The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 156

Tightrope Walking (1)

***

“Happy New Year!”

Yoon Seol-ha greeted everyone energetically as she entered the office.

“It’s been a while, Seol-ha.”

“Yes. It’s been a year.”

She continued, feigning innocence.

“I saw you last year and this year, so it’s been a year, right?”

I smiled and gestured towards the coffee table.

“Have some warm tea. My wife went on an overseas shoot and bought some cocoa. It’s sweet, so I think you’ll like it.”

“Wow, your wife is the best.”

Yoon Seol-ha took off her coat and immediately went to the boiling coffee pot to make cocoa.

“Chief, you don’t want any cocoa?”

“I don’t like sweet things.”

I took a sip of the Americano I had bought on the way and asked,

“By the way, you look really gaunt. Have you been through a lot?”

“Oh, don’t even mention it. New informants have been popping up for the past month, so I’ve been running around meeting them. I’ve lost weight without even trying.”

“It’s been a while since you’ve been to the office, right?”

“Yeah, has it been about three months?”

It hadn’t been a year, but it had been about three months since I had seen Yoon Seol-ha.

I had been busy wrapping up the Seo Gi-woong case for the past few months, and Yoon Seol-ha hadn’t been able to come to the Central District Prosecutor’s Office since she had been working with PD [Producer-Director] Song Jae-hoon on gathering data for the PD X-File report after infiltrating the Grand Church gathering.

“I think I’ve lost about five kilograms [approximately 11 pounds].”

She added, straightening her shoulders.

“Well, your confidence seems to be the same as ever.”

“Enough, let’s eat some meat and gain some weight. You’ll blow away in the wind.”

“That’s why I’m asking you to buy me beef, Chief.”

Yoon Seol-ha smiled and approached me.

“Should I book a beef restaurant for tonight’s meeting with PD Song?”

I chuckled and replied,

“Do whatever you want.”

“I’ll book an expensive place.”

“It seems like you’re trying to get your money’s worth for all your hard work.”

“Of course. Once you hear what happened at Grand Church, you won’t think the beef is a waste.”

“Let’s talk about it later. If it’s too expensive, I’ll make you pay.”

“It’ll be worth it even if we drink all night.”

She raised her eyebrows, grabbed her cocoa, and took a sip.

“Oh, right. I heard that Prosecutors Hong Seok-jang and Jung Hyun-woo have been transferred to other departments?”

“Yes. They went to the Fair Trade Investigation Department and the Public Security Department as deputy chiefs. Who told you?”

“I met Prosecutor Jang Ha-young on New Year’s Day and had a drink.”

“They must have been talking about me.”

“A lot.”

Yoon Seol-ha joked.

“The work is tough, but I decided to put up with it because he’s handsome.”

“Good for you.”

I laughed and sat down.

“If there’s anything I need to know before meeting PD Song Jae-hoon, please let me know in advance.”

“Yes.”

She raised her cocoa and said,

“I’ll give you the documents after I finish this.”

“Okay.”

***

PD Song Jae-hoon also looked gaunt.

It seemed that he and Yoon Seol-ha had gone through a lot of hardship for the past three months.

He filled my glass and asked cheerfully,

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been good. You look like you’ve lost some weight too, Jae-hoon?”

“Yes, I’ve lost a little.”

“Grand Church must be something else.”

“Oh, those guys…….”

PD Song Jae-hoon clicked his tongue.

“Since we announced that PD X-File was receiving tips, we received more calls from Grand Church than from informants. They even threatened to stop the broadcast. Last month, they were waiting in front of my house, so I sent my family to my parents’ house and stayed at the company.”

“Could you infiltrate again?”

“We can’t. It’ll be difficult for Seol-ha too.”

Yoon Seol-ha said with a disappointed look.

“I tried to hide my identity as much as possible for the second infiltration, but I got exposed while reporting.”

“That can’t be helped. We’ll send someone from the police for the second infiltration.”

I said to the employee who was grilling the meat.

“We’ll grill it now. You can go.”

“Enjoy your meal.”

I put the cooked beef on Yoon Seol-ha and Song Jae-hoon’s plates and asked,

“So, what’s the most important thing? Is it all true?”

“Yes. Rather than all of it, it’s more like that’s just a part of it.”

PD Song Jae-hoon replied without hesitation.

“We captured the scene of human trafficking on camera, and we also confirmed that sexual assault occurred under the name of Freedom Square. We also secured testimonies from informants.”

“They’re like the scum of the earth.”

“But there’s a slightly shocking part here.”

Yoon Seol-ha, who had picked up a piece of beef, added.

“Have you heard of Choi Gyu-seong?”

“Choi Gyu-seong?”

Rummaging through my memory, only one person came to mind.

“I know him, but…… I don’t think it’s the person I’m thinking of.”

However, Yoon Seol-ha put down her chopsticks and said,

“I think it’s the person you know, Chief.”

“That can’t be.”

“You’re thinking of Assemblyman [Member of the National Assembly] Choi Gyu-hyun’s brother, aren’t you?”

“That guy is involved?”

“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes. Choi Gyu-seong was attending the gathering. Not as a regular member, but as an elder.”

Wait a minute.

This was unexpected.

“So, the backer of Grand Church is…….”

“That’s right. It was Choi Gyu-hyun.”

I frowned without realizing it.

Yoon Seol-ha said in the documents she gave me that the backing force of Grand Church was not an ordinary person, so I was somewhat prepared, but I never imagined that Choi Gyu-hyun would be involved.

He was none other than the head of the Number 1 Line [a powerful political faction].

