The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 166

167. I Can’t Do That

The YouTuber Seok-su’s face turns ashen, an expression the cameraman gleefully captures.

Seok-su forces a smile and begins counting.

After twenty, the venue quiets down. Only a few genuine gasps are heard.

“Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine…”

Haru, slightly breathless, finally surveys the scene from her perch and slowly descends.

Then, Seok-su erupts in a wild scream, unable to contain his excitement, and shoves his face into the camera.

“F-f-forty!! Forty!! What is happening?! Today, we have a record-breaking number one in pull-ups, male and female combined, euahhhhh!!”

The spectacle of a woman who looks like she can barely manage two pull-ups completing forty is far more dramatic and generates more views than a muscular woman effortlessly exceeding forty. It’s all about the surprise factor.

Seok-su reaches into his fanny pack for the prize money but hesitates, then turns and bolts. This is a typical playful act he performs when the prize is substantial.

He usually stages a brief chase scene with the challenger before handing over the reward.

“Eit!”

Thud, snap-

No sooner does Seok-su take a step than Haru instinctively reacts, twisting his arm behind him.

“Aaaah! I, I surrender!”

He’s apprehended before he can even take three steps, his arm pinned.

Haru, surprised by her own reflexive action, releases his arm, and Seok-su nervously hands over the prize money.

“Wow, that’s the fastest I’ve ever been caught, and with an arm twist… I thought I was being arrested.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, haha, here!”

He adds a 40,000 won [approximately $30 USD] bonus to the original 160,000 won [approximately $120 USD], bringing the total to 200,000 won [approximately $150 USD].

His hands tremble as he presents the money, but a genuine smile plays on his lips.

This event is sure to dominate the fitness YouTube scene for the next week.

Seok-su signals his manager while scanning the crowd for the next participant. The manager approaches Haru and addresses her.

“Hello, I’m Lee Kang-hyun, Seok-su’s manager. Thank you for your incredible performance today. We might want to collaborate on future content. Could I get your contact information?”

“No.”

Haru remembers Hae-su’s warning about giving personal information to strangers.

The manager, slightly taken aback by her blunt refusal, tries again.

“Ah, if you’re uncomfortable with that, how about your social media…”

“Social media?”

Haru cocks her head, and Jung Young-soo interjects.

“SNS. An app for taking and posting pictures.”

“Ah, I don’t use that.”

“Ah…”

Then Young-soo steps forward.

“Um, instead of the lady, can I give you my contact information?”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Young-soo, recognizing that YouTuber Seok-su is a major figure with 1 million subscribers, exchanges contact information, hoping it might lead to some opportunity.

After the manager departs, Haru pokes Young-soo’s arm while eyeing the prize money envelope.

“Ouch, uh, why, why?”

“Does that person make a lot of money?”

“Ah… yes, it varies, but Seok-su has over 1 million subscribers and gets at least 200,000 views per video… he probably makes a fortune. I don’t know the exact figures, but people say he makes several thousand a month.”

“Several thousand? Several tens of millions of won [tens of thousands of US dollars]?”

“Yes, it’s like a dream, right?”

“Hmm…”

Haru places her hand on her chin, recalling her previous salaries as a bodyguard and a police officer.

She’s unaware of the reality that countless YouTubers struggle to earn even a million won [approximately $750 USD] a month despite their efforts. Haru just happens to have encountered a highly successful YouTuber right away.

“YouTuber…”

Haru strides forward, then abruptly pivots. She fans out ten thousand won bills [approximately $7.50 USD each] and waves them at Young-soo.

“What do you want to eat? Your big sister is buying.”

“S-Sister, you’re the best!”

Young-soo follows Haru like he’s under a spell.

* * *

Meanwhile, someone observes them leaving. Hidden within the crowd, yet possessing an unmistakable physique and sharp eyes, is Shin Hae-su.

