The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 134

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 134

Invasion (4)

In an instant, Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil’s eyes blazed with a manic intensity.

Until now, despite several meetings, I’d never been able to truly decipher his gaze, but this time, his raw emotion was unmistakable.

‘Rage.’

He was reacting impulsively, consequences be damned.

You could understand why Song Hyun-sung described him as rabid.

He leaned back into the sofa, a cruel twist contorting his lips.

“I don’t forgive those who screw up under my command.”

Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil chuckled, a sound devoid of warmth.

“If Prosecutor Hong Seok-jang had been under me, he would have been crushed already.”

It was then I realized he was a madman unlike any I had ever encountered.

“Chief Choi has always had an easy ride to the top. It’s time for him to taste some hardship.”

I struggled to maintain my composure, asking, “Chief Kang Joong-sik is dead, so why should I suffer?”

He spoke with chilling conviction.

“Because you killed him.”

There wasn’t a tremor, a hint of jest in Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil’s voice.

No, it was a statement of absolute certainty.

This felt deeply wrong.

He must have laid a trap.

Suddenly, a scene from the future text flashed in my mind.

A hitman.

Could it be that this guy…

Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil, sensing my realization, smiled with unsettling satisfaction.

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

What a complete lunatic.

He’d summoned me to his office simply to gauge my reaction.

There was no time to argue with him here.

I rose from my seat immediately.

Just as I was about to storm out, his voice cut through the air.

“Give it your best shot, but you’re going down anyway.”

He rested his chin on his hand, his gaze fixed on me.

“Make my blood boil like Kim Seok-won did. That’s the only way I’ll be motivated to take down Kim Seok-won.”

“You won’t even get close enough to touch Minister Kim Seok-won’s hair.”

I retorted, my hand on the doorknob.

“Because you’ll fall to me before that happens.”

With those words, I left his office and hurried back to the Special Investigation Department.

***

“I’ll start by outlining the circumstances surrounding Chief Kang Joong-sik’s death.”

As soon as I returned to the office, Yoon Seol-ha began her briefing.

“The official cause of death is suffocation due to cyanide poisoning. Yesterday, an unidentified man requested a meeting at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center and apparently delivered the cyanide to Chief Kang Joong-sik during that meeting.”

“How did he manage to deliver the poison during the meeting?”

“He used the lawyer’s meeting room, not the general visitor’s area.”

“Was he a lawyer, then?”

“No. It seems the man’s identity wasn’t properly verified at all.”

“What does that mean? They allowed a lawyer’s meeting without confirming who he was?”

Yoon Seol-ha frowned.

“The prison guard made a mistake and didn’t check his credentials properly.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Kang Joong-sik had been a figure of intense public interest until recently.

Security around him should have been tighter than ever. I had repeatedly warned them that someone might try to harm him and that no one should be allowed near him.

Even if Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil was behind this, it would have been nearly impossible to get to him without leaving a trace.

“What’s the detention center’s explanation?”

“Well, actually…”

Yoon Seol-ha hesitated, biting her lip.

“The prison guard claims the man said he was sent by the Special Investigation Department.”

What kind of ridiculous story is that?

“Sent by the Special Investigation Department?”

“Of course, it’s almost certainly a lie. I’ve checked with all the prosecutors and staff in the Special Investigation Department, and they all deny sending anyone.”

That’s what I figured.

No one would do something like that.

“But the problem is, the prison guard let him into the meeting room without any suspicion simply because he claimed to be from the Special Investigation Department.”

This is insane.

He should have verified it with me first.

“The information hasn’t been leaked to the media yet, but it’s only a matter of time before it does.”

Damn it.

My bad feeling was becoming a reality.

The hitman from the future text.

It was clear that Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil had used a hitman to kill Chief Kang Joong-sik and was now trying to frame me for the crime.

The meaning behind his cryptic words in his office became chillingly clear.

In the end, the goal wasn’t just the death of Chief Kang Joong-sik, but to corner me?

No, to sacrifice his own right-hand man as a means to destroy me. It’s like Chief Im Seong-jin urging Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo Won-hyung to commit suicide… No, this is a forced killing, so it’s much more severe than Im Seong-jin’s actions.

The bigger problem is that, if you piece it all together, it could easily be argued that I had a motive to kill Chief Kang Joong-sik.

He had broken his silence from the first trial and was spreading rumors about me again.

“Investigator, listen carefully. Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil is setting me up in a dirty game.”

“Yes?”

“The one who killed Chief Kang Joong-sik is a hitman, and Senior Prosecutor Park Jae-pil is the mastermind behind it.”

Yoon Seol-ha’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“And the hitman will probably claim that I hired him.”

“No, what on earth…”

“Yes. It’s hard for me to believe, either. You have to understand that he’s a psychopath beyond the level of a madman. You can’t apply normal logic to his actions.”

Though clearly shaken, Yoon Seol-ha listened intently to my words.

“The killer won’t openly confess or get caught easily. Because if he does that and points to me as the mastermind, he will immediately become a suspect himself.”

“Then we need to prepare as much as possible before that criminal is caught.”

“That’s right. The killer deliberately left traces, so he will be caught within three days at the latest. Then it’s only a matter of time before I’m arrested. I have to prepare all the countermeasures before I’m sent to the detention center.”

“Tell me what I need to do.”

“Yes. First of all…”

***

“Oh, I paid it back with the money Choi Seo-joon gave me, okay?”

Do Hyun-seung, who had been urgently arrested as the murderer, was surprisingly relaxed.

