The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 79

“Ah.”

“Uh…”

Silence blanketed the training ground. Trainees and seasoned bodyguards alike were too stunned to speak. Until this point, not even the most physically gifted trainee had managed to land a solid hit on a senior, much less defeat one.

“Cough, cough.”

The team leader, snapping out of his stupor, rushed to the aid of the struggling bodyguard.

“Are you alright?”

“Cough, hack…”

He managed to sit up, waving a dismissive hand, tears and snot streaming down his face. More embarrassed than injured, he clearly wanted to avoid further attention.

Meanwhile, the referee approached Haru, raising both arms and crossing them to form an ‘X’.

Haru, assuming she was about to face another opponent, braced herself. The referee hesitated.

“Warning, no elbows. How could you use an elbow strike right after I said that?”

Haru furrowed her brow, a picture of confusion. She tilted her head, then extended a hand, mimicking the referee’s stance before the match.

“You said, ‘No eye-gouging, no kicking the groin, and no elbows. Everything else is allowed, are you ready?’ Didn’t you?”

Haru perfectly recalled and imitated the speed, emotion, and intonation of his words. Her unexpected talent drew chuckles and murmurs of amazement.

“Well, that’s… of course, it means don’t attack *with* your elbows…”

“I understood it as, ‘No eye-gouging, no kicking the groin, and no *elbow strikes*.'”

It was difficult to believe she could interpret it that way, but a literal reading of his words did leave room for her interpretation.

A bodyguard tapped the referee’s shoulder.

“It’s your fault.”

“She’s right! You need to explain things properly!”

“Exactly, you should have been clear so our junior wouldn’t get confused.”

The atmosphere shifted, becoming increasingly strange. The referee scratched his head and nodded.

“Okay, anyway, no attacking with elbows. This match is void.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll do it again.”

Haru approached the senior who was still gasping for breath, and he recoiled in horror. Other seniors quickly intervened.

“Another, another senior… he’s injured.”

“Yes.”

Even as the defeated senior crawled on the floor, another stepped forward to face Haru. She hadn’t even officially joined the company, yet she was already incredibly popular.

From the start, he raised his guard, watching Haru with intense focus.

‘Her speed is impressive, but… I won’t let my guard down.’

The match began, but Haru remained still, a look of tension etched on her face. Her eyebrows were slightly downturned, as if she felt guilty for cheating.

‘Hmm…’

No matter how fast she is, a weak mentality will lead to failure. He threw a light jab to ease Haru’s tension.

*Whoosh-*

Almost simultaneously, she lowered her body and embraced him.

‘Huh?’

A refreshing scent filled his senses, and just as he began to enjoy the pleasant sensation…

*Crack-*

“Cough!”

She wasn’t embracing him; she was digging in, striking his exposed side with a brutal knee.

The senior collapsed, rolling on the floor. The cracking sound suggested a broken rib.

Haru looked down at the senior with impassive eyes.

“Next.”

“Hey, what do you mean next! Yong-seok! Are you okay?”

“Rib, rib seems broken… Ugh!”

“Call 119 [emergency services in South Korea], call 119!!”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

With a broken bone, a displaced fragment could cause further, dangerous complications.

Paramedics arrived, and the senior was carried away on a stretcher.

Haru watched him being carried away and called out ‘next’ again, but no one stepped forward.

*

Daesung Entertainment building, top floor, home to Daesung Guard.

Seo-eun sat with her legs crossed, reviewing documents.

*Knock knock.*

“Come in.”

Chief Secretary Kang entered. Seo-eun stopped what she was doing and turned to face him.

“Ms. Haru was put on hold for acceptance and underwent a physical test. She received a perfect score in sparring and received the final A grade.”

“That’s good. I was prepared to use my connections if she failed the interview… Team Leader Yang doesn’t seem to know how to recognize talent. He tried to disqualify her because of her looks. How many talents has he sent away like this?”

Chief Kang understood the implied criticism in Seo-eun’s question and responded.

“From now on, I will ensure that Team Leader Yang is not included as an interviewer.”

“It’s not like I’m demoting him, just do that. So, when will Ms. Haru become my bodyguard?”

“She has now entered formal training. She will be deployable in three months, but she can be deployed immediately if you wish.”

“No. We should avoid causing any unnecessary talk. Chief Kim, don’t go and talk about Ms. Haru either. Understood?”

