The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 61

The man whose hand was hit by the cup threw it away irritably and shouted.

“Are you kidding me! You old geezer! Show me! And why are you betting my wrist?!”

The team leader revealed one of his cards and nodded with a brazen expression.

“Oh? It’s not? My bad.”

“Ugh, seriously…”

The man, perhaps more reasonable than his appearance suggested, let it go without much complaint.

“Here, what’s the upper limit here?”

“Ten per game.”

You can’t bet more than 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD] per game.

“I wondered… I thought all the rare thousand-won bills were gathered here. How can it be fun with such a small pot?”

“Your pockets will get lighter as you bet.”

“You have to reveal the cards to know. I’ll take it and ten more.”

“Ugh… Fold.”

One hour after the team leader joined the game.

-Team leader, were you trembling earlier because you were excited?

-I’ll bet your wrist on that.

“I’m done for now…”

The faces of the men in the same game are gradually turning ashen. Two of them dropped out in the middle, and one new person who joined also dropped out again.

“Want to continue?”

“Let’s stop. My luck isn’t so good today.”

“Okay then, this is for your taxi fare.”

The team leader gave 50,000 won [approximately $37.50 USD] to each of the people who played with him. People were even more upset because of that.

“Ugh… No fun. I don’t think I’ll come here again. I had a good time.”

As the team leader coolly got up from his seat, the man whose hand was hit quickly followed him out.

“Hey, you want to play in bigger waters, bro?”

-Wow, since when are we bros?

-I knew it. The team leader really… had a plan.

“A man should play in big waters even if he dies tomorrow.”

“As expected, your guts are extraordinary. I knew it from the moment you came in, bro. Let’s meet tomorrow at this time. Bring a lot of ammo [money].”

“How much? I have a lot of money.”

When the team leader made a circle with his fingers [gesturing a large amount], the man chuckled.

“No matter how much you bring, you can lose it all, so don’t worry.”

“Wow, look at that confidence? I’m excited for the first time in a while. Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, bro, go in!”

The team leader walked away slowly, waving his hand without looking back. Then, when the man was far enough away, his expression changed completely, and he said quietly.

“Did you see his face?”

-Yes, I’ll stick to him right away. Good work.

-Come this way, bro. Turn right onto the main street.

“Okay.”

*

Shin Hae-soo walked, and the youngest member followed the man slowly, keeping a distance from Hae-soo.

If the man went to Byeolcheonji [a high-stakes gambling den, literally “Starry Sky Land”], there would be no need for the team leader to risk going undercover to find out the location.

“I think he went into his house.”

-Damn it.

However, contrary to expectations, he went into a shabby one-room nearby.

“Shall we stakeout?”

-No, it’s late anyway, and I don’t think he’ll go. Let’s go and dig up that bastard’s background.

“Yes, I’ll return.”

When they returned, the team leader played the video recorded with the button, enlarged the man’s face on the monitor, and shouted.

“Hey, everyone gather around! Teams 2 and 3! Come here for a second, does anyone know this guy?”

Team 2’s most senior member was promoted to team leader, and Team 3 was Team 1 leader’s direct junior, so Team 1 leader was the most senior in the entire violent crimes unit.

The detectives slowly came and checked the monitor.

“I don’t really know.”

“I’ve never seen him before.”

Everyone seemed to not know him. They didn’t have high expectations. In the first place, Team 1 deals with the most gangsters, so if Team 1 members don’t know, then no one knows.

But then, the youngest member of Team 2 squinted and pointed to the monitor with his index finger.

“Oh, isn’t that him? I think I saw him once at Dying Night.”

“Dying Night?”

He’s talking about the Dying Night mass brawl case. Then, even if not now, he was one of the two organizations at that time.

Kang Dol-soe’s Kangsoe faction, who was stabbed and weakened before dying, or Mo Chang-gwi’s Hook faction.

“Looking at his face, he seems more like Kangsoe than Hook… But looking at him taking organs, he seems like Hook.”

“I thought those Hook bastards were centered around Mo Chang-gwi, but they’re still causing trouble even after being arrested.”

Hae-soo stared intently at the monitor and slowly recalled the memories of the Dying Night mass brawl.

