The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 205

< #205. Hiking >

“Ah.”

His chest stung. The rookie froze, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar sensation and emotion, unable to react. A blade had slipped between his stab-proof vest and skin.

Unbeknownst to the rookie, the blade hadn’t penetrated deeply, causing the perpetrator’s eyes to waver.

Just then, a foot flew in from the side.

Thwack-!

A dark mass lunged menacingly at the perpetrator who was sent sprawling by the kick. It was Shin Hae-soo.

Crack-

“Keuh!”

Hae-soo cornered the perpetrator in the subway and immediately broke the arm holding the knife, then slammed him down again.

Wham!

“Keuk, cough!”

This time, he couldn’t break his fall and landed hard. As he gasped for air, Hae-soo pressed his knee into the perpetrator’s back, twisted his arm behind him, and handcuffed him, saying to the rookie,

“I told you not to get too close.”

“That’s…”

Hae-soo glanced at the rookie, then turned to the pregnant woman who had been taken hostage.

It was a different person than before, but it was still surprising that it was a pregnant woman again.

“Go check on her.”

“Yes! Are, are you alright?”

“Th, thank you, thank you, thank you…”

The pregnant woman’s legs gave way, and she sank to the ground, overwhelmed with shock and unable to compose herself, repeatedly thanking the rookie.

The rookie’s nose tingled.

“It wasn’t me, it was that detective…”

He turned his head, but Hae-soo was gone. He was already dragging the perpetrator by the scruff of his neck through the open doors.

The rookie shook his head.

“Wow… he’s something else.”

*

Gangjin Station Exit 3, Hae-soo was walking with the hooded figure he had apprehended towards the Violent Crimes Unit 4’s vehicle.

The hooded figure, who had been quietly following, spoke in a low voice.

“Detective, what’s your name?”

There were always those who asked for your name when caught. It was to instill fear of revenge later.

Hae-soo stopped and pulled off his hood. Cauliflower ears, crazed eyes, pale face.

It wasn’t the peeping tom, Kang Woo-shik.

‘Serial Killer Kim Woo-sung.’

He had committed ten known murders so far. The investigation had narrowed, and he was about to be caught, but he killed the detective trying to apprehend him and fled, becoming a wanted fugitive. His main stage was Seoul, but it seemed he had come down here.

Hae-soo stared intently into Kim Woo-sung’s eyes before grabbing a fistful of his hair.

“What do you think you’re-”

Thud, thud, thud! Crunch!

Hae-soo mercilessly slammed his face against the corner of the van. Kim Woo-sung’s body slumped like a toy with dead batteries.

Hae-soo whispered in his ear.

“Come find me anytime, my name is Shin Hae-soo.”

Only then did he open the door and shove Kim Woo-sung inside.

“See you at the station.”

Oh Geng and Woo Gang-cheol, who belatedly returned to the car, muttered as they watched Hae-soo’s retreating figure.

“He really… made the right choice becoming a cop. It’s a good thing he’s on our side.”

“As expected, the senior detective isn’t afraid of excessive force at all.”

The rookie put the pregnant woman in the ambulance and quietly stared at Hae-soo’s retreating figure as he rode away on his motorcycle.

*

The next day.

Gangjin Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit office.

[Movie in Real Life, Subway Hero is Born]

┗Is it true that he stopped the mom from jumping and jumped himself?

┗That’s awesome, Korea is still a good place to live

┗So cool. The subway passing by right after he gets up is epic

┗Rewind, next is fake

┗Your life is fake

┗I was there, this is a cropped video, that person is a detective and lost the criminal during a fight, the criminal ran and picked up a kid and threw him on the tracks, related article link (

https://

[email protected]

#..)

┗Ah, so he just did what he had to do.

┗Please just die.

┗The detective is so cool

┗Korea police class

┗So did they catch the criminal?

Shin Hae-soo’s dry facial muscles twitched. He was enjoying it.

He clicked on the link as if possessed.

-Gangjin Police Station Violent Crimes Unit 4, Arrest Serial Killer ‘Kim Woo-sung’

┗Who is this?

┗Serial killer who killed 10 people including a cop

┗Hold on, let me change my panties

┗Did they just catch him? Korea cops are so incompetent

┗He was caught in a different jurisdiction than the one Gwangsu Unit was in

┗The person who caught him is the subway hero, I saw it at the scene, I love Detective Shin. Related article link (

https://

[email protected]

#…)

┗So the detective almost got an innocent kid killed because he lost him the first time.

