The station smelled of stale coffee and old paper, the kind of scent that clung to places where too many conversations had happened. Fluorescent lights hummed quietly overhead, casting a pale glow across the room, making everything feel just a little colder than it should have been.
Jin Tae-Hyuk sat at the metal table, his posture relaxed, hands resting loosely in front of him. There were no restraints.
Across from him sat two men.
One older, composed, his expression controlled and unreadable. The other younger, his posture stiff, his gaze sharper, less patient. A file lay open between them, pages slightly bent from use, photographs clipped neatly inside.
Broken rooftops. Collapsed structures. Debris scattered across concrete.
And one image in particular.
A figure standing alone in the middle of it all.
Tae-Hyuk.
The older officer tapped the file once. "Let's start simple," he said, "What were you doing on that rooftop?"
For a moment, nothing happened.
Tae-Hyuk didn't shift. His gaze remained steady, meeting the man's without any sign of discomfort.
"…Standing," he said.
The younger officer frowned immediately, leaning forward slightly. "Standing?" he repeated, his tone filled with disbelief. "That's your answer?"
"…Yes."
The younger officer let out a short breath through his nose. "You expect us to believe you were just standing there while half the roof collapsed?" he pressed.
Tae-Hyuk's gaze shifted slightly toward him. "…It collapsed after."
The response landed flat, but not in the way they expected. It wasn't defensive. It was simply… factual.
The younger officer leaned back slightly, shaking his head under his breath. "Right. Of course it did."
The older officer raised his hand gently, stopping him before he could continue. His eyes remained fixed on Tae-Hyuk, studying him carefully, as if trying to find something beneath the surface.
"On getting to the scene we noticed multiple individuals fleeing the scene," he continued. "Four… possibly five, and it seems like they were armed."
A pause.
"And you were the only one left."
His fingers tapped lightly against the table. "Explain that."
Tae-Hyuk lowered his gaze briefly, recollecting what had happened. The masked figures. Their coordination. The monk. That distorted, unfamiliar Qi.
Then he looked back up.
"…They left."
The younger officer's patience snapped a little. "Yes they left," he said, his voice tightening. "We're asking why you're still there."
"…Because I didn't leave."
That answer, simple as it was, seemed to catch him off guard more than anything else. For a moment, he didn't respond. Didn't even seem to know how.
The older officer exhaled slowly, shifting his approach. "Were you fighting them?" he asked.
Tae-Hyuk paused for just a second.
"…Yes."
"Self-defense?" the older officer followed.
"…Yes."
The younger officer leaned forward again, eyes narrowing. "With what?" he asked. "Your hands?"
Tae-Hyuk didn't answer.
The younger officer let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. "You want us to believe you took on multiple armed attackers barehanded?"
Tae-Hyuk's expression didn't change.
"…They were not ordinary."
The older officer caught it immediately. His gaze sharpened slightly. "…What do you mean by that?"
Tae-Hyuk didn't respond right away.
Because there was no answer he could give that would make sense here. No explanation that wouldn't sound like something pulled from fiction.
Qi. Techniques. Sects.
None of it belonged in this room.
"…They were trained," he said finally.
The older officer nodded slightly, considering it. That, at least, was more believable than anything else so far.
"Gang-related?" he asked.
"…No."
"Personal conflict?"
"…No."
Another pause.
The older officer leaned back in his chair, fingers resting lightly against the edge of the table. "…So five trained individuals attacked you… for no clear reason."
Tae-Hyuk said nothing.
The silence stretched again, heavier this time.
Then... A knock at the door.
It opened slightly, another officer stepping in. "Sir… someone's here for him."
The older officer frowned faintly. "Who?"
"Han Dae-Sung."
That name shifted something in the room.
The older officer glanced at Tae-Hyuk briefly before closing the file. "…We'll continue this later," he said, standing.
The younger officer looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't.
***
The front desk of the station was quieter than expected, the tension present was something everyone could feel but no one was willing to acknowledge openly. Officers moved about with practiced routine, papers shifting, phones ringing occasionally, conversations kept low. Still, more than a few glances drifted toward the man standing at the counter.
Han Dae-Sung.
He stood with his hands resting calmly behind his back, posture straight, presence steady. He didn't look impatient. If anything, he looked like someone who had simply come to handle a small matter before continuing with his day.
Soon after the older officer came out from the interrogation room.
