The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 281

Spies Begin to Shine (1)

January 1st, 2028.

The year of the LA Olympics, and the year of the decisive battle, Musin (戊申) [referring to the year of the Earth Monkey in the Chinese sexagenary cycle, often associated with significant events], to settle things with Seong Tae-hyun.

Han Ji-yu, my son, and I—the three of us—went to a nearby mountain to watch the sunrise together.

Of course, it wasn’t just to see the sunrise.

We had another appointment there.

There was no better day than New Year’s Day to avoid prying eyes.

Before the appointed time.

Many people were climbing to the summit to see the sunrise.

But unlike them, we sat down halfway up the mountain, a little away from the main trail.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Han Ji-yu took off her scarf and wrapped it around our son’s neck.

“No, I’m okay. Mom, you wear it.”

He’s only five years old, but he’s already so mature.

I was going to leave him at home because I thought he might get cold, but he insisted on coming.

My son didn’t whine and sat upright between Han Ji-yu and me, patiently waiting for the sun to rise.

How long had it been?

Before long, as the dawn brightened, the sun peeked over the distant mountain peaks.

“Make a wish.”

“Okay!”

My son closed his eyes tightly, put his hands together, and made a wish.

Han Ji-yu and I smiled and closed our eyes.

*May the Empty House Operation be completed safely this year.*

*May our family be happy and healthy.*

After making a short and heartfelt wish, I checked the time and realized that the appointed time was approaching.

“Shall we start heading down?”

“Let’s go.”

The moment we got up from our seats.

“Oh, who is this?”

A familiar voice was heard.

“Isn’t that Prosecutor Choi?”

The person behind him was, as expected.

“Ah, Mayor.”

It was Shin Dong-hyun, the Mayor of Seoul.

“What brings you here…?”

“I came to see the sunrise. Prosecutor Choi, too?”

“Yes. I live near here. How have you been?”

“Of course. I intentionally came far from Gahoe-dong [an affluent neighborhood in Seoul], where the official residence is, but I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Instead of his wife, he was accompanied by his aide and bodyguards.

According to Shin’s Hand [likely referring to a network of people controlled by Shin], one of the bodyguards was bought off by the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the President of South Korea], so he was subtly signaling that this meeting was a coincidence.

“Are you heading down now?”

“Yes. I’ve seen the sunrise.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“Shall we?”

We exchanged pleasantries and started descending the mountain together.

“The child is very young, so Secretary Oh, take good care of him. And you too, ma’am.”

“Yes.”

Shin Dong-hyun even gave instructions, so the bodyguard naturally turned his gaze to my son and Han Ji-yu.

We walked a little apart, allowing us to talk while maintaining a degree of security.

“Is everything progressing well?”

“Yes. It looks like it will be settled this year.”

“That’s a relief.”

He gave me an intense look.

“I thought you would be able to make a comeback soon.”

“Thank you.”

I lightly raised the corners of my mouth and said.

“How are the approval ratings these days?”

“They’ve actually gone up compared to the election. The national project implemented in Gyeonggi Province [a province surrounding Seoul] has been failing one after another, so we’re seeing a contrasting effect even though we’re doing nothing.”

“That’s good timing.”

“Yes?”

He tilted his head.

“I was preparing for a big game anyway, so this is good news.”

“A big game…?”

I curved my lips.

“Prepare to run for president.”

“Already?”

Shin Dong-hyun’s pupils dilated as if he was surprised, but he quickly added, as if to avoid misunderstanding.

“It’s not that I find the Seoul Mayor position burdensome, but Seong Tae-hyun’s term still has four years left…”

“That’s right. So, I don’t know if it will be this year or next year.”

“Ah, I see…”

“But it’s certain that it’s not far off.”

“…Something’s up.”

His eyes sparkled.

“Are you preparing something?”

“Yes. The battle will probably be between this summer and fall.”

“Sooner than I thought.”

“Yes. That means Seong Tae-hyun’s surveillance will be even more intense. He’ll be working hard to buy off not only the bodyguards behind us but also people close to us.”

He closed his mouth and nodded slowly.

He never imagined that the person he trusted enough to appoint as the chief of the security office was leaking information to Seong Tae-hyun.

“Then how should we contact each other in the future?”

“You won’t have any reason to contact me for the time being.”

I said without hesitation.

“If it’s really urgent, you can contact me through Secretary Yoon Seol-ha.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Handle other things appropriately and focus solely on the presidential election. Showing a prepared appearance when everyone else isn’t will be the best way to win the hearts of the people.”

“I understand.”

I put on a light smile, abandoning my serious expression, and turned around.

“Ji-yu, come down carefully. The stones in front are slippery.”

***

Forty (不惑) [Bul惑, a Confucian term].

