chapter 24
24. Operation Eat Out, and the Tracker?
Public parking lot near the J-Pallis Complex.
Inside the car that just entered and parked.
There was a woman who was looking intently at her smartphone without getting out of the driver’s seat.
The impression of the woman who was examining her smart phone with her stiff face was getting more and more crumpled.
The woman, who immediately crumpled her expression, let out a sigh as she slammed her head into the steering wheel.
“Haa, the player got hit right.”
She spat out a lament filled with regret and brushed her hair roughly.
The woman with her head on her steering wheel,
It was Shin So-jeong, a reporter from Hyesung Newspaper, who first reported to the media the person who wanted to voluntarily leave the prison.
The girl who made Korea go wild with her scoop, now she was breathing only her sighs.
What made her sigh her,
It was because of a newly uploaded scoop article.
《J-Pallis, Seoul is definitely a place for discharged prisoners.》
When she saw the title of her article, she let out a sigh of regret once again.
The reason she regrets it so much is because she narrowly missed her scoop.
After staying up all night since last night to collect various information, she was finally able to narrow down the main residences of the discharged prisoners to three places.
Having narrowed down her potential residences to three, she diligently traveled around her candidate locations from the morning to investigate.
The first candidate site was a disaster.
And the second candidate map was also bad.
As she looked around her second candidate spot and was about to head for her third candidate spot, good news came to her.
She said the report that the identity of the discharged person was confirmed at the Jay Palace Apartment, the third candidate site she would visit.
One step.
I really missed the scoop by just one step. That’s why she couldn’t help but feel very sad and unfair for her.
If she had been in a little more haste,
If you have changed the order of candidate sites,
Her negative thoughts have been haunting her all the way she came here.
Still, thinking that she didn’t know, she was the one who hurriedly drove to the area where the Jay Palace apartment was located.
She came running with high hopes, but
Contrary to her expectations, the news of the correction was completely unreported.
Rather, additional confirmation reports were coming up one after another as breaking news.
Like that, she was the one who missed her scoop by a very unfortunate step.
She regrets what she regrets, and she has made up her mind to go out and investigate something more.
Having made up her mind, she began to pack her belongings in the passenger seat.
When she got out of the car, she seemed to have no energy at all, as if she had suffered a burnout.
She came out of the parking lot without much energy,
She moved with her weak steps in the direction of the Jay Pallis apartment.
A few minutes later, she arrived at the Jay Pallis apartment and looked down at her street with a puzzled expression.
Because there are already…
“Yes, it is on the street near J-Pallis. Currently, this place is full of reporters—”
“Currently, J-Pallis is calling in a private security company to strictly control the surrounding area――”
“The first informant was known to be an employee of J-Pallis’ community facility. She is–“
“Let’s share interviews with the residents of the nearby area. How is the current situation–“
Because the press was all over the place.
It’s like trying to besiege J-Pallis,
At regular intervals, reporters were preoccupying the streets.
There was no unique scene because all the media outlets in Korea were gathered together.
She stuck out her tongue at the sight of the press line gathering like a herd of wolves ready to nibble on another piece of meat.
She looked around her for a moment with her dejected expression on her face, then she turned her steps back the way she came.
It was because it was judged that it was too much to win the scoop alone any longer.
Leaving that regret behind,
She goes to her parking lot where she has her own Rottweiler,
She moved on her steps helplessly.
And then,
A car passed by on the road.
To be precise, a patrol car, not a regular car, passed by her.
‘…… ? A patrol car?’
Sensing something in an instant, she turned around and watched the patrol car go.
The patrol car hesitated for a moment at the entrance of the J-Pallis Apartment, and then started to enter the apartment entrance.
Watching the patrol car disappear into the apartment, she immediately thought something was wrong.
Once inside the apartment, it was very suspicious.
If it was the police who were dispatched for safety reasons because of the reporters, it was very suspicious because they didn’t have to go into the apartment.
And it had already been a long time since the report went out.
So, if the police were dispatched, it was normal that they should have already been on the scene.
