The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 124

124. Ice Cream Granny

About two hours after leaving Gangjin City.

An Seo-eun, who had been dozing, woke to the salty scent of the sea.

“Ah….”

They were driving along the coast road, and an endless, starlit sea stretched out before Seo-eun.

“It’s wonderful.”

“You’re awake, CEO? It’s been a while for me too, seeing the sea.”

“Indeed.”

She had become the CEO of Daesung Entertainment at a young age, and with her responsibilities as the head of Daesung Hospital, security, and the hotel, she was constantly swamped with work.

Even when she had free time, she didn’t have the mental space to visit the sea. This time, however, she spontaneously postponed all her appointments and came.

Perhaps that was why.

Seo-eun stared blankly at the sea, feeling a sense of liberation in her chest.

Seeing this, Guard Kim slowly reduced his speed and parked the car in a spot with the best view.

After about five minutes, Seo-eun blinked and came to her senses.

“I’ll get out here. First….”

She slowly looked around at the numerous people outside that she hadn’t noticed. Fortunately, quite a few women were in bikinis—about one in five.

“I need to change my clothes first.”

“Here, ma’am?”

“Yes.”

Swish, swish—

Seo-eun immediately started unbuttoning and taking off her blouse. Guard Kim in the driver’s seat and Secretary Kang in the passenger seat quickly turned their heads and cleared their throats.

“Ahem.”

“Hmm.”

A heavy silence fell in the car, and the two men swallowed hard, their eyes fixed outside.

Then, the sound of clothes rustling, stimulating their imaginations, stopped. Seo-eun’s small face popped out between them.

“Are you going to stay here? There might be a way to go outside.”

“Ah, yes, sorry.”

“I, I was going to do that too.”

The two men quickly opened the doors and went outside.

Soon after, Seo-eun, who had been wearing the epitome of office attire, emerged from the car in a black bikini with a thin white cardigan.

Seeing Seo-eun, Secretary Kang and Guard Kim unknowingly gaped. They couldn’t take their eyes off Seo-eun in her swimsuit, which they were seeing for the first time.

Seo-eun smiled slightly at their reaction.

“Well, it seems alright. Let’s go.”

Secretary Kang went to park the car, and Guard Kim stayed right behind Seo-eun.

Seo-eun took a few steps, then took off her sandals and walked barefoot on the sand.

“The texture is really soft. It’s nice. Amazing.”

“I’ll hold those for you.”

Guard Kim didn’t hear Seo-eun’s sentimental words; he was only concerned that she was holding her sandals uncomfortably.

However, Seo-eun frowned slightly and quickly pulled the hand holding the sandals inward.

“No. It looks prettier when I hold them like this.”

“Ah, yes, sorry.”

As Seo-eun was casually looking around the beach and heading to meet Secretary Kang, someone approached her.

“Excuse me… miss.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

It was an elderly woman who looked very frail.

She was wearing a large-brimmed hat, and the wrinkles on her face were visible beneath it. Her back was very bent.

“I really need to use the restroom. Could you watch this for a moment?”

“Pardon?”

“If a customer comes, you can sell them some.”

The old woman pointed to a mobile ice cream cart.

At the old woman’s words, Guard Kim stepped forward.

“I’m sorry, but this person is….”

Seo-eun quickly stopped Guard Kim and replied.

“Yes, I understand. Take your time, Grandma.”

“Take your time… yes, a kind young lady with a beautiful face, thank you.”

Not long after the old woman left, Secretary Kang arrived. The three of them stood guarding the ice cream machine when a male student approached hesitantly.

“Uh, i-is this where you sell ice cream?”

“Ah, yes, yes, we sell it. Would you like some?”

The male student glanced at Seo-eun, blushing, and nodded.

“Y-yes, please.”

As Seo-eun was about to scoop the ice cream, Secretary Kang stepped in this time.

“I’ll do it.”

“No. I said I would take care of it. Just stand still, both of you.”

