The video of Shin Haesu breaking a car window and forcibly pulling out a middle-aged woman surpassed a million views in an instant.

Not only was Haesu’s precinct buzzing, but even his graduation photos were circulating online.

[K-Police Assaults Civilian Woman]

┗ Wow, what is this? That guy is a cop?

┗ Why did he do that? He looks like he was in a huge rush.

┗ K-police never have a reason. He probably just wanted to steal a nice car.

┗ Hurry up and dig up his personal info.

┗ Netizen investigation squad, where is this guy from?

┗ This is in front of Gangjin High School.

┗ Damn, that video is super biased. That dumb YouTuber has no idea what happened and is just bashing the cop.

┗ I go to Gangjin High. Here’s the truth: That cop saved a first-year student from that crazy woman.

┗ The full version of the video is up. (link)

┗ This is hilarious. That YouTuber is about to get sued big time for spreading false information.

However, a few hours later, a rebuttal article and a new video were uploaded.

[Reckless Driving Tragedy! High School Girl Left ‘Paralyzed’]

┗ Came here from the link. Sorry for blaming the cop. I’ll do a deep bow in apology.

┗ Followed the link—turns out she was a totally clueless driver.

┗ This is why driving tests need to be way stricter.

┗ That dumb clickbait YouTuber should just disappear at this point.

┗ Looks like that rich woman paid off the YouTuber.

┗ We found her info. She’s the wife of the CEO of Cheongil Soju. Name’s Jang Mi-seon.

┗ If you mention her real name, you might get reported. Delete it quickly.

┗ Damn, it’s just some small-time company?

┗ Cheongil is finished.

Public opinion flipped in no time. The accident was caused by the woman’s reckless driving, as she failed to look to the side.

Petitions flooded in: Punish Jang Mi-seon severely, make her take responsibility for the student’s life, punish her for defaming the heroic cop and spreading false information, prosecute the YouTuber who uploaded the video, and thoroughly investigate if money was involved. Within two days, over 200,000 people signed.

At that moment, in the home of the Cheongil Soju CEO...

CRASH!

The CEO, face red with rage, threw an object across the room. Beside him, Jang Mi-seon bit her lower lip.

“You! All you had to do was pay the compensation quietly, so why did you make things worse?!”

“What, so I should’ve just let that bastard break my window and drag me out? Do you not see this?”

She pointed to a tiny scratch on her cheek from the broken glass—barely a centimeter long.

The CEO didn’t even glance at it as he yelled.

“Shut up! That’s not the issue right now!”

“W-What? Are you serious? Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?!”

Furious, Jang Mi-seon grabbed her car keys and stormed toward the door, but the CEO snatched them away.

“Where do you think you’re going? No more driving for you! Take the bus from now on!”

“Ha… Secretary Lee! Bring the car around!”

“Are you kidding me? Why are you dragging my secretary into this—”

At that moment, the CEO’s phone rang. He quickly turned away and bowed slightly as he answered.

“Ah, yes, Chairman! Have you been well? No, no, those are all just baseless rumors. What? Why are you suddenly canceling—?”

Even without hearing the other side of the conversation, Jang Mi-seon could guess what was happening. Before the call ended, she slipped out of the house.

Daeseong Hospital.

Inside Hyun-ah’s private hospital room, her attending physician and Shin Haesu were present.

“…There’s a doctor named John Hobson. He’s a leading expert in treating nerve paralysis. Our hospital reached out, and he has an opening. If you’re willing, how about going to the U.S. to receive treatment from him?”

“…Yes, I’ll do it.”

Satisfied with her answer, the doctor turned to leave. Haesu met her eyes and nodded.

“Good decision. Don’t worry about money or your grandmother. I need to make a quick call.”

Haesu stepped outside to call Ahn Seo-eun, who had helped connect him to Dr. Hobson.

Click, click, click—

At that moment, the sound of sharp heels echoed through the hospital corridor.

SLAM!

The door to Hyun-ah’s hospital room burst open, and Jang Mi-seon stormed in, seething with rage.

“Hey! You uploaded all that, didn’t you?! Three billion isn’t enough? When I offered you three billion, you should’ve shut up and taken it! Three billion isn’t enough?! Do you even understand how much that is? A piece of trash like you couldn’t earn that in a lifetime, even if you sold yourself!”

“W-What…?”

