The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 170

Large online communities often feature bulletin boards categorized by interests, with active participants sometimes granted administrator privileges.

Kanghoon held such a position on a YouTube fitness content board.

He leaned on his desk, chin propped in his hand, scrolling with a bored expression.

“Ha, it’s all the same these days. Nothing fresh… nothing fresh…”

Kanghoon, who dedicated five hours daily to YouTube, found most videos predictable. He began delving into obscure corners, seeking novelty.

“What’s this? ‘I win everything’? The channel name is awful.”

The childishly named channel had a mere three subscribers, negligible views, and thumbnails featuring only workout equipment.

Such a newbie was a rarity. Most either hired professional editors or learned the ropes from YouTube tutorials.

He chuckled and clicked on the novice YouTuber’s video.

It opened in what seemed like a personal gym, matching the thumbnail. The camera angle remained static, accompanied by a surprisingly pleasant female voice.

[…Starting pull-ups.]

A slender, pale hand then appeared, gripping the bar.

‘Voice: pass. Fingers: pass.’

Kanghoon found himself subtly intrigued by this veiled YouTuber.

Suddenly, a grotesque orc mask with dark green skin filled half the screen.

“Argh, what the hell! What is that?!”

Startled, Kanghoon reflexively tried to close the video. Yet, curiosity about this bizarre YouTuber kept him watching.

“Seriously, are you kidding me?”

The hideous orc mask simply moved up and down. The screen seemed to loop, the same scene repeating. The voice maintained a consistent tone.

It seemed impossible for a woman to perform dozens of pull-ups without losing breath.

As she passed thirty, Kanghoon’s annoyance grew.

“What is this even supposed to be? The video’s almost over? Is this it?”

[Clink, clink]

The YouTuber completed 41 pull-ups before finally touching the camera. The screen spun, becoming dizzy, before stabilizing as if fixed in place.

The angle lowered.

The orc looked at the screen and gradually stepped back.

“Seriously, so noob…!”

Just as he was about to criticize the fraudulent video, despite the YouTuber’s beginner status, the orc’s full body came into view.

A black tank top and leggings revealed a sliver of white midriff.

Having seen the orc’s face magnified 41 times, he initially registered the body as belonging to the orc. But the unexpected figure caused his brain to short-circuit.

“Huh???”

Kanghoon rewound the video to the point where the camera angle changed.

“Crazy physique?”

[…Goodbye.]

The orc slightly bowed her head and coolly ended the video.

“What is this! Such a body with such a mask??? Who is it? Who is it? She’s definitely a famous BJ [Broadcast Jockey, internet streamer]. I’ll find her for sure.”

Kanghoon’s boredom vanished, replaced by fervent determination.

Title: A Mask That Doesn’t Match the Crazy Physique

Body: Does anyone know who this crazy YouTuber is?

┗ㅗㅜㅑ [Korean internet slang expressing admiration or lust]

┗Her figure is so captivating, even a tank top can’t hide it.

┗She looks delicate, but she has no excess fat, and if you look closely, she has amazing defined muscles.

┗If it’s not a lie, there’s no way she’d film with that kind of angle; she must have stood on a chair. Is 41 pull-ups even possible for a woman?

┗Yes, it is (link – Seoks video) This woman did 40

┗Huh? Wait, aren’t they the same person?

┗That’s right, their bodies look similar? The height and amazing curves

┗It’s real; their voices sound similar

┗That’s right. The pull-up goddess that Seoks fans were looking for started a YouTube channel

┗What was she thinking wearing that mask?

┗After analyzing it while watching it 71 times, I bet my hand that she did the pull-ups properly.

┗Then why did she film with that angle? It’s obviously a fraudulent angle?

┗She’s just a bit weird; the angle is weird, the mask is weird, and the comments are weird

┗Yeah, weird

┗When it’s weird, go to S Dental Clinic! (link)

┗I can’t predict her thoughts at all.

┗What’s the channel name lol

Thus, the video of the YouTuber Haru was briefly edited and spread from large community sites to open chat rooms and other large YouTubers.

[The Pull-Ups of a Delicate Orc]

[The Best Twist Video Since The Sixth Sense (ㅇㅎ) [Internet slang indicating suggestive or explicit content]]

┗???

┗What is this

┗Crazy

┗Amazing physique

┗Delicate but looks strong

┗She has it all

┗Orc noona [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend], I love you

┗I’ll give 1 million won [Korean currency, roughly $750 USD] to the person who tears that orc mask

┗I liked orcs

Haru’s video exploded in views within a single day.

*

Tap, tap, tap

“…Hmm?”

Jung Youngsoo was casually browsing YouTube when he clicked on a trending video featured by a popular YouTuber. The thumbnail looked familiar.

“T-This is?”

Youngsoo’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The trending video was Haru’s. He couldn’t fathom what algorithm had propelled it, but the views were skyrocketing.

It was an unprecedented event for a newbie to amass 700,000 views on their first video in under a week.

Youngsoo swallowed hard.

He had casually uploaded the video with the hideous orc mask, strange angle, minimal editing, and sparse subtitles as a test, never anticipating such a viral response.

Youngsoo immediately called Haru. After a single ring, her cynical voice answered.

-Hello.

“Noona, did you see the video’s reaction?”

-No.

“Please watch it now. It’s a big deal!”

-Okay.

Only the sound of tapping on the phone screen could be heard.

Even after checking the views and comments, Haru’s reaction remained lukewarm.

-I saw it.

