The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 114

Winter (1)

“Do you have the list?”

“Yes. I received it from Prosecutor Kim.”

Yoon Seol-ha handed me a document sealed in a brown envelope.

A document received from the top prosecutor in the Public Security Department.

“Please lock the office door.”

“Yes.”

I opened the envelope only after she had completely locked the door.

The document contained personal information of ten prosecutors, including Prosecutors Jeon Seong-min and Geum Jeong-gwang from the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office.

“I heard that five of them are scheduled to move to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and one each to the Northern, Western, Eastern, and Southern District Prosecutors’ Offices, as well as the High Prosecutors’ Office.”

These were the individuals whom Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil and Chief Kang Joong-sik had requested to be transferred to Seoul, in order to bring their people from the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office.

“How many are going into Chief Kang Joong-sik’s Public Security Department?”

“Looking at those going to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office, I heard that two will be assigned to the Public Security Department, two to the Criminal Affairs Department, and one to the Science and Technology Crime Investigation Department.”

“Understood. Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing. All I did was deliver what I received from Prosecutor Kim.”

Yoon Seol-ha bowed politely and left the office.

Five to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office alone, and one to each of the other district prosecutors’ offices in Seoul, huh?

It’s obvious.

They’re bringing a lot to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office because that’s where they mainly operate and have room to move up. And they’re assigning one to each of the other district prosecutors’ offices to keep an eye on things, in case anyone tries to mess with them.

It’s probably Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil’s idea, not Chief Kang Joong-sik’s.

Having fallen to rock bottom once and then climbed back up, he seems to be trying to keep Seoul itself firmly in his grasp, so that not even the slightest gap can arise.

The ambition felt in his attempt to build his own line, rather than belonging to an existing one, is admirable.

Another person might not care much or might respect it, but this time it’s different.

Chief Kang Joong-sik touched me, which means that his superior, Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil, must have ordered it.

The target I had to drive out wasn’t just Chief Kang Joong-sik, but all the people in Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil’s line who were connected to him.

I put down the document, opened the locked drawer, and took out the report sent by Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo, comparing it with the list Yoon Seol-ha had brought.

The report contained the names of those with weaknesses in the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office, along with brief details about those weaknesses.

Before I could even finish comparing, a smile naturally came to my face.

Out of the ten people coming up from the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office, nine of them had weaknesses listed in the report.

In other words, I could cut off the heads of nine of them as soon as they arrived.

It’s a little disappointing that there’s only one without any dirt, but this is enough.

Chasing out the talented people carefully selected by Chief Kang Joong-sik and Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil is no different from cutting off their arms and legs.

For those who had spent money and severed connections with the police due to using actors in the serial murder case of women a while ago, this attack would be a fatal blow.

It was a shame that Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo hadn’t been able to dig up dirt on Chief Kang and the High Prosecutor, but he had done his job well enough, so he was qualified to come up to Seoul.

Without further hesitation, I picked up my phone and called Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo, who was down in the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office.

As expected, his voice was heard sharply before the third ring.

-Yes, Chief. Hello.

“Yes, Prosecutor Jeong. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

-I’m fine. Busan isn’t as cold as Seoul, even in winter, so it’s bearable.

“Then I feel sorry to bring it up…”

As I spoke playfully, Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo immediately understood what I meant and joked back.

-Ah, but I like the cold.

“Hahahaha.”

After laughing loudly once, I didn’t drag it out any longer and went straight to the point.

“Prosecutor Jeong, you’ve worked hard. Now come on up.”

-Thank you, Chief!

He replied vigorously in a voice full of joy.

Seeing his voice trembling over the phone, he must have bowed his head while talking.

“Since you have consistently given me what I wanted in Busan, I should naturally repay you.”

-I’m just sorry that I couldn’t dig up anything on Chief Kang Joong-sik and Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil.

“No, it can’t be helped if nothing comes out even after digging that far.”

I lightly comforted him and immediately moved on to the main topic.

“We have obtained the list of prosecutors coming up to Seoul from the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office.”

-Oh, is that so?

“Yes. There are ten in total, and nine of them are the ones you gathered information on.”

-Hehe, I guess I got lucky.

“Lucky? You identified over 30 people in Park Jae-pil’s and Chief Kang’s line in the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office. That’s skill.”

-I’m honored if you think so.

“I’ll send you the list right away, so please send me the details of the nine people listed.”

-Understood. I will try to find out more about the remaining one if possible during the remaining period.

“I would appreciate that.”

-Thank you again, Chief.

“You’re welcome.”

A slight smile on my lips, I continued.

“You will be appointed as of January 4, 2021, and our plan is to kick out the guys who came up from the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office before the Lunar New Year.”

-Yes. I will prepare to make it absolutely possible. I have already obtained all the evidence, so all that’s left is to follow the procedure. Don’t worry.

“That’s reassuring.”

I was about to finish the call when I added a word.

“Oh, and Prosecutor Jeong, is there any department you want to join?”

In fact, I asked even though I knew the answer.

As expected, the answer was as I expected.

-If I could, I would like to go to the Special Investigation Department where you are, Chief… But if the situation doesn’t allow it, I can be satisfied with going to another department and being your eyes and ears.

I laughed lightly and said.

“I’ll see you in Seoul, Special Investigation Department Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo.”

-Thank you!

“Take care not to catch a cold.”

-Yes. You too, Chief, dress warmly!

