The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 242

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 242

Karma (6)

After finishing my conversation with Seong Tae-hyun, I approached Representative Park Hyeong-tae.

Currently, he is a key figure in the MinGuk Party and serves as its leader.

“It’s been a while, Representative Park.”

“Indeed. How have you been?”

“Great, of course.”

I answered with a light smile.

“Thanks to the Representative’s great assistance with the recent candlelight vigils and impeachment, things worked out well. Thank you.”

“Oh, what did I do?”

He waved his hand.

“It’s all thanks to the people rising up. I just added a spoon to the pot [meaning he only made a small contribution].”

“Your modesty is excessive.”

“Not at all. Prosecutor Choi, weren’t you the one who actually prepared the bomb and lit the fuse?”

“Hahaha, I’m grateful that you say so.”

We spent quite some time exchanging pleasantries and compliments before naturally moving on to the main topic.

“By the way, shall we discuss in detail the agenda I mentioned last time?”

I walked with him towards the window.

“Are you talking about the bill we need to pass?”

“That’s right. It must be passed before the presidential election. Ideally, I’d like it processed within this month… Is that possible?”

“Anything for Prosecutor Choi. Who created this opportunity for the presidential election, after all?”

Representative Park Hyeong-tae smiled warmly.

“The MinGuk Party’s approval ratings are soaring right now. There are plenty of people who would even pretend to die if you asked them to.”

He confidently thumped his chest, as if telling me to trust him.

“Tell me what kind of bill it is.”

“Representative.”

I stopped in my tracks, looked at Representative Park Hyeong-tae, and said seriously,

“I want to become the Prosecutor General.”

He immediately understood my intention and twisted his lips with confidence.

“So, we just need to relax the requirements for Prosecutor General.”

“That’s right.”

“Okay. The Speaker of the National Assembly is also from the MinGuk Party, so revising the law won’t be difficult.”

“Yes. What I want is to revise the law, but to handle it in a way that isn’t disclosed to the public.”

“That won’t be a simple matter.”

Representative Park Hyeong-tae slowly nodded and asked,

“Exactly how do you want it revised?”

“Currently, Article 12, Paragraph 2 of the Public Prosecutor’s Office Act states that the Prosecutor General is appointed by the President after deliberation by the State Council, from among those who have dedicated themselves to the legal profession for at least 15 years while holding positions such as judge, prosecutor, or lawyer.”

“That’s right.”

“I will be 13 years short this year. I’m 2 years short.”

“Do you mean to reduce the years of experience?”

“No. That would be too obvious…”

I twisted my lips into a smirk.

“Please include the period at the Judicial Research and Training Institute [a postgraduate program for aspiring judges, prosecutors, and lawyers in South Korea] as well.”

Currently, the law school system has disappeared, but most of the current prosecutors who hold power are graduates of the judicial examination and have gone through the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

Therefore, this law would not only benefit me, so the public wouldn’t see it as a law specifically for me.

Other prosecutors wouldn’t oppose it either, as it would help them advance in their careers.

Rather, they would think it’s a good law to keep the new recruits from law school in check.

“Should we include not only the Prosecutor General position but also other positions?”

“Yes. That way, we can divert attention a little more.”

Of course, other politicians would see it as a mere cover-up, but it’s enough as long as it doesn’t create public animosity.

Representative Park Hyeong-tae asked cautiously.

“Still, the DaeHan Party won’t just sit still.”

If the bill to revise the Public Prosecutor’s Office Act as I want is brought to the National Assembly, there is a high probability that the DaeHan Party will try to interfere.

Due to this impeachment case, Choi Seo-jun himself has become almost sanctified and cannot be easily touched.

However, if Seong Tae-hyun is elected and I rise to the position of Prosecutor General, they know that anyone who has ever tried to check me in the DaeHan Party will be retaliated against.

But the bill itself is different.

They can come up with excuses that they are not passing the bill to enhance the dignity, identity, and credibility of the position of Prosecutor General, rather than targeting Choi Seo-jun.

Moreover, since the MinGuk Party is trying to revise the bill to make me the Prosecutor General, they cannot mention my name.

In other words, the DaeHan Party can check me without touching Choi Seo-jun in front of the public.

“Yes. The problem is that if the DaeHan Party decides to delay it, they can drag it out for at least 480 days.”

Even if this agenda is brought to the National Assembly tomorrow, 480 days means that even after Seong Tae-hyun is elected president, I will not be appointed as Prosecutor General for more than a year.

My term as the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office ends at the end of December this year.

If this agenda is not passed before the presidential election, I will have to move to the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office or the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

Even if the bill is passed after filling 480 days after that, I will not have completed a year in my new position.

But if I get promoted right away, it will look like Seong Tae-hyun is openly taking care of his family in the eyes of the public.

Then, I would have to complete at least one more year at the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office or the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office after the bill is passed, which would eventually make it 14.5 years.

It’s meaningless to pass the bill while arguing with the DaeHan Party in this way just to bring it forward by 6 months.

I’d rather just complete 15 years at the next workplace.

“That’s why I’m asking you for this favor, Representative. So that the agenda can be processed before this presidential election ends.”

Representative Park Hyeong-tae hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Anyway, some bills will be processed through the fast track [a procedure to expedite the passage of bills in the National Assembly] because of this impeachment.”

