Chapter 15 – Not “Gangjang,” It’s “Gyeongjang”
Hosik sat her down on the sofa in the precinct’s lobby and handed her a vitamin drink and an aloe beverage. The officers inside the precinct watched curiously as he busily opened and closed the fridge.
“I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Oh, I never mentioned it? It’s super close to Hwaran’s place, so it’s a convenient commute. We eat breakfast together at eight, and I leave at eight-thirty. It takes less than 30 minutes on foot.”
The officers fixated on one part: “We eat breakfast together at eight.”
The officer sitting at the desk farthest in—an older-looking man—began fanning himself lazily with a round fan as he made his way toward them.
“Well now, our Gwon Gangjang’s friend is here~?”
He was a plump man in his late fifties, speaking in a Gyeongsang dialect. Hosik introduced Muru.
“She’s my friend. A novelist from Seoul. This is our precinct chief.”
When Muru bowed and greeted him with a polite “Hello,” the chief exclaimed, “Oh my, a real author!” and held out his hand. Caught off guard, Muru became the “author” and was helplessly shaken by his big, burly handshake. The chief slapped Hosik’s shoulder and grinned.
“Didn’t know Gwon Gangjang had such a pretty friend! Is this a serious relationship?”
“No, sir.”
Hosik’s expression went cold. It was such a hard denial that Muru wasn’t sure if he was denying the serious relationship part—or the pretty part.
“She’s part of the Hwaran house. And I’ve told you several times—I have a girlfriend.”
“Ohh, that girl from back home…”
The chief leaned toward Muru and asked,
“I overheard a bit earlier… what’s your name?”
“Ah, yes. It’s Joo… Mu… Ru.”
Hosik didn’t notice, but Muru saw it. The moment the chief’s expression shuttered like a closing gate.
“…That’s a very unusual name, isn’t it?”
The chief forced a polite smile, said “Carry on with your work,” and returned to his desk.
What was that about? Muru felt uneasy watching his round figure walk away.
“What brings you here?”
“I left my laptop on the village bus.”
“Your laptop?” Hosik repeated, then went behind the desk and brought back a laptop bag with a white base and green stripe. It was Joo Muru’s.
“This one?”
“Oh my god…”
Muru hugged the bag and instinctively hunched over. The tension in her body finally started to ease.
“Thank goodness. I didn’t have a backup—everything I’ve written is in here. Thanks, Hosik.”
“The bus driver brought it in. Thank him, not me.”
Fortunately, the driver’s contact info was recorded on the lost item form. Muru expressed her gratitude to the officers multiple times and left the precinct.
Once Muru’s back disappeared through the glass door, the chief leaned over to Hosik.
“She moved into the house you’re staying in?”
“Yes. And it’s Gyeongjang, not Gangjang.”
Hosik corrected his pronunciation and tried to return to work. But the chief rolled over in his chair and sidled up to him.
“She moved in for good?”
“I don’t know. The landlord would know that.”
“Park Tarim?”
“Yes.”
“You and Tarim are friends, right?”
“Yep.”
“And your friend Oh Igyeom also lives there?”
“Yes.”
“Why would a young woman move into a house with only men?”
Hosik, distractedly answering while staring at his monitor, finally turned his head. His narrow eyes locked onto the chief.
“Chief.”
“Yes?”
“If a married man shows interest in a woman in her twenties, that’s a breach of social ethics, sir.”
Hosik mimicked his dialect with a wide smile.
Only Gwon Hosik, the Gyeongjang, dared talk back to the chief like that. But Kim Mansu, nicknamed the Raccoon of Bongnim-dong, wasn’t fazed at all.
For all his joking, there was no officer more clever, quick, and tactful than Gwon Hosik. Plus, he was like a nephew—his mother was the chief’s wife’s best friend. The chief had watched him grow up from diapers. He was the one who encouraged Hosik, a former Asian Games silver medalist in shooting, to apply through special recruitment after an injury ended his career. In fact, Hosik’s sister had even gone to high school with the chief’s eldest daughter. They were tangled in academic ties, social ties, blood ties, and work ties.