He came to observe after seeing the Tteokjjang [a group of people who are close to each other] members’ KakaoTalk [a popular messaging app in South Korea] messages on his way home from work and spotted Haru.

Hae-su glances at the pull-up bar and turns away.

His expression seems to convey, ‘I’ll let it slide today.’

* * *

Violent Crimes Unit, Gangjin Police Station.

Detective Chief Kwak’s eyes, returning from a peaceful(?) vacation, are dull like a cod’s.

“Ah…”

Oh Geng nudges him on the shoulder and asks as he stares blankly into space.

“What’s wrong? Chief.”

“It’s nothing, go on, shoo.”

Oh Geng nods casually and returns to his seat, waving his hand.

“Ah, what is that, a mosquito? A mayfly?”

At Oh Geng’s words, Detective Chief Kwak’s eyes widen, and he shouts.

“What?! A mayfly!!”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Never mind, you! Work! Don’t you have work? Should I give you some!”

“I’m going, going, no, a person should be full of energy after coming back from vacation, but it’s the opposite. Did he lose his emergency funds or something…”

“I, I will definitely crush that mayfly to death…”

While Detective Chief Kwak is grinding his teeth over the unintentionally triggered trauma.

Ring Ring Ring

Just then, the internal line rings. Now that Detective Chief Kwak doesn’t forward the calls, the situation room calls always come to him.

“Violent Crimes Unit. Group special assault? Oh ho, I understand. Experts are on standby.”

Oh Geng, Hae-su, and the youngest flinch at the word experts.

Just then, the chief and Oh Geng’s eyes meet.

Oh Geng gets up again after sitting down for only 5 seconds.

“Hyung-nim [term used to address an older brother or male friend], no, Team Leader, what’s going on…”

“Originally, you get up if you think it’s you. Grab the car keys.”

Detective Chief Kwak nods as he hangs up the phone.

“That’s right, our Oh Geng knows what’s up.”

“Damn it, I’m a team leader, but why do I still feel like a team member to that hyung?”

Hae-su massages Oh Geng’s shoulders and pushes him forward.

“It’s just a feeling. Let’s go.”

On the way to the scene in the van, Oh Geng grumbles.

“Hyung-nim at the Major Crimes Unit protected the headquarters, but since there are three of us, I have to go too. Is this a team leader? Is this a country?”

The youngest, who is holding the steering wheel, also chimes in.

“I was out of being the youngest, but I’m the youngest again. But I’m really happy to be able to continue to be on the team with my seniors!”

“Yes, that’s the spirit to fight with. Got it?!”

“Yes, I understand!”

“What are you fighting about, you! Hae-su is getting more and more ferocious as time goes by, sigh, the visuals are really reassuring…”

20 minutes later.

They arrive at the scene.

A patrol car has already arrived, and the inside of the bar is a mess.

A fight broke out while drinking. According to the store owner’s report, two people with Seoul accents and five local thugs.

Crash!

“You son of a bitch!”

“Damn it! How dare you! Do you know who I am!”

Thwack! Thwack!

Courage doubles when there are many people. Especially when three or more men gather, there is a stupid buff that makes them fearless.

Even with the police officers present, their fight does not stop. Baseball bats, golf clubs, and steel chairs are flying around, so the two police officers who were dispatched cannot easily subdue them.

One side is being unilaterally beaten. The side with fewer people, presumably the two people from Seoul.

Oh Geng looks at the mess with blurry eyes and points at them with his index finger.

“One, two, three, four… seven, only one person needs to go, who wants to go.”

“Of course, I’ll go…”

Hae-su stops the youngest, who is about to step forward. Then he stretches his shoulders and says.

“I haven’t used my body lately, so I’m getting restless, get the cable ties out.”

“Yessir!”

Hae-su’s eyes, looking at the thugs in front of him, look like he is going to devour them, so Oh Geng throws out a word of concern.

“Don’t, don’t kill them.”

“I’ll try.”

