The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 218

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places – 218

Firewood (7)

“Say it again.”

The atmosphere in the office turned icy.

“Chief Secretary Kim Hak-min reportedly attended the No. 2 line meeting yesterday.”

Bear Jeong Seung-min, the Chief Secretary, squeezed his eyes shut as he spoke.

As expected, Choi Gyu-hyun swept everything off his desk in a fit of rage.

“That son of a bitch.”

His voice was beyond cold; it was filled with murderous intent.

If Chief Secretary Kim Hak-min had been in front of him, Choi Gyu-hyun would have strangled him to death.

“Are you sure he’s sided with Choi Seo-jun?”

At his question, Bear swallowed hard and replied,

“Yes. Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun personally brought him into the line.”

Choi Gyu-hyun’s fist clenched tightly, his fingernails digging into his flesh.

His arm was even trembling.

‘If Chief Kim went, he wouldn’t have gone empty-handed.’

Evidence of his corruption.

It had fallen into Choi Seo-jun’s hands.

Otherwise, there was no way he would have accepted Chief Kim.

And Choi Seo-jun would never waste that evidence.

It had only been three months since he became president.

But if a corruption scandal broke out already, his term would be a thorny path.

Even if it didn’t lead to impeachment, his power would undoubtedly wane.

Moreover, if Choi Seo-jun exposed such incidents, his position would become even more secure.

In this situation, there was only one thing he could hope for.

‘Choi Seo-jun has to expose the case himself.’

That way, he could use the investigation as an excuse to strip him of his prosecutor title when his term ended in two years.

Since the source of the information was Chief Kim, Choi Gyu-hyun’s power would be enough to make it happen.

However, if Choi Seo-jun used his own people to expose the case, it would become a headache.

He would take the hit, but Choi Seo-jun could survive by cutting off his own limbs [sacrificing some allies or taking a minor loss to protect himself].

Of course, Choi Seo-jun’s personality wouldn’t allow that, but he was unpredictable.

He couldn’t be easily predicted.

The biggest problem was something else.

What if Choi Seo-jun was even thinking of entering politics?

Then the story would change.

If he resigned from his position as prosecutor after exposing this incident and entered politics, appealing to his unique image of integrity, Choi Gyu-hyun could become a toothless tiger [powerless], and Choi Seo-jun could become an influential member of the National Assembly or mayor trusted by the people.

In the end, the only thing he could hope for was that Choi Seo-jun would expose the case himself but not enter politics.

Choi Gyu-hyun was so dumbfounded that he let out a hollow laugh.

‘I’m hoping for my own corruption to be exposed.’

Things had gotten seriously twisted.

Choi Gyu-hyun grabbed a headache pill as his head throbbed.

But then.

Vibration.

Jeong Seung-min’s phone vibrated urgently.

Just as Choi Gyu-hyun, who was already on edge, was about to get annoyed.

“Mr. President, I think you should check the TV.”

“What?”

Jeong Seung-min picked up the remote with a pale face.

And as the screen turned on, a black silhouette came into their view.

-As a result, I was kicked out of the Western District Prosecutor’s Office and fled to the Central District Prosecutor’s Office.

Although it was only a distorted voice and a shadow, Jeong Seung-min and Choi Gyu-hyun, who were watching, could sense the identity of the person hiding behind the silhouette.

-I thought I should report this case, but I hesitated for a long time because of the threats coming from all directions. But then, our Chief Prosecutor helped me make up my mind.

He paused for a moment and then spoke with strength in his voice.

-I will bet my entire career as a prosecutor… no, my entire life, to expose and reveal the corruption of those at the very top of South Korea, which has been a hot topic of controversy these days.

At the same time, the screen stopped and subtitles appeared.

-Documentary: A Prosecutor’s Tears (3-Part Series)

The program’s preview ended with the time clearly specified as 11 PM this Saturday.

A moment of silence followed, and Jeong Seung-min carefully opened his mouth as he turned off the TV.

“It seems to be Seong Jin-hyun. He received information from Choi Seo-jun…”

Choi Gyu-hyun knew it even without Bear saying it.

And he also knew that his position would be in great danger if things continued like this.

Choi Gyu-hyun sighed deeply and raised his head.

“Chief Jeong.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Stop it. Stop it by any means possible.”

“Understood.”

Bear Jeong Seung-min fled the office as if running away.

Choi Gyu-hyun gritted his teeth.

This wouldn’t do.

If he stayed still, he would be torn to pieces.

In the end, he made up his mind and picked up his phone to call someone.

“Hey, it’s me. Let’s meet tonight.”

***

“Is this really going to be okay?”

Watching the trailer on TV, Yoon Seol-ha couldn’t hide her worried expression.

“Will Choi Gyu-hyun move as expected…”

“If it’s Choi Gyu-hyun, he will. No, he has no choice.”

He is a man who chases power with his eyes wide open.

A man who cannot tolerate the power in his hands being shaken.

He is also a person who has climbed to the top after enduring more than 20 years in this field.

Choi Gyu-hyun knows very well how much impact a documentary program like this can have in this day and age.

If this content is broadcast, it is only a matter of time before a fire spreads and burns fiercely among the people.

Choi Gyu-hyun would put all his efforts into extinguishing this firewood before it catches fire.

That’s what I was hoping for when I released this trailer.

“Let’s have a cup of tea and relax.”

“Yes.”

Not long after Yoon Seol-ha and I sat facing each other on the sofa and started enjoying a leisurely tea time, my phone vibrated.

As expected, the caller was Choi Gyu-hyun.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

Yoon Seol-ha asked cautiously, but I smiled.

“It’s not cool to answer right away.”

