'Good policeman'

Chapter 4

He got to the station rather quickly, his ‘strategy’ of doing turns when it felt right surprisingly worked. The door opens for him, commencing yet another day in the saga of life, where the ordinary lays the groundwork for more.... boredom.

“Hello.” Shin said, sitting down at his desk to his unpleasant partner. He could tell he did something wrong just from her facial expression. “Mr. Nam, I have a few questions for you.”

Oh, what now? Can't she even greet me? I should be the one asking questions.

“Yes ma'am.” He replied sassly.

She gave him a glare that could curdle milk from across the room, a silent warning shot that spoke volumes without a single word uttered.

“Your files didn't state the position you had in your previous job. Why?” “I don't know… I was a higher up narc. If you don't believe me, I can give you my old boss's number-” “No, that’s all right… It makes sense with your accomplishments, what doesn't make sense is your transfer here.”

Shin's defenses shot up faster than a drawbridge at a medieval fortress, ready to repel any perceived threat with the precision of a master swordsman. “You know what? Why are you even asking me and more importantly, why are you looking through my files, hm? I am your senior, so respect me. It's not like I don't respect you.”

Shin exclaimed in annoyance, turning around whilst burying his face on to the  monitor of his computer.

“Good morning everyone!” With a slide, the door flew open, unveiling the enigmatic figure of Mr. Park, his presence shrouded in an aura of intrigue and anticipation. “Good morning.” Shin said, still annoyed. “Is there something wrong?” The tall man leaned on Shin's desk with his hand. “No… just a bad morning.” Shin assured Park. He even mustered a grin, though it felt as if each muscle in his face rebelled against the forced expression, contorting into a semblance of a smile that barely masked his inner emotion.

“Yup, we all have those, you can't let it control you. Trust me.” He said, putting his hand on my shoulder, looking at Shin as if he just solved world hunger.

The strained smile slipped from his lips like a fading sunset, unable to withstand the weight of pretense any longer. Showing his annoyed face once again.

“Anyway, Byeol, could you introduce him to the Cat case? There was another one found, I'll give you the details and you can go there together.” Mr. Park persuaded, taking his hand off as he walked to the third desk.

Of course Shin didn't want to even look at Byeol right now. The room enveloped itself in a blanket of silence so thick, it seemed to swallow even the whispers of shadows. Not a sound dared to stir the stillness, as if time itself held its breath in anticipation of what would break the spell first.

“We got to go.” Byeol eventually broke the silence.

The car ride was similarly as painfully silent as in the station. Shin still didn't know anything about the so-called Cat case. “Um, the Cat case… What's it about?” “Cats.” She hissed back, still mad at Shinhyun. Shin rolled his eyes at her response. “This is work, not a personal thing anymore…” He complained to the uncooperative coworker.

“The Cat case is about a cat serial killer. They killed strays but it escalated to brutally killing pet cats, kidnapping cats right from the owners houses. We don't have any clues on who it could be, satisfied?” She groaned and looked out the window.

What a sicko, who would do that?! “Okay…” Shin replied, steering the wheel to the right.

In a heartbeat, he slammed on the brakes, the screech of rubber meeting asphalt piercing the air, as a furry streak darted across the road - a whiskered phantom in the night, leaving Shin breathless in its wake.