“I see… Oppa, you’re rich, huh?”

At Ahn Seo-eun’s words, the pink-haired guy smirked like he’d caught a fish.

“That’s right! Money! You like money, right? This oppa is loaded. If you make oppa happy, the cash will pour in.”

Seeing her wrist being grabbed, Haru frowned slightly. But since Seo-eun’s expression didn’t look too bad, she let it be for now.

Seo-eun stepped even closer to the pink-haired man.

“How much do you have? Can you buy this club?”

“Huh? Oh, oh-ho, of course. Our lady’s got a big vision, huh?”

Thinking it was a joke, the pink-haired man blurted out a boastful reply.

He was too flustered to recognize the value of the luxury goods Seo-eun was wearing. Just the sight of a beautiful actress-like woman approaching him with a provocative look had him dizzy.

“Then buy it right now and kick everyone out so it’s just us.”

“Huh? Haha, that’s a harsh joke. If you want to be alone that bad, should we move to another spot?”

The pink-haired man slyly slid his arm around Seo-eun’s waist. Seo-eun sharply knocked his hand away and glared at him with a completely different look than before.

“If you can’t even do that, get lost. What, can’t get a girl with your looks or personality, so you just flash money instead?”

“W-What?”

Ignoring the dumbfounded pink-haired man, Seo-eun grabbed Haru’s wrist and turned away.

“Haru, let’s move somewhere else.”

“You bitch! Do you even know who I am?!”

Then, the pink-haired guy yanked Seo-eun by the hair.

Seo-eun’s head snapped back. As if expecting it, she immediately turned and slapped him across the face.

Smack—!

At the same time, Haru stomped down on the top of his foot with her heel.

Crunch!

“Aagh!”

Even as he cried out, he didn’t let go of her hair. So Seo-eun kicked him between the legs.

Thud!

“Gaaaaah!”

Not backing down, Haru grabbed his pinky and yanked it upward, then struck the back of his neck with a karate chop.

Crack! Thud!

“Guhk!”

Staggering from the rapid assault, the pink-haired man collapsed to the floor in an undignified heap, one hand on his crotch, the other on his foot.

The crowd dancing nearby turned their attention to the scene with amused interest, still swaying to the music.

Just then, Kim, the bodyguard, finally showed up looking for Seo-eun. Seo-eun grabbed Haru’s wrist and led her back to the table.

Kim spotted her but, assuming nothing was wrong, continued watching from a distance.

“Men seem very busy. They’re constantly looking for women.”

“That’s how it is. Even women who look like they’re just standing around are often scoping out men too. Darting their eyes everywhere.”

“I saw a woman like that. Her pupils moved freely, like a chameleon’s.”

“Pfft. So, did you find any guy you liked?”

At Seo-eun’s question, Haru replied firmly.

“None.”

“Come on, there must’ve been someone.”

“No one.”

“Really? There were lots of different types of guys. What’s your type, Haru?”

At her question, Haru looked at the table, lost in thought.

“Hmm… Broad shoulders.”

Amused by her answer, Seo-eun lifted her shoulders proudly.

“Broad shoulders!”

“Forearms that are hard like steel.”

“Forearms like steel!”

Seo-eun bared her pale, slender arms while mimicking her words.

“A slightly scary face.”

“A scary face, huh…”

As she listened, Seo-eun realized that a certain image was forming clearly in her mind.

“Some scars on the body, too.”

“I see… so scars, huh…”

“Huh?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Definitely don’t see anyone like that here…”

Just then, a group of burly men strode toward Seo-eun’s table.

“There they are! Those bitches!”

“Damn, they’re hot.”

“That dumbass tried to hog them for himself and got his ass beat.”

“Shut up, hey, hey you fucker, you wanna have a talk?”

Without even looking at them, Seo-eun took a sip of her drink and muttered.

“So this club allows animals in now? I keep hearing a dog barking.”

“Heh, heh, fuck, you’re cute. Hey, I need to collect some compensation from you tonight. Not money—I’ve got plenty of that. I’m talking physical therapy. Wanna be dragged out or come willingly?”

Four large men, plus the pink-haired one—five in total. Seo-eun furrowed her brow at the guy’s disgusting language and glanced at Kim.

He’d stayed far back just like she asked—but maybe a little too far. And now, a couple of women had approached and were chatting him up, so he was grinning like a fool.

Still, he was within reach if anything went down. He’d come running at the first sign of trouble.

Seo-eun pulled a check from her handbag and tossed it at them.

“Take it and get lost.”

The amount wasn’t immediately clear, but it was easily over a million. The men’s eyes widened.

But the pink-haired man didn’t even glance at the check. He crumpled it up and hurled it at Seo-eun’s face.

“You stupid bitch! Still don’t get the situation?!”

He flipped the table. The bottles on it crashed to the floor and shattered, sending shards flying and cutting Seo-eun’s leg.

Her handbag also fell, and its contents spilled out.

“Ow!”

Finally, Kim looked over with wide eyes.

At the same moment, Haru snatched up Seo-eun’s lipstick and stood up, jabbing it into the pink-haired guy’s throat between the neck and jaw.

Thud!

“Guhk!”

He stiffened like he’d been hit with a poison dart.

Without stopping, Haru jabbed his side, then the inside of his elbow, and finally grabbed his ear, yanked his head down, and smashed her knee into his face.

