The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 255

“Are you alright?”

I nodded and leaned back against the car seat.

“We’ll be departing now.”

After driving for a while and getting onto the road, my emotions slowly began to subside.

“Hoo.”

I watched the streetlights passing by outside the window and slowly closed my eyes.

If Min Hyung-taek isn’t a fool, he’ll accept my proposal.

The announcement of the city where the new city construction will be decided is in July of this year.

Since the Summer Olympics are next summer, it’s impossible for Min Hyung-taek to stab me in the back.

The Mayor of Goyang will naturally follow my proposal.

Unless someone intervenes and twists the situation, it will proceed as planned without any major issues.

Even if information leaks and someone else tries to shake things up, the proposals received by the Mayor of Goyang and the Governor of Gyeonggi Province are too sweet for them to easily give in.

However, the problem lies elsewhere.

When I slowly opened my eyes, my angry face was reflected in the window.

It’s an undeniable fact that my emotions have been getting much more easily agitated lately compared to before.

Of course, the situation is making it unavoidable.

If I allow these guys to look down on me in this situation where I’ve been pushed back by Seong Tae-hyun, my authority will soon decline, and I’ll lose power.

No, the problem is that these stupid guys are even trying to climb up in the first place.

I need to slowly reclaim it.

My authority.

And my power.

That’s how I’ll truly be able to stand at the pinnacle of South Korea.

***

I returned home late and turned on the TV, and the confirmation hearing for Minister of Justice nominee Park Chang-sik, which had taken place during the day, was being replayed.

Tomorrow is the last day of the confirmation hearing.

It goes without saying, but everyone has secrets they’d rather keep hidden [literally, ‘no one doesn’t have dust when shaken’].

The same goes for Minister Park Chang-sik.

However, it proceeded within a line that politicians didn’t see as exceeding the threshold, so they didn’t put up much of a fuss about his appointment as minister.

It’s not about verifying his character and past mistakes on behalf of the people, but simply a kind of show where politicians grant each other legitimacy.

That’s the current state of affairs.

In reality, unless a major incident occurs or a problem arises that becomes a big issue for the public, it’s true that appointments are made according to the President’s wishes.

Therefore, Park Chang-sik will also be heading to the Ministry of Justice next week with the title of Minister.

I swirled the whiskey in my glass and slowly pondered.

Now that he’s risen to the position of Minister of Justice, his self-esteem must be soaring sky-high.

In reality, it’s a higher position than the Prosecutor General.

Therefore, I shouldn’t move after the land speculation surfaces.

I need to meet him in advance, build at least a minimal level of familiarity, and then go into action.

However, the problem is that there’s no point of contact with Minister Park Chang-sik at all.

He’s not affiliated with our line [political faction], and he’s certainly not attached to the Daehan Party.

He’s not from the same Korea University as me either.

Although he didn’t take the elite course, he became Minister of Justice because he had a long-standing personal relationship with Seong Tae-hyun.

But I have no intention of giving up.

If there’s no point of contact, I can create one.

I picked up my phone and called someone.

-Oh, who is this?

He answered the phone with a welcoming voice.

Judging by his high tension, he seemed to be having a drink.

“I apologize for calling so late. Minister, are you free tomorrow?”

-I’m always happy to see you. When should we meet?

“I’ll visit your residence in the evening.”

-Alright. See you tomorrow.

***

A watch worth 10 million won [approximately $7,500 USD].

And the finest wine with gold flakes.

I held both of them securely in my hands and went to the house of former Minister Kim Seok-won.

When I rang the doorbell of the detached house with a large yard, I heard the housekeeper’s question.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Choi Seo-joon. I spoke with the Minister beforehand.”

Soon, the gate opened, and it was Kim Seok-won, not the housekeeper, who came out.

“Oh, Chief Prosecutor Choi is here?”

“It’s been a while, Minister.”

“Hey, when was I ever a minister? I’m just an old man in the back room now.”

He laughed heartily and looked at the shopping bags in my hands, asking.

“What did you bring so much for?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much.”

Kim Seok-won glanced inside the shopping bag and burst into laughter.

“It doesn’t look like ordinary stuff to me?”

“No, I just picked it up on the way.”

He chuckled and took the shopping bags from me, then led me to the terrace.

“It’s still chilly, but the weather has warmed up enough that it’s not cold. Let’s have a drink on the terrace.”

“Yes.”

I followed Kim Seok-won and took a seat on the terrace.

But as soon as he sat down, he picked up his phone and made a call.

“Hey, Chang-sik.”

As soon as I heard his first words, I couldn’t help but be startled.

I hadn’t even said anything yet.

“Can you come to my house right now?”

In the short time it took for the housekeeper to bring snacks to the terrace, he finished the call.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

He hung up the phone and said to me.

“He said it’ll take about an hour or two.”

“…How did you know?”

“I can tell who you’re going to call just by looking at your eyes.”

Even if he’s a toothless tiger, a tiger is still a tiger.

Kim Seok-won nonchalantly said to the housekeeper as if it were nothing surprising.

“Bring wine glasses instead of soju glasses.”

I waved my hand.

“No, Minister. Please drink that with an important guest later. Soju [Korean distilled spirit] is enough for me.”

He gazed at me intently and smiled warmly.

“You are a precious and valuable guest to me.”

He came in without even signaling.

“As expected, you know how to handle people, Minister.”

“Really? Hahaha!”

“But I really want soju today.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I had a glass of wine yesterday.”

“Then there’s no helping it.”

In the end, we tilted soju glasses according to my wishes.