If Choi Gyu-hyun were shaken, the entire Number 1 Line would be shaken.

He was not an easy opponent to touch.

“This is a much worse situation than I thought.”

“Yes. That’s why it took us so long to investigate.”

“This complicates the problem. It’s not just a matter of Grand Church and Mayor Na Kyung-joon of Seoul.”

I put my hands on the table and thought slowly.

To be cold, Choi Gyu-hyun is holding the Number 1 Line, but shaking him will not collapse the line.

The moment it becomes known that he cannot hold on, a new person will surely rise up and seize power.

However, it is certain that the entire line will be shaken.

The problem here is whether I can firmly establish my position while attacking Choi Gyu-hyun.

Even if no one else does, if I hit Choi Gyu-hyun, the Number 1 Line’s view of me will not be favorable.

Wait a minute.

Is this why I was smiling with someone from the Number 2 Line in the future text?

Damn it.

If it goes like this, it’s not just secretly joining hands with the Number 2 Line, but openly moving to the line.

Suddenly, my head started to throb.

It’s not just about pushing Na Kyung-joon out of the Seoul mayor’s office.

Actually touching Grand Church is like declaring that you are extending your feet into politics.

If I have been standing at the crossroads of a political prosecutor and a line-riding prosecutor, this will be an act of definitively establishing the path of a political prosecutor.

I have to think carefully.

I swept my hair back and closed my eyes.

Okay. First, let’s run a simulation assuming we move to the Number 2 Line.

First of all, the most important thing is the change in my position within the prosecution.

The Seoul High Prosecutor is not related to the line, so there will be no problem.

I can cover the deputy chief prosecutors and other chief prosecutors with my own hands.

What worries me is Chief Prosecutor Han Dong-min, whom I met a few days ago.

He took office as the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office today, and he is a very representative figure of the Number 1 Line.

In other words, if I go to the Number 2 Line, I will be in conflict with the chief prosecutor again.

However, since I have already ousted two chief prosecutors, if I conflict with the chief prosecutor again, no matter how good I am, the social view will not be favorable.

It won’t be easy to handle.

No.

Kim Seok-won is between Han Dong-min and me.

Even if I move to the Number 2 Line, my relationship with Kim Seok-won is solid, and Han Dong-min’s personality pursues a thin and long path.

In other words, he is not an opponent who will check or tackle me.

Above all, if I make the deputy chief prosecutors of the Number 2 Line on my side, it is clear that Han Dong-min will not be able to antagonize me.

No, if I can maintain my power, the same friendly relationship as now will have to continue.

He will pursue peace in any case, as long as his safety is protected.

Then, at least within the prosecution, my position will not be shaken.

I have gathered my people and built up my strength so that I can withstand the storm.

The real problem is Seong Tae-hyun.

He has been a two-term lawmaker through the Daehan Party.

His regional base is solid, but considering moving to the Minuk Party and running for mayor of Seoul, Seong Tae-hyun’s life will undergo a huge transformation.

The problem is whether he can abandon his party and defect to win the Seoul mayoral election.

After all, only I know that he will definitely become president in the future text.

“Prosecutor, are you okay?”

PD Song Jae-hoon looked at my face with concern.

“Ah, yes. It’s nothing. I suddenly had a headache.”

“Then you can stop drinking.”

“No. I’m fine now.”

“Yes. To continue the story from earlier, Shin Hyung-joo was not the only perpetrator in Freedom Square, where sexual assault took place.”

“Don’t tell me…….”

“That’s right. Choi Gyu-seong, the younger brother of Assemblyman Choi Gyu-hyun, and three elders all went to Freedom Square.”

“Crazy bastards.”

“We were shocked after receiving the tip. How should we break this…….”

I sighed deeply and changed the subject.

“First of all, let’s talk about that problem later, and the illegal activities that take place in Grand Church are summarized into two categories: Freedom Square and human trafficking, right?”

“There’s one more thing.”

It was hard to keep from being shocked even with just two things, but there was more.

“There’s also something called a Threshing Ground.”

“Threshing Ground?”

“Yes. Threshing means removing the outer husk from grains such as rice and barley, right?”

“That’s right.”

“They interpret that in a distorted way and say that it is an act of slapping a believer’s cheek to remove the evil spirits or bad energy from that person. So, we filmed Shin Hyung-joo slapping the believers’ cheeks himself for several hours a day.”

“Evil spirits?”

I tilted my head even while listening.

“Doesn’t the church not recognize evil spirits?”

“That’s why it’s a cult. Grand Church has been kicked out of the official Christian church for a long time, hasn’t it?”

“Huh…….”

“Then they say that believers who endure the brutal violence of the Threshing Ground are grains, but those who can’t stand it and run away are called chaff.”

It was a religion that I couldn’t understand even as I listened.

I even heard about these crazy acts, so I can’t just leave Grand Church alone.

No, I even feel a sense of repulsion and disgust towards Assemblyman Choi Gyu-hyun, who is making money from this.

Now that it has come to this, it seems like I will have a proper confrontation with Choi Gyu-hyun.

However, I cannot attack Choi Gyu-hyun recklessly without any countermeasures.

I think I should meet the Number 2 Line in advance and talk about it.

I have to meet not just an appropriate person, but a representative-level person of the Number 2 Line, so that my meeting does not leak to the Number 1 Line.

At that moment, the face of the leader of this country came to my mind.

Yes, Kyung Dong-soo.

If he is the president from the Number 2 Line, he will be able to directly connect me with the key figures of the current Number 2 Line.

First of all, I have to contact Kyung Dong-soo.