DHW 02

Chapter 02….

Neighborhood Patrol (1)**

Bzzz—bzzzz.

The smartphone on the desk vibrated.

It was the alarm set for 5 o’clock sharp. Choi Yeon turned it off and stood up from his seat.

From beyond the partition, Deputy Chief Kim Jae-sang’s sharp gaze shot toward him. His voice was as cold as his eyes.

“Choi Yeon. Where do you think you’re going?”

“…Patrol. Going on patrol. Relax your face a little, will you? Thought you were about to pounce on me.”

“Don’t blame my face, punk. You see guilt because you feel guilty.”

“Guilty? Hmm. Nope. Nothing to feel guilty about.”

Twitch.

A vein pulsed wildly across Deputy Chief Kim’s broad forehead. Something roared up from deep inside his gut, making the thick vessels on his head bulge.

Maybe because of that—
his voice trembled slightly.

“…You have nothing… to feel guilty about?”

“Nothing at all. I’m seriously going on patrol. No hidden meaning.”

His expression was innocent—pure, even. Like a child saying only the truth.

But Kim Jae-sang wasn’t fooled.

Eight years working with Choi Yeon had honed his instincts. He could see through the boy’s soul.

“…Sure. You’ll patrol. But.”

He spoke with emphasis.

Just tell the truth, you lying brat.

“Where does that patrol end?”

“…Excuse me?”

“After you finish patrolling, where will you be standing?”

“Well, obviously—”

“In front of your house, you little shit.”

“……”

Choi Yeon didn’t argue.
He just kept that innocent look on his face.

Like a monster baring its teeth, Kim growled,

“How’s that a patrol? That’s just taking the long way home from work.”

“Aww, no way. It takes over an hour. Doesn’t that count as a patrol?”

“You hopeless brat. Your shift ends at six. Patrol until then.”

“What? That’s insane. You want me working after I get off work?”

“And leaving at five ISN’T insane?”

“I mean… probably not?”

Tremble…

Kim’s fist shook.

Maybe if I sock him in that loud mouth of his, I’ll feel better.

He grumbled silently.
Being a civilized adult, he didn’t actually punch him.
Instead, he turned to the quietly observing Choi Hee-seok.

“Hee-seok. Talk to him. He might ignore me, but he listens to you.”

“Hmm…”

Does he? Doesn’t feel like it…

Hee-seok didn’t say that part aloud. Instead, he looked at Choi Yeon.

Caught under his gaze, Yeon scratched his cheek. He looked like a child who’d been caught trying to sneak candy before dinner.

“Yeon.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“Patrol thoroughly. If anything happens, call immediately. Got it?”

“Of course. Absolutely!”

With that cheerful reply, Yeon darted out of the office.

He was so fast that Kim didn’t even have time to grab him.

Slowly, Kim’s sharp eyes shifted from the door… to Hee-seok.

“And what the hell was that supposed to be?”

Hee-seok looked away.

✦ ✦ ✦

Choi Yeon crossed Malmang Four-Way Intersection.

Time for a big loop around Seonhwa-dong—
A patrol. Not going home. A patrol.

As he walked, familiar faces greeted him.

“Patrolling again? Here, eat this while you work!”

The owner of the grocery threw him an apple.

He caught it one-handed, wiped it on his glove, took a bite, and gave a thumbs-up before moving along.

A little further, near Mok-dong Intersection—

“Oh. Already five o’clock? You work hard, Yeon.”

It was the owner of the tailor shop, smoking behind his store.

He pressed a finger to his lips—his wife didn’t know he smoked.

Yeon chuckled silently, then mimed zipping his mouth shut.

His wife, standing inside with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed, saw the whole thing anyway.

Still, Yeon had kept the secret with the solemnity of a government oath.

He walked past the shop, down Dong-Seo Road, passed a massage clinic, and reached Hunters GYM – Seonhwa Branch.

“Ah! Yeon hyung!”

A voice—not quite a boy, not yet a grown man.

Yeon turned his head.

Out from the narrow alley between buildings waddled… a large, round-headed bear.

