Shin Haesu froze in place at Haru’s bombshell announcement.

Haru looked up at him quietly, then poked his cheek with her index finger.

“You’ve really gotten into poking lately.”

Haru quickly pulled her finger back and lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmm… what made you decide to become a police officer?”

Since it was a completely unexpected career path, Haesu couldn’t even begin to guess why she chose it.

Haru stared quietly at the scars on Haesu’s hands and neck as if taking in her surroundings, then met his eyes and opened her mouth.

“It’s admirable.”

“What is?”

“The act of protecting citizens from crime and tracking and arresting criminals itself is admirable.”

Every time words like “the act” come out of Haru’s mouth, it always surprises him. Moments like this remind him that it was a good decision to send her to a Korean language academy at the right time.

“Hmm… it’s not always as admirable as you think, you know? You’ve seen me up close. I often skip meals, even your favorite ones. There’s never enough time to exercise, train, or sleep. I rarely get off work on time, and if a case breaks out, I can forget about leaving at all….”

Haesu began listing off the hardships of police—no, detective—life like a dam bursting, but then stopped himself when he saw Haru’s sparkling eyes.

Saying it out loud like this made him realize again how being a detective is a tough life. But even so, he had no thoughts of quitting. And this was something Haru already knew.

“How could I expect to do whatever I want while chasing down criminals? That much effort is only right. I’m prepared.”

“…Alright. It’s not like you decided this overnight. I’ll support you and help in any way I can.”

Though it was something she decided just today, Haru felt a little guilty inside, but she had no intention of backing down.

Haru placed her hands over her belly button and bowed deeply at the waist.

“Thank you!”

For some reason, it felt like he should give her pocket money. Instead, Haesu cheered her on with a pot of army stew.

The kind of police officer Haru wanted to become seemed to be one of those detectives known for being in dangerous units like the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit, but strangely, he wasn’t worried.

Sky lounge of Daeseong E&M building.

“…Police? Really?”

“Yes.”

Ahn Seo-eun felt her heart drop at Haru’s words.

“Why—why? Since when have you been thinking about becoming a police officer? Is it… because of Haesu?”

Unlike Haesu, who could read a criminal’s mind but was completely clueless about women’s feelings, Seo-eun instantly figured out the reason.

Haru, caught off guard, stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.

“No matter how strong Mr. Haesu is, we never know what could happen. There are many strong people in the world. If I’m by his side, I believe I can at least be of some help.”

Seo-eun could feel the sincerity in Haru’s words. It was the same feeling she had when she saw Haesu’s wounds after he returned to Korea.

Seo-eun had worried about how to keep him from getting hurt—maybe she should provide him with high-end protective gear. Meanwhile, Haru had wrestled with the same concern and come to her own conclusion in her own way.

“I understand… Still, I’m really going to miss you. I thought you were someone I could entrust my back to for life….”

More than Haru getting closer to Haesu, Seo-eun was more saddened by the fact that they would grow apart. The disappointment showed on her lovely face.

“When I have free time, I’ll work as a freelancer.”

“Haha, a freelance bodyguard? That’s a fresh concept.”

At Haru’s way of comforting her, Seo-eun let out a hollow laugh.

“Then I’ll keep your name listed as an honorary bodyguard. You can return anytime. And sometimes give advice to the junior bodyguards as an active police officer and former bodyguard.”

“I’m still currently a bodyguard. Also, I heard civil servants can’t have side jobs.”

“It’s fine if I don’t pay you. I can handle those details just fine.”

“Understood.”

Haru wasn’t exactly thrilled about growing distant from her only friend, Seo-eun, either.

She accepted Seo-eun’s offer immediately.

Haru decided to continue working as a bodyguard until she passed the written portion of the police entrance exam.

A day off.

Haru sat on the terrace, diligently reading a book. Her study method was unique. She had no pens or pencils. She wasn’t typing on a laptop or tablet either.