I swirled my coffee cup around and pressed the call button just before the call was about to end.

Then, I opened my mouth in a very gentle and soft voice.

“Yes, Mr. President.”

-Hey, it’s me. Let’s meet tonight.

His voice was calm, but I could tell how urgent he was from his tone.

He didn’t want to show it, but he seemed to be under so much psychological pressure that he couldn’t help it.

I barely held back a snort of laughter.

Of course, I couldn’t give him what he wanted.

“Well, I have a prior engagement tonight…”

-Then when are you available?

“I think I’ll be available in about five years, after the regime changes. Oh, will the regime change before then? The people know very well that there is a good system called impeachment these days.”

I teased him gently, but Choi Gyu-hyun gritted his teeth and replied.

-I’ll go to you. Didn’t you say your new house is in Seongbuk-dong?

“Mr. President, it’s been a while since I moved to Hannam-dong… Aren’t you too uninterested in me? I’m going to be upset.”

I could see him holding back his anger on the other side of the phone.

“Are you listening?”

-……I’ll go to Hannam-dong at 6 PM.

“Oh, the prosecutor’s office closes at 6 PM, so that time will be difficult. Let’s meet at 7 PM. I’ll let Bear… Oops, my mistake. I’ll let Chief Secretary Jeong Seung-min know the location.”

With those words, I hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

Yoon Seol-ha’s eyes widened to the point where she couldn’t even close her mouth in surprise.

She seemed shocked that I was treating the current president, who had just taken office with immense power, in this way.

I winked at her.

“It went as I expected, right?”

***

Since I had made an appointment with Choi Gyu-hyun at 7 PM, I arrived exactly on time at 8 PM.

“You’re early.”

His face was already filled with anger.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I had to eat dinner at home. I didn’t think I could eat if I saw someone’s face…”

I sat down leisurely in a chair and asked him.

“Oh, you’re not angry that I’m late, are you? Your eyebrows seem to be raised…”

Choi Gyu-hyun took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

“Let’s get straight to the point without dragging it out. You and I don’t like beating around the bush, do we?”

“Do I?”

I raised my eyebrows innocently.

“I’m a master of euphemistic language… Oh, I guess that rumor didn’t reach the Blue House [South Korean presidential residence].”

I barely managed to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out as I watched Choi Gyu-hyun’s lips twitch.

He clasped his hands together and leaned towards me.

“Chief Kim must have taken a lot of things with him.”

“Oh, yes. He did.”

I nodded repeatedly.

“Chief Secretary Kim Hak-min brought a bundle of gifts… Oh, I thought it was my birthday.”

Choi Gyu-hyun said firmly as if he wouldn’t stop me anymore.

“You and I both know that we’ll get hurt if we mess with each other, right?”

“Is that so?”

I crossed my legs leisurely.

“I want to experiment to see if I’ll actually get hurt or not…”

I was about to provoke him one more time.

“But I don’t like dangerous things.”

I held back.

If I scratched him any more, Choi Gyu-hyun looked like he would collapse from high blood pressure.

“Let’s not mess with each other.”

Choi Gyu-hyun said with glaring eyes.

“Five years. Let’s not touch each other throughout my presidential term. I won’t stop Chief Prosecutor Choi from getting promoted, so don’t poke around. It would be nice if we both finished the five years in a good mood, right?”

A peace treaty.

I never thought I would hear such a thing from Choi Gyu-hyun.

I readily nodded.

“Let’s do that.”

I know that if time passes and his weaknesses are covered up, he will stab me in the back again.

This man is more than capable of doing that.

It’s a fight between whether Choi Gyu-hyun will destroy the corruption evidence that Chief Kim stole first, or whether I can first create an incident that will gain such strong support that I can’t be suppressed by the power of the executive branch.

Time will be the key.

Of course, the ultimate winner will be me.

Choi Gyu-hyun and I shook hands, hiding our true intentions under our masks, dreaming different dreams.

“As expected, Chief Prosecutor Choi is easy to talk to.”

“Please take care of me, Mr. President.”

***

On the way home after finishing the meeting with Choi Gyu-hyun.

I received a call from Song Jae-hoon.

“Yes, this is Choi Seo-jun.”

-I just had a drink with the director and talked about it, and it was exactly as you said, Chief Prosecutor.

He sounded excited from his voice.

“Did he tell you not to broadcast it?”

-Yes. So, I got the authority to oversee this winter’s reorganization on the condition that I erase the documentary tapes.

“That’s great. Congratulations.”

-It’s all thanks to you, Chief Prosecutor.

He continued with a satisfied expression.

-But I really didn’t expect this kind of reaction to come out just from broadcasting the trailer without even filming the documentary.

“The thief is the first to feel guilty [a guilty conscience needs no accuser].”

I also burst out laughing heartily.

Fake.

The trailer for the documentary that Choi Gyu-hyun was so anxious about was literally fake.

We only filmed the trailer, but we didn’t even film the main episode… No, we didn’t even plan to film it.

From the beginning, my goal was to make a temporary peace agreement with Choi Gyu-hyun using the evidence that Chief Secretary Kim Hak-min brought.

And it was perfectly realized.

Song Jae-hoon also benefited in the process.

Everything is going according to plan.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

-Get some rest.

Since I’ve put off the boss named Choi Gyu-hyun, now I just need to get rid of the remnants.

I ended the call with Song Jae-hoon and immediately called Prosecutor Seong Jin-hyun.

-Yes, Chief Prosecutor.

“Please send me the list of spies you identified when you brought Chief Secretary Kim Hak-min yesterday.”

-Understood.

Now it’s time to execute the spies.