The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 167

168. Brother

Chief Kang Jin-seo of the Gangjin Police Station had been replaced three times during Shin Hae-soo’s service.

The chief who was full of justice when Hae-soo first arrived went to another station, and the second chief was so overwhelmed by Commissioner Jo Gam-chan that he didn’t interfere at all.

And the third chief was neither full of justice nor authoritarian, but humane.

-…What?

“I can’t do it. If I get disciplined to this extent, who will go out to catch criminals? If I catch a criminal trying to hit me with a golf club, I get disciplined, isn’t that right?”

-Hey!! How dare a mere police chief question my orders!

“…….”

When the chief remained silent, the commissioner, who had been furious, calmed down and spoke in a more composed voice.

-Hoo… Chief Kang, there’s some truth in what you say, but what’s the worst kind of crime? Isn’t it recidivism [the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend]? These detectives are repeat offenders. If we don’t catch them now, Chief Kang, you might have to retire before your term ends. Anyway, handle it quickly and submit a report.

“…Yes.”

It’s not like the chief can refuse to issue a disciplinary action. If the commissioner orders it directly, he has no choice but to comply.

However, issuing a suspension for excessive force in this case is too harsh.

Usually, a suspension lasts for three months, and some employees enjoy it as a paid vacation, but for a public official, there is no more dishonorable punishment.

The chief pondered deeply and began to type.

[Disciplinary Action]

The following police officers are subject to disciplinary action for excessive force.

Inspector Oh Kyung-seok (Salary reduction for 3 months)

Lieutenant Shin Hae-soo (Salary reduction for 6 months)

Police officers gathered around the disciplinary notice that had been posted on the bulletin board after a long time.

The detectives from the same violent crimes unit frowned as they looked at it.

“What is this?”

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a disciplinary action for excessive force.”

“Our new chief, I didn’t think he was like this….”

“Do you think the chief did this? It was the commissioner…”

Meanwhile, Violent Crimes Unit 4 came out of the cafeteria and looked at the bulletin board.

Oh Geng received a three-month salary reduction for slapping Kim Jung-seung.

“Hmm….”

“Hmm….”

Thump

Chief Gwak stepped in between them, put his arms around their shoulders, and said.

“Wow… the commissioner changed and we’re getting immediate feedback. Oh Geng was a bit out of line, how can you hit someone who’s tied up?”

“No, that bastard… Anyway, I’m so upset, hyung [older brother or respected male figure].”

Chief Gwak took a stance as if he was about to rush out right away and said.

“Should I just go to the commissioner and turn everything upside down?!”

“Yes, hyung, fighting!”

Oh Geng and Hae-soo pushed him back, and Chief Gwak immediately retreated.

“Thinking about it, it seems fair… Anyway, consider this fortunate. The commissioner told the chief to suspend Hae-soo, but the chief changed it. The commissioner probably knows but is just letting it go to save the chief’s face.”

Hae-soo nodded slightly.

“Hmm… After leaving the KSU [Korean Special Unit], I realized that we’ve been investigating too comfortably.”

“When you think about it, that’s true. It’s been so refreshing to push forward without any problems.”

Hae-soo, who was used to getting disciplined so often in the past, was unfazed, but the youngest member was not.

His face was flushed red as he huffed and puffed.

“Hoo, who the hell is going to catch the bad guys if this is how it is? This is too much! Commissioner!”

“Yeah, let’s calm down, Mon. Say those words directly to the commissioner.”

“Hoo-ook, hoo-ook.”

The youngest member, who was huge and had muscles like weapons, was huffing and puffing like a wild boar, scaring the other police officers away.

Hae-soo patted him on the back and led him to the violent crimes unit office.

However, the disciplinary action was not the end of it.

[Gangjin Police Officer Assaults Third-Generation Chaebol [family-owned conglomerate]]

At a bar in Yongsu-dong, Gangjin City, a minor dispute arose between Mr. Kim’s group and Mr. Lee’s group.

In response, the police were dispatched, and Lieutenant Shin, ㅇㅇ, brutally assaulted Mr. Kim and four others.

┗SwordofChaos: Wow, the cops are doing cop things

┗Dream: Wow, the reporters are doing reporter things

┗Macaron: What are you talking about? So the police just beat up a third-generation chaebol? Tell me more details

┗g1757: The article is so poorly written, do they even deserve a salary?!