After drinking a few glasses like that.

Kim Seok-won, who was slowly getting tipsy, stared at me intently.

“Seo-joon.”

“Yes, Minister.”

He opened his mouth in a serious voice.

“This is the last time I’m helping you.”

He still had a smile on his face, but a bitter expression flashed across one side of his face.

No, was he resigned?

“I want to completely withdraw from politics now.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

He wrinkled his nose and said.

“If you like only one person too much, other people get jealous.”

I could tell it was an excuse as soon as I heard it.

Even if that were true, Kim Seok-won wasn’t the kind of person to be mindful of anyone else.

There must be another reason.

But I couldn’t ask about it.

The other party was Kim Seok-won.

“…Is that so?”

“I’m going to watch my grandchildren and live comfortably.”

I slowly nodded.

“I’m going to go to the countryside. It’ll probably be Yeongju. I want to live leisurely while growing apples.”

“I see.”

Kim Seok-won filled my glass and continued.

“Seo-joon.”

“Yes, Minister.”

“As you’ve felt through this incident, the only person you can trust is yourself.”

I clenched my teeth.

“Don’t even trust your own blood relatives. No matter how loyal they are, don’t trust them 100%. Leave at least 1% of room, even if it’s your wife.”

“……”

Silence weighed heavily.

As I emptied my glass without saying a word, he opened his mouth again.

“I heard you met Assemblyman Park Hyung-tae recently?”

He must be talking about the incident where I met him by chance thanks to Shin Yong-ho.

It’s been several years since he retired, but information is still coming in.

To Kim Seok-won’s extent, he wouldn’t want to know, but it would naturally flow into his ears.

“I heard there was a big commotion.”

“That’s right.”

“You did well.”

His answer was unexpected.

“Endure when you need to, but when you flip the table, do it like you’re going to kill them. That way, they won’t mess with you.”

He filled my glass again.

“That’s how it is in this world. You have to show that you can bite if you get angry, so they can’t easily attack you. Sometimes that’s more effective.”

“Yes.”

“Especially for prosecutors. That’s how you become a prosecutor. A prosecutor who can’t do that doesn’t deserve to be called a prosecutor.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You’re doing well now. You’re doing well, but I mean go slowly. You can fall if you’re too impatient.”

He continued to speak candidly, as if recalling his own experiences.

“When you’re young, you can run forward without hesitation. Even if you fall, you can just dust yourself off and get up. The wounds heal quickly too.”

“……”

“But it’s different now. The weight of each step is different. On your right shoulder are your wife and children, and on your left shoulder are the prosecutors who follow you. So once you fall, it’s not easy to get up.”

I strongly agreed.

Back when I was simply in the Special Investigations Department, even if I got hit once, I would somehow grit my teeth and endure, then hit them back twice, but now the situation is even reversing.

“Even if you fall and get up, it’s different from before. When you get old, your bones break and you get sick.”

Seong Tae-hyun pushed me in the back and I fell.

So I put on a cast and barely got up with crutches.

“Look around and move slowly. Going fast isn’t always the best way.”

It’s advice that comes from his experience.

“You have to be careful to survive. From now on, once you make a choice, you won’t be able to undo it.”

“Thank you for the good advice. I’ll engrave it deeply in my heart.”

“What’s with the cheesiness.”

He chuckled and picked up his glass.

“Aren’t you going to fill my glass? If you’re going to engrave it in your heart, you should give me a drink as a lecture fee.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I politely filled his glass and clinked glasses, slowly emptying the soju.

And not long after, the doorbell rang.

“Looks like he’s here.”

I stopped Kim Seok-won from getting up.

“I’ll go.”

“No, I’ll go. It’s my house.”

He slowly got up from his seat and walked towards the gate.

From afar, the sounds of exchanging greetings such as ‘Have you already had a drink?’, ‘Congratulations on finishing the confirmation hearing’ gradually grew closer.

And they finally turned the corner and entered the terrace.

Minister of Justice nominee Park Chang-sik, who made eye contact with me, stopped in his tracks.

“……”

I immediately got up from my seat and greeted him.

“Hello, nominee. No, I should call you Minister now.”

Instead of accepting my greeting, he turned to Kim Seok-won.

“Senior, what is going on?”

“Ah, you two haven’t met before, have you?”

Kim Seok-won looked back and forth between him and me and said.

“Say hello. You’ll know even if I don’t bother explaining.”

But Park Chang-sik asked accusingly.

“No, even if you’re a senior……”

“Are you thinking of openly ignoring an old man in the back room?”

His face was smiling, but the force emanating from his serious voice froze his steps.

“No. That’s not what I meant……”

“Then sit down.”

In the end, Park Chang-sik sat across from me.

But instead of sitting down, Kim Seok-won stood between us and put his hands on Park Chang-sik’s and my shoulders.

“I’ve heard about the internal affairs of the party.”

He said firmly.

“Today is not that kind of occasion.”

“……”

“I’ll go in first, so talk slowly. Our housekeeper will clean up, so leave on your own after the conversation is over.”

“Are you going in?”

Park Chang-sik asked with surprised eyes, and he chuckled.

“Since I retired, I have to listen to my wife to get breakfast. Then talk and go back.”

Kim Seok-won patted our backs and went into the house without looking back.

It must mean that his role is enough with this.

He created an environment where we could have a more private conversation since he wouldn’t see or hear us.

The stage is set, so the rest depends on my capabilities.

I smiled brightly, recalling the smile Kim Seok-won had worn earlier.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you, Minister.”