The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 43

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 43

Smoke Screen (2)

-Hello, this is Lim Hwan-joong, a police officer from Paju Police Station. Do you have a moment to talk?

Police?

Something was off.

“Just a moment.”

I signaled Wolhyang to wait, then stepped out of the car alone to answer the phone.

“Yes, go ahead.”

-Yes. You know Bae Jin-soo, right?

Damn it.

What’s going on?

Did Bae Jin-soo get caught by the police?

No, there’s no reason for him to be caught.

Did someone really report him?

I wanted to deny the police’s question, but as a prosecutor, I knew better than anyone that denying it would be more suspicious in this situation.

For now, I had to cooperate until I understood the situation.

“Yes, I know him. May I ask why the police are calling on Bae Jin-soo’s phone?”

The words from the other end of the phone were unexpected.

-Bae Jin-soo had an accident and fell under the guardrail.

“An accident?”

-Yes. He was speeding and was caught by a traffic police officer patrolling the area. He tried to escape, lost control, broke through the guardrail on the bridge, and fell.

“……What?”

-We need to inform someone close to him about the accident, but we found out he has no family. Choi Seo-joon was the most recent person on his call list, so we called you. May I ask what your relationship is?

Suddenly, my head started to throb.

An accident.

He must have been speeding while trying to escape and was caught by the police. He probably thought the police were after him because of Wolhyang.

This is going to be quite a headache.

I decided to answer appropriately for now.

“He’s an acquaintance. What’s Bae Jin-soo’s condition right now?”

-The accident was severe, and he’s currently in surgery. If it’s difficult for you to come as his guardian, we can contact someone else…….

“No. I know him, so I’ll go. Could you tell me the address of the hospital?”

-Yes. It’s Ilsan ST Hospital. Can you come within three hours? The surgery should be finished around then.

“I think I can make it. I’ll see you at the hospital.”

-Okay, thank you.

I hung up the phone, but I couldn’t bring myself to return to the driver’s seat right away.

It was such an unexpected situation that my mind went blank, and I couldn’t think straight.

A traffic accident…….

At least all the data related to Wolhyang and the Paju fairy is with me.

That’s a relief.

Since Bae Jin-soo mentioned it in such a hurry, it’s certain that there are no saved data or reports to higher-ups.

I had to send Wolhyang to the countryside, no matter what.

They told me to come within three hours, so I could put Wolhyang on a train and then go to the hospital.

Let’s deal with what’s in front of me first.

“Hoo.”

I took a deep breath and got back into the driver’s seat.

Wolhyang looked at me with worried eyes.

“What did Bae Jin-soo say?”

She hadn’t heard the conversation and had no idea what was going on.

Since Wolhyang was going to the countryside, it was better for me if she acted cautiously.

“It was nothing much. He just asked if I had taken care of Wolhyang.”

“Taken care of…….”

Wolhyang lowered her head silently.

“Let’s go right away. It’s better to get out of Seoul as soon as possible.”

***

While heading to Yongsan Station, my thoughts slowly began to clear.

If I was there to explain the situation to Bae Jin-soo when he woke up, confidential information wouldn’t be leaked to the police.

Besides, since Bae Jin-soo had an accident, he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to Wolhyang.

Things might be easier than I thought.

Bae Jin-soo running away was the most suspicious circumstance, but the reason he was being chased was speeding anyway.

If he just paid the fine, there wouldn’t be any problems.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

After a moment of silence, Wolhyang carefully opened her mouth.

“I’m thinking of opening a small clothing store down there.”

I had seen it in the future text, but I pretended not to know.

“A clothing store?”

“Yes. I want to quit this kind of work now. I was going to go to the countryside after this was over anyway, so it worked out well.”

“You’ve thought it through. The longer you stay in this industry, the harder it is to get out.”

When I was in the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, I saw many people who came in to earn some pocket money during university vacation, got a taste of money, and couldn’t get out, spending their whole lives in the entertainment industry.

“That’s right.”

She nodded, smiling awkwardly.

“If it weren’t for this, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get out of the entertainment industry.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. My plans have changed a bit, so instead of buying a house, I’ll have to rent, but that’s not so bad either.”

The car arrived at Yongsan Station, and after parking, I went to the trunk with her.

I took out Wolhyang’s two large suitcases and handed her a clutch bag that I had packed in the corner.

“What’s this?”

She opened the clutch bag and her eyes widened.

“You didn’t get the money from Bae Jin-soo today.”

“That’s true, but…….”

Wolhyang couldn’t finish her sentence and looked at me.

“Why is the prosecutor doing this…….”

“It’s a promise.”

I shrugged and continued.

“Take this and pretend you don’t know anything about what happened this time.”

“……Thank you.”

She bowed her head to me with grateful eyes.

It wasn’t just free money.

I was paying the 250 million won [approximately $200,000 USD] that Bae Jin-soo should have paid.

In this industry, people often turn their backs when things get tough.

I had to keep my promise to protect myself.

In short, it was hush money.

Thanks to the large amount of money I had received from Chairman Lee Cheol-yong, spending this much money was nothing.

I shouldn’t skimp on money for my success.

I knew that money would naturally follow as I climbed higher.

I carried one of her suitcases and entered Yongsan Station with her.

“Where are you going in the countryside?”

“Busan.”

“What about the ticket?”

“I already paid for it on my phone.”

After this conversation, we headed to the platform in silence.