Bop, bop, bop!

Every step the bear took made squeaky sounds.

“Seong-yoon.”

The person in the mascot suit was easy to recognize.

Only one acquaintance wore a bear suit and called him hyung: Go Seong-yoon.

“Out handing flyers?”

“Yes! And you heading home from work?”

“Deputy Chief says that’s blasphemy. This is officially patrol.”

“Right, right. Patrol disguised as going home.”

Whether patrol or going home—
people didn’t really care.

Flap.

Seong-yoon held out a flyer.

Yeon accepted politely.
He thought about correcting the misunderstanding again… then gave up.
The guy was too busy handing flyers to pedestrians to listen anyway.

Then why is he walking with me…?

He unfolded the flyer.

Pictures of cute animals—ferrets, raccoon dogs, martens—animals you rarely see.

At the bottom was a map with
Seonhwa Animal Café.

But there was one problem.

Not a single photo of a bear.

Why the bear suit, then…?

Yeon folded the flyer twice, stuffed it into his pocket.

“Here! Please take a flyer—!”

Bop, bop!

Seong-yoon intercepted a tired office worker.

Behind the worker, Yeon spotted two familiar men.

Men with back-mounted sacks, passing the new dual-fuel mana–gas filling station.

Yeon clicked his tongue.

“Those idiots…”

“Hyung? You know them?”

“Know them? They’re fools whose Hunter licenses got suspended. Now they run a shady errand business.”

“……!”

That was all Seong-yoon needed to understand.

Hunter licenses didn’t get suspended unless someone had done something pretty damn serious.

He stared at the men as they walked away.

Even from a distance—
even through mascot eye-holes—
their faces screamed up to no good.

Naturally, the sacks on their backs felt illegal.

“Why are people like that in our neighborhood…?”

“No idea. People who’ll do anything for money… hard to predict them.”

“Uh… then should we report them?”

“Let’s just pray they turn right.”

“Right? Why right?”

Confused, Seong-yoon looked at Yeon.

Yeon didn’t explain.

He just stared at the two men and chanted under his breath.

“Turn right… turn right…”

“……?”

“Turn right! Go toward Nuweok!”

He even clasped his hands together—like praying to the heavens.

“Please…”

The men reached Jungchon Four-Way Intersection.

A decision point.

Yeon fell silent, staring unblinking.

Gulp.

He swallowed.

The men made their choice.

“Ah—!”

They crossed the street.
Went straight.
Not right.

Yeon’s shoulders sagged.

“Why didn’t they go to Nuweok…? Then I could’ve ignored them…”

Seeing him genuinely heartbroken, Seong-yoon gently patted his back.

He had no idea why this mattered so much, but watching the usually cheerful Yeon look so defeated was sad.

“Uh… then should we… report it now?”

“To who?”

“Uh, obviously the police or the district—oh.”

Smack!

Seong-yoon slapped his forehead.
Well, the side of his cheek. The mascot head was too big.

He’d tried to report a suspicious situation… to a district Hunter who was literally standing right next to him.

Even he felt stupid.

Thankfully, no one could see him blush inside the suit.

Yeon spoke, calm as ever.

“Leave it to me. You just keep handing out flyers.”

His tone was flat, steady.

And he simply walked forward.

So naturally, so peacefully—

that Seong-yoon found himself handing a flyer to the next passerby almost automatically.

“Hello! Please take a flyer!”

As always.

✦ ✦ ✦

Yeon followed the two men to Hyeonam Bridge, on the northern end of Seonhwa-dong.

Under the bridge were more than twenty pillars.
Below them flowed the Daejeon Stream.

The two men went down beneath the bridge.
Yeon waited quietly, then followed.

It was darker than expected.
Like night had fallen early.

He stepped carefully.

The two men stopped.

Yeon hid behind one of the pillars.

“……”

Someone was already there.

In the darkness, with long hair and a slender frame—
Yeon couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.

But—

“Oh. You’re already here.”

“We hurried so we wouldn’t keep you waiting. If we were late, we ap—”