The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 201

< #201. Awl >

Special Investigations Unit interrogation room.

A warehouse converted into an interrogation room.

Detective Oh and a very ordinary-looking man in his 30s are sitting across a desk from each other.

Detective Oh dangles a knife in a plastic bag, holding it with his thumb and forefinger.

“…This is the knife you used to kill him?”

The man nods calmly.

“Yes.”

“That person is Teacher Cheon.”

“Yes.”

“You were a member of Teacher Cheon’s gang, what was it, an armed group?”

The man is about to nod immediately but stops and corrects Detective Oh.

“I am an employee of the company. My title is Assistant Manager.”

“I see. A scary company indeed, isn’t it? What’s your name?”

“Kim Do-gyun…”

Detective Oh frowns deeply.

“Not the alias, your real name.”

He remains silent with a dry expression before shaking his head.

“I don’t remember. At the training center, I was called Number 30, and after completion, I was called Mr. Joo.”

“Heh, no fingerprints either… Truly scary people.”

Like the others they’ve caught before, Mr. Joo in front of them has had his fingerprints erased. And although it hasn’t been released to the press, the body suspected to be Teacher Cheon also has no fingerprints.

This means that any means of identifying them have been thoroughly blocked.

“So, the reason you stabbed Teacher Cheon to death…”

“I wanted to escape. I didn’t think I’d have another chance if not now.”

“Sigh… I see. First, let’s compare where and how you killed him. Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Mr. Joo is very cooperative. As much as he turned himself in at the perfect timing…

According to his testimony, all the company employees have already scattered, and only three were assisting Teacher Cheon.

Mr. Joo was one of them, and he claims he took care of Teacher Cheon when the other two were briefly away.

He confessed that he killed him in the sedan he brought when he surrendered, and he diligently explained the method, holding a model knife.

“…Like this, stab the side, stab the neck…”

Team Leader Jo Ah-ra, who is good at crime scene reconstruction, watches him intently and says.

“That’s quite confident. Teacher Cheon must have resisted fiercely.”

Mr. Joo shakes his head with a resolute expression.

“My knife is fast and deadly. Teacher Cheon could not resist.”

“Yes, yes, I’m sure. I really hate people who take pride in murder.”

At Team Leader Jo’s sarcastic remark, Mr. Joo lowers his head and remains silent.

The investigation proceeds smoothly.

The knife is sent to the National Forensic Service to be compared with the victim’s DNA, confirming a match. Everything accurately matches, from the confessed method of murder to the numerous bloodstains in the car and the victim’s wounds.

The only uncertainty is whether the victim is Teacher Cheon or not, but it is certain that Mr. Joo killed this victim.

As soon as Mr. Joo is indicted, an order is issued from the Blue House [South Korean executive office, similar to the White House in the US].

-What are you doing? Announce it quickly and wrap it up!

The reason is that public anxiety is increasing day by day. In some ways, it’s a valid reason, but it’s too fast, especially since the sentence hasn’t even been executed yet.

The detectives’ faces are grim.

They have a strong feeling that they are being played in a prearranged game, and even the youngest, Woo Gang-cheol, can sense it.

Chief Kwak refuses.

“…I will continue the investigation. It’s not certain whether that’s Teacher Cheon or not. I will investigate until solid evidence comes out.”

-What do you think people will say if the special investigation unit remains after the announcement? Don’t make unnecessary noise and wrap it up.

However, Chief Kwak’s resistance ends meaninglessly. In the end, the special investigation team is disbanded, and instead of Chief Kwak, who refused, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Chief directly gathers reporters and makes an immediate announcement.

[We have successfully apprehended the gang of criminals who terrorized the Republic of Korea. The alias Teacher Cheon died unavoidably during the arrest, and the employees belonging to the group were arrested at the scene. Now, citizens, please trust the police officers of the Republic of Korea and rest assured.]

* * *

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“Oh my. Successful arrest, unavoidable death, can people in those positions lie without changing their facial expressions like that?”

Violent Crimes Unit office.

While other teams are out on duty, Chief Kwak and Team 4 are watching TV and lamenting their situation in the quiet office.

“Should we say they did a good job of maintaining the police image in the meantime…”

“Oh, hyung-nim [term for older brother or respected male figure]! What nonsense are you talking about! If you think like that, you’ll become one of those old farts!”

“Ouch, my ears, my ears, if I have to wear hearing aids because of you, you’re buying them.”

“How much is a police officer’s salary anyway? They’re squeezing blood from a flea.”

Haesu, who had been staring at the two bickering, looks at the time on her phone and jumps up.

“What, where are you going?”

Haesu raises her hand to stop the youngest from getting up to follow her and answers.

“Today is the day Mr. Joo is being transferred, I have something to do.”

