The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 144

Prosecutor Seo is Getting Ahead! -145

Blossom (4)

Kim Seok-won’s words about Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong immediately grabbed my attention.

“You know Seo Gi-woong is from our hometown, right?”

“I know.”

I remembered Kim Seok-won mentioning Seo Gi-woong several times, since they were both from Changwon.

“So, he often comes to me for advice.”

“Yes.”

“But recently, this friend came to me with a serious story.”

Kim Seok-won lowered his voice, speaking cautiously.

“He found out that a junior he cherishes used money while handling a case.”

“Used money while handling a case?”

“Yeah. Of course, it’s not confirmed, but he heard a report from someone below him. Judging from the hints, it seems to be one of the top three departments.”

The top three departments of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office would be the Special Investigation Department where I am, the Public Security Department, and the Science and Technology Crime Investigation Department, formerly known as the Advanced Crime Investigation Department.

However, considering that Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong has been distant with me recently, it’s highly likely to be the Special Investigation Department.

Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong probably couldn’t tell me exactly who it was because he knows that Minister Kim Seok-won and I are close.

“Was the problem that he used money while handling a case?”

“That was the initial concern, but he decided to turn a blind eye since everyone has their own methods. But the important thing was something else.”

He glanced at the door where Chief Prosecutor Jeon Byeong-ju had left and then spoke.

“You know his wife runs an orphanage called Somangwon [Hope Garden], right?”

“Yes, I know.”

This doesn’t feel good.

“And there’s a friend who’s been pouring money into it.”

That was about me.

I tried to act as nonchalant as possible and listened to his words.

“At first, he thought it was a pure act of donation. Seo Gi-woong even wondered if he was trying to impress him, so he did some background checks. But he found out that the friend wasn’t just donating to Somangwon but also to other volunteer organizations. So, he thought his suspicions were too much. No, he probably saw it in a good light.”

That’s how I planned it.

It means that donating to other companies and volunteering to prevent Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong from suspecting me worked as planned.

“But this time, there was another opportunity to find out more, and he realized that there were no donation records before that, and the source of the donation was also unclear. Seo Gi-woong realized that this friend was trying to approach him using this method.”

Kim Seok-won straightened up and said.

“Just in case, you should be careful too. Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong seems to be very sharp these days.”

If it reached Kim Seok-won’s ears, it’s safe to say that Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong is beyond just thinking and is now slowly preparing to take action.

If I stay still, I’ll be the one who gets hurt.

I was careless with Chief Prosecutor Park Jae-pil and was preemptively attacked, almost to the point of losing my mind.

I had no intention of repeating the same mistake.

I have to move first.

“Minister.”

I lowered my voice seriously and leaned towards him.

“I think it’s about me.”

Kim Seok-won’s eyebrows furrowed in surprise.

“…Really?”

In the meantime, I finished organizing my thoughts and asked him with a determined voice.

“Can I take down Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong?”

“Hmm…”

He let out a deep sigh and slowly tapped the table.

“They’re both my cherished younger brothers, but…”

The deliberation lasted longer than I thought.

After a long period of anguish, he picked up his glass, drank it in one gulp, and asked me.

“What is your true goal?”

I put my hands together and looked into his eyes.

“Success.”

“Success, huh…”

“Success suits you better than Seo Gi-woong.”

Kim Seok-won smiled lightly.

“You go up.”

I clenched my fist.

This meant that he was not only allowing me to take down Seo Gi-woong but also pushing me more firmly to go up the ladder.

“You have to protect the person who helped you when you were having a hard time. That friend is a bit rigid.”

The reason he raised my hand was probably because I kept visiting him even after he retired. The rigid Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong would have only given formal greetings due to the Kim Young-ran Act [anti-corruption law limiting gifts and entertainment for public officials].

“Thank you.”

At that moment, the door opened, and Chief Prosecutor Jeon Byeong-ju, who had finished his call, returned to his seat.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Byeong-ju.”

“Yes, Minister.”

Kim Seok-won placed his hand on Jeon Byeong-ju’s shoulder in a serious tone.

“There’s something you need to help with.”

“Just tell me anything.”

“Our Chief Choi, you have to help him a lot.”

“Of course. It’s my duty.”

“I’m not just saying it. This time, Chief Choi is going to take down a big shot.”

“Yes.”

“You have to help him. That guy is so clean and doesn’t have any dirt on him, so it’s not easy to touch him.”

Jeon Byeong-ju looked at me and said.

“Tell me anything you need. I swear in front of the Minister that I will do my best to help Chief Choi.”

“Thank you.”

“So, who is the person you have to take down?”

“Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong.”

Jeon Byeong-ju twisted his lips into a smirk.

“This is going to be fun.”

At that moment.

Buzz buzz.

Twice briefly.

The unique vibration of a text message rang.

***

“Okay. For the time being, I’ll be watching from the sidelines, so contact me anytime if you need anything.”

“I understand, Chief Prosecutor.”

“Go in.”

After seeing Minister Kim Seok-won and Chief Prosecutor Jeon Byeong-ju off, I finally got into a taxi.

“Hoo.”

My body was exhausted from drinking so much, but thanks to having a strong supporter, my heart was full.

Above all, since it was someone Minister Kim Seok-won introduced, there would be no room for betrayal.