The age when one is not惑by worldly affairs [free from confusion or惑by doubts].

The number 40, which seemed so far away, is already my age.

If a person’s lifespan is 80 years, then I’ve already passed the halfway point.

Han Ji-yu and I talked about this as we returned home.

After parking the car properly in the parking lot, we headed to the elevator.

Then, the mailbox caught my eye.

“Ji-yu, was the mailbox open when we left?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure?”

Unlike the mailboxes in houses, the mailboxes in apartments are installed together and only divided by number, so it’s normal not to notice unless you’re paying close attention.

The mailbox was definitely closed when we left.

But now it’s slightly ajar.

However, the odd thing was that there were no letters or flyers promoting New Year’s diets.

Then someone touched it.

“I’ll go take a look.”

I handed the sleeping son in my arms to her and headed to the mailbox.

Then, I put my hand into the mailbox and rummaged around.

I couldn’t feel any letter envelopes or document envelopes.

I was about to take my hand out, thinking that the wind might have blown it open, when the entrance door opened.

Tuk.

Something cold touched my fingertip.

Specifically, the inside of the mailbox door.

In other words, a location that you can’t see and wouldn’t know about unless you put your hand in.

I gently removed something that was strongly fixed with tape, enough that it wouldn’t fall off unless touched.

After checking, it was a USB drive.

I naturally put it in my pocket and turned to Han Ji-yu.

“Is there anything?”

“No, there’s nothing.”

“Maybe it’s just my imagination.”

“I guess so.”

We spoke casually and went up to the house.

“I’ll prepare breakfast.”

“Okay. I have some work that came in, so I’ll check it out.”

“Take your time.”

I went straight to the study.

The fact that someone left a USB without contacting me meant that I was being watched.

It must be Shin’s Hand or Kim Nana.

When I connected the USB to a laptop that wasn’t connected to the internet, two files appeared.

One was a video file, and the other was a text file.

When I tried to check the video, it was password protected.

Even one mistake could damage the file and even endanger the laptop itself.

They would have done that as a basic precaution in case it was lost.

I canceled the password entry and was about to open the text file.

Beep, beep.

A call came in on my burner phone.

The caller ID started with 02, somewhere in Seoul.

I locked the study door and answered the phone.

“Oh, it’s me.”

-Hello, Prosecutor. This is Go Joong-hyuk.

Go Joong-hyuk.

Go Seong-tak’s new name.

It’s Shin’s Hand.

“Are you calling from a public phone?”

-Yes. Prime Minister Park Hyung-tae has left Seoul, saying he has urgent talks with other politicians for the New Year. Thanks to that, I had some time to sneak out and call you.

“You’re working hard. Is everything going well?”

-Yes. As I told you last time, I succeeded in pushing out the old right-hand man.

“You’ve worked hard. You did well.”

-Seong Tae-hyun’s vigilance is so strong that I’m giving him warnings, so it’s being delayed a little more than I thought, but it shouldn’t affect the existing plan.

“I trust you.”

-And to explain the reason for the call… Have you heard about the high school entrance exam reform?”

“Yes. I remember it contains quite a variety of content, such as the integration of specialized high schools and the adjustment of the ratio of rolling admissions to regular admissions in relation to university admissions.”

-It’s an agenda that the Prime Minister’s Office is staking everything on these days. But given the current atmosphere, it doesn’t seem like it will pass easily.”

The corners of my mouth naturally went up.

“I can naturally contact the Prime Minister through someone who can solve this.”

-That’s right. Prime Minister Park Hyung-tae is putting a lot of effort into it, so if he can’t pass this agenda, the Prime Minister’s power itself will be weakened quite a bit, so all his nerves are focused on this.”

He continued quickly.

-The Prime Minister’s lifestyle has a set routine. First of all, he basically goes to the Blue House on weekdays, and after work, he has various appointments. On weekends, he goes to the golf course every other week, and at other times…”

A tightly packed schedule.

And a life that doesn’t deviate much from it.

In other words, if you’re determined to meet him, you can contact him at any time.

Using this to naturally build a relationship with the Prime Minister is the way to empty the house [a metaphor for dismantling Seong Tae-hyun’s power].

Of course, it’s up to me to figure out who the key person in this agenda is and to build a relationship with him.

Go Seong-tak’s job is done with just this.

“I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”

-Yes. Then I’ll end the call here. I just stopped by on the way to the mart.”

“Okay. Let’s have a big get-together when things are over.”

-I’ll look forward to it. Then take care of your health.”

With those words, Go Seong-tak ended the call.

A perfect opportunity to grow the connection with the Prime Minister.

I’m on the optimal route to empty the house.

However, one problem is that Go Seong-tak didn’t even mention the USB.

In other words, he’s not the one who left the USB.

Then there’s only one answer.