The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 103

“Take this to your boss. If he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t even buy you a pack of gum.”

“…It hurts.”

Shin Haesoo, startled by Haru’s words, released her hand. She hadn’t realized she was holding it so tightly in her rising anger.

Haru’s hand was red, pressed into the shape of a bottle opener.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. And I’ve already had a few.”

“Then I should buy you the same thing. Listen carefully, when you receive a gift from a man, you need to consider whether he has ulterior motives. If it’s over 30,000 won, no, even over 10,000 won, he does. And if you accept it, you owe him, so he’ll want something else from you.”

“Something else…?”

“A meal, a movie, small things to start with. Be careful in everything you do.”

“Why should I be careful of men?”

“Because he’s married. A married man shouldn’t be giving such expensive gifts to women other than his wife.”

“If he’s not married, is it okay?”

“If he’s not married…”

Haesoo suddenly jumped up from her seat and busily cleared the dishes.

“That was delicious. I look forward to learning more new menu items in the future.”

“Yes, Haesoo-nim.”

Haru quietly watched Haesoo’s retreating figure as she hurried towards the exercise room.

***

Gangjin Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit Headquarters.

For the first time in a while, all the members gathered at the headquarters. Haesoo was the last to return.

She had suffered both physical and mental injuries, but time heals all wounds, and after a little rest, she was able to recover.

“Hello.”

“Senior, you’re here!! We’ve been waiting for you!”

The youngest member was the first to jump up and rush towards Haesoo in response to her greeting. He felt like a baby bear, only bigger.

“Who is this? Wow, the difference between your left and right is severe.”

“Who made our musclehead’s arm like this! Don’t work out your right side anymore!”

“I’m thinking of starting on my left side soon.”

“Take it easy, take it easy. Don’t overdo it and ruin yourself later.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Were there any cases?”

“Well, there was a domestic violence case the other day, but it was resolved yesterday. Today, for the first time in a while…”

Ring ring ring ring.

It was an internal call. The team leader leaned back in his chair, about to put his feet up on the desk, but stopped, sighed, and answered the phone.

“…Yes, yes, I understand. Send me the file.”

It was the situation room. The team leader’s face was serious as he listened to the details over the phone.

“What is it?”

The team leader stared blankly, still holding the receiver, then turned to Haesoo.

“Murder case, police officer.”

The detectives in the headquarters all stopped moving at the word “police.” In this context, the police officer was likely not the perpetrator, but the victim. A police officer was dead.

The youngest member put down his dumbbell, Haesoo changed her shoes, and Oh Gyeong put down his cup ramen and chopsticks.

The team leader grabbed his radio and car keys, and they all rose as if by appointment and followed him.

The team members couldn’t contain their questions and began to fire them off during the short walk to the car.

“Which precinct?”

“Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency.”

“What’s the name?”

“Jo Banghee.”

“Is it a woman?”

“Yes.”

“How old?”

“Thirty. Stop with the questions, let’s look at this.”

The team leader showed them the radio displaying Jo Banghee’s background check sent from the situation room.

Her residence was in Yongsu-dong, Gangjin City, and since the body was found there, it was reported to the Gangjin Police Station.

In the meantime, everyone got into the van, and the youngest member, who had taken the car keys and gotten into the driver’s seat, recognized Jo Banghee’s ID photo.

“Oh, this woman.”

“Why? Do you know her?”

“Not personally, but she was a bit of a hot topic for a while.”

“What about?”

“You know that incident 15 years ago in Jinma Township where a middle school girl was confined and gang-assaulted?”

In Jinma Township, eight men and women had confined and assaulted a female student for two days. She later escaped and reported it, but her father made a deal with the perpetrators, resulting in a lenient punishment. The victim died alone at home not long after, and the cause of death was never properly investigated, causing a media uproar.

Haesoo remembered being angry and saddened for a long time after hearing about that incident.

The team leader frowned, recalling the incident as well, and asked,

“Why is that suddenly coming up?”

“She’s rumored to be one of the perpetrators in that case.”

“…What?”

