The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 102

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 102

Wings (5)

Evening had fallen, casting a deep darkness over a small alley in Nowon-gu [a district in Seoul], in front of a hidden little tavern.

“Hoo.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

Yet, I couldn’t shake off the inexplicable tension building inside me.

It was a different kind of feeling than when I had faced former President Kwon Jae-cheol alone.

Even though he had been impeached, Kwon Jae-cheol was still a figure who had stood at the pinnacle of this country, possessing a strange aura that seemed to suppress one’s spirit.

Of course, the fact that our meeting took place in the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the President of South Korea] might have added to the pressure.

However, Kyung Dong-soo had something unique and powerful that couldn’t be compared to anyone I had met before.

And beyond this door, President Kyung Dong-soo, the 20th president, awaited.

I had spoken to him on the phone several times and thought I had become quite familiar with him, but once again, tension washed over me.

If I had known it would be like this, I should have taken a calming pill.

No.

Don’t be nervous.

To Kyung Dong-soo, I am literally the ‘kingmaker’ who put him in the presidential seat.

He should be grateful to me, not see me as someone to be wary of or suppress.

This is a friendly meeting, so there’s no need to feel burdened.

“Ahem.”

I cleared my throat and carefully knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

The knocking sound was low, and immediately Kyung Dong-soo’s voice came from inside.

“Yes, come in.”

I opened the sliding door and stepped inside, revealing a scene as warm as a tavern.

There were no other customers inside, and only Kyung Dong-soo was sitting at the counter, turned towards me, waiting.

“Prosecutor, you’ve arrived?”

That voice.

The moment I heard his voice directly, I almost flinched.

His voice, which seemed to seep in with a low tone, was more overwhelming than any other sound.

I couldn’t help but be surprised, just like the first time we spoke on the phone.

That’s why I became even more intrigued by him.

President Kyung Dong-soo naturally rose from his seat and approached me.

“It’s the first time we’ve met in person.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President.”

I took his outstretched hand and bowed respectfully.

“Seeing you in person, Prosecutor Choi, you’re much more handsome than I expected.”

His face was full of vitality as he smiled lightly.

“Thank you. You also look very young, Mr. President.”

“Oh, Prosecutor Choi. You seem to know that being told you look young is the best compliment for people our age.”

He laughed heartily and guided me to the seat next to him where he had been sitting.

“Are you here alone?”

“Yes. I’ve instructed all the bodyguards to wait in the car. This is a secret place where I want to be alone, a place I want to keep to myself.”

President Kyung Dong-soo looked at me intently and continued.

“You’re the first of my acquaintances I’ve brought here, Prosecutor.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. You’re the only one besides my wife.”

Whether it was true or not, the fact that he said this meant that I was a very important person to him.

At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing an apron came from inside and handed us glasses and chopsticks.

He didn’t acknowledge me or say a word.

Kyung Dong-soo explained in his place.

“He’s the owner who’s been here for over 20 years. He’s taciturn and keeps his mouth shut, so you don’t have to worry about anything you say here getting out.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. And there’s a really good menu here, would you like to try it?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

He smiled and ordered from the owner.

“Two orders of Korean beef tripe stew. And the usual drink for me, please.”

“Understood.”

After the owner went inside, he leaned his arm on the table and turned completely towards me.

“I should have seen you sooner, but I’ve been so busy that it’s been delayed.”

On the surface, he was speaking with a friendly impression like a neighborhood 아저씨 [ajeossi – a respectful Korean term for a middle-aged man], but his voice alone was enough to heighten the tension with each syllable.

However, I had steeled myself several times on the way here, so I managed to avoid showing any signs of nervousness.

“Given the timing, it’s understandable.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

He smiled lightly and opened the bottle of alcohol that had been brought out first.

It was my first time meeting him in person, but it was also Kyung Dong-soo’s first time truly seeing me.

The key figure who helped him become president.

The kingmaker who had put all his efforts into helping him ascend to the throne of the true king of South Korea before even meeting him, yet he didn’t cower or grovel.

It meant that he knew he was in an absolute position as president, regardless of the past.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was rude or disrespectful.

It was more like the 余裕 [yeoyu – composure or余裕] of someone with authority.

In addition to all that, the fact that he didn’t excessively thank me or grovel was perfectly to my liking.

A true power holder who knew how to properly utilize what he had in his hands.

I could tell enough just from exchanging a few words of greeting.

“How is the Central District Prosecutors’ Office these days?”

He casually started with a greeting.

“There have been many internal changes, but thanks to your support, Mr. President, we’re doing well without losing heart.”

“Hahaha, that’s a relief.”

He filled my glass and continued.

“I heard that the Central District Prosecutors’ Office was completely taken over by the 2nd line in this reshuffle, so it seems that my request to the Prosecutor General to balance things out based on Prosecutor Choi’s standards had an effect.”

The Prosecutor General he was referring to was the newly appointed figure after the change of power, and he must be completely loyal to Kyung Dong-soo.

Considering that he was from the 2nd line but pushed me, who was from the 1st line, so much, it was clear that the Prosecutor General was unwavering and steadfast towards Kyung Dong-soo.

“Just in case you’re worried, let me tell you that the new Prosecutor General is very tight-lipped, so our connection hasn’t spread to our line either, so don’t worry.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yes. Supporting Prosecutor Choi is also being done discreetly so that our relationship isn’t exposed, so you don’t have to worry.”

I wondered why support was coming to me from an unknown third party, but it seemed they had deliberately taken measures.

I felt relieved.

I didn’t have to worry about Choi Gyu-hyun noticing.