“Wow… seriously, noona, this is a miracle! It’s rare for someone to blow up like this with their first video unless they’re a famous celebrity, right?”

-I need to film the next video quickly.

“Ah, yes, noona, but why did you wear an orc mask of all things?”

-I’ve been researching. Everyone has a concept, so mine is a game. Exit Mobile, and I’m also preparing voice modulation.”

At the mention of voice modulation, Youngsoo shuddered in horror. He knew she intended to alter her voice to sound like an orc.

“Noona, no! Absolutely not. If you modulate your voice, all the people who have gathered with difficulty now—no, easily gathered—anyway, all the people you’ve gathered will leave. And there are elves in that Exit game. How about using an elf mask instead?”

However, Haru’s response was unwavering.

-Orc is my character; I don’t want to deny my character because of YouTube.

“Ah… then, at least the angle—the angle is too wrong.”

-Angle?

“The camera angle. Many people suspect you didn’t do the pull-ups properly. You have to buy a tripod and position it to the side or front so that your whole body is visible during the pull-ups.”

-Okay.

“Okay. Anyway… I think we should meet again soon to plan our content.”

-I can just increase the number of pull-ups one by one; I can film for a long time.

“Ah, that’s too simple, short-sighted. Anyway, I’ll look into it a lot. Noona, please think about it too.”

-Okay.

Youngsoo hung up and began researching YouTube content in earnest.

He had initially planned to dedicate only an hour or two a week to video editing, but he now felt strongly that this could become his main occupation.

Youngsoo diligently studied how to grow Haru’s channel, dedicating all his abilities and time to it.

But he didn’t know then that Haru, who claimed it was a game concept, hadn’t mentioned the outfit.

No, he hadn’t asked.

*

[…The other party is on the phone.]

Shin Haesoo pulled the phone from his ear and glanced at the screen. It read ‘Jung Youngsoo’.

“The call isn’t going through; is he dating?”

Haesoo worried that Youngsoo had met another gold digger.

Then, Youngsoo called.

“Oh, you must be busy.”

-Ah yes, I have a project in progress these days. What’s wrong?

“If you’re dating, bring the woman to me.”

-Hey, I’m not dating. I don’t really want to…

His voice sounded strangely bitter.

“Okay, well, just investigate one person for me. I sent you a text, including the company this person works for.”

-Oh, this kind of information gathering isn’t my area of expertise.

“Don’t do it if it’s difficult.”

-But I’m so talented that I can outdo the experts in this field; I’ll contact you soon.

“Okay, good work.”

Haesoo hung up and looked out the window.

He could have asked Ahn Seoeun for more details. He often missed having her reliable support.

Haru was sneaking out of the workout room. She’d been going in and out more frequently lately. Her consistent exercise, even during the off-season, pleased Haesoo.

“Haru.”

At Haesoo’s call, Haru flinched and slowly turned around.

“With Ahn Seoeun… never mind.”

“Yes.”

When Haesoo stopped talking, Haru would usually press him for more information, but she quietly stepped back.

Seeing this, Haesoo also turned away without further questions, as he, too, had something to hide.

*

A luxury hotel lobby overlooking the sea.

“Brother!”

It was a hotel owned by Royce Kim’s company.

He still greeted Haesoo brightly, even after making a bombshell announcement.

Haesoo approached Royce Kim with a stern expression.

“That was too much back then, leaving me alone on the cold floor. I thought my mouth would freeze.”

“Shall we kiss the marble floor today?”

Royce Kim looked horrified and waved his hands at Haesoo’s murderous sincerity.

“Oh no no no, ah this, a token of our friendship.”

He handed over a 2G mobile phone. In an era of smartphones, 2G phones were primarily used for confidential communications.

Haesoo accepted it and sat at the table. Royce Kim sat opposite him, leaning closer.

“Brother, have you heard of Go Cup Ramen?”

When Haesoo shrugged, Royce Kim held up a tablet. The word ‘Ilseong’ was clearly visible on the cup ramen.

“Ilseong Foods is a ramen company that sells cup ramen at a premium by marketing the high-quality cup material. It costs twice as much as regular cup ramen.”

“It won’t sell.”

“Of course not; it’s operating at a loss. But production has increased even more this year. There isn’t an Ilseong employee who doesn’t have Go Cup Ramen stacked at home. They provide some of the bonuses in cup ramen, they’re very dirty guys who leave the inventory disposal to the employees.”

Royce Kim grew animated, his tone becoming increasingly forceful as if fueled by rising anger.

“They’re very dirty guys; it’s because their roots are in the Korean mafia. I heard they bury people if they don’t like them. Bad guys; they need to disappear quickly.”

Haesoo crossed his arms and lowered his head, lost in thought.

“Ilseong’s roots are gangsters….”

“Yes, brother. Investigate the raw material factory of Go Cup Ramen; there will be a lot to uncover. They openly diverted company money to that side, so it will be at least hundreds of billions of won [Korean currency, 100 billion won is approximately $75 million USD]. Looking at the slush fund unit, it must have gone to the chairman or president, not just the food company president.”

“How did you get this information?”

“I have many informants. Chilseonghoe members help each other while keeping each other in check without Teacher Chun knowing. There are corporate informants in our company too; many employees already know and are watching.”

“Tiring.”

Royce Kim shrugged.

“If brother makes a decision, I’ll give you the data and witnesses to get a warrant right away.”

If this was true, he was handing over a major corruption case from the start.

But.

Haesoo’s eyes shone blue as he tried to gauge Royce Kim’s sincerity.