“There was a post on a community site about that incident, something like that. Four of them were arrested but released in less than two years, and the other four didn’t even have a criminal record, so it became a big issue again when they became police officers. I bet the precinct bulletin board was a mess back then.”

“Hmm…”

“What a bastard…”

The detectives couldn’t hide their bitterness.

Even though they were police officers themselves, they couldn’t help but feel frustrated that those who deserved to be punished by heaven were released back into society due to the victim’s guardian’s agreement.

Haesoo narrowed her eyes and asked,

“Does the victim’s family have anyone else?”

“Uh… no, there isn’t, that damn father was the only one, and he died of exposure after getting drunk a few months after his daughter’s death that winter.”

“Hmm…”

In the meantime, they arrived at the scene. Jo Banghee’s residence was a two-room apartment on the top floor of a mixed-use building.

Two patrol cars were already there, and the strong smell of blood wafted out even before they went inside.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Ah, yes, the Violent Crimes Unit is here. This way.”

Following the officer’s guidance, Haesoo entered the main room and frowned slightly.

“Hmm…”

“Ugh…”

The woman’s body was neatly laid out on a large queen-size bed, far too big for one person. It was divided into six pieces: the neck, two arms, two legs, and the torso.

Underneath the dismembered body, as if mocking the police who had accepted such a person, a police uniform was laid out.

The uniform, as well as the bed underneath, was completely soaked in red. Judging from the scattered pieces of flesh and the amount of blood, it seemed the work had been done directly on the bed.

Haesoo first examined the rectal temperature and livor mortis [pooling of blood] to estimate the time of death.

Considering the body was already dismembered, it seemed to have been done a while ago, and in fact, it had been at least four hours.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a body like this.”

“Indeed. The flesh is dried too, they cut her while she was still alive.”

“Hmm, the cartilage here is torn. They roughly cut it and then tore it off later. They must be very strong.”

“Crazy…”

The Violent Crimes Unit carefully examined Jo Banghee’s body and the room.

“There’s almost no blood spatter.”

“The angle, right? The victim didn’t resist…”

“They used a sedative or anesthetic. Ah, this is the beginning. They cut the carotid artery first and then dismembered her while she was dying.”

The youngest member raised his hand.

“There’s a strange footprint here.”

“Where? Hmm, glue. They put glue on the soles of their shoes. They’re meticulous, this won’t be easy.”

As the team leader said, there were hardly any clues about the perpetrator at the scene. They took fingerprints, but they weren’t expecting much.

First, Jo Banghee was killed when she was unable to resist.

Second, her body was dismembered while she was still alive. The relationship was likely filled with deep resentment.

Third, they were meticulous and planned, even putting glue on the soles of their shoes.

“Musclehead and the youngest, no, Oh Gyeong and the youngest, collect all the nearby CCTV and black box footage, and Musclehead, hand it over to CSI [Crime Scene Investigation].”

“I’ll go.”

Oh Gyeong waved his hand at Haesoo’s words.

“No, no, I’m okay, it’s a bit hard for me to be here. I’m going out.”

“Yes, I understand.”

*

If there’s a victim, there’s also a perpetrator. And in this day and age, in a country with the highest number of CCTV cameras per area in the world, they can’t avoid being filmed.

Hiding their face like this is the best they can do.

The Violent Crimes Unit was now watching a screen on Oh Gyeong’s monitor showing a person wearing a hat and mask.

“But the time doesn’t match. They came out during people’s commute time… Even if they killed her and did all the work, isn’t it too late to come out?”

The team leader shook his head at Oh Gyeong’s words.

“No, this is someone who dismembered a person alive. They deliberately stayed with the body until commute time.”

“Ugh… damn.”

“That seems right.”

“Wearing a large jumper even though it’s still hot, to hide their body shape, makes them even more suspicious.”

“They disappeared from the subway, right?”

“Yes.”

The team leader patted Oh Gyeong on the shoulder and said,

“All of you, go out. Go out and collect all the footprints along the path this person took.”

“That’s a lot of work…”

“But if we find something, it’ll be good for identifying the suspect.”

“No. Musclehead, let’s go meet Jo Banghee’s acquaintances.”

