The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 47

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 47

The Hilt (3)

“The Vice Minister?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going after the Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, of all departments?”

Chief Kang Hyun-soo couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“No. I’m perfectly sane.”

“Do you have evidence?”

“There’s a victim.”

“No, how are you trying to take down the Vice Minister without evidence?”

Chief Kang Hyun-soo chuckled dryly.

“No matter how successful Prosecutor Choi is, this is too risky.”

“When have we ever considered the risk or safety of a case before handling it?”

“Maybe not you, but I have. Our Special Investigations Department has.”

“Turning a blind eye in this situation would make us complicit.”

He said, looking directly into his eyes.

“If that victim gives an interview to the press saying, ‘I told the prosecution, but they didn’t take any action,’ we’re all going to be screwed, aren’t we?”

“Haa.”

Chief Kang Hyun-soo rubbed his forehead, looking troubled.

“How do you only bring me these kinds of difficult cases?”

“Difficult cases? This is the best case to make headlines. If we were reporters, we’d call it a scoop.”

“No one can beat you when it comes to audacity.”

He clicked his tongue and said.

“You have to bring him down, no matter what. If you just poke around and it ends up being dismissed, both you and I can forget about a promotion.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Go. I need to prepare myself because I’m going to get chewed out when I report this upstairs.”

“Rest well.”

“I can’t rest because of you, you rascal.”

I bowed to Chief Kang Hyun-soo and came outside.

Maybe it’s because he thinks he’s got my weakness through Han Ji-yoo, but that Kang Hyun-soo guy has become quite docile.

As soon as I returned to the office, Clerk Jo Ah-ra stood up from her seat and said.

“Prosecutor, I’ve scheduled a special press conference for 5 PM.”

“Yes. I’ve put the press conference statement on my desk, so please take a look and review it.”

“Understood.”

“Ms. Seon-mi, let’s talk for a bit.”

“Yes.”

***

At the press conference, Im Seon-mi’s confession followed my prepared statement.

Since the victim was revealing her face and expressing her feelings directly, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the spotlight was even more on Im Seon-mi than on me.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”

Im Seon-mi continued, her voice choked with tears.

“A career as the Vice Minister’s secretary… It wasn’t easy to get here. But the moment his hand touched my body, I felt like everything I had worked for in my 30 years of life had gone down the drain. The sense of insult and humiliation as a human being, and the shame as a woman… My self-esteem, as if I had fallen into the abyss, was impossible to recover.”

She even shed a single tear at the perfect timing.

“While I was even contemplating taking my own life, I went to Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon with the desperate hope that he might be able to help me, and he stepped forward to take on this difficult task for the sake of justice.”

This wasn’t in the script.

But I’m thankful.

After the cameras took a few shots of me, Im Seon-mi continued.

“I hope that Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun, who doesn’t see women as people but only as objects to satisfy his sexual desires, will be shown the justice of the Republic of Korea. With the hope that this kind of thing doesn’t happen to all the women in the Republic of Korea, I hope that these pieces of trash will be punished and we can be reborn into a just society.”

She wiped away her tears and stepped back, and I went back up to the podium.

“A cover-up investigation where there is a victim but no perpetrator must not happen again.”

I shouted, clenching my fist.

“The Choi Eun-jeong sex bribery list case. Who took responsibility for that? Did even one person go to jail? It all ended in acquittal and no charges. We can’t go on like this. A society where only innocent victims increase, and the people who cover them up. Is this a country?”

I pounded my chest and continued.

“I will never do that. I swear on my name, Choi Seo-joon, that I will take responsibility and put Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun in jail.”

At the same time as that statement, I appealed to emotions.

“There is no evidence in this case, but there is a witness.”

In fact, I initially thought about lending her the camera necklace I used at Paju Yojung [a brothel], but I decided to refrain from doing so.

There was no need to overuse it and reveal its existence to the world, and more than anything, it was enough to bring down Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun without such evidence.

The camera necklace had to be kept hidden as a hidden card for the future.

“The employees who worked with Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun in his office, they must have witnessed Secretary Im Seon-mi crying and running out of the Vice Minister’s office with their own eyes. Please testify and help.”

I glared at the cameras that had come to cover the story as if I would devour them and continued.

“Heaven knows, and the earth knows. I sincerely hope that Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun will reflect on his actions from this day forward and pay the price for his sins. That is all.”

***

“These are absurd claims.”

Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun sighed as if he felt wronged.

“No, how on earth does this become sexual harassment?”

“You touched her butt, didn’t you? Are you denying that too?”

“No, Prosecutor. How many times do I have to tell you? It was a consensual situation, there was no problem. Ms. Im Seon-mi said she liked me, and I touched her because I liked her too. Ms. Im Seon-mi also caressed my arm and shoulder, you know?”

“So you admit that you touched her butt?”

“Haa, Prosecutor, really, why…?”

“Vice Minister, you have a wife and children, you know…”

Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun flared up at the mention of his family.

“No, why are you bringing up my family now!”

The moment he raised his voice, I immediately slammed the steel clipboard hard on the table.

Thump!

Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun flinched, startled by the loud noise.

I must have been the first prosecutor to be so bold in front of him.

“Vice Minister, you are a suspect. Watch your language. And don’t raise your voice.”

“I’m sorry.”

He finally calmed down after I frowned deeply.

“Why did you do that?”

