The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 146

A Prosecutor’s Success! – 147

The Connecting Link (2)

“Hello, Prosecutor!”

The man extended both arms, grabbed my hand, and bowed respectfully.

“It’s been a while, Inspector.”

“Have you been well?”

Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong smiled warmly and guided me to a seat inside.

“Of course. How have you been, Inspector?”

“I’ve been doing well too. Thanks to catching the Chief Prosecutor last year, my performance is through the roof, so I’m quite relaxed this year.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“This place has good sake, so I had it prepared in advance. Is that alright with you?”

“Of course.”

Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong signaled to someone outside, and they immediately set up the prepared table with drinks.

While the drinks were being brought in, he carefully examined my face and asked.

“By the way, you have dark circles under your eyes. Is it alright for you to drink?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’m a newlywed these days…”

“Ah, I forgot. Hahaha!”

I made an excuse about being a newlywed and moved on, but the truth was that I had been very busy meeting people these past few days, which had made me quite tired.

Ousting Prosecutor General Seo Gi-ung and Seoul Mayor Na Gyeong-jun wasn’t so urgent that every moment mattered, but since I had to deal with two big shots, I had to move in advance to prepare properly.

Today was the fifth day in a row that I hadn’t rested and had been drinking.

That’s how much preparation I needed.

Even a slight mistake would not only damage my personal image, but also, since the fact that Han Ji-yu and I were married had become known, any problem, even a small one, would inevitably affect Han Ji-yu.

I wanted to be a husband who helped her, not one who caused her trouble.

That’s why I had to create an even more perfect plan.

After exchanging simple greetings, we went straight to the main topic.

“Inspector Jeong, are you still in the Narcotics Division?”

“Yes, that’s right. It seems this job suits me well.”

“Then, do you happen to have any close friends or connections in the Investigation Division?”

“We have about four Investigation Divisions in our station, and there’s one where a really close classmate of mine is the team leader.”

Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong’s eyes twinkled as he asked.

“Is there something you need me to do?”

“There’s something I want to ask, but it’s so dangerous if it leaks out…”

“Don’t worry, tell me.”

He thumped his chest and continued.

“This Hyeong-jun Jeong will do anything for you, Prosecutor.”

“Then I’ll trust you and tell you.”

I leaned towards him and began to speak.

“I’m planning to conduct an entrapment investigation.”

“An entrapment investigation? Are we talking about opportunity-provision type? Or crime-inducing type?” [Opportunity-provision entrapment involves providing someone already inclined to commit a crime with the means to do so. Crime-inducing entrapment involves persuading someone who wouldn’t otherwise commit a crime to do so.]

“Crime-inducing type.”

Crime-inducing type.

In short, it means instigating someone who has no intention of committing a crime to commit one.

An entrapment investigation that is considered more malicious than the opportunity-provision type, which helps someone who already has criminal intent to commit a crime.

It is illegal in South Korea, but a crime isn’t a crime if you don’t get caught.

After hearing my answer, Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong stroked his chin and nodded.

“I guess this isn’t an ordinary case.”

“That’s right.”

He began to think seriously.

However, Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong ended his deliberation by pouring a glass of sake into his mouth.

“If it’s you, Prosecutor, I can trust you and go along.”

“Of course. If any problems arise, I promise to help you until the end.”

This is why you can trust me.

Those who are with me are protected to the end, so you can grab my hand and move without worry.

I continued the story again.

“You need to set a trap together with your friend from the Investigation Division, not just by yourself, Inspector Jeong.”

“Could you tell me specifically what kind of case it is?”

I took a deep breath and began to explain the picture I had drawn.

“A huge amount of donations will fall into an orphanage.”

“An orphanage?”

“Yes. And they will want to remodel the old building there. At that time, I want you, Inspector, to connect them with a construction company and induce them to do shoddy construction.”

“Only to the construction company?”

“No. The orphanage’s operations team leader and the construction company must both know. And the operations team leader must report the shoddy construction to the orphanage director without them knowing.”

Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong nodded as if he understood and asked back.

“In short, you’re using shoddy construction to take down the orphanage director.”

“That’s right.”

“Should I control things between the two of them?”

“Yes. I’ll give you plenty of funds.”

“If the funds are sufficient, there’s no problem. I think they’ll welcome it too.”

“That’s a relief.”

I winked and added.

“I’ll take care of you generously too, Inspector, so don’t worry.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Don’t mention that. Aren’t we operating on a relationship of trust?”

Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong joked, then suddenly tilted his head and asked.

“Ah, can I ask why you asked about the Investigation Division?”

“What I want is to make sure that the fact that you, Inspector, are involved in the middle is not revealed. If your identity is revealed during the process, you could be in danger, right? So, I was wondering if we could create a situation where you and your friend from the Investigation Division are conducting entrapment investigations for the sake of performance, like an exchange of favors.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong’s eyes began to shine brightly as if he was moved.

“I never thought you would care about me this much, Prosecutor…”

He looked at me with sparkling eyes, so moved that he couldn’t even continue speaking.

In fact, it was to completely eliminate the risk factors because there was a risk that the fact that Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong and I were related would be revealed, but he seemed to have misunderstood my intentions.

