The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 262

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 262

Expansion (5)

Deoksan-myeon, Jincheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do.

After a long drive out of the city, I arrived in a quiet rural area.

I turned off the car’s air conditioning and rolled down the windows, letting the fresh air fill my lungs.

Unlike Seoul, thick with fine dust, it felt like my sinuses were finally clearing.

“The air is nice.”

In such a peaceful setting, a smile would usually come easily, but not today.

This trip wasn’t just a relaxing getaway.

Under the pretense of visiting my hometown – a deception to fool others – I even left Yoon Seol-ha behind and came alone for a specific reason.

A building that seemed out of place amidst the surrounding rice paddies stood tall and isolated.

A large sign on the front read ‘Legal Research and Training Institute.’

As I slowly drove onto the grounds, a security guard stopped me at the entrance.

However, after I showed him my prosecutor’s identification card, he waved me through without logging my visit.

This was a space for prosecutors, after all.

I parked in a designated spot and entered the building.

I had to scan my prosecutor’s ID to get through the gate, but even if this was recorded, it would be difficult for Seong Tae-hyun to notice.

There was no need to worry about that.

After all, he’d find out too late to do anything about it.

I headed straight for the director’s office on the top floor without hesitation.

The secretary’s office was on the way.

The employee who saw me step off the elevator asked mechanically,

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry, but without a pre-scheduled meeting, you can’t see the director.”

“Could you please check with him?”

The female employee didn’t even look up as she replied, “No.”

“If you tell him Choi Seo-jun is here, he’ll let me in.”

“What do you mean…”

Only then did the female employee raise her head.

“…Huh?”

Her eyes widened.

“Could you please ask him?”

“…J-just a moment.”

The secretary hurriedly picked up the phone and spoke urgently into it.

Permission was granted quickly.

“This way, please.”

Opening the door, I saw the director of the Legal Research and Training Institute standing in an awkward posture.

“Hello, Director.”

As I greeted him energetically, he couldn’t hide his surprise.

“No, are you really Chief Prosecutor Choi?”

“Yes.”

“What brings you here… No, please, sit down. Secretary Kim, bring us some coffee.”

Only after two cups of coffee were placed on the table did the director of the Legal Research and Training Institute relax, letting out a nervous laugh.

“I thought I’d misheard. There’s no reason for Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun to visit here…”

“Indeed. I didn’t expect to be here either.”

Until two days ago… no, even yesterday morning, the Legal Research and Training Institute wasn’t even on my radar.

However, after obtaining unexpected information through Kim Na-na last night, I had to move faster than anyone else.

Otherwise, I would end up teaching prosecutors in this rural backwater.

Director of the Legal Research and Training Institute.

In terms of rank, it could be seen as a step above my current position as Chief of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.

If I were transferred here, it would technically be a promotion.

However, nobody *wants* to be transferred here.

If the High Prosecutors’ Office was a retirement track, this place was practically exile to the boonies.

Of course, this only applied to political prosecutors.

Among the many prosecutors who worked diligently and steadily, there were many who desired this position.

Director Ha Jin-il, sitting in front of me, was one such case – someone who had climbed the ladder because he wanted to be here.

However, for me, who was aiming for the Prosecutor General position, it was a fate worse than resigning.

Unlike the head of a district or high prosecutors’ office, the director of the Legal Research and Training Institute wasn’t in a ‘command position.’

If I were to be demoted to this role, no matter who I was, my influence on the special investigation unit wouldn’t be the same as it was now – an uncomfortable but undeniable reality.

That’s why I had to prevent this transfer from happening.

That’s why I came here.

Director Ha Jin-il, oblivious to my inner turmoil, smiled awkwardly and began to speak.

“Is this your first time at the Legal Research and Training Institute?”

“Yes. I’ve been to the branch in Yongin, but this is my first time here.”

“This place is clean and pleasant. The air is good, and it’s peaceful – it feels like living.”

“Are you satisfied with your life here?”

“Yes. Very much so. I’m seriously considering settling down here after I retire.”

“That wouldn’t be right after your term as director ends, would it?”

He smiled instead of answering.

That meant that even if it wasn’t immediate, he intended to take on another command position after his term as director of the Legal Research and Training Institute before retiring.

It didn’t matter whether Director Ha Jin-il was aiming for the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office or the Ministry of Justice.

The key was that this wasn’t the end for him.

I immediately cut to the chase.

“Director, there’s a reason why I came here.”

“May I ask what it is?”

“Have you ever been aligned with a certain faction or become close to one political party when you were in Seoul?”

“…”

He hesitated, unsure whether to answer.

It was difficult to trust me, a stranger who had appeared out of the blue.

“I’m trying to help you. The current situation isn’t looking good for you.”

“What’s going on…”

I nonchalantly began to speak.

“Seong Tae-hyun is acting strangely.”

“Yes?”

“I heard that you have connections with Assemblyman Kim Gyu-tae of the Korea Party…”

I had discovered through a quick, one-night investigation that Director Ha Jin-il had a minor connection.

Of course, I also knew that it wasn’t a strong lifeline.

I continued speaking naturally, as if it were a well-known fact.

“The People’s Party is trying to use you to target Assemblyman Kim Gyu-tae.”

“Yes?”

His pupils dilated in shock.

“No, I only helped each other a few times three years ago…”

Director Ha Jin-il covered his mouth, as if regretting his words.

However, I placed my hand on his thigh reassuringly and said,

“You can tell me. I told you, I’m here to help.”

“…To be honest…”

He carefully opened his mouth.

“I don’t even know why Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun is helping me.”

