The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 68

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places – Episode 68

Intensification (3)

“By the way, it seems like their side is definitely bigger than our side, both in terms of personnel and overall scale.”

Even just looking at the Central District Prosecutor’s Office, the senior prosecutors on their side, led by Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-wook, are much stronger than ours.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Sung Tae-hyun clicked his tongue in disappointment.

“I think it’s because the power struggles are a bit more intense on our side compared to theirs.”

“Power struggles?”

“Yes. Prosecutor Choi, you haven’t been here long enough to know, but Prime Minister Choi Gyu-hyun rose to the center of our line, right? But in fact, until two years ago, the power plays were no joke.”

This was something I hadn’t heard before.

“If our side’s line is called Line 1, then that alliance line is called Line 2. If the former president was Line 1, then the current president, Kwon Jae-cheol, is Line 2.”

Both the former and current presidents were from the same Korea Party, but their factions were apparently different.

“Originally, in Line 1, Prime Minister Choi Gyu-hyun and Heo Il-moon, the leader of the Korea Party, were competing with each other, and neither could take the number one spot. A power needs a leader to be stable, right? But it was an unstable situation where they were constantly competing, so instead of bringing in new people, everyone was busy solidifying their own positions.”

While they were busy securing their own positions, they lost all the key personnel to Line 2.

“Then, in 2017, when Kwon Jae-cheol was elected president, the structure completely flipped. Choi Gyu-hyun rose to the position of Prime Minister and became number one, and Heo Il-moon naturally went down to number two. Only after that did they find stability and start recruiting talent again to grow their size, and that’s when you joined this line, Prosecutor.”

“I see.”

“Of course, the way things turned out might actually be good for us. Heo Il-moon, the leader of the Korea Party, isn’t really leadership material anyway.”

Even if they’re tied together in the same faction, this is still a place where they’ve gathered for their own interests.

I realized anew that a battle for power was inevitable.

What’s certain is that as long as Kwon Jae-cheol remains in office, the power won’t be shaken again.

At that moment, the word ‘impeachment’ loomed in my mind again.

The current president’s approval rating has fallen to the 20% range.

If he were to be impeached, our faction would be thrown into chaos again.

There’s a very high chance that Prime Minister Choi Gyu-hyun would lose power.

Wait a minute, that’s not right.

Choi Gyu-hyun is Kwon Jae-cheol’s man, but strictly speaking, Kwon Jae-cheol is Line 2, and Choi Gyu-hyun is our line.

If he doesn’t get caught up in the impeachment, he could even rise to the position of acting president during the president’s six-month vacancy.

He could actually gain more power then and solidify his position.

If he plays his cards right, he could even go beyond acting president and become a presidential candidate.

There’s no one in the Korea Party who can be called a next-generation presidential contender, so it’s definitely a possibility.

Heo Il-moon, the number one in the Korea Party who competed with Choi Gyu-hyun, is an experienced politician, but you could say he’s not considered presidential material.

It seems like I need to lie low as much as possible and watch the situation more.

While creating a very strong shield to protect myself.

The first step in that process is to prevent Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-wook from taking my position as senior prosecutor.

I have to prevent him from promoting Han Tae-min to the position of senior prosecutor in the special investigations department.

That’s the only way I can survive.

***

“Choi Seo-joon.”

“Han Seung-ho.”

He shook my hand with a slick smile and handed me his business card.

“I’m finally meeting the prosecutor I’ve only seen on TV.”

The business card Han Seung-ho handed me read ‘Team Leader, Strategic Support Team, Hanwool Corporation.’

It was obvious that it wasn’t a team that had been operating before, but a department created specifically for him, the third-generation heir of the conglomerate.

“Please, have a seat.”

“What would you like to drink? Wine? Champagne? Whiskey? Or we also have soju [Korean distilled spirit].”

He was definitely overflowing with the *余裕* [leeway/composure] typical of a *chaebol* [family-owned conglomerate].

It was a completely different feeling from when I met Chairman Lee Cheol-yong, the second-generation *chaebol* of Joo-ok Group.

Unlike the second-generation *chaebols* who grew up before the complete establishment of large corporations, the third-generation *chaebols* grew up in a state where the image of ‘chaebol’ was completely established and stable, so they were overflowing with confidence and spirit.

“Today is a day to celebrate our meeting, so let’s go with champagne.”

“Champagne sounds good.”

He clapped his hands twice to call someone and immediately had the champagne prepared.

After exchanging simple pleasantries as if exploring each other, we immediately got down to business.

“I heard from President Gong Seok-min that you’re going to make 100 times your money back.”

“Ah, that friend of mine is unnecessarily honest, so he told you the truth.”

Han Seung-ho slicked back his hair and nodded emphatically.

“That’s right. Even though it’s Hanwool Group, we have to do at least that much, don’t we?”

“You can’t avoid getting caught if you make 100 times your money back.”

“That’s why I wanted to meet you, Prosecutor.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“Isn’t the way of Korea that even if you get caught, you can easily escape if you gently grease the wheels?”

“You’re quite bold.”

“Of course. Since I was young, all I’ve learned from watching the group’s people is courage. All I have is money and this seemingly reckless spirit.”

I laughed inwardly at those words.

I like it.

A *chaebol* who knows how to properly use what he has.