There’s no need to tell the truth.

As I gave an awkward smile, Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong clenched his fist resolutely and said.

“I’ll proceed as you said. The friend in the Investigation Division is crazy about money, so it won’t be difficult to sway him.”

“I’ll prepare enough so that money isn’t a problem, so please proceed that way. Of course, it’s best if you, Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong, don’t come to the surface as much as possible.”

“I will. Thank you.”

I filled his glass with sake and immediately raised my glass.

“Shall we have a toast?”

“Yes!”

Inspector Hyeong-jun Jeong put his hands together, clinked glasses with me, turned his body, and drank coolly.

I also smiled lightly and poured the sake into my mouth.

After the clean scent of sake filled my mouth, I lightly picked up a snack and began to talk about the plan I had made in earnest.

“First of all, the list of those who officially donated to the orphanage will be released in a few days. Until then, make contact with the construction company in advance…”

***

“It has been confirmed that all four of them are in the Criminal Division.”

Prosecutor Ha-yeong Jang identified the list of prosecutors who donated to Somangwon much faster than expected.

“All of them are junior prosecutors, with two of them about to be promoted to Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and two of them have reached their term limit and have to leave the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office this year.”

“Then the list is…”

She immediately handed me a document with the profiles of the four people.

I quickly scanned through it, but all of them were prosecutors whose faces and names I didn’t recognize.

“These guys, they don’t have any separate backers, do they?”

“That’s right. So they tried to get into Prosecutor General Seo Gi-ung’s good graces somehow, but it seems to have backfired.”

They must have been trying to do anything they could, but thanks to that, I ended up being harmed as well.

I wanted to go and say something, but I had to endure it because it would reveal my weaknesses.

“Ah, for reference, all four of them are scheduled to be transferred to the provinces in the next personnel reshuffle.”

“How did you find that out?”

Prosecutor Ha-yeong Jang smiled brightly and replied.

“It’s a trade secret.”

Huh.

Yun Seol-ha recommended her, and there was a reason.

Same, same.

As I let out a hollow laugh, she opened her mouth again.

“For reference, I haven’t been able to find out about the Chief’s next personnel reshuffle. Rather than me not being able to find out, it seems that Prosecutor General Seo Gi-ung hasn’t decided what to do yet.”

That was inevitable.

Even if he was the Prosecutor General, he had seen High Prosecutor Park Jae-pil get crushed not long ago, so he wouldn’t be able to attack me recklessly.

However, the fact that he would keep me in check did not change, so I had to continue to move according to the plan.

“Are there any additional instructions?”

“Does Prosecutor Jang have any connections in other departments?”

“I’m sorry, but other than the Special Investigation Department, it’s all training institute classmates.”

“That’s understandable.”

I put my elbows on the table with my hands clasped together.

“Then, do you have any intention of cultivating connections?”

Prosecutor Ha-yeong Jang lightly raised the corners of her lips.

“If the Chief wants it, I can create them right away.”

“That’s the most welcome sound I’ve heard.”

I chuckled and continued.

“I need about 20 junior prosecutors who are greedy for promotion and incompetent among the people in other departments besides the major departments.”

Prosecutor Ha-yeong Jang immediately understood and her eyes flashed.

“Guys to use as bait, I see.”

“That’s right. Those guys will be gathering in groups of three or five. I want you to become friends with those groups and make them into one gathering.”

“Yes.”

“Then, naturally, a leader-like guy will emerge. I want you to subtly hint to that friend that donating to Somangwon will get them into Prosecutor General Seo Gi-ung’s eyes.”

Those who are greedy but incompetent.

They wouldn’t know this information themselves, so they would be very excited and their eyes would be wide with anticipation when they first heard it.

“Of course, that leader guy must be tight-lipped. You have to make sure that the fact that Prosecutor Jang leaked this source doesn’t leak out. Because that leader will be responsible for these 20 people later.”

“Yes.”

“If any problems arise and that friend tries to reveal that he is related to Prosecutor Jang, I will coax him to take responsibility alone and take care of him separately, so you should know that in advance.”

“I will proceed so that the Chief doesn’t have to step in.”

“Yes, that’s the best.”

I nodded lightly and continued.

“But some of them are incompetent, so their pockets will definitely not be full. I’ll give you plenty of money through Prosecutor Jang, so you have to make sure that those guys can each donate at least 5,000 or more.”

“I understand.”

“For now, know this much… It’s not urgent, but since it’s not a small number, it’s best to proceed quickly.”

“Yes. I will proceed within a month.”

“Good.”

It was a mission perfectly optimized for Prosecutor Ha-yeong Jang.

She is tough, cool, and above all, she is a woman, so it is easy for her to befriend other prosecutors.

She found out about this case of four people much faster than expected compared to what I expected from other prosecutors, so it is no exaggeration to say that she is specialized in this field.

In the old days, it was called using feminine wiles.

Everything from planning to fitting together without difficulty, it seems that I will be able to proceed with this work very easily this time.

It won’t be long before I see the embarrassment on Prosecutor General Seo Gi-ung’s face.