Thirty minutes later, Team Zero was ready.
Jin-young had transformed the bullpen into a command center, his monitors displaying live feeds from traffic cameras, GPS tracking of police units, and a map of Seoul with three locations highlighted in red. Hae-rin sat beside him, a headset on, ready to coordinate.
Dae-hyun stood before the map, his eyes on the primary target: Nowon-gu, where Kang Min-suk was currently sleeping in his third-floor apartment.
"Min-jun, Shi-eok, you're on Kang Min-suk. Take two uniformed officers with you. Go in quiet, go in fast. He's not expecting us, but he's dangerous. Don't give him time to think."
Min-jun nodded, checking his sidearm. "Got it."
Shi-eok stood beside him, solid and calm. Yoon Seo-ah waited behind them, her face composed despite the tension radiating from everyone else.
Dae-hyun turned to Soo-ah. "You're with me on Choi Eun-young at the startup. She's at work already—Jin-young confirmed she arrived at eight. We'll pull her out of there before she knows what's happening."
Soo-ah swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Captain."
"The others?" Min-jun asked.
Dae-hyun pointed at the map. "Park Doo-sik is at his girlfriend's apartment in Dongdaemun. Lee Jae-ho works at a construction site in Mapo. Choi Min-woo is home in Gangseo—he works nights, so he'll be sleeping. Kim Sung-tae is the wild card—his phone is off, but Jin-young has his last known location near a billiards hall in Jongno."
Jin-young spoke up. "I've got units heading to each location. Uniformed officers, four per target. They'll wait for your signal to move."
Dae-hyun looked at his team. "We go in together, we take them together. No one moves until everyone is in position. Understood?"
"Understood," they answered in unison.
He nodded once. "Move out."
---
The startup office was in Pangyo, a sleek glass building that housed dozens of tech companies. Dae-hyun pulled his SUV into the underground parking garage, Soo-ah beside him, her hands gripping her knees.
"First time?" he asked.
Soo-ah nodded. "First real arrest. I mean, I've done traffic stops, but this—"
"Breathe. Follow my lead. Say nothing unless I tell you to speak." He parked and turned off the engine. "You'll be fine."
She nodded again, steadier this time.
They took the elevator to the seventh floor. The hallway was quiet, the kind of hushed professional silence that filled office buildings during work hours. Dae-hyun walked toward Suite 704, Soo-ah at his side. A small sign beside the door read Eunyoung Technologies in elegant script.
Dae-hyun didn't knock. He opened the door and walked in.
The reception area was small but stylish—modern furniture, abstract art on the walls, a young woman at a sleek desk who looked up with a practiced smile.
"Welcome to Eunyoung Technologies, how can I—"
Dae-hyun held up his badge. "Police. Where's Choi Eun-young?"
The receptionist's smile faltered. "She's—she's in a meeting. I can—"
"Which room?"
The receptionist pointed down a short hallway. Dae-hyun walked past her without waiting, Soo-ah following close behind. He found the meeting room at the end—glass walls, a long table, and three people inside. Two men in suits, probably clients. And a woman in her late thirties, sharp-featured and elegant, who looked up with alarm as the door opened.
"Choi Eun-young?" Dae-hyun stepped inside.
She recovered quickly, her face smoothing into confusion. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"Kang Dae-hyun, Yongsan Police. You need to come with us."
The two men exchanged glances. One of them started to speak. "Now, just a minute—"
"This doesn't concern you." Dae-hyun's voice was flat. "Stay here. This will only take a few minutes."
Choi Eun-young's eyes darted around the room, calculating. "I don't understand. What's this about?"
"We can discuss it at the station." Dae-hyun stepped aside, gesturing toward the door. "Now."
For a moment, she looked like she might argue. Then she saw something in his face—something that told her arguing would be useless. She stood slowly, smoothing her skirt, and walked toward the door.
Soo-ah fell into step behind her, her heart pounding but her face steady.
They rode the elevator down in silence. In the parking garage, Dae-hyun opened the back door of his SUV and waited. Choi Eun-young got in without a word.
Dae-hyun looked at Soo-ah. "You drive. I'll sit with her."
Soo-ah blinked. "Me?"
"You drove here, didn't you?"
"I—yes, but—"
"Then drive." He got into the back seat beside Choi Eun-young.
Soo-ah took a deep breath and got behind the wheel. The SUV started smoothly, and she pulled out of the parking garage with careful precision. In the rearview mirror, she could see Dae-hyun watching their suspect with those unreadable eyes.
Choi Eun-young stared out the window, saying nothing.
---
In Nowon-gu, Min-jun's team was in position.
The apartment building was older, five stories of faded concrete with laundry hanging from balconies. Kang Min-suk's unit was on the third floor, windows dark, curtains drawn.
Min-jun stood in the stairwell with Shi-eok and two uniformed officers. Yoon Seo-ah waited behind them, pressed against the wall as instructed.
"No noise," Min-jun murmured. "We go in fast, we go in quiet. Shi-eok, you're on the door. Officers, secure him once he's down. Seo-ah, stay back and watch."
They moved.
Shi-eok approached the door with the silence of a much smaller man. He examined the lock briefly, then produced a small tool from his pocket. Ten seconds later, the lock clicked open.
Min-jun went in first.
The apartment was small—a living room with a worn couch, a kitchenette, a hallway leading to what must be the bedroom. Min-jun moved through the living room, checking corners automatically. Shi-eok followed, his massive frame somehow not disturbing anything.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar.
