Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: The Client
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The incident at the university made it onto the evening broadcast news the next day.
Laptop thefts rarely get airtime on major networks. Sure, the missing laptop had caused a brief hiccup in yesterday's event, but it hadn't shut things down entirely.
Kwon Soo-yeon had even been threatened and chased, but with no reporters on site right after it happened, those details stayed under wraps.
Yet somehow, the story hit the airwaves anyway.
The broadcast announcer spoke directly to the camera.
"A thief who stole a laptop from an event at a university in Seoul ran smack into a guest idol performer from a girl group—right here."
Footage shot by a reporter at the school today appeared first.
"We've obtained video from the time of the incident."
This time, a dashcam clip from a nearby parked car filled the screen.
That was the footage that propelled the story to national news.
In the video, a young man charged at idol Choi Ji-hye, swinging a massive fist. It was so sudden, viewers couldn't help but gasp, "Huh?"
Choi Ji-hye didn't dodge or block. Instead, she slipped inside his guard, toppled his balance, and hurled him out of frame in a flash.
Even after tossing him, she stayed low with her arms extended, frozen in that stance—not on purpose, but from sheer shock.
From the clip alone, she looked incredibly badass, like she'd countered and demolished her foe with one clean move, savoring the moment.
The submitted footage ended there. The female announcer picked up the explanation.
"The one who caught the thief was the youngest member of girl group Ppfgirls, Choi Ji-hye. She's still in high school."
The male co-anchor marveled.
"Idols these days are something else. Even if you told me to toss a grown man like that, I couldn't."
"I'd love to learn that martial art she pulled off."
"Same here."
After the news aired, the dashcam video spread like wildfire online. Choi Ji-hye became the talk of forums everywhere.
The clip popped up on fighting forums too.
As the video went viral, so did Choi Ji-hye's name. And with more people knowing her, Ppfgirls gained recognition too.
Leader So Ji-young pulled her into a tight hug.
"Aww, our cute maknae! Good job!"
Choi Ji-hye boasted.
"Heh. I'm kinda great, right?"
"You've got real talent. Next time, ask the teacher for private self-defense lessons just for you. Gotta hone what you're good at."
Choi Ji-hye got serious and wriggled free.
"No way, unnie. You'd sacrifice me and run?"
"Oh my. We haven't even eaten in front of you, and your instincts are this sharp?"
"For real?"
A reporter tracked down Choi Ji-hye for an interview.
They filmed all four members greeting in unison first, then Choi Ji-hye spoke to the camera.
The reporter asked.
"Do you normally train in martial arts, Ji-hye-ssi?"
"No. Our trainer taught us one self-defense move the day before. And it fit the situation perfectly."
"Wow, that's wild."
"Right? Teacher must see the future or something. So I used it right away."
"I saw that self-defense video. Ppfgirls and Angel Warriors—all eight of you learned it together?"
Choi Ji-hye glanced at leader So Ji-young and grinned.
"Yep. So next time, we're all learning together. No one left out."
Ppfgirls' fame kept climbing through wild boar hunts, nature gymnastics, CF shoots, and now this incident.
Even their old songs got a second look.
"This Ppfgirls track? Sounds pretty good on relisten. Why'd a gem like this flop?"
"Our music scene buries tons of good songs."
"True. But with Ppfgirls blowing up now, this might climb the charts."
"Yeah. Anything else charting?"
"Nah. Checked—they've only got this one semi-known."
At the PC bang, Yoon A-reum's personal stream leveled up too.
She didn't just upload to Nutube—she streamed games live.
Before, her streams drew about ten viewers.
Today, they flooded in the moment she went live.
Yoon A-reum raised both arms behind her head, flashing a big heart with a beaming smile.
"Whoa! Hey everyone! Welcome!"
But most weren't there for games.
"Not live today. Learn games from me instead."
"When our master has time."
"Games today."
Yoon A-reum covered her lips with a finger and smiled.
"Heh. My tier's higher."
"Gold."
"Backseaters get banned."
Others asked different things.
"Other regulars wore them."
"Game time."
Police officer Park Soon-gi said to Na Gang-in.
"About that guy Master Na caught at Korea University."
"Ji-hye caught him."
"Haha, right. Turns out he's a pro thief."
"We knew he stole the laptop."
"Nah, a real career criminal. Not top-tier phantom thief, but skilled. No priors."
"A guy like that steals a laptop mid-event? Doesn't add up for resale."
"Yeah, we grilled him on that. He used to date the presentation's star researcher."
"Dump city."
"Spot on. She figured out he was a thief, dumped him. He showed up on her big day for revenge."
"To sabotage her research reveal?"
"Yep. Bonus: fence the laptop for cash."
"Any valuable data on it?"
"Some sensitive stuff, but all slated for reveal anyway—not worth targeting alone."
"Got it. But hey."
Na Gang-in looked ahead. The thief's hideout—a standalone house—came into view.
"Why bring me here?"
Park Soon-gi grinned awkwardly.
"Ha, haha. We searched, found a ton of stolen goods. Took it all already."
"And?"
Park Soon-gi pointed up.
"Boss upstairs says since Master Na spotted this case, helping wrap it looks good."
"That's police work."
"We did rush location pings that day. Ha, haha."
Na Gang-in smirked.
"Fine. Not a big deal."
Park Soon-gi's face lit up.
"Gonna brag to the bosses."
Na Gang-in stepped inside.
Five-shelf units lined the rooms. Cops had cleared the loot—left with empty shelves and trash.
"Cleared out."
"Evidence, yeah."
"Why call me for this?"
"Beats me. Brass wants what brass wants."
Park Soon-gi knew why, though.
'Higher-ups wanna build ties with Master Na, even like this.'
He and Na Gang-in were already buddies, so this felt extra.
"Master Na, we're done here. Let's eat. My treat—army stew."
"Sure."
Na Gang-in scanned the interior. Park Soon-gi flipped through papers, listing finds.
"No big-ticket items, but volume was huge. Pro job. Most valuable: that watch, two mil won."
"Stolen goods skew cheap?"
"Yeah. Skillful but small-time. Find anything?"
"I don't see what others miss."
"I know. Haha."
AI Jeon Ji-in reacted. A crosshair appeared on the AR lens. To Na Gang-in's eyes, a translucent door outlined on one wall.
Na Gang-in walked to it.
"Not that I see nothing."
He tapped the wall. No hollow thud.
Na Gang-in asked Park Soon-gi.
"Can I smash this?"
"Huh? Uh, lightly maybe..."
Na Gang-in kicked it hard. Lock snapped; section slid inward.
Park Soon-gi blinked.
"Huh?"
"Secret room. Missed this?"
Park Soon-gi defended his team.
"Stolen stuff wasn't central. That day's incident was priority."
He touched the gap.
"Should've checked, but it's well-hidden. No wonder. How'd you spot it?"
"Mapped the layout in my head—this wall's too thick. Like double-layered."
Na Gang-in pushed. The panel-door swung in, revealing a narrow, long space.
He entered. Rechargeable lights inside. He flicked them on.
Barely room for one person. Shallow shelves on one wall, deep narrow ones deeper in.
Park Soon-gi followed, gawking at shelf contents.
"Whoa. He hid the real valuables here. Gold bars? This is jackpot!"
Na Gang-in checked the back shelves.
"Gems too."
"Gems? Outside was decoy—for rival thieves or cops."
"Makes sense."
Na Gang-in poked further.
Found a paper.
"Hm?"
Laptop heist plan scribbled on it.
"Planned it out..."
But the target was off.
"Hm? He's after Kwon Soo-yeon's laptop?"
"Huh? Yeah. So why steal the event laptop?"