"…Mr. Han," the officer said, inclining his head slightly. "It's been a while."
Han Dae-Sung smiled lightly. "It has," he replied. "You've been well, Officer Park?"
"I've been managing," Park said, though there was a hint of relief in his voice. "Didn't expect to see you here of all places."
Han Dae-Sung let out a quiet chuckle. "Neither did I."
There was a brief pause, one that carried familiarity rather than awkwardness.
Officer Park glanced down at the file in front of him, then back up. His expression shifted slightly, curiosity mixing with something more cautious.
"…You're here because of him?" he asked.
Han Dae-Sung followed his gaze without turning his head. "Yes."
Park hesitated, then spoke more carefully. "…He was found at the center of a pretty serious incident last night."
"I'm aware."
"There's property damage, multiple unidentified suspects, and…" he tapped the file lightly, "…a situation that doesn't quite make sense."
Han Dae-Sung's smile didn't fade, but it did soften slightly. "Not everything does."
Park studied him for a moment.
"…Is he your relative?" he asked.
"No."
"…Employee?"
"No."
That made Park pause.
"…Then who is he to you?"
Han Dae-Sung finally turned his head slightly, his gaze calm but steady. "…Let's just say, that he's under my care."
The wording was simple.
"…I see."
He glanced back down at the file again, flipping a page. Photos of the rooftop damage stared back at him, tiles shattered, concrete cracked in ways that didn't quite match any normal explanation.
"…He said he was attacked," Park continued. "Multiple people, and they were armed."
Han Dae-Sung didn't react.
Park exhaled quietly. "…And yet he's the only one we found."
"That tends to happen," Han Dae-Sung said calmly.
Park looked up again, brows knitting slightly. "…Mr. Han… you've lived in this district the most. You know how things work. This isn't something small I can just ignore."
Han Dae-Sung nodded once. "Of course."
Silence settled briefly between them.
Then Han Dae-Sung stepped a little closer to the counter, "…And I wouldn't ask you to ignore it," he said.
Park held his gaze.
"…I'm asking you to trust me."
Park didn't respond immediately.
Han Dae-Sung continued. "…The boy isn't a criminal. He didn't start that situation. Whatever happened up there… it wasn't something your paperwork will be able to explain properly."
Park let out a slow breath. "…That's exactly what concerns me."
Han Dae-Sung smiled faintly. "…I know."
Another pause.
"…But sometimes," Han Dae-Sung added, "it's better not to dig too deep into things that don't have clean answers."
Park's fingers tapped lightly against the file.
"…You're asking me to sweep it under the rug."
"I'm asking you to handle it quietly," Han Dae-Sung corrected. "For my sake."
Park looked at him for a long moment, weighing something internally.
"…You've done a lot for this community," he said finally. "People trust you, I trust you."
Han Dae-Sung didn't respond.
Park glanced at the file one more time, then closed it slowly.
"…If I do this," he said, lowering his voice slightly, "this doesn't happen again. No more incidents. No more… situations like this."
"I can't promise you that." Han Dae-sung replied.
Park studied him a second longer, then gave a small sigh. "…You always did know how to put me in difficult positions."
Han Dae-Sung chuckled lightly. "And you always find a way through them."
Park reached for a document, pulling it forward. "…I'll process the release," he said. "Officially, he was brought in for questioning and cleared pending further investigation."
"Thank you."
Park picked up a pen, then paused mid-motion.
"…Off the record," he said, glancing up, curiosity finally breaking through, "what actually happened up there?"
For the first time, Han Dae-Sung didn't answer immediately.
His gaze shifted slightly, thoughtful. "…Something the you are better off not knowing."
Park held his gaze, then slowly nodded. "…Right."
He signed the document. And just like that... the matter was settled.
***
Moments later, Tae-Hyuk stepped into the open space.
His eyes meeting with Han Dae-sung. For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Han Dae-Sung smiled faintly. "…You've had a busy night."
Tae-Hyuk inclined his head slightly. "…I apologize for the inconveniences."
Han Dae-Sung waved it off immediately. "Don't," he said. "Things like this… happen."
He slid the signed document across the counter. Park reviewed it briefly, then nodded, though his gaze lingered on Tae-Hyuk just a moment longer than necessary.
"You're free to go." he finally said.
And just like that, the incident of the previous night was buried.
For now.