The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 71

The head of the secretary’s office staggered back, his eyes wide with shock at the unexpected arrest warrant.

Shin Hae-soo reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

“You should step aside, not back.”

As Hae-soo moved him to the side, the team leader swung the president’s office door open.

Bang!

“Is the president here, who tried to send the police into the abyss twice?!”

Inside, Jang Kang-cheon was sitting, pretending to be relaxed. He raised his chin and asked the Violent Crimes Unit detectives,

“What is this commotion in someone else’s company? These days, the police have no fear.”

“Ha, haha.”

The team leader let out a ridiculous laugh at the brazen young man who spoke informally and insulted the police.

At that moment, Hae-soo narrowed his brows and approached him.

“So, you have no fear, towards the police.”

Bang!

Hae-soo slammed his hands on the desk and brought his face closer.

“Are you going to come quietly, or are you going to get beaten like a dog in front of your company employees and then come?”

Jang Kang-cheon’s expression twisted. Employees were gathering in small groups outside the wide-open president’s office door, watching.

He had witnessed Hae-soo’s superhuman abilities firsthand, but the aristocratic pride ingrained deep in his bones suppressed the fear of fists.

He jumped up, glared at Hae-soo, and shouted,

“You’re really crazy! I’m Jang Kang-cheon! Jang Kang-cheon, the president of Geonyeong Corporation! Jang Kang-cheon, the eldest son of Geonyeong Group! Just because you can throw a punch doesn’t mean you can’t see what’s coming. I can ruin you, the people around you, and these annoying detectives’ lives, do you understand?!”

“No.”

Hae-soo took out handcuffs from his waist and tried to put them on his wrist. Then, he sharply shook off his hand, snatched the handcuffs, and struck Hae-soo’s face with them.

Thwack-!

“Charge!”

“Hae-soo!”

Of course, he thought he would dodge or block it, but Hae-soo didn’t move an inch and took the hit. As a result, his cheek and nose were scratched, and blood flowed down.

The secretary’s office, as well as Jang Kang-cheon, froze at the sight.

At that moment, the detectives shouted, seizing the opportunity.

“The company president is assaulting a police officer!”

“He’s hitting a detective who came to execute his duty!”

Hae-soo turned his head halfway and asked,

“Maknae [youngest member], did you film it?”

“Yes, Detective. Jang Kang-cheon’s face is coming out very well.”

Jang Kang-cheon didn’t understand what was happening.

“…What?”

“Now get out, you can’t be filmed.”

As soon as the maknae lowered his phone, Hae-soo’s hand shot up.

Whack-!

***

An office with a great view.

Chomp chomp.

The Commissioner General was sucking on a banana milk through a straw while talking on the phone.

“I’m not going to be a National Assemblyman [member of the National Assembly, South Korea’s unicameral parliament]? I’ve worked hard until now, why would I crawl into the dirty world of politics at my age? I need to rest.”

The Commissioner General tilted his head, wedging the phone between his shoulder and ear, and removed the lid of the banana milk.

“Speaking informally? You’re subtly doing it too. Just because you have a lot of money, who are you, an old man I’ve never even seen, to talk down to the Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency?”

The Commissioner General frowned slightly, moved the phone away from his ear, and brought only the microphone part closer.

“I’m getting another call. I’m hanging up.”

He pressed the end button and let out a small sigh.

“It’s so funny, so funny. I don’t know why these high-ranking people, who are hard to see even once, are looking for me so much these days. They’re so eager to catch a single detective, tsk.”

As he got up and leaned against the window, the phone rang again. This time, it was the Chief of Staff.

“Huh, what? Detective Shin beat up the president of Geonyeong Corporation? Why did he do that? Contract killing? The police? That’s crazy! Tell him to beat him more!”

The Commissioner General hung up the phone, stared at it intently, and muttered,

“He’s a bulldozer, really. This is fun. Will I be able to retire with my full term…”

He raised his head and looked out the blue window, a faint smile on his lips.

*

They arrested Jang Kang-cheon for orchestrating the false accusation of sexual assault, but there was only circumstantial evidence for the contract killing.

The head of the secretary’s office, of course, only repeated that he had planned everything independently.