Hae-soo’s brow furrowed slightly as he read the last comment.

Just then, the voices of the Violent Crimes Unit detectives were heard from behind.

“Wow… a star is born, our Shin Star!”

“Haha, he went to catch a peeping tom and caught a serial killer.”

“Hey Rookie, you could be a celebrity, why do you have so many fans?”

“There’s even a rookie fan? The person you saved? I’m jealous.”

The office was noisy from the morning. The other detectives were more excited than Shin Hae-soo himself. Half envy, half joy. Either way, it was a great achievement for the Gangjin Police Station’s Violent Crimes Unit.

Hae-soo suddenly turned his head to the rookie.

“Rookie, did you go to the hospital?”

At Hae-soo’s call, the rookie jumped up from his seat.

“Yes? Yes, yes! They said I’m fine! I put on some red medicine [topical antiseptic].”

“Okay, get to work.”

“Yes, I understand!”

Hae-soo turned back and reread the comments.

The rookie glanced at his back.

Suddenly, yesterday’s events came to mind.

If Hae-soo hadn’t told him to wear the stab-proof vest yesterday? He would have been dead for sure. The blade had caught on the edge of the vest and pierced his chest by about an inch.

Swish.

Just then, Shin Hae-soo got up from his seat and went outside.

Woo Gang-cheol had told him that he had a habit of going to the bathroom and having a cup of instant coffee around this time.

The rookie immediately followed him out and waited with a cup of instant coffee already prepared.

Sure enough, Hae-soo went to the bathroom and then came to the coffee machine. The rookie smiled and handed him a cup.

“Detective, I made one for you in advance.”

Shin Hae-soo stared at the instant coffee for a few seconds before silently taking it and sipping it.

The rookie couldn’t bring himself to speak because of the cool aura he exuded, but he mustered up the courage to speak.

“Thank you… for yesterday. I lived thanks to you, detective.”

Shin Hae-soo nodded slightly.

“Yes, thanks to me.”

Was he joking? Or was he the type to accept thanks without refusing?

The rookie tilted his head slightly, and since the atmosphere had lightened up, he spoke once more.

“I heard from the team leader that you’ve saved a lot of people, how many people have you saved?”

“37 people.”

“Wow… then this time, one person, no, since it’s a pregnant woman, two people added…”

“People I couldn’t save.”

“…Huh?”

The rookie was stunned as if his brain had stopped, and belatedly realized the meaning of the words.

Hae-soo expressionlessly emptied the remaining coffee, crumpled the paper cup, threw it in the trash, and walked away first.

*

‘Kim Woo-sung…’

Hae-soo was still bothered by Kim Woo-sung’s eyes. He was agile and strong, but he wasn’t an office worker.

It wasn’t the refined movements of an office worker, but more like the movements of a beast. Of course, he might have learned something like judo, but the movements other than technique were based on instinct and experience.

He wasn’t an ordinary guy. Sometimes, dangerous guys other than office workers got caught. Suddenly, Mo Chang-gui came to mind.

‘He’s not as good as that guy.’

Hae-soo shook his head, trying to erase the image of Mo Chang-gui covered in the blood of police officers.

Even if he wasn’t as skilled as Mo Chang-gui, there was a deep madness in his eyes.

“This time, is it because of that guy, Kim Woo-sung? Did you come because of him? Put him in cell 11 again?”

The warden of Hyosung Prison, who was sitting across from Hae-soo, asked. He knew right away because Hae-soo came whenever he threw in a vicious criminal.

However, this time Hae-soo shook his head.

“No. Just keep him from meeting Manager Ma. Instead, if he causes an accident, punish him more severely than the prescribed law.”

Looking at Kim Woo-sung’s eyes, he seemed like someone who wouldn’t yield to Manager Ma either. He couldn’t defeat Manager Ma with force, and if Kim Woo-sung didn’t give in, things could go to extremes. In the worst case, Manager Ma could kill Kim Woo-sung.

In order for ‘that matter’ to proceed smoothly, Manager Ma’s record shouldn’t be tarnished.

“Ah, well, we’ll do that to vicious criminals even if Detective Shin doesn’t say so, we’ll punish him especially harder.”

“Yes, thank you every time.”

***

Hae-soo’s team’s headquarters, also known as ‘the hideout.’

The hideout team members were still chasing after Teacher Cheon, but they weren’t running around as much these days, so they were more relaxed.