I broke this guy’s arm, broke that guy’s nose, 찍고 [hit/stamped] that guy’s face… Ah!

“Kkang-sae.”

“What?”

“He was called Kkang-sae. Kangsoe faction.”

Hae-soo faced the gangsters’ faces more closely than anyone else at Dying Night.

Oh Gyeong-i clapped her hands and agreed with his words.

“Ah, ah, that’s right, that’s right, some guy kept asking if our Kkang-sae was alive, so we looked into it.”

“That’s right.”

The team leader shook his head and admired.

“Our Dolgyeok’s [Hae-soo’s nickname, meaning “Charge” or “Assault”] memory is crazy. Look at him, guys, Dolgyeok isn’t just 돌격 [charge] in body, his brain is also 돌격-type [charge-type].”

“I don’t think that’s a compliment.”

“It’s a compliment, a compliment, take it easy.”

“I remembered it thanks to the youngest member of Team 2.”

The youngest member of Team 2 bowed his head, feeling embarrassed at Hae-soo’s compliment.

“That’s right, the youngest member did a great job, our youngest member is just big.”

“I’ll work hard too!”

The team leader patted the youngest muscle monster on the back and continued.

“Okay, we’re busy tomorrow, so go home early today, eat something delicious, get a good night’s sleep, and come back in top condition. Let’s shake down the Kangsoe faction from tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good work.”

*

The next day.

The team leader stayed in the office in case he ran into Kkang-sae, and Hae-soo, Oh Gyeong-i, and the youngest member went around looking for Kangsoe faction members.

“Watermelon, watermeloooon, buy a watermeloooon dripping with honey.”

A man is leaning against a fruit truck on the outskirts of an apartment complex, frowning deeply.

Hae-soo approached him, picked up a sample watermelon, ate it, and said.

“Business doesn’t seem to be going well.”

“Yes, it’s going well… Huh!”

The man was horrified as if he had seen the Grim Reaper when he saw Hae-soo. Then, he reflexively stroked his arm. There was a long scar there.

“Did I do that?”

“Huh? Huh, huh…”

Hae-soo narrowed his brow slightly and took another bite of the watermelon.

“But it’s good to see you living hard. How are the other guys doing? I can’t see them.”

“Ah… that’s.”

“Answer only with the truth, in detail. I hate it the most when you say you didn’t tell me because I didn’t ask.”

The man sweated profusely and carefully continued.

“So, after Dol-soe hyungnim [term of respect for an older male] passed away…”

According to him, the Kangsoe faction scattered and fended for themselves after Kang Dol-soe died. Half of them decided to live normally and left to find jobs, and half of them joined other organizations.

Hae-soo didn’t ask about Kkang-sae. He was worried that he would pass on the word and be suspected.

“Okay, don’t scam, if I catch you again, it’s aggravated suppression.”

“Yes, yes, how dare I in front of you… H-have one of these!”

“Okay.”

Hae-soo took one of the watermelons he offered, threw him a 50,000 won bill, and left.

“…Team leader, this is what he says.”

-Damn it, everyone return. It’s better than digging around for nothing and failing anyway. We have to settle it later.

*

That night.

The team leader headed to the place he had promised with Kkang-sae. There were two more middle-aged men who looked worn out by life.

Kkang-sae greeted the team leader happily.

“Hyungnim, you came? I knew you would keep your promise.”

“Did I come to keep my promise? I came to win money.”

“Haha, I hope you win a lot. The car should be here soon… Oh, it’s coming.”

A van with heavily tinted windows is coming. Two men with fierce impressions got out of it.

“Turn off your cell phones and return them. You can pick them up when you leave. Let me do a check.”

One of the men roughly scanned between the armpits and between the legs with a long stick.

Chijik Chijik [sound of the scanner]

At that time, Hae-soo’s voice was heard in the team leader’s ear.

-Team leader, can you hear me? The location tracker and button camera are off.

That means they have to track the car with their eyes only. And without getting caught. The team leader swallowed hard.

-If you can hear me, swear once.

“Aish, what’s with all the fuss?”

