The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 141

141. Vacation

In front of a quiet rural police station.

Shin Hae-soo and a police officer are sitting in a small gazebo in the corner of the yard.

“…Inspector Park was easygoing, always enthusiastic about his work, and honest, but… he often said, ‘If I die~’ all the time.”

Hae-soo’s eyes flashed at the ominous start.

“Don’t tell me….”

“Yes, his family found him… dead at his home. There was no separate suicide note.”

“Did he happen to hang himself on the veranda of the master bedroom?”

This time, the police officer’s eyes widened at Hae-soo’s words.

“H-How did you know that? Did you review the case records?”

The young police officer knows that someone who doesn’t even know if Inspector Park is dead couldn’t have checked the case records. He was just flustered and spoke without thinking.

Hae-soo asked him with a bitter expression.

“How long… has it been since he passed away?”

“It was April… when new life was just sprouting. It feels like yesterday, but it’s already been four months.”

As it was a police suicide case, an investigation was conducted, but the case was quickly closed.

Hae-soo stared at the police officer for a moment and asked.

“Why did you stop me in the middle to tell me earlier?”

“Ah, well… Inspector Park kept saying that the person should be coming around this time of year, so I asked him who he was waiting for, and he said a big… scary-looking police officer.”

The police officer glanced at Hae-soo while speaking.

Hae-soo felt like his heart was collapsing when he heard that.

Although he had only met him once, the existence of someone else who suspected his father’s death was a great comfort.

He was waiting for him and eventually met his death.

A huge sense of guilt washes over him like a wave. Hae-soo squeezed his heart, pressing his chest with one hand, and barely opened his mouth.

“He… was waiting for me, Inspector Park….”

“It seems that way.”

The police officer didn’t know much information. He was just a well-following junior police officer and an exemplary senior police officer working at the same police station.

Hae-soo went straight to the competent police station and reviewed the case records.

‘Knot…!’

The moment Hae-soo saw the knot in the case file, he was sure. His father who left 18 years ago, idol Kang Min who he was in charge of before, and Inspector Park Young-cheol this time, the knots in the ropes they hanged themselves with are identical.

Of course, it is a common knot that anyone can tie, but it is impossible for the three cases to have the same knot in the same location by chance.

They are certain.

However, the information that can be known is limited with just the data. Hae-soo met the detective in charge to find out if this case was quickly closed due to external pressure.

“…It’s a shame, he was a really good police officer… No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find any signs of homicide, there were no clues, and he was always saying he was going to die. We can’t drag out a case with no small doubts for a long time. You know that.”

Hae-soo stared intently into the detective’s eyes. From his eyes, his expression, and his tone, sincerity was evident.

Although it was a rural area, Inspector Park Young-cheol was a clean and upright police officer respected by other police officers.

They are not related to them. If you think about it, if they put external pressure on the police to quickly close the case, it would be easier to track, so it is presumed that they would prefer to handle it neatly so that no doubts arise at all.

Perhaps Inspector Park Young-cheol also kept silent to protect his colleagues.

“…Yes, I’ll check the CCTV files.”

“Nothing came out, but anyway, check it out.”

“Thank you.”

Hae-soo asked for all the stored CCTV files and headed to the reading room.

The CCTV cameras were all in the apartment elevator where Inspector Park lived, one on the hallway on each floor, and one at the entrance on the first floor.

It was a pity that other things had already been pushed out and could not be checked because it was a case that had been going on for several months.

‘There must be something, they missed it, but I can know….’

Hae-soo’s face hardened coldly.

There is no such thing as a perfect crime. All crimes in the world leave evidence. The only difference is whether you find the evidence or not.

Tak.

Seven hours after watching the CCTV files, he stopped the screen.

Two days after the incident, someone comes out of the house at the end of the hallway. As soon as he came out, he went down the stairs instead of the elevator.

Only the side and back were captured, and the face was also captured from a very far distance, making it impossible to identify.

