Roar—!
Even if one humbly accepts death, it doesn’t mean one must clear their thoughts until their final breath.
〈…〉
Inside the blazing warehouse, though Kim Yu-han was tied up with his eyes closed, he still thought about many things.
The serial killer who murdered his parents.
‘Actually, there was a chance to win.’
During the final battle inside the warehouse, Kim Yu-han did have a chance to triumph. But he hesitated for a moment and was consequently defeated.
He had never hesitated before.
Once he made a plan, he always executed it without fail.
Why had he hesitated this time?
〈Apparently, I’ve changed a little, haven’t I?〉
It must have been because Lee Kang-cheol’s memory flashed across his mind at that instant.
Lee Kang-cheol often emphasized: everyone has their own role, and that includes Team 808. So, he advised adhering to principles and focusing thoroughly on one’s duty at any given moment.
Kim Yu-han considered such words absurd and seldom followed them, but the irony of human nature is this: he adhered to this advice during the most decisive moment.
Now he must pay the price by giving up his life.
How undignified and foolish of him!
But…
Kim Yu-han burst into laughter instead.
Strangely, he felt no regret.
Kim Yu-han knew the reason too.
The changes he’d gone through, he now thought weren’t bad. Reflecting on his life, it had been filled with hatred for criminals, but now it was different.
After meeting Lee Kang-cheol, he experienced various new things.
Different perspectives, different thoughts, different realizations.
And feelings he had never known before.
Perhaps the name of this feeling was friendship.
“Everyone has their own role.”
Kim Yu-han repeated those words again.
It was like reaffirming his identity.
He wasn’t really qualified to call himself a detective. After all, he hadn’t been righteous. How many times had he privately condemned criminals? Being a detective had only been a means to an end.
Thus, it was somewhat disappointing.
Because now, he could never become a detective like Lee Kang-cheol.
However…
Wouldn’t it be possible to support a capable detective like Lee Kang-cheol, enabling him to have a perfect career? Kim Yu-han mused that such an ending would suit him well.
Lee Kang-cheol probably caught the criminal by now.
Roar—!
Amid the still-burning warehouse.
Suddenly, an unwelcome face flashed in his mind.
His parents.
Kim Yu-han said with nonchalance.
“Why are you upset that I didn’t avenge you? Don’t blame me. Be satisfied that the guy’s caught. I wish you’d stop appearing in my head now. Rest in peace.”
…Because I want some rest too.
Simultaneously muttering these words, Kim Yu-han felt his consciousness blurring. The flames seemed to invite him to dance, but his mind was already clouded from the smoke.
Gradually.
Very gradually.
Kim Yu-han’s awareness sank deeply.
…
Nothing could be seen anymore.
It was the moment all senses blurred.
…
“Yu-han!”
Kim Yu-han faintly thought he heard something, but he couldn’t respond. It felt as though someone was trying to wake him up while he was incredibly drowsy.
…
“Kim Yu-han!”
Kim Yu-han unwittingly curled the corners of his lips.
Because that voice resembled Lee Kang-cheol’s.
…
“Kim Yu-han! Kim Yu-han!”
This fact amused Kim Yu-han greatly. To hear hallucinations of Lee Kang-cheol’s voice even at the end – how funny.
But.
Right then.
Crack!
〈!〉
Something violently shook him, and Kim Yu-han realized all the sensations were not dreams.
Snap!
The ropes restraining him broke, and he felt someone hoisting him up. The one doing so ran frantically, cutting through the smoke that had spread densely like dark clouds.
After being carried for a brief moment.
Whoosh—!
As soon as they emerged from the warehouse, the fresh air pierced through his lungs, clearing Kim Yu-han’s dazed mind.
And someone carelessly dropped him on the ground.
Thud—!
“Oof!”
Kim Yu-han furrowed his brows at the pain of hitting the ground, but quickly, his expression dissolved from his face.
An unexpected figure entered his vision.
“…Senior?”
Kim Yu-han’s eyes instantly widened. Panic settled in his face in an instant.
“What? What about the criminal’s arrest?”
Lee Kang-cheol didn’t answer.
Kim Yu-han immediately sat up in astonishment.
“…!”
Though the situation was abrupt, Kim Yu-han’s mind was sharp enough to understand all circumstances instantly. He grasped the judgment Lee Kang-cheol had made.
“Surely…?”
Still, Lee Kang-cheol gave no reply.
Kim Yu-han confirmed his guess was correct. Lee Kang-cheol didn’t arrest the criminal, but instead ran to him.
Kim Yu-han immediately grabbed Lee Kang-cheol’s collar.