“Yes.”

Jo Banghee’s parents were high-ranking government officials. Upon hearing of her gruesome death, her mother fainted and her father was angry at the Violent Crimes Unit.

“What were you doing while my child was in this state! Which precinct is in charge! I won’t let you get away with this!!”

Even considering that he might not be in his right mind due to his child’s death, his personality was such that one could guess how he usually handled things.

They met fellow police officers at the Gyeonggi Southern Precinct, but she had a good personality and interpersonal skills, so there was no one who seemed to have a grudge against her.

“Officer Jo Banghee? She didn’t come in today, is something wrong?”

“Officer Jo… was always bright and kind. She liked cats and even got scolded by a neighbor for feeding stray cats…”

“Tsk, I kept my distance after hearing that she was the main character in that incident. Honestly, I don’t believe in turning over a new leaf.”

“She was always smiling, but she had a strange vibe.”

Rather, she apparently felt very sorry to her colleagues when the community incident broke out and bought them meals several times.

Still, they generally didn’t seem to like mentioning her name.

Haesoo and the team leader went to the park near the precinct where she often fed the cats and ate hamburgers for lunch.

At that time, a boy on a kickboard zoomed past and approached Haesoo and the team leader.

“Are you guys police officers?”

The team leader was surprised and widened his eyes. He was more surprised that the boy recognized them in plain clothes and approached them, even after seeing Haesoo’s face.

“How did you know? You’re amazing!”

In response to the team leader’s answer, the boy gave a fierce look and shouted.

“Police are bad!!”

Then he zoomed away again on his kickboard. As Haesoo and the team leader looked at each other in disbelief, the boy circled back and came near again.

The team leader asked with the kindest face and voice he could muster,

“Cool kid, why do you think the police are bad?”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Oh, right, what’s your name?”

“Lee Gangcheol. Gangcheol Lee.”

“That’s a really strong and cool name, we have a team member with that name too. So Gangcheol, why are the police bad?”

Gangcheol looked at the bushes instead of the team leader and started to tear up.

“The police lady, the police lady harassed and killed cats! I also saw that lady hitting some man before!”

“…What?”

Haesoo suddenly had a strange feeling and immediately took out her radio and showed him Jo Banghee’s face.

“Is this the police lady who harassed and killed the cats?”

Gangcheol nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes! This lady is bad!”

“This lady hit some man too?”

“Yes, she pushed him and hit his face with her hand. I was scared so I hid.”

“Really? Do you remember what the man who got hit looked like?”

“I don’t know. He was wearing a hat with a hood, he looked pitiful.”

“Do you remember when it was?”

“It was a long time ago. When the flowers were blooming.”

It was spring. It’s been several months. It’s impossible to confirm with CCTV.

While Haesoo was investigating, the team leader showed the boy the CCTV footage of the suspect on his phone.

“Could this be the man who got hit?”

“How would I know if I can’t see his face? But why do you keep asking?”

“Ah, we’re going to punish that bad police lady.”

“Really? Okay. I think it looks similar to this man.”

Haesoo and the team leader looked at each other again at Gangcheol’s answer.

Just in case, they searched the park’s CCTV. The suspect who was hit by Jo Banghee was not visible.

However, as Gangcheol said, she was seen luring cats with food and cutting their tails or ears with scissors.

Looking at that, it was highly likely that she killed the cats.

Jo Banghee had not turned over a new leaf. She was thoroughly hiding her true nature, and someone who knew that had brutally murdered her.

‘Someone who knows Jo Banghee well, very well…’

At that moment, the radio rang.

-Anesthetic ingredients used on animals were detected in Jo Banghee’s body.

“Animal anesthetic…”

Perhaps this clue could greatly narrow down the suspects.

“Team leader, first…”

“Yeah, we need to secure the whereabouts of those perpetrators from back then.”

“Yes.”

Haesoo shared information with Oh Gyeong’s team and set out to find the perpetrators. And a few hours later, the youngest member radioed in.

-Senior, we came here to find the perpetrator Sung Sooan… he was murdered two weeks ago.

“…What?”