For a second, the word [Police Officer] caught my eye. Honestly, I wanted it.
But I soon shook my head.
No matter how old a friendship it was, a police radio wasn't something to touch for fun.
'Right, no matter what......'
That was when it happened.
Kssht—, a voice mixed with static came through.
"This is 112 dispatch. Report received of a collision in front of the municipal library. Requesting patrol unit in the jurisdiction to respond. Over."
I flinched and turned my head to look at Seong-won.
"That's near here?"
His expression hardened for a moment, then he pressed the transmit button with practiced ease.
"This is 02-13. Current position near the library. Responding immediately. Over."
A brief silence ran inside the car.
Then the voice came back.
"Kssht— 02-13 confirmed. Report the situation immediately upon arrival. Over."
Kssht—
When the static cleared, the air inside the police car had turned strangely heavy.
He turned his head slightly, met my eyes, and said shortly,
"It's on the way. I'll drop you off nearby."
I nodded and looked out the window.
The car changed direction, and a little later the municipal library sign came into view. On the road in front of it, two small passenger cars stood side by side.
The front bumper was only slightly dented, but the situation wasn't simple.
The two drivers stood in the middle of the road with their faces flushed, raising their voices.
"Cutting in without even signaling, what were you thinking!"
"What? From what I saw, you were the one who hit the brakes late!"
"'You'?! You little bastard!"
A middle-aged man with a briefcase pointed a finger at the other driver, and on the opposite side the young male driver squared up with his fists clenched.
Onlookers had gathered around, and the murmuring was growing.
Seong-won pulled the car over to the side of the road, took out a safety vest and put it on as he opened the door.
In that instant, the air in the car turned to tension.
Seong-won stood between the two men and spread his arms. There wasn't the slightest waver in his face.
He was the guy who usually did nothing but crack jokes, but right now he was holding his center firmly, like a police officer.
There was a strange weight in eyes with no mischief in them.
"Both of you, calm down. This is the middle of the road. Move your cars to the shoulder first and—"
But the young driver shouted, as if sneering.
"If you're that old, get your hands off the wheel!"
But those words were like pouring oil on it. Seong-won hurriedly raised a hand to block the young driver.
"Sir, don't lose your temper—"
But it was already too late.
The middle-aged man, his face flushed red, pushed past Seong-won and grabbed the young driver roughly by the collar.
It was a tense moment, spilling into a scuffle in an instant.
As hands flew and it escalated to the brink of a fight, Seong-won hurriedly thrust out his arms and blocked the space between them.
In that moment, the sly face I always saw was nowhere to be found.
Only the figure of a 'police officer' remained.
I hesitated for a moment in the car, then finally opened the door and jumped out.
I could see Seong-won's shoulders rising and falling with his labored breathing.
His back looked far broader than usual, and there was a desperate seriousness in the way he moved by the manual.
Just then the rear doors of the crashed car opened and two more rough-looking men got out.
"Hey, mister! What do you think you're doing?"
Broad shoulders, harsh eyes.
The air sank heavy in an instant. A stir broke out among the onlookers.
"Hey, this is going to turn into a real fight......"
"Is one officer going to be enough?"
I instinctively moved to Seong-won's side.
His profile was no longer that of a neighborhood friend.
Seong-won had both arms spread, holding the two men back by force. His voice was still firm.
"Calm down! This is the middle of the road!"
But the two drivers didn't stop. They shoved at Seong-won, trying to lunge at each other.
Just then, Seong-won glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and called out shortly,
"Eun-yul! The radio! It's in the console on the passenger side!"
"......Me?"
"Yeah! I need to request backup right now. Just say exactly what I say!"
I turned and opened the passenger console. A black radio unit was seated inside.
When I took the cold, heavy metal in my hand, my heart hammered.
Seong-won kept the two men blocked, fixed his eyes on me, and said firmly,
"This is 02-13, collision scene in front of the municipal library. Situation deteriorating, requesting additional support! Say it exactly like that!"
I drew in a breath.
And with trembling fingers I pressed the button and repeated it.
"Th... this is 02-13. Collision scene in front of the municipal library. Situation on scene deteriorating... requesting additional support! Over."
'Did it work...!?'
Kssht—
Static ran for a moment, and then a firm voice came back through the radio.
"02-13 confirmed. Deploying a nearby patrol unit immediately. Hold position. Over."
'It worked!'
In that instant, one side of my vision flashed and blue light ran across it.
[You have acquired the 'Police Officer' title.]
My heart hammered.
But the situation in front of me wasn't over yet.
Four men were shouting and closing in on Seong-won.
I quickly equipped the Police Officer title.
Immediately, countless procedures and regulations and on-scene response manuals poured down like a waterfall somewhere in my head.
Self-defense technique manuals, criminal code provisions, arrest procedures, and response after a report comes in.
As if I'd spent years at the police academy, the familiar knowledge seeped in as though it belonged there.
'With this title's power, I can help!'
I opened the car door and walked out fast.
The two drivers were still shoving Seong-won, trying to lunge at each other.
In that moment, words burst out of my mouth that I hadn't even consciously thought.
"Both of you, stop!"
My voice swept sharply across the road.
The tense air of the brawl broke in an instant.
I stepped forward once more and said firmly,
"This is a public road. Escalating to a physical fight like this constitutes grounds for arrest in the act. Move the vehicles to the shoulder, and both of you calm down immediately."
That delivery, that inflection, and that firm look in my eyes.
Even to me it was unfamiliar how much the aura of a 'real police officer' was soaked into it.
The young driver flinched and looked at me. A brief hesitation flickered in his eyes.