“You’re a parasite, aren’t you? A welfare case. Did you blow this up so you could change your life? A little brat like you shouldn’t be so obsessed with money! Fine, how much do you want? How much do you need, you miserable little wench?”

Hyun-ah’s face turned red with fury as Jang Mi-seon’s insults crossed the line.

“How dare you say that to me?! I don’t want your damn money! Give me my legs back! I don’t care if it’s three billion or ten billion—just give me my legs back!!!”

“You ungrateful brat! How dare you yell at me?!”

SLAP!

Jang Mi-seon slapped Hyun-ah hard. She was wearing two rings, and they cut into Hyun-ah’s cheek, drawing blood.

Hyun-ah sat frozen for a moment before slowly turning her head.

“Are you… insane?”

“Yes, I am! My husband’s company is about to go under because of you! How could I not go crazy, you little bitch?!”

She raised her hand to strike again.

But before she could, someone grabbed her wrist.

THUD.

Jang Mi-seon turned her head and found herself staring at Shin Haesu, his face stone-cold.

In a low voice, he muttered, “I’ve never broken a woman’s arm before.”

Her pupils trembled as she recalled the way he had smashed her car.

“Guess today’s the day.”

CRACK.

“AAAAAAAH!!!”

“You psycho bastard!”

As Haesu let go, her arm hung limply. One of her bodyguards tried to punch him, but Haesu dodged easily, twisted the man’s arm, and kicked him in the stomach.

“Come at me again, and I’ll break your arm too. And you—”

Haesu knelt to meet Jang Mi-seon’s terrified gaze.

She clamped her lips shut, more afraid of Haesu than the pain.

“Go ahead and get a medical report. File a complaint if you want. I don’t care. Now, get her out of here.”

The secretary hurriedly dragged Jang Mi-seon out of the room.

Once they were gone, Hyun-ah wiped her tears and showed Haesu her phone.

“I… recorded everything. Can you make sure she gets punished?”

“Hmm… This alone might not be enough for serious charges.”

“Then… what if I post it online?”

“As long as you don’t mention names, that should be fine.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

“Alright.”

Haesu passed the recording to a journalist he knew.

People love follow-ups to sensational cases. When they saw this was a continuation of the scandal, they clicked in droves. The moment they heard the recording, their rage exploded once more.

Not only were people hurling insults and curses at families, but a wave of individuals calling for a terrorist attack on the Cheongil Soju headquarters also emerged like mushrooms after the rain.

Daeseong E&M Office

As she scanned the comments under the leaked audio file, Ahn Seo-eun smiled in satisfaction.

“No need to push the special task force anymore.”

“It’s already been stopped.”

“Really? So this is all genuine public opinion now… I like it.”

A few hours after the audio file was released, at the Cheongil Soju president’s house.

Slap—!

“How dare you come back here?!”

“H-honey?”

Jang Mi-seon, who had caused all sorts of trouble but had never been physically struck before, was shocked.

But the president didn’t care and snapped at her.

“You called the police, didn’t you? What? A medical certificate? Assault? The reason this has blown up even more is all because of you! Everything I’ve built my whole life is about to collapse because of you!”

Clenching his fists tightly, the president spoke, his voice choked with emotion.

“We’re getting a divorce. I need to get rid of you to survive. Divorce me.”

Jang Mi-seon’s jaw dropped at his shocking declaration. Her authority came from being a chaebol wife. And that status was only possible because of her husband.

She had risen from a juvenile detention center to a position where she could trample on others and look down from above—all thanks to her husband. If she got divorced, all of that would disappear.

Jang Mi-seon fell to her knees and clung to the president’s pants.

“Honey, please, anything but that. I was wrong. Look, I’m begging you.”

“Ha… Damn it!”

The president kicked the sofa, grabbed his hair in frustration, and then abruptly turned his head.

“What’s the point of begging me? Drop your stupid pride, withdraw the complaint, cancel the compensation demand, and grovel to that student and the police officer! That’s the only way out of this. What are you waiting for? Get out there now!”

The next morning.

Jang Mi-seon returned to Daeseong Hospital. The secretary accompanying her held a bouquet of flowers and a fruit basket.

Having already experienced this woman’s behavior, Hyun-ah’s expression turned cold the moment she appeared.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Hyun-ah…”

Jang Mi-seon bowed deeply in front of her.