“I’m sorry. We have to be thorough with security so you can play for a long time and have fun.”

“Damn it… Let’s go quickly. Just you wait.”

They even put blindfolds on them when they moved. During the move, the team leader heard chilling news in his ear.

-Hyungnim, don’t be surprised and listen carefully, we missed them. It seems like these bastards used two vans with the same license plate, or the license plate was changed in the middle… Anyway, the control center is also looking for them, so… don’t worry too much, act natural, if necessary, just play there and come out.

‘Damn it…’

Koogung Koong Koong [sound of a bumpy ride]

At that time, the car shook a lot because it was on an unpaved road. The team leader grumbled to give even a little hint.

“Aish, I’m going to throw up, take the paved road.”

“We’ll be there soon. Don’t take off your blindfold.”

Squeak

Soon the car stopped, and when they took off their blindfolds and got out, they were already inside the garage of some building. The floor height is quite high.

“Oh, you’ve had a hard time. This way, welcome to Byeolcheonji [Starry Sky Land].”

The team leader followed Kkang-sae’s guidance and entered through a shabby door.

Then, a high and wide space that could be three stories high was revealed. Overall, it’s dark, and each table relies on only one light bulb.

It’s a prefabricated building like a greenhouse, and looking at the sparsely shining light bulbs in the dark, it felt like Byeolcheonji was really unfolding.

“I won! I won! I won!!!”

“Aish damn it!”

“Give me my money, give me my money!!”

“Why is that your money! It’s my money!”

“Ahem, sit down there.”

Many kinds of gambling are taking place at many tables. Young women wearing swimsuits or underwear are serving with silver trays.

Kkang-sae slapped a woman’s butt, picked a grape from her tray, and said.

“Cigarettes, snacks, alcohol, and drinks are provided for free without limit. If you’re hungry, come over there. We also provide ramen and rice.”

When the team leader looked sharply, he saw people giving tips to the women and trading something.

‘Wow, even drugs?’

It’s a festival of crime.

The team leader went to the exchange in the center and put all the money he had brought.

“All in chips.”

Seotda [a Korean card game] is also played with chips here. The investigation budget wasn’t enough, so he got help from Hae-soo and brought 200 million won [approximately $150,000 USD].

“I’m meeting you for the first time, boss, and you brought a lot.”

“You need a lot of ammo for the cards to stick well.”

“But you can lose this quickly too. Come here if you lose.”

“If I come, will you give me money?”

“We’ll give it to you, after a health check.”

They lend money with organs as collateral. The team leader shuddered and waved his hand.

“Ew, scary, I won’t do it.”

The team leader was looking around at other gambling tables when.

-Team leader, it will take a little time for the special forces to come from Busan.

“Ah… I guess I’ll have to play around and leave.”

-We didn’t request support from the local police. We were worried they would notice. Other than the ground shaking a lot before arriving, are there any hints to pinpoint the location?

“No, no, there’s nothing I can do… Let’s see, let’s see…”

-Okay. It’s best to find your cell phone and turn it on, but don’t push yourself.

“Is he telling me to push myself…”

The team leader lost money here and there, carefully memorizing the structure.

“Oh, there are so many, so many, there are so many dark figures.”

Even if you roughly look at the guys standing in the middle of the tables and the guys relaxing while fondling women in one corner, there seemed to be at least thirty people.

Looking at the size of the gambling house, the number of gang members, and the thorough location security, it was clear that this was their headquarters.

‘Then Dong-dong is being held here, isn’t he already gone?’

At that time, a man ran to the corner from outside and whispered to the person who seemed to be the boss. Then the boss frowned and said something, and the resting men all got up and scattered all at once.

The feeling isn’t good. Four or five men go to the exchange and move the bags.

“Are these bastards packing up? Did they notice?”

-That’s possible. Calmly ensure your safety.

The team leader lowered his head and whispered softly.

“I’m going to snatch one of those guys’ phones and make an emergency call, get the location.”

-That’s not possible. It’s dangerous-

Thump!!

At that time, the team leader overturned the table and shouted.

“What are you doing! Where are you running with my money! Everyone! Look at those guys!!”

< #61. Byeolcheonji > End