The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 11

The pub was a mess.

“Kyaa!”

As the employee collapsed, the customers screamed and began to murmur, their voices a low, anxious hum.

Kim Eunmi was visibly shaken, her face turning pale with a mixture of shock and concern.

“Ugh…”

“Get up, you bastard!”

The large man grabbed the employee by the hair and forcibly yanked him to his feet, his aggression escalating the tension in the room.

Seeing this, Shin Haesu made eye contact with Eunmi, offering a silent reassurance before addressing the situation. He opened his mouth and said,

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Just as the large man raised his hand to slap the employee again, someone grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

Tuk.

“Hey.”

The large man, who had briefly glanced at Haesu getting up, frowned and turned his head, annoyance etched on his face.

“This bastard is dying to get…”

The end of his sentence trailed off, his bravado evaporating. The large man’s eyes widened in disbelief. His eyes were filled with Haesu’s cold, piercing gaze.

The large man’s expression, which had been fierce and menacing, gradually softened in stages, like ice melting under the sun. He avoided Haesu’s eyes, lowered his gaze, and spoke in the kindest, most placating voice possible.

“…I didn’t know you were here, Detective! I’m sorry for being so loud!”

He quickly backpedaled, changing his tune entirely. But when Haesu’s expression remained stern and unyielding, he prostrated himself on the floor, amidst the shards of broken glass and spilled alcohol, a picture of utter humility.

The large men behind him also noticed Haesu and trembled visibly, bowing their heads in the same submissive way.

“…We’re sorry.”

Haesu tilted his head, a slight frown creasing his brow at the unexpected display. He didn’t immediately recognize their faces. Judging by the way their hands and shoulders were trembling, they were definitely individuals he had dealt with directly in the past.

Inside the pub, everyone’s attention was focused on Haesu to an uncomfortable degree, their eyes glued to him.

To those who hadn’t heard the word ‘Detective,’ Haesu simply looked like a formidable gang boss, radiating an aura of authority and control.

Haesu calmly sat back down and glanced at Eunmi, ensuring she was alright, before turning his attention back to the kneeling men.

“Get up.”

“We won’t get up until you forgive us.”

“…Won’t get up.”

When they didn’t move, Haesu’s voice lowered another octave, becoming even more chilling.

“Get up.”

Tudeok, tudeok. (Sound of them getting up quickly)

Feeling threatened by the coldness in his voice, the large men quickly scrambled to their feet and knelt in front of Haesu, their earlier aggression completely gone.

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to be completely clueless, understanding the gravity of the situation.

“Where are you from? Help the employee up behind you.”

“Yes, I understand!”

Gangsters typically avoid mentioning their organization’s name, as it would be tantamount to admitting to illegal activities conducted under the organization’s banner.

“We’re from Gaesong-dong, Detective.”

“Gaesong-dong… Turn around and apologize to the employee.”

At Haesu’s words, the three men simultaneously jumped up and bowed deeply to the employee.

“We’re sorry for earlier!”

“We apologize!”

“The employee doesn’t have to accept the apology, and you can call the police and report the assault if you wish.”

At Haesu’s words, the large man became remarkably docile, his earlier aggression replaced by meek compliance. The woman who was with him grabbed one of the large men’s arms and babbled in disbelief.

“What? Why are you acting like this? Three against one?”

“Please shut your mouth, shh, shh.”

The large man who had slapped the employee spoke seriously to him, his tone contrite.

“It’s my fault, so you can do whatever you want.”

“You have to clean up too.”

“Yes, of course!”

Even with their faces flushed with embarrassment and the lingering effects of alcohol, they sobered up quickly, apologizing profusely to the employee and customers, and even diligently cleaned up the mess they had created.

Haesu recommended calling the police, but the employee vehemently refused, likely out of fear of future retaliation.

The large man, seemingly moved by the employee’s reluctance to involve the authorities, took all the 50,000 won bills (approximately $40 USD each) from his wallet and stuffed them into the employee’s pocket. It looked like close to ten bills, a substantial amount of money.

Haesu was relieved that the situation had been resolved without him having to resort to force, especially in front of his date.

