Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Capturing the Loan Shark
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“Fuck…!”
Gu Hyun-seok shot up from his seat.
Lee Jae-hyun watched him spit out the curse and let out a smirk.
The other burly guys behind him were still clueless, wearing baffled expressions.
Only Gu Hyun-seok’s face had drained of color in an instant.
‘Guess he hasn’t told his crew.’
He must not have let on even to the people he worked with.
Of course, the fewer people who knew about something like this, the better.
The burly guys checked Lee Jae-hyun’s ID on the table the moment Gu Hyun-seok jumped up, trying to get a read on the situation.
The second they spotted the police badge he’d placed there, they reacted much like Gu Hyun-seok.
Not quite as sharply, though.
No curses flying from their mouths, no sudden surge of menace.
“Hey, what the hell are you? Why’d you bring a cop here?”
“What, cops can’t borrow money?”
Lee Jae-hyun shrugged as he replied.
It was a far cry from the naive act he’d been putting on moments ago.
He shot back without hesitation, tilting his head at the burly men.
“Hey, if you’re a cop looking for a loan, hit up a bank. What do you want, you bastards?”
“Got a filthy mouth on you.”
One of the burly guys stepped forward, cursing as he raised a hand to menace Lee Jae-hyun.
Now that his identity was out, they wouldn’t dare swing first, so Lee Jae-hyun just stared him down and spoke.
Any other insult might’ve been whatever, but ‘son of a bitch’ was enough to set him off.
Like calling a fool a fool to their face.
Calling the Mad Dog a son of a bitch…?
‘Doesn’t sit right.’
Lee Jae-hyun thought to himself as he glared at the guy.
Meanwhile, Gu Hyun-seok was inching away, but with Park Dae-hyung blocking the door, he couldn’t make a break for it.
“These days even dogs talk like people, so a loan shark’s gotta have a dirty mouth too, right?”
“Keep calling me a son of a bitch, and the dog listening’s gonna get pissed.”
The burly guy grimaced at Lee Jae-hyun’s casual tone, growling back in a vicious voice.
“Cut the bullshit and say why you’re here. Bringing a gangster along for the ride.”
“That gangster’s a cop too, you fucks.”
The burly guy glanced at Park Dae-hyung next to Lee Jae-hyun as he spat that line about ‘bringing a gangster.’
Park Dae-hyung scowled back at him.
Lee Jae-hyun jerked his chin toward Gu Hyun-seok and opened his mouth.
“No business with you lot. Here for Gu Hyun-seok over there.”
“Hah, business? Our boss is squeaky clean.”
“Then why’d the squeaky-clean guy freak out like that at a cop badge?”
Everyone saw him leap up like he’d seen something he shouldn’t have, right?
Lee Jae-hyun scanned the burly guys as if asking that question outright, and they faltered, at a loss for words.
He wrinkled his brow, then pressed on.
“…Fine, spit out your business.”
“Alright. Gu Hyun-seok, you’re under emergency arrest for attempted child murder…”
Before Lee Jae-hyun could even finish, Gu Hyun-seok started freaking out.
“What bullshit is that? I didn’t kill her!”
“Yeah, she didn’t die. Lucky break. But her ribs are cracked, and she’s covered in bruises. Come quietly?”
Park Dae-hyung was the one who responded to Gu Hyun-seok.
In a firm voice, he called the kid’s survival sheer luck as he eyed the man.
Lee Jae-hyun tensed his muscles, staring him down too.
Gu Hyun-seok glanced between Lee Jae-hyun and Park Dae-hyung, then bolted.
“Son of a—”
Maybe he figured the mob-boss-looking Park Dae-hyung was the tougher matchup, and Lee Jae-hyun seemed easier.
He cocked a fist and charged at Lee Jae-hyun.
But.
Lee Jae-hyun was already tensed and ready.
No matter how fast the guy moved, Lee Jae-hyun wasn’t going to miss it.
What if a cop with ten years of brawling criminals got a body ten years younger?
Obviously, he’d fight like hell.
Thwack.
Lee Jae-hyun’s fist slammed dead into the lower left side of Gu Hyun-seok’s chest.
Crack.
“Guh…?”
Gu Hyun-seok’s eyes bulged as he groaned.
Lee Jae-hyun ignored the odd sensation from his knuckles and swung again.
This time, the opposite side of the gut.
Thud.
Snap.
Another nasty feel transmitted through his fist.
“Urk…”
In seconds, two of Gu Hyun-seok’s ribs cracked under Lee Jae-hyun’s hands.
One on the left.
One on the right.
It happened so fast Park Dae-hyung didn’t even have time to intervene, leaving him staring at Lee Jae-hyun in disbelief.
Gu Hyun-seok collapsed forward in agony, curling into a ball without even screaming.
Lee Jae-hyun grabbed his arm, ignoring the broken ribs.
“Aaagh! It hurts, you fuck, it hurts!”
Gu Hyun-seok thrashed and yelled.
But the more he struggled, the more it hurt—him, not Lee Jae-hyun.
