The Police Do a Better Job than Heroes - Chapter 65

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 65: Fame Is Often Exaggerated (2)

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The next morning.

"...?"

When Kang Jin-ho opened the precinct door and arrived for work, he found the atmosphere oddly unsettled. It was somewhere between anticipation and anxiety.

The senior officers were gathered in one corner, whispering among themselves, while Raphael, the precinct chief, wore an unusually crisp formal uniform and beamed from ear to ear. Kang Jin-ho followed their gazes and saw...

"Loyalty! Rookie Officer Jeong Do-man, reporting in with a salute!"

"Easy, easy. We aren't that formal around here. Relax."

"No, sir! I'm saluting because I want to! Loyalty!"

"Hoho, this one's got spirit."

A man stood there, announcing his presence with a sharp salute and a booming voice.

Thick eyebrows. Thick lips. A square jaw and a broad build. He looked like an ace at a glance. When he spotted Kang Jin-ho, his eyes lit up and he snapped into another salute.

"Loyalty! Rookie Officer Jeong Do-man! Are you Senior Officer Kang Jin-ho?"

"Uh... yeah, that's me."

"I look forward to working with youuuuu!!!"

Only then did Kang Jin-ho understand what was happening.

He had been at Light City Precinct 7 for nearly a year. At last, the day had come.

Kang Jin-ho finally had a junior...!

* * *

"Here, take these files."

Inside the chief's office, Raphael handed over a thick stack of documents bearing the name Jeong Do-man.

"He's a complete ace. Top graduate of the Police Academy, perfect scores in every physical fitness event, perfect marksmanship score. Good reputation too... Anyway, it sounds like the higher-ups have huge expectations for him."

Perfect score, perfect score, perfect score. Every page was crammed with praise. Did Kang Jin-ho really need to read it? He set the documents down.

"It's good that he's capable, but why did a Police Academy graduate come in as a rookie officer? Shouldn't he start as an inspector?"

"Well, you see."

Raphael chuckled.

"It's because of you."

"...Excuse me?"

"He came in as a rookie officer just to work under you. It's unprecedented, and normally it wouldn't be allowed... but apparently the higher-ups approved it because it was you, Jin-ho."

"...So he lowered his rank and came all the way to an outlying precinct just because of me? Instead of going to a police station?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm..."

Kang Jin-ho smacked his lips and picked up the papers again.

It was both impressive and flattering that someone had come all the way to this precinct just for him.

'...But am I really worth that much?'

Was there anything Jeong Do-man could actually learn from him...?

* * *

"Officer Jeong Do-man."

"Please just call me Do-man!"

"Ri...ght. Do-man, we'll patrol together today."

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

On the first day of training his junior, Kang Jin-ho left the precinct with Jeong Do-man. It had been a long time since he had patrolled with anyone other than Eun-yeong.

Training itself wasn't anything special. Show him the patrol route, explain what to watch out for, and help him remember the places that needed extra attention. It was the kind of simple training anyone could do, exactly as expected.

...Or at least, it should have been.

"Senior! Statistically, this area has a high elderly population, but the voice phishing prevention notice on that wall uses a format from three years ago! I'll request an updated version that covers the latest methods!"

"Uh... okay."

"Senior! The layout of that convenience store's displays is creating a CCTV blind spot! I'll recommend that the owner adjust the camera angle!"

"Uh... okay."

"Senior! That ability user over there hasn't put a harness on their pet tiger! Even if they have animal-control abilities, a harness is mandatory. I'll go remind them!"

"Uh, wait, what?"

Jeong Do-man was competent. Far more competent than Kang Jin-ho had expected.

Teach him one thing, and he understood three. He didn't just do what he was told, either. He found work for himself. Yet he never strayed far from the established way of doing things.

"Senior! Will this do!?"

"Mm... You did really well."

"Thank you!"

On the second day, Kang Jin-ho taught him paperwork. Even simple tasks usually took time to get used to, but Jeong Do-man finished the paperwork in the blink of an eye.

Starting on the fifth day, he began handling civilian complaints. He was so friendly and polite that elderly women who occasionally visited the precinct started asking, "Where's that big young man?"

"Man... why are rookies these days so intense?"

"They're the unusual ones."