Once the mess was cleaned up and the large men had left the store, Eunmi’s escaped spirit finally returned, her composure regained.

‘What is this charisma…’

She hadn’t even heard him raise his voice, let alone witness any physical force, yet the situation was resolved neatly and efficiently. And that was against three burly and menacing men. This was a first for Eunmi, a display of effortless authority she had never witnessed before.

The sight of him grabbing the wrist that was about to strike was like watching a scene from a drama, a moment of decisive intervention.

‘His veins on his forearms were no joke either.’

Then, she heard a dry voice filled with a hint of concern, breaking her train of thought.

“Are you okay? Should we move to another place?”

“Ah… no, those people who just left… why were they like that?”

“Well, I didn’t overhear their conversation earlier.”

“No, I mean, why were they so deferential to you?”

“That’s because they were thugs I ran into when I was an investigator in Naejuseo [an old police agency], so they recognized me as a detective. It’s a natural occurrence between detectives and gangsters.”

“Naturally…”

‘They were trembling way too much to call it natural…’

Kim Eunmi glanced at Haesu, studying him with newfound interest. His sharp features and broad shoulders seemed very reliable, projecting an image of strength and competence.

Eunmi made eye contact with Haesu, a subtle shift in her gaze.

‘Plan change.’

Her eyes curved softly, a hint of playful intrigue in their depths. Her long eyelashes stood out, framing her gaze.

‘It might be okay to see him for a while.’

She subtly undid a button on her blouse in front of Haesu, a deliberate act of provocation, and slowly crossed her legs, accentuating her figure.

Haesu’s pupils shook slightly at her provocative behavior, a momentary lapse in his composure.

‘How cute, he’s head over heels for me.’

“Shall we cheers?”

“…Yes.”

Haesu and Eunmi had a few more drinks, the atmosphere between them subtly charged, and eventually decided to leave the bar.

Since they couldn’t call a designated driver for the motorcycle, they walked to the main street to catch a taxi.

The two faced each other to say goodbye, the streetlights casting long shadows around them.

Eunmi swayed slightly, the alcohol loosening her inhibitions, and slowly scanned Haesu from bottom to top, her gaze lingering.

“Today… was kind of fun.”

“I see.”

‘Is that it? I need to catch a taxi now? Do I have to spoon-feed him everything?’

When Haesu didn’t say anything further, Eunmi crossed her arms and raised her chin haughtily, a silent invitation hanging in the air.

“Next time…”

“I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

Eunmi was beyond flustered. The possibility of her being rejected hadn’t even crossed her mind. With her pretty face, great figure, and impressive skills, Eunmi couldn’t understand it.

“Eunmi-ssi [Ms. Eunmi, a polite way to address someone], you’re not my type.”

“Excuse me? What, what did you say?”

Eunmi felt a surge of anger, like she wanted to grab him by the collar. She barely maintained her composure and glared at Haesu.

“I wasn’t thrilled with you either, you know? I was just trying to be polite for Sia’s sake and meet you one more time, but what would I want with a guy who has no car, no house, and no money? Type, ha! Seriously.”

“I see.”

The fact that he didn’t seem affected at all, and even looked slightly apologetic, was even more infuriating.

“Whatever, just don’t say anything to Sia. Let’s never see each other again!”

“Yes, then.”

Haesu gave her a polite bow as a farewell. She didn’t even look back, stomping her heels 신경질적으로 [neurotically/irritably] on the ground as she got into a taxi.

“Where to, miss?”

“Ha, this is so ridiculous. Men better than him are lining up for me, and he doesn’t even appreciate it. How dare he, wow, I can’t believe this…”

“Miss? Where are you going?”

“San-dong Apartment!”

“Okay, I got it. Why are you yelling?”

Eunmi glared at the taxi driver and picked up her phone to call Sia.

***

Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring.

It was still far from work hours, but the ringtone was blaring loudly. Haesu fumbled for his phone, found it, and looked at the screen.

[Asset Manager Gu Seju, Manager]

“Yes, Manager.”

-Hello, Mr. Shin, oh, were you sleeping?

“I was on night duty.”