Lee Jae-hyun pulled cuffs from his pocket and slapped them on.
“Gu Hyun-seok, under arrest for attempted child murder. You have the right to remain silent…”
As he recited the Miranda, one of the burly guys finally caught on and charged.
“You fuck, that’s our boss!”
Park Dae-hyung wasn’t about to let him reach Lee Jae-hyun.
He subdued the guy easily.
But the last one was trouble.
While Park Dae-hyung pinned his target, the other shoved hard and bolted for the door.
“Shit…”
Park Dae-hyung tumbled to the floor with the guy he’d caught.
The burly man flung the door open and yelled.
“Hey, kill these fuckers!”
The guys outside had heard the commotion.
They’d stayed put not knowing what was up, but now that he pointed out Lee Jae-hyun and Park Dae-hyung, they charged in with ugly scowls.
“Inspector.”
“Yeah, I’ll take left…”
“Just handle that one guy.”
Park Dae-hyung jumped to claim the left, but that wasn’t what Lee Jae-hyun wanted.
Once, Park Dae-hyung had taken a knife meant for Lee Jae-hyun.
It hadn’t happened yet in this timeline.
But Lee Jae-hyun never forgot that moment.
Not now either.
He pointed at the guy who’d yelled through the door, then planted himself in front of it to face the four incoming burly men.
“Uh, uh…?”
As Park Dae-hyung hesitated in confusion, the guy inside lunged at Lee Jae-hyun.
Park Dae-hyung blocked him quick.
And.
Lee Jae-hyun clenched his fist and swung at the buzz-cut one of the charging pack.
Thwack!
Lee Jae-hyun wasn’t superhuman, so of course he couldn’t dodge every punch.
But he could always land his first.
This time too, his fist hit the guy’s gut before the other way around.
Thud.
The guy’s weakened punch followed, slapping Lee Jae-hyun’s guard, but it meant nothing.
There was impact, sure, but no real power behind it.
Lee Jae-hyun’s guard held firm.
He thrust the guarding hand straight out, slapping the burly man’s face.
“Gah!”
The guy let out a strangled yelp and crashed sideways, momentum carrying him down.
As the rest flinched, Lee Jae-hyun surged forward.
Thwack! Thud!
The next ones came at him more cautiously, so Lee Jae-hyun ate a few extra hits, but the outcome didn’t change.
He dropped all four just as Park Dae-hyung finished the two inside.
“Haa…”
Park Dae-hyung rushed to check on Lee Jae-hyun outside and sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-hyun moved on the wriggling Gu Hyun-seok trying to crawl away.
“Stay back, you psycho fuck. Get lost!”
“Yeah. You can lawyer up, get plenty of chances to defend yourself, refuse to answer without your attorney, file for habeas corpus review… but don’t bother.”
Park Dae-hyung cuffed his hands as he spoke.
Lee Jae-hyun watched, then plopped onto the sofa inside.
His shoulder and side, grazed while handling the outside guys, now throbbed.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. You holding up?”
“Of course.”
“Hah, how am I supposed to process this.”
Park Dae-hyung shook his head with a dry laugh.
Lee Jae-hyun shrugged.
What was there to process?
Just take it at face value.
“Rookie.”
“Yes, Inspector Park Dae-hyung.”
“You’re insane.”
Park Dae-hyung clapped Lee Jae-hyun’s shoulder as he said it.
Lee Jae-hyun grinned.
“I know.”
The Mad Dog nickname didn’t come from nowhere.
Lee Jae-hyun had always been called insane when facing down criminals.
Park Dae-hyung chuckled in disbelief at the bold response, then stood.
“I’ll call for backup. Take a look around.”
“Got it.”
Lee Jae-hyun gave a crisp reply and scanned the office.
Scattered burly guys, desks, and under one desk—a massive safe.
He whipped his head toward Gu Hyun-seok.
“Hey, what’s the combo?”
“You psycho fuck, you think I’ll tell you?”
“Cooperate, and I’ll put in a good word with the judge.”
“Bullshit…”
Gu Hyun-seok started yelling again.
But a voice cut in from behind him first.
“870412!”
One of the burly guys inside shouted it out.
“First, you fuck…”
“P-Please, Detective. You’ll really put in a good word with the judge, right? We were just doing what this guy told us!”
Gu Hyun-seok glared at him through gritted teeth, while First pleaded desperately with Lee Jae-hyun.
Lee Jae-hyun ignored them and opened the safe.
The code worked on the first try.
Click.
Inside the open safe.
“…That’s a haul.”
Stacks of 50,000-won bills—easily dozens of them.
At least 500 million won.
Lee Jae-hyun gaped slightly at the piles.
“Wow. That all cash?”
Serhen materialized, marveling at it.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded lightly at her words.
Serhen rested her cheek on his shoulder and continued.
“With this much, you could coast worry-free for years, huh?”
That moment.
Lee Jae-hyun realized.
This was what they meant by ‘Devil’s Temptation’.