anwhile, inside the National Police Agency.
Not everyone was celebrating.
The phones wouldn’t stop ringing. Officers rushing back and forth, shouting over each other. The whole place felt like it was on fire.
The commissioner slamd his hand on the desk, the pens jumped from the impact. When he spoke, his voice was loud and uneven, full of anger.
"This is insanity! Madness!" he roared. "He’s not a judge, he’s a damn criminal! A murderer!"
He pointed hard at the TV, jabbing his finger toward the screen where Han Soo-jin’s article was running across the news ticker.
"And the dia—" his hand shook as he pointed, "—they’re painting him like so kind of god!"
The room went dead silent after his outburst.
No one dared to speak.
His eyes moved across the group of senior officers, searching for even one reaction, but none of them looked up — they just kept their heads down, silent.
They were too ashad and too scared to say anything. None of them had any idea who killed those n, or who this so-called Underworld Judge even was.
That was when the door swung open.
The secretary ca rushing in, almost tripping over his own feet in his hurry. His head was bowed so low it looked like he was afraid to even breathe the sa air as the people inside.
Deep lines cut across her forehead, her brows twitching like they might snap.
Her heart was hamring so loud it felt like the whole room could hear it.
Even then, when she opened her mouth, the words ca out tight, squeezed, trembling under the weight of tension.
"Commissioner, sir... urgent call. It’s from Chairman Kang Dae-shik and Assemblyman Seok Joon-ho. They said it can’t wait."
The commissioner’s jaw tightened, and a small twitch ran through his eye. He didn’t need to ask anything — he already knew why.
"Tch." He waved his hand, dismissing the officers. "Out. All of you. Now. And don’t just stand there—go dig sothing up on him! Anything! I don’t care how!"
The chairs screeched against the floor as the officers jumped to their feet. Papers rustled as they all moved at once.
Every one of them shut their files, and they hurried to grab everything in front of them. Not one of them looked toward the commissioner — they just moved fast, trying to get out of his sight.
Heads stayed down, shoulders stiff, everyone just wanting to get out of the conference room as fast as possible. One by one they pushed toward the door.
The room emptied fast, leaving only the commissioner and his secretary.
The commissioner stord into his private office. The phone on the desk was blinking.
He grabbed the receiver in a hurry, pressing it hard to his ear.
"Commissioner!" The voice on the other end was loud, trembling with fury. "What the hell are you doing?! Our sons are dead and the whole country is calling them criminals!"
Another voice cut in, deeper, just as angry. "That damn article! Do you see it?! Do you see what the dia is saying?! This lunatic — this so-called Judge — he’s making a mockery of the law!"
The commissioner’s grip went white on the receiver. His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.
"You listen to ," Kang’s father spat through the line. "I don’t care what it takes — find him! Do you understand?! FIND HIM! Before this spreads any further!"
The commissioner forced his voice low, almost bowing into the receiver.
"P-please, Chairman Kang, Assemblyman Seok... don’t worry. We’ll catch him. I swear it. I’ll put every unit on this case. Just... give so ti."
His throat felt dry, each word squeezed out like he was begging for his own position to survive.
"Stop this madness or we’ll take it higher," Seok’s father added, voice like ice. "Do your job, Commissioner. Or we’ll make sure soone else does."
The call cut.
"Fuck... fuck!" The commissioner slamd the receiver down hard, the sound cracking through the room.
"Damn it! Fuck! What the hell are they even saying—above the law?!" His face twisted red, veins bulging on his neck.
"These idiots... they’re the ones who think they’re above the law too!"
The commissioner’s teeth clenched. He yanked the receiver up, finger pressed the speed dial.
"Get the Chief of Gangnam Station. Now."
The line clicked. A weary, sharp voice answered.
"Commissioner-nim?"
The commissioner’s voice rolled like thunder through the receiver.
"Chief, I don’t care how — find this bastard! One article from Han Soo-jin and the SNS exploded with s and hero-worship. Do you realize what that does? It destroys reputations. It burns careers. It burns mine. It will burn yours. If this drags on, I will bury you — your career, your favors, your na. I will make you wish you were never born. Produce a na. Produce a suspect. Now. Do you hear ?!"
He spoke in one long, ragged breath, voice rising and falling like he was going to choke on his own anger. Words ca out too fast, too many at once, as if he had been holding them back for hours and now couldn’t stop himself.
Sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking into his collar. His hand gripped the receiver so hard the veins stood out, his knuckles pale.
"Find him—now—do you hear ?!" The words slamd out of his mouth, heavy and sharp, every syllable like he was hamring nails into Chief ears.
He didn’t care. He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop. Not while his na, his seat, his career—everything he had built—was hanging by a thread.
On the other end, the Chief’s voice cracked, trembling so bad it almost broke into a whisper.
"Y-yes, C-Commissioner-nim... y-yes, of course. W-we’re... we’re just w-waiting f-for the forensic team. The r-report... it will co soon. P-please... j-just a little more ti."
His words tumbled out in pieces, stuttering like his tongue couldn’t keep up with his fear. Every syllable sounded like he was bowing lower and lower, begging through the phone.
The commissioner’s rage boiled over. He slamd the receiver down with a crack.
The line cut instantly.
The Chief slowly put the receiver down. His hand was still shaking a little. Sweat was dripping on his temple, sliding down to his collar. He took a deep breath and let it out, but it didn’t calm him.
"Shit..." he whispered, almost to himself. His hands pressed hard on the desk, his fingers pale from the grip.
Then he pushed the chair back too fast, it made a loud screech on the floor. He stood up quick, his body felt heavy but he couldn’t sit anymore.
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