“Oh? Oh, okay, try to do something.”

“Go get ’em, Commando, be safe.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The Seven Stars Society has seven major organizations as its pillars, but the individual members within it also possess immense power.

That’s why they were able to disband the special investigation team, which was under the police, and quickly wrap things up, like now.

But they didn’t interfere with Mr. Joo’s prison life.

Perhaps because there was no need to.

And, whether they know it or not, Haesu has more than enough power to control Mr. Joo’s prison life as she pleases.

HyoSeong Prison, Mr. Joo gets off the transfer bus. Haesu is there to greet him in advance, puts her arm around his shoulder, and walks with him.

Of course, Mr. Joo glances at Haesu the whole time he’s walking, showing his discomfort.

He’s actually anxious because the Shin Haesu he’s only heard about is treating him so kindly.

“Why, is there something on my face?”

“No.”

“Okay… Mr. Joo.”

Haesu suddenly stops Mr. Joo by grabbing his shoulder. The other inmates are being led by the guards to find their rooms.

Only Haesu and Mr. Joo remain in the 7th ward hallway.

Haesu whispers intimately in his ear.

“I’ll ask you one last time, where is Teacher Cheon?”

“…”

Mr. Joo looks at Haesu’s face, averts his gaze, and keeps his mouth shut. He means he won’t make meaningless lies.

Haesu nods as if she expected it.

“Okay, I see your choice. I’ll put you in a special… spacious room.”

Soon after, the guard who had finished guiding the inmates returns, and Haesu hands Mr. Joo over to him.

The guard leads him down the hallway, explaining.

“I don’t know who you have backing you, but the current room is very comfortable. There’s only one roommate, so you’re lucky. Or, maybe it’ll be more hell if you fight with that one person.”

“…”

Mr. Joo inwardly cheers. He’s confident that he can subdue whoever that one person is.

“Here.”

Beep, clank, creak-

“Go in. Oh, the other roommate went to the bathroom.”

“Yes.”

Mr. Joo enters the guided Room 12. There’s no one in the room, and someone’s legs are visible towards the bathroom.

“Then, get along well.”

“Yes.”

As the guard locks the room door and Mr. Joo is wondering where to put his luggage of necessities,

Creak-

The bathroom door opens and the person inside comes out. A shadow falls.

Mr. Joo slowly moves his gaze from his feet to his legs, chest, and face. And the moment he makes eye contact.

Thud

His legs give way, and he kneels down involuntarily. He opens his mouth, his chin trembling.

“M-Master… Manager.”

Manager Ma approaches him with large strides and reaches out his hand.

“Nice to meet you. Let’s start by pulling out your teeth.”

The best way to prevent suicide by biting the tongue is to pull out all the teeth.

A cruel smile spreads across his lips.

* * *

Haesu is deep in thought.

The remaining three pillars of the Seven Stars Society are the Hajin Group, Success Daily, and the Blue House.

The Haesu team was working on the Hajin Group with information obtained from Manager Ma, and its stock price was falling to its lowest every day.

Two places remain.

Success Daily is weak. In terms of the body, it’s a fist, useless without a head to instruct it to swing.

The Blue House is the torso, it has everything important, but it can’t exert any power without arms and legs.

But they are groups that must be eliminated someday.

“You must be pretty desperate, calling someone out of bed at this hour.”

At the heavy voice, Haesu raises her head and looks at the reception room door. Manager Ma is entering, wiping the blood on his hands with a tissue.

“Stop talking nonsense and sit down.”

As soon as he sits down, Haesu asks immediately.

“What did you find out?”

“You’re in a hurry, in a hurry… Anyway, nothing changes now even if you’re in a hurry.”

Haesu furrows her brow and lowers her head.

No matter how much she expected it, the fact that the special investigation team was disbanded powerlessly without achieving anything was a big shock and a disgusting thing for Haesu.

But Manager Ma is acting like he’s something special, so anger rises.

She suppresses her anger and opens her mouth.

“Do I look like I’m joking with you right now?”

Thud-

At Haesu’s unusual voice, Manager Ma also hides his bitter smile and puts both hands on the armrests, closing his mouth for a moment.

Manager Ma looks at Haesu’s fingers, forearms, and shoulders, thinking. What would happen if he fought him again now?

Manager Ma’s brow narrows slightly.

His image training is quite realistic and accurate. That is his greatest strength and weapon that has brought him to his current position.

However, it’s hard to determine the outcome. Even though his physicality, which has the greatest influence on the fight, is superior.

Shin Haesu raises her head, and Manager Ma opens his mouth.

“Teacher Cheon is alive.”

“…”

Haesu’s boiling anger instantly subsides. As much as she knew it, it was a big and useful piece of information that immediately blew away other personal feelings after confirming it directly.

