The room was dim, only the overhead light flickering softly as Joon-seok sat across the table from Mina's father. The man trembled, fingers laced tightly, eyes darting between the two officers who stood silently in the room.
"You claim you are a defector"
[A defector is someone who abandons their loyalty or duty to an organization (gang, country, etc.) and joins or helps the opposing side.]
Joon-seok said coldly, flipping through the thin file.
"That you left Black Fang for your daughter's sake. But you won't give us names."
Mina's father didn't respond. His hands shook.
Yuna stood in the corner, silent, scribbling in a small notepad. Her eyes didn't leave the man.
Something felt off. Not just fear—deliberate fear. Controlled. Measured.
Joon-seok slammed the file shut and stood.
"Waste of time!"
But Yuna held back. Her eyes narrowed. The father's fingers had tapped the table while Joon-seok interrogated him
—tap-tap-tap… pause… tap… long tap... tap-tap-tap-tap.
It wasn't random.
Back at her desk later, Yuna replayed the scene in her mind. Her fingers moved on the desk, mimicking his taps. A sudden thought clicked.
"Morse code?" she whispered.
She grabbed a notepad and began translating the taps from memory. The message was short but clear:
ROOM 8. BASEMENT. POLICE HQ.
Her heartbeat quickened. She checked the department layout. It was located in the basement of the police headquarters, a rarely used storage room meant for old evidence.
Without alerting anyone, she made her way down. The basement was cold and silent, the light flickering above just like the interrogation room.
She unlocked Room 8.
Dust clung to the air. Old evidence lockers, forgotten boxes, shelves barely labeled. She scanned the area—and then something caught her eye.
Behind a stack of old files, a small compartment in the wall was slightly ajar. Inside was a Black Fang badge—fresh bloodstain across the edge—and tucked behind it, a list of names, some she recognized. Officers.
Yuna's breath hitched. Were these… moles?
She hurried back up.
Joon-seok was at his desk, furious.
"Is it your habit of not informing? you really want to get out—"
Yuna placed the badge and paper down in front of him.
He froze.
"…Where did you get this?"
"Room 8. Basement. Mina's father was tapping in Morse code." she said.
Silence stretched. Joon-seok looked at her. For the first time, not with annoyance—but something else.
Recognition.
He leaned back slowly, staring at the evidence, then at her.
"Not bad… for a rookie."
Yuna blinked, trying to hide the small smile creeping on her lips.
Later that evening,
Hae-won leaned in with a teasing grin. "So, Ice King finally thawed a little for you, huh?"
Yuna rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the warmth in her chest.
Maybe—just maybe—she was starting to find her place here.
[ End of Chapter 4 ]