Now that I know the seriousness of the situation and have just been dispatched, it was even weirder.
In such a crowded situation, only one patrol car was dispatched?
There is something.
She hurried to the parking lot.
Arriving at the parking lot, she got into her car, started the engine, and activated the navigation system.
She entered her destination by pressing the quick search button on the navigation screen.
Her destination she entered was ‘Seoul Police Agency’.
Navi guidance began, and she began looking at the fastest and shortest distances.
“Here is the intersection… This intersection overlaps…
This street is a no-parking zone, so pass…
… It’s here! If you park here, you can see enough of the street and you can track right away!”
Having set her destination, she fastened her seat belt and released her parking brake.
As she drove out of the parking lot, her eyes were different from before.
No, she was burning rather brightly.
She was feeling it now.
A premonition of another scoop.
……
………
“This is it, as expected, that nobleman was also here.
But one persimmon is really good. We almost met eye to eye.”
“Hmm? Detective, what did you say?”
“… Never mind. Just because I see a familiar face.”
“Ah, among the reporters?”
“Rather than that, did you contact the management office?
“Ah, yes. I have forwarded it. If you enter through any entrance, the gate will be opened….
That’s close. Shall we go in?”
“Yes, yes, let’s go in quickly before the reporters get entangled.
… Hey, that’s spectacular. It’s just that all kinds of wolves came from all sides.”
“Isn’t this something we have to do?
If there is an accident like this, I am worried that we will be blamed.”
“Do you understand that the high-ranking people are willing? If you want to peel it from above, you will peel it.”
“… Did you block the dispatch from above?”
“Shh, don’t try to know too much.”
“…… Yep.”
Detective Kim, who was in the passenger seat, glanced at the side mirror.
“… That man is staring at me with a light in his eyes.”
Reporter Shin So-jeong, staring at their patrol car, was reflected in the side mirror.
“… I 100% noticed that.”
◈◈◈
After a sudden plan to eat out,
Her mother went into her room to get her ready to go out.
Since I didn’t have anything to prepare, I waited in the living room for my mother to come out.
As expected, since her mother is also a woman, she seemed to take some time to prepare.
I was idly lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, killing time leisurely.
By the time I was completing a cat picture in the air with my eyes following the pattern on the ceiling,
Click-.
“Son~ You waited a long time, right? Mom, everything is ready~”
Along with the sound of the door opening, I heard my mother’s voice.
I jumped up off the couch and turned my gaze to my mother.
And I couldn’t help but be very surprised.
“Wow….”
You’re just beautiful,
It was because my mother, now more beautifully decorated, was coming out into the living room.
The charm of sleek shoulders and collarbones stand out,
Ruffle off-shoulder blouse.
Showing off the beautiful S-line without hiding it,
Two-button high-waisted black skinny.
It was an attractive outfit that did not miss any of her mother’s attractive points and made them stand out.
As if trying to show me properly, she spun around in place and said.
“Huh, son. How is your mother?”
“Wow… How beautiful!”
“Oh, really?~”
My mother approached me with a satisfied look at my admiration.
“From the point of view of your son, is your mother’s clothes okay?”
“Yes! It’s not just fine, it really suits you! How pretty!”
Those words came from the heart.
Such a beautiful person is my mother…
For this one thing, I really felt grateful for this world.
“Really? It’s fortunate~ I mustered up the courage to try it on, and I did well~”
My mother smiled brightly and spread her arms toward me.
I, too, stretched out my arms toward her mother, and now I was naturally embraced in her mother’s arms.
“Umm~ side.”
“Ehehehe.”
“Doesn’t a son treat his mother?”
“Umm~ side!”
Since when?
Expressions of affection like kissing on the cheek are now beyond what we are accustomed to and can be done naturally.
Feeling it all over again, I asked my mother about going out.
“Mom, what are we going to eat?”
“Yeah~ My son can go and pick one himself.”
“You go and choose yourself?”
“Yeah, that’s right. This is a multi-cuisine restaurant, and my mom made a reservation in advance.”
