Chapter 183

***

“You’re really something else.”

I couldn’t stop laughing as I headed home.

Thankfully, a disaster was averted, but if it weren’t for Jang Gun-i, I might’ve been cursing instead of laughing.

‘Our Jang Gun-i is the best.’

My steps felt light as I walked.

Jin-hyuk makes time to take walks with Jang Gun-i and Yoo-jin. I don’t know why it’s coming to mind now, but there were many days when I carried my younger sibling on my back because I was worried their legs might hurt. I was used to carrying the back frame because I often hauled firewood and fallen leaves.

‘Dad used to carry me like that when I was little.’

Memories.

That’s why I’m so attached to the back frame, a tool that even rural adults hardly use anymore. Seeing Yoo-jin cheer every time she rides on it, knowing her brother’s heart, made it impossible to stop.

It’s not just the back frame.

In autumn, I’ve carried straw bundles, and in spring, I’ve transported seedling trays.

In the sweltering summer, I’ve carried piles of kudzu vines covered in flat flies to feed the goats and rabbits.

‘But carrying a dog thief is a first.’

Just carrying one dog thief brought back memories from childhood and daily life with my sibling. I’ve always been someone who walked with my eyes fixed straight ahead, so this sudden stream of consciousness felt strange.

The dog thief seemed fine. His pulse was a bit fast, but his breathing was steady, and his reflexes were normal, so I carried him home without any emergency treatment.

Bustling.

Late at night, I was glad to see many men milling around my yard. At least they weren’t intruders or thieves.

People inspecting the house, a man on tiptoe pulling branches to pick fruit, someone petting Nuryeong-i and Geon-ma while making cooing sounds. They were the dispatched police.

“The person in charge will be here soon, so please wait a little longer, officers.”

On-duty SSS Agent Kim Sang-ho was handling the police. He’s a young agent recently assigned, and he spoke well. Jin-hyuk had already contacted him, so he handled the situation calmly and reliably.

“There he is. You can talk to him now.”

The police followed the agent’s gesture and spotted Jin-hyuk, momentarily looking bewildered. But they quickly composed themselves and saluted.

“Thank you for your hard work. We received a report and came—”

“Take this guy first. He’s a dog thief.”

The two officers who made a sound quickly took over Ma Gun-cheon.

They couldn’t openly show suspicion, but their sidelong glances at Jin-hyuk were filled with doubt.

Ma Gun-cheon’s limp body looked like someone who had suffered a major accident and lost consciousness.

“He suddenly passed out. I didn’t hit him.”

“Ah, yes…”

There were no visible injuries or bloodstains, so the police had no choice but to believe him.

Apart from foam dripping from his mouth that smelled like soybean paste stew, there were no symptoms.

“Here’s what happened—”

Jin-hyuk, having caught his breath, explained the situation.

Once again, he felt grateful to Hong Ki-jun.

Thanks to the agent, there might be a slight delay, but if it weren’t for Hong Ki-jun, they would’ve left quickly. They would’ve passed by a house bustling with a feast rather than any suspicious activity, and upon arriving at Jin-hyuk’s house, it would’ve been peaceful as usual.

“One of them is in the yard of that two-story house over there. The transport vehicle is about three kilometers from here, behind the health center. There should be a ten-ton truck there, and another uncle is keeping watch.”

“Ah, I see. Hold on. You two, head to the health center first!”

The officer in charge, listening to Jin-hyuk’s explanation, instructed the other officers.

“The truck is probably badly damaged. If compensation is needed, let them know to contact me.”

After all, it’s property damage.

It was a measure to detain the dog thief, but it was clearly excessive.

Jin-hyuk was prepared to take responsibility for his actions. With his dad’s money.

“Yes. We’ll keep that in mind.”

It’s not like the police need to step in before a lawsuit is filed.

The officer in charge nodded half-heartedly.

Then he gestured to another officer.

“You two, go to that house—”

“I need to go there.”

“Huh? Why?”

Jin-hyuk scratched his forehead and replied to the officer, who looked puzzled.

“Just listen to me.”

“Who? The dog thief?”

*

Jin-hyuk led the police along a narrow path to the house of Choi Mi-kyung, a teenager.

A hundred gates are no match for one dog.

