WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The Police Do a Better Job Than Heroes

Chapter 38

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Life Is Like a Railroad Track (5)

"Well, this... I'll handle disciplining the heroes myself. A hero is supposed to be a model for others, and yet...! I need to whip these rookies' heads back into shape!"

Magic Muscle vowed to properly straighten out the new heroes' discipline while this opportunity presented itself, puffing up his deltoids.

"..."

"..."

Whatever he said, Trace and Eun-yeong were staring at Kang Jin-ho with strange expressions.

"What's wrong with you two?"

Magic Muscle, sensing something off, slowly turned his head.

"Did Officer Kang Jin-ho do something wrong? Why are you looking at him like that?"

"It's not that he did anything wrong."

Trace said, smacking her lips.

"It's just, our Jin-ho really is something else."

Eun-yeong said, wearing that distinctive cat-like smile of hers.

"Hm? Is there something I don't know about?"

Magic Muscle, unable to make sense of it, glanced between the two women.

"Actually, I already knew Jin-ho-ssi's instincts were impressive. Back with the subway drug case too, he hadn't even reached the scene yet, and just from a few clues he'd heard, he figured out the culprit's whole method."

"Right, didn't you already tell me that?"

"But back then, it was clearly a matter of piecing together gaps based on the situation at the scene or logical clues."

Trace's gaze fixed on Kang Jin-ho.

"But just now... he didn't hear any real explanation, and just sat there rattling off the heroes' personal circumstances one after another. It surprised me a little, that's all."

That was true. Inferring clues through instinct and reading someone's private life with no clues at all were entirely different territories.

She'd thought "gut instinct" was some kind of assist to insight, but this looked less like that and more like browsing information from an omniscient point of view. The two women had grown suspicious that Kang Jin-ho's ability had changed from the one they'd known until now.

"Oh, was that so?! I just figured he was a capable officer, so I assumed that was that!"

Magic Muscle, not having known any better, had simply chalked it up to "he's competent, so he figured it out!"

"Hm."

"..."

"..."

Now all three of them were staring straight at Kang Jin-ho. He cleared his throat with a small cough, then laid on a thick coat of shamelessness.

"Ha ha. Yeah, well. Actually, I've been feeling like this 'gut instinct' power has gotten stronger lately too."

Even if it had all been to protect the heroes' honor, Kang Jin-ho knew this had gone too far. Up until now he'd at least kept up the pretense of deducing things, but this wasn't deduction anymore, this was closer to browsing information, closer to prophecy.

But since he'd already committed to it, and since he could pad his fame while shaving down karma at the same time, Kang Jin-ho decided to go ahead and brazen it out. He happened to have a convenient excuse ready right now, so there was nothing holding him back.

"I don't know if you're aware, but I'm actually in a pre-awakening state. Not fully awakened yet... and because of that, I think my ability's been developing bit by bit. Lately, things I never used to notice just come popping into my head."

Superpowers were the kind of thing you could stretch to fit any explanation anyway. He'd already passed the ability screening, and he'd already paid off that famous fortune teller to keep quiet. Kang Jin-ho stepped forward without hesitation, chin held high!

"Ah... I see."

"Ohh~ so that's what it was?"

"I see now!"

Whether it was the sheer nerve of it or not, the others seemed to buy it. When the ability user themselves said that was how it was, what was anyone supposed to say back?

'Should've done this from the start?'

Kang Jin-ho silently cheered inside. He'd worked so hard cooking up plausible-sounding deductions based on information from inside the game. But now, he'd just said "I found out," and everyone accepted it. As long as he had the keyword "pre-awakening" on hand, he could probably get away with pushing almost any nonsense from here on out!

"Well, still, I did enjoy watching our Jin-ho really put his head to work to figure things out..."

Just then, Eun-yeong propped her chin on her hand and slipped in a comment.

"If it's going to be like this from now on, does that mean I don't get to watch you deduce things anymore? That's a shame..."

"Ha, ha ha ha! The ability's still unstable, so it's not something I can control! Whenever it's not just handed to me like that, I'll do my best with proper logical investigation too!"

Kang Jin-ho, catching Eun-yeong's tone, switched gears fast.

The pre-awakening excuse was convenient, but... for the sake of that lunatic villain's "entertainment" going forward, he figured he'd better at least pretend to deduce things whenever deduction was actually possible!

**

One week later. The banquet hall of the Blue Hotel.

