The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 206

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 206

Even if the sky falls and there’s no way out (1)

My mind is reeling.

Suicide.

There’s absolutely no way Jang Young-soon would commit suicide.

To be precise, she didn’t commit suicide; she was made to commit suicide.

A murder disguised as suicide.

I pressed hard on my temples, barely holding onto my sanity.

“What about the suicide note?”

“It’s been found.”

She looked at her tablet PC and began to read Jang Young-soon’s suicide note.

“I apologize for causing trouble to so many people. In fact, the press conference I held this time was to divert public attention in an attempt to avoid the consequences of my actions. As I said during the first press conference, I was not asked by anyone, nor did I offer any bribes. I would like to use this suicide note to apologize to candidate Choi Gyu-hyun and prosecutor Choi Seo-joon. And I know that I have committed an unforgivable sin against the countless people who have suffered financial losses because of me. So, I will take all of this with me. I am truly sorry. April 15, 2025. Jang Young-soon.”

“Huh…”

A burst of laughter escaped me, dumbfounded.

“This is an absurd suicide note.”

“Yes. It’s all over the internet news, and the comments are going crazy.”

“What about the handwriting analysis?”

“The police are investigating, but after checking with someone involved, they expect there won’t be any issues with the handwriting.”

It seems they hired someone who could even imitate her handwriting.

With enough money, you can find people like that, so it’s not a difficult task.

However, thanks to the increased awareness of the public, not many people will 100% believe her suicide.

From the beginning, the phrase ‘made to commit suicide’ was coined and reported in the media.

Moreover, Jang Young-soon was about to accuse Choi Gyu-hyun and Choi Seo-joon, people known to everyone in South Korea—the privileged class with power. Therefore, the opinion that she was killed to silence her will seem plausible enough.

But the biggest problem here is that Choi Gyu-hyun killed Jang Young-soon and then ‘revealed’ that fact to the world.

Choi Gyu-hyun has the ability to make Jang Young-soon disappear without a trace.

He could bury her in an unknown place or cover her in cement and sink her into the sea. There are countless ways to do it.

So, there’s no way he wouldn’t know these methods.

Yet, despite that, he risked being harmed himself, disguised Jang Young-soon’s death as a suicide, and made sure someone would find her.

In short, he’s playing a chicken game with me.

Choi Gyu-hyun and I will undoubtedly be pointed out by the public as the masterminds behind Jang Young-soon’s death.

Of course, as a prosecutor, I’ll have the worst possible image.

Suspicion of taking bribes and killing the informant to cover it up.

It’s only a matter of time before trust plummets to the ground.

It’s not just me. Choi Gyu-hyun is the same.

His approval ratings will drop significantly because of it. Unlike the previous drops in approval ratings, this is a situation where he will undoubtedly suffer a huge blow.

But the fact that he dared to do this means that his strategy and analysis team must have been confident that he could still be elected president even if this news broke.

Unlike me, who has the image of a clean prosecutor, he is clearly a politician, so there are many people who blindly believe in the party, and he will inevitably be somewhat glorified due to the influence of the so-called concrete base [a term for staunch, unwavering supporters] who give him absolute support.

And if he eventually gets elected?

Then Choi Gyu-hyun will be able to restore his image by using the title of president in any way possible.

But in the meantime, prosecutor Choi Seo-joon, who has already lost trust, will be in a very easy state for Choi Gyu-hyun to get rid of.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I’ll become prey.

In the end, I’m the only one who gets screwed.

In short, it seems like he started this game to get rid of me.

Even if his approval ratings drop, as long as he gets elected, he can get rid of me.

From his point of view, it’s a case of sacrificing a plum tree to save a peach tree [a Korean idiom meaning to make a small sacrifice for a larger gain], giving up flesh to take bones.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have started such a big game.

Yoon Seol-ha cautiously asked.

“How should we proceed?”

“We have to follow Choi Gyu-hyun’s game for now.”

If I claim that Choi Gyu-hyun ordered Jang Young-soon’s death without securing any evidence here, I’ll be the one cornered.

Fortunately, Choi Gyu-hyun even insisted on my innocence while fabricating the suicide note to make it plausible.

I have to use that.

“As we initially stated that we would reveal everything through investigation, it is truly unfortunate that my innocence has been proven in this way. However, as Jang Young-soon stated in her suicide note, I have nothing to be ashamed of. Additionally, release a statement with the nuance of wishing the deceased rest in peace.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Seol-ha nodded and left the chief’s office.

I was left alone in the office, but my head was still so complicated that I was 정신이 없을 정도 [out of my mind].

Think slowly. If I move too hastily, things will only get more twisted.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

First of all, there is one fortunate thing about this incident.

The USB video that Jang Young-soon recorded will not be released to the public.

If Choi Gyu-hyun is determined and hires an expert, he could edit the video that Jang Young-soon took for the press conference, piecing it together with only content about me and release it, but the moment he does that, the public will harbor suspicion that Choi Gyu-hyun killed Jang Young-soon.

He wouldn’t want to take such a risk.

He probably not only destroyed it immediately after obtaining it but also permanently deleted the original copy from Jang Young-soon’s hideout.

So, the threat of the fact that she received money from Jang Young-soon has disappeared, so exclude that.