This saying, meaning that one dog is better than a hundred cannons for catching a swift thief, doesn’t appear in the *Book of Han*’s “Biography of Zhao Chongguo.”

“Jang Gun-i, whoa. Hong-shi, Cheon-ma, Gwang-ma, stop.”

But what if there are four smart and brave dogs instead of one?

“Hey hey hey, take me away!”

The thief would rather choose the police.

Gong Seok-du, who looked up at Jin-hyuk’s voice, was delighted to see the police behind him.

Following Jin-hyuk’s command, the four dogs quickly moved away from Gong Seok-du and sat quietly. Their swift and precise movements were something even a well-trained soldier would struggle to mimic.

The watching police were also impressed.

No injuries were found on Gong Seok-du, but he seemed to have suffered greatly from Jang Gun-i and his gang. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were hollow like those of a sleep-deprived high school friend under the watchful eye of a scary dorm supervisor.

But there was no intention to forgive, and since he was caught red-handed, Jin-hyuk couldn’t just let it go. This is a country ruled by law.

While the police handcuffed Gong Seok-du and recited the Miranda rights, Jin-hyuk moved.

After leaving the yard and stepping onto the road, he pointed somewhere.

“Take a look here.”

One officer approached Jin-hyuk.

“If you go up this road about a hundred meters, there are two motorcycles. They’re what these guys came on. They’ll probably be important evidence.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you. You’ve saved us a lot of work.”

Saved? More like did all the work. SSS Agent Kim Sang-ho muttered.

The officer who heard it also nodded reluctantly.

After all, they’d caught a gang of dog thieves.

“Thank you for your hard work. We’ve been struggling with this. The area is vast, and there’s no police station, so by the time we arrive, it’s usually too late.”

“But why do they steal dogs? Are dogs expensive?”

Jin-hyuk, who had been nodding along to the officer’s explanation, asked.

“Was this summer unusually hot? They sell them to restaurants. Since supply is tight, restaurants pay well, and stealing grown dogs means they don’t have to spend money raising them. They’re organized.”

Jin-hyuk felt a wave of nausea and barely held it back.

“Those bastards. They have so many other things to do, why…”

“There’s a saying that the only thing they’ve learned is stealing.”

The officer chimed in on Jin-hyuk’s sighing complaint.

“They know the ins and outs. Where to sell the dogs, who to sell them to without getting caught.”

“Ah…”

I see. I hadn’t thought of that.

I didn’t want to analyze such inhumane and ugly actions. Every moment is precious and busy for Jin-hyuk, who avoids unnecessary thoughts and words like idle gossipers.

Anyway.

I thought it was just theft for money, but they’re using their knowledge of the world for theft. That’s how they harm lives and fill their own bellies.

Jin-hyuk, who had been thinking something while holding his forehead, cautiously spoke.

“If we interrogate these guys and find out where they’ve been selling the dogs, we might be able to catch other gangs, right?”

“Yes. We’ve been having trouble catching them, but now that we’ve got these guys, we can root them out.”

Seeing the officer being so friendly, Jin-hyuk once again realized how great Hong Ki-jun is.

He knew that in such cases, the police usually say, “We’ll handle it.”

This isn’t a criticism of their usual attitude. There are things like confidentiality and security, so he understood the police’s position.

“Kim Woo-don knows. He’s smart.”

Gong Seok-du, who had been listening to their conversation, blurted out like an idiot.

The officer turned sharply.

“Kim Woo-don? Who’s that?”

“He’s a wholesaler with connections everywhere.”

The officer’s eyes lit up.

“If you give me the details, I’ll take responsibility and make sure you’re treated well.”

“Kim Woo-don is a guy who got fired from teaching and now deals in dogs. He knows a lot of people, so he’s everywhere—”

Ah. Jin-hyuk let out a low exclamation.

He remembered why Kim Woo-don’s face seemed familiar.

‘The Ssirum Club coach.’

He didn’t know the name, but when he thought about it, it was definitely him.

The Ssirum Club coach from a past life who rejected Jin-hyuk, saying he looked too small and weak.

“Hey. It’d be better to give us information that’s useful for the investigation, not unnecessary details.”

“Ah, listen more. I, I can’t speak coherently.”

While Gong Seok-du rambled incoherently in front of the officer with a notebook, Jin-hyuk stood with his hands on his hips, pacing.

