Chapter 30 Ryu Ga-hyeon Casts the Bait
Chapter 30 Ryu Ga-hyeon Casts the Bait
"Huh?"
The delinquent's face twisted in shock as Da-eun swung the liquor bottle down.
Crash!
"Aaaargh!"
The delinquent clutched his face and screamed, but Da-eun didn't even blink at the sight.
Instead, she grinned wildly, pressing a hand to her own bleeding forehead as she advanced toward the stumbling delinquent.
"Ahahaha! Took you long enough, Eun-woo. Your own mother's getting harassed by some punk, and you couldn't even show your face?"
Da-eun seemed more focused on the imaginary Eun-woo in her head than the actual delinquent in front of her as she raised the liquor bottle again.
Thwack!
"...Just like this. Ahahahaha!"
"Y-you fucking psycho bitch! You wanna die?! ...Huh?"
The delinquent wiped the blood dripping down his forehead with the back of his hand and shouted at Da-eun, but his voice trembled more with fear than bravado.
Even though he was just some lowlife, he'd lived a life closer to violence than the average person—and that was how he knew.
This woman in front of him was the real deal.
Most thugs and gangsters were all bark and no bite, putting on a tough act to intimidate people. But every once in a while, you'd run into someone you absolutely shouldn't mess with—and unfortunately for him, the woman he'd picked a fight with was exactly that kind of person.
"That's enough. That should keep him locked up for at least two days. Let's go."
Ryu Ga-hyeon spoke up.
Park Cheol-woo, who had been suffocating in the car filled with cigarette smoke like a thick fog, immediately flung the door open and stepped outside.
Then, for the first time in his fifteen-plus years as a detective, he rushed forward—not to protect a civilian, but to save a delinquent.
Whether the delinquent had lost the will to resist or not, he was slumped against a stack of water bottles in front of the convenience store, trembling uncontrollably. Cheol-woo kicked him hard in the ribs.
A split second later, the liquor bottle Kang Da-eun swung smashed into the water bottles right where the delinquent had been standing.
Crash—!
The edge of the liquor bottle shattered, revealing jagged shards of glass.
Now, Da-eun held an even deadlier weapon in her hand.
But Cheol-woo didn't hesitate for even a second—he took another step toward her, his stance daring her to try stabbing him if she had the guts.
Of course, Cheol-woo was wearing a stab-proof vest beneath his thick coat. Ever since a Cheonmyeong Cult sympathizer within the police force had leaked his personal information to the cult, he had no choice but to wear it whenever he left the house.
But even with the vest, walking straight toward a weapon took nerves of steel—something even a seasoned detective would struggle with.
Da-eun, now face-to-face with Cheol-woo, tilted her head back to look up at him.
Despite being taller than the average man—thanks to her volleyball career—she still had to crane her neck just to meet his eyes. Cheol-woo was built like a tank, with a face to match.
Yet, standing before such a man, Da-eun didn't flinch. But she wasn't putting on a tough act like the delinquent had either.
She was completely unfazed—as if she genuinely believed she couldn't lose.
'Go ahead, try stabbing me, you cultist bitch.'
Cheol-woo glared at Da-eun, righteous fury burning in his chest.
They were standing so close that if Da-eun lunged with the bottle, dodging would be nearly impossible.
The smart move would've been to create distance or arm himself, but Cheol-woo didn't budge.
The broken bottle in Da-eun's hand wobbled slightly—she was spinning it idly, as if playing around.
'Just block if she aims for the face. If she goes for the body, take the hit. If a few scratches on my stomach are enough to lock her up, I'll let her stab me a hundred times.'
Suddenly, the bottle jerked sharply.
Cheol-woo raised his arm to shield his face—
But the bottle didn't come at him. Instead, Da-eun hurled it onto the ground.
Glass shards scattered across the convenience store entrance.
The part-time worker, who had been creeping toward the front window to peek at the commotion, froze in shock.
"Oops. Slipped. Must be drunk. Swinging the bottle wasn't intentional—just lost my balance."
Da-eun ignored Cheol-woo entirely, speaking directly to the convenience store's CCTV camera.
She enunciated clearly, making sure her lips were visible on camera.
Cheol-woo exhaled a frustrated sigh and relaxed his stance.
