Police-Gangster Cooperation

The Hong Gil-dong of the 21st century.

A righteous thief who hacked and stole 4.4 billion won to return it to the victims.

Cha Donbaek firmly believed that was me.

Even though I had begged him to keep his mouth shut.

What, the Hwalbindang?

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Geum, Eun, and Dong caught on, and TV stations might even come looking for an interview.

If the existence of CP&PC were leaked to the outside world, I might be dragged off and tortured without anyone ever knowing.

"Hwalbindang sounds like the name of a jewelry shop. Boss, are we selling gold rings now?"

"Isn't it a bakery?"

Geum of the Geum-Eun-Dong trio pointed at Eun and Dong.

"They're my brothers, but I'm truly embarrassed to take them anywhere," Cha Donbaek muttered.

"It's not? Then what is it?"

"It ends in 'dang'. Like the ruling party or the opposition party."

"Ah, we're finally entering politics!"

"I've never thought about being a political thug. Do we need to get new suits tailored?"

"..."

I knew they were ignorant, but I didn't expect it to be this bad.

Let's look on the bright side. I've gained helpers with pure, simple minds.

As long as they can use their bodies well, what's the point of being smart?

"Look, everyone. Your job is to help me apprehend criminals. Every time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we catch one, I will pay you a set fee. Think of the 200 million won I gave you earlier as an advance payment."

"So you want us to be your informants, Detective?"

Kim Jungeum, the eldest of the trio, asked on their behalf.

Helping a detective gets you paid?

Was such a thing even possible?

"Well, it's similar, but it's closer to a joint operation than being informants."

"A joint operation? The police and gangsters joining forces?"

"Exactly."

"Can you give us the details?"

Chatting here was a waste of time.

There were eight wanted fugitives to catch.

Although there were still ten days left, I couldn't afford to relax, as unpredictable situations could arise at any moment.

That was why I planned to capture as many as possible over the weekend starting tomorrow.

"Seeing it once is better than hearing it a hundred times. Let's head to Goseong, Gangwon Province first."

We arrived at the foot of Mount Geonbong in Goseong, Gangwon Province, at 11 PM.

The Shark Gang members followed me in a van.

There was a hiking trail map at the entrance of Mount Geonbong.

I compared the map with the location indicated by the Beomjappa app to pinpoint the target's position.

"He's probably living like a wild man in a shelter he built halfway up the mountain. The location is... roughly around there."

When I had previously chased another wanted fugitive to Gangneung, I had already confirmed that there was one here in Goseong as well.

Since it was mountainous terrain with escape routes open in all directions, I had planned to return once I had helpers. That day was today.

"His shelter is likely a small hermitage or a shingle-roofed house capable of withstanding the freezing winter. We must not let him escape further up the mountain. The border fence is close, so he might try to defect to North Korea."

"Wait a minute. Are you asking us to act as hunting dogs?"

"Yes. I will handle the arrest. Please avoid clashing with him if possible."

"If he's ex-Special Forces, he'll be hard to handle alone."

"I'll take care of that. Come over here for a second."

I opened the trunk of the Commando and gestured for my helpers to come closer.

"Since we don't know what he'll do if cornered, you'll need some basic weapons. Take whatever you like."

"Why is this kind of stuff in here...?"

The items in the trunk were all too familiar to the Shark Gang members.

"Wow, it's been a while since I held a tool. Why does a detective have these in his car?"

"Violent crimes detectives often prefer these over batons or Tasers. If we lose official gear, we have to pay for it out of pocket, and that's not cheap."

Violent crimes detectives favored blunt tools over firearms.

As a result, when arriving at a scene, it was often hard to tell who was the cop and who was the gangster.

"I'll take the crowbar. It's a bit heavy, but it's the most solid."

The youngest, Seo Gidong, picked up the tool he usually favored.

Since it was already the middle of the night, I also handed each of them a pre-prepared flashlight.

"Be careful going up the mountain path. As I said earlier..."

"Avoid clashing with him if possible, and just flush him down from above his shelter toward where you are at the bottom. Right?"

Cha Donbaek finished my sentence for me.

"Yes, that's right."

"We'll make sure to flush the rabbit out for you, so take care of yourself too, Detective. But are you going empty-handed?"

"Ah, this is enough for me."

I selected a short wooden bat from the corner of the trunk.

