The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 123

Reversal (3)

“That’s not enough.”

Assistant Chief Prosecutor Lee Doo-hyung had finally dug up a weakness of the Viper, Chief Prosecutor Kang Joong-shik, but it wasn’t a decisive card.

Of course, it could inflict some damage, but a single jab wasn’t sufficient.

What I needed now wasn’t a light punch, but a fully weighted punch that could knock him down in one blow and secure a KO [Knockout].

Anything less wouldn’t satisfy me.

However, the Viper had been so thorough in covering his tracks, having ruined so many others by digging into their affairs, that his weaknesses remained hidden.

The Viper, Chief Prosecutor Kang Joong-shik, had painstakingly delivered a punch that almost brought me down, unexpectedly boosting his status significantly.

Even though I managed to block the attack somehow, it certainly had an impact on me, and even though he caught Shin Yong-ho, he still achieved a result.

“I need something bigger.”

Assistant Chief Prosecutor Lee Doo-hyung, rejected for the lead he had prepared, nodded with a disappointed expression.

“I will prepare something even bigger.”

“It’s not about shaking the opponent like we did with the media play before. This time, we need to take down the Viper’s head. We need something much stronger.”

“Understood. I will find something that will definitely satisfy you next time.”

He vowed to find something new and left, but a sense of unease lingered in my mind.

For months, I had been digging into the Viper’s past, but all I found were a few specks of dust.

Considering how the Viper had provoked me, he couldn’t have avoided getting his hands dirty.

The fact that I couldn’t find it was infuriating.

But I had no intention of giving up easily.

I would bring him down to hell no matter what.

At that moment, Clerk Jo Ah-ra put down the receiver and called me.

“Chief.”

“Yes?”

“The Chief Prosecutor wants you to come in for a moment.”

“You mean Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Okay. I’ll go in right away.”

Seo Gi-woong, the Chief Prosecutor.

He had initially trusted me but became somewhat wary after learning about my corruption.

I didn’t think he had stabbed me in the back like other prosecutors.

Before the case was resolved, he might have felt that I was the one stabbing him in the back from his perspective.

However, thanks to Shin Yong-ho, all misunderstandings were cleared.

He would feel sorry for me rather than criticize me.

That’s why I was looking forward to meeting him now.

I straightened my clothes and knocked on the Chief Prosecutor’s office before entering.

“Good morning, Chief Prosecutor.”

“Oh, Chief Choi.”

He greeted me warmly, took my hand, and patted my shoulder with the other.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Have a seat.”

As soon as I sat down, he asked me with a concerned expression.

“Your face is half its size. You must have been under a lot of stress.”

“Well, it’s okay. Life is full of ups and downs.”

“Yes.”

Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong nodded and cautiously opened his mouth.

“I think I misunderstood you for a moment.”

“It’s okay. The situation was understandable.”

“As you know, I absolutely despise corrupt people.”

“I loathe them too. It was tough being mistaken as one myself, but… I’m even more sorry for troubling you, Chief Prosecutor.”

“Don’t say that.”

He reached out again and warmly held my hand.

“I was truly impressed by you this time.”

Seo Gi-woong, who had always been so stern and difficult, looked at me with moist eyes.

“I knew Chief Choi was capable, but I didn’t know you took such good care of your friends and were so loyal.”

“……”

I deliberately remained silent.

However, Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong placed his other hand on top of mine and said,

“There are only three things I consider most important in my life.”

“Three things?”

“Yes. First is family, second is integrity, and the last is loyalty.”

For a moment, the corner of my lips almost curled up.

It seemed like I had unintentionally hit the jackpot.

“To think you were that kind of person… I’m starting to envy Shin Yong-ho for having you as a friend.”

“Thank you. I’m honored that you would say that.”

“No, I mean all of it sincerely.”

I looked him straight in the eye and said,

“I am loyal to my friends, but I am also very steadfast in my loyalty to my superiors.”

I also placed my other hand on top of his.

“I am willing to do anything for you, Chief Prosecutor.”

“Chief Choi…”

He gazed at me intently with eyes filled with emotion.

It was over.

Completely over.

I had previously been just an aide to Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong, but now I could consider him completely on my side.

Who would have thought that the nickname ‘Loyal Man’ given to me by Reporter Park Soo-hyung would be so effective?

I was planning to buy him a meal anyway, but I think I’ll have to buy him something very expensive.

I decided to seal the deal by adding the finishing touch.

“I will dedicate my life to protecting you, Chief Prosecutor. I want to maintain my loyalty to you until I enter my grave. Please allow me to do so.”

He couldn’t contain the surge of emotion and grabbed my shoulder tightly.

“Thank you, Chief Choi.”

***

-Oh, Choi Seo-joon made it out alive?

“Of course, I did, you idiot. Who do you think helped me?”

-Shouldn’t you buy that person some beef soon?

“Alright, you brat. I’ll buy you something expensive.”

-Deal. No foreign beef, only Korean Hanwoo [premium Korean beef].

Assistant Chief Prosecutor Song Hyun-sung of the Office of the Inspector General burst into laughter.

