Choi Sung-Hyun drove away from the scene at high speed. Park Dong-Joon stood there blinking in disbelief. "What? Wh-what is that guy doing?" Park Dong-Joon had told Choi Sung-Hyun to call in the forensics team and to instruct all the officers out on the search to return. But instead of grabbing his radio, Choi Sung-Hyun simply drove off. Since he had kidnapped Oh In-Beom, the employee from The Best Detective Agency who had been on surveillance duty last night, he must have realized I was investigating him. That could only mean he was now going back to destroy all the evidence. I decided to tell Park Dong-Joon everything. "Mr. Park, I believe Lieutenant Choi Sung-Hyun is a suspect in this disappearance case." Park Dong-Joon looked at me like I had just said something absurd. "What are you talking about? How could Lieutenant Choi be a suspect?" I played the three video clips I had received from Lee Soo-Chan. "Please take a look at this." In the first video, a man in a black raincoat was walking past a convenience store. Though the heavy rain blurred the camera lens, it was clear that he was walking steadily. "His stride... it's steady." Park Dong-Joon immediately picked up on something odd in the footage. People under the influence of drugs or alcohol usually stumble, but the man in the black raincoat was walking quickly with his head down. "Just as you said earlier, this proves the man on drugs from before isn't the culprit. Now if you watch the next video..." In the second video, the man in the black raincoat with his hat pulled low was shown placing Lee Jun-Sung into a car. Then, although rain on the lens made the footage blurry, Choi Sung-Hyun's profile became visible for a brief moment. As he put the child in the car, his raincoat caught on the door and briefly revealed his face. "Lieutenant Choi... why the hell is he..." "The footage is too blurry and dark to be admissible in court, but since you're his partner, I figured you'd recognize him." Park Dong-Joon's face turned pale at the unbelievable sight. Then he began to tremble. I played the third clip. "And this next video..." In it, the man in the black raincoat, now wearing a hooded sweatshirt, was seen driving toward Unbong Temple about a kilometer from here. Again, his face wasn't visible, but the vehicle matched the one in the second clip—the one used in the kidnapping. However, the car being driven by Choi Sung-Hyun in the footage belonged to Oh In-Beom from The Best Detective Agency. To create an alibi, Choi Sung-Hyun had used the detective agency employee's car to kidnap the child instead of his own. Then he planted the child's clothes and the black raincoat at Bong Jin-Tae's house. In other words, he twisted the situation to mislead the investigation. Even before the regression, he had used his position as a police officer to interfere with investigations, which was why he was never caught. With the agency employee who had been watching Choi Sung-Hyun now missing, just watching the footage made my heart pound wildly. Park Dong-Joon was the same. After seeing Choi Sung-Hyun's face, he was trembling. "Huff, huff... M-Mr. Jung. Where did you get this footage?" "After hearing the child went missing, I privately sent people to investigate." After receiving the report of the child's disappearance this morning, Lee Soo-Chan deployed a large number of detective agency staff. And as soon as he heard that Oh In-Beom, who had been monitoring Choi Sung-Hyun, had gone missing, he ordered them to obtain any security camera footage by whatever means necessary. Every agency employee contacted convenience stores, gas stations, and car owners with private security cameras to collect the footage. Countless people were mobilized, but due to the heavy rain last night, these videos were the only meaningful evidence. Now I finally understood why the children had gone missing mostly on rainy nights before the regression. The culprit was a cop, so he knew better than anyone how to avoid security camera. "Anyway, because of the downpour, these three are all we managed to salvage. And I know I'm no expert in investigations, so I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way...but doesn't the way he avoids security camera perfectly serve as another piece of evidence that Lieutenant Choi Sung-Hyun is the culprit?" In the second video too, if the clothes hadn't caught on the car door while putting Lee Jun-Sung in the car, Choi Sung-Hyun's face wouldn't have been revealed at all. Park Dong-Joon closed his eyes tightly and looked up at the sky. Thunder roared as torrential rain came pouring down. Rain beat down on Park Dong-Joon's face, who was wearing a raincoat. Tears ran from the corners of Park Dong-Joon's eyes, mixing with the rain and flowing down his neck. He must have trusted Choi Sung-Hyun more than anyone, even introducing him to his daughter-like Lee Soo-Yeon. And now that same man turned out to be a criminal, the shock