The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 17

A Shrimp Gets a Treat from a Whale Fight (1)

Lim Sungjin collapsed.

He wasn’t just a defeated soldier; he was like a general captured as a prisoner of a fallen nation.

With his resignation already accepted and the bar exam scandal erupting, he seemed to have no strength left to resist. He surrendered, admitting to all the charges against him.

Jo Wonhyung received a three-month suspension and a demotion to a regional post but didn’t protest.

He had hoped to remain in the Economic Crimes Investigation Department, but given the circumstances, he was grateful enough just not to be dismissed, so he didn’t complain.

If I had only exposed the Economic Crimes Investigation Department’s case and ousted Lim Sungjin, I would have simply had a brief moment of fame before fading away.

However, by thrusting my face back into the media with the bar exam corruption to completely cut off Lim Sungjin’s lifeline, I was able to rise to stardom overnight.

The bar exam corruption scandal lasted quite a while, increasing my opportunities to appear in the media. Furthermore, interested netizens investigated me, and the fact that I had taken on this case in the provinces and risen to the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office’s Inspection Department became known through social media, which greatly contributed to the buzz.

A prosecutor who had been hiding his strength in the provinces, only to come to Seoul to catch a corrupt chief prosecutor to avenge his friend.

It was the perfect material for creating news stories.

No one was more thrilled than my parents.

Perhaps because I had not only risen to the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office but also gained public recognition, matchmaking proposals that had become infrequent began to flood in again.

And with much better conditions than when I first passed the bar exam.

Once I actually came to Seoul, I became anxious because most of the prosecutors around me had spouses from wealthy families, so I considered going on matchmaking dates several times but postponed it.

Securing a position in the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office comes first, rather than rushing to marry someone right now.

I can’t even afford to spare time for women if I want to do that.

Of course, I feel more and more desperately that having a good spouse is necessary to get ahead as time goes on.

Just a few days ago, there was a prosecutor in the Criminal Affairs Department who was barely surviving, teetering on the brink of being exiled to a regional post. But as soon as his father-in-law won the Seoul mayoral election in a last-minute upset in this local election, he was immediately transferred to the Public Security Department, one of the three most important departments in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. I saw it with my own eyes.

***

Six months.

It’s already been six months since I joined the Inspection Department.

At the beginning of this year, Chief Prosecutor Kim Seokwon was promoted to Prosecutor General.

Not just any Prosecutor General, but a High Prosecutor General. The head of the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office.

It was a very unusual occurrence to be promoted directly from Chief Prosecutor to High Prosecutor General without serving as the head of a regional High Prosecutors’ Office such as Busan or Daegu, and thanks to that, Kim Seokwon’s prestige soared.

Thanks to that, I, who am part of his line, was also able to quickly establish myself.

I was able to make a complete impression on the Prosecutor General by handling two more major cases after the Economic Crimes Investigation Department and the bar exam scandal.

If things continue like this, I had hope that I could take his place when Deputy Chief Park Seungsu is promoted to Chief Prosecutor at the end of this year.

Of course, it’s still just a possibility.

One thing that has changed is that I haven’t been receiving any more texts about the future since then.

I wasn’t particularly disappointed about the lack of texts since I was already actively working in the Inspection Department, but I was still curious.

Seeing as there hasn’t been any news so far, I can’t help but think that supernatural forces helped me solve the Shin Yongho case.

“Prosecutor, do you have a moment?”

Yoon Seolha approached me with two documents in her hand.

It’s already been six months since she joined this office.

I brought her in as an investigator right after the Lim Sungjin case ended.

As expected, her work skills were amazing.

Yoon Seolha was able to obtain things that other investigators couldn’t, even when they threw up their hands and said they couldn’t do it.

When I asked her how she got them, she always said it was a ‘trade secret,’ which was annoying, but I knew better than to get involved, so I was trying not to pay attention.

Most importantly, I can trust her.

That was the best thing about working with her.

“Speak.”

“I looked into the joint investigation details of the Financial Crimes Division and the Economic Crimes Investigation Department that you mentioned last time, and as expected, the investigations were not properly conducted and were buried. Both cases.”

Recently, I’ve been digging into a company.

Joo-Ok Group.

A group with wealth that ranks among the top ten in South Korea.

A so-called chaebol [a large, family-owned industrial conglomerate].

A chaebol who enjoys privileges beyond VIP status with money.

Normally, as a mere prosecutor, it would be obvious that any attempt to touch them would be buried, but this time it was different.

A power struggle between brothers.

After the chairman of Joo-Ok Group collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage, his children are fighting each other to seize the group’s shares.

It hasn’t turned into a media war yet, but I think it’s only a matter of time before it does.

They are handing over data and even money to the prosecution to dig up each other’s weaknesses, while the other side is repeatedly trying to cover it up with more money.

The prosecutor in the middle of them benefits the most.

The most prominent of them is the Financial Crimes Division.

They can expose anyone’s accounts in South Korea.

I’m sure even a junior prosecutor would have pocketed at least several thousand by now.

I’m not digging into the departments related to Joo-Ok Group because of the money.

It’s because it’s a very clear opportunity to get ahead.

When they have such a desperate bleeding war, they are bound to leave traces.

No crazy person would dig into that unless they were out of their mind, but I’m crazy about getting ahead.