He realized why the Ssirum Club coach seemed unfamiliar when he entered middle school and how the eccentric Lee Byeong-se became a humane teacher.

‘It was because of Uncle Hong Ki-jun.’

It was possible to deduce that Hong Ki-jun had influenced the education system through Jin-hyuk’s entry into the sports world. He might have replaced violent and abusive leaders. For Jin-hyuk.

– “You must become the one and only.”

– “I’ll help you. Live happily doing what you want.”

– “It’s okay to live like that when you’re young. You know you can’t do that as an adult, right?”

Hong Ki-jun had been working hard for Jin-hyuk for a long time.

He was grateful for that. He also felt sorry for realizing it so late.

‘How lonely he must have been.’

Knowing all too well the loneliness of someone who couldn’t speak the truth and kept it to themselves, Jin-hyuk wanted to tell Hong Ki-jun that he finally understood.

But there was something that bothered him.

‘You can’t do that as an adult…’

How much are you going to push me?

I’m still working hard because I owe you, but I don’t want to live the life of a salaryman.

His shoulders slumped for no reason.

Jin-hyuk’s thoughts didn’t last long.

“Let’s go to the station and talk more.”

“Ma Gun-cheon, that bastard, is a bad guy. He disappeared saying he’d live alone.”

“Disappeared? He’s already in the car.”

“Really?”

“Have you ever seen a cop lie?”

“Yes.”

Sigh.

Only after the officer glared did Gong Seok-du shut his mouth.

Jin-hyuk approached the agent.

Kim Sang-ho was admiring the thick ginkgo tree leaning toward the yard.

“We can’t just let this pass like nothing happened, right?”

“Yeah, probably not.”

Kim Sang-ho patted Jin-hyuk’s back.

It must’ve meant he’d worked hard.

“We talked before you came, and it seems like there’s a lot of noise nationwide because of guys like this. It just hadn’t been reported.”

Now it will be.

Then I should ask Uncle Hong Ki-jun to keep it out of the news.

Well, he’ll help, so live happily?

***

Eyes in a state of selflessness looked over the garden beyond the study.

The tranquil autumn morning garden, the melody of Bach gifting peace, and the rich aroma of coffee.

“Ah—”

“Dad, don’t act like Grandpa when you drink coffee.”

Hong Soo-jung, who was reading a book, scolded Hong Ki-jun.

‘Why doesn’t she go out and play instead of telling me what to do in my study…’

But my daughter is the best.

She’s staying with me, skipping her usual workout, on my rare day off.

Hong Soo-jung’s eyes sparkled.

They resembled Yoo Myung-sun’s eyes, curious about the outcome of a story he hadn’t heard.

“So what happened? Is Jin-hyuk oppa going to be on the nine o’clock news today?”

“Probably…”

Hong Ki-jun’s lips curved softly as he stroked his daughter’s head.

“It’ll be good.”

Jin-hyuk still found it hard to say something to Hong Ki-jun.

So he must’ve subtly asked through Moon Seok-il.

– “He wants the incident to be quietly buried.”

Is that even possible?

Nationwide, organized thefts happening simultaneously in rural areas.

The police headquarters was struggling with the flood of complaints.

Even if Hong Ki-jun hadn’t demanded a big reveal, the police, who love a good spectacle, wouldn’t stay silent.

They need to identify restaurant owners who knowingly bought stolen dogs, applying the crime of receiving stolen goods, and accomplices whose crimes go beyond simple transactions. They need time to identify them. Until then, they have to delay the report.

With the distributor not talking and no ledger of transactions, the investigation is expected to face difficulties.

‘We can’t just let it go.’

They say a son-in-law is a thief.

The guy who’s going to steal my daughter, don’t think about living quietly now.

For a future thief, dealing with current thieves is nothing for a businessman.

He picked up the phone.

“Soo-jung, I need to make a call.”

“Don’t ask for permission. Think of this as your home and do it comfortably. Comfortably.”

Hong Ki-jun, who had been silently laughing at his playful daughter’s chatter, changed his expression.

The other party answered as soon as the dial tone rang.

“Ah, Commissioner? I’m sorry to call on your day off.”

– Ohoho! Don’t say that, it hurts my feelings.