So relaxed that he was almost arrogant.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I met him that day and received the money.”

The detective raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

“Sit up straight.”

Do Hyun-seung feigned adjusting his posture, then immediately slumped back to his original position.

“No, I’m admitting to everything. I did it, and I’m cooperating with the investigation, so why are you treating me like this?”

“Is that what you say after killing someone?”

“The dead are dead, but the living have to live, right?”

Appalled by his attitude, the detective threatened to punch him, finally eliciting a flinch from Do Hyun-seung.

“Oh, why are you doing this? I won’t cooperate if you’re going to be like this.”

Another detective, who had been listening from the side, sat on the desk and spoke.

“Tell me honestly. Why did you kill him?”

“I’ve said it many times that Choi Seo-joon told me to. I was going to commit suicide because I was drowning in debt, but he said he would give me money if I killed him. I was going to die anyway, so I thought I’d have one last thrill.”

“Have you ever met Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon before?”

“Of course. We met and went to good places together. Should I introduce you to the businesses I went to at that time? If you mention my name, you’ll get service…”

“Ugh, you dirty bastard.”

The detective next to him couldn’t stand listening and slapped Do Hyun-seung on the back of the head before getting up from his seat.

The detective who was writing the report shook his head and asked again.

“You’re saying you didn’t know Chief Kang Joong-sik before this, right?”

“Of course, Detective!”

Do Hyun-seung wriggled and leaned back, raising his handcuffed hands over his head.

“To be blunt, would I have killed Kang Joong-sik if I had nothing to do with him? He’s someone I’ve never met. I’m telling you, I killed him on commission.”

“What did you say to Chief Kang Joong-sik when you gave him the cyanide-laced drink?”

“I said it was from Special Investigation Department’s Choi Seo-joon. I told him there would be a piece of paper inside if he drank it, and he swallowed it down like an idiot.”

Detective Na Kyung-ho, who was writing the report, immediately realized that Do Hyun-seung was lying.

He had heard about the strained relationship between Kang Joong-sik and Choi Seo-joon from his close senior, Inspector Jung Hyung-joon.

There was no way Kang Joong-sik would have unknowingly drunk a drink sent by someone he considered more of an enemy than an adversary.

Na Kyung-ho, driven by a strong sense of justice, felt compelled to prevent an innocent person from being framed.

‘I think I should tell Senior Jung Hyung-joon about this?’

***

“How did the meeting go?”

Inspector Jung Hyung-joon asked his junior, Na Kyung-ho, with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“Are they issuing an arrest warrant?”

“Ah, Senior.”

Na Kyung-ho gestured for him to lower his voice and said quietly.

“It looks like they’re going to make an emergency arrest before even requesting an arrest warrant.”

“No, are they really going to make an emergency arrest of a prosecutor?”

“Yes. Choi Seo-joon is a complete jackpot for them. If they arrest him, they’re guaranteed a promotion, so they’re practically salivating at the prospect.”

Na Kyung-ho, who had been reporting the investigation’s progress to Inspector Jung Hyung-joon since Do Hyun-seung’s arrest, told him everything about the current situation without holding back.

“It seems like they’re planning to make an emergency arrest, get some media attention, and manipulate the news cycle.”

“Do they even have enough evidence for an emergency arrest?”

“Yes. There are overlapping cell tower pings at the time the suspect claims they met. It seems like they’re going to use that to justify the emergency arrest and then try to get an arrest warrant.”

“When is the emergency arrest scheduled?”

“Probably after the court’s closing time to prevent him from attending the warrant hearing.”

“Okay, I got it. Thanks.”

“Buy me a drink later.”

“Of course, you got it.”

Jung Hyung-joon patted Na Kyung-ho on the shoulder a few times and left.

Finding a secluded spot, Jung Hyung-joon immediately called Choi Seo-joon.

After four or five rings, he answered.

-Yes, this is Choi Seo-joon.

Inspector Jung Hyung-joon couldn’t help but be surprised by Choi Seo-joon’s voice.

He had told him in detail about the situation, that he was being framed as the mastermind of the murder based on the suspect’s testimony, so he should have been deeply worried, but the voice on the phone sounded surprisingly upbeat.

-Hello?

Jung Hyung-joon quickly responded to Choi Seo-joon’s voice, who seemed to think the call was breaking up.

“Ah, this is Inspector Jung Hyung-joon. I’m calling because I have some information to tell you about the suspect’s statement in the Kang Joong-sik murder case.”

-Yes, please tell me.

“Looking at the current situation, it seems there’s a high probability they’ll make an emergency arrest before even requesting an arrest warrant.”

-Did any new evidence surface?

“Yes. Like the suspect said, I checked the communication records and found that your phone pinged the same cell towers several times, so the higher-ups are seriously considering whether to make an emergency arrest or formally request a warrant.”

-Well, that’s about it… I understand for now. Is there anything else?

“Yes. There’s nothing else…”

Inspector Jung Hyung-joon couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked.

“Did you find anything? You seem to have regained your energy in your voice…”

Choi Seo-joon replied without hesitation.

-Yes. I found something.

He could feel the confidence radiating from his tone.

-I finally saw it when I took the time to think it through.

In Inspector Jung Hyung-joon’s mind, he pictured Choi Seo-joon confidently smirking.

He had a feeling that, even though he didn’t know who the real mastermind behind this incident was, Choi Seo-joon would emerge victorious from this battle.