Detour

05

Haein

Weeks passed quite peacefully, no henious or brutal crimes, no lunatic killers terrorizing around. Just minor crimes easily dealt by our station. Not that I wanted anyone dead for some action or fun, but maybe my system was so used to facing unimaginable crimes that normal killings no more ignite my police blood.

I could hear a chair being dragged to the floor, and Mingue was sitting next to me.

"Have you heard the news?" He whispered.

"What news?" I asked, my eyes not leaving the screen. I'm reading reports of police officers about consecutive burglary incidents in Itaewon.

"They are moving Steve back to Busan."

My heart stopped momentarily.

"Who told you that? Are you really into gossiping now?" I tried to dismiss any possible ideas of what would happen next if Steve was reallocated back to Busan. Where he belongs.

Less expectation, less disappointment.

"Inah's rubbing elbows with Steve's secretary, you know. He was throwing tantrums since yesterday. Apparently, he was against being transferred to Busan."

I huffed a short breath.

"What's wrong being moved back to his hometown, I would bet he's still a sup once he moved." I replied.

"The issue is not about the position, the issue is who's gonna replace him in SMPA."

Surely, if there's some sort of hierarchy in police stations, SMPA will always be on top in ROK. All could be sups from different stations, but when you say its SMPA sup, it was like placed on a different pedestal.

A higher one.

At least not to me. Getting the sup post means reward, a badge of my decade work, not some perk pass to boast around for my ego.

Well not for Steve, a nepo baby.

With how ecstatic Mingue's voice is, I am clearly having an idea why he is relaying his gossip to me.

"Better stop gossiping. If you want both of us to be thrown out first of SMPA before Steve." I said it as a half meant joke.

"I guess you use the right word. They wanted to throw Steve out, and it hurted his ego too much. Guess what's gonna hurt him even more?"

I know the answer of course.

"Less media exposure?" I chimed.

Mingue gave me a boisterous laugh.

"As if he looked good on TV." He hissed.

I have to join him laughing. Mingue's known for no filter words. And hot tempered too.

Well I am just the same. Depending on mood.

And people.

Especially the intolerable ones. The law breakers.

"I am dying to see his reaction if they announced his official movement to Busan and you replacing him. I can be forever stucked as an inspector just to get you promoted and get rid of that bastard in SMPA, I swear to God."

I was about to answer when Eugene came.

"Senior Sup Kim's summoning you, as in now." She whispered lowly, excitement obvious on her voice.

Mingue blew a thick air exaggeratedly, and Eugene's grin can't even be hidden.

The senior superintendent.