The Special Promotion Awards (2)

The awards ceremony had a solemn atmosphere.

All of the hundreds of seats that had been set up were filled.

With tense gaits we climbed up to the stage, and faced the Police Commissioner with our backs to the auditorium.

It had been a while since I last saw the Commissioner.

He greeted me secretly with a smile in my direction.

I, who had been roped in as a publicity stunt, had once again saved the reputation of the police.

With how sweetly he was looking at me, it felt like honey was dripping from the Commissioner’s eyes.

“We will now begin the awards ceremony.”

As the MC spoke, we took a step forward.

Calling out our names one at a time, the Commissioner started handing us our awards.

Then it soon came to my turn.

As the MC read out the contents of my introduction, his voice rang out clearly.

“Suan Station, Violent Crime Task Force, Go Ji-Hun. Today, the 22nd of April 20XX, he is promoted to the rank of Corporal. By the order of the Seoul Metropolitan Agency’s Commissioner General, Gong Moon-Gab.”

Clap clap clap clap-

The sound of applause rang gracefully through the auditorium.

Holding onto our awards, we saluted the Commissioner.

As the last to be awarded, I was chosen to be the representative, so I shouted.

“Attention. About turn.”

In unison, the team turned 180° to the right.

“Attention.”

In the distance, I could see Chief Kim and Go Dae-Man.

What the. I didn’t know he would be coming as well.

I lifted my gaze slightly and shouted with full force.

“Salute!”

Snap-

Our salutes were all at the exact right angle.

Like a storm, the cheers and flashes rolled over us.

Clap clap clap-

Snap-! Snap-!

Team Leader and Black. Then Mong-Doo and I.

We looked at each other before grinning wildly.

‘From now on I’m a corporal!’

After the awards ceremony was over.

I headed over to the office by myself.

Team Leader and Black were spending time with their families, while Mong-Doo was taking his girlfriend out to eat or something.

Though they said that afterwards we’d definitely be meeting in the evening for dinner.

Go Dae-Man and Chief Kim?

Something urgent came up at the company, so they disappeared.

Go Ji-Hun, you brat. So you really had such a lonely life!

It felt just like being left all alone on graduation day.

Although, as it happens, I did have somewhere I needed to go…

At that moment, someone stepped in front of me.

“Congratulations. Your name was Go Ji-Hun, right? Violent Crime Task Force’s newbie.”

It was Wang Ong-Gu.

Unlike the last time I saw him, his face looked drastically aged.

“Thank you very much.”

While keeping my head down, I tried to get past him.

“By the way. Aren’t we like family?”

Wang Ong-Gu suddenly burst out with something strange.

I halted my steps and turned to look at him.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying that since we’re all working at the same police station, that means we’re like a family. So we should all show respect for professional ethics. If you got a tip-off about drugs, shouldn’t you have told us about it?”

He wasn’t wrong to say this.

If we were playing by the rules, we should have tried to cooperate with them the moment that Dal-Gon told us the location of the drugs.

However if Dal-Gon had been under the charge of another detective, the case would never have been resolved.

I smiled in embarrassment and ducked my head back down.

“I’m very sorry. It’s just that the circumstances were a bit urgent.”

“I’m just saying, you team leader- No, wait, he’s now a section chief. Anyway, he’s being too greedy. If he does this again and keeps swallowing everything up for himself, he’ll end up with a stomach ache. You should keep that in mind as well. Tch!”

Wang Ong-Gu had lost all restraint and was chewing out the Team Leader to my face.

Although it was true that the team leader had the final say, I was the one who planned out our strategy and recommended it.

Also, what else could it be but my own capability that allowed me to see the possibility and go for it.

I replied with a frown on my face.

“If you don’t have the capability, there’s no way you could get promoted to section chief.”

“Are you talking back to me right now?”

“It’s not like that. I thought that this was just a bit of gossip between family members.”

“Hey!”

Wang Ong-Gu’s face flushed an angry red.

Then he instinctively grabbed a hold of my collar and tried to pull me closer.

While batting away his hand, I raised my head up high.

I was urging him to look up at the ceiling.

“Is it ok for family to be at each other’s throats?”

At the bright lights shining from the CCTV cameras nestled in the corners of the ceiling.

If it came to a fight, Wang Ong-Gu was sure to lose.

Although he wasn’t a weakling, when compared to Go Ji-Hun who had both connections and fame?

At the very least, I should stop him here before he goes any further.

Wang Ong-Gu stared at me like he wanted to kill me then and there, but instead he just spat on the floor.

As if he had seen something that left a bad taste in his mouth.

“Let’s set a good example. As fellow family members.”