Having never properly studied anything outside of the language academy, Haesu thought she’d give up soon.

But to his surprise, she was sitting there tenaciously, staying focused. It was admirable.

However, only three months remained until the police exam.

Haesu brought her a health juice and fruit that he had neatly sliced, and said:

“Just think of this exam as a learning experience and prepare without pressure. Take the test, then focus on the second half of the year. If you burn out from the beginning, it’s hard later. You’re smart, Haru, you’ll pass in no time.”

“Thank you. I have a question. In criminal procedure law…”

While Haru worked hard on both her bodyguard duties and preparing for the police public recruitment exam, time passed.

Haesu turned thirty-two, and Haru turned twenty-four.

All the members of the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit received double pay grade promotions instead of standard single-step raises due to their accomplishments.

Except for the team leader, the other three had been promoted just last year, so another promotion this soon was deemed unrealistic. Instead, the extra pay grade was given as a reward for their performance.

The team members were actually pleased.

“We’d have to split up if we all got promoted anyway.”

At Oh Gaeng’s words, the team leader nodded.

“I wasn’t expecting anything. Earning three hibiscus stars isn’t easy.”

“Man, I’ve got to push you aside and become captain already.”

“I’m not getting promoted just so I don’t have to see that.”

“I don’t want any more teammates changing!”

“Hmm, I hope we get some new recruits though.”

“True, there’s too much work, way too much. We’re severely understaffed.”

“Exactly.”

Oh Gaeng wiggled his ten fingers in the air, pretending to die. Haesu nodded deeply in total agreement. The fame of the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit had grown, and with it came endless cooperation requests from every direction.

Not long after, Haru took the first-half police public recruitment exam. Strangely, she stopped studying for the police entirely afterward.

Haesu didn’t ask her whether she did well on the test. He assumed she faced reality after taking it and decided to just continue as a bodyguard. To comfort her, he made kimchi stew.

Not long after that, as soon as Haru got off work, she held out her phone to Haesu.

“List of successful candidates for the first half recruitment written exam… Haru?”

Haru nodded her head vigorously.

“Yes, the exam was easy. I was confident I passed.”

“R-Really?”

Haru seemed smarter than expected.

After the exam results were released, Daeseong Guard held a farewell party for her.

Many of the male bodyguards were saddened at the farewell as if parting with a lover.

“Our guard mascot is leaving….”

“It was like a dream, that one year.”

“As expected, she was a flower that didn’t belong in such a rough place.”

On the day of the physical fitness test for the successful written exam candidates.

Young, healthy aspiring female police officers had gathered in one place. Among them, Haru stood out distinctly.

The assistant instructors dispatched to help with the test furrowed their brows when they saw her.

“Why is she here? She stands out even more than in her photo. Did she apply to get into PR? She should just become a celebrity.”

“I hate girls like that the most—those who try to coast through life relying on their looks. It’s people like her who give the police a bad name.”

“She looks weak just by the looks of her. If we’re lucky, she’ll get weeded out here.”

“Seriously.”

Haru heard their conversation, but not a single twitch crossed her eyebrows.

Soon after—

Both assistant instructors were left with their mouths agape.

All of Haru’s physical test scores far exceeded the standard for female officers, easily placing her first, and even among male standards, she ranked in the top tier.

Beep—

“Number 37, 11.48 seconds…”

After the 100-meter sprint was recorded, one of the instructors murmured with a dazed look.

“Why is she here…?”

It was the same line as before, but the nuance had completely changed.

“Seriously… she should be a track athlete. What’s the women’s national record in Korea? Don’t tell me she broke it?”

“That can’t be… or can it…?”

They later found out—while it wasn’t a national record, Haru had surpassed the best female athlete’s time of the year.

With such outstanding performance, Haru passed the physical test with top marks, barely made it through the interview, and ultimately passed the final exam.

Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit Headquarters.