Chief Kim, the bodyguard standing quietly in the corner, flinched. He had been about to warn her to be careful of Haru once his work was done.

He nodded vigorously.

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

***

In the morning, Shin Hae-soo was getting ready for work when Haru fidgeted and lingered in front of him.

“What.”

Haru flinched and showed Hae-soo the phone she was holding.

“I passed the final test.”

Hae-soo nodded as if it were obvious and looked for a cup to fill with water from the water purifier.

“That’s good.”

Hae-soo’s dry reaction filled Haru’s eyes with disappointment.

“I received an A grade on the physical test. The starting salary is 10 million won [approximately $7,500 USD] higher than the F grade.”

“Good job, then you can pay the monthly rent from now on.”

“I will be entering training for three months starting in a week. Two months of commuting, and the last month is a dormitory stay.”

Hae-soo’s hand, which was holding the water, stopped. Only then did he turn his head to meet Haru’s eyes.

“Dormitory?”

“Yes.”

Hae-soo’s brow furrowed.

“That’s concerning.”

Haru’s face flushed slightly at Hae-soo’s words.

“Is the landlord worried about me?”

“No, the other bodyguards.”

Haru’s lips pouted.

Being a bodyguard is a male-dominated profession. Even in places full of women, Haru stands out, so if she’s in a place swarming with men, especially with a dormitory stay, there will be many men trying to hit on her day and night.

In the past, he was worried that the innocent Haru would be seduced by strange guys, but these days, he was strangely worried about the other party.

*

Gangjin Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit Headquarters.

The team leader put his feet on the desk and picked his ear with his little finger, muttering.

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had this much free time. Since there are no murder or missing person cases, I can afford to relax like this… Ugh, ugh!”

At the team leader’s words, Oh Geng hurriedly ran over and covered the team leader’s mouth.

“Why is an old man who knows so much saying such things out of his mouth? Hyung [older brother or male friend], you’re in headquarters anyway…”

*Beep beep beep*

At that moment, Hae-soo’s cell phone rang. A deadly silence instantly fell within the headquarters. Even the youngest member froze like a statue, still lifting a dumbbell.

*Beep beep beep*

Hae-soo swallowed hard and took out his cell phone. He checked the name on the phone and relaxed.

“Yes, Chief Gu.”

“Oh, what, it’s not! Let go, let go, your hand smells like poop.”

“Phew…”

“Hiss, hoo, hiss, hoo, I’m glad. Doesn’t the fact that no incidents are happening mean there is less unhappiness in the world?”

“The youngest is sometimes like a Taoist.”

Hae-soo couldn’t hear what Chief Gu was saying, so he went to the corner and answered the phone again.

“What did you say?”

-The special stab-proof vests have arrived! Should I bring them over now?”

“Ah… Yes, please bring them over.”

Hae-soo clenched his fist and rejoiced. It was the best news he had heard in a while.

“Rookie, why? Why are you smiling so rarely? It’s creepy.”

“The production of special stab-proof vests has been completed.”

“Special stab-proof vests? Oh, the ones where the tailor came and measured the sizes in great detail?”

“That’s right.”

The team leader touched his protruding belly and muttered.

“I’ve gained 3 kilograms [approximately 6.6 pounds] since then, I wonder if it will fit.”

At those words, Hae-soo approached, grabbed the team leader’s shoulder, and forcibly stood him up.

“You have to lose weight to wear it. Start with squats first.”

“I, I was scared just now.”

While Hae-soo was forcing the team leader to exercise, Chief Gu arrived in less than 30 minutes.

The special stab-proof vests totaled sixteen, enough to distribute to the Violent Crimes Unit team members and the Violent Crimes Team 1, 2, and 3 team members, all the detectives working in the field.

*Squeak*

“What came that makes people come and go like this?”

“What’s the gift?”

“Isn’t that the one that came after measuring the size last time?”

The detectives rushed into the Violent Crimes Unit headquarters. Usually, they were too busy to even bring a single document, but when they heard they were giving gifts, the headquarters was packed in less than 5 minutes.

Hae-soo, together with Chief Gu, checked each name and handed out the special stab-proof vests to the detectives.

The detectives were delighted to receive the aluminum black special stab-proof vest storage box, feeling like they were really receiving a gift.

Inside was an outfit that looked like black mesh sportswear.

