The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 224

< #224. Good Anger Control >

Jeong Nam-soo’s father, Jeong Eui-chan, bowed his head and answered the phone.

“Director Kim Seon-tae is calling me directly… Yes? What? Suddenly? Did I do something wrong….”

Nam-soo’s father continued speaking with a bewildered expression, then took the phone away from his ear as if the call had been unilaterally disconnected.

Standing at the end of his astonished gaze was Hwang Jang-soo’s secretary, Shin Hae-soo.

“Wh, what did you do…!”

Hwang Jang-soo stroked Hwang Ji-gu’s head, who looked clueless, and looked around at the other parents with a relaxed expression.

“They’re all impressive people. Raising their children like trash.”

“Wh, what is it?”

“Do you know who I am?!”

Jang-soo looked at Hae-soo with a weary expression and gestured with his chin.

A murderous glint flashed in Hae-soo’s eyes at his condescending attitude, but Jang-soo cleared his throat and avoided his gaze.

Shin Hae-soo took out the tablet she had diligently prepared and made eye contact with the middle-aged man, asking him to guess who she was.

“Seon-woong’s father, Head Prosecutor of the 3rd Division of the Gangjin District Prosecutors’ Office.”

“Yes! With just a word from me…”

Ring ring ring ring

His phone rang as he was speaking. While he was answering the phone, Hae-soo looked at the next middle-aged man and continued speaking.

“Geon-seok’s father, Head of Materials Department at Suhang Steel.”

Buzz buzz buzz buzz

“Yong-joon’s father, preparing to be a district councilor.”

“Ho, how did you…”

Ring ring ring ring

Hae-soo put the tablet under her arm as if she had finished her work and took a step back.

Jeong Nam-soo’s father was dazed, and the other students’ fathers were busy answering their phones. Their expressions were all filled with surprise, embarrassment, and despair.

The call ended quickly, and Hwang Jang-soo continued speaking.

“Now, what’s more important? Your troublemaking beloved child, or your livelihood?”

Everyone was silent, as if they had swallowed honey, and Jeong Nam-soo’s mother, who had come with him, shouted.

“What is this ridiculous behavior? Excuse me, Vice Principal? Why are you letting this happen? You’re threatening our husbands’ jobs?! It’s unfair! This shouldn’t happen in a democratic Republic of Korea!”

“Ah, um, that’s… I’m….”

She was all about burying Ji-gu’s father earlier, but now she’s being a hypocrite. When the vice principal’s response was lukewarm, she grabbed her husband and said.

“Say something! Are you going to let our child transfer schools?”

Then, her husband, who belatedly came to his senses, sharply shook off her hand.

“Let go of me! You don’t even know what’s important right now! You crazy woman!”

One by one, the fathers’ eyes regained focus.

The first to turn around was Jeong Nam-soo’s father. He approached Hwang Jang-soo without even making eye contact and grabbed his hands with both of his own.

“I, uh, Ji-gu, Uncle, what can I, I do?”

Starting with him, the other men also approached and bowed their heads. The students were shocked by their fathers’ groveling [humbling] 모습 [behavior], which they were seeing for the first time, and their mouths dropped open.

Jeong Nam-soo jumped up and shouted.

“Hwang Ji-gu, you son of a bitch!! So you’re going to play dirty like this? You’re wrong-“

At that moment, Jeong Nam-soo’s father slapped him across the cheek.

Slap!

“Shut up, you bastard!! Do you think your dad doesn’t know what you’ve been up to?! How did a good-for-nothing like you come from my blood….”

“Da, Dad….”

Nam-soo’s father grabbed Nam-soo by the collar and brought his face close. He was serious.

“If you were even half as good as your brother… You, because of you, everything I’ve built is about to collapse! You’re not my son from today, understand?”

“What do you think you’re doing!!”

Nam-soo’s mother stepped in, angered by the excessive threat towards her son. The other parents’ situations weren’t much different either. Curses and even talk of divorce were frequently heard here and there.

The school violence committee, which had become a mess, naturally flowed in the direction that Hwang Ji-gu and his father wanted.

Hwang Jang-soo’s power, which was supported by the still-robust Daesung and Songyang amidst the collapse of many large corporations, was beyond what a single high school could handle.

The high school could not overlook this incident, and records of bullying and group assault were clearly left on the perpetrators’ student records.

The students involved in the assault were all transferred or expelled, and the subsequent trial resulted in actual prison sentences, unlike the previously expected outcome.

*  *  *

On the day of his farewell with Hwang Jang-soo, Hwang Ji-gu couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with him out of regret.

