The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 169

Marionette (8)

Unlike his initially uneasy expression, Ko Seong-tak smiled contentedly and extended his hand to me.

“Pleased to be working with you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

The moment I firmly grasped his outstretched hand and shook it lightly, something gleaming caught my eye from his right sleeve.

It feels like metal.

Is this the weapon Yoon Seol-ha mentioned?

I finished the handshake and said smoothly,

“By the way, in movies these days, NIS [National Intelligence Service] special agents wear secret weapons on their wrists…”

Ko Seong-tak burst into laughter and waved his hand.

“Oh, not at all. That’s just movie stuff.”

He rolled up his sleeves to show me both of his arms.

“All I have on my arms are watches.”

His right sleeve, which had gleamed, indeed held a watch.

It had crystals embedded in it, making it slightly more sparkly than a typical metal watch, but it was just an ordinary watch.

I steered the conversation naturally, as if it were nothing.

“You wear your watch on your right arm?”

“Yes, because I’m left-handed.”

“I see.”

It seems Yoon Seol-ha was just sensitive and misunderstood.

The metal she saw must have been a mistaken impression of this watch.

I nodded and moved to wrap up the conversation.

“NIS agents don’t carry guns or anything?”

“It depends on the NIS. Since I’m with the National Cyber Security Center, I only carry a laptop.”

He wrinkled his nose and pulled his sleeve down again.

“Anyway…”

Ko Seong-tak’s eyes twinkled as he asked me.

“You said you have a card that can get Assemblyman Seong Tae-hyun elected as the Mayor of Seoul… May I ask what it is?”

“It’s difficult to say just yet.”

He’s just someone I’ve joined hands with; we’re not close enough to reveal my trump card.

I need to hold onto a powerful ace to maintain the upper hand.

“I see.”

“It’s something I haven’t even told Assemblyman Seong Tae-hyun, so I hope you’re not disappointed.”

“Not at all.”

Ko Seong-tak took a light breath.

“I’m just worried. If the other side also has a chance…”

“I’m not a gambler.”

I twisted my lips into a smirk and added,

“I don’t do stupid things like betting on a fight without certainty.”

Only then did he shake off his anxiety and smile with anticipation.

“Then I’ll rest assured.”

“Yes, please do.”

Even so, I know that Ko Seong-tak won’t let go of his suspicion of me.

In fact, that’s normal. No, it’s even more desirable.

That way, he’ll move as busily as possible to weigh his options in the middle.

“Then I’ll be going in now. Have a good evening.”

“You too, Seong-tak. Have a good night.”

“Ah, right.”

He said to me, holding the doorknob.

“From now on, please call me ‘Pro Ko’.”

“Understood.”

“Go in safely, Prosecutor.”

Ko Seong-tak bowed his head and got out of the car.

After he left, I started the car and immediately called Seong Tae-hyun.

Of course, while connected to the car to avoid being caught by Choi Gyu-hyun’s surveillance tails.

-Yes, Prosecutor.

“I’m on my way home after meeting ‘Hand of God’.”

-I remember you were supposed to meet yesterday, but you’re a day late.

“Yes. It got delayed while I was figuring things out.”

-How did it go?

“I’ve decided to join hands with ‘Hand of God’.”

-Does that mean you’re going all the way together?

“For now, it’s until this election. After that, I’ll decide whether or not ‘Hand of God’ is trustworthy based on Choi Gyu-hyun’s actions.”

This thought was firm.

Even if I see in the future text that I would join hands with him later, that doesn’t give me a reason to blindly trust Ko Seong-tak.

I know that the future text is only a means to help me, and it shouldn’t be the reason for my actions.

All judgments are based in my head, and I have to take responsibility for them.

I shouldn’t act carelessly.

Until I have 100% trust, only constant suspicion can guarantee my safety.

-Understood. Then how should I move?

“For the time being, we’re working together, so share the election strategy, but don’t trust him 100%.”