-Ah, that’s not the important thing. I called to give you a gift.

“What is it?”

-I found the money.

I flinched for a moment.

“My money?”

-Hahahaha!

Song Hyun-sung burst out laughing.

-Not yours, you idiot, the informant’s.

“Ah……”

Like a thief with a guilty conscience, I spoke without thinking.

-Yong-ho brought your 1 billion [Korean currency, Won] right after the investigation started, you idiot.

“Right, he did.”

Yoon Seol-ha, who was the only one besides me who knew the whereabouts of the 1 billion won, revealed that she had told Shin Yong-ho about the account.

“So, the informant received the money?”

-Yeah. It seems like they received the money as a condition for reporting.

“Isn’t that a self-destructive move for the Viper?”

-Yeah. It looks like it was about 100 million won.

“Wow, 100 million won for one tip is worth it.”

-Right. When we interrogated the informant, they said they received it to exaggerate their testimony a bit.

“Is it proceeding with the exaggeration?”

-Of course, that’s what they claim, but it won’t be accepted in court. From the start, the fact that you received the money will be denied. I guess they’ll think of it as payment for false testimony.

Song Hyun-sung chuckled and added.

-The truth about what actually happened is only known to you, right?

“The truth is what is revealed. What is buried in the darkness is not the truth, but someone’s claim.”

-Seo-joon, I think I’ll have to buy you something covered in gold dust instead of Hanwoo later?

“Hahaha, don’t worry, you idiot. I’ll buy you anything.”

-Okay. Be careful for the time being.

“Alright, thanks.”

-Rest up.

Viper, you bastard.

Even if you had gone with the truth, it would have been enough to take me down, but you even gave money and had them exaggerate their testimony to bury me completely.

The more I think about it, the more resentful I become.

If this 100 million won is revealed to the media, the status he gained from this incident will greatly decline, but that’s not enough.

A lead that can bring him down.

I need to find it…….

Is it really this difficult to find his weakness?

***

End of February.

The winter general, which seemed like it would never end, was slowly retreating.

A time when the coldest and warmest winter of my life was coming to an end.

Online, public opinion about Han Ji-yoo and me had completely recovered, and the 100 million won given to the informant was seen as a bribe for false testimony, which led to increased criticism of the Viper, but that was only temporary.

It quickly subsided and gradually entered a stable orbit.

From the Viper’s perspective, he was probably very satisfied that he survived, even though he regretted not being able to bring me down, but I became increasingly uncomfortable.

Because I still hadn’t found a weapon to bring him down.

If time passed like this, it would become even more difficult to find.

But I couldn’t end it like this.

I couldn’t stand the sight of the Viper, who had driven me to the brink of death, not only surviving but also strutting around.

From a political mechanism perspective, he had to be brought down.

If someone who had messed with me was still alive and well, I would be seen as an easy target, and other hyenas would pounce on me.

I had to crush him for good.

Every time I met him and heard his smirking greeting in Busan dialect [a regional dialect of Korean spoken in Busan], I would get so angry that I couldn’t calm down.

The Viper must be brought down.

But I can’t find his weakness.

Then there’s only one way.

I have to create that weakness and dig into it.

On the last day of February, I called Prosecutor Hong Seok-jang from the Western District Prosecutor’s Office to my officetel [a studio apartment often used as an office].

“Good morning, Chief.”

“Yes, Prosecutor Hong. How have you been?”

“Yes. I’m happily waiting for the day I go to Gangnam [affluent district in Seoul]. How about you, Chief?”

“I haven’t been feeling well lately.”

“Is something wrong?”

I took a deep breath and said to him, who was asking with wide eyes.

“I’m very bothered by the fact that the Viper, Chief Prosecutor Kang Joong-shik, is living so nonchalantly.”

“Ah.”

Prosecutor Hong Seok-jang realized the situation and immediately explained.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been looking into it through the Busan District Prosecutor’s Office, but nothing’s coming out……”

“If nothing comes out, we can just create it.”

“……Yes?”

I leaned forward towards him, who was tilting his head as if he had misheard.

“If there’s no weakness, we can just create it.”

“Are you saying……”

I winked at him and said.

“It’s an opportunity for Prosecutor Hong to get promoted.”

He swallowed hard.

Promotion.

Being stuck as a perpetual junior prosecutor, wandering around Gyeongsang Province [region in southeastern Korea], and then coming to Seoul, let alone becoming an assistant chief prosecutor.

It was what Prosecutor Hong Seok-jang had been dreaming of, and the person in front of him was someone who had the power to make it happen.

“Please do me a favor, Prosecutor Hong.”

Prosecutor Hong Seok-jang quickly started to think.

It was undeniable that he was on my side, but if he carried out this task, he would be openly stabbing Chief Prosecutor Kang Joong-shik in the back.

However, he knew better than anyone that he had to stick with me for the sake of practical gains, promotion.

As expected, his 고민 [worry/trouble] didn’t last long.

“What should I do?”

A serious look in his eyes.

I could tell without him saying that he had completely decided to stick with me.

I twisted the corner of my lips and said to him in a low voice.

“Let’s go with a drug planting.”