-Ah, I’m sorry. But this is urgent.

“It’s okay.”

-The Lead Building where my office is located, the owner is urgently trying to sell it to prevent the company’s bankruptcy. The return rate here is 8%, making it one of the top buildings in the eastern part of Gangjin City in terms of profitability.

“How much is it?”

-4 billion won [approximately $3 million USD]. If you take your time, you could sell it for 5 billion won [approximately $3.75 million USD]. You can just leave it as is and collect the rent. I recommend purchasing it, as these kinds of properties are rare.

“Okay, do it.”

-You’re so decisive. Then I’ll proceed with the contract and contact you.

“Yes.”

It felt surreal. Even when he had 10 billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD] in his account, it didn’t really feel real, but the thought of that huge building becoming his was strange.

Since he was already awake, he had a meal, worked out, and was getting dressed for work when Manager Gu called again.

“Yes, Manager.”

-Good news. We closed the deal at 3.7 billion won [approximately $2.78 million USD]!

“Thank you for your hard work. How much is the real estate agent fee for this kind of deal?”

-I have to work hard to make a living, I did it myself since I have a license. I won’t take a separate fee!

“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”

-Yes, Mr. President, then have a good day!

*

As soon as he arrived at the Dongbu Police Station and got into the patrol car, Officer Im opened his mouth.

“I heard things didn’t work out with Eunmi.”

“Yes, that’s how it turned out.”

“She’s talking like she dumped you, but from the way she’s subtly venting, it seems like you rejected her. What didn’t you like about Eunmi? She’s the prettiest and most popular among my friends.”

Haesu recalled the blind date and replied.

“She lacks a sense of crime prevention. And…”

The thrilling moment when she unbuttoned her shirt in front of him flashed through his mind.

“I’m conservative.”

“Ah, um… what on earth did Eunmi do…”

Officer Im glanced at Haesu, hoping he would say more, but Haesu didn’t bring up any more stories related to the blind date.

*

On the way home from work.

Working the night shift from 1 AM to 9 AM had its perks besides the overtime pay, as there were often days off the next day.

Since Shin Haesu also had a day off tomorrow, he was planning to visit the Lead Building he had just purchased.

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

While waiting at a traffic light, the pedestrian green light was flashing. A man wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a neat suit hurriedly ran across the crosswalk.

Haesu recognized the man’s face.

‘It’s Manager Gu.’

It seemed like he was leaving the office to go somewhere.

It wouldn’t matter much if he wasn’t there to look around the inside of the Lead Building, so he didn’t change his destination.

Vroom vroom-

He heard the sound of someone flooring the accelerator, and something felt strange.

The light where Haesu was standing was still red, the pedestrian light in front was green, and the road on both sides of Haesu was full of cars waiting.

But the sound of the accelerator was coming from behind? And it was getting closer?

Haesu raised the helmet visor and turned his head. Even before he could turn around, a black car was speeding towards him in reverse on the car-free road.

Crash-!

The black sedan strongly hit Manager Gu precisely.

The impact was so strong that Manager Gu’s body floated into the air, flew several meters, collided with another car, and rolled on the ground.

“Aaaaaah!”

“Aaaaaaah!”

Sharp screams echoed throughout the area.

The black sedan didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping and disappeared towards the overpass. Haesu immediately got off his motorcycle and ran to Manager Gu without even being able to check the license plate.

Manager Gu was sprawled out in the center of the four-lane intersection.

There was so much blood soaking the asphalt that it was hard to believe it came from a human body.

“Manager Gu!”

“Gack, gack, cough, cough…”

His body was trembling with convulsions, and his wide-open mouth was full of bloody foam.

His upper and lower body were twisted as if they were about to fall off. His intestines were protruding and severed. Even a god couldn’t save him in this state.

Haesu met his burning gaze and held his blood-stained hand.

Manager Gu’s pupils, which were gradually dilating, met Haesu’s eyes. Whether it was instinct or unconsciousness, he didn’t know.

Gu Seju read the look in Haesu’s eyes as he was dying.

‘I will definitely save you.’

< #11. I am conservative. > End