[ One Hour Earlier ]
He walked down the street quietly, the noise of the police car siren fading behind him.
A faint glow blinked in his right eye.
[ Echo Mask — Cooldown: 5h 38m ]
[ Alias Impression — Inactive ]
He let out a short breath. "Good," he said. "Don't need it."
The roads ahead flashed with red and blue lights from the police cars.
Barricades were placed on every corner, some even blocking whole streets.
Everywhere he looked, officers were yelling and checking IDs, stopping people, pulling off masks and hoodies to see their faces.
Even the cars that tried to pass through were being stopped one by one.
Officers opened trunks, looked inside, and waved the next car forward.
The whole street looked like it was locked down.
Some officers held up photos in their hands — the same face Kim had rebuilt on the screen, Park Joon-ho's face ten years older — showing it to confused pedestrians.
"Excuse me, sir, have you seen this man?"
"No, officer, I—what's going on?"
"Just routine check, keep moving."cc
Everywhere he looked, police were moving around to find Park Joon-ho.
He let out a small, dark laugh. "Pathetic," he muttered. "They move the whole city, call every unit, block every road… just to hunt me. Me. The one cleaning up the filth they let walk free."
His eyes glowed faint under the hood.
"They call me a criminal? For judging trash their courts protected? For doing the job they were too weak, too corrupt, too scared to do?"
His voice got low, calm but sharp, cutting more than shouting.
"Let them come. Let the whole damn country come. I'll show them what justice really looks like."
"Crowd Seal."
[ Skill Activated: Crowd Seal ]
[ Effect: Presence distortion — nearby targets fail to register user's appearance. Range: 5 meters. Duration: 20 minutes. ]
He turned his head, glancing once at the patrol cars moving in the distance, then walked the other way — toward the older part of town.
People passed by him without looking twice.
Even the officers standing close didn't seem to notice him — their eyes just slid over like he wasn't there.
Then his right eye glowed faintly again.
[ Judge Eye — Activated ]
[ Suspicion Detected ]
[ Emotional Signal — Strong Curiosity / 8 meters behind ]
He turned slightly, enough to see the edge of the crowd.
A woman stood near the shop sign — shoulder-length hair, cap pulled low, phone in her hand.
She looked calm, but her eyes moved quick, like she was counting things — police cars, roadblocks, faces.
Her emotions slipped through the glow — sharp curiosity, steady focus.
['All this for one man? Every unit out here… what are they hiding?']
Hyun Woo blinked once, the light fading from his eye.
He didn't turn again, just muttered,
"Curious one."
Han Soo-jin lowered her phone a little, pretending to check the screen.
She had already taken a few quick shots — the barricades, the officers standing at each corner, the crowd being checked one by one.
She didn't need close-ups. Even from far away, the picture told enough — the scale of the lockdown, the tension in how the officers moved.
She slipped her phone into her jacket pocket and walked a little closer, keeping her head down.
The closer she got, the clearer their voices became.
"Show every passerby the photo. No exceptions."
"Keep an eye out — male, mid-thirties, black hoodie."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
They were holding printed photos of some man. They weren't just searching for a random suspect.
She took another slow step forward, pretending to be curious like everyone else.
"Did something happen here?" she asked, voice quiet, polite.
"Routine check," one officer said without looking at her. "Please move along."
Her eyes dropped for a second — to the photo in police officer hand.
She nodded, still smiling, but her eyes had already memorized the face on the photo.
As she stepped aside, she looked around again, her eyes moving from one officer to another.
Most of them looked too busy or too tired, but she was already searching for an easy one — someone she could talk to, maybe twist a little, and find out what was really going on.
Then she saw one — a middle-aged officer, Officer Jang, standing near a patrol car, arms crossed. He looked half bored and half tired, leaning against the car door, checking his watch often. He was alone. No one around to step in or interrupt.
A wedding ring on his finger, but that never meant much.
Most old guys like that still looked when someone young smiled their way.
"Perfect" Han Soo Jin wishpered.
Soo-jin took a breath, fixed her hair a little, and walked his way like she was just passing through.
When she got closer, she stumbled on purpose, letting out a small gasp.
"Ah—sorry!"
The officer reacted fast, his hand grabbing her arm to steady her.
She looked up at him, smiling a little.
"Wow… strong grip," she said softly, her hand resting on his arm for a second, lingering. "Guess it comes with the job, huh?"
The man chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah, something like that. You okay?"
The man chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah, something like that. You okay?"
"Yeah," she said, still smiling. "Just didn't see that bump there. Long day, you know?"
He nodded, shoulders loosening a bit, the edge on his face fading. A small grin slipped out before he could hide it.
Soo-jin smiled again, keeping her tone light.
"Sorry again, really. You just looked like the only one not about to collapse here," she said.
The officer laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's been a long night."
She tilted her head, studying his face—eyes tired, lips pressed tight, the kind of man who wanted to complain but couldn't.
Han Soo-jin "You guys chasing someone?" she asked, voice casual. "Looks serious. All this noise for one guy? Everyone is saying it's that Park Joon Ho."
He hesitated just a little. That was all she needed.
"Can't say much," he said, lowering his voice. "Big order from upstairs. They think the guy's still around here."
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a confidential whisper. "Tell me honestly, Officer Jang. I saw the photo—is it just that Park Joon Ho? The one everyone is whispering about—the illegal gambling ring boss?"
She let her hand quickly squeeze his bicep through the uniform sleeve. "All these lights and muscle... for a simple gambler? You look too smart to be chasing a small fish like that."