Now, the problem is how to overcome the collapsed public opinion and escape from Choi Gyu-hyun’s clutches.

It’s difficult to solve either of them easily, but they’ve overlapped at once, so I can’t think of a solution at all.

Originally, I was going to talk to Kyung Dong-soo today and bring up the issue of North Korea policy to draw public attention away from Jang Young-soon and towards the presidential election, but that has become impossible.

If this happens, I have to change my plan.

A brilliant move that can overcome all of this. I have to come up with it.

My head started throbbing again.

I have to keep my 정신 똑바로 차려야 한다 [keep my wits about me].

If the sky falls and there’s no way out, I have to survive by pioneering a way out myself.

***

“The situation doesn’t seem good.”

My conversation with Kyung Dong-soo, whom I met after a long time, was bound to be dark.

Of course, I didn’t deny his words either.

“Yes, it doesn’t seem very good.”

He cautiously asked.

“Perhaps Jang Young-soon’s death is…”

“Choi Gyu-hyun.”

I spoke without realizing it, and my emotions were stirred.

“That crazy bastard killed her to silence her. He even disguised it as a very obvious suicide.”

“Won’t the police investigation conclude that it was an actual suicide?”

“That’s right. Choi Gyu-hyun would have handled it thoroughly. He’ll probably talk to the police separately as well.”

“Then, won’t it eventually quiet down as time passes?”

“That time is the problem.”

I opened my mouth with a frustrated heart.

“I’m sure I can recover if I’m given time, but Choi Gyu-hyun won’t give me time. It’s obvious that I’ll be helpless if he touches me right after he’s elected president.”

“Well, that guy is dirty enough to do that.”

Kyung Dong-soo slowly nodded.

“It seems like the president’s authority is too powerful.”

“Yes.”

I sighed deeply and continued.

“If I could just become a chief prosecutor, I could somehow compete with the Choi Gyu-hyun regime…”

At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.

Wait a minute.

At the same time, the future text, chief prosecutor, and public opinion that had been floating around in my head.

These three words were connected to one point.

That’s it!

Was that what the video that the future text showed me meant?

I got goosebumps all over my arms without realizing it.

I lost the first game to Choi Gyu-hyun, but I might be able to win the second game.

It seems like Kyung Dong-soo will be the key to this situation.

“Haha.”

A light laugh burst out, and the corners of my mouth curled up on their own.

“Mr. President.”

“Yes?”

Kyung Dong-soo tilted his head, wondering if my sudden change in attitude was strange.

“Can I ask you for a favor?”

“What kind of favor?”

“Please promise to grant it first.”

“Even though I’m still the president, I don’t have much power left because it’s the end of my term.”

When he showed hesitation, I said firmly.

“From the time you were a candidate to your election and as you fulfilled your term as president, I, Choi Seo-joon, have been the one who solved your problems. Moreover, I was the one who handled the Mirs Aviation incident, which you faced a major crisis in, so that you could finish your term as president.”

A brief silence flowed.

But Kyung Dong-soo was still not answering.

I didn’t want to drag it out any longer, so I opened my mouth first.

“I’ll take silence as a yes.”

Then I said directly.

“Appoint me as chief prosecutor before your term ends.”

“Appoint you as chief prosecutor…? Is that what you mean?”

He couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

“Yes. Choi Gyu-hyun can’t stop the appointment of a chief prosecutor until the presidential election, can he? Once the appointment is over, he won’t be able to touch me easily even if he’s elected.”

At my words, he pressed the bridge of his nose and fell into deep thought.

Promoting a senior prosecutor to a deputy prosecutor is different from appointing a chief prosecutor.

So, he has no choice but to 고민할 수밖에 없겠지 [have no choice but to contemplate it].

But he nodded as if he had made up his mind.

“Okay. Let’s just say it’s the last gift I’m giving as president.”

Kyung Dong-soo immediately added a word.

“However, there are two conditions.”

“Tell me.”

“The current state of the media and public opinion is not good. But in this situation, it’s difficult for me to push for the appointment of a chief prosecutor, even if it’s the end of my term.”

He has to restore public opinion so that no one can complain even if he appoints me as chief prosecutor.

“Understood. What’s the second one?”

“The current Seoul Central District Prosecutor is someone who has a certain relationship with me. Of course, he’ll have to step down when the regime changes, but he hasn’t even completed a year of his term yet.”

“So, you’re telling me to go to another district prosecutor’s office?”

“That’s right. Choi Gyu-hyun will try to get rid of you as soon as he’s elected, so I think it wouldn’t be bad for you to lie low in the provinces and then build up your strength and come back.”

To me, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office is a place with a special meaning.

If I go to the provinces, I may not be able to return.

Above all, the moment I distance myself from Sung Tae-hyun, the next prosecutor general may be out of the question.

But his words made sense, so I didn’t deny them outright.

That’s something to consider later.

“I’ll think about that.”

“Yes, then…”

Kyung Dong-soo slowly nodded.

“If you meet those two conditions I mentioned, I’ll appoint you as chief prosecutor right away.”

A vacant chief prosecutor and the restoration of public opinion.

He’s saying that if I achieve those two things, he’ll do as I wish.

The moment I heard those words, a smile broke out on my face again.