Min-jun pushed it open.
Kang Min-suk was in bed, tangled in sheets, his face slack with sleep. He was smaller than Min-jun had expected—wiry, sharp-featured, with the kind of face that could look harmless when it wanted to.
Min-jun crossed the room in three steps and pressed his gun against Kang Min-suk's temple.
"Wake up."
Kang Min-suk's eyes flew open. For one frozen second, he stared at the gun, at the man holding it, at the massive figure in the doorway. Then his hand twitched toward the nightstand.
"Don't," Min-jun said quietly. "There's a knife in that drawer. Maybe a gun. But neither one will help you right now."
Kang Min-suk's hand stopped. His eyes shifted, calculating, weighing options.
Shi-eok moved forward and pulled back the sheets. He found a small pistol tucked against Kang Min-suk's thigh, hidden by the blanket. He removed it silently and stepped back.
"Get up," Min-jun ordered. "Slowly."
Kang Min-suk sat up, his hands visible, his face carefully blank. "Who are you?"
"Yongsan Police. You're under arrest for the robbery of Golden Crown Jewelry, three months ago, and about half a dozen other crimes we haven't fully catalogued yet."
Kang Min-suk's expression didn't change. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You will." Min-jun gestured with the gun. "On your feet. Hands behind your back."
Shi-eok moved in with handcuffs. Kang Min-suk submitted without resistance, his eyes still moving, still calculating.
As they led him through the living room, he saw Yoon Seo-ah standing by the door. Recognition flickered across his face—not of her as a police officer, but of her face, her fame. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Well, well," he murmured. "The actress. I guess the rumors were true."
Yoon Seo-ah said nothing. She simply watched him pass, her face as unreadable as Dae-hyun's.
---
In the bullpen, Hae-rin's voice crackled through everyone's earpieces.
"Kang Min-suk is in custody. En route to Yongsan. Choi Eun-young is ten minutes out. Moving to phase two."
Jin-young's fingers flew across his keyboard. "Units are in position for the crew. Park Doo-sik first—he's leaving his girlfriend's place. Requesting permission to move."
Dae-hyun's voice came through. "Move."
On Jin-young's screen, a grainy traffic camera showed a man in his thirties walking toward a parked car. Two unmarked police vehicles converged from opposite directions. Park Doo-sik never had a chance to reach his door.
"Park Doo-sik in custody," Hae-rin reported. "No resistance."
"Lee Jae-ho next," Jin-young said. "He's at the construction site. Unit moving in now."
Another screen showed a half-built building in Mapo. Lee Jae-ho was on the second floor, carrying lumber, when four uniformed officers approached. He dropped the wood and raised his hands immediately.
"Lee Jae-ho in custody."
"Choi Min-woo," Jin-young continued. "Still at his apartment in Gangseo. Unit is at the door."
On screen, officers knocked. A long pause. Then the door opened, and a sleepy-looking man in boxers and a t-shirt peered out. The officers showed their badges. Choi Min-woo's face crumpled.
"Choi Min-woo in custody. No resistance."
Jin-young leaned back. "That's four. Kim Sung-tae is the last one. His phone is still off, but I've got his last known location near the billiards hall in Jongno. Unit is en route."
Hae-rin spoke into her headset. "Unit three, what's your status?"
A voice crackled back. "At the billiards hall now. Subject is inside. Playing pool. Looks relaxed."
Dae-hyun's voice cut through. "Take him. Quietly."
On the screen, officers entered the billiards hall. The camera angle was bad—just a glimpse through a window—but they could see Kim Sung-tae straighten, see his cue clatter to the floor, see him surrounded and cuffed within seconds.
"Kim Sung-tae in custody," Hae-rin reported. "All targets secured."
In the bullpen, Jin-young let out a long breath. Hae-rin removed her headset and smiled—a real smile, satisfied and sharp.
"Team Zero," she said quietly, "just closed its first case."
---
An hour later, the bullpen was full.
Kang Min-suk sat in the interrogation room downstairs, a lawyer already on the way. Choi Eun-young was in another room, refusing to speak. The four crew members were scattered across holding cells, each one separated, each one waiting.
Team Zero gathered around the whiteboard, exhausted but exhilarated.
Soo-ah was practically vibrating. "We did it. We actually did it. All of them, in one morning."
Min-jun clapped her on the shoulder. "First of many, kid."
Jin-young was already pulling up files on his monitors. "I've got bank records, phone records, security footage—enough to tie them to at least four of the robberies in the Commissioner's file. Maybe more."
Shi-eok stood quietly, but there was a satisfaction in his eyes. "Good work, everyone."
Hae-rin nodded. "Especially you, Seo-ah. You stayed back like you were told. That's harder than it looks."
Yoon Seo-ah inclined her head slightly. "I watched and I learned."
Dae-hyun stood at the front of the room, looking at his team. Six people who had come together in less than a week and already broken a case that had sat unsolved for months.
"This is only the beginning," he said. "There are more cases in that folder. More connections to find. More criminals to catch." He paused. "But today, we did good work. All of you."
Min-jun grinned. "Was that a compliment, Captain?"
Dae-hyun's lips twitched. "Don't get used to it."
Soo-ah laughed, and soon the others joined in—even Shi-eok, even Hae-rin, even Yoon Seo-ah's quiet smile. The bullpen filled with the sound of a team that had just proven itself.
Outside, the city kept turning. Cases kept piling up. The Commissioner's folder still held secrets.
But for now, Team Zero had won.