The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 5

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 5 (3/341)

Whistleblower (3)

After spending a fortnight brainstorming with Shin Yong-ho, we finally decided that our ultimate destination would be the Office of the Inspector General.

It was the safest and most reliable method.

However, we needed a foolproof plan to prevent anyone else from stealing the credit or information from leaking to Im Seong-jin.

Finding someone trustworthy and navigating the subsequent procedures were the most critical issues.

What would be the safest approach?

Who in the Office of the Inspector General could we trust?

As I sat in my office, racking my brain, my phone vibrated.

Buzz buzz.

A short double buzz. The unique vibration that signals an incoming text message.

-From: 29

-Photo

Just when I thought things had quieted down, another text message from an unknown sender.

I immediately zoomed in on the photo, which showed two men shaking hands.

The main subject of the photo was none other than me.

The man shaking my hand was Song Hyun-sung.

A university classmate from Korea University’s law department.

I wondered if it was an old photo, but just looking at my face in the picture, I could tell it was taken within the last year or so.

I hadn’t seen Song Hyun-sung since graduation.

I heard he passed the bar exam while I was in the military, but that was it.

We were quite close in college, but we naturally drifted apart over time.

In other words, this photo was definitely not taken in reality.

How could it be possible for me to see it when there was no one to take it?

What on earth is this?

Considering the series of text messages I’ve received so far, they seem to be giving me answers and insights into the future.

It’s absurd for me, who doesn’t believe in ghosts or superstitions, to be thinking like this, but there’s no other way to explain it.

This is driving me crazy.

How am I supposed to explain this?

Wait, could it be that this is only visible to me?

“Investigator.”

“Yes?”

The investigator, who had been looking through documents, raised his head and looked at me. I showed him the photo on my phone screen.

“Can you see this?”

He smirked and slicked back his hair.

“Hey, do you think I wouldn’t recognize her?”

What, did he recognize me in the photo?

Could it be that Yong-ho was playing a prank on me?

If that were the case, everything would make sense.

But why?

However, the investigator said something unexpected.

“It’s Han Ji-yoo.”

Huh?

“Even though I’m balding, I’m still hip. I know all about celebrities.”

“Han Ji-yoo?”

“Yes. Aren’t you talking about Han Ji-yoo on your wallpaper?”

Ah, damn it.

My phone wallpaper was Han Ji-yoo.

I was surprised. I thought he saw the photo.

Just in case, I checked my phone screen again, but the photo was still there.

So, he can’t see it.

Still, to double-check, I held my phone up and approached him, asking while looking at the screen together.

“You see this as Han Ji-yoo, right?”

In my eyes, I could still only see the photo of me and Song Hyun-sung shaking hands.

The investigator tilted his head and replied.

“Yes. Is it someone else instead of Han Ji-yoo? She looks exactly like her.”

“That’s right.”

“Hahaha, I was worried I might be wrong. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Sure.”

I took the coffee the investigator made and went outside to ponder alone.

Someone isn’t playing a prank on me.

Unless that someone is a god.

Just in case, I searched the internet for ‘receiving unknown text messages,’ but I immediately closed the browser window after seeing the response to block spam.

This kind of thing can’t happen to other people.

Could it really be that these messages are showing me what will happen in the future or telling me what I need to do?

My head starts to spin again.

Damn it.

Song Hyun-sung.

Should I meet Song Hyun-sung, who appeared in the photo?

There’s no other choice.

It’s better to take action than to sit still and just rack my brain.

I searched my phone contacts and found Song Hyun-sung’s number.

I called him right away, and soon I heard his voice.

-Oh, Seo-joon, what’s up?

Song Hyun-sung’s voice was full of warmth, as if he was glad to hear from me after a long time.

“Do I need a reason to call? How have you been?”

-I’m good. I heard you passed the bar exam and became a prosecutor. Where are you working these days?

“I’m at the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office. Where are you working?”

-I’m in Seoul. Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.

I swallowed hard without realizing it.

Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.

Could it be?

I calmed my trembling heart and asked in a composed voice.

“Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office. You’ve gone to a good place. Which department are you in?”

-You might not like it if you hear this… I’m in the Office of the Inspector General. I was in Busan until two years ago, and I came up this year.

Crazy.

Really, the Office of the Inspector General?

I clearly remember thinking about how to set up the plan related to the Office of the Inspector General right before receiving the text message.

Is it even reading my thoughts?

I clutched my throbbing head and continued.

“Office of the Inspector General, you’ve made it. Congratulations.”

-Thanks. Come up sometime. Let’s have a drink.

“Okay. Are you free today?”

-Huh?

“I’ll go up today. Let’s meet.”

-You crazy bastard, you’re as impulsive as ever.

“Are you free or not?”