It might not be bad to join hands with someone like him.

“What exactly do you want? You’re not going to be exposed since you’re working with the police, right?”

“That’s right.”

He winked at me.

“I won’t be exposed at all. But…”

Han Seung-ho leaned his upper body towards me.

“The tricky thing is, Hanwool Investment & Securities can’t avoid being exposed, can it?”

“Huh.”

That’s a very audacious idea.

“Are you saying that you want me to keep Hanwool Investment & Securities alive even after making 100 times your money back?”

He smiled in response to my question instead of answering.

“I’ll give you 3 billion won [approximately $2.2 million USD].”

3 billion won.

That’s a considerable amount of money.

A large sum that ordinary people would never even hold in their hands in their lifetime.

But to me, who knows the scale of the *chaebols*, it just seemed like pocket change.

Above all, I had plenty of money left over from what I received from Chairman Lee Cheol-yong, so I didn’t lose my composure.

“It’s not easy for me to save Hanwool Investment & Securities.”

“That’s why I’m meeting you, Prosecutor, and asking for your help.”

“You’re trying to get away with too much for someone who knows that.”

When I didn’t show any signs of backing down, he raised his hands as if he had lost.

“Okay, I’ll give you 5 billion won [approximately $3.7 million USD].”

I didn’t even scoff.

“Prosecutor, 5 billion won is enough to live on for the rest of your life.”

Han Seung-ho was actually exuding an air of generosity.

I understand that he’s full of confidence, but if he comes out like this, it’s not spirit, it’s recklessness.

“Team Leader.”

I lowered my voice menacingly.

“Who do you think you’re dealing with?”

His eyebrows twitched.

“From the moment Gong Seok-min approached me first, all your cards were already revealed. You’re playing a game with your cards on the table, and you’re trying to give me pocket change and tell me to eat and leave?”

I could see the strength in his hand that was resting on the armrest.

Han Seung-ho was like a *chaebol*.

A very typical *chaebol*.

But he lacked experience because he was young.

It was an amount that ordinary prosecutors or deputy chief prosecutors would have already accepted, but he underestimated me too much.

He chose the wrong opponent.

“To be blunt, I know that not only the company’s money but also Team Leader Han’s personal slush fund will be involved, so are you going to act like that between professionals?”

Han Seung-ho’s cheek twitched. It was the sound of him clenching his teeth.

“I’m Choi Seo-joon.”

“…….”

“If I wanted to, I could completely remove not only Hanwool Investment & Securities but also Han Seung-ho from the *chaebol* succession structure.”

He didn’t get angry.

That fact alone was worth applauding.

Unlike the typical *chaebols* who can’t stand being bothered because they don’t understand the other person and only think about themselves, this guy knows each other’s position.

Han Seung-ho controlled his emotions in a short time and smiled awkwardly.

“Ah, I was too rude to you, Prosecutor.”

“You have to reveal your hand when you have 38 *Gwang땡* [highest hand in Korean card game], but if you reveal it with just *Gu-땡* [low hand in Korean card game], then the *Ttaeng Thief* [someone who steals with a low hand] will run wild, right?”

“I’m sorry.”

He bowed his head, and I crossed my legs widely.

“This is how you have a proper conversation.”

“Perhaps you could tell me what you want, Prosecutor?”

Yes, this is a proper deal.

“I don’t really have big ambitions.”

“In that case…”

“Just give me 100 million won [approximately $74,000 USD].”

“100 million won?”

He leaned forward as if doubting his ears.

“You’re going to make 100 times your money back, right? 100 million won is just pocket change for you right now, isn’t it?”

He must have understood the implications of what I said.

Han Seung-ho couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

Saying it’s 100 million won now, but handing over 10 billion won [approximately $7.4 million USD] that was made through stocks is not an easy task.

But he was aware of the situation. Who has the upper hand in this situation.

If he goes crazy and lashes out because he doesn’t like it, he’s not worth dealing with.

“Hoo.”

He took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay.”

Only then did I twist the corners of my lips.

“This is how you have a conversation.”

“I’m sorry. I think I was playing too small because I have so many people to take care of.”

“I think I’m not even being greedy with this much.”

I was serious.

I still have plenty of money left over from Joo-ok Group, so I asked for the bare minimum.

Even if I refused, I knew that he would somehow find a solution through someone else anyway.

It’s definitely dirty money that someone will take, so wouldn’t it be better for me to take it if possible?

“Then I’ll assume that this is settled, and I’ll deliver it to you when the case is closed.”

“No.”

“Yes?”

Han Seung-ho opened his eyes wide as if he was genuinely surprised.

“How do I know when the case will be closed and wait?”

He bit his lip.

He must have realized that he had been had.

But I had no intention of being lenient with him.

There’s no justice in filth.

“I’ll give you three days. Prepare it within three days and contact me.”

“Wait a minute, Prosecutor. I don’t have that much spare cash right now because I’ve already spent so much preparing for this case.”

“A *chaebol* saying they don’t have money sounds like a pig saying they’re full.”

“Still, 10 billion won is too much.”

“Three days.”

“No…”

He made an unfair expression, but I didn’t respond and got up from my seat.

You have to pay the price for looking down on me and trying to deceive me.

How dare you try to get on top of a prosecutor like me?