“…I planned it because I harbored resentment for the insult the president suffered at the party.”

“So, you did it alone, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you offered 100 million won in cash? You must be rich. Is the secretary’s salary that high?”

“My annual salary is higher than that amount.”

Oh Geng, who was interrogating the head of the secretary’s office, closed his laptop and frowned.

“This is bullshit! I’m so pissed off. I feel so deprived. Does one guy like this make more than our entire team? Seriously.”

Knock knock.

At that moment, Hae-soo came in. Oh Geng stood up when he saw him.

“You do it. You’ll figure it out.”

“Of course.”

Hae-soo and Oh Geng switched places. The head of the secretary’s office leaned back in his chair, showing his determination that his thoughts were firm.

“You can’t take out the sexual assault charge, so Jang Kang-cheon will take the full blame, and you’ll take all the blame for the contract killing?”

“I ordered my cousin to do it. How long are you going to make me repeat the same thing?”

“The person you hired to commit the murder is right in front of you. Where did you get that attitude? I feel like gouging your eyes out.”

Hae-soo pretended to poke his eyes with two fingers, and he flinched and lowered his head slightly.

Hae-soo lowered his hand, looked at the laptop, and said dryly.

“You hired ten people to murder a current detective, but they also tried to kill a civilian who appeared at the scene. That means you also ordered them to kill anyone who saw them, which means you’re looking at a minimum of 20 years, or almost certainly life imprisonment.”

The head of the secretary’s office’s eyes gradually showed complexity as he listened to Hae-soo’s explanation. However, his mouth remained firmly shut.

“Life imprisonment in place of a president who isn’t even related by blood? And you’re being loyal to such a nasty guy? No, money must be involved. But you’re going to rot there anyway, so the deal won’t work out. Then there’s only family.”

The head of the secretary’s office raised his head sharply at Hae-soo’s basic desire tracking.

“It’s disgusting that a guy who doesn’t mind doing such dirty work cares so much about his family, but think about it carefully. If your family receives a lot of money on the condition that you live in prison for the rest of your life in place of that bastard, will they be happy? Or will they be happier with you by their side, even if they’re poor?”

The head of the secretary’s office gradually lowered his head and said in a barely audible voice.

“My family is happier when I’m not around. I… made the best choice.”

His words, which seemed to be directed at himself, were like a half-confession.

He sighed deeply and stared blankly at the floor.

“No, we need to hear your family’s opinion too.”

Hae-soo waved his hand at the interrogation room window, and the door opened, revealing someone.

It was a middle-aged woman with a lot of white hair and a male student wearing a middle school uniform.

The head of the secretary’s office’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck at their appearance.

“M-Mother, Kang-hoon…”

The middle-aged woman, the head of the secretary’s office’s mother, had been tearing up since she came in.

She made eye contact with the head of the secretary’s office and eventually dropped tears, scolding him.

“You worthless bastard, worthless bastard! Worthless bastard…”

“…”

The head of the secretary’s office remained silent without saying he was sorry or anything else. His eyes were filled with complex emotions.

His heart aches, but it’s the right choice. It’s irreversible. If he gets through this, his family can live happily.

He grew up under the violence of his alcoholic father. Then, he lost his father early and grew up gritting his teeth as he watched his mother, who had raised him with tremendous hardship.

And he joined a large company and even got married, but his wife had an affair and ran away, leaving behind only a son who looked just like him.

It was an unhappy life, but he didn’t want to pass on that unhappiness to his son. If you have money, you’re not unhappy.

As he constantly reminded himself of his determination, he met his son’s blank eyes. His son’s tightly closed mouth opened.

“…Dad.”

“…Uh, son.”

“Don’t go.”

The moment the head of the secretary’s office heard his son’s dry words, something welled up from deep within his heart. His eyes turned red, and tears welled up.

His firm determination collapsed in an instant, as if a hole had been drilled in a dam, by his son’s one word.

The head of the secretary’s office hugged his son for the first time in his life and muttered.

“Dad… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

After a while, after sending his mother and son out of the interrogation room, the head of the secretary’s office, who had sorted out his emotions, looked at Hae-soo with eyes that were even more drained.