-I am, man. But aren’t you working today? I’m in the office right now.

“I can just say I’m on outside duty. I’ll leave right now. See you later. Text me the address.”

-Hey, aren’t you in Gwangju right n…

I hung up the phone right away before he could finish speaking and returned to the office.

As soon as I went back to my desk and put on my coat, the investigator asked with surprised eyes.

“Prosecutor, where are you going?”

“I have outside duty today. I’ll probably be on outside duty tomorrow too.”

“Yes?”

“Please take care of the outside duty processing. I’m counting on you. Good work.”

I asked the investigator and went straight outside, got in my car, and headed to the airport.

***

Even on the plane to Seoul and in the taxi, the text message kept popping up in my head.

What exactly is the identity of this text message, and why was it sent to me?

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way to think of anything other than a supernatural event.

Okay, this is a fact that won’t have an answer anyway.

No, I decided to stop worrying because I wouldn’t know even if I thought about it.

The best I can do is to use it when the text message comes.

However, let’s not trust it completely.

I can’t trust it yet.

There’s no harm in being fully prepared.

When I entered the office that Song Hyun-sung had texted me, I found him spreading out documents and working diligently.

Even though it had been years since I last saw him, his old self remained.

“Song Hyun-sung!”

He recognized me at a glance and approached me with open arms.

“Long time no see.”

“How have you been?”

He reached out his hand, and as I naturally shook it, the scene I saw in the photo flashed through my mind.

Wait a minute, that tie.

The sight of the red stain on Song Hyun-sung’s green tie was exactly as I had seen in the text message.

“I’ve been good. What brings you here so suddenly?”

“It’s a long story.”

I asked casually, wondering if there was always such a stain.

“By the way, you have something on your tie.”

“Ah, this, I spilled *jjambong* [spicy Korean noodle soup with seafood] on it while eating lunch.”

He scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

“This is a luxury brand… Sigh, I think I’ll have to get it dry cleaned.”

It’s not an original stain, but a stain made today.

If he gets it dry cleaned, it’s safe to say that this stain will only exist today.

This is crazy.

Unless the world is literally crazy, this situation doesn’t make sense.

Hiding my surprise as much as possible, I turned my gaze, and the documents scattered on the desk caught my eye.

“What case is this?”

“Ah, it seems that a deputy chief prosecutor in the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office has a sponsor.”

“A sponsor, so money? Or a woman?”

“Usually, it’s money. You know Jaehyung Group, right? They won the Chinese steel deal this time, and it seems they prevented other groups from bidding in the process. They grabbed them by the collar with a financial investigation and shook hands after giving them kickbacks.”

“They must have taken a lot. They’ll be taking off their robes soon, right?” [Figuratively, losing their position due to scandal]

“Not only will they be taking off their robes, but they’ll also be facing criminal trial. The public sentiment is sensitive these days because of bribery.”

“That’s right. Wasn’t the chief prosecutor making a fuss? If it’s a deputy chief prosecutor, not a regular prosecutor, they must have been very angry.”

“I heard rumors that the chief prosecutor said that the deputy chief prosecutor was the number one contributor to embarrassing the department.”

While we were talking, a clerk brought us tea, and we sat on the sofa and started talking in earnest.

“The Choi Seo-joon I know isn’t the type to come visit like this suddenly.”

Song Hyun-sung put down his teacup and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Close the glass blinds.”

“You’re so meticulous.”

He complained but got up from his seat and approached the window.

I opened my mouth only after contact with others in the office was completely cut off.

“Do you want a promotion?”

“You’re stating the obvious…”

Song Hyun-sung stopped talking, twisted his lips, and stared straight at me.

“You’ve got something big.”

“You’re so quick-witted, it’s good to talk to you.”

I took out the copy of Im Seong-jin’s corruption evidence that I had prepared in advance from my suit pocket and handed it to him.

Of course, the content that could identify the perpetrator was removed.

He quickly rolled his eyes, checked the contents, and then let out a hollow laugh as if he was dumbfounded.

“He’s done a lot. It’s more amazing that this hasn’t been exposed until now.”

Song Hyun-sung handed the copy back to me and asked.

“Who is it?”

“It’s hard to say who it is.”

I carefully checked if there was anything missing from the copy and then put it in my pocket.

“It’s a high-ranking person.”

“I need to know how high-ranking they are.”

“It’s the season for deputy chief prosecutor appointments these days.”

When I smiled, he grabbed my shoulder with surprised eyes.

“Crazy… really?”

“Yeah. One of them.”

“If there’s that much corruption in a chief prosecutor… it’s not just them who will die, but the entire department will be destroyed, right?”

“Completely destroyed. The deputy chief prosecutor and regular prosecutors below can all be swept away.”

“Who the hell is it?”