It was a wooden laundry paddle, about thirty centimeters long.

"Geez, where did you even find an antique like that?"

"I bought it at a traditional market. It has a good grip and is easy to carry."

"The guy is ex-Special Forces. Will that really do?"

"This is more than enough. Let's get moving."

"Yes, sir. Alright boys, let's go!"

In the dead of night, the pack of sharks began their ascent up the mountain.

Leading the way up the mountain, Kim Jungeum panted as he asked Cha Donbaek.

"Boss, this is your first time hiking at this hour too, isn't it?"

"Still calling me 'Boss'?"

"Come on, give me a break today. I've even got a tool in my hand."

"..."

It seemed calling him 'President' while holding a steel pipe felt entirely unnatural.

Cha Donbaek seemed to agree that he had a point.

"But since this is our first time showing the detective what we can do, let's wrap this up as quickly and cleanly as possible."

"Weren't we just supposed to flush him down the mountain?"

"There are four grown men here. You want to tell me we can't handle one wild man and have to dump him on the detective who's waiting all by himself? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"Well, that's true, but he did tell us to avoid clashing with him if possible..."

"Just don't beat him up so bad it leaves obvious marks. The detective will understand that much."

Detective this, Detective that.

Even if he was a cop, he was the very man who had dismantled their organization, yet Donbaek's attitude toward him was incredibly respectful.

The trio found this side of their boss completely foreign.

But they didn't dare say it out loud.

"Boss, there's a spring here."

"A spring? Wait, he said the target's shelter is just across the valley from here."

"There's no path leading down to the valley, though."

"Are we not going just because there's no path? What, do you want to ask the fugitive to build us a bridge?"

"...We're crossing?"

"Cross. Watch your step so you don't slip."

The pack of sharks, having traversed the mountain, now crossed the water.

Before they could take more than a few steps past the bamboo grove on the other side of the valley, a small hermitage hidden by thick bushes came into view.

"There it is!"

Cha Donbaek lowered his stance and pressed his index finger to his lips.

The trio moved in perfect unison.

"Bongeun and Gidong, open the hermitage door. Jungeum and I will charge inside."

"Yes, Boss."

Just as Eun and Dong grabbed the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handles of the sliding doors and flung them open.

"Get back!"

Cha Donbaek sensed danger and shouted.

But before Eun and Dong could dodge, a long, broad piece of metal slashed diagonally through the moonlight.

"Ugh!"

Nam Junghmo revealed himself alongside Seo Gidong's groan.

Faint droplets of blood clung to the blade, which resembled a machete.

"Gidong, are you okay?"

"I think I got grazed, but it's not deep."

"Step back."

Nam Junghmo had burst out of the hermitage as if he had been waiting for them.

Though his beard and hair were wildly overgrown, his eyes gleamed like those of a wild beast.

The beast growled and demanded:

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

"We're the Shark Gang, you son of a bitch."

"...Shark Gang? What the hell is that?"

"Sea monsters that crawled up the mountain to catch you!"

Detective Min's warning to avoid a clash had been completely forgotten.

Sensing that a single ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment of carelessness could cost them, they couldn't take their eyes off the opponent's movements for even a second.

"Die!"

Nam Junghmo was as terrifying as his appearance suggested.

Kim Jungeum and Lee Bongeun launched a pincer attack, but the moment they moved, the machete slashed through their knees and shoulders.

Fortunately, their thick winter clothes saved them from deep flesh wounds.

"Step aside, I'll take him."

Cha Donbaek pushed his men back and stepped forward.

Indeed, a mob boss was cut from a different cloth.

Nam Junghmo, who had easily handled the trio, shortened his stride and grew cautious in front of Cha Donbaek.

"You don't look like cops. Why are you trying to catch me? Who are you people?"

Even while sizing up his opponent, Nam Junghmo persistently questioned their identity.

"I told you. We're sea monsters here to catch you. If you don't want to get ripped apart, get on your knees and behave."

"Are you here for the bounty?"

"Ah, so there is one. How much are you worth?"

"Fuck!"

Nam Junghmo took a large step toward Cha Donbaek, swung his machete in a wide arc, and spun around.

It was a fake-out that did nothing but make a loud whooshing sound.

Nam Junghmo bolted like an arrow toward the bamboo forest.