-Understood. It’s right to be cautious.

“I think Choi Gyu-hyun is trying to make Assemblyman Seong a marionette, so just put on a little act to match that.”

-Yes. That level of acting isn’t difficult. Then I’ll contact you if there are any additional changes.

“Rest well.”

-Thank you, Prosecutor.

By the time this election is over, the outline of whether to join hands with him or kick him out, as in the future text, will be drawn.

Perhaps he will have no choice but to make the right choice.

This election will go as I want it to.

***

“He told me to play along with Seong Tae-hyun,” Hand of God, Ko Seong-tak, unfolded the strategy that Choi Seo-jun had told him to Choi Gyu-hyun.

“He said he knows information about Seong Tae-hyun, so he wants you to help him control him. I think he’s preparing for the possibility that Mayor Na Kyung-jun might fail to be re-elected.”

As Choi Seo-jun expected, Ko Seong-tak had decided to weigh his options in the middle.

That was the easiest and most certain way for Ko Seong-tak to gain practical benefits.

Having chosen to weigh his options, pretending to follow Choi Seo-jun’s strategy was the best choice from his current position.

Therefore, Ko Seong-tak couldn’t tell Choi Gyu-hyun about Choi Seo-jun’s strategy.

The moment he revealed it, he would lose one of the strings he held in both hands.

In this matter, Ko Seong-tak was completely unaware that he had become Choi Seo-jun’s marionette without even knowing it.

If he didn’t know, there was no way Choi Gyu-hyun would know either.

He twisted his lips slyly at Ko Seong-tak’s one-sided report.

“As expected, that Choi Seo-jun is a sly old fox.”

Choi Gyu-hyun had somewhat anticipated this situation.

He didn’t think that cunning guy would only be loyal to him and go all-in.

He thought he would have dug out a loophole, and he was lucky enough to find it.

When he heard from the tail attached to Choi Seo-jun last night that he had contacted Hand of God, Ko Seong-tak, he suspected that Hand of God might be a double agent, but since he told him everything directly, there was no room for such suspicion.

Kim, the chief of staff, who had been listening quietly, asked cautiously.

“Then can we assume that Choi Seo-jun betrayed us?”

“That’s not it.”

Choi Gyu-hyun shook his head.

“He’s just taking out insurance, like us.”

He twisted his lips.

“However, he’s just one step behind us.”

Chief Kim clasped his hands worriedly.

“Is there a possibility that he’ll stick with Seong Tae-hyun…”

“There’s absolutely no way.”

Choi Gyu-hyun opened his mouth with a confident tone.

“The fact that he contacted our Pro Ko means that he’s either swallowed Seong Tae-hyun or he’s not aiming for a horizontal relationship.”

He said, looking at Ko Seong-tak.

“Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right, Assemblyman.”

Ko Seong-tak nodded in agreement.

“The Choi Seo-jun I saw seemed to be thinking of controlling Seong Tae-hyun from behind. Just like Assemblyman Choi.”

“That guy’s thinking is fierce. He’s just like me. Just one step slower.”

Although he didn’t show it on the outside, he was hiding his surprised feelings.

He’s a person who hasn’t been in the line for even five years yet.

Even though Hand of God approached him first, he would figure out his identity, persuade him, and think of making Seong Tae-hyun a puppet in reverse.

If he hadn’t moved first, he might have been caught, he thought.

A person who thinks exactly the same as Choi Gyu-hyun.

That’s why he began to feel more viscerally that Choi Seo-jun was dangerous.

He had always thought it was pathetic that quite a few people were swept away by a mere chief prosecutor, but he even began to think that he really shouldn’t let his guard down.

‘I can’t leave Choi Seo-jun alone any longer.’

At this rate, he might swallow not only the line but even the Republic of Korea.

“So, what did Pro Ko say?”

“I said I understood for now. That way, he’ll see me contacting Assemblyman Seong Tae-hyun and feel relieved, so he won’t move any further.”