“Ayy, come on! I’m not like that!”
“Yes sir. Please cherish your love for your wife.”
“This whole ‘MZ Generation’ thing—it’s not someone else’s problem anymore. This one’s got no respect!”
“Always honored to serve, Chief Kim Mansu. And again, it’s Gyeongjang.”
“Gangjang.”
“Gyeongjang.”
“Gangjang.”
The other officers burst out laughing at the silly exchange.
Chief Kim Mansu casually grabbed his fan and a pack of cigarettes and stepped outside. He slowly made his way to the smoking area behind the building. After checking that no one was around, he pulled out his phone, searched a name in his contacts, and pressed call. After a few rings, someone picked up.
“This is Kim Mansu.”
[Yes.]
“Um… Joo Muru is in Junsan now, right?”
[…Yes.]
“I don’t think she’s just visiting. What do you want to do?”
There was silence on the other end. Kim Mansu frowned and put a cigarette to his lips, clearly stressed.
Hosik’s phone alarm rang. It was time to feed the cats that roamed near the precinct.
It was a task passed down from a senior officer when Hosik was first assigned here. If he didn’t feed them, the three cats who showed up daily would go hungry. Even on his days off, he’d ask others to help. He really loved those cats.
He scooped some food from the stash in the backroom and headed out behind the building. The cats ate near the smoking area.
Just before turning the corner, he heard the chief’s voice and instinctively froze.
“If Joo Muru stays here, do you think I’ll be comfortable?”
Of all things to overhear… With only one voice, it was clear the chief was on the phone.
“…Yes. …Yes. …No, I need you to tell me how long I’m supposed to watch and wait.”
The tension in the chief’s voice was obvious. Hosik clenched the plastic food dish tighter.
Why would the chief feel uncomfortable just because Muru was in Junsan? What did he mean by watching and waiting?
“…Got it. Hang up now.”
That phrase—“hang up now”—was the chief’s way of ending a call. He said that to everyone, claiming it was how people back in his hometown ended phone conversations.
Hosik swiftly and quietly backed away. His years of experience as a shooter came in handy now.
When Chief Kim Mansu came around the corner, putting out his cigarette, he ran into Hosik carrying the food bowl.
“Aish. I told you not to smoke so much. My aunt’s going to scold me again.”
Hosik shook his head and passed by. The chief didn’t suspect a thing.
“Bring that friend of yours and everyone else from the house for dinner.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow or whenever works.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hosik even gave a crisp salute.
As the chief pushed open the precinct door, he was already hatching a private scheme. Under the guise of feeding the kids a home-cooked meal, he planned to get them talking and dig for information.
Something he thought long finished was starting to stir inside him again. It wasn’t even hot, yet he kept fanning himself nervously.
[Dress code: A Better Tomorrow]
A message from Oh Igyeom popped up in the Hwaran House group chat. Upon reading it, all the housemates had the same thought: Seriously?
“Oh Igyeom. Why did you send that as a text?”
Tarim frowned and stared at him. Hosik and Tarim both turned their heads to look at him.
All four housemates were watching Netflix together in the living room. Also, two minutes earlier, Hosik had clearly said aloud, “Our chief is inviting us over for dinner tomorrow.”
“Heh. I felt kind of embarrassed…”
Like the resident eccentric he was, Igyeom blushed. Tarim assumed Hosik would oppose the dress code idea the most. But instead—
“The chief’s aunt will love it. Should we try it?”
He betrayed her.
“What do you mean, A Better Tomorrow? Just dress neatly.”
“Let’s all wear trench coats and sunglasses.”
“This guy knows what’s up. You need a white scarf too. I call dibs on Chow Yun-fat. I’m biting the matchstick.”
“Hey! I was gonna be Chow Yun-fat!”
“I’m not doing this.”
Muru burst out laughing.
“This sounds fun. Let’s take a group photo. I’ll take it for you.”
Of course, she could laugh because she didn’t realize she was included too.
Hosik shook his head.
“Group photos are taken with a timer. You’re in it too.”