“Thank you.”

“…”

“There is a black bag hidden inside the fire hydrant in the house where my mother lives. It contains everything I’ve seen.”

Hae-soo nodded and got up from his seat.

*

The evidence held by the head of the secretary’s office included not only evidence that Jang Kang-cheon had ordered the murder but also numerous other dirty deeds.

Jang Kang-cheon was immediately indicted on numerous charges, including incitement to murder, fraud, and embezzlement, and the article was published in large letters.

It was significant that he, the most promising candidate and eldest son of a top ten conglomerate, was indicted.

The public was gradually becoming aware that the police were arresting anyone, regardless of who they were.

[Eldest son of a conglomerate, Jang XX, commissioned the contract killing of a detective]

[President Jang XX of Geonyeong Corporation, sentenced to life imprisonment!]

┗Crazy

┗Tore it up

┗Aren’t the police these days crazy? Do they think they’re Won Bin [famous Korean actor]? Do they have no tomorrow?

┗It’s so satisfying, wipe them all out!

┗Is it real that the eldest son of a conglomerate commissioned a murder?

┗As always, reality is more like a movie

┗But what did that detective do to make them commission a murder? Investigate the reason in detail, that detective is also suspicious

┗Yeah, your face is suspicious

┗Violent Crimes Unit? Where is the Violent Crimes Unit?

┗You don’t know the Violent Crimes Unit where Korea’s best police officer, Detective Shin, is? Are you a spy? Search for Detective Shin right now, read all the articles, and find out how great he is. You will soon praise him too. Shin-men!

┗What is this? Is it a newly formed cult?

┗The Violent Crimes Unit did a good job!! Let’s sweep up the conglomerates in the future!

As someone commented, just as the Violent Crimes Unit was dealing a major blow to the Geonyeong Group, other companies were appearing one after another at the prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutor Kang Ji-tae, nicknamed Hwang Si-mok [reference to a character in the Korean drama “Stranger” known for his cold and rational demeanor], had been biding his time and now drew his sword.

***

A wave of cold wind from the prosecution and police towards the companies swept through the business world, and the companies shrank back and refrained from acting for a while to avoid being caught by the prosecution and police.

An office with a view of the forest of buildings at a glance, people dressed neatly in suits are sitting at a luxurious round table.

Behind them, one or two attendants were standing.

“There was a bit of a noisy incident this time.”

“There was a rare event where the prosecution and police joined hands. What’s going to happen to the country.”

“I heard that the incident started with the eldest son of the Geonyeong Group.”

A middle-aged man, who had been listening quietly with his elbows on the round table, clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, can’t even manage his son… Anyway, to fix the current chaotic situation, I think we need to cut off the bud.”

“We should.”

“I agree.”

“I agree too.”

“It’s decided then. As always, please do your best in your respective positions for our country.”

“For our country.”

“Cheers.”

When the meeting was decided and everyone was about to get up and leave, the middle-aged man turned back again. The others stopped at his action.

“Ah, didn’t they say that this incident was also done by the detective who was in charge of the Red Moon case?”

“I heard that too.”

“Haha, he’s a really great detective. I’m getting curious.”

At his words, a large man behind him bowed his head and said quietly.

“I’ll find out.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s fun, let’s watch. Us.”

The middle-aged man sneered as he looked at the forest of buildings visible through the window.

***

Across from the Gangjin Police Station, a street stall.

The Violent Crimes Unit team members were eating fish cakes together on their way home from work.

Munch munch, slurp slurp.

“Oh, right. Dolgyeok-ah [Hae-soo’s nickname], it’s tomorrow, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You forgot? Why am I remembering this? You’re supposed to go to the police academy as a special instructor.”

“Ah…”

He had received a text message a few days ago and saw it, but he had completely forgotten.

As Hae-soo made an ‘ah’ face, Oh Geng put his arm around his shoulder and said to him.

“I’m counting on you. Package it well and let them know how cool, loyal, and rewarding it is to be a detective, okay?”

Hae-soo nodded solemnly.

“Yes, I understand.”

< #71. Cold Wind > End