┗Dream: Can’t you tell by looking at it? This is an article bashing the police, I bet my hand, no, your hands, that they got paid by the chaebol.

┗Macaron: Release a follow-up article.

┗Wind: Are the police so scary that you can’t even go anywhere?

┗Janggeum: What are you talking about? Where else is the public authority as weak as in our country? They should be beaten like in India

It had been like this recently, but it was immediately obvious that Daesung was not helping.

Even if the reporters from Daesung stayed still, other reporters were busy bashing Hae-soo and the police, so ordinary reporters also churned out articles to increase views, following the public opinion, causing great damage to the image.

Hae-soo missed the days when Daesung covered for him, even though he didn’t suffer any direct damage.

With the commissioner changing and Ahn Seo-eun gone, he realized the power of authority and wanted to vent his frustrating feelings to someone.

“…Well, that’s how it is.”

“Hmm… I see. I don’t usually look into anything that’s not related to the economy, so I’m only hearing about our CEO Shin’s news now. I’m sorry.”

Hae-soo was catching up with CEO Gu, his savior, after a long time.

The investment company he was running was growing steadily while focusing on safety.

“It’s nothing. What… would you like a drink?”

Hae-soo reached out to him and offered a glass. The location was like an outdoor terrace.

“Yes, yep.”

Slurp

The two men were having a serious conversation at an outdoor table set up in front of a convenience store.

They both drank banana milk from cartons at the same time.

Zzzzz Zzzzz

Then, the phone rang.

[Lois Kim]

Hae-soo hesitated whether to answer the phone after seeing the name on the screen.

“Who is it?”

“Ah, a Korean-American friend I met before, but he talks a lot….”

“Ah, he’s a bit different from CEO Shin.”

“Um… just a moment.”

It kept ringing, so he answered the phone in case something was wrong.

-Yo! Brother! How have you been?

“Well, I haven’t been doing great. How about you, Lois Kim?”

-Why why why? What’s wrong? Can I help you?

“It’s nothing.”

-Actually, I know. I’ve seen a lot of articles. Do you want to meet up for a bit? I have a lot to talk about.

“Ah….”

Hae-soo glanced at CEO Gu. The quick-witted CEO raised his hand and gave an okay sign without even knowing the details.

“Sure, where should we meet?”

Shortly after, in front of the convenience store.

Busy CEO Gu went back to the company, and Lois Kim and Hae-soo sat facing each other.

“Wow, I like this. Street, uh, sensitive?”

“Atmosphere… Please sit down, I bought the drinks.”

Hae-soo pushed a chocolate milk towards him. Lois Kim gave it a thumbs up.

“Brother is getting attacked a lot by reporters these days. Lois is heartbroken.”

“I’m not a celebrity. It doesn’t affect me at all.”

“Oh no no, Brother Police, awesome, the best. If Brother gets criticized, Police gets criticized. Police’s position gets smaller.”

“Standing, um, that could be true.”

As Hae-soo nodded and sipped the milk with a straw, Lois Kim handed over a business card. It was the same business card he had seen before.

“I can help you. I want to help you. Police Brother.”

He didn’t know when the title changed from Police Friend to Brother.

Lois Kim was said to be the head of the Korean branch of a foreign company, but he didn’t know how big the company was. It was an investment company, but he had never heard of it because he wasn’t interested in that field.

I should ask CEO Gu later.

“There’s nothing I can do for you.”

“Of course, I don’t need anything. I just need permission to help Brother, and you’ve given it. Okay?”

“Just don’t do it. This isn’t just a simple clickbait article from reporters, it’s a public opinion manipulation. Lois Kim will suffer unnecessarily.”

“Oh shit! Bad cartel? Then I can’t lose even more.”

“Heh….”

Hae-soo didn’t have the confidence to persuade this innocent and righteous Korean-American.

They repeated the same story for two hours, and talked until they parted ways.

“Don’t do it, Lois Kim’s company will be harmed.”

“It’s okay. Our company isn’t weak enough to collapse that easily. Just watch. I’m busy now, bye bye! It was fun today!”

“Huh….”