With his loyal cry, I ended the call.

Chief Kang Joong-sik, the Viper.

Once I’ve latched on, I have to see it through to the end.

I’ll strike first so you can’t come out in the new year.

***

The new year of 2021 dawned.

President Kyung Dong-soo entered his second year, and my relationship with Han Ji-yoo deepened further.

The same goes for Seong Tae-hyun and Han Ji-soo.

I met him at the year-end party a while ago, and he was already talking about wanting to get married.

There was no need for me to cheer him on from the side.

I even thought that he might get married sooner than me.

As the new year began, new appointments were made to each management position and seat, as expected.

It was the first new year after President Kyung Dong-soo took office, and the first appointment after the general election, but surprisingly, there weren’t any major changes in the prosecution.

The number of prosecutors in Line 1 and Line 2 was slightly behind at a ratio of 4:6, but thanks to my support, the balance was being maintained.

As I had obtained the information, ten prosecutors from the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office came up to Seoul.

I was convinced that if I could properly defeat Chief Kang, I could move up to the position of Deputy Chief Prosecutor before Kyung Dong-soo’s term ended.

That’s why, immediately after Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo entered Seoul, I immediately started working.

“Prosecutor Jeon Seong-min has obtained the original CCTV video recording and a copy of the business ledger regarding illegal entertainment received from a construction company at a room salon [a type of Korean hostess bar] in Suyeong-gu, and Prosecutor Geum Jeong-gwang received 30 million won from the Balbari gang…”

The meeting, which began with Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo’s briefing, was attended by only four people: Prosecutor Jang Ha-young, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Doo-hyung, and myself.

Since the case was a case, it was a perfect case to take care of the people who lined up for me.

Perhaps I could definitely grow in size by eating this case.

Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo had a very nervous expression, but thanks to working so hard in Busan for nearly a year, he had a lot of data to bring, so there were no shortcomings in proceeding with the briefing.

However, there was one problem.

“If this had happened in Seoul, we could have handled everything on our side, but since these are cases that happened in the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office, it is not easy to get cooperation. There is a difference in the jurisdiction itself…”

As Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo said, the jurisdiction of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office is limited to Seoul.

I don’t know if I use secret means, but officially, it is not easy to exert influence to Busan.

Even that secret means is ambiguous this time, because I have to get cooperation from the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office, but that place is tightly held by Prosecutor General Park Jae-pil.

If I take official procedures, they will not be able to help, but I will not be able to prevent them from procrastinating and giving them time to hide the evidence.

“Even if we are the Special Investigation Department, this is also the area of the Inspection Department…”

Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo had a worried expression, but I smiled softly.

“Prosecutor Jeong, do you think I wouldn’t have thought of that in advance?”

His eyes sparkled with anticipation.

I said confidently to satisfy it.

“We can use the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.”

“High Prosecutors’ Office?”

“Yes. As long as you are appointed to Seoul, you will be granted the authority to investigate not only the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office but also the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.”

However, Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo tilted his head.

“But wouldn’t it be worse because the High Prosecutors’ Office itself is headed by Park Jae-pil?”

As Park Jae-pil was the Chief Prosecutor, it seemed that he had not considered the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office at all.

“There is someone else who is holding the High Prosecutors’ Office.”

As I twisted the corners of my mouth, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Doo-hyung, who had been watching quietly, looked at me with a creepy face.

“Chief, by any chance…”

“Yes, former Chief Prosecutor Kim Seok-won is there.”

He is the former chief prosecutor of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office and the current Minister of Justice.

His hand would have been bigger than Park Jae-pil’s, if not bigger.

Considering that his current position is high, and considering that he has been in charge as the former chief prosecutor, it is no exaggeration to say that he is on top of Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil’s head.

Also, it is obvious that Kim Seok-won cooperates with me without having to explain it, and there is no need to say it twice.

“Do you know who the current Chief Prosecutor of the Inspection Department is?”

Moreover, it is no exaggeration to say that the Inspection Department of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office is all about Chief Prosecutor Park Seung-soo and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Song Hyeon-seong.

Song Hyeon-seong is my college classmate, so there is no need to say anything, and Park Seung-soo is one of the targets who rode the line when I was in the Inspection Department and is Kim Seok-won’s most loyal right-hand man.

“If you give instructions to the Inspection Department through the Minister of Justice, the meaning of jurisdiction itself disappears.”

In short, it is only a matter of time before Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo takes off the clothes [prosecutorial robes, meaning forces them to resign] of the nine people who dug up the evidence.

“I’m going to be arrested right away.”

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Lee Doo-hyung had seen this several times, but he took a deep breath as if he couldn’t adapt.

Prosecutor Jeong Hyeon-woo had prepared the data, but he had an expression that he had learned a lot.

“Wow…”

Prosecutor Jang Ha-young also opened her mouth and exclaimed, then asked.

“Chief, you have everything prepared.”

“Of course. If I act recklessly like a child, I’ll get hurt.”

No matter how well I do, the prosecution itself is an elite group.

Everyone graduated from prestigious universities and were called geniuses, so even if they are called idiots here, they are usually revered as great figures when they go out into society.

As this is such a brutal place, if I show any gaps, I will be bitten by the piranhas who are aiming for me.

Crossing the river on a tightrope without practicing before crossing was no different from dying.

I twisted the corners of my mouth and opened my mouth.

“Let’s start hunting snakes.”