On the day of the East District Hero Social Gathering, Kang Jin-ho stepped into the venue in a sharp suit. He'd bought it with the money left over after his recent donations, and privately he thought it suited him quite well.

"Shall we go, Jin-ho?"

"Yep."

Thanks to the rule allowing one guest per hero, Eun-yeong stood beside him in a fitted dress suit, and given how well she wore clothes, it looked good on her too.

"Did you bring the ID Magic Muscle gave you?"

"Yes."

Kang Jin-ho pulled out an ID card from his jacket that read "C-rank Hero. Blue Badge." Magic Muscle had made up this cover identity for him, "an unrecognized C-rank information-type hero."

"Yes, you're clear to enter."

"Thank you."

Thanks to that, Kang Jin-ho was able to walk into the banquet hall without any trouble.

"We're a bit late, aren't we?"

"Yeah. Can't help it, had to come straight from work."

"That's true, I guess."

Because they'd arrived a little late, the party was already in full swing. Kang Jin-ho and Eun-yeong first planned to find a decent corner spot and begin operating from there.

"Hey, you there. Never seen your face before."

But not everything goes according to plan. As they wandered the hall looking for an open spot, a man approached, reeking of alcohol.

"Let's see, let's see... C-rank information type, huh? Even among information types, there's a hierarchy, you know. Some wishy-washy C-rank nobody shouldn't be walking around with your neck up so stiff. Nobody teach you to come pay your respects to your seniors first?"

The man poked at Kang Jin-ho's badge with his fingertip, sneering.

Then his gaze drifted sideways, running up and down Eun-yeong's body.

"No badge on you? Girlfriend? Bringing along a pretty woman way above your rank for a C-rank, huh."

For an instant, the corners of Eun-yeong's smiling mouth flattened into an expressionless line. Kang Jin-ho, feeling his head spin at once, stepped forward immediately.

"That ring on your left ring finger. Looks like a newly fitted engagement ring. Seems like you're about to get married soon."

"Yeah, so what, got a problem with that?"

"If you're about to get married, why do you have two girlfriends?"

"...What?"

"One works at a bar... and the other, you set her up with a studio apartment to live in, didn't you? Business must be treating you pretty well."

"Wait, how do you, uh..."

The man's face went pale in an instant. He glanced around nervously, then shuffled off somewhere, mumbling.

"What, did you use your power because of me?"

"I didn't mean to use it."

"How touching~"

For the record, that hero had been a fire-type. Which was also why Kang Jin-ho happened to remember the man's personal details in such detail.

Kang Jin-ho sighed, having barely arrived before some drunk flame-wielder had come picking a fight with him. The other heroes watching this play out were too busy murmuring, "What kind of ability lets someone just know all that on sight?"

"Are you alright?"

Just then, a middle-aged man approached with a gentle voice. Kindly features, an air of dignity about him, unmistakably a senior-ranking hero at a glance.

"Rough start for a young one like you. That guy just now, I know him. He's been having a hard time with some personal matters lately, so please don't take it too much to heart. I'll make sure he apologizes to you properly later. The party's only just getting started, after all."

"Yes, thank you."

"Here. This one's on me. It started off a bit strange, but from here on, I hope you have a good time."

The middle-aged hero handed over two glasses he'd taken from a waiter with a playful wink, then vanished into the depths of the banquet hall. Even Eun-yeong, who usually didn't have kind feelings toward heroes, showed no particular reaction, that was how gentlemanly his manner had been.

"Sorry I'm late! While I was talking to another hero, this happened... I heard there was some trouble the moment you arrived, are you alright!"

Right after, Magic Muscle came dashing over, out of breath, brushing off bits of Kang Jin-ho's suit here and there while checking him over. He too was wearing a suit, though his enormous muscles looked ready to tear right through it at any moment.

"Yeah, well... I'm fine."

"That's a relief! I saw from a distance, you were talking with 'Silver Knife'-nim just now!"

Magic Muscle said, looking toward the direction the middle-aged hero had disappeared in.

"Silver Knife-nim is a senior member of our East District Hero Association, and he's agreed to cooperate with this operation. If any of the heroes try to throw their weight around, or if you have any questions, you can ask me or Silver Knife-nim, that should do it!"

"..."

Watching Magic Muscle's bright, innocent smile, Kang Jin-ho fell into deep thought.

Actually, that Silver Knife who'd just come and gone, he was pretty sure that was the spy.

He was already stuck on how to break the news in a way that would soften the blow!

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