The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency felt heavier than usual that morning.
It wasn't about the usual drug bust tension—Ah Jeong had grown used to that.
It was the way the brass had been walking around like someone had stepped on a live landmine.
She leaned back in her chair, scrolling through case files on her tablet.
The narcotics investigation had been dragging for months, and she hated when things didn't line up.
There was a name that kept popping up in witness statements—a middleman called "Juno"—but nothing solid enough to pin him down.
Across the room, Taejin dropped a coffee cup on her desk.
"You look like you've been staring at that tablet since the Joseon dynasty."
She didn't look up. "Do you know a Juno? Club scene, early 30s, possibly a runner."
Taejin frowned. "Why are you asking me like I club for fun? You're the one who likes chasing people at 2 AM."
"Funny. I'm serious. This guy's name keeps coming up, but no one knows who he actually works for. It's like he's a ghost."
"Which probably means he's got someone big covering him." Taejin glanced over his shoulder, then lowered his voice. "Careful with this one. Word is, some of these suppliers are protected."
Ah Jeong's jaw tightened. She hated that word: protected. It usually meant powerful friends, the kind you couldn't touch without permission.
---
"What's a Juno?"
The voice came from behind her.
Ah Jeong turned. Jin Isoo stood there, hands in his hoodie pockets, looking like he'd rolled straight out of a music video.
"This is police business. You don't need to know."
Isoo tilted his head. "Sounds like a name, not a thing. You said club scene, right?" He pulled out his phone. "You mean Juno Kim? Used to hang with people from Club Jax?"
Ah Jeong stared. "And how exactly do you know that?"
Isoo shrugged casually. "Rich kid life. You meet people. You learn names. You forget them when they're boring… or shady."
She narrowed her eyes. "You don't look like someone who forgets names easily."
"Detective," he said with a grin that was all teeth, "you ever thought maybe you're looking in the wrong places? People like him—they don't hide from cops, they hide from other people like them."
Before she could respond, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and frowned, then slid it back into his pocket like nothing happened.
"Anyway, you're welcome. Do I get a cookie for helping?"
"You're not helping. You're name-dropping."
He smirked and walked off, calling over his shoulder: "You'll thank me later."
-----
Later that afternoon, Ah Jeong found herself accompanying Isoo back to his family's estate—not because she wanted to, but because "bodyguard duties" apparently included being around while he visited home.
The mansion in Hannam-dong screamed old money and new taste, the kind of place that could feature in an architectural magazine.
Inside, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Jin Haneul, Isoo's younger half-brother, stood near the grand piano, playing something soft and expensive-sounding. His posture was perfect, his suit perfect, his everything… perfect.
The stepmom, Park Seojin, stood nearby, smiling like a queen.
"Isoo," she said smoothly, "I didn't know you were stopping by."
"Didn't plan to." Isoo flopped onto the couch like it was his own personal throne. "Nice to see you're still enjoying Dad's taste in interior design."
Seojin's smile didn't falter, but Ah Jeong caught the way her fingers tightened on her wine glass.
"You should visit more often. Family is important, especially with your father's campaign so close."
"Yeah, I'm sure Haneul's doing great at being the perfect little heir. Don't need me ruining the family photo, right?"
Haneul stopped playing and turned, smiling politely—too politely. "We just want what's best for you, hyung."
Isoo snorted. "Don't call me that like you mean it."
Ah Jeong shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't here for family therapy, but it was hard not to feel the sharp edge of resentment in Isoo's voice.
"Dinner will be ready in ten," Seojin said, clearly trying to smooth things over. "Stay. Your father will be home soon."
"Pass," Isoo said immediately, standing. "Detective, we're leaving."
Ah Jeong blinked. "We are?"
He gave her a look that said don't argue in front of them. "Yeah. We've got somewhere to be."
---
On the ride back, Isoo was quiet for once. He stared out the window, jaw tight, then pulled out his phone.
"Hey, Seong-jin. Yeah. I need you to check something for me. A name: Juno Kim. Club scene, maybe connected to distribution. Yeah, dig deep. I'll pay double."
Ah Jeong turned in her seat. "Are you seriously running your own investigation now?"
"You looked stuck," he said without looking at her. "Besides, I've got contacts who talk to me, not to cops."
"You know interfering in a police investigation can land you in—"
"Prison? Yeah, scary. Look, Detective, I'm not stupid. You want this guy, right? I might have a way in you don't."
She glared at him. "Why do you even care?"
He finally turned to face her. His usual smirk was gone.
"Because I know what it's like to have people think you're just a joke who drinks too much and wastes money. That guy? He's worse than a joke. He's poison. And people like him think they can hide forever."
For a moment, she saw something raw in his eyes—something that didn't match the spoiled brat image.
"…Fine," she said reluctantly. "But you tell me everything you find. No solo hero moves."
He grinned. "Relax. I'm not trying to be Batman. I just… know things."
---
By evening, he had something.
A single text: Check Café Mirae, Itaewon. Backroom. Midnight crowd.
He forwarded it to her without explanation.
"You got this in hours?" she asked, incredulous.
"Told you I know people."
"Are these people legal?"
"Define legal."
Ah Jeong sighed. "You're going to be the death of me."
He leaned back against the car seat, smirking. "Better me than one of your suspects, right?"
---
When she dropped him off later that night, he didn't get out immediately.
"Hey," he said quietly, eyes fixed on the dashboard. "You saw my family today. Don't read too much into it."
She studied him. "Isoo—"
"Seriously. Whatever picture you got from that house, it's not the whole story. Just… don't assume you know me yet."
There it was again—that raw edge under his sarcasm. For a split second, she felt something tighten in her chest.
"…I won't," she said finally.
He smiled faintly, like he didn't believe her, then opened the door and left.
---
That night, Ah Jeong stared at her case board longer than usual.
Juno Kim. Café Mirae. Midnight crowd.
She hated to admit it, but Isoo had handed her the first real lead in weeks.
And somehow, she had no idea how to feel about that.