The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 108

Prosecutor’s Success – Episode 108

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“So Hyung-seop.”

In the dimly lit interrogation room.

I was face-to-face with So Hyung-seop, the suspect in the serial murder case of women, alone in the room.

“You know me, right?”

He glanced at my face once.

“Yes.”

He answered very nonchalantly.

Without making eye contact, he crossed his legs in a slouching manner and swayed back and forth.

I heard that he had been acting like this when questioned by other prosecutors and investigators, and it was incredibly rude.

*How dare a mere criminal act tough in front of a prosecutor?*

“Uncross your legs.”

He looked up at my face again, scoffed, and put his feet on the table.

Meaning, *go f*** yourself*.

*How dare this bastard treat a prosecutor like me with such disrespect.*

I slammed his ankle on the table hard with my fist.

Thump!

“Agh!”

His leg hit the table, and a loud noise echoed.

“You son of a b****!”

So Hyung-seop spat out profanities and glared at me.

“Human rights! I’m going to report you to the Human Rights Commission!”

“Human rights?”

“I have human rights too!”

“What human rights are you talking about for a criminal like you?”

I scoffed and kicked the chair he was sitting on.

Thump, thump!

He fell headfirst to the floor.

“Damn it! Does being a prosecutor mean you can do anything?”

“Being a prosecutor means I can do anything.”

I put my hands in my pockets and looked down at him.

“Being a prosecutor in South Korea means living with all the privileges you could never have. You’re not even on the same level as lowlifes like you.”

As I raised my foot again, he flinched in surprise.

He trembled and squeezed his eyes shut.

His previous bravado was gone, and he couldn’t even speak anymore.

*This proves it.*

This guy isn’t the killer.

It doesn’t make sense that a serial killer who killed six people would be so scared in this situation that he couldn’t even speak.

I squatted next to him and grabbed him by the collar.

“So Hyung-seop.”

He avoided my gaze.

“Tell me the truth.”

I grabbed his cheeks and forced him to make eye contact with me.

“You’re not the culprit, are you?”

“…Huh?”

He seemed flustered, and his pupils shook.

This is So Hyung-seop, who had confessed to all the crimes without batting an eye.

Even if he had been hit a few times just now, there’s no way he would be this scared so quickly.

In short, he’s been caught.

“You need to think carefully. If you go in here, it’s at least life imprisonment. If things go wrong, it’s the death penalty.”

I squeezed his cheeks tightly with the strength of my grip.

“How much are you getting paid? Just tell me. If you tell me the truth, I’ll give you three times what you received.”

His gaze flickered at the mention of three times the amount.

Bingo.

It was because of the money.

I released my grip and straightened the chair, then sat him down.

Then, I sat on the table, looked down at him again, and said.

“How much is it, 300 million? 400 million?” [Korean Won, roughly $225,000 – $300,000 USD]

I twisted the corners of my lips.

“Just tell me. I have a lot of money.”

His eyeballs darted around quickly.

He’s starting to use his head.

The fact that he’s calculating means there’s a high possibility that he’ll come over if you give him money.

Three times the amount might be enough to get him to switch sides, but there’s no sweeter poison than giving him confidence as he hesitates.

“If you tell me right now, five times the amount.”

Gulp.

So Hyung-seop unconsciously swallowed.

“A, are you serious?”

“If I leave here, the negotiation is over.”

I got off the table and took a step towards the door.

“Are you going to live a free life with five times the money, or are you going to rot in prison for the rest of your life with what you’ve already received?”

“…….”

There was no room for hesitation.

No, it would be strange to hesitate.

To urge him to choose, I moved my steps back to the door.

“I’m leaving.”

The moment I turned the doorknob of the interrogation room.

“F, five hundred million!”

His urgent voice was heard.

“I received 500 million won.”

As expected.

I let go of the doorknob I had turned and returned to the table.

“It’s such a wonderful world. With 500 million won, you can even transform into a serial killer.”

I leaned my body against the table and brought my gaze close to his face.

“Did Kang Joong-sik order you to do it, or did the police order you to do it?”

“G, Kang Joong-sik?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t know who that is, but I had a deal with Inspector Kim Byung-tae…”

His eyes showed sincerity.

I don’t know if the Viper is involved in hiring the actor and is hiding his appearance, or if the police hired the actor on their own.

However, this is enough to screw over Kang Joong-sik.

So Hyung-seop sighed deeply and told his story in detail.

“I lost so much money in illegal Toto [a type of sports betting], and I had a lot of private loan debts, so I was originally going to commit suicide, but Inspector Kim Byung-tae suddenly came to me because I had a previous conviction for robbery…”

However, I wasn’t curious about his circumstances, and I didn’t want to hear them, so I immediately cut him off.

“I’m not curious about that. Now, we only need to talk about your innocence, not the serial murder case of women.”

He carefully raised his head.

“P, Prosecutor. Then the money…”

I wrinkled my nose and answered.

“Five times 500 million is 2.5 billion, right?” [Korean Won, roughly $1.875 million USD]

His eyes sparkled.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“1 billion won in advance payment, and 1.5 billion won additional payment after the job is done. How about it?” [Roughly $750,000 USD and $1.125 million USD respectively]

So Hyung-seop nodded repeatedly.

“Okay. Then…”

I twisted the corners of my lips.

“Let’s write a new statement.”

***

“500 million won?” [Roughly $375,000 USD]

“Yeah. Those crazy bastards. They poured 500 million won to create an actor to solve this case.” [Roughly $375,000 USD]

“Heo…”

Prosecutor Jang Ha-young and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Doo-hyung couldn’t hide their surprised expressions.

“So, everything was fabricated?”

“That’s right.”

I added, looking at them with a hollow laugh.

