The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 75

Central Stadium.

The trainees who were exercising began to gather around the horizontal bar, encircling it with curiosity. Soon, a larger crowd had formed, drawn by the growing interest.

“Twenty-two.”

The leader of the horizontal bar club, a champion of chin-up competitions, had never encountered anyone at the police academy who could match, or even come close to, his abilities.

“Twenty-three…”

Yet, an instructor who appeared significantly older was performing chin-ups with unwavering consistency, maintaining the same form and expression he had at the start.

The club leader felt a sense of crisis for the first time since arriving. His forearms began to tremble.

“Wow…”

The club members who had been keeping pace with him had already given up. The trainees watched the spectacle with open mouths, amazed.

“Twenty-four!”

Shin Hae-soo was relishing the opportunity to exercise freely, without the worries of tomorrow weighing on him. His voice grew louder with each rep.

“Twenty-five…”

The club leader’s count faded away. Hae-soo’s eyes met his, and he saw the club leader’s grip faltering. Almost simultaneously, Hae-soo released his hold.

Thud-

“Wow!”

“Instructor, you’re amazing!”

“Our leader is awesome!!”

“One hundred and twenty-five! I’ve never seen anyone do over a hundred before. I can’t believe a human can do that.”

Hae-soo landed and extended a hand to the club leader, who took it, realizing that Hae-soo still possessed considerable strength. He understood that Hae-soo had stopped to spare him further embarrassment.

Kim Woong-min, who had been observing quietly from the sidelines, noticed the trembling in the club leader’s hands, a stark contrast to Hae-soo’s composure.

Woong-min felt a surge of emotion. He recognized the foolishness of his earlier thoughts.

‘I want to be like that.’

Woong-min’s envy transformed into admiration.

Hae-soo, simply enjoying his workout, had inadvertently inspired reflection in the trainees.

After finishing his exercise, Hae-soo stretched expansively, gazing at the central stadium as he walked back to the dorm.

‘The future of Korea is bright!’

*

The next day, in the main auditorium.

Except for the initial introduction, practical training was conducted in units of two squads.

Hae-soo addressed the sixty-odd trainees.

“I witnessed your enthusiasm last night. Therefore! I’ve designed a training schedule to match your passion. Don’t worry; the best medical staff is on standby.”

Hae-soo gestured proudly toward the medical personnel waiting at the far end of the auditorium. The trainees’ faces paled at the sight, even before the training began.

“We’ll start with stretching. Insufficient stretching can lead to broken bones or torn ligaments. Okay, let’s begin with the left arm…”

A short while later.

“Ugh, blargh!”

“Cough!”

Several trainees were vomiting and collapsing, while others were being carried away on stretchers.

Hae-soo continued to encourage them and pressed on with the training. Just then, an instructor rushed over, saying,

“Instructor Shin Hae-soo, Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo [a member of the National Assembly] has made an unexpected visit. He requests that the trainees clean the auditorium, tidy their uniforms, and stand by.”

Hae-soo frowned. Oh Sung-joo was a three-term assemblyman with considerable influence, but that didn’t sway him.

“Are you the type to run back into the police station to clean the stairs when a congressman shows up while you’re on a call?”

“…Pardon?”

“Whether it’s a three-term assemblyman or the president, unless it’s a formal event, the schedule proceeds as planned.”

“Instructor, that puts me in a difficult position…”

As Hae-soo and the instructor spoke, the trainees whispered among themselves.

“Is the rumor that Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo’s child is in our class true?”

“Why would a congressman’s child become a police officer?”

“I guess they want to.”

Then, Mi-yeon, who had been listening intently, spoke up.

“Why? What’s wrong with that?”

“What, Oh Mi-yeon, same Oh clan? Suspicious?”

Mi-yeon’s expression hardened.

“No, can’t a congressman’s child be a police officer?”

“It’s not that they can’t, don’t be so serious. Our cheerful Mi-yeon is scary when she’s serious.”

“Was I? Sorry.”

Mi-yeon quickly smiled and apologized to her classmates. Just then, Hae-soo’s voice rang out.

“Okay, let’s resume training! Everyone, move to the end of the auditorium!”

“Yes!!”

Shin Hae-soo’s training resumed, and just as things were intensifying, Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo entered.

He saw Mi-yeon walking on her hands while another trainee held her feet, and his jaw dropped.

Sweat streamed down her face, and Hae-soo, the instructor, was actively wiping sweat off the auditorium floor while shouting instructions.

“I, I, I…”

Oh Sung-joo grabbed the back of his neck and retreated, his secretary supporting him as they left the auditorium.

Hae-soo glanced at them and quickly averted his gaze.

*

Outside the auditorium, the secretary asked Oh Sung-joo.

“Shall we suspend it for a moment?”

“Oh no, we mustn’t interfere. It’s the first time I’ve seen my daughter like that… I sense her determination, which is even better. What’s the name of that instructor?”

“Sergeant Shin Hae-soo. He’s a detective from the Chungnam Violent Crimes Unit and has been invited as a special instructor for two weeks.”

“I see. He must have a good record?”

“He has the highest arrest rate in the country.”

“Oh ho…”

Oh Sung-joo stroked his chin, nodded, and headed to his car.

*

Some time later, the instructor rushed in again during training. He glanced at Hae-soo and urgently called out without relaying the message.

“Trainee Oh Mi-yeon!”

“Yes!”