“I’m sorry. It’s too late, isn’t it? I regret what happened, my driving mistake, and what I said yesterday. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ve withdrawn the complaint against the young officer, too. I should’ve apologized sooner. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Hyun-ah was dumbfounded. Just yesterday, this woman had made her already painful life even more miserable, and now she was standing here, speaking softly and apologizing?

Hyun-ah turned her head away, avoiding Jang Mi-seon’s gaze, as tears streamed down her face.

After a long silence, Hyun-ah’s dry voice finally broke through.

“I don’t have to accept your apology, do I?”

“…What?”

“I just can’t forgive you. Apologizing won’t bring my legs back. Do you even understand what it’s like to wake up in bed covered in your own filth? Whether it was intentional or not, that doesn’t matter. I have to live like this forever. So I hope you suffer from guilt for the rest of your life, too.”

“Y-you little…! Hrk—”

Jang Mi-seon tried to lash out one last time but suddenly clutched her neck and collapsed. Her secretary caught her and dragged her out of the hospital room.

Even after they left, Hyun-ah continued to sob uncontrollably.

One month later.

[Cheongil Soju President Divorces Controversial Wife, Legal Battle Over Alimony Ongoing]
[Cheongil Soju Boycott Movement Trending on Social Media]
[Cheongil Soju Distribution Volume Drops to a Quarter in Just One Month]

Shin Haesu was checking Cheongil Soju-related news for the first time in a while.

He had worried that Jang Mi-seon might lash out at Hyun-ah in a fit of rage, but she seemed too occupied with her alimony fight to care.

Bzzz— Bzzz—

His phone vibrated. It was Ahn Seo-eun.

“Yes, this is Shin Haesu.”

-“Haesu, I have good news.”

“What is it?”

-“Hyun-ah went to the U.S. for that advanced electrical stimulation therapy we talked about. The results are looking positive. Thankfully, some of her nerves are still functional, and her youth is a big advantage. If she undergoes treatment steadily for six months, she might be able to walk—albeit slowly.”

Haesu lowered his head slightly and clenched his fists. His eyes grew misty.

He had saved many lives with the reset, but this felt different. It was worth so much more.

“That’s… truly a relief. Thank you. Honestly, I never expected your support to make such a huge difference.”

-“Really? Well, we benefited a lot, too. Thank you.”

That night, online news portals were flooded with a new headline:

[Daeseong Hospital Gives Hope to Paralyzed High School Student.]

As a result, Cheongil Soju’s scandal resurfaced once again.

A day of fresh green sprouts emerging.

Vroooom—

Wearing his police uniform, Shin Haesu sped through the city on his motorcycle. The four mugunghwa buds on his epaulettes gleamed in the sunlight.

But he wasn’t headed toward the precinct.

Instead, his motorcycle came to a stop in the parking lot of a much larger building.

Click.

After parking, he walked into the building with confidence.

Step, step, step.

His tall height, broad frame, and rare full-dress uniform made heads turn.

Passing a few partitions, Haesu finally stopped and saluted with perfect posture.

“Reporting in! Sergeant Shin Haesu, officially assigned to Gangjin Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit 1 as of today.”

The moment he finished, Oh Kang-seok jumped up and hugged him tightly in excitement. The team leader also stood up and applauded.

“Sergeant Shin! We’re finally on the same team. Good to have you, really!”

“Wow! Our top arrest-rate sergeant has joined our team! Welcome! Everyone, clap! I said, clap!”

At the team leader’s command, the rest of the team let out small chuckles and applauded.

Sitting back down, the team leader spoke to Haesu.

“Apparently, some higher-ups opposed it, but the commissioner ignored them. Performance trumps politics.”

“Is that so?”

Haesu narrowed his eyes slightly. Just like before, it seemed his forced transfer to the precinct wasn’t just due to excessive force. There was more to it.

He would figure it out in time.

“By the way… am I the youngest here?”

The first team only had three members. Too few for it to just be a coincidence.

The team leader chuckled awkwardly.

“Well, yeah. Our last rookie got stabbed a week ago and transferred out. We’re getting a new one soon. Go change—locker room’s over there.”

“Understood.”

Just as Haesu was heading to change, Oh Kang-seok received a phone call. His face darkened instantly.

“…A kidnapping?”

At his words, every detective in the Major Crimes Unit turned their heads.