I wanted to close my eyes and rest until I arrived, but there was one thing I needed to check.

Vibration.

I had confirmed earlier that it was definitely a text message.

Please, let it be a future text message.

With a pounding heart, I carefully checked my phone.

-Sender: 34

-Video

Yes!

I clenched my fist without realizing it.

It was a future text message!

I don’t know how long it’s been.

It had already been more than half a year since I received the last text message, so I had been waiting eagerly. I couldn’t take out my phone in the middle, so I had been holding back. I immediately played the video without delay.

-Hahahahahahaha!

As soon as the video started playing, loud laughter erupted.

It’s not just one person’s laughter.

At least two people or more.

Then, the screen of the video brightened.

A round table. In a place that looks like a restaurant, three men were sitting and laughing heartily while talking.

-I don’t know how long it’s been since I had a drink comfortably like this.

The first one to speak was none other than Congressman Seong Tae-hyeon.

-I don’t know how much I’ve been worried about it…

At that moment, the angle of the video turned, and the faces of those sitting at the table came into view.

To Seong Tae-hyeon’s left was me, as expected.

But to his right was someone I didn’t expect at all.

-Congressman Jo Hyeon-woong’s contribution was great.

Congressman Jo Hyeon-woong.

A man who is called the core of Line 2, seized power through the internal reform of the MinGuk Party [a major political party], and rose to become the new party leader.

I know he has a lot of power in the political world, but I didn’t understand why he would join hands with us since the lines are completely different.

What the hell is going on?

-Oh, what could I have done? Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon did everything.

Seong Tae-hyeon also chimed in.

-That’s right. To think you could link it in that way… I think I was elected mayor of Seoul thanks to Prosecutor Choi.

Mayor of Seoul?

First of all, it seems certain that he will be elected mayor of Seoul.

Judging from the atmosphere, it seems to be a celebration of his election as mayor of Seoul.

So, does that mean he joined hands with Congressman Jo Hyeon-woong to become the mayor of Seoul?

-If it weren’t for the Geurang Church, the last-minute reversal wouldn’t have been successful. We almost all would have been *nagari* [doomed/finished].

Congressman Seong Tae-hyeon said and burst into laughter.

-Ah, but I had no idea that the Geurang Church was like that.

-Me too. No, I didn’t even know that a place called Geurang Church existed until the prosecutor told me.

Geurang Church?

I’ve never heard of it either.

Could it be one of the religions?

The me in the video shook his head, joking.

-I just got lucky.

-No, you wouldn’t have been able to find the Geurang Church if it weren’t for the prosecutor.

Seong Tae-hyeon said and clapped his hands, changing his words.

-Ah, I shouldn’t call you prosecutor, I should call you *hyung-nim* [older brother/respected elder] now.

Congressman Jo Hyeon-woong asked with sparkling eyes.

-Does that mean…?”

-Yes, that’s right. The proposal was successful. We decided to have the wedding as soon as possible.

With those words, the video ended.

It was a much shorter video than usual, but it contained much more information.

First of all, Congressman Jo Hyeon-woong.

The fact that he is laughing so heartily and talking means that Congressman Seong Tae-hyeon didn’t join us after being elected mayor of Seoul, but he had been working with us since before the election.

I don’t know how it happened, but if Congressman Jo Hyeon-woong joined hands with us, it’s safe to say that we’re going with Line 2 in this election.

The biggest hurdle Seong Tae-hyeon had to overcome to be elected mayor of Seoul was not the competition with the MinGuk Party, but the internal *gyeongseon* [primary election].

Perhaps he joined hands to keep Na Kyung-joon in check.

And second.

Geurang Church.

As soon as I searched it on my phone, a flood of content related to religion came out.

If it were a formal religion, I would know, so it must be one of the cult religions.

In other words, it’s telling me that I have to use this cult religion to win this election.

However, the words that if it weren’t for the Geurang Church, the last-minute reversal wouldn’t have been successful remained vivid in my mind.

In other words, the fact that I have no choice but to lose the election if I don’t use this Geurang Church.

The key to this election is the Geurang Church.

Lastly, the proposal.

It seems that what Seong Tae-hyeon said that he would propose if he was elected mayor of Seoul has come true.

In other words, I can say that I am becoming a family member with the next president.

I can’t stop laughing just thinking about it.

To think that the future text message I received when I first met Seong Tae-hyeon would lead to this result.

As expected, the goddess of fortune wants my success.

After finishing analyzing the text message and looking out the window, a sense of unease swept through my mind.

Wait a minute, why did this text message come now?

Clearly, the text message arrived when I was talking about Chief Prosecutor Jeon Byeong-ju and Minister Kim Seok-won and Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong.

Until now, future text messages have always informed me of related content when I talk about or think about a certain topic.

However, the video I saw in this future text message is not related to Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong, but to Seong Tae-hyeon’s Seoul mayoral election.

Why the hell did the text message come at this timing?

I thought about it for a long time, but there was only one conclusion that came to my mind.

To drive out Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong with the content in the future text message.

Otherwise, I can’t explain the time the future text message came.

In other words, in order to drive out Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong, I have to find something I missed while watching the video again.

I closed my eyes and started to retrace the video in my head.

I have to find the connection between Chief Prosecutor Seo Gi-woong and the video.

That’s how I can defeat him.