“Thank you.”

I lightly nodded my head and filled his glass.

“How is the state of the nation?”

“It’s the same as always. But Kwon Jae-cheol had so much corruption that I suffered for the first two months dealing with it.”

“Ah, was it that bad?”

“Yes. If it was corruption within the country, I could at least use it to attack the 대한 [Daehan – Great Han, often referring to South Korea] Party, but there were so many secret agreements with foreign countries that, ugh…”

He grimaced and raised his glass.

We lightly clinked glasses and he emptied the glass in one gulp.

The feeling of the alcohol that cleanly washed away the 텁텁함 [teopteopham – a dry, stuffy, or unpleasant feeling in the mouth] in my mouth without any bitterness was unlike anything I had ever tasted.

“This is good.”

“Yes. It feels like it cleanses the mouth, so I prefer it as the first drink. If the 안주 [anju – Korean side dishes consumed with alcohol] comes out later, it’s also amazing…”

After that, we had a normal conversation.

There was no probing or testing the waters at all.

It felt more like a conversation between colleagues who hadn’t seen each other in a long time than a conversation between the president and the kingmaker prosecutor.

After about an hour of talking, I brought up the main topic first.

“Mr. President, you said you had something to ask of me last time, didn’t you?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

He smiled as if he had been waiting for it.

“It’s just that there’s a friend who’s been giving me a headache lately.”

Kyung Dong-soo frowned as if the smile he had just shown was a lie.

The words ‘a friend who’s been giving me a headache’ immediately brought one person to mind.

If there was one person who was the most problematic in Kyung Dong-soo’s cabinet, it was only that one person.

“Are you perhaps talking about the Minister of Justice?”

“That’s right.”

He even put down the spoon he was holding and began to speak.

“I usually like to keep my people with me until the end, but Minister Hong Hyung-joo is just beyond my ability to cover.”

Kyung Dong-soo sighed for the first time since meeting me.

“I received a lot of help from him in the past, so I tried to go with him… but he’s just too dirty.”

He glared at me with a glint in his eyes.

“Would you be able to take care of him, Prosecutor?”

“The Minister of Justice…”

I let out a hollow laugh as I said it.

The Minister of Justice.

Although administratively separated, it’s no exaggeration to say that he’s above the Prosecutor General.

He’s a figure who has a tremendous influence on the prosecution, so it’s hard to even get a glimpse of his face.

And he’s asking me to take down such a person.

Of course, he’s been severely torn apart by numerous hearings and is tattered, but the name of the Minister of Justice is a title that doesn’t come off easily.

No matter how good I am, this was close to impossible.

Kyung Dong-soo twisted his lips and explained.

“He’s already on his last legs, so all you have to do is give him a final push.”

“The problem is that giving that last push is the hardest thing to do.”

I took a deep breath.

“To be blunt, isn’t it harder than taking down a District Attorney General?”

“Haven’t you taken down a District Attorney General before?”

His eyebrows wiggled slyly.

This guy already knows that I took down District Attorney General Kim Jae-wook.

I guess he’s not the president for nothing.

“I don’t mean to ask you to step forward and take him down. I’ll announce that we’re handling it internally instead of a special investigation, and I’ll appoint Prosecutor Choi as the person in charge.”

He smiled and added emphatically.

“Officially.”

Wait a minute.

Then that’s a different story.

Even if the Minister of Justice is about to fall with a single push, it’s a different dimension to take down the Minister of Justice by stepping forward myself, versus being forced to draw my sword due to orders from above.

The former would make me look like a shameless guy who’s all about getting ahead, and the Minister of Justice himself and his faction would put a lot of pressure on me, but the latter would make it seem like I had no choice but to draw my sword due to pressure from above.

Unlike the former, where my head could be blown off with a single mistake, the latter is literally a safe bet.

Of course, this is the story within the prosecution.

Even in the latter case, the public would recognize me as star prosecutor Choi Seo-joon, who took down a corrupt minister.

In other words, it’s a chance to put my name in the media, which has been quiet for a while.

Moreover, this case is different from the one where I took down Vice Minister Park Sung-hyun of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism under the orders of former President Kwon Jae-cheol.

That was a case where I forcibly created a non-existent scenario and dragged him down, but this time, the Minister of Justice actually has committed crimes, so there would be no repercussions even if I took him down.

If he sets up the 판 [pan – a situation or game] like this, there’s no reason for me to refuse.

This is just a request in name, but it’s no different from Kyung Dong-soo taking care of me.

The thought that pushing Kyung Dong-soo was quite a good choice filled my head.

While I was thinking slowly, he carefully added a word.

“If you take care of it like that, I’ll appoint someone who can be Prosecutor Choi’s 날개 [nalgae – wings] as the Minister of Justice.”

날개 [nalgae – wings]?

Then that means someone who has joined hands with me.

Perhaps it’s someone from the 1st line who has a close relationship with me.

“May I ask who it is?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Kyung Dong-soo smiled and asked again.

“Would you be able to take care of it?”

With these conditions, there’s no need to hesitate any longer.

I answered with a confident voice to give him assurance.

“I’ll take him down very decisively.”

As I finished speaking, I raised my glass.

“I look forward to working with you.”

He also greeted me and clinked glasses with me.

A deep trust bloomed from the briefly clinking glasses.

I had no choice but to join hands with Kyung Dong-soo to gain 실리 [silli – practical benefits or gains] from Choi Gyu-hyun’s selfish plan, but the more I get to know him, the more I feel like he’s the real deal.

I might be able to benefit more than I thought.