Hwang Jang-soo was still focusing on rehabilitation exercises [extreme strength training] at home to temper his not-yet-perfect body.

Jjok-sae often disguised himself as other people and entered the hideout to surprise Jung Young-soo, saying that he couldn’t let his senses dull.

Haru now stayed at the hideout frequently, whether it was during broadcasts or before Hae-soo got off work. She didn’t even realize it herself, but she was quite lonely, so she always liked the hideout where there were people.

Jung Young-soo, who had been typing on the keyboard in front of six monitors, got up and stretched.

“Kkeueuaaaam, Haru, what are you doing?”

Haru was sitting in a zero-gravity chair on one side, fiddling with her phone.

“Yeah, something important.”

“Ah.”

Haru was looking at a community site. It was the place that had taught Haru the exclamation she used when she ate something delicious.

[There’s nothing like group activities to build group solidarity, and hiking is the best of them all.]

┗What is this

┗That’s right (my boss)

┗Hiking is the best exercise for humans. (I can’t die alone)

┗I want to go hiking (unemployed)

┗What a sense of unity lol

Haru nodded deeply, imagining climbing a rock wall with her teammates.

Then she went to the team chat room and immediately typed.

-Haru: Let’s go hiking.

-Jjok-sae: No

-Genius Young-soo: Sudden hiking?

-Hwang Jang-soo: When

-Haru: July 17th, 6 AM, conquer Gangnae Mountain summit

-Jjok-sae: Ah, the date and time have already been set.

-Genius Young-soo: Gangnae Mountain? Isn’t that a famous steep place? Isn’t that where climbing athletes go?

-Hwang Jang-soo: Good. It has to be that level to say you’ve climbed a mountain

-Haru: Everyone bring their own equipment.

-Jjok-sae: I’m never going, I have a mountain allergy.

-Genius Young-soo: Equipment? What equipment? Are we really going rock climbing? Am I going to die?

-Haru: Solidarity will deepen

-Jjok-sae: That’s more like camaraderie

-Hae-soo: See you that day.

-Jjok-sae: Ah, boss, can I be excused?

*

Hiking day 06:00. Gangnae Mountain parking lot.

Jjok-sae was grumbling, wearing a full set of hiking clothes, a hat, and even carrying a stick in his backpack.

“Why do I have to climb a mountain at this ungodly hour?”

Step.

Just then, Haru got out of Hae-soo’s car. She was wearing hiking boots that covered her ankles, black leggings, and tight-fitting functional sportswear on top.

Jjok-sae’s protruding mouth, which had been sticking out from grumbling, went right back in.

“Oh, um.”

Jung Young-soo had a tired face with dark circles down to his chin, wearing his usual sweatpants that he wore in front of the computer, and Hwang Jang-soo couldn’t break his habit and came in a black suit and shoes.

Hae-soo, who was similar to Jjok-sae, with a full set of hiking clothes and a backpack full of emergency supplies, scolded Jang-soo.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

“It’s comfortable, you should try exercising like this sometime.”

“Crazy bastard.”

“Hehe, the Hwang Jang-soo of the world has mellowed out a lot. There hasn’t been a guy who called me a crazy bastard and didn’t end up crippled!”

As Jang-soo shouted loudly, Jjok-sae looked around at the other hikers and said.

“Don’t shout, mister. You already look like a gangster, so people are scared. If you create more of a scary atmosphere, someone will report you.”

“What, you peanut?”

“Pfft.”

Jjok-sae was immediately put in a headlock by Jang-soo, but he was proud of Haru’s slight smile.

She was a scary older sister, but she was always grateful to her for being a sight for sore eyes just by existing.

Haru, holding a flashing red light stick that she had gotten from somewhere, took the lead and said.

“I’ve studied the route online in advance. Please follow the instructor. There will be no stragglers. Let’s go.”

“Uh oh, this is kind of scary.”

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!!”

Hae-soo was following behind Haru without much thought but stopped. The slope was steep from the beginning, and since Haru was wearing leggings and leading the way, her backside was clearly visible.

Her figure was also prominent, attracting the attention of not only the group but also other hikers.

Haru herself was confidently climbing.

Hae-soo nudged her hand.

“Haru.”

“Yes?”

Hae-soo silently took off his jacket, wrapped his arms around Haru’s waist as if hugging her, and tied it in the front.

Haru’s face flushed, and she froze at Hae-soo’s sudden action.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes?! Ah, yes, yes!”