“…”

Shin Haesu’s simple greeting brought a heavy silence over the auditorium. Haesu assumed the trainees were awkward because it was their first meeting, so he tried the soft smile he had practiced on the way there.

“S-Scary.”

“Shh, he’ll hear you.”

However, his smile was interpreted as, “You’re all dead soon, so prepare yourselves.”

As the silence continued, Haesu’s expression stiffened slightly, and he opened his mouth again.

“I heard when a special instructor arrives, there’s supposed to be cheering.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the trainees, driven by survival instinct, shouted out loud.

“Wooooaaah!!”

“Welcome!”

“Shin Haesu! Sunbae-nim! Shin Haesu! Sunbae-nim!”

“We’ve been waiting!!”

Only then did enthusiastic cheers burst out. Satisfied at last, Haesu continued the briefing.

“…I’ll be teaching field investigation techniques and suppression skills, incorporating eight years of experience.”

After all the shouting, the trainees relaxed a bit and began whispering to each other as they looked at Haesu.

“His arms look even bigger than in the photos.”

“Right? He’s terrifying…”

“I heard he had the highest arrest rate even when he was at the precinct.”

“Are we witnessing a living legend right now…”

“So… cool…”

The trainee representative, Kim Woong-min, wasn’t too happy with the worshipful mood despite Haesu not doing anything in particular.

He believed Haesu was a figure created through exaggerated articles meant to boost the public image of the police. As a police trainee, it was his duty to face reality.

Woong-min, as the representative, decided to be brave and shatter his peers’ fantasies.

“Instructor, I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“I heard that recently you were attacked at home by eight contract killers but subdued all of them. Is that true?”

At Woong-min’s probing question, the auditorium instantly turned chilly.

When Haesu furrowed his brows slightly, Woong-min felt as though his heart had frozen over.

“No, it wasn’t eight.”

“Ah…”

“Knew it…”

Some trainees couldn’t hide their disappointment at Haesu’s answer, while others nodded as if they expected it.

The girl sitting next to Woong-min, Miyeon, formed her lips as if asking how he knew. Woong-min lifted his shoulders proudly.

Then Haesu continued his reply.

“It was a speculative article by a journalist who didn’t directly check the scene. The actual number was twelve. I let the ringleader go to track down the client, and the rest were seriously injured and immediately sent to the ICU from the scene.”

As Haesu spoke, the trainees’ mouths gradually dropped open. Woong-min’s expression turned to one of disbelief—‘this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.’

Haesu continued, his face resolute.

“If someone comes at you with a knife, you must subdue them with all your might, without worrying about the law or the attacker’s safety. You can lose your life in an instant.”

“Wow…”

Haesu’s impassioned words left the trainees staring at him with their mouths half-open. Even when stating the obvious, it carried weight coming from someone who had actually experienced it.

For a moment, the trainees could imagine how Haesu must have felt facing those men with kitchen knives.

At that moment, Woong-min raised his hand again.

“Instructor! Could you show us a bit of how to subdue someone wielding a knife?”

“Here?”

At Haesu’s question, several trainees answered in unison.

“Yes!”

Haesu thought it over. On the way to the police academy, he had made a decision. Excluding special cases like Haru, he had never really taught anyone properly before, so he had resolved to at least give solid feedback.

Nodding, Haesu rolled up his sleeves.

“Ooooh…”

“Ah…”

The hands and arms are the most commonly injured areas when facing someone with a weapon. The many scars etched into Haesu’s forearms sent a jolt through something deep in the hearts of the trainees.

Some began to fear the path they had chosen, while others felt their chests burn with determination.

Haesu held up two fingers.

“I subdue using two methods. One is with strikes, the other with joint locks. Striking is suitable when facing multiple opponents, as it might not disable the target in one blow.”

“Did you use strikes that time?”

“I used both. There were many of them and my left hand was injured, so I mainly used strikes. But since I can’t do that to trainees, I’ll demonstrate joint locks.”

Just then, Woong-min raised his hand again.

“Instructor, I’m available! We even have gloves ready.”

What he pointed to were open-finger gloves with extra padding on the knuckle area.

Haesu hesitated. Couldn’t he just control his strength? Still, maybe it would be better to demonstrate it directly.

“Hmm…”

“It would be very educational if you showed us directly.”

“Alright.”

With Haesu’s permission, Woong-min ran to get the gloves. Haesu pulled a pen from his pocket and handed it to him.

“Think of this as a knife and come at me, aiming for my neck.”

“Understood.”

Tap

As soon as Woong-min answered and thrust the pen forward, his wrist was caught at a terrifying speed by Haesu’s hand.

For the first time, Haesu put on a truly terrifying expression and spoke.

“Take this seriously. Like it’s real. With the intent to stab my carotid artery and kill me.”

“S-Sorry. I understand.”

Though Woong-min’s heart shrank under Haesu’s severe presence, he also felt ashamed knowing the other trainees had seen him scared.

That shame soon turned to vengeance, and he thrust the pen again, just like Haesu instructed—like it was real.

Bang

At the same time, Woong-min’s world went black.

Thunk

As Woong-min rolled his eyes back and fell backward, Haesu quickly caught him and gently laid him on the ground.