Before even two weeks had passed, Jeong Do-man had established himself as the precinct's ace. The senior officers were constantly amazed by how he handled work, and Kang Jin-ho's workload had dropped considerably. All the miscellaneous tasks he used to handle as the youngest officer were quickly taken care of by Jeong Do-man, cutting his work in half.

Sure, it was nice having things easier physically. It was nice, but...

The problem was crime scenes.

"A theft report came in. Jin-ho, go with Do-man. It'll be good field training for the rookie."

"Yes, Chief."

The case itself was minor.

"The ring was still there as of last night... Please look at the CCTV footage. Look at this."

It was a very small jewelry store near the precinct. Jewelry stores generally had strict security, so theft reports weren't common, but this case was slightly different.

"See? It was still there up to this point... then poof! The ring disappears right here."

The previous night, the diamond ring displayed in the center of the case had suddenly vanished.

It had truly disappeared out of nowhere. The store door had never opened, and the display case lock was untouched, yet only the ring inside went poof. The ring disappeared between two CCTV frames, and the jewelry store owner was nearly losing their mind as they jumped up and down.

"It has to be the work of a space-type ability user! Please catch the culprit!"

"Ooh... Is this a locked-room theft case?"

Jeong Do-man's eyes sparkled with excitement. Kang Jin-ho stood behind him with his arms folded, thinking.

'...I know this case.'

The trick was memorable because it was rather clever.

The answer was simple. The ring had already been swapped out.

About three weeks earlier, two ability users pretending to be newlyweds had visited the jewelry store. They tried on necklaces and rings to stall for time, then swapped the real ring for a fake while the owner looked away.

Since it was a ring created with an ability, it had a time limit. Last night happened to be when that limit ran out.

That was why the ring vanished in an instant, and why no one had broken into the jewelry store the previous night.

He knew the answer. The important thing wasn't the answer itself. It was how to explain it.

'Where should I even start...?'

Kang Jin-ho wandered in front of the display case, tapping the glass with a finger.

He couldn't just blurt out, "Uh, it was swapped three weeks ago?" That would be jumping the gun too hard.

He always needed to be convincing when dealing with civilians. First, he needed to organize his thoughts. Half talking to himself, Kang Jin-ho reviewed the key points of the case.

"It's certain that nobody came in overnight. The display case wasn't opened either."

"Yes, that's why it's a locked room!"

"But only the item disappeared... Well, rather than disappearing, it was like it was never there in the first place..."

"...!"

Jeong Do-man suddenly shot to his feet, his eyes widening.

"Wait! I know! Owner, has anyone handled that ring within the past month?"

"Y-Yes... A newlywed couple tried it on..."

"They must be the culprits! They must have pretended to try it on, then swapped the real ring for a fake! I learned that objects created with abilities have a time limit. The ring didn't vanish because it was stolen last night. It vanished because the fake reached the end of its duration!"

"...!!!"

Jeong Do-man marveled that this explained the locks, the door, and the CCTV. Having reached the conclusion in an instant, he spun around, his face flushed with excitement.

"Senior! Is that right!?"

"...Uh, yeah. Sure."

Kang Jin-ho nodded awkwardly.

He figured out the truth from just that? Kang Jin-ho was inwardly stunned when...

"Thankfully, we haven't deleted the CCTV footage from that day, and they bought another item with a card! Thank goodness, thank goodness!"

The owner repeatedly bowed. After securing the footage from that date, Jeong Do-man gathered the card receipt and turned the materials over to the department in charge of ability-related crimes.

"It's all thanks to you, Senior!"

"...What did I do?"

"Come on, Senior. You already knew the answer, didn't you? I know you let me have it!"

"..."

That was true. In a way, Kang Jin-ho had let him have it.

Still, Kang Jin-ho had seen what Jeong Do-man wrote in his notebook earlier.

-Senior doesn't give direct answers. He only gives me something to think about. It seems like he wants me to grow.

-Senior's silence gives me a chance to think.

-It seems like Senior realizes the answer as soon as he enters a crime scene. I need to figure out his secret.

"Haa..."

Without realizing it, Kang Jin-ho rubbed his forehead with his palm.

This felt like it was getting bigger and bigger...