must have been indescribable. A moment later, Park Dong-Joon lowered his head. Perhaps because the cold rain had sobered him up, his gaze had changed. He now looked like a seasoned detective chasing down a criminal. "Understood. Let's list Lieutenant Choi as a suspect." After saying that, Park Dong-Joon gestured to a nearby officer. "Team Lead Song, over here!" "From now on, treat Lieutenant Choi as one of the suspects. Recall everyone who was out searching nearby, and take your team to Unbong Temple. Once you're there, people working with Chief Jung here will already be searching for the missing person. Coordinate with them." Team Lead Song Hak-Jong blinked in confusion. "What are you saying, sir? Lieutenant Choi is a suspect? But we already caught the suspect earlier." When Park Dong-Joon looked at me, I handed him my phone and showed the video. Song Hak-Jong's eyes began to shake. He clearly saw someone with a steady gait, unlike the drunken suspect Bong Jin-Tae from earlier, putting the child into a car. Then I showed the second video, and Park Dong-Joon added an explanation. "And look at this second clip. That's clearly Lieutenant Choi's face right there." Song Hak-Jong tilted his head after seeing the blurry footage. "I'm not sure I can tell..." "Come on. You think I wouldn't recognize my own partner's face? I'm barely holding it together here, so don't argue. Just get your people moving!" "R-right, yes, sir..." "And start tracking his location through his phone. If he's not heading to Unbong Temple, the child might be wherever he's going instead." Song Hak-Jong cautiously asked, "Sir... do you think the child is still alive?" "Of course! Why else would he run? He's probably trying to erase the evidence and then act like nothing happened. That's why we have to catch him at the scene no matter what. If it goes to court, we don't know how it'll turn out." "And don't use the police radio. He might be listening. Everyone only uses their personal phones, got it?" Since Choi Sung-Hyun had taken a patrol car, using the radio might tip him off. Song Hak-Jong nodded and turned around, then drove off with a few officers. After issuing the orders, Park Dong-Joon returned to his car. "Mr. Jung, come with me." Park Dong-Joon urged me to go to Unbong Temple with him. But then it hit me—Lee Ho-Jae and the other employees from The Best Detective Agency had already been combing through Unbong Temple looking for Oh In-Beom. If the child or the agency staff were there, they should have been found by now. "Mr. Park, please give me one moment." I paused and checked my planner. [Date: December 24, 2025] -7:00 p.m.: Director Ahn Jung-Hae. Missing 2 – The Story of That Day reaches 12 million at the box office. The schedule entry was still unchanged. That meant we wouldn't find the child at Unbong Temple. In other words, Choi Sung-Hyun had hidden the child somewhere else. And then, my phone vibrated. [Caller ID: Lee Ho-Jae] It was a call from Lee Ho-Jae, who had gone to Unbong Temple. I hurriedly answered. -Hyung-nim. We found him! "You found Jun-Sung?" -Ah, no. Sorry. Not the kid, but the employee from the agency who went missing yesterday. "And what about Jun-Sung?" -Hold on. I'll put Oh In-Beom on the line. He was the one held captive. A moment later, the detective agency employee who had been monitoring Choi Sung-Hyun spoke weakly. -I'm sorry, Mr. Jung. I let my guard down and got hit from behind... "I'm just glad you're alive. Are you hurt?" -Ah, yes. I got a gash on my head, but I think I'll be okay once it's stitched up. More importantly, about the kid... -While I was locked in the trunk, I briefly heard him say he'd help the kid find his dad, and that's how he lured him into the car. A little later, I heard the sound of a train and also the voice of a security guard greeting someone. "A train and a security guard?" -Then the car tilted down like it was going into an underground parking lot. After that, I lost consciousness again. And when I came to, I was tied up in this warehouse. At that moment, Park Dong-Joon's face turned pale and he began to tremble like a leaf. "Wait, did you say the sound of a train?" "Do you have any idea where that could be?" I asked. "That bastard Choi Sung-Hyun... Two days ago, he got another place in the same apartment complex where Soo-Yeon and I live." "It's just around the corner. Not even a kilometer from here." Originally, Choi Sung-Hyun lived in a one-room apartment about 3 km away. But after partnering with Park Dong-Joon and dating Lee Soo-Yeon, he apparently got a lease on the smallest unit in the same apartment complex as Park. It was no wonder I couldn't find any evidence at Choi Sung-Hyun's place—it was an empty decoy. I immediately spoke to the detective agency employee. "You've been through a lot. I'll personally cover all your treatment costs, living expenses while you recover, and compensation. Don't worry and please get some rest. I'll need