As we entered the station, a train to Busan had just arrived.

I handed her the bag.

“You can get on right away.”

Wolhyang checked the electronic display board and took the suitcase from me.

“Be careful.”

“Thank you, Prosecutor. Take care.”

“You too, Wolhyang.”

“Wolhyang…….”

She murmured the name Wolhyang and reached out her hand to me.

“It’s Ha-yeon.”

“Ha-yeon.”

As I repeated her name and took her outstretched hand, she smiled brightly and said.

“Yes, Lee Ha-yeon. Please remember me that way.”

Wolhyang…… no, Lee Ha-yeon, gave a pure smile, unlike the business smile she had always shown.

“I’ll go now. Don’t come out.”

“Live well.”

She bowed to me and disappeared down the escalator.

It was a short and awkward farewell.

A farewell with a light bow and no handshake.

I’ll probably never see her again.

As I turned away from Lee Ha-yeon and headed back to the parking lot, I received another call from the police.

“Yes, hello?”

-This is Lim Hwan-joong from Paju Police Station, who called you earlier. Are you on your way?

Unlike before, I could sense anxiety in his voice.

“Yes. I’ll be there in 30 minutes.”

-You need to hurry. He’s in surgery, and his condition seems to be worse than we thought.

“Okay.”

***

“Damn it.”

On the way to the hospital where Bae Jin-soo was, I suddenly remembered one fact I had overlooked.

The 250 million won I gave to Wolhyang.

In other words, the 250 million won that Bae Jin-soo should have handed over was likely still in his car.

In the future text, Wolhyang even said that the bag was heavy.

I didn’t see the scene where the money was inside, but it didn’t seem like Bae Jin-soo would have hidden the money from the beginning and taken a different bag.

He didn’t have the accident alone.

He was in a chase with the police and fell off the bridge after breaking through the guardrail.

Even if the towing company took it away first, the police would naturally collect and investigate the vehicle while investigating the reason why Bae Jin-soo ran away, and then they would find the money.

It’s not a small amount, but a whopping 250 million won, in cash.

It would look like black money, so they would start tracking it.

If I’m not careful, I might get involved.

It would be different if I took responsibility in the heart of politics, but if I denied it there too, the police might deliberately track me down, and my identity might be revealed.

Of course, I had taken care of everything to avoid being involved with him regarding the previous events, but today’s call is quite dangerous.

The fact that he called me right before the accident could be a problem.

I had all the important conversations with him in person or over the phone, so the police wouldn’t be able to accurately track this incident, but being involved itself is a problem.

A deep sigh escaped my lips.

“Hoo.”

I loosened my grip on the steering wheel and cleared my head again.

The laptop, USB, and burner phone that would connect me to Wolhyang are all in my hands.

I would have turned off the black box when I came to Paju, so the police wouldn’t be able to track me.

The only connection to me is today’s phone call.

If I say that the previous events were a request for an interview due to my recent investigation, the police won’t be able to verify the truth.

My head starts to feel heavy.

No.

The very fact that this situation is being created is not right.

It’s wrong to give me any room for suspicion.

I shouldn’t have created this situation in the first place…….

Wait a minute.

All of this is happening after the money bag in Bae Jin-soo’s trunk is discovered.

In the current situation, where it’s being treated as a simple accident due to speeding, they probably haven’t started investigating the vehicle yet, especially since it happened in the early morning.

I can recover it before the police find it.

I immediately picked up my phone and made a call.

The ringing didn’t last long before I heard a voice.

-Yes, Prosecutor.

“Seol-ha, I’m sorry to call you so early in the morning. Where are you?”

-I’m on my way to work. I’m on the subway.

“Then take a taxi to the Gangnam Police Station right away.”

-Gangnam Police Station?

“Yes. And go find Detective Jung Hyung-joon in Investigation Team 1.”

She knew that Detective Jung Hyung-joon was a police officer who helped me with my work.

Yoon Seol-ha answered in a serious voice without questioning.

-What’s next?

“After that, follow Detective Jung Hyung-joon. He’ll probably go to a vehicle center or somewhere. If you find a car with the number 14 or 3942, there will be a bag in the trunk. Take it and come out.”

-Okay.

Yoon Seol-ha accepted the order without asking or questioning.

As soon as I hung up, I called Detective Jung Hyung-joon.

-Oh, Prosecutor, what’s going on so early in the morning?

“Detective, do you have any connections in Ilsan or Paju Police Station?”

-Yes. I have connections in both. What’s the matter?”

“If you call Paju Police Station, there should be a car accident that happened this morning where a car crashed under a bridge while fleeing from the police for speeding.”

-Yes.

“Find out where that car is.”

-Is that all?

“No. My investigator will be arriving soon. The car is probably somewhere in Ilsan, so get cooperation from the police there or the Paju police so that the investigator can check the vehicle.”

-Is it just to check?

“Yes. Just give her some time alone. If this is over, I’ll give you and those people a generous bonus.”

Detective Jung Hyung-joon’s voice brightened at the word bonus.

-Don’t worry. I can handle that without any problems.

“Yes, please.”

-I’ll contact you as soon as it’s over.”

“Haa.”

After hanging up the phone, I began to feel less anxious.

It was dangerous.

It’s not time to relax yet, but if I handle it before the official working hours, I can avoid leaving any room for suspicion, and everything will be settled as a simple car accident.

Things might be easier than I thought.