Thud, Thump! Crash—

The pink-haired man was beaten senseless and collapsed backward, eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.

The consecutive strikes, executed like a choreographed action movie, left not only the men who witnessed it from up close stunned but also Seo-eun, who stood with her mouth wide open.

Then, the men who had assessed the situation jumped in, pretending to act out of loyalty.

“You son of a bitch!”

“Get them!”

The large man’s arm brushed past Haru’s hand, and the tip of the lipstick stabbed directly into his armpit.

Thump

“Ack!”

As he froze, Haru raised her head and slammed her forehead into his chin.

Thunk!

Then, targeting the man reaching for her shoulder, she struck his inner elbow, collarbone, and just below the ear in quick succession. Stepping on his stomach, she leaped up, twisted mid-air, and kicked the jaw of another man approaching from behind with pinpoint accuracy.

Crash—!

Though her short skirt made the scene precarious, the large man’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground.

The last man stood frozen, unable to do anything, and flinched when he made eye contact with Haru. At the same time, Kim Siljang, who came running from behind, tackled him and twisted his arm back, shouting:

“P-President! Are you alright?!”

Seo-eun let out a small sigh as she looked at the manager.

As someone assisting the police, even a minor slip could become an issue.

Seo-eun called the police and explained the situation. Fortunately, someone had recorded a video from the moment the pink-haired man flipped the table, which supported her statement.

The pink-haired man turned out to be the wayward son of a small business owner, and the thugs with him were all ex-convicts with violent records.

Though Seo-eun sustained a minor leg injury, they came to a settlement. Still, because the other party had prior convictions, he couldn’t escape punishment.

“What kind of bullshit law is this?! Hey! Bring your police chief out here!!”

As the pink-haired man ranted in frustration, the lawyer next to him received a phone call.

“…Yes, yes sir, the young master is here. Yes, I’ll put him on the phone.”

“Dad! Seriously, I’m being treated so unfair— Huh? Yes? Ah…”

The pink-haired man immediately softened his expression and started glancing toward Ahn Seo-eun. Hanging up, he lowered his head deeply.

“I-I'm sorry, President Ahn Seo-eun… I swear I won’t appear in front of you again…”

Seo-eun crossed her legs and gave a nod.

“Good. Don’t go flaunting your money around carelessly.”

“Yes, yes… I’m sorry.”

The pink-haired man kept bowing his head repeatedly.

On the way home from the police station, inside the car driven by Manager Kim, Seo-eun kept her eyes fixed on Haru, her eyes sparkling.

She had known that Haru grew up in an unusual environment, but this was the first time she realized how fierce her skills really were.

“Haru, you were so cool. Bam bam! I felt like I was watching an action movie!”

“The lipstick… I’m sorry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

Seo-eun quickly waved her hands.

“No, no. I’d almost used it up anyway, so this is the perfect excuse to get a new one. I’ll buy one for you too, Haru. Did you like the color?”

Haru turned her head to look at her reflection in the window and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Shall we meet again tomorrow?”

Haru looked back at Seo-eun. She didn’t know Seo-eun very well yet, but she understood that she was someone of high status and extremely busy. Yet she still made time for her—Haru felt thankful for that.

She didn’t want to turn her down out of consideration.

“Yes.”

[Young Police Officer! Your Country Believes in You!]

This rousing message placed at the entrance of the Central Police Academy stirred the hearts of the newly accepted cadets arriving for training.

Inside the main auditorium, cadets gathered in small groups as they waited.

This term’s representative trainee, Kim Woong-min, had a clean face, tall stature, moderate muscles, and a friendly way of speaking—making him popular with both male and female trainees.

A sharp-looking woman with a neat bob haircut sitting next to him whispered quietly.

“Did you hear? That Detective Shin is coming. The one who took down four gangsters wielding sashimi knives by himself—no, now it’s eight guys with bare hands!”

Woong-min didn’t like this beautiful colleague getting excited about someone other than him.

“News articles tend to exaggerate for impact. If you use a bit of common sense, it’s clearly impossible. Even a champion fighter couldn’t handle eight knife-wielding gangsters alone.”

“Really? I guess you're right, reporters do like to exaggerate.”

“Regardless of the intent, it’s good that police are being seen as trustworthy.”

“Yeah, yeah, half the reason people don’t call cops ‘pigs’ anymore is thanks to Detective Shin. I’ve actually been collecting articles that paint cops in a positive light…”

Just then, a senior instructor opened the auditorium door and held it open to escort someone in. A man wearing a tactical uniform entered shortly after.

Until now, all photos and videos of Shin Haesu had been taken from afar or were blurry in motion, so this was the first time the cadets got a proper look at him.

Even Kim Woong-min, who secretly envied Haesu, couldn’t take his eyes off him as he entered the auditorium.

Step, step, step

His tactical uniform revealed a muscular, slim-fit build, his sharp gaze radiated cold rationality, and his strong jawline emphasized his imposing presence. As he approached, the cadets felt like they couldn’t breathe.

Thud

Finally, Haesu stood in front of them. Scanning the group once, he opened his mouth to speak.

“From today, I’ll be your special instructor for the next two weeks. I am Sergeant Shin Haesu of the Chungnam Violent Crimes Investigation Unit.”