“…Are you crazy? You just let go of the criminal?”
“It’s just on hold for now.”
“On hold? What kind of on hold?!”
Kim Yu-han exclaimed, clearly exasperated.
“For all these years, haven’t you always emphasized principles? Saying we must adhere to them at all times? What are you doing right now? You let the criminal go, and you missed the greatest opportunity of a lifetime!”
Just then, when Kim Yu-han was yelling,
Suddenly, Lee Kang-cheol’s fist tensed.
Smack!
The sound of a heavy strike.
Kim Yu-han’s head jolted to the side, and he fell back down with a thud. Lee Kang-cheol had hit him.
A moment of silence followed.
Kim Yu-han looked more startled that Lee Kang-cheol didn’t adhere to principles than that he himself had been hit. Lee Kang-cheol adjusted his clothes slowly and spoke.
“Principle. Yeah, principles are important.”
Looking down at Kim Yu-han, Lee Kang-cheol continued.
“So even this time, I followed the principle.”
“Absolute nonsense…”
“Something I’ve never mentioned before – the Rule Zero of Team 808. I’ll tell it to you now. Listen carefully and remember it.”
Interrupting Kim Yu-han’s words,
“No arrest takes precedence over a partner’s life. Got it?”
“…”
Kim Yu-han couldn’t say anything.
More precisely, he lost all words.
Kim Yu-han was not someone who broke principles because he didn’t know them. If anything, he broke them while knowing them all. So, he understood well – there was no such thing as Rule Zero.
“Rule Zero? There’s no such rule…”
“And it’s on hold.”
Lee Kang-cheol now smiled.
“Eventually, we’ll catch him someday. That guy might be crazy, but I doubt he’s as crazy as you, right?”
There was silence afterwards.
“…”
Kim Yu-han stared at Lee Kang-cheol blankly.
Now Kim Yu-han realized everything.
Lee Kang-cheol’s words implied that two of them were going to continue working together in the future. So, he hadn’t given up on the criminal but had something more precious to prioritize.
And that was himself, Kim Yu-han.
They had become each other’s principles.
“…”
After gazing at each other for a long time,
Both burst into laughter at the same moment.
“…Did you know? Senior, you’re not all there either.”
“To think I’d be told that by you.”
They didn’t need to say aloud that they had started resembling each other. Sometimes, there are moments when people understand each other’s thoughts without uttering a word, and this was one of those moments.
And.
Tap…
A sensation of something lightly tapping the top of their heads.
Tap… Plop…
Lifting his head, Kim Yu-han saw raindrops gently tapping his forehead. It began raining, quite heavily.
Before long, it started pouring.
Shoosh—aaa—!
With the world getting soaked,
Kim Yu-han remained crouched, while Lee Kang-cheol stood still. They both looked up at the raining sky amicably.
“Kim Yu-han.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s return. It’s time to report the failure.”
The mention of returning now seemed especially good to Kim Yu-han.
Thinking about it, he had never had a place to call home.
Now, he did. Team 808. His family.
Woooooow—!
At that moment, sirens blared all around as fire trucks arrived. Lee Kang-cheol squinted at the headlights, while firefighters rushed toward the burning warehouse.
“We’d better hurry back.”
As Lee Kang-cheol muttered this,
“…!”
He was genuinely surprised, greatly.
It was because the headlights of the arriving fire trucks revealed a scene he’d never seen before.
And that scene was Kim Yu-han’s soaked body.
Kim Yu-han’s clothes clung tightly to his body, revealing a form that wasn’t at all like a man’s. There were curves where they shouldn’t be and a distinct lack of something that should have been there. Instead, it looked as though skilled hatchet work had been done, leaving clear cut marks.
“Kim Yu-han…?”
At this moment, all the lingering doubts in Lee Kang-cheol’s mind started making sense.
The fact that they had never used public bathrooms or locker rooms together, the strange facial features and voice.
“…”
“You…?”
Shoosh—aaa—
The rain kept pouring.
“Shh.”
Kim Yu-han quietly placed his finger on his lips.
“This is a secret.”
Now Lee Kang-cheol also smiled mischievously, as if becoming a co-conspirator.
How long had they stared at each other like that?
The rain suddenly stopped.
It was because the sprinkler in the air halted its rain dispersion.
A rainbow appeared momentarily.
“Okay—! Perfect—!”
At the same time came the excited shout of PD Choi Hee-won.
As workers flooded in like zombies, Sua and Kim Sun-il quietly shared a pleased smile.
Special Response Team 808!
It was the moment of successful climax filming.