“The media was constantly badgering them and making a fuss, so they took a desperate measure to get rid of it quickly. Or maybe the Viper set up a trap to lure me in.”

Prosecutor Jang Ha-young’s eyes twinkled as she asked me.

“How did you get him to confess, Chief?”

I shrugged my shoulders and answered.

“He confessed right away when I said I’d give him five times the amount.”

“Five times the amount?”

“Yeah. I made a deal for 1 billion won in advance payment and 1.5 billion won payment after the case was solved, and I immediately wrote the statement.” [Roughly $750,000 USD and $1.125 million USD respectively]

Rather, the two prosecutors’ eyes widened at the mention of five times the amount.

“Five times the amount is 2.5 billion won…” [Roughly $1.875 million USD]

“How are you going to pay that?”

It’s money that ordinary prosecutors would have a hard time even seeing in their lifetime.

So, they can’t help but be surprised.

“Do you think I’m going to give that much money to a criminal?”

I smirked.

“I can’t give even a penny to someone like that.”

“But you’ve already written the statement…”

Instead of answering, I just smiled with my eyes.

In reality, 1 billion won had already been deposited into So Hyung-seop’s account. [Roughly $750,000 USD]

As I told the two prosecutors, I had no intention of giving him this money willingly.

I had set up a device to recover it, and the money actually used wasn’t my money.

If the truth about the money is revealed during the recovery process, the fact that I have more than 1 billion won could be a problem. [Roughly $750,000 USD]

That’s why you need to have something to rely on.

All that’s left is to give the Viper and the police a taste of their own medicine.

“The money-related issues are not something you need to worry about, so let’s move on.”

I turned my neck and flashed my eyes.

“Request warrants for all those involved in the case and prepare a press conference.”

“Understood.”

***

As it was the first press conference on the serial murder case of women, many reporters flocked to it.

It had been more than half a month since it was sent to the prosecution, but there was no progress, let alone indictment, so everyone couldn’t help but be curious.

“Hello, I am Choi Seo-joon, Chief Prosecutor of the Special Investigation Department of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. I have prepared this press conference to inform you of the results of the prosecution’s investigation into the progress of the case.”

I had a feeling that I was wearing a brighter expression than usual.

That’s how much pleasure I was already feeling from the fact that I was going to give the Viper a taste of his own medicine.

The current time is exactly 3:01 PM.

I entered the press conference after hearing from Deputy Chief Lee Doo-hyung a little while ago that everything was proceeding without a hitch.

“The Special Investigation Department has requested a warrant from the court as of 3 PM.”

“A warrant?”

A reporter raised his hand and asked.

“Isn’t the culprit already in custody?”

“No. It’s not for the culprit, but for the police.”

In an instant, the press conference hall was filled with murmurs.

I explained in a confident voice.

“As a result of the investigation into this case, it has been revealed that the culprit arrested by the police was not the real culprit, but a fake culprit who acted as a murderer for money.”

As soon as I finished speaking, flashes burst out with a pop.

In addition, there were reporters typing on their laptops and even reporters hurriedly making phone calls and leaving.

The briefing was unexpected, and the venue became a mess.

It couldn’t be helped.

The media pressured them to handle it quickly, but the result they brought was not the punishment of the culprit, but the announcement that he was not the real culprit.

The moment I said this fact at the press conference, it became a game of chicken.

Either the police collapse, or I collapse.

Of course, it’s a game that I can’t help but win.

“The culprit testified that he received a false confession in exchange for 500 million won in cash, and according to our investigation, Inspector Kim Mo in the police ordered all of this. However, the prosecution believes that a single police officer cannot carry out such manipulation, so we will conduct additional investigations. Accordingly, So Hyung-seop, who was a suspect in the serial murder case of women, will be indicted on charges of obstruction of official duties…” [Korean Won, roughly $375,000 USD]

Obstruction of official duties.

This was one of the charges that could be brought against him.

Perjury is not established because it has not yet gone to court, and concealment of a criminal is not established because the real criminal is not known.

Of course, charges related to breach of trust will be added in the middle because of the fact that he received 500 million won, but it is better to only mention obstruction of official duties at the press conference to further fuel the controversy. [Korean Won, roughly $375,000 USD]

“As a result of our investigation while proceeding with the case…”

I only told some of what I knew.

It is certain that the Viper is involved, but I can’t talk about it because it’s only a suspicion, and due to his nature, his true identity will not be revealed no matter how much the police investigate.

Instead, I naturally continued to speak, implying that I would destroy all the police who were his hands and feet.

“We are appalled by the fact that the old-fashioned practice of creating criminals with money still remains, and we will do our best to ensure that all the police officers involved in this case are found guilty so that this never happens again. And above all, we would like to bow our heads and apologize to the bereaved families of the serial murder case of women.”

This was sincere.

It was really like driving a nail into the hearts of the victims’ families twice.

It was no exaggeration to say that the bereaved families who heard this fact were furious.

Therefore, I conveyed words of comfort to the bereaved families and soon finished the press conference without dragging it out for too long.

“We will do our best to catch the ‘real culprit’ in the serial murder case of women as soon as possible.”

I bowed my head and left the press conference hall.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Yoon Seol-ha approached me and continued to speak.

“Feedback came from the court right away, and it will be difficult to arrest all the police officers for whom warrants were requested, but arrest warrants are expected to be issued today for Inspector Kim Byung-tae and a few others who appear to be highly involved.”

“That’s good.”

I couldn’t help but feel lighthearted.

“How are you going to proceed with the next schedule?”

Immediately, a person came to my mind.

“There’s someone I need to meet.”

I smiled at Yoon Seol-ha, who was tilting her head, and answered.

“I need to go tell the Viper that I’ve become immune to his venom.”