Oh Mi-yeon jumped up and ran to him. Mi-yeon grew serious, sensing the instructor’s grave demeanor.

The instructor said in a heavy voice.

“Your father is looking for you.”

Mi-yeon’s expression turned strange. She had requested that her parentage be kept a secret, and she couldn’t immediately understand why he would openly seek her out, making it known to all the trainees.

“Pardon?”

“On his way home, he had an accident…”

“Yes?!”

Mi-yeon’s round eyes widened. Hae-soo, who had approached and was listening to the conversation, asked,

“Where is it?”

“It’s at Haedong Hospital near here.”

“Let’s go.”

Hae-soo left the training to the instructor and drove Oh Mi-yeon to Haedong Hospital.

On the way, a heavy silence filled the car.

Mi-yeon didn’t cry. She simply stared blankly out the window, her expression complex.

“Please bring some more blood here!”

“Oh, it hurts! Treat me first, treat me first, doctor!”

“Please wait a moment!”

Just stepping inside, they could feel the chaotic energy of the emergency room. Hae-soo and Mi-yeon located their destination in one corner without needing to search for long.

Step, step, step.

Mi-yeon’s steps toward Oh Sung-joo were hesitant, as if she resisted acknowledging the reality of the situation.

Next to Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo lay a body covered with a white cloth. The driver, who was also the secretary, was already deceased.

Oh Sung-joo was on a ventilator, his lower body and abdomen soaked in blood.

“Sniff!”

Only then did Oh Mi-yeon burst into tears.

Oh Sung-joo’s finger twitched. Mi-yeon noticed the slight movement and took his hand. Tears also welled in Oh Sung-joo’s eyes as he lay there.

Hae-soo approached a paramedic who hadn’t yet left.

“What time did the accident occur?”

“He was brought here about 20 minutes ago.”

Hae-soo glanced at his watch and quickly calculated the time.

“Tell me what you know about the accident. First, the location.”

“Ah… a dump truck collided with them at Bangsang Intersection. Drunk driving… There’s a black box video.”

“What about the dump truck driver?”

“He’s fine. He was taken to the police station first.”

Hae-soo immediately played the black box video provided by the paramedic on the hospital computer, memorizing the exact time and location.

Then, he approached Oh Sung-joo, who was struggling to breathe, and looked down at him.

‘It’s my fault…’

If he hadn’t pushed the training so hard, if she hadn’t been so surprised and left immediately, he might have saved two lives…

It had been a while since Reset [Hae-soo’s ability to turn back time] had manifested. There hadn’t been a situation like this. Anxious, but filled with earnestness, he whispered inwardly.

‘Reset.’

*

“Ugh, blargh!”

“Cough!”
Trainees vomiting, trainees collapsing. He was back an hour.

Just then, the instructor rushed in and approached Hae-soo.

“Instructor Shin Hae-soo, Assemblyman Oh Sung-“

“Please take over the training. I have somewhere to go for a moment.”

“Yes? Yes, yes.”

Hae-soo was on his way to the dorm to retrieve his car keys when he encountered Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo.

“I’m Shin Hae-soo. Please supervise the training until the end. Goodbye.”

“Ah… yes, okay. Good work.”

Hae-soo got in his car and drove directly to Bangsang Intersection. He waited in the same lane as the location he had seen in the black box video, checking the time.

‘4:33:15 PM… 30 seconds left until the incident.’

At around 20 seconds, he spotted the dump truck he had seen in the black box video approaching from the 9 o’clock direction, moving at a terrifying speed.

Click, clack-

As soon as the light turned green, Hae-soo shifted the gear from automatic to 1st gear and exited the car. He then spread his arms, blocking the other cars in the same lane.

Honk honk- Crash!!!

As soon as the deafening horn blared, Hae-soo’s car collided with the dump truck. The dump truck pushed Hae-soo’s car approximately 30 meters before coming to a halt.

“Wh, what’s going on?”

“Wow…”

People emerged from the lanes that Hae-soo had blocked and stared at the accident scene.

Knock knock-

Hae-soo approached the dump truck, stepped onto the footrest, and knocked on the door. Inside, he saw a driver who was staggering.

Without hesitation, Hae-soo smashed the window with his elbow.

Bang bang crash!!

“Hey! Wh, what!!”

He shattered the window, unlocked the door, and pulled it open. The driver’s nose was red, and his eyes were wide.

“Get out.”

“Huh?”

Bang!!

Hae-soo grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground.

***

The dump truck driver was taken to a nearby police station.

He had caused an accident while driving under the influence, but Hae-soo had prevented him from committing murder. To ensure a harsher punishment, Hae-soo had sacrificed his car.

“But, how did Sergeant Shin Hae-soo know in advance and get out to block the other cars?”

Hae-soo hesitated before answering the police officer’s question.

“I have good eyes.”

“Ah, I see…”

Hae-soo pointed to the driver, whose face was bloodied from scraping against the asphalt, and continued.

“Please ensure he receives the maximum sentence.”

“Of course. He almost became a murderer, so of course.”

“Yes, it’s a matter of course.”

On his way out of the police station after giving his statement, a shiny sedan was parked at the entrance. The car door opened, and Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo stepped out.

Hae-soo wondered not how he knew, but why he had come to find him. Perhaps he was simply visiting the police station.

“What brings you here?”

Oh Sung-joo stared into Hae-soo’s eyes for a moment before speaking.

“Just what are you?”

Hae-soo’s eyes widened.

<#75. Assemblyman's Visit> End