Chapter 37

Chapter 37 – Aid

“I’m really sorry… I should have been paying more attention . ”

Cho Kang-suk bowed from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, a heartfelt expression of regret on his face . Although Kang-suk had the face of a friendly neighbourhood hyung, he was actually a homicide detective .

He had been too busy these past three weeks . He only said that he had a case, and that he hadn’t been able to catch the culprit yet .

Tae-hyuk put the cutlery down in front of Kang-suk and said .

“Hyung doesn’t need to be sorry, because I know that you are busy with work . ”

“Still! Hu… No . I couldn’t receive phone calls properly because I was in meetings every single day . I’ll kill him . ”

Kang-suk became aware of the events that happened to Tae-hyuk and Ha-ran after everything was resolved . He truly seemed to be suffering at the fact that he was no help .

Kang-suk turned and looked at Ha-ran’s back who was cooking food in the kitchen .

“… Ha-ran said that she wanted to go back to university . ”

“Yes . ”

“If I knew this, then I wouldn’t have donated all of my monetary rewards . ”

Tae-hyuk laughed .

He felt like he was looking at a puppy that wanted to help its owner .

“Why don’t you confess? I’ll help you . ”

“W-What does that mean?! How could I say that to Ha-ran!”

“Hyung likes Noona, it’s written all over your face . ”

Kang-suk’s face turned beet red . The hulking bear easily became a simpleton .

“T-T-That isn’t it! I have decided to first start as friends!”

“F-Friends? What is Hyung doing?!”

It was easy for even Tae-hyuk, who had no experience in dating, to know that Kang-suk was taking the wrong approach with Ha-ran .

“Anyways, have you been studying well?”

“Wow, what a change in subject!”

Tae-hyuk realized something after the Rosario theft and the SY Capital incidents . He couldn’t take care of Ha-ran and Tae-min alone .

‘In addition, I will have to start fighting the blacklist members in earnest . ’

Kang-suk was a protector, who he could ask for help when things got dangerous .

Tae-hyuk believed that was enough, but it turned out that wasn’t the case .

Therefore, Tae-hyuk prepared a big plan to change the future, which was to decrease the gap between Kang-suk and Ha-ran . He could trust Kang-suk with Ha-ran . At the very least, he was a man who would shed his own blood before making a woman cry .

‘Besides, he likes Noona . ’

Even Tae-hyuk could tell that his sister was nice and pretty, so it wasn’t unusual for Kang-suk to fall for her .

‘Hum hum . Will he actually become my hyung?’

According to Tae-hyuk’s memories, Kang-suk was an old bachelor in his 40s . Kang-suk wasn’t a popular type among women . In addition, he spent most of his youth running around, catching criminals . In the end, he attended a matchmaker to find a marriage partner; however, his dates would run away upon seeing Kang-suk . A big bear sitting down in a suit . It was quite a shocking sight . Kang-suk started to say that he was married to crime . In the end, he abandoned dating .

‘Hyung is charming when he laughs…’

Tae-hyuk lowered his voice to avoid Ha-ran hearing and said .

“Kang-suk hyung . This is a gift . ”

Tae-hyuk handed him an envelope with a smirk .

“Eh? Are these planetarium admission tickets?”

“Go with Noona when you have some time on the weekend, she likes to see the stars . Say it is between friends . Can’t you go and play with that?”

Kang-suk coughed unnecessarily loudly .

“Cough . I appreciate it . I have work this weekend though…”

“Then go next week! These tickets last for a month anyways . ’

“I’m sorry, but my weekends won’t be free until this incident is over! Sob… I like the stars as well . ”

Kang-suk lowered his head .

Tae-hyuk felt a strange protective instinct emerge as he saw the hulking bear with a dispirited expression .

‘While Hyung looks after Noona… I feel a strange maternal instinct!”

Tae-hyuk knew the truth about the two people .

Ha-ran would be entering a dormitory cram school next month . Prior to that, Tae-hyuk wanted for her to go on at least two or three dates with Kang-suk .

‘In order for that to happen, I need to solve Hyung’s murder case . ’

Kang-suk had been working seven days a week recently . Even if he wanted to get closer to Ha-ran, there was just no time to .

Tae-hyuk asked in a small voice .

“By the way, Hyung . What case is it now?”

“Well, I’m sorry but I can’t say . Now that the mass media has caught wind of it, special instructions have come down . ”

“Special instructions?”

Kang-suk mimed zipping his mouth closed .

Tae-hyuk found out a few facts from Kang-suk’s words .

First of all, there were at least two possible incidents if it needed to be kept secret .

The media was more likely to make a fuss about a serial murder case . Or, if they didn’t want the media knowing, then it might be a terrorist attack that would cause a huge blow to the economy .

Obviously, Kang-suk was responsible for one of two things .

Cho Kang-suk said .

“Anyway, let’s eat . ”

In front of the two people, there was the delicious smell of cooked mackerel .

@

“I have to do this for Kang-suk . ”

Tae-hyuk grumbled as he used the ‘Violence’ skill on the roof of a house .