“Ah, yes, I understand.”

Once Seo-eun spoke firmly, there was no arguing. Secretary Kang gave up cleanly and stood quietly to the left.

Seo-eun, holding the ice cream scoop, frowned and pondered.

“Is this how you… scoop it like this? I think it looked something like this….”

“Yes, yes, put that on this cone, like that.”

“Done. It’s complete. Ha.”

“Yes, haha.”

The shape was a bit distorted, but Seo-eun’s face brightened as she successfully placed the scooped ice cream on the cone.

The male student, who saw this before she even handed him the ice cream, grinned broadly.

“Here you go. Enjoy.”

“Ah, h-how much is it?”

An unexpected question.

Confusion was written on Seo-eun’s face.

She had never bought ice cream sold on the street like this before. Even if she needed to buy it, someone else would, and she would never have to pay in cash herself.

She couldn’t ask how much it cost in front of the customer, so she looked at Secretary Kang with pleading eyes, but he cleared his throat and turned his head.

Seo-eun had no choice but to blurt out a price that came to mind.

“Um… t-ten thousand won [approximately $7.50 USD]?”

“Ah…”

The male student’s mouth slightly opened in surprise at the price, which was several times higher than he expected, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it was too expensive, out of pride. He confidently handed Seo-eun a ten-thousand-won bill.

“I’ll enjoy it. Thank you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Other men who had been watching the male student bravely buy ice cream slowly approached Seo-eun.

“I’ll take an ice cream too. No, two. That’s twenty thousand won, right?”

“Yes, just a moment.”

A man gave a large sum of twenty thousand won and bought two ice creams from Seo-eun. The woman behind him, who seemed to be waiting, poked him in the side.

“What, what is this worth twenty thousand won? Honey, you knew and went there, didn’t you?”

“Huh? Ah, this looks delicious! It’s worth the price.”

“Worth the price, my foot! They sell the same thing for 3,000 won [approximately $2.25 USD] at Dong Square!”

“Hey, it’s not the same person there….”

“What?!”

The couple who started arguing as soon as they made the purchase passed by, and other men lined up to buy in succession.

“Thank you. D-do you happen to have a boyfriend?”

“Thank you for the ice cream. You’re really my ideal type. Would you mind giving me your number….”

“My brother runs a big seafood restaurant over there. Want to quit this and work at my brother’s place? I’ll pay you double… uh, who are these guys?”

Even those who knew the market price bought it for three times the price and thanked her as a matter of course, and many people asked for additional information.

Some men even came back to buy again less than 10 minutes after their first purchase.

“P-please give me a lot. A lot.”

“Yes, I understand. Just… like this, pressing it down… ah!”

While pressing the ice cream firmly into the cone, her hand shook and brushed against her upper body.

“I’m sorry. I’ll scoop it again.”

As Seo-eun wiped the ice cream off her chest and was about to throw away the cone, the customer waved his hand urgently.

“Ah, no. Give it to me like that!”

“Pardon? No, it’s dirty.”

“I, I actually like dirty things! I even drop my snacks on the ground on purpose and eat them!”

“You’re unique. I understand. Here you go.”

“Thank you! You’ll be blessed!”

He bowed to Seo-eun at a 90-degree angle several times and disappeared.

Seo-eun muttered, watching his retreating figure.

“Ice cream sales seem to be good because it’s summer. How much do you think this costs to make?”

“I’ll find out.”

“No. Later, it’s a vacation now.”

“Yes.”

That’s how an hour passed. It was too long to consider it a special occurrence. Seo-eun massaged her wrists and legs and said.

“Is something wrong?”

“Did she go to the restroom far away? She’s not coming back.”

While looking around, she was scooping ice cream again when a familiar voice was heard.

“Ahn… Seo-eun?”

“Huh? Ah.”

Shin Hae-soo even appeared after Haru. Dressed in a cool uniform, Seo-eun hurriedly covered her face.