When he turned his head, the medical staff—already on standby—rushed over and carried him away on a stretcher.

Haesu looked at their backs with a satisfied expression, then turned to the trainees.

“In preparation for situations like this, I had the medical staff on standby in advance. Trainees can participate in training with peace of mind.”

“It’s... it’s not peaceful...”

“Scary...”

After the intense first greeting, the day’s schedule at the police academy came to an end, and it was time for dinner.

The cafeteria at the top of the police academy was located in a spot that was perfect for a light jog.

“Hmm, it’s tastier than at the station.”

The rice was fluffy, and the side dishes were decent. Haesu heaped his bowl high and ate with great appetite.

Even though most of the seats were filled, the seats on both sides of Haesu were left empty, two spots wide.

Seeing this, Miyeon, with her fresh bobbed haircut, grinned and pointed at the seat next to Haesu with her index finger.

“Shall we sit there?”

“Huh? N-No...”

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

“A-Are you crazy...”

Miyeon swayed her short hair and approached Haesu with her fellow trainee in tow.

“Instructor, may we sit here?”

“Of course, have a seat and eat up. Physical strength is national strength.”

“Yes, physical strength is national strength.”

Miyeon cutely clenched her fist and repeated Haesu’s words before sitting across from him.

“Instructor, may I ask a question?”

Haesu swallowed his food and raised his palm.

“Go ahead.”

“While working in the field, what kind of case is the most difficult to deal with?”

“It’s definitely the public drunkenness cases that are the most frequent and troublesome. Alcohol itself isn’t the enemy, but the people who cause trouble after drinking are the problem. If you work as a police officer, you can’t help but grow to dislike alcohol.”

“Ah... is that so? I rarely drink anyway.”

“That’s a good habit.”

“Then, among the cases you’ve handled, the most...”

Miyeon began asking various questions about field work, and Haesu answered with enthusiasm.

Even after work hours, seeing trainees who showed interest in the field and the duties of a police officer made Haesu feel proud.

Thanks to that, as the long dinner time ended, Haesu saw trainees in workout clothes heading off in small groups.

Following them, he arrived at the central athletic field. The field was filled with trainees exercising individually. The passion of the young officers filled the large space with heat.

These were club activities, where trainees gathered to work on their preferences or to supplement their weak points.

Haesu stood in the spectator area, looking down with satisfaction. Memories of his passionate trainee days, now faint, came back to him.

Back then, he used to run until he vomited, and after vomiting, he’d run again.

“This is nice!”

At that moment, Kim Woong-min spotted Haesu sitting in the bleachers. Woong-min instinctively flinched and touched his jaw.

He couldn’t forget the shame he felt facing his fellow trainees after regaining consciousness.

The thing about muscle-bound types is that they’re strong, but lack endurance. Their legs may be big, but it’s just muscle mass. Woong-min, having been the runner-up in a citizen marathon, was confident in his running. A good idea came to mind.

“Instructor.”

“Oh, yes. Are you alright?”

“Yes, are you here to work out?”

“Well, not exactly. I came to observe.”

“I’m part of the running club. Would you mind leading us for a light warm-up run?”

Haesu needed a reason to blend in with the energetic trainees anyway. He nodded enthusiastically and accepted.

“Sounds great!”

Following Woong-min, Haesu joined the group of trainees doing light warm-ups. He began running alongside them, on the outer edge.

“Oh, Instructor!”

“Hello, may I join in for a light warm-up?”

“It’s an honor!”

“Let’s run.”

When there isn’t much time, a good method for building endurance is to run half a lap at full speed and the other half at a steady pace to maintain rhythm.

After dozens of laps...

“Huff, huff, huff...”

Half the trainees had dropped out, and Woong-min, feeling the metallic taste in his mouth again, was losing his pace.

‘Why is he running so well? Is all that muscle built for running?’

Seeing that Woong-min’s eyes were nearly glazed over, Haesu asked him,

“Is there a set number of laps we’re supposed to run?”

Woong-min opened his eyes wide. Haesu’s voice was so calm.

“N-No, there isn’t.”

“Then let’s stop here. Pushing past your limits isn’t a good idea.”

“H-Huuhhh...”

“Urrghh... huff, huff...”

As soon as Haesu finished speaking, the trainees collapsed onto the ground. Woong-min, too, bent over, overwhelmed with a sense of defeat.

While doing knee lifts in place, Haesu addressed the running club trainees.

“We’re not here to set marathon records. Knee cartilage is expendable, so you must preserve it. The key is to build endurance while minimizing impact to avoid straining the knees. Good shoes and proper form are important. Keep your strides small, and get used to running with your soles barely leaving the ground. Of course, seeing today’s performance, I feel confident about the future of Korean police.”

With a smile, Haesu resumed running alone. Watching his back, Woong-min was convinced that he was built for running.

‘He really is incredible... even after all that running...’

After finishing his warm-up run, Haesu wandered the field alone and approached the pull-up bars. The leader of the pull-up club recognized him and approached.

“Instructor, do you like pull-ups?”

“Of course. Pull-ups work the whole body. I prefer bodyweight training to lifting heavy gym equipment because it maintains better balance. Running and pull-ups are the best exercises.”

“As expected. Would you like to work out with us?”

Haesu gave a big nod.