Bam!

Team Leader Kwak burst through the door and shouted.

“What the hell is going on?! Four new recruits entered the Violent Crimes team, and they’re all from the elite 321st special forces batch!”

At his words, Oh Gaeng turned to Haesu and asked,

“Haesu, which batches did you train as a special instructor?”

“321st and 322nd.”

“Oh really? Then go say hi. But it was only two weeks, so they probably won’t remember much.”

Haesu nodded.

“Probably not.”

Two weeks was a short time. Especially after graduating from the police academy and rotating through local precincts for a year, memories from the academy often vanish completely.

The team leader crossed his legs and sat down, grumbling.

“Ugh, why is it that the Violent Crimes team gets new recruits so easily, but we don’t?”

“Word is we’re famous for handling Conan-level major crimes, so we’ve become the number one team people avoid applying to.”

At Oh Gaeng’s comment, the team leader jumped up, flustered.

“Avoid? This place is fun as long as you’ve got two lives to spare! We catch dangerous criminals, visit the hospital a lot, do thrilling undercover work—”

“Now that you mention it, it does sound like something to avoid.”

“I really like it here!”

“Turns out the seemingly normal Woo Kang-cheol is actually the biggest oddball here.”

Hearing Oh Gaeng’s words, Haesu quietly stood up and moved closer, asking with a serious face. Oh Gaeng quickly looked away.

“Do I seem abnormal?”

“W-What? Just asking that is abnormal! You’re scary, sorry, don’t look at me like that.”

“Hmm….”

At that moment, someone knocked on the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit’s door.

Knock knock.

“Huh?”

“Who is it? Come in.”

Creak—

Four fresh-faced officers in uniform stood at the door.

Haesu recognized them instantly. They were officers from the 321st batch he had trained.

One man was Kim Woong-min, who had been the representative trainee, and another was Oh Miyeon, daughter of National Assemblyman Oh Seongju.

“Loyalty! Reporting in!”

“Hey, why are you reporting to us? If you do that, you’ll end up joining the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit.”

At Oh Gaeng’s words, the 321st quickly dropped their salutes. The idea of joining the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit worked as effectively as saying a tiger was coming.

All four were precious rookie detectives.

In their respective precincts, they had all longed to become detectives, achieving the top 1st or 2nd arrest rates, and were finally assigned as detectives.

Upon hearing that Haesu was here, they came to greet him immediately after receiving their assignments.

The team leader asked them,

“Why didn’t you apply here?”

Faced with Oh Gaeng’s blunt question, they hurried to avert their eyes. Oh Miyeon quietly spoke up first.

“We respect Instructor Shin Haesu….”

“The training back then gave us strength to get back up whenever things got tough…!”

“Just being in the same station is an honor.”

“We’re satisfied!”

The team leader crossed his arms and pursed his lips.

“So you’re saying you didn’t want to come here.”

“What kind of rumors are spreading out there?”

With the influx of rookies, the Violent Crimes team was in high spirits, but the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit members felt even more disheartened.

The news that the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit was struggling due to lack of new recruits even reached the Commissioner of the Chungnam Police Agency.

This term being his last, the Commissioner’s expression turned grave upon hearing the news.

“Hmm, the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit is a great place, so why is this happening? Our officers shouldn’t have to suffer like that. We need to improve our PR.”

At his concern, the secretary spoke quietly.

“It’s not official yet, but we do have one applicant for the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit…”

The Commissioner’s head snapped up at that.

“Huh? Who is it?”

“A rookie who just completed training. Should I send her over after probationary duty as a patrol officer?”

“A rookie? Hah, brave one, huh… hmm… At the very least, we need someone to lift the morale of the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit. How were her scores during training?”

The secretary raised one finger and replied,

“She had the highest marks in every practical subject.”

“Oh… well, that’s the kind of person who belongs in the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit.”

“However, she’s a woman.”

“Huh?”