each other across the empty sidewalk.
Then she nodded once and walked away.
Dae-hyun stood there for a long moment after she'd gone, then turned and headed home himself.
Tomorrow, they would find something. He could feel it.
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