But Hae-soo could tell. A large height of over 190 [cm, about 6’3″], broad shoulders filling the hallway, he is definitely the person he encountered in the elevator during his father’s case.

‘18 years… later?’

The company must be continuing to train director-level talents, but is someone from 18 years ago still active? Is there another meaning?

There is no way to know right now.

Hae-soo quietly saved the file separately.

For now, this alone is not evidence of murder, nor is it a hint to find that person. It is natural that the detectives in charge did not put that person on the list of suspects.

‘I have to go to that house.’

Hae-soo jumped up from his seat.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

He immediately went to the house at the end of the apartment, but no one was there. There were more flyers attached to it than other houses, indicating that it had been empty for a long time.

Hae-soo first went to Inspector Park’s house inside.

Ding-dong.

He heard a noise from inside. Soon after, a trembling voice was heard.

-Who is it…?

This is the usual reaction when Hae-soo visits ordinary people for investigation. He quickly took out his police ID and showed it to the intercom.

“I’m Inspector Park’s junior. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Creak-

Soon after, the door opened carefully, and a young woman in pajamas appeared. She scanned Hae-soo up and down and asked again.

“Are you really a police officer?”

“Yes, I’m Shin Hae-soo, a sergeant from the Chungnam Metropolitan Investigation Unit.”

“Metropolitan Investigation Unit… Detective… Yes.”

At first, she seemed suspicious, but when she found out that he was a detective, she nodded, released the latch, and opened the door completely.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Her name is Park In-ha, Inspector Park Young-cheol’s only daughter. Inspector Park’s wife had gone to work, and Park In-ha was at home because she had a job writing web novels.

“…So I want to know who lives in that house at the end, and if you have ever encountered this person.”

“That house… seems to be empty often. But what is certain is that this person does not live there.”

In-ha stared at Hae-soo intently and suddenly jumped up from her seat. Then, she picked up a dining table chair, went to the bathroom, tore off the vent, put her hand in there, took something out, and handed it to Hae-soo.

‘USB?’

“My dad didn’t just say ‘If I die…’ all the time. He said that even after he died and the case was closed, if there was a police officer who questioned my dad’s death and investigated it on his own… he told me to give this to them.”

“Ah….”

Inspector Park foresaw his death. He felt death was approaching. What would that feeling be like? The feeling of not knowing when or how he would die, and seeing him not letting go of the investigation despite that, Hae-soo felt ashamed.

“…Here.”

Hae-soo received the USB with both hands and bowed deeply.

“Was my dad definitely murdered?”

Hae-soo slowly raised his head at Park In-ha’s trembling voice. Then, he looked at In-ha with reddened eyes.

“Yes, it is certain.”

In-ha choked up, and her shoulders trembled at Hae-soo’s firm answer.

“Then… can you catch the culprit?”

Hae-soo couldn’t answer immediately.

He bit his lower lip hard, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Yes.”

Only then did In-ha’s indifferent expression crumble, and tears streamed down her face.

“Then, then, please catch them. Please catch them. The bastard who killed my dad, please… catch them and make them pay.”

“Yes, I will, definitely.”

* * *

Hae-soo requested cooperation from the apartment management office and was able to talk to the owner of the house at the end of the hallway.

“…So, you’re saying that the two of you, as a couple, frequently go on overseas business trips, and you were abroad on that day?”

-Yes, yes, that’s right.

“By any chance, what is your height…?”

-Why do you ask… a little over 170cm [approximately 5’7″].

-170cm my foot, it’s 167cm [approximately 5’6″], honey!

-Hey, be quiet, I’m on the phone.

“Yes, thank you for the call.”

Hae-soo nodded, his eyes gleaming.

Through thorough investigation, they found out the days the house was empty and carried out the plan according to the date.

‘A meticulous bastard….’

After murdering Inspector Park and moving to the apartment veranda, they infiltrated through there and came out only two days later to eliminate suspicion.

Of course, they are only suspects circumstantially, and there is no evidence.

* * *

Hae-soo went home and checked the USB that Inspector Park’s daughter, Park In-ha, had handed over.