“No, that’s…”

“Stop saying ‘no.’ You’ve been saying ‘no’ since earlier. You say you did it because you liked each other, but did the victim ever say she liked you?”

“…”

“The victim’s statement says that you forcibly touched her even though she told you not to.”

“That was obviously just a playful protest… Ah, Prosecutor. It was only once. Just a light touch, a fleeting touch. It’s not like I grabbed it…”

“Even a touch is sexual harassment.”

“Haa.”

He let out a deep sigh and leaned back.

“I’ll call my lawyer.”

“Be my guest.”

When I didn’t bat an eye, Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun gritted his teeth as if he felt wronged and said.

“Prosecutor, do you know what kind of lawyer I’m going to hire right now?”

A sly look began to creep into his eyes.

“He’s a former Chief Prosecutor. You know Jeong Seong-hoon, right? He was the direct superior of the Chief Prosecutor in your department until recently. That person will be my lawyer starting tomorrow.”

“Do you think I’ll be swayed by preferential treatment for former officials?”

I even gave a sly smile and said.

“Just try to pressure me from above. Who knows, some thief might come and leak the contents of this threat to the press.”

***

-Oh, Prosecutor Choi. You’re more resourceful than I thought. I didn’t expect things to progress this quickly.

President Kwon Jae-cheol called like a ghost.

-I guess I have a good eye for people after all.

“I’m grateful if you think so.”

-It looks like things are going well, but is there anything I can do to help?

“Ah, nothing special, but I hope the Blue House [the South Korean equivalent of the White House] will take in Im Seon-mi, who was sexually harassed this time.”

-That’s something I promised a long time ago, so of course, I have to grant it. I’ll bring her in with an official announcement around the time this case is closed, so don’t worry. Anything else?

“Yes, that’s enough.”

-You’re really something, Prosecutor Choi.

He let out a satisfied laugh.

-I think I finally understand why people keep talking about Choi Seo-joon, Choi Seo-joon.

“Thank you.”

-Okay. Let’s have a meal together separately when this is settled.

“Understood. Goodbye.”

-Good work.

Kwon Jae-cheol ended the call with those words.

No sooner had I hung up than another call came in.

The caller was Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-wook.

This doesn’t feel good.

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat and answered the phone.

“Yes, this is Choi Seo-joon.”

-Oh, Prosecutor Choi. Are you busy right now?

“No, please speak.”

-Come to the Chief Prosecutor’s office for a moment. Let’s talk face to face.”

“Understood.”

This doesn’t feel good.

I have a feeling he’s going to try to interfere.

As soon as I entered the Chief Prosecutor’s office, he sat down on the sofa and opened his mouth.

“Prosecutor Choi, you’ve been a bit reckless this time. When people live together, it’s natural for hands and bodies to touch.”

It had only been a few days since I thought I might clash with him, and sure enough, he was picking a fight over this incident.

It seems there’s a connection between Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun and Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-wook that I don’t know about.

He said casually, as if it were nothing.

“How about doing it moderately and pushing it through with a suspension of indictment [a decision to not prosecute, often with conditions]?”

It sounded like a suggestion, but his expression was definitely not a suggestion.

Intimidation.

A chilling sense of pressure came over me, telling me to do as he said.

“If it’s a suspension of indictment…”

“Let’s just pretend it didn’t happen. The Vice Minister would be embarrassed to hold his position from the moment we enter the courtroom, wouldn’t he? Don’t you think?”

He’s trying to completely take control from the start.

Even though he’s in the position of Chief Prosecutor, I want to treat him with respect, but he’s going to be the Chief Prosecutor for at least two years.

If I get caught from the beginning, I’ll be treated like a pushover for the next two years, so I came on strong.

“I’d like to do that if I could…”

I frowned and said sadly.

“But the higher-ups have given me the knife, so I can’t help it.”

“The higher-ups?”

At that moment, Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-wook’s brow twitched.

“Higher than me?”

Instead of answering, I stood up from my seat and bowed my head.

“I’m sorry. I think I have to keep going with this case.”

I could see him gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly, but Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-wook couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.

If it’s someone higher than him, that means it’s one of the few people in the Republic of Korea.

Also, he must know that I wouldn’t say something like this without a basis.

“I’ll be going now.”

I was about to bow to him and leave when.

“Prosecutor Choi.”

Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-wook opened his mouth quietly.

“If you choose the wrong side, you’ll suffer later.”

I smiled and replied.

“A prosecutor shouldn’t be good at choosing sides, but good at handling cases. Isn’t that our duty?”

With those words, I left the Chief Prosecutor’s office.

***

-I am reporting the sexual harassment and molestation I suffered from Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun.

-I was one of the students who took his class when Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun was a university professor. Then one day, a text message arrived from him…

#MeToo. #ViceMinisterParkSeonghyun. #SexualHarassment. #SexualAssault. #MinistryofCultureSportsandTourism. #MCST. #ViceMinisterofMCST.

Two MeToo posts were uploaded on the second day of Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun’s arrest.

Both claimed that they had been sexually harassed and assaulted by Vice Minister Park Seong-hyun when he was a university professor.

The details will have to be investigated, but if he was a university professor as stated in the posts, it is presumed that it was around the time the Choi Eun-jeong sex bribery list was revealed.

These two things drove the wedge in forming public opinion, and the media began to compete to report on the reality of Park Seong-hyun and tear him apart.

It seems that the goddess of fortune is on my side.