The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 171

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 172

The Art of Persuasion (2)

President Bong Man-soo gritted his teeth, finding himself in a bind.

Before this meeting, he’d had RK Entertainment’s financial records examined and discovered some shady dealings of President Bong himself.

In fact, Bong’s hands were far from clean.

*It’s a joke that he’s lecturing me about right and wrong.*

“The choice is yours, President Bong. What will it be?”

I grinned.

“Will you betray me? Or will you join forces?”

He bit his lip, considering his options, and finally nodded with reluctance.

“I’ll do as the prosecutor says.”

I smiled, satisfied.

“Good.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing too complicated. Just arrange three meetings on the dates I give you.”

“Meetings?”

“Yes. It could be with a manager, an advertising agency, or a broadcasting station—it doesn’t matter. But the location is non-negotiable.”

“Where should I set them up?”

“A hotel.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.

“A, a hotel?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that secret meetings at hotels are quite common in this industry.”

“That’s true, but could you at least tell me what these meetings are about? I need to prepare at the company level….”

“I’ll handle the fallout, so just set up the meetings. That’s all I need from you.”

“Then, could this lead to a scandal….”

“President Bong.”

I wiped the smile from my face, my tone turning serious.

“We’re not equals here. Don’t overstep.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“And I’m not trying to create a scandal for the sake of it. I told you, ‘dump’ Jung So-min.”

He finally fell silent and lowered his head.

“I understand, Prosecutor.”

“Good. I’m counting on you.”

“Does that mean Jung So-min will be completely finished in the entertainment industry?”

“President Bong, you don’t want to find yourself ostracized, do you?”

President Bong Man-soo quickly shook his head.

“Not at all. I’ll do exactly as you say.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder, adopting a more casual tone.

“I’m just kidding. I’m not trying to destroy Ji-min’s career. I’m just giving her a break. She must be exhausted from working on project after project. As corrupt as I may be, I’m not cruel enough to ruin her to the point of no return.”

“…….”

“I’ll be in touch again soon.”

I brushed off his shoulder and turned to the CEO of the venture company standing behind him.

“Oh, CEO Kim, you’re here?”

***

May 2022.

The results of the party primaries were in.

Na Kyung-joon for the Great Korea Party, and Sung Tae-hyun for the Democratic Party.

The outcome was predictable.

Unlike the presidential election or other local elections, the Manse Party held little sway in the Seoul mayoral race, making it essentially a two-way contest.

The initial poll showed Na Kyung-joon with 45% support and Sung Tae-hyun with 32%.

It was a significant gap, but with a month remaining until the election, the actual chances of winning were still uncertain.

Meanwhile, ‘Hand of God’ was still playing both sides, feigning allegiance to Choi Kyu-hyun while secretly working with me.

However, Choi Kyu-hyun’s ideal scenario was for Na Kyung-joon to win the election and for Sung Tae-hyun and me to be eliminated simultaneously, so he was doing everything in his power to help Na Kyung-joon.

If Sung Tae-hyun were to be elected, it would introduce an element of unpredictability, as Choi would have to go through the middleman, ‘Hand of God’.

Of course, even while helping Na, ‘Hand of God’ acted as if Sung Tae-hyun was merely a puppet, ensuring that Choi Kyu-hyun remained oblivious to my collaboration with Sung Tae-hyun.

As time marched on, June arrived.

The local elections were scheduled for June 15th.

With the official election period commencing on June 1st, Sung Tae-hyun and Na Kyung-joon established their official election headquarters and began campaigning in earnest.

And I unleashed the Grand Kyo [a fictional cult], which I had been holding back.

Song Jae-hoon meticulously edited and compiled all the corruption and criminal allegations surrounding Grand Kyo, information he had been gathering and saving, and broadcast it through PD X-File [a fictional investigative journalism program].

This time, Choi Kyu-hyun attempted to interfere, but he couldn’t be fooled again after already falling for my deception once.

The broadcast not only exposed the cult’s involvement in various crimes but also revealed the existence of a prominent actress associated with the religion, achieving the