“This is a stab-proof vest? It just looks like functional sportswear? Can it block a knife?”

When a detective tried to cut it with a box cutter, Chief Gu screamed and stopped him.

“Uh, uh! This is expensive! Please save it unless you have no choice.”

“How much is it?”

At the detective’s question, Chief Gu turned his head to look at Hae-soo and asked for permission. Hae-soo didn’t want them to be thrown away without functioning properly after all the hard work of tailoring them, so he decided to tell them the price.

Hae-soo answered instead.

“Fifty million won per piece.”

“Huh? Fifty million? Fifty million won? What, it’s super cheap.”

Chief Gu narrowed his brow and continued the explanation.

“The custom-made cost alone is fifty million won. If it were sold on the market, it would be 100 million won [approximately $75,000 USD]. President Shin spent 800 million won [approximately $600,000 USD] of his own money to produce it.”

The headquarters instantly fell silent at Chief Gu’s slightly emotional words.

Like that, 1 second, 2 seconds…

“Eh?”

“How much?”

“Billion?”

The detectives’ posture holding the special stab-proof vests changed.

Hae-soo chuckled and continued the explanation.

“Wear sportswear underneath in the winter and only wear it when going on duty in the summer. I guarantee the function, so be sure to wear it on dangerous missions.”

“H, how can I do this? I have nothing to help Detective Shin with…”

“Our station’s lucky charm, really thank you, I’ll cherish it.”

“Don’t cherish it, always wear it.”

At Hae-soo’s serious eyes, the detective nodded several times.

After the commotion passed, the detectives left, and Chief Gu also left, but one box remained.

“Wow, why is this stab-proof vest so comfortable to the touch?”

Oh Geng was moving his body around wearing only the stab-proof vest when he discovered the one remaining box.

“Who didn’t take this? There’s no name on it?”

While Hae-soo was helping the team leader put it on, Oh Geng took it out. Then, a small stab-proof vest that clearly showed off the body line was revealed.

“Wh, what is this…”

“What is it! This perfect line! Rookie, what is that!”

“Ah…”

At that moment, Oh Geng carefully folded it again and put it back in, saying.

“That must be hers, haha, sorry.”

Oh Geng’s face flushed as if he was ashamed just for touching the stab-proof vest that Haru would wear.

*

Contrary to Oh Geng’s concerns, Haru’s day passed smoothly, only dealing with drunkards.

That’s how quitting time came. Hae-soo opened the saddle, took out Haru’s special stab-proof vest, and got on the motorcycle.

*Rumble rumble*

While slowly going while keeping the speed limit, a van suddenly popped out from the right, causing him to slam on the brakes.

*Burururung-*

The recklessly driven van ignored the signal and made a left turn. Two more cars followed in a row.

*Honk honk-!!*

When other cars honked, the window of the van at the very back opened, and a man waved a hand ax.

“Shut your mouths! Unless you want to die!!”

At his scary momentum, the cars’ horns quickly disappeared.

Hae-soo saw the guy’s face in that instant. He was one of the guys who had a knife fight in the middle of downtown the day before yesterday and ran away.

The direction they are going, the weapon, the momentum is unusual.

Hae-soo immediately turned the motorcycle around.

*

Gangjin Police Station, Eastern District Police Box.

*Screech-!*

Three vans slammed on the brakes in front of the police box headquarters. The car doors opened roughly, and a man shouted.

“Kill them all!!”

“Waaaaa!!”

Dozens of men with steel pipes, hand axes, baseball bats, and sashimi knives ran out of the vans and rushed to the police box headquarters, smashing everything in sight.

*Crash!!*

The glass door shattered, and the surprised police officers were attacked without being able to defend themselves properly.

Less than 30 seconds after the chaos began, a man broke through the tattered headquarters door and rolled out.

*Thump thump!*

It was a gang member who was thrown from the outside. Behind him came Shin Hae-soo with steel-like muscles.

Hae-soo had eyes that were more fiery with anger than ever before. Attacking a police box, which is recognized as the safest place for citizens, can cause a major ripple effect.

It’s something that can’t happen.

*Gritting*

Hae-soo took out handcuffs, overlapped the two rings into one, and wore them like a knuckle on his right hand.

“You guys… are living only for today, okay, I’ll let you live only for today.”

<#79. I'll Let You Live Only For Today.> End