“In that case…”

“Yes. I’ll designate that bill as a fast track and push it forward. That way, the DaeHan Party won’t be able to check it as they please.”

Fast track.

To put it nicely, it’s a way to quickly process bills that have been stalled and adrift in the National Assembly, but to put it badly, it’s a system that allows bills to be railroaded through.

“Isn’t the period insufficient even with the fast track?”

“That’s the problem. We’re a bit short on the number of seats to pass it within the period Prosecutor Choi wants. We need to bring in a few members from the DaeHan Party…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that.”

“Do you have a way?”

“Wasn’t the first thing Ha Tae-won did when he became the acting president to reinstate me for no reason?”

Representative Park Tae-hyung nodded.

“I see.”

“Please, Representative, take control of all the MinGuk Party members.”

“Okay. I’ll try to contact the ManSe Party as well.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure it passes.”

***

“The bill?”

Ha Tae-won carefully stroked his chin and looked up at me sharply.

“Hearing that, it seems like you’re confident that you’ll definitely be able to become the Prosecutor General after this presidential election.”

“I wonder.”

I smiled lightly.

“Won’t the next president decide whether or not I become the Prosecutor General?”

As Ha Tae-won is being considered as a candidate for the next presidential election in the DaeHan Party, he was not easy to deal with.

“In my opinion, Prosecutor Choi, you seem to think that who will be the president has already been decided.”

He buried himself in the sofa as if he was displeased.

“It seems certain that your brother-in-law from the MinGuk Party will be running in the presidential election… There’s no way you’d support me, who isn’t family.”

In fact, I had no intention of hiding it from the beginning before coming here.

So I proudly straightened my shoulders.

“Did it show?”

“If I didn’t know that and was doing politics, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”

“But I guess you haven’t thought about why I came here.”

Acting Prime Minister Ha Tae-won frowned.

“Do you think you can make a deal with someone preparing for the presidential election to give up the presidency?”

“Would I have come here if I didn’t?”

I twisted my lips into a smirk.

“The presidential election isn’t just this one time. Prime Minister Ha… no, Acting President, you’re only in your early 50s. You’re still young as a politician.”

He snorted.

“So you’re saying give up this presidential election and try to please them and aim for the next one?”

I answered without hesitation.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ha Tae-won got up from his seat as if he was displeased.

“There’s nothing more to talk about. Go back.”

However, I was still buried in the sofa and said,

“Acting President, put your hand on your chest and think about it. Who will win this presidential election?”

He couldn’t take a step.

“What are the odds of you winning? 10%? 20%?”

I arrogantly crossed my legs.

“In my opinion, it’s 0%. Zero.”

“……”

Ha Tae-won closed his mouth tightly.

Because he knew it too.

Unlike the two-party system in the United States, it is almost impossible for a president to come from a party to which a president who has not completed his term and has stepped down belongs in Korea.

As evidence, after President Kwon Jae-cheol of the DaeHan Party was impeached, Kyung Dong-soo of the MinGuk Party started with overwhelming support from the beginning of the election.

Moreover, Seong Tae-hyun will gain tremendous public sentiment just by being my brother-in-law.

There’s no way a person running for president wouldn’t be able to make these calculations.

As expected, Ha Tae-won turned back to me.

“What are you proposing to me?”

“Aim for the next presidential election.”

“……”

“Even if you run in this presidential election, you’ll be crushed by the difference in votes and miss the next presidential election opportunity. Wouldn’t it be better to join forces and become president next time?”

I continued to persuade him.

“It’s funny to say this now, but Choi Gyu-hyun also held back after President Kwon Jae-cheol was impeached. And he gave Kyung Dong-soo a term and took the position of the 22nd president.”

Ha Tae-won took a deep breath and said.

“There’s no guarantee that I’ll have another chance.”

He didn’t rise to the position of Prime Minister with as much power as Choi Gyu-hyun, but only rose to his current position as his right-hand man.

In this situation where Choi Gyu-hyun has stepped down, in terms of personal power, he is not even in the position of the number one person in the DaeHan Party.

“The leader of the DaeHan Party is the problem, right?”

He nodded silently.

“Nominate that person as a presidential candidate.”

“……Don’t you know the relationship between Assemblyman Kim and me?”

An antagonistic relationship that would have broken down long ago if it hadn’t been for Choi Gyu-hyun.

“I know. That’s why I’m telling you to push it forward.”

I twisted my lips roughly.

“I’ll completely destroy him.”

At that moment, his Adam’s apple fluttered.

“If Assemblyman Kim Jeong-sik is destroyed, wouldn’t the Acting President be able to take the position of the key figure in the DaeHan Party?”

If he loses in the presidential election, he knows better than I do how he will be treated in the party.

Ha Tae-won’s head started spinning rapidly.

After a moment of silence, he asked in a determined voice as if he had made up his mind.

“What do I have to do?”

***

Early November.

With the help of Ha Tae-won, I brought in members of the DaeHan Party, and together with the members of the MinGuk Party, I succeeded in gathering more than 3/5 of the total National Assembly members.

While the public’s attention was focused on who would be the new president, the revised bill of the Public Prosecutor’s Office Act, which was processed through the fast track, was passed in an instant.

I have now met the conditions to be appointed as Prosecutor General when the year changes.

So now all that’s left is the presidential election.

Just two months.

In just two months, I’ll be the Prosecutor General.