“Wow, really?”
When did you prepare it?
Ah, the reason it took a long time to prepare is that you were late because you prepared these things in advance. I got it.
“It’s a very famous restaurant, so you can expect good taste. There, hehehe. Aren’t you surprised to hear?”
“Are you surprised?”
“That’s how—”
As if making a surprise announcement, the mother continued her words.
“It’s a restaurant with a male-only hall~”
… ….
What’s in the restaurant?
Male only hall?
…… ?
Why is there such a thing in a restaurant?
I just stared at my mother with a puzzled look on my face.
When I couldn’t respond, my mother this time said with a puzzled look.
“… To? What? Son, aren’t you happy?”
“Yes?… Uh….”
How should I say it, I fell into trouble for a moment.
… Once she thought of satisfying her mother, she smiled and opened her mouth.
“… Wow~ I’m glad~”
At my reaction, my mother looked at me with a very sad expression.
“Eh… This was not the reaction I was expecting…
Umm, maybe I was wrong….”
“Oh no! I am very happy!”
“Ummm, really?”
“Yes! Really! Wow, I’m happy!~”
I nodded vigorously to her mother.
My mother put on a not-so-clear expression, but when she saw my reaction, she returned to her usual kind face and nodded her head.
“Well, it could be because my son doesn’t know. My son will love it too.”
“… Is that so?”
“Yes. Then, shall we go out?”
“Yeah~”
I nod my head in reply,
My mother stroked my hair once and moved her steps.
My mother took her handbag that was lying on her table and she walked out to the front door.
As she walked out the front door,
Detective Kim was answering the phone with his back turned.
“――Set the radio frequency to that.
Oh, you just came out. Uh, start controlling, and talk the rest over the radio.”
At the sound of us coming out, Detective Kim hurriedly hung up the phone and turned around.
“This is it, the preparations are all over… wow.”
“You waited a long time, right?”
Detective Kim looked at us with a surprised face, perhaps admiring the appearance of my mother.
“Yeah~ As expected… You are very beautiful!
Isn’t our host jealous?”
“Hoho, say nothing.”
“This, to the point where I’m wondering if it’s okay for me to dare to stand next to it.”
“Ai, the detective is pretty enough too.”
“Ehehehe~ You’re too bad at lying.
What is pretty? It’s good if I don’t look like a squid standing next to you.”
“Oh, I’m not lying.”
“Won, words too. Still, hearing a pretty person tell me that I’m pretty makes me feel good even if it’s a lie. hahahahaha.”
Detective Kim smiled and led us to the elevator.
Upon arriving in front of the elevator, Detective Kim,
After erasing the sad expression until now,
He opened his mouth with a serious face without a smile.
“I will tell you the current situation.”
Seeing Detective Kim whose mood has changed,
I thought it was very cool.
Just a change in facial expression can change the atmosphere like this… What a wonderful person you are.
“There will be a total of eight escorts, including me, and two people including me will be in charge of close escort. Close security may be inconvenient, so I understand in advance.”
“It is inconvenient. I don’t think so at all.
Rather, we were just about to say that we wish you well.”
“Thank you for just the words.
And Jinhyo-nim, are you okay?”
Detective Kim and his mother’s eyes turned to me. I nodded with a smile and answered Detective Kim.
“Yes, it’s okay. I wish you well too.”
“… Thank you.”
Detective Kim thanked us with a slight bow and greeted us, then continued his explanation.
“The remaining six will form teams of three to provide close security. In the event of an emergency, it may be changed to close security, so please refer to it.”
“Yes, I will refer to it.”
“I prepared a car in the parking lot in advance. My partner will be driving the vehicle. Have you decided on a destination?”
“Yes, I will go and deliver it to him.”
“Thank you…. Alright then.”
Detective Kim took out an earpiece from his chest and put it on his left ear.
He said again with a sad face and a mischievous smile.
“Operation Name, Secret Eating Out. Let’s begin.”
… ….
Good naming sense!