In Gangnam's bustling street...
"—Just get out now before I call my boys!" an elderly man yelled, shoving two young men out of his shop__ Hyun Woo and Lee Yeon.
"Your boys?!" Hyun Woo scoffed, sliding his hand into his pocket to pull out his ID. But before he could, Lee Yeon quickly grabbed his arm.
"Hyung, Hyung—don't! You can't show your ID. This is a secret investigation, remember?" Lee Yeon muttered in a hush tone.
"No, he should know who he just chased out of his shop," Hyun Woo snapped, trying to push past him, but Lee Yeon's grip only tightened.
"He doesn't have to know that," Lee Yeon said firmly. "Hyung, let's go." He tugged him away.
"Yeah! Take your stupid questions and get out of my neighborhood!" the old man yelled after them mockingly.
Hyun Woo turned his head, shouting back, "Don't worry! You'll see me again!"
Lee Yeon finally dragged him to a corner. Hyun Woo let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I'm cool now," he said, gesturing for Lee Yeon to release him.
"You and your temper," Lee Yeon muttered, letting go and walking ahead.
"Didn't you see that man was trying to con us?" Hyun Woo said, following him, irritation lacing his voice. "That man's a criminal."
"He only asked you to pay for the information you were asking for," Lee Yeon replied calmly.
"He calls himself a heritage curator, then why charge us to identify one stupid ribbon__" Hyun Woo cut himself off mid-rant and sighed. "You know what? Never mind. Rich kid like you wouldn't even understand." He said
"This is exactly why I hate secret Investigation, too role playing, no authority." He muttered
Just then, Lee Yeon stopped. "Oh," he exclaimed, his eyes fixed on his phone.
"What?" Hyun Woo asked, catching up to him.
Lee Yeon looked up at the signboard above an old shop in front of them.
"Hee Do said the shop's name was Han's Antique House, not Han's Antique Mart."
Both of them turned to glance across the street, through a narrow alley that led to the shop they had just been chased out from. Sure enough, the sign there read Han's Antique Mart.
They turned their heads back to the shop before them. Then Hyun Woo's gaze darted to the small sign beside it__a white dove.
"Remember, she said the right shop had a white dove sign beside it," Hyun Woo said. They glanced back at the other store__ its sign showed a white chicken.
"It's official," Hyun Woo said flatly. "That man's a con artist, stealing this shop's customers."
He started forward, but Lee Yeon immediately grabbed him again.
"Ah, hyung~ lets go in already" Lee Yeon whined dragging him inside.
---
Inside the shop
They were greeted by an elderly man__even older than the one who had thrown them out earlier.
He stood behind a wooden counter, arranging a few dusty books until their presence caught his attention. Hyun Woo gently placed the ribbon on the counter.
"Good day, sir," Hyun Woo greeted with a polite smile.
The old man looked up, returning the gesture with a slow, knowing smile of his own. Dressed in a faded hanbok, he carried a sense of quiet dignity.
He walked toward them with deliberate, measured steps, so slow that both detectives had to fight the urge to fidget.
As soon as he reached them, Hyun Woo spoke, "Can you help us confirm how old this ribbon is?"
The old man took it carefully into his wrinkled hands, running his fingers along its edges. His eyes narrowed with faint curiosity.
"It seems your ribbon here is quite…" he trailed off, turning it over delicately between his fingers, "…ancient."
Hyun Woo and Lee Yeon exchanged a glance.
"Ajusshi," Hyun Woo said, leaning slightly forward, "could you be a bit more specific about how ancient we're talking?"
The old man nodded thoughtfully. "Of course… but__" He started patting his sides, frowning softly. "Where are my glasses?"
He looked around in confusion for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Ah! I must have left them in the storage room."
He turned to the two men with a polite bow. "Give me a moment, gentlemen."
With that, he walked off through a door beside the counter, leaving the shop suddenly quiet, filled only with the faint hum of an old ceiling fan and the scent of time-worn wood and parchment.
As they stood there, their eyes drifted across the quiet shop. The place smelled faintly of old wood and time__the scent of history resting on every shelf. Stacks of dusty books leaned against one another like tired elders, and jars filled with strange powders and worn trinkets lined the walls. Antique charms dangled from the ceiling, swaying slightly whenever the door creaked.