She wanted to appear in front of them looking cool, wearing a bikini she had never worn in her life. But to run into them while awkwardly scooping ice cream was extremely embarrassing.

Hae-soo approached and said in a businesslike voice.

“We received a report of an illegal street vendor.”

Seo-eun bowed her head and greeted him.

“Ah, yes, hello. What a coincidence. Well, it’s been a while, Haru, haha.”

Haru also approached Seo-eun with a delighted expression.

“Yes, Ahn Seo-eun, are you also selling ice cream?”

“Ah, this… an old woman asked me to watch it for a moment, but why isn’t she coming back….”

Hae-soo exchanged eye contact with Secretary Kang and Guard Kim and continued.

“Since we received a report, you have to remove it.”

“Pardon? Ah, but this isn’t mine, so it’s awkward.”

At that moment, the owner of a tube rental shop nearby, who had been watching Seo-eun selling from afar, approached and spoke.

“Miss, did an old woman with a pink butterfly hairpin ask you to watch this while she went to the restroom?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

“This old woman is doing it again, grabbing pretty young ladies passing by and asking them to watch it. She’s a repeat offender, because sales go well then, and she just watches comfortably. She must be nearby….”

“Nearby?”

At the word “nearby,” everyone looked around. Then, Hae-soo noticed someone in the convenience store building far away on the second floor, looking at them with binoculars.

Hae-soo tapped Seo-eun on the shoulder and pointed there with his index finger.

“Is that the person over there?”

“Oh, yes, that’s right!”

At Seo-eun’s answer, Hae-soo and Haru, Seo-eun and Secretary Kang, and Guard Kim—the five of them—moved toward the building.

The tube rental shop owner, who had inadvertently done a good deed, was left to guard the ice cream machine.

As they approached, the old woman, who had been watching them, folded her binoculars and quietly got up.

It was already close enough to hear Hae-soo’s voice.

“Grandma, Grandma, come over here.”

The old woman glanced at Hae-soo, moved to the back, and climbed onto the second-floor railing.

At that sight, Haru tilted her head.

“Um? Escape? Is she escaping?”

The old woman jumped off the second-floor railing without a moment’s hesitation.

“Kyaa!”

At that sight, Seo-eun turned her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

However, the old woman rolled once upon landing, perfectly executing a breakfall [a technique to safely break a fall], and started running at full speed in the opposite direction.

“Uh.”

“Huh?”

“Wh-what….”

“Parkour?”

Everyone was shocked by the scene and couldn’t speak.

Thump, thump, thump.

Haru was the first to run. Annoyed by her hat, she took it off midway and threw it roughly backward, and it flew accurately toward Hae-soo.

Thud-

Hae-soo took off his hat and gave it to Seo-eun, who was standing right next to him, and chased after her.

The old woman, or someone disguised as an old woman, jumped over walls and large obstacles with ease and climbed on roofs without hesitation. She was clearly a parkour expert.

However, Haru was not to be underestimated. With her light body, national-level running skills, and innate athleticism, she closely followed behind him.

“Why are you chasing me!”

“Why are you running away?! Are you abandoning that ice cream machine?”

“Th-that’s not it… Ack!”

Hae-soo suddenly popped out from the side of the road he was running on.

He seemed greatly flustered, and a proper voice came out instead of a modulated one. It was clear he was a young man with a small build.

The man, facing Hae-soo who was suddenly blocking his path, was startled and jumped sideways like a rabbit. His movements were so agile that even Hae-soo, who had good dynamic visual acuity, only grazed his clothes and missed him.

However, that sudden change of direction greatly reduced the distance with Haru, and Haru, who flew like a butterfly, pounced on him.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Just as Haru knocked him down and was about to break his leg, Hae-soo grabbed her hand and stopped her.

Then, when he checked his face, the mask he was wearing was half peeled off, and his eyes, filled with tears, were sparkling like those of a young man.