The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 107

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 107

Checks (3)

-Serial Murders of Women, Transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office… Will They Really Avenge the Victims’ Grudges?

-The serial murders of women have been transferred to the Special Investigation Department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. The Special Investigation Department, led by Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun, previously handled the Judge case a few years ago, proving their ability to deal with serial murder cases. They have now been assigned to this serial murder case of women. The suspect, who is accused of raping and murdering six women, is said to be very malicious and shows no remorse. ……(Omission)……. The only way to avenge the victims is to punish the suspect according to due process. A severe sentence for the suspect is urgently needed. We hope that the prosecutor’s office will quickly sentence the perpetrator to prison and offer sincere condolences to the victims’ families.

-Reporter Choi Yun-kyung of True Media

“It seems we need to resolve this quickly, as the outcry from the victims’ families is significant.”

Yoon Seol-ha continued, with a worried expression.

“Once the media starts attacking one by one, it will quickly spread to public opinion…”

She spread out the materials on the serial murder case of women and said,

“The suspect has confessed, and the police say the evidence is solid. Should we proceed with the Public Prosecution Department?”

“Hmm…”

Something felt uneasy.

Clearly, the evidence is solid, and the circumstances are perfect.

The case and the evidence fit together too perfectly.

That’s what made it even more unsettling.

It’s suspicious that they couldn’t even identify the suspect while six victims were occurring, but suddenly they arrested the perpetrator.

And most of all, what bothered me was the True Media article that just appeared on the portal site.

“Investigator.”

“Yes?”

“Which place published the article first when the Viper [a criminal organization] crushed three departments of the Western District Prosecutor’s Office last time?”

He thought for a moment and then replied.

“It was True Media.”

Yoon Seol-ha spoke cautiously, as if she knew what I was thinking.

“I understand your concerns, Chief, but I think you’re being too sensitive.”

“That’s right.”

Even if I joined hands with Reporter Park Su-hyung, not every article published by WK Ilbo is related to me.

“But I don’t know why this case keeps bothering me.”

If True Media releases articles like this, those in charge of the case will inevitably feel anxious.

The longer it takes, the more likely they are to be criticized for being incompetent, saying, ‘The police have set the table, but the prosecutors can’t even eat the prepared meal properly.’

To make matters worse, when I took on this case, I even said that I would solve it faster than the Public Security Department, so if it took even a little longer, Chief Prosecutor Seo Ki-woong might be disappointed.

That’s why I didn’t like this situation even more.

Being fast and quick is good, but it shouldn’t be rushed.

And what kept bothering me was that Chief Kang Joong-shik of the Viper had been emphasizing from the meeting that he could solve the case quickly if he took it on.

It felt like all the surrounding circumstances were telling me to solve this case quickly.

I had a feeling that if I rushed, I would somehow get caught up in the Viper’s scheme.

I don’t know if he set a trap or if I’m just overreacting, but there are times when you have to knock on a stone bridge before crossing it [meaning to be cautious].

Kim Seok-won may have gained all sorts of advantages by becoming the Minister of Justice, but that’s why he shouldn’t act recklessly.

The moment you stumble, everything you’ve built up collapses in an instant.

In fact, I had repeatedly promised in the conference room that I could handle it quickly, but this time, I decided that it was better to go safely, even if it meant suffering some disgrace.

“Investigator, there’s a saying that you should take the detour when you’re in a hurry.”

Yoon Seol-ha followed my opinion because it was a decision I made after much deliberation.

After all, I was the final decision-maker.

“Then, instead of proceeding with the Public Prosecution Department simultaneously, should we conduct additional investigations on our end?”

“Yes, please do that. I can’t shake off this uneasiness this time.”

“Yes. Then I will add additional manpower to further investigate the credibility of the evidence and circumstantial data, confirm that it is the real culprit, and then inform the Public Prosecution Department that we have decided to hand it over.”

“Thank you.”

She smiled brightly and got up from her seat.

“I will proceed meticulously so that there is no room for uneasiness.”

“Yes.”

***

-Serial Murders of Women, Is the Prosecutor’s Investigation Facing Difficulties?

-It has already been ten days since the serial murder case of women was transferred to the prosecutor’s office, but the prosecutor’s office has not announced any significant progress in the investigation. The victims’ families are waiting for the perpetrator to be brought to justice as soon as possible, but the Special Investigation Department, which took over this case, seems to be still struggling to find its way. ……(Omission)……. There are also opinions that it is expected what kind of results Choi Seo-jun, who is called a star prosecutor, will bring as he is exceptionally taking charge of the investigation as the chief prosecutor. However, unlike the way he has been confidently proceeding and resolving cases so far, many citizens are expressing concerns that things might go wrong, as he is facing difficulties in the investigation. Some are saying that evidence has been lost, and many citizens are feeling frustrated with the prosecutor’s investigation. The Special Investigation Department and Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun are expected to announce the details of the case as soon as possible to alleviate the concerns of the bereaved families.

-Reporter Park Hae-yoon of Fact Punch

“This is flowing differently than expected?”

Chief Prosecutor Chae Jong-min, who was reading the newspaper article, expressed his displeasure.

“Rather, they’re proceeding even more slowly.”

Chief prosecutors belonging to Line 2 [a political faction], who were gathered in a secret hotel room, couldn’t hide their displeased expressions.

Articles criticizing Choi Seo-jun and the Special Investigation Department are coming out in the media, but they seem dissatisfied with that.

“Given Choi Seo-jun’s style, it’s normal for him to get angry and finish it off quickly…”

“It seems like Choi Seo-jun, that bastard, has noticed something…”

“Then aren’t we in danger too?”