“Very well done.”

A satisfied smile spread across Choi Gyu-hyun’s face.

“So, is the Seong Tae-hyun project going well?”

“Yes. It’s progressing very smoothly.”

Only then did Chief Kim also smile faintly.

“Even if Na Kyung-jun is defeated, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“That’s right. If Mayor Na is elected, it’s good to drive out Seong Tae-hyun and Choi Seo-jun as a one-plus-one, and even if he’s defeated, it’s good because Seong Tae-hyun is in our hands and we can only drive out Choi Seo-jun. Either way, the situation isn’t bad.”

Choi Gyu-hyun’s eyes twinkled as he twisted his lips roughly.

“Besides, Choi Seo-jun contacting Pro Ko has become a very good opportunity for us. It’s created a very good excuse to drive out Choi Seo-jun after the election.”

He patted Ko Seong-tak on the shoulder and praised him.

“Very well done, Pro Ko.”

“Thank you, Assemblyman.”

The same bed, different dreams unfolding in Choi Gyu-hyun’s secret office showed no signs of stopping.

***

April 2022.

With the local elections two months away, the outline of the party’s internal elections was slowly beginning to emerge.

Also, thanks to Choi Gyu-hyun’s knowledge, he was able to meet Hand of God, Ko Seong-tak, more confidently, and he was even connecting him with Seong Tae-hyun.

Thanks to the positions secured by Assemblymen Kyung Dong-soo and Jo Hyun-woong, Seong Tae-hyun had completely established himself in the No. 2 line, and I was also able to solidify my position within the prosecution.

Thanks to Han Dong-min, the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, who is also with me, I am sweeping the scores for the Deputy Prosecutor promotion next year, so the promotion is almost certain.

Of course, there may be difficulties if Choi Gyu-hyun starts a fight immediately after the local elections, but if I persevere, there should be no problem in moving up.

However, the problem is the media play that will take place in this election.

The card that can definitely defeat Na Kyung-jun is to socially accuse him of replacing Jung Cheol-woong, who became a vegetative state and then woke up, during his military officer days, thereby creating opposing public opinion.

Immediately after that, my scenario was to deliver the final blow with Grandkyo, but considering the time when PD X-File first reported Grandkyo, I couldn’t deny that Choi Gyu-hyun was one step above me when it came to media play.

If he stubbornly covers up the reports I’ve released and deceives the citizens, the worst-case scenario of Seong Tae-hyun’s election becoming uncertain may arise.

That’s why I had to be fully prepared.

It was important to create not just sensational reports, but stories that would be passed from mouth to mouth among citizens.

There was someone around me who knew this better than anyone else.

None other than Hand of God, Ko Seong-tak.

His main job is to bewitch people and turn them into puppets, but one of Ko Seong-tak’s specialties that is buried in that is to send people to hell by framing them for crimes.

The number of people he has framed so far is very numerous, from county governors to mayors to members of the National Assembly.

The fact that he devoured those who were supported by the public is proof that he is very skilled in media play.

The easiest thing to do is to open my card to him and ask him for media play, but I didn’t choose that.

If I start relying on Hand of God from the beginning, I’ll lose control in my relationship with him.

That’s why I had to solve the problem of raising Seong Tae-hyun to the mayor of Seoul entirely on my own without the help of Hand of God.

Only then, when I reach out to him, will I be able to take complete control and gain the upper hand.

In this election, Ko Seong-tak’s role is to block and divert Choi Gyu-hyun’s checks, nothing more and nothing less.

However, in order for my plan to be put into practice, it was essential to find out his media play methods.

Even though we’re on the same boat, the trust between us hasn’t reached its peak yet.

That’s why he won’t tell me 100% of everything if there’s something I’m curious about.

I had to naturally induce the method through conversation with Ko Seong-tak.

“Ah, Prosecutor, over here!”