Da-eun might've acted like a lunatic, but she wasn't just some mindlessly violent woman—she'd climbed to a high-ranking position in the cult at a young age, after all.
She'd instantly recognized Cheol-woo as a detective and quickly ditched the bottle to avoid charges like aggravated assault or battery—even crafting an alibi on the spot.
Of course, since they'd caught her mid-fight, they could still arrest her based on the footage.
But even now, with the entire nation furious after the cult leader's terrorist attack, they didn't have enough to hold a high-ranking cultist for long.
The cult's roots ran deep into the country's power structure—even the police force Cheol-woo belonged to wasn't exempt.
The only force capable of standing against them was Myeongjin Pharmaceuticals—the massive multinational secretly backing Ryu Ga-hyeon's team—and its young CEO, Ryu Seo-in.
Having set up her flimsy alibi, Da-eun ignored Cheol-woo's glare and plopped down on a bench.
Her audacity—threatening someone with a weapon and then acting completely unbothered in front of a detective—made Cheol-woo's blood boil. But he knew arguing with her here wouldn't get him anywhere, so he turned toward the convenience store where the part-timer stood.
The part-timer, like any normal person would, had completely frozen—even dropping her phone in shock.
"Don't call the police."
Cheol-woo picked up the phone from the ground and spoke loudly to the part-timer, who was scrambling toward the register.
"Y-y-yes! I won't! I didn't see anything!"
The part-timer immediately surrendered to Cheol-woo, whose massive frame—built like three average men combined—and intimidating face left no room for defiance.
Despite his rough exterior, Cheol-woo was surprisingly sensitive inside—moments like these stung a little, but not enough to stop him from saying what needed to be said.
"No, I'm telling you not to call because I'm the police."
"Y-yes! I—I believe you! I believe— Oh... you're serious."
The part-timer, who had been nodding frantically with her arms raised, finally noticed the detective badge Cheol-woo pulled from his pocket—and her expression shifted to stunned realization.
"Did you really think a detective would lie?"
Cheol-woo resisted the urge to glare intimidatingly as the part-timer alternated between staring at his badge and his face.
"Hey, part-timer. Bring me the most expensive hangover cure gel, some bread, milk, and heat up a hot bar. Oh, and one ice cream—the tub kind. Most expensive one."
Just then, Da-eun cut into their conversation, casually barking orders at the part-timer as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Having worked night shifts at the convenience store for nearly a year now, the part-timer had built up some immunity to dealing with all sorts of troublemakers trying to hit on her.
Normally, she would've snapped back at Da-eun's informal tone—maybe even matching it with her own—but something about the way this beautiful woman ordered her around so effortlessly made her instinctively reach for the hangover gel.
For some reason, it felt like her school-day PTSD was creeping back in.
As the part-timer grabbed the gel and started heating the hot bar to the perfect temperature, Da-eun shoved her hands in her pockets and glared at Cheol-woo like he was some annoying stalker.
Cheol-woo suppressed the urge to throw a punch and recited the Miranda rights—knowing full well the cult's team of high-priced lawyers would nitpick every little detail later.
"The fuck? This is ridiculous. What did I even do wrong? It was self-defense. What's your problem?"
Da-eun grumbled under her breath.
"Are you talking to me?"
Cheol-woo's voice alone would've made any ordinary woman burst into tears—but Da-eun just yawned and crossed her legs.
"Talking to myself."
Her reply was so half-hearted it was almost insulting.
"What did you do? You've done so much for this country's birth rate and the revival of dying maternity wards, haven't you?"
At that moment, Ryu Ga-hyeon approached the bench where Da-eun sat and spoke up.
Da-eun's face twisted—despite her earlier confidence in teasing Cheol-woo.
But she wasn't the type to show weakness in front of her enemies for long.
She quickly smoothed her expression, crossing her legs and tilting her chin up as she glared at the heroic investigator who had arrested her husband—ultimately leading to his execution.
Every time I see her, I'm reminded—she doesn't look like a detective at all.
Cheol-woo couldn't help but think it again.
"Hehe. Long time no see, Da-eun. How's your husband doing since he got out of prison— Oh, my bad. Come to think of it, he didn't exactly leave alive, did he?"