Chief Kang Joong-shik of the Public Security Department, who had been listening quietly, frowned deeply and opened his mouth.

“That won’t happen.”

He said firmly and explained.

“Even if Choi Seo-jun finds out, he can’t prove that we are involved. At best, it’s all circumstantial evidence.”

“That’s true, but if we mess this up, it’s just helping Choi Seo-jun get the spotlight.”

The atmosphere sank again at Chief Chae Jong-min’s words.

However, Chief Kang Joong-shik shook his head as if it were nothing.

“Don’t worry. Choi Seo-jun won’t be able to move recklessly.”

“Why, is there some kind of device?”

“Even if he knows that I set a trap for him, he won’t know whether I initially worked with the police and used actors [referring to people pretending to be the culprit], or whether I realized in the middle that they were using actors and took advantage of it.”

He spoke comfortably because he had already finished calculating.

“In the latter case, the police officers will be cut off one by one without knowing why. Would Choi Seo-jun want to see such a terrible sight?”

Chief Kang Joong-shik spoke confidently, but Chief Prosecutor Chae Jong-min tilted his head.

“Choi Seo-jun is capable enough to do that…”

“Attack those who he doesn’t even know tried to frame him?”

“Well, it’s clear that there’s a problem.”

“Surely, he wouldn’t do that?”

Opinions were divided on this matter, but Chief Kang Joong-shik was confident that Choi Seo-jun would not harm the police.

That’s why he initially worked with the police to create the scenario and told them to use actors.

“Let’s watch and see. Whether he touches them or not.”

A confident smile hung on Chief Kang Joong-shik’s lips.

***

“Therefore, the suspect has even confessed that he committed the serial murder case of women. The credibility is presumed to be quite high, but…”

Deputy Chief Lee Doo-hyung continued the briefing on the case, then spoke with a troubled expression.

“Everything matches the circumstantial evidence, but there’s one thing that’s bothering me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the case that happened in Bupyeong, the third case. The suspect claims that he committed the murder, but his car was captured on traffic CCTV in Busan at the time the incident occurred.”

“Did he drive it himself?”

“The image quality is not good, so the person in the driver’s seat is not visible, but as a result of the National Tax Service’s confirmation, there is a record of him using his credit card in Busan at that time.”

“This information didn’t come from the police, did it?”

“That’s right. All of this was confirmed by our side, and it’s a fact that only insiders know. We haven’t told the suspect either.”

“Is that so?”

I called Yoon Seol-ha, who was sitting on one side.

“Seol-ha, did you find anything unusual while examining the suspect’s bank statements?”

“There were no unusual items in the bank statements.”

“Did you check the loan details?”

“He had quite a bit of private loan debt, but he paid it all off a week before he was arrested.”

“What about the source of the money?”

“The suspect himself said that he earned the money by winning in illegal sports Toto [a form of gambling], but the site has been shut down, so it cannot be verified.”

“Bring me the loan details.”

The moment I checked the suspect’s loan details that Yoon Seol-ha handed over, I had a hunch.

“I don’t think this guy is the real culprit?”

Everyone’s eyes were on me.

“I’m sure. They used an actor.”

“An actor?”

Prosecutor Jang Ha-young asked, widening her eyes.

“Perhaps, like in the movies…”

“Yes. I’m talking about getting paid to go to jail instead. This suspect paid off all of his and his parents’ private loan debts a week before he was arrested.”

It was the moment when suspicion turned into certainty.

“How can you pay off nearly 300 million won [approximately $250,000 USD] in debt with just one Toto win? It’s 100 percent.”

Now the puzzle pieces in my head fit together.

Viper, that bastard. He tried to speed up the case because he thought I would miss this.

If I had not conducted a proper investigation due to the pressure to resolve it quickly and handed it over to the Public Prosecution Department, I would not have been able to catch even these minor details.

He must have been trying to do that by making a fuss in the conference room and using True Media to write such articles.

If I had fallen for their scheme, the police would have reinvestigated and announced that the current suspect was not the real culprit, humiliating me and at the same time trying to frame Choi Seo-jun’s image as a ‘shameless person who framed an innocent person as a serial killer in order to build up his achievements.’

The picture is clearly drawn in my head.

Even though they were trying to target me, they were trying to use an actor to play around with a case that has garnered so much public attention.

This is an incident that cannot be tolerated as a citizen of the Republic of Korea, beyond just being a human being named Choi Seo-jun.

Frankly speaking, in the current situation, it is not clear whether the Viper used an actor to catch me, or whether the Viper realized that the police were using an actor and took advantage of it.

If we purely consider the possibilities, the latter. The police were being torn apart by the media, so they used an actor, and the Viper happened to find out about this and took advantage of it, but that doesn’t matter.

The fact that they gave me an excuse to fall into a trap, whether it was related to the Viper or not, was very displeasing.

I will destroy them all. Without exception.

I covered the data as it was and said to the prosecutors in the conference room.

“Prepare to issue warrants for all the police officers who investigated and arrested this case… no, all the police officers involved in the case. These crazy bastards will only come to their senses if they eat prison food.”

I got up from my seat and continued.

“I’m going to meet the suspect in person and settle this. Prepare perfectly so that you can execute the order immediately. Prosecutor Jang Ha-young, meet those loan sharks, track the money, and check the source of funds. It probably won’t come out, but still find out.”

“Understood.”

I left the conference room, leaving the prosecutors behind.

Viper, that bastard, dares to dig a trap?

I’ll show you what happens if you mess with me.