“This guy doesn’t know where the company employees are. Teacher Cheon went into hiding with only three team leaders, and the remaining company employees scattered all over the country. The only connection is one cell phone. It’s only possible to receive calls, and this guy surrendered after receiving instructions from Teacher Cheon.”

“The guy who looks like Teacher Cheon.”

“He’s not a company employee. Teacher Cheon anticipated this and had been preparing someone to use as a proxy for a long time. He must be one of them.”

Listening to him, it seems that Manager Ma already knew about the proxy death.

Manager Ma looks at the sky with a proud face and mutters.

“He… must have watched the news in a narrow and stuffy room, lamenting as the fortress he had built so firmly collapsed.”

He has a face as if he has become the victor. When Haesu is frowning without saying anything, he opens his mouth again.

“Don’t bother trying to find him, he’ll be in a place you can’t reach anyway. It’s meaningless to find him. Be satisfied with dismantling the Seven Stars Society.”

“If you were him, could you do that?”

Manager Ma immediately shakes his head.

“No, he will come out someday. A wounded lion can’t hide in a cave forever, he’ll come out if he doesn’t want to starve to death.”

A glint flashes in Manager Ma’s eyes as he asserts.

“The moment he comes to the surface, he’ll tear his throat out.”

Manager Ma seems to be feeling pleasure just by imagining it. He’s not normal either. No, it’s impossible to maintain a normal mind while living in such a world for a lifetime.

“Hmm…”

Haesu quietly watches Manager Ma.

Thanks to his cooperation, they have brought down a seemingly impossible mountain. It feels like they only dug out the weak spots of each mountain rather than sweeping them all away, but that alone is creating enough synergy.

Haesu entrusts Manager Ma with the continuous interrogation of Mr. Joo and leaves the reception room.

* * *

Violent Crimes Unit at Gangjin Police Station.

Detective Oh is closing his eyes, basking in the morning sunlight through the window.

“Ah… it’s good to be back home. The special investigation team ended like taking a dump and not wiping, but. But even though the support was good there, it was still awful.”

The youngest is in the corner, holding the wall with one hand and lifting a dumbbell with the other, and answers.

“That’s right. Every day there was no progress, it felt like lethargy was dominating my whole body.”

Haesu also nods slightly.

Everyone agrees, and rather than feeling regret, they are gradually becoming more energized by the fact that they have returned to the front lines.

At that time, Team 1, who had gone out on duty, comes in.

“Ha…”

“Why, another empty trip?”

At Detective Oh’s question, one of the Team 1 members shakes his head.

“They don’t come out, they don’t come out. Ah, I’m going crazy.”

The Team 1 members all enter, dejected.

Haesu approaches Detective Oh and asks.

“What case is it that’s making them like that?”

“Oh, a murder case. Team Leader 1, did you say it was discovered a month ago?”

At Detective Oh’s question, Team Leader 1 sits down and nods.

“It was a reported case a month ago, the victim was found at a utility pole in the multi-family housing area of Goam-dong, wrapped in what looked like discarded clothes. The body disposal was so sloppy that I thought they’d be caught quickly, but it’s already been a month.”

“Ah…”

Haesu approaches the Team 1 table and skims through the case files.

The team members actively show Haesu the files instead.

They trust Team 4’s skills, but they trust and rely on Shin Haesu, the undisputed number one in arrest rate, even more.

The victim is a woman in her 30s, the actual cause of death is asphyxiation due to neck compression, there are traces of being hit on the back of the head with a blunt object, traces of binding on both wrists, and traces of being stabbed in the side with a knife.

While Haesu is looking at the files with a narrowed brow, the phone rings.

Ring ring ring ring

Internal phone, Detective Oh immediately answers the phone and says to the team members with a stiff expression.

“A body… has been found. Goam-dong.”

* * *

Jang Ha-yeon is a college student scheduled to graduate this year. She was finishing her school 수업 [Korean word for class] and going up the subway stairs.

It’s rush hour, so it’s very crowded.

Thud

At the same time as she feels something touching her side, she feels a tingling pain.

When she turns her head, she sees a man with his hand on her side, and there is something that looks like an awl between his hand and her jacket.

He brings his face closer and says softly.

“Look ahead.”

The sharpness that seems like it will come right in with the slightest movement is felt on her skin. It seems like she’s already been stabbed a little and blood is flowing down.

Without realizing it, Jang Ha-yeon looks ahead and presses her lips tightly.

The man sticks close to her side and mutters in a small voice.

“This is the lung, if I stab it, you’ll gasp for breath in pain and die in 5 minutes. I’ll go into the crowd and disappear, no one will find me. So… walk quietly.”