Hwang Jang-soo had also grown fond of Ji-gu, as he shared the same Hwang surname and Ji-gu seemed to rely on and follow him a lot mentally.

“We won’t see each other again, right?”

“Yeah, I’m busy. I don’t even live here.”

But what can’t be done, can’t be done.

Ji-gu nodded as if he had expected it, then mustered the courage to make eye contact.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Hey, I did something pretty big, but your thank you is too bland? You should give me a little something.”

“Ah…!”

Ji-gu tilted his head, recalled the meaning of “a little something,” and rummaged through his pockets with a flustered expression.

“Forget it, I have a lot of money.”

“Ah, yes, to… to me, you’re a….”

Ji-gu mumbled, and Jang-soo brought his ear closer.

“What are you saying? I can’t hear you. Speak up.”

“…Uncle is a miracle to me. A miracle, I will never forget it for the rest of my life.”

Jang-soo was taken aback by the unexpected words and stepped back, then crinkled his nose once and ruffled Ji-gu’s hair.

“Okay, Uncle’s leaving. See you later.”

Jang-soo didn’t look back and quickly disappeared, but Ji-gu continued to watch his back until it completely disappeared.

*  *  *

“I’m not doing this anymore.”

Hwang Jang-soo, who had returned, whined like a child. Shin Hae-soo asked back with her usual dry expression.

“Why.”

“I just don’t like it. If there’s a dispatch, send someone else. I’m better at using my fists, this kind of thing is… Ah, I don’t like it.”

“For someone who doesn’t like it, you were using the secretary very naturally.”

“…?“

Hae-soo put on gloves from the corner of the hideout and threw protective gear at him.

“Let’s spar for the first time in a while.”

“Ah, that’s, friend, I do method acting when I act, you know? Without even realizing it, chi [Korean exclamation], friend?”

That day, Hwang Jang-soo’s scar from the surgery a few months ago burst open.

*  *  *

Lunch time.

Unlike others, Woo Gang-cheol ate his meal faster than anyone else and stared blankly at the empty tray.

Seeing this, Oh Geng pointed to the food service area.

“Deputy Woo? Don’t hesitate and get more,”

“Ah, no. It’s not that….”

Deputy Woo hesitated, unlike his usual self, swallowed hard, and opened his mouth.

“I, I found a new house.”

“What?”

“Oh oh?!”

“Congratulations.”

Team Leader Kwak, Oh Geng, Hae-soo, and the new recruit’s faces brightened noticeably. Deputy Woo’s heart was touched by their joy as if it were their own.

“It’s all thanks to you all. So, I’d like to invite you to a housewarming party.”

As much as the preparation for the new house was not smooth, Deputy Woo’s expression when inviting them to the housewarming party seemed to be filled with emotion.

The special team members, including Team Leader Kwak, naturally accepted the invitation, and Deputy Woo said to Hae-soo in front of everyone.

“I hope Ms. Haru can come too. Our pretty… Ji, Ji-yeon really wants to invite you.”

“She’ll like it.”

Amidst the friendly atmosphere, the new recruit trembled slightly when Haru’s name was mentioned.

*  *  *

Housewarming day.

Deputy Woo’s bride-to-be, Oh Ji-yeon, went grocery shopping and came back. The elevator was about to close.

“Oops!”

Thud –

Just when she thought it was too late because it was almost closed, the door stopped with the difference of a finger’s thickness, and then reopened.

Inside, a young woman was pressing the open button.

“Ah, thank you.”

The young woman made eye contact with Oh Ji-yeon without saying anything and stood still.

Ji-yeon was about to press the floor button, but she saw that the 4th floor, where she lived, was already pressed, so she looked at the woman again.

“Oh my, you live on the 4th floor? Nice to meet you. I just moved into 401. Please take care of me.”

“Ah, yes….”

The woman nodded slightly. There was something a little gloomy about her.

Ji-yeon stood and glanced at her. Having a detective boyfriend, Ji-yeon naturally had a little more interest in crime than the average person.

There were bruises all over the woman’s body. They were covered by her clothes, but there were bruises on the ends of her sleeves, neck, hands, and ankles.

There were also brown bruises that seemed to be old.

Oh Ji-yeon’s nickname is Nosy Ji-yeon.

“Domestic violence? Date violence?”

The woman glared at Oh Ji-yeon with sharp eyes at Oh Ji-yeon’s question.

“Mind your own business.”

“How can I mind my own business? My neighbor is in trouble. Ah, are you the type to report that your ribs were broken if you were saved by CPR?”