Hyun Woo, ever restless, picked up random objects from nearby shelves __ a cracked compass, an old scroll, a rusted badge, inspected them briefly, then set them down again.
"Hyung," Lee Yeon called.
"Hmm?" Hyun Woo murmured, still looking around.
"Do you think it's okay showing this ribbon around like this?"
"How else are we supposed to find out more about it if we don't?" Hyun Woo replied without looking up.
Lee Yeon frowned. "But what if someone recognizes it's from the CHNs and starts suspecting an investigation?"
Hyun Woo turned slightly, arching a brow. "Before this case, did you even know this ribbon existed, let alone that it belonged to the CHNs?"
Lee Yeon shook his head silently.
"Then tell me, if a detective like you didn't know, how on earth would some old man in Gangnam antique store know?" Hyun Woo countered.
"I'm just saying…" Lee Yeon muttered. "It's becoming clear this case isn't small. It's getting dangerous by the day. You were spied on the other night, remember? And now, we can't even find a single fingerprint on the ribbon. Whoever did this definitely came prepared. One wrong move and we're not just endangering ourselves, we're putting Miss Choi Minjae at risk too."
Hyun Woo paused at that, his usual sarcasm fading into thought. He nodded slowly.
"I get your point, Lee Yeon. But risks have to be taken. Even doing nothing puts us in danger. The best we can do is keep pushing forward, and stay low while doing it."
Lee Yeon nodded quietly in agreement.
Just then, the bell above the door jingled—a customer walked in.
Hyun Woo instinctively covered the ribbon on the counter with his palm, his eyes scanning her from head to toe, the woman looked elegant and out of place in the dusty shop. She carried a fluffy white cat in one arm and a shiny designer bag in the other.
Her eyes darted around in mild confusion before settling on the two men.
"Umm... where's Mr. Sung?" she asked.
"He went out," they both said at the same time.
"Far away," Hyun Woo added quickly.
"Would he be coming back any time soon__"
"No, he won't," Lee Yeon cut in.
"Till midnight," Hyun Woo threw in again, nodding solemnly as if it were gospel truth.
The woman frowned skeptically. "And you two are…?"
"His new apprentices," Hyun Woo said with a proud grin, and the two shared a quick side glance like they'd just pulled off a perfect lie.
"Oh," the woman said, disappointment heavy in her voice. She reached into her bag and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. "Then can you sell__"
"We only started working here this morning!" Lee Yeon blurted before she could finish.
The woman froze mid-sentence, blinking at them in silence.
"Sorry, we have no idea about the things here" Hyun woo added with a awkward laughter
"Oh," she said flatly. "Well… welcome to your first day." Her voice dripped with awkward disappointment as she turned toward the door, giving them one last confused glance before leaving, while the Both men bowed stiffly at the same time as she left.
A few seconds later, the door beside the counter creaked open. The old man emerged, holding a magnifying glass and squinting toward the entrance.
"I thought I just heard a woman's voice?" he asked.
"Oh, that—" Hyun Woo laughed awkwardly, scrambling for an excuse. "That was his mother," he said, pointing at Lee Yeon.
"My—what?" Lee Yeon's eyes widened.
"Yeah, she just dropped by to say hi," Hyun Woo added quickly, flashing a grin.
"Y–yeah," Lee Yeon forced a smile. "Mama boy, you know."
Hyun Woo snorted, earning a sharp side-eye from his partner, who was clearly regretting every life choice that led to this moment.
The old man just chuckled softly and went back to the counter.
He picked up the ribbon, examining it through the magnifying glass, slowly rotating it under the light. His wrinkled hands trembled slightly as his brows furrowed.
"You know, mama's boy," Hyun Woo teased under his breath, earning another glare from Lee Yeon.
The old man only smiled and returned to examining the ribbon. He lifted it carefully under the glass, turning it to catch the light.
After a short while, he handed it back to Hyun Woo.
"It seems to have been made around three to four hundred years ago," he said thoughtfully. "Judging by the thread and dye texture, it's from the mid-Joseon era. But now that I think of it…"
He gently took the ribbon again, squinting at a faint engraving.
"Isn't this… the insignia of the Chains Organization?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.
Hyun Woo and Lee Yeon exchanged another sharp glance and both leaned forward.
"You—you know about this ribbon?" Hyun Woo asked, his voice tense.
Both men waited in silence, eyes fixed on the old man.