The Police Do a Better Job than Heroes - Chapter 76

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 76: Darkness Sometimes Feels Comforting (3)

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Choi Min-sik, the personnel chief at Light City's East Police Agency, was an ordinary middle-aged person you could find anywhere.

Their salary was not generous, but it was enough to live on. They did their absolute best at the work assigned to them, but completely stopped caring about anything that was not. Even while concentrating on work, they would suddenly think about going home and having a drink of soju with their wife, practically drooling at the thought.

"Yeah, honey. I'm getting off work now. I'm picking up some fried chicken on the way home. Mm-hm, mm-hm. Love you too~"

Choi Min-sik walked down the street with a bright smile, carrying a bag of chicken in one hand and talking on the phone with the other.

Then Choi suddenly stopped.

"...Who are you?"

"Chief Choi?"

During the evening rush in Light City, a man in a black suit stood out even among the packed crowd. He casually slung an arm around Choi Min-sik's shoulders.

"Ah... Who are you? What is this all of a sudden...?"

"Take a look first. Then we can talk."

The man casually handed Choi Min-sik something. Choi accepted it with a frown, but the instant they checked its contents, their expression stiffened.

Photographs.

They showed their daughter. Walking out of her elementary school's front gate with friends. Getting into an academy van. Entering their apartment building.

The final photograph showed their wife welcoming their daughter home from the academy.

"W-What is this...?"

"Your daughter seems to have grown up bright and cheerful."

The street was packed with people, but at that moment, it felt as though only the man in the suit and Choi Min-sik existed.

"Oh, right. This is the kind of work I do. Here's my card."

"..."

The business card trembled in Choi Min-sik's hand.

Black&Life.

Choi Min-sik was only the chief of a police personnel department, but recognized that name. It was a company connected to the 1-rank villain Blackflame.

"I have a favor to ask. It isn't a difficult one."

The man smiled, his arm still draped over Choi Min-sik's shoulders.

"At Precinct 7 of the East Police Agency, there is an officer named Park Eun-yeong."

"...I know her. Officer Kang Jin-ho's colleague..."

"Please arrange for her to be sent somewhere else for a little while. A joint training assignment should be a good excuse. Can you do that?"

Was it deliberate? There happened to be a regular training program that would work perfectly. Officers left Light City, attended training, then returned.

"With your authority, Chief Choi, it should be easy enough, shouldn't it?"

They could do it.

But... was it right to give in to this threat?

"Why would I do something like this...?"

"Yes. Why would you?"

The man lightly tapped the photograph of Choi Min-sik's daughter.

'...'

Chief Choi's heart began to lean toward acceptance. If this had involved Officer Kang Jin-ho himself, they would have refused no matter what. But merely one of Kang Jin-ho's colleagues... would that be all right?

More than anything, the man beside them frightened them.

If the man had appeared from the darkness, Chief Choi might have stood firm against him. But the fact that he had revealed himself in broad daylight, on a street packed with people... that confidence was even more terrifying.

It meant he was certain he could handle anything that happened.

"...I'll do it."

"A wise choice."

"But what is going to happen to this officer?"

"Who knows?"

The man released Choi Min-sik and casually adjusted his collar.

"It's only an assignment. She'll return after a few days, and nothing will have happened."

"..."

"You too, Chief. You can go on living as usual, so long as you stay quiet."

With those words, the man disappeared into the crowd.

Standing alone by the roadside, Choi Min-sik picked up the bag of chicken that had fallen to the ground. They had not even realized when they dropped it.

The photographs of their daughter inside their jacket felt heavier than the chicken bag clenched in their hand.

"...I'm sorry."

Choi Min-sik apologized.

Even Choi did not know who they were apologizing to.

* * *

The next morning, at Precinct 7.

"Huh? What's this?"

Eun-yeong was checking an official notice as soon as she arrived at work. She tilted her head, her expression blank.

"What's wrong?"

"I've been assigned to training. At regional headquarters."

"...What?"

Kang Jin-ho nearly dropped his coffee.

"When does it start?"

"Tomorrow. For three days. It says I need to prepare the necessary procedures in advance, since there are inspections when entering and leaving Light City."

"..."

Of all times, Eun-yeong had been assigned to training now?

Kang Jin-ho immediately sensed it. This was Blackflame's doing.

He had never seen Blackflame pull something like this in the game. But Blackflame in HiCiSi had been intelligent enough, skilled at exploiting an enemy's weaknesses. Blackflame must have decided Eun-yeong was the problem, and that removing her would be enough.