“You know about the relationship between me and Seong Tae-hyun, right?”

“I know roughly.”

“I also received intelligence because I’m affiliated with the People’s Party, but I don’t want to let Seong Tae-hyun move as he pleases.”

Of course, it was a lie.

A scenario I had concocted last night.

People in high positions like the director of the Legal Research and Training Institute wouldn’t budge unless they felt threatened, so I had to make him feel that pressure.

“The Blue House [South Korean equivalent of the White House] will tell you to submit your resignation.”

“Resignation?”

“Yes. They’ll say they’ll give you special compensation, such as taking you to the Ministry of Justice later. But the reality is different.”

I leaned closer to him.

“The moment you submit your resignation, all kinds of investigations will target your family, starting with tax audits and irregularities in your children’s college admissions. You’ll have a hard time, that’s for sure.”

At this point, Director Ha Jin-il would have intuitively felt that he was getting caught up in a major power struggle.

However, from his perspective, skepticism was still unavoidable.

Believing someone who suddenly appears and claims the Blue House is targeting you would be ridiculous.

“Surely you’ll be contacted soon. Then contact me…”

Beep, beep.

At that moment, Director Ha Jin-il’s phone rang loudly.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

His pupils widened as he checked the caller ID.

“J-just a moment. Chief Prosecutor. I have a call from the Blue House?”

“The Blue House?”

“Yes. It’s Chief of Staff Gong Jae-won.”

The corners of my mouth twisted slightly.

It seemed Seong Tae-hyun’s right-hand man was about to provide some unexpected assistance.

“Answer it. Pretend I’m not here.”

“Yes.”

He answered the phone with a very nervous expression.

“Hello?”

-Director Ha, it’s been a while. How have you been?

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

-It’s nothing much, I just wanted to ask you a favor.

“What is it?”

-I’d like you to submit your resignation within this month.

“R-resignation?”

Director Ha Jin-il stuttered and looked at me, clearly flustered.

I calmly picked up a nearby Post-it note.

“What’s the reason for this?”

-I’ll tell you the details later.

“It’s a bit difficult for me to quit suddenly. My children haven’t settled down properly yet…”

-Hey, of course, we’ll compensate you.

Chief of Staff Gong Jae-won joked over the phone.

-Take a good rest this year after submitting your resignation, and I’ll put you in the position of Vice Minister of Justice around next year.

Exactly as I had predicted.

I showed Director Ha Jin-il the words I was writing on the Post-it note.

He nodded and read along as I wrote.

“Ah, but I’m currently in the process of reforming important policies within the Legal Research and Training Institute as the director, so it seems difficult to submit my resignation right now…”

-Then when will it be possible?

“It won’t take that long.”

-Okay. Then I’ll assume you’ve accepted. Please let me know when the date is confirmed.

“Yes, goodbye.”

-Take care.

A look of anxiety quickly filled Director Ha Jin-il’s face as he hung up the phone.

“I-it’s real?”

I had thought it would take hours to persuade him alone, but Chief of Staff Gong Jae-won had made things much easier.

Thinking about it the other way around, if I had been a little late, I would have seemed more suspicious.

If I had contacted him later, there was a possibility that Director Ha Jin-il would have told the Chief of Staff about my approach.

If that had happened, it would have been only a matter of time before Kim Na-na’s infiltration was discovered.

However, thanks to me contacting him first, all those worries had vanished.

It seemed things were going even better than I had anticipated?

“They even said they’d give me a position in the Ministry of Justice, just as Chief Prosecutor said…”

This had been an expectation, but it was a lucky hit.

There were more positions higher than the director of the Legal Research and Training Institute in the Ministry of Justice than in the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

I spoke to him with a serious expression.

“As you’ve experienced firsthand, the current situation isn’t good. If you don’t trust me, you can submit your resignation as the Blue House told you to. But you’ll have to handle the consequences alone.”

“No. Of course, I’ll follow Chief Prosecutor’s lead. But it will be…”

However, his gaze was still uncertain, as if he was still worried.

He couldn’t trust me completely.

There was a way to provide certainty at times like this.

To let him know *why* I was helping him.

Just convince him.

“I’ll be honest.”

I spoke as if I was being candid.

“It’s true that I want to interfere with Seong Tae-hyun. But what’s really important is…”

I looked straight at him.

“I want to join hands with you. If I work with capable people, I can get help when I rise to higher positions.”

“…”

“As the director of the Legal Research and Training Institute, you’ll have more connections within the prosecution than prosecutors like us. I’ve helped you once, so I want to ask for your help when I need it later.”

I pretended to reveal my true intentions.

Of course, that wasn’t the case in reality.

If connections were what mattered, I would have more, so there was no way I would seek help from this man through his network.

Strictly speaking, his connections were more likely with the Korea Party than with the prosecution itself.

In any case, it was undeniable that showing a bit of a materialistic side, rather than grand morality, benevolence, or simple goodwill, was much more persuasive.

As expected, the director of the Legal Research and Training Institute’s eyes softened.

“I see.”

“Of course, I’m not forcing you…”

“No. It’s human nature to repay kindness.”

He nodded, as if he had made up his mind.

“What should I do?”

He had completely fallen for my act.

Mission clear.

Swallowing the laughter that was bubbling up inside, I said with a serious look,

“First, use the policy reform as an excuse to stall for as long as possible. And whenever you get a call from the Blue House, tell me. Then I’ll tell you how to proceed afterwards.”

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

He grabbed my hand tightly with a determined expression.

“Thank you, Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun.”

I had gained another ally.

And one who seemed very loyal.