Then the middle-aged man slowly released the hand gripping the collar.
Beside me, Seong-won's eyes brushed past mine for an instant.
An expression that said, '......This punk, what is he?'
But there was no room for that right now. I had to settle this before it got bigger.
In that instant, a sharp piece of reality flashed through my head.
'...Wait a second. Impersonating a police officer is illegal.'
The moment I gained the title, the legal provision had brushed through my head like a manual entry.
[Criminal Act Article 118, prohibition on impersonating the qualifications of a public official]
A chill ran down my spine.
An entertainer caught imitating a police officer? It doesn't end with legal punishment alone.
One line in the entertainment section is enough.
[Rookie actor causes stir impersonating police]
That one line would collapse my career as an actor.
Gritting my teeth, I looked at the sweat-soaked Seong-won and the people still trading sharp glances.
'But I can't leave Seong-won alone. I have to hold out somehow until backup arrives!'
Keeping my firm expression, I called out to the agitated men.
"Additional support is on the way. Settle this with words before then. If you fight any further here, you'll both be taken in for assault."
"A-assault?"
At my words Seong-won immediately added,
"Yes. Assault is established even if the other party isn't seriously injured. Criminal Act Article 260, assault, can carry up to five years' imprisonment or a fine of up to ten million won."
In that instant the surroundings went quiet. Even the two who'd been about to fight glanced at each other, reading the room.
I stepped closer and drove it home in a firm voice.
"This isn't a joke. It means if you don't stop now, each of you walks away with a criminal record on your life."
I could see the momentum breaking down bit by bit in the two men's faces.
Anger was slowly turning into bewilderment.
Because Seong-won's and my delivery, our eyes, our firm tone were exactly those of police who had worked scenes for years.
Only then did we calm the two drivers from either side and put the situation in order.
At Seong-won's attitude, sparing his words and responding by the manual, the voices that had been sharp at first gradually lowered.
At last the two drivers moved their cars to the shoulder, and the flow that had been blocking the middle of the road slowly loosened as well.
"Kssht—, 02-13, we've arrived. Joining the scene. Over."
A siren sounded in the distance. Then another patrol car pulled up in front of the library.
When the support personnel got out, the atmosphere on scene turned considerably more stable.
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief and step back.
'I think the Police Officer title actually helped......'
My eyes went straight to my friend.
I watched that hard-worked back of his without a word.
And I thought about the titles once again.
The ability a title gives.
It wasn't simple 'convenience.'
The sense of a police officer learned by throwing yourself at scenes like this one, the sense someone devotes an entire life to acquiring, seeps into me exactly as it is.
The body reacts, the field of vision changes, and expertise soaks into even a single sentence.
'This is a real power.'
At first I simply wanted to act well.
But the more I face this ability, the more I keenly realize this isn't a simple aid for an actor. It's a power that can change a person's whole life.
And along with it came an equal temptation.
It would be easy to deceive someone with this.
Because not just in a role, but in real life, I can speak and act like an expert in that field.
That was far too frightening a road.
The moment I step outside acting and start distorting actual reality, I might become a person eaten by the titles.
'It really is a dangerous power.'
The moment a person forgets the weight of something gained so lightly, they can fall apart easily.
But I knew.
Where I had to use this power, and where using it was the only way it would mean anything.
Acting.
For acting alone.
I'll collect these titles, and make them my weapon to become the best actor.
Nothing more, nothing less.
That was the road on which I wouldn't be eaten by the titles, but would swallow them instead.
***
Once the situation had settled, Seong-won let out a breath of relief and turned to me.
He didn't joke around like usual, and wore a strangely apologetic face.
"Eun-yul, sorry for dragging you into this. I should've dropped you off first......"
I shook my head and smiled.
"It's fine. Nothing's going to come of it. I'm heading in now."
Seong-won looked at me for a moment and nodded.
The question 'what the hell were you back there' still lingered in his eyes, but he didn't ask.
"Seong-won. I'll get going. Work hard."
"Sure, I'll call you later."
I nodded and turned my steps toward the library.
Beyond the glass doors, the building with bright light spilling out drew closer and closer.
As I pulled the door open, I looked back once.
People were still gathered on the road in front of the library, and Seong-won was calmly sorting out the situation with his colleagues.
That back of his looked strangely dependable.
And I slowly stepped into the library where my sister would be working.
When I opened the library door, the high ceiling came into view.
The ceiling was open like a performance hall, and on one side was a café framed with glass windows, while the entrance to the library proper sat opposite.
I went up to the desk without thinking and asked a staff member,
"Um... is there a Cha Ha-yul working here—"
Before I could finish, the employee sitting at the desk saw my face and shot up out of her chair.
"Kyaah! Cha Eun-yul!"
In an instant, a piercing shriek rang out.
The quiet space shook as though torn open, and every eye fixed on me at once.
People who'd been reading, and even people drinking coffee at the café, all raised their heads and stared at me.
'......Ah, I'm done for.'
I froze, twitching my neck awkwardly.
Just then I felt a familiar gaze from beside me.
It was my sister Ha-yul.
Pushing a book cart in her library uniform, she was staring at me with her eyes gone wide.
Disbelief was written plainly on her face.
I stood there blankly, at a loss, and forced the corners of my mouth up.
"Haha......hi?"
At that awkwardly delivered greeting, the corner of Ha-yul's mouth slowly twisted and then her expression hardened cold.
Her eyes, gone wide with disbelief, narrowed thin, and then she glared straight at me.
It was a look that seemed to ask, 'This insane brother of mine, what did he screw up this time to show up here?'