your testimony later." -It's fine. I already received hazard pay and Reverse Entertainment handles this kind of thing properly. You don't need to worry. With that, the agency employee handed the phone back to Lee Ho-Jae. -Don't worry, hyung-nim. We'll take good care of him. "Alright. I'm counting on you." Now that I had someone who could testify about Choi Sung-Hyun, the priority was the child and Lee Soo-Yeon, who were both in danger. Then I saw Park Dong-Joon calling Lee Soo-Yeon. "Soo-Yeon... please... pick up the phone!" Park Dong-Joon's face was twisted with deep guilt. After all, he had introduced a criminal to someone he cherished like a daughter. "Mr. Park, let's head out for now. You can keep trying her as we drive." Park Dong-Joon handed me his phone. "Then I'll drive. Please try calling her again for me." I took the phone and ran to his car. As soon as I got in the passenger seat, I called Lee Soo-Yeon again. However, the line was still busy. Choi Sung-Hyun must have blocked her from contacting Park Dong-Joon. Park Dong-Joon's car accelerated so fast my head snapped back. Our current location was the entrance of Gwacheon Jugong Apartment Complex 1. We arrived at the apartment where Park Dong-Joon and Lee Soo-Yeon had lived for the past 20 years. The heavy rain had let up, now just a light drizzle falling. Lee Soo-Yeon's phone was still busy and Choi Sung-Hyun's phone couldn't be tracked, possibly because he must have ditched it en route. Yet, I was certain Choi Sung-Hyun was here. The car came to a stop at the apartment entrance, where the security barrier was lowered. The security guard leaned out and greeted us. "Mr. Park, you're back early. Did you work late last night?" Park Dong-Joon asked urgently, "Did Lieutenant Choi come through here?" "Ah, yes. He passed through just a few minutes ago." "Alright. If he tries to leave, please stop him no matter what." "Is something wrong?" "I'll explain later. For now, just know that he's not a cop anymore. He's a criminal." Everyone reacted the same way to the news. Choi Sung-Hyun had kept his mask on so well that no one could hide their shock. "I know it's hard to believe. We were all fooled! Anyway, if you can't stop him, just call me. Alright?" The barrier lifted, and Park Dong-Joon immediately drove into the apartment complex. Soon, we arrived at the entrance to the underground parking lot beneath the building where he lived. Just then, a police car shot out of the underground garage. It was Choi Sung-Hyun's patrol car. In the front passenger seat sat Lee Soo-Yeon, and in the back seat was Lee Jun-Sung. At that moment, Park Dong-Joon made a decision. "Hold on tight! We're going to crash into him." Since everyone in the other car was wearing seat belts, he intended to ram the vehicle to prevent their escape. If we let them go now, there was no telling what might happen to Lee Soo-Yeon or the child. Park Dong-Joon's car accelerated sharply. Realizing we were behind him, Choi Sung-Hyun swerved the steering wheel. However, he couldn't avoid the collision. With a thunderous crash, our bodies lurched forward. I braced with my right hand, but in a flash of light, my vision went black. I opened my eyes at the vibration in my chest. Though I had worn my seatbelt, the airbag hadn't deployed and I must have hit something. I endured the ringing in my head and looked up. The patrol car driven by Choi Sung-Hyun had crashed into a street tree inside the complex, and its hood was crumpled inward. Lee Soo-Yeon was in the front passenger seat and Lee Jun-Sung was in the back seat. They both hung limp, completely unconscious. Thankfully, we had stopped the kidnapping. However, the driver's door was open and Choi Sung-Hyun was gone. Then I heard voices arguing and struggling coming from beyond the crashed car. -L-Lieutenant Choi! Wh-what are you doing? It was Choi Sung-Hyun trying to hijack the vehicle. I wanted to chase after him, but my legs wouldn't move. "My head... it's spinning." Realizing my body had gone into shock, I checked myself first. Since we had saved Lee Soo-Yeon and the child, I had a moment to spare. I took a deep breath and unbuckled my seatbelt. The pressure on my chest eased. I checked my arms, legs, waist, and joints. Thanks to the seatbelt, I was mostly fine aside from hitting my forehead. Then, I turned to the sound beside me. In the front passenger seat of the crashed car, Lee Soo-Yeon hung unconscious, and Park Dong-Joon was frantically trying to unbuckle her seatbelt. However, the latch seemed to be jammed. Park Dong-Joon looked over at me with a desperate expression. "Chief Jung. Please... help me with the seatbelt. My Soo-Yeon. Please...Soo-Yeon..." Gone was the composed veteran. He looked only like a father trying to save his daughter. "Yes, I'll get it. Please calm down." At that moment, a thin wish of smoke began to rise from the hood of the crashed car where Lee Soo-Yeon and Lee Jun-Sung lay unconscious.