‘This is….’

There were numerous photos and reports that Inspector Park had investigated during his lifetime.

Among them, one stood out.

‘Chilseong Society…?’

A hand-written organizational chart of a certain organization.

It is presumed that seven groups are gathered under the name of Chilseong Society [Seven Stars Society, likely a reference to the Big Dipper constellation].

Along with an explanation that members of the Chilseong Society engrave tattoos similar to the dots in the Big Dipper [a prominent star pattern in the constellation Ursa Major, also known as the Plough or the Great Bear] for solidarity and identification, a photo was attached.

A vacation photo of the former Minister of Justice, who is no longer in this world. The Big Dipper was faintly engraved on his shoulder.

‘Inspector Park is suspicious of Ilseong Group, Hajin Group, KD Group, and… Daesung?!’

Inspector Park did not know all seven places. However, Hae-soo predicted that he must have found suspicious evidence and put them on the list.

But Daesung was among them. It was a shock to Hae-soo.

‘Daesung, Director Ahn Seo-eun….’

-Just, is it because South Korea is too dirty?

The day he asked what she wanted.

The reason she said when she shook hands with Hae-soo came to mind.

Did she know? Was she trying to clean up the owner family she was part of?

Should he go back and have a proper conversation with her? No. Although they have been together for a long time, he doesn’t know which side she is on.

Hae-soo’s expression hardened coldly.

He watches. He must watch without telling her about the company-related matters or the Chilseong Society matters.

‘Hmm….’

However, as much as Ahn Seo-eun, who has played a big role as a partner, no, even if she is not a partner but a human Ahn Seo-eun, he hopes that she is different from them.

Time will solve it.

Now the goal is clear.

Investigate the groups suspected of being the Chilseong Society. Thoroughly investigate and uproot the rotten roots of the Chilseong Society.

However, one question arose for Hae-soo.

If the three cases are linked, the suspicion of murder rather than suicide will become stronger, but why insist on the same location and knot [referring to the method of suicide/murder]?

‘There will be someone who chases the link of this case like me….’

Hae-soo, who was worried, suddenly opened his eyes wide. The person who was chasing the clues was his father, and then Inspector Park.

They… those who wield invisible dirty power, are not afraid of those who chase them. Rather, they wait for them to come out and try to uproot them completely.

Hae-soo’s eyes turned sharp.

‘Am I next? Come anytime.’

* * *

A dark training room.

A man is doing pull-ups with two large barbells hanging from his belt.

“Haa, hoo….”

The faint Big Dipper engraved on the inside of his angry back muscles undulates incessantly.

Swish-

Before he knew it, a man dressed in all black came in silently and approached him. Then, he stood still like a statue and waited.

Clunk-

The man doing pull-ups, Manager Ma, came down after a long time. He took off his belt and opened his mouth while fixing his gaze on the mirror.

“Speak.”

“Yes, it seems that Detective Shin Hae-soo has picked up the tail.”

At the word Shin Hae-soo, Manager Ma paused while taking off his gloves.

“Seems?”

“I’m sorry. The movements are suspicious, but not accurate.”

Manager Ma finished taking off his gloves and put them down, then took a step and drank water. The man followed Manager Ma closely and continued.

“He is a thorough person. He is a dangerous person, so I will eliminate him.”

“No, watch him.”

“…Yes.”

From the point of view of Manager Ma, or rather, the Society, Shin Hae-soo is a very troublesome opponent. Because he is with Daesung’s Ahn Seo-eun, a bomb, and he is the only one who has investigated the Society for two generations and has become quite close.

If he is eliminated, or an attempt is made to eliminate him, no one knows what kind of bomb will explode. That’s why Teacher Cheon told him not to eliminate him rashly and to keep an eye on him.

However, the man with Manager Ma did not understand the deep meaning.

‘How long is the old tiger going to stick next to Teacher Cheon… This is an opportunity. An opportunity to catch Teacher Cheon’s eye.’