In order for Kang-suk and Ha-ran to go on a date, Kang-suk’s serial killer case had to be resolved . He wouldn’t have any time to spare before it was resolved . Tae-hyuk was going to use his crime skills to help Kang-suk .

In the end, Kang-suk’s job would be to take care of Ha-ran .

“First of all, let’s check the performance of this skill . ”

The previous criminals that he met until now hadn’t been all that dangerous . He had to figure out exactly what he could do . Cho Kang-suk, a homicide detective, had been struggling for a few weeks, so it obviously wasn’t an ordinary criminal .

“Maybe it is one of the blacklist members . ”

Tae-hyuk organized the list of criminals that he had written down . He memorized the dangerous criminals’ names, what they were doing, and how they got caught .

It was all listed in the blacklist .

“Hrmm… So far, I’ve met five?”

But one day, he would meet all of them . Tae-hyuk was sure of it .

He had met Yoo Cheol-ho on the day he received the future memories . Tae-hyuk had then helped put him in prison . Less than three weeks later, he got involved in the incident with Park Seong-ho’s son, Park Sung-kwang . Not long after that, he met the thief Moonlight Flower and Big Mama .

They were all criminals that Tae-hyuk remembered . Wasn’t this too much to be dismissed as a coincidence? It seemed like they were pulling him towards them .

“Either way, this criminal isn’t a joke . Who is it?”

The prosecutors wouldn’t be so desperate to conceal it if he wasn’t a cruel person .

Anyway, Tae-hyuk felt confident now that he had acquired the Violence skill . Unlike in the past, he could now physically overpower the opponent . It gave him a strange confidence .

Tae-hyuk grabbed the iron pipe created by the Violence skill . It allowed him to use his strength and agility .

Tae-hyuk wielded the iron pipe on the roof to rest how strong he was .

“Certainly, my body moves well, but I still don’t think it is enough to fight 17:1 . ”

Tae-hyuk was obsessed with the number 17:1 . Among Tae-hyuk’s current stats, the lowest one was agility at 24 points .

Therefore, the movement of the iron pipe didn’t appeal to his spirit . If he could attack a little quicker…

“Anyhow, I can summon an iron pipe any time I like . Isn’t this surprisingly usable?”

The pipe was dented, and there was a handprint on it . At first, he was worried that moving it incorrectly would cause the pipe to bend . However, testing showed that it was very hard . It didn’t get any scratches, even when he pit all his weight into it . He would be able to use it as support in emergency situations .

Tae-hyuk put the iron pipe on his shoulder and pulled out the smartphone in his pocket . It was a phone that he had newly acquired after the last incident .

“The time for restoring is almost over . ”

He checked and there were still a few minutes remaining .

The smartphone used by Kang-suk stored most of the data on its own server . If he had the ID and password then he could download it to his own smartphone . He could see everything from the contacts to the messages Kang-suk sent .

Tae-hyuk asked Kang-suk for help with purchasing a new phone .

In the meantime, he had been using Ha-ran’s old folder phone . In other words, it was a natural monument compared to the advanced technology of the smartphone .

Kang-suk made an enlightened expression, like an American missionary visiting Korea, and started his lecture . In the meantime, Tae-hyuk grabbed Kang-suk’s smartphone and obtained the ID and password . It was that simple to obtain Kang-suk’s personal information .

“I’d like to see some information about the investigation . Please don’t let me get nudes by mistake . ”

First, he decided to be satisfied with this much . After a few moments, the restoration of the phone was completed perfectly . A smartphone with the same information as Kang-suk’s was born .

“Then shall I check his messages?”

Tae-hyuk skillfully navigated the touch screen to check the messages and mailbox .

“Wah . I feel nervous when there are no apps . By the way, he hasn’t linked his mail account yet? He uses a smartphone like an old phone . ”

Tae-hyuk clicked his tongue . Kang-suk acted like a primitive person . But Kang-suk was like a caveman .

Kang-suk only used three things on his smartphone .

Telephone calls . Text messages . And the map .

Anyway, he was able to get a clue about this case . Then he muttered with a blank expression .

“Wait a minute . Is Hyung part of this bastard’s case?”

He was one of the five worst criminals recorded in the blacklist .

The watering hippo . That was his nickname .

Tae-hyuk stared at a bathroom from far away . One officer was standing guard . (TL: Bathroom in this case seems to refer to the public baths or sauna in Korea, not toilets)

‘Perhaps this is where the incident happened . ’

Tae-hyuk referred to the blacklist as he chased after the trail of the hippo . But there was one strange thing .

The hippo he remembered didn’t start now, but three months later . Then why were there already victims? But looking at the method and frequency, the criminal was clearly the hippo .

‘There are already two victims . ’

There was a common point about the days when the hippo committed a crime .

It was a day with a full moon . He murdered every 29 days .

Tae-hyuk looked up at the sky .

There was a round man with a slight dark edge in a corner . There was three days to the next full moon .

Before that, he had to find the trail of the hippo .

“Let’s make a connection . ”

Tae-hyuk took out his phone and called the officer standing guard .