Perhaps because he was accustomed to mountain life, he ran along the nighttime mountain path as if it were flat ground.

Before giving chase, Cha Donbaek checked on his men.

"Is everyone okay?"

"We're fine. The kid just got grazed a bit."

"Then I'm heading out first. Support the kid and follow slowly."

"Yes, Boss."

They had to prevent him from escaping toward the mountain peak.

The detective had said he might defect to North Korea if they failed to stop him.

Since it was Detective Min's only request, it would be shameful if they couldn't even manage that...

"Let's go together, Boss."

Kim Jungeum had caught up in no time.

They crossed the valley, climbed the slope, and ran and ran until they reached the hiking trail where the spring was visible.

Even though they had started at almost the same time, the target had already fled so far that even the sound of his footsteps had vanished.

"Where did he go? Jungeum, check uphill."

"Yes, Boss."

Cha Donbaek scanned the trail leading down.

Fortunately, the moonlight illuminated the trail clearly.

Cha Donbaek was the first to spot Nam Junghmo.

"There he is!"

On the winding, snake-like trail, he saw the machete gleaming in the moonlight.

The target seemed to have noticed them too, as he was picking up speed.

The problem was that Detective Min was alone in the direction Nam Junghmo was heading.

"He can't handle him alone. We have to go help."

"Boss..."

Kim Jungeum grabbed Cha Donbaek as he tried to run down the mountain.

"What is it?"

"It's too late."

"That's why we have to hurry..."

Trying to shake off his arm, Cha Donbaek looked in the direction Kim Jungeum was pointing.

He saw Detective Min crouching about twenty meters ahead of Nam Junghmo.

"Why is he just sitting like that? Has he not seen him coming yet?"

Whether he was dozing off or looking at his phone out of boredom, Detective Min showed no sign of raising his head.

And the only weapon he had was a short laundry paddle.

The physical distance was too great for them to join the fight, so they had to do something from where they stood.

"Detective Min!"

Cha Donbaek bellowed.

Soon, the youngest, who had suffered a cut on his arm, joined them.

"Detective Min, watch out!"

"Detective, it's him!"

"You stupid cop, look up!"

Only after the four men screamed at the top of their lungs did Detective Min finally react, albeit sluggishly.

"What is he doing? If he sees him, why isn't he dodging?"

While the onlookers' stomachs burned with anxiety,

Nam Junghmo had already closed the distance to within ten meters of Detective Min.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Raising his machete high above his head, he didn't slow down in the slightest.

Even then, Detective Min remained crouched.

"Ugh, I can't watch."

Kim Jungeum turned his head away.

With the force Nam Junghmo used to swing his machete like an axe, a single strike would surely decapitate him.

"Detective Min!"

Cha Donbaek didn't give up hope until the very end.

This was the only man he had ever wanted to serve in his entire life as a gangster.

He was far too precious a person to be harmed by a beast in the middle of these deep mountains.

Yet despite his desperate cries, Detective Min's movements were as slow as a slug.

"Detective Min..."

Nam Junghmo was a killer who had already taken four lives.

He was someone who wouldn't hesitate for a second to slit a man's throat.

Terrified of what he might see, Cha Donbaek squeezed his eyes shut.

But the reactions around him were strange.

"Huh?"

The sound came from the second eldest, Lee Bongeun.

"What the...?"

Even the youngest, Seo Gidong, let out an incomprehensible noise.

Opening his eyes cautiously, Cha Donbaek asked.

"What is it?"

"L-Look over there, Boss."

Seo Gidong was witnessing a sight he couldn't believe even with his own eyes.

It was the exact moment the machete was about to fall on Detective Min's neck.

The once-imposing Nam Junghmo suddenly shuddered violently, folded in half, and collapsed right on the spot.

As if he had been struck by lightning.

What on earth had happened?

Rubbing his eyes and looking again, the machete was already in Detective Min's hand, and Nam Junghmo's wrists were bound in handcuffs.

"H-How did that happen?"

By the time Cha Donbaek looked up, the situation was already over.

"Did he shoot him?"

"I didn't hear a gunshot... I don't know either. It happened in the blink of an eye."

"Let's go down. Follow me."

A hundred sights are not as good as one explanation.

If you couldn't figure it out by watching, you just had to go and ask.

Cha Donbaek's steps quickened as he made his way down the mountain.