Ho Kuan-yu turns down an elite police university to enroll at an ordinary academy for rank-and-file cops. As a result, he is singled out for harsh treatment. While Ho Kuan-yu’s gentle spirit remains unbroken, and even wins him an unexpected friend, he is forced to navigate an internal power struggle that could have life-threatening consequences.

Aspiring police officer Ho Kuan-yu has gained admittance to two police academies: the elite Central Police University that trains police captains, and Taiwan Police College, a vocational school that produces rank-and-file cops. Against his parents’ wishes, he enrolls in the latter, only to find that his decision makes him the target of abuse by Hsu Chan-hao, the upperclassman supervising his bootcamp-style freshman training. Despite the challenges, Ho Kuan-yu remains confident in his choice, knowing that the two schools will soon be combined into one academy as part of ongoing reforms to the police force.

Slowly, Ho Kuan-yu’s honesty and kindness win over his tormentor, and the two forge an unexpectedly tender bond. At the same time, there is discontent brewing amongst teachers opposed to the integration of the police academies. These anti-reformists are plotting to harm students in order to strengthen their position in the struggle against the newly arrived reformist teachers. Once the safest place imaginable, the campus of the police college is now a veritable minefield.

In the tradition of SOTUS, Thailand’s pre-eminent work of boy’s love fiction, Number 70, Your Badge Is Crooked is a tender bromance set against a backdrop of serious social issues. The former addresses the pervasive hazing controversies that tarnished the public image of Thai universities, while the latter exposes a range of related issues within Taiwan’s police force and training academies. The seriousness of these issues contrasts with author Yen Yu’s endearing rendering of the protagonists’ budding friendship. A former police officer and graduate of Taiwan Police College, Yen Yu’s personal and professional experience lend credibility to his depictions of campus life, and the internal power struggles within the police force.