The woman looked at Oh Ji-yeon as if she were a strange person and averted her gaze. Just then, the elevator arrived on the 4th floor, and the woman took a step forward.

At that moment, Oh Ji-yeon continued speaking to her back.

“I don’t care. If I live selfishly trying not to lose, the world becomes too harsh.”

The woman’s steps stopped. She didn’t turn around, but her emotions seemed to be felt.

Ji-yeon clicked her tongue and continued to speak.

“Tell me if you need help. Our houses are close, and my husband is strong. I’ll help you anytime.”

The woman turned her head slightly, then silently took another step.

Beep- Clunk

The woman opened the front door and entered the house, sighing silently as she looked at the pigsty-like living room.

‘Without even knowing me well, acting so presumptuous….’

At the end of her gaze was a man lying diagonally on the living room sofa.

He was only wearing shorts, so the terrifying tattoos drawn on his obese body were exposed.

‘Even if they say they’re strong, if they ever run into that, they’ll end up turning a blind eye, too busy pretending they didn’t see anything.’

The woman recalled the men next door who had offered to help her before. Three energetic college students were living together, and they made a fuss about helping her when they saw the bruises.

However, they eventually moved out. That day, the woman barely survived.

“Hey, what are you looking at? Do you want to kill me?”

“Yes? Ah, no, it’s not that….”

“Shut up and set the table.”

“Yes….”

The woman bowed her head and set the table on the sofa table.

Thwack!

“Kyaak!”

Even though she was quietly setting the table, a heavy palm flew and hit the woman’s head.

The woman knelt down weakly, and the man kicked her in the side, knocking her over.

“I can’t see the TV, you bitch, you always do something to get hit. Get lost!”

The woman bit her lower lip and crawled away from the spot on her knees.

*  *  *

Deputy Woo’s new home.

The special team members and Haru gathered in one place. A generous amount of food was placed on the long floor dining table.

Team Leader Kwak asked with wide eyes.

“Wow, did your sister-in-law make all of this herself? She’s a great cook, our muscle monster is going to live in luxury?”

“Ahaha, everything except this and this is delivery food. Team Leader.”

Deputy Woo, true to his upright police officer nature, immediately stated the facts. Oh Ji-yeon smiled brightly and poked him hard in the side, but the message was not conveyed.

“Ouch, why, ah, do you want to go to the bathroom? Go as much as you want, this is our house, our house! Hahaha!”

Oh Ji-yeon brought her face close to Deputy Woo, who was laughing heartily, and whispered in ventriloquism.

“Why do you have to say that with your own mouth? I’ll see you later, you bear, I’ll make you bear soup, hohoho. Eat. Eat. There’s not much I made.”

Deputy Woo closed his mouth and rolled his eyes.

Seeing his plight, Shin Hae-soo tried to help by holding up a handful of japchae [Korean glass noodles with vegetables and meat].

“This is the most delicious. Sister-in-law.”

Oh Ji-yeon smiled and nodded.

“Ah, I see, I’ll tell you the company name.”

Hae-soo made eye contact with Deputy Woo and belatedly realized. When Deputy Woo was telling her about the delivery food earlier, he also pointed to the japchae, a fatal mistake.

Haru, in order to help Hae-soo, hurriedly held up a rib and said.

“This is the most delicious!”

“Ah, you two are a good match after all. I ordered from the same place.”

Haru was receiving push mail from the Exit mobile game when Deputy Woo was telling her earlier.

A moment of awkward silence, just as Oh Geng was about to laugh and continue the conversation.

Thump thump thump! Thump thump! Ding-dong ding-dong-

Deputy Woo and Oh Ji-yeon simultaneously jumped up at the urgent knocking and doorbell sounds. Ji-yeon, after confirming the person who knocked on the door through the intercom, grabbed Deputy Woo and went to the front door herself.

When she opened the door, the woman she had met during the day was standing there. Her nose was crushed and bleeding profusely, her eyes were bruised, and the blood vessels in her eyes were all burst and red.

She looked at Oh Ji-yeon with trembling eyes and struggled to open her mouth. Her lips were also torn, and blood dripped thickly.

“Can, can you help me?”

Thud!

The opposite door opened roughly, and a tattooed man with an obese physique, wearing only his boxer shorts, walked out barefoot. He was holding a kitchen knife in his right hand.

“You fucking bitch! Where are you running?! I’m going to fillet you today?!”

The voice of the man, who had lived without fear of anything in the world, echoed loudly, and everyone inside could hear it clearly.

Swish

The special team members who were enjoying the banquet all stood up at once.