The Hero Association would not have fallen for something like this, but Kang Jin-ho belonged to the police. That made them far more vulnerable.

'...What should I do? Should I let Eun-yeong go like this?'

Several possibilities flashed through Kang Jin-ho's mind.

Should he insist on going with her when she left for training?

But that was only a temporary measure. Was he supposed to stay with Eun-yeong forever? Go to work with her, leave work with her, live in the same house as her, and cling to her like glue for the rest of his life? He would have to marry her at that point.

And even if Kang Jin-ho stayed by Eun-yeong's side, an opening would eventually appear. Blackflame was precisely the kind of villain who would not miss it.

Going with her was not a solution. Was there another way?

What if he forced the issue and canceled Eun-yeong's assignment? With Kang Jin-ho's current reputation and position, it was possible.

But there was no justification. Why cancel it? What reason could he give?

What if Eun-yeong helped him with her shadows even while she was away?

That came with its own problems. He could not be certain that Eun-yeong would help him.

Their living together was only the result of an unspoken agreement. Kang Jin-ho had never directly asked her to protect him.

In fact... Kang Jin-ho had come to realize something at some point. Eun-yeong knew that he had discovered her true identity. And even knowing that, she was watching his reaction.

But the moment he obtained a direct promise of help, their delicate relationship would break. Kang Jin-ho hesitated at that. What would happen once they pulled away the veil both of them were pretending not to see?

"..."

After thinking for a long time, Kang Jin-ho let out a short sigh.

"It can't be helped. You should go."

"Huh?"

"The assignment. You should go. What can we do about an official notice that's already come down?"

Though he said that, Kang Jin-ho was far from calm.

Three days starting tomorrow. During those three days when Eun-yeong was gone, Kang Jin-ho would face Blackflame.

Of course, Kang Jin-ho was not crazy enough to pick a fight with Blackflame. He had the knowledge from HiCiSi, and he had a rough idea of what Blackflame wanted, as well as why Blackflame wanted to kidnap him. There were countless reasons Blackflame might target him, but Kang Jin-ho had prepared for each of them.

An unknown enemy was frightening, but an enemy he knew could be prepared for. Kang Jin-ho believed he could do this.

"...Will you be okay?"

Eun-yeong asked with her usual expression, yet in a different tone than usual.

"..."

Kang Jin-ho fell silent for a moment and looked at her face.

It was the same face as always. Her faint smile and languid manner of speaking had not changed.

Yet Kang Jin-ho could tell.

Eun-yeong was worried about him.

So this person could express herself like that too.

"I'll be fine."

Kang Jin-ho nodded and smiled.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"...Hmm."

Eun-yeong looked as though she wanted to say more, but soon gave up. Then she gave her usual quiet chuckle and returned to her seat.

Honestly, this was not a choice Kang Jin-ho would normally make. The usual Kang Jin-ho would not have taken a risk like this.

He would have thrown away his pride, clung to Eun-yeong's pant leg and begged her to stay. That was the surest and safest path.

But now... he did not want to do that. He did not want to shatter this delicate relationship, this balance where both of them knew a little about the other's identity while pretending they did not.

'...I've changed.'

Kang Jin-ho laughed inwardly at how ridiculous the situation was.

When he first came to this world, all he thought about was surviving. Now, perhaps because he had grown too comfortable, he was weighing other relationships on the scale.

Was it because he had become as famous as an S-rank hero and made a lot of money? Or because he had spent too much time with Eun-yeong?

Still... he did not dislike this change.

* * *

"She has truly left."

Hearing his subordinate's report, Blackflame slowly raised his head.

Eun-yeong. That woman had truly left Light City. They had even checked the inspection records, so there was no room for doubt.

No matter how elusive Eun-yeong was, entering Light City from outside was not easy. Which meant that now...

Kang Jin-ho was alone.

"But, Lord Blackflame. Could this not be a trap?"

His subordinate spoke cautiously.

"There's no way he failed to notice. A training assignment at this exact time, doesn't that seem suspicious to anyone? Yet he obediently let the woman go..."

"That is probably true."

Blackflame calmly nodded.

"He knows. He let her go despite knowing."

"And you still intend to go?"

"I have to."

Blackflame stood and gathered various pieces of equipment.

"You said it was a trap."

Black flames rose over his entire body as Blackflame curled his lips upward.

"It doesn't matter."

Blackflame's body vanished into the darkness.

The next moment, he was inside Kang Jin-ho's home.

Other heroes? Equipment that blocked teleportation? None of it mattered. If necessary, he would simply destroy it by force.