Step, step, step

Hae-su walks forward without hesitation.

Bang! Crash!

Without even looking at the flying chair, he knocks it away with his hand and stops in the very center.

“Everyone… freeze!!”

Hae-su’s voice echoes loudly throughout the venue.

The men become rigid and enter a forced lull, like herbivores hearing the roar of a tiger.

A guy with a golf club looks at Hae-su and asks.

“Who are you, you bastard?”

Hae-su turns to him and raises his index finger.

“Lower your weapons and bow your heads until I count to three.”

“What kind of crazy…”

“One.”

At the same time as shouting one, Hae-su’s hand covers his face.

Thwack, crack!

“Ugh!!”

“What is that!”

The golf club guy’s arm is twisted in a deformed way. At the sight, a man with a baseball bat rushes at Hae-su, and Hae-su meets the baseball bat with his fist.

Clang!!

Hae-su’s fist accurately strikes the baseball bat and pushes it back, crushing the man’s face. The man falls backward with the baseball bat still in his hand.

Thud

Fearing a concussion, Hae-su’s toe supports the back of his head as he falls, so there is no loud noise.

The youngest gives a thumbs up at the action.

“Oh, as expected, a sweet guy…!”

The youngest diligently puts cable ties on the men crawling on the floor.

Oh Geng nods with a satisfied expression.

“It’s been a while, physical therapist Shin Hae-su.”

Crack! Crack!

“Kuaaak!”

“Ugh! I surrender, I sur- Aaaak!!”

Bang!!

When the last of the five men is planted on the floor, the venue becomes silent. The remaining two are already injured to the point of being unable to resist due to the thugs, so suppression is unnecessary.

Hae-su grabs the hair of the guy who rushed at him with the golf club, lifts his face, and says.

“I’m arresting you as a flagrant offender of group special assault. You have the right to hire a lawyer, and you have the opportunity to explain.”

“Keueoeu… You, you do you know who I… I, if I make one call, you’re all…”

Smack-!

At that time, Oh Geng’s flying smash.

“Oops, my hand slipped!”

These days, he is hidden by the physiques of Hae-su and the youngest, but Oh Geng was also among the top 1% of police officers in Korea.

The golf club guy rolls his eyes at his smash.

* * *

As a result of the CCTV check, mutual assault was not recognized. The Seoul men only got up and put their hands on their hips, and after that, there was only unilateral assault.

While writing the report, Hae-su pauses.

“Director of Ilsung Distribution?”

“Yes, you bastard! I told you? You’re all screwed now! I’m going to tell my dad everything!”

The golf club guy raises his chin and shouts triumphantly. But when Hae-su’s expression becomes more ferocious, he feels something is wrong.

Oh Geng, who is writing another man’s report, approaches and grabs the golf club guy’s shoulder and whispers.

“I think you’re screwed? That beast in front of you is the one who put the son of the president of Ilsung Electronics in jail.”

“…Huh? You, you can’t be…”

The man looks at the ID card that is lying haphazardly on Hae-su’s desk. It clearly reads Detective Shin Hae-su.

“That dog…!”

“Oh yeah, that’s me. I don’t let go until the breath is cut off once I bite, nice to meet you. Kim Jung-seung.”

Jung-seung steps back while sitting in the chair and says.

“I, I’m a lawyer, I won’t say anything until the lawyer comes! Don’t, don’t touch me.”

* * *

A few days later, the chief’s office at Gangjin Police Station.

The chief is narrowing his brows and receiving a call.

“…Yes? Disciplinary action for excessive suppression? Suspension? No, Commissioner, I sent you all the CCTV footage? They were trying to smash the head of a police officer with a golf club.”

-I saw it. It seemed possible to subdue them without causing enough injury, am I wrong? There’s nothing more to say, proceed with the disciplinary action.

The chief covers the receiver with one hand, sighs, and then opens his mouth again.

“I, I can’t do that.”