If I can dig up information on one side here, the other side will unconditionally support me, so instead of being buried, I’ll have the opportunity to be completely featured in the news.

An opportunity to solidify me as the top candidate for Deputy Chief Park Seungsu’s vacant position.

And after secretly investigating for over a month, I caught a clue a few days ago.

“It seems that someone who can control both departments is suppressing it from above.”

“That’s right. Looking at the data you gave me, they all reacted at an incredible speed and covered it up only when Joo-Ok Medical was targeted.”

The Economic Crimes Investigation Department was completely replaced after the Lim Sungjin case, so it became directly under the District Prosecutor General.

However, Prosecutor General Lim Juyoung is aiming for the position of Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, who will retire next year, so there’s no reason for him to get involved in a chaebol fight, so pass.

Of course, he must be condoning the dogfight that is happening under him while knowing about it.

If he takes sides with either of the brothers, the other side will definitely not sit idly by and watch Lim Juyoung seize the position of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

Since Prosecutor General Lim Juyoung, who actually controls the Economic Crimes Investigation Department, is out of the question, the Economic Crimes Investigation Department must be following the Financial Crimes Division.

The key is the Financial Crimes Division.

However, the problem is that there is still no definite information about the real power who controls the two departments.

At best, only the First Deputy Prosecutor General comes to mind.

There must be some kind of connection.

“Joo-Ok Medical, huh…”

Seeing my troubled expression, Yoon Seolha smiled and took out her cell phone from her pocket.

“Actually, I couldn’t think of anything either, so I’ve been tailing the key figures of Joo-Ok Medical for the past few days.”

She showed me a photo taken in the gallery.

A secluded underground parking lot. A man who appears to be an aide is putting three 007 briefcases [briefcases often associated with espionage, implying secrecy and valuable contents] into the trunk of a black car.

The car number is barely visible.

“Did you get that car number?”

“Yes.”

She said with a triumphant expression.

“95 Ro 4106. It’s the vehicle of Chief Prosecutor Kang Hyunsoo of the Special Investigation Department.”

Vibration of cellphone.

The phone vibrated, but I put it aside and looked up at Yoon Seolha.

“Do you have a shot of his face?”

“Unfortunately, no. After taking this, the guards noticed and I ran away immediately.”

“Chief Kang Hyunsoo, if we dig into his property or account details, will anything come out?”

“Probably not.”

However, Yoon Seolha added one word.

“But if we dig, there’s a possibility that some dust might be on him.”

I like this attitude of trying to dig up even one more thing rather than backing down.

That’s Yoon Seolha’s greatest strength.

“It’s hard without a warrant, right?”

“Yes. It’s hard to get it openly without a warrant.”

“What about secretly?”

She raised the corners of her mouth as if she understood what I meant.

“Give me two days.”

“Thanks for your hard work.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Yoon Seolha immediately packed her bag and left the office.

Only after the door closed did I pick up my cell phone.

-Sender: 30

-Photo

It’s a text.

A future text.

I thought it had disappeared because it hadn’t come for a while, but it finally came back.

The fact that the sender has changed for the first time was also noticeable.

Until now, it was all 29, but today it’s 30.

Could that mean something?

No. Let’s think about that later.

Right now, I need to think about the content of the text first.

I immediately zoomed in on the photo.

A parking lot?

No, it’s a playground.

A pretty secluded place.

Judging by the few tattered signs nearby, it must be a redevelopment complex or one of the remote shantytowns.

Just in case, I wrote down all the visible signs and focused on the photo again.

Two cars are visible.

One black SUV and one foreign sedan.

The SUV’s vehicle number is 35 Da 3741. The foreign car’s license plate is 95 Ro 4106.

Wait a minute, if it’s 95 Ro 4106, that’s the car number that Yoon Seolha got a little while ago.

The owner of the foreign car is definitely Chief Prosecutor Kang Hyunsoo of the Special Investigation Department.

The screen is too dark to see clearly, but I could tell that two men were exchanging something.

The shape is roughly like a square bag. Could it be a 007 briefcase?

It looks like Chief Prosecutor Kang Hyunsoo is handing the bag over to the owner of the SUV.

The puzzle pieces are slowly coming together in my head.

I carefully scanned the photo again to see if I had missed anything, wrote down everything without missing a single detail, and immediately picked up the phone and called a police officer I knew.

-Yes, Prosecutor.

“Run a background check on a vehicle number.”

-Please tell me.

“35 Da 3741.”

-Just a moment.

I heard the sound of typing on the keyboard, and then I heard his voice.

-The owner is Lee Eunyoung.”

“Is it a woman?”

-Yes. She’s 39 years old and lives in Gangnam-gu.”

Did I get it wrong?

No, that can’t be.

“What about her husband?”

-Please wait a moment.

After hearing the sound of the keyboard again, he picked up the phone.

-Nam Woo-hyun. He’s forty-one years old.”

Bingo!

The Chief Prosecutor of the Financial Crimes Division is Nam Woo-hyun.

“Okay, thank you.”

-Please tell me if you need anything.

“I’ll buy you a drink soon.”

-Yes!

That’s it.

Everything was sorted out at once.

The puzzle was complete, including how the connections fit together and why Joo-Ok Medical gave Chief Kang Hyunsoo three 007 briefcases.