Lois Kim waved his hand, took the chocolate milk he hadn’t finished drinking, and headed to his car.

A black sports car, with a shield emblem that stood out.

Vroom vroom-

Hae-soo stared at the back of his car as it drove away, then turned his gaze away.

A few days later, an article broke.

[Chungnam Police Commissioner, Inappropriate Relationship with Ilseong Group]

It has been confirmed that the current Chungnam Police Commissioner and Ilseong Group have had a close relationship since long ago. Since the Ilseong Electronics bubble fund incident 11 years ago…

It has also been confirmed that he is related to the perpetrator, Mr. Kim, by blood.

Ignoring the process of wielding the golf club, it was revealed that the commissioner ordered the suspension under the pretext of excessive force because the detective injured the commissioner’s sixth cousin.

┗NoblePig: I knew it, how dare they harass the sacred Detective Shin?

┗WhiteBear: Why are the heads of South Korea always trash?

┗channel0: Let’s send them all into space! Let’s send the commissioner and Ilseong all flying!!

┗Haneul: Ha… I knew it. I’ll remember the Chungnam Commissioner.

[Controversy over Assaulting a Child of a Large Corporation, a Small Dispute? A Major One-Sided Assault. 8 Weeks of Recovery]

…It has been confirmed that Mr. Park was unilaterally beaten for no reason because he said he came from Seoul. However, he received a large settlement and withdrew the charges. The criminal punishment that he should have received ended with a suspended sentence, confirming that the so-called privilege of the chaebol family still exists in our society.

[Video (cuts off at the scene where someone is hitting a guest and someone wearing a police uniform with something)]

This is a CCTV scene from a restaurant obtained with the help of police officer Oh.

A group mercilessly assaults Mr. Park and his party with golf clubs and baseball bats.

The police were dispatched, but the child of a large corporation executive did not stop.

┗N2il: A suspended sentence for this attempted murder? How can I live in Korea if it’s so scary?

┗roanes: Let’s throw the commissioner and Ilseong in jail! What are the prosecutors doing?!

┗Zookeeper: Is this a country? They’re really trying to kill him?

┗Hwiolec: ???

In the violent crimes unit office, Hae-soo frowned as he watched the video linked in the article.

“Who gave this? Officer Oh…?”

Hae-soo turned to Oh Geng with a valid suspicion. Oh Geng raised his hand and gave an okay sign.

“Ding dong daeng~ A reporter said they would only write about this part. It’s not a bad thing, they’re on our side. Wow, but reporters are reporters. They wrote it amazingly.”

“Hmm….”

Thanks to what Lois Kim did, public opinion quickly turned around. A rebuttal article was also published, but it was quickly buried.

On the way home from work, Hae-soo received a call from Lois Kim.

-Hey Brother! How’s my gift?

“Oh, it’s very effective, but um….”

-That’s all that matters, don’t think about any other worries! Do you want to go to a club today? I found a good place yesterday!

“No, I’m not-”

-I’m in front of the police station now! Oh, I see you! Hey! Brother!

A big sports car that was blocking the entrance to the police station could be seen. A neat-looking, tall man got out of it and waved to Hae-soo, but was quickly stopped by a conscripted policeman.

Hae-soo sighed softly and headed towards Lois Kim.

Hae-soo and Lois Kim met often after that day.

Lois Kim was polite, kept his distance, was full of justice, and even helped, so there was no reason to keep his distance.

On a hiking trail, the two were sitting on a rock at the summit, drinking banana milk that Hae-soo had introduced.

“Hae-soo.”

Hae-soo turned his head and raised his eyebrows, gesturing for him to speak.

“Do you know about the Chilseong Society [Seven Stars Society, often associated with powerful or secretive groups]?”

Hae-soo’s face stiffened for a moment. The word Chilseong Society itself is shrouded in mystery.

Most people, including corporate executives, don’t even know about it.

It’s such a secretive word that Detective Park, who found out about it, died.

Now, this frivolous man in front of him is casually throwing out a word that shouldn’t be said lightly.

Lois Kim suddenly took off his zip-up jacket, which was already lowered a lot, and pulled one side wide open.

The Big Dipper was clearly tattooed on the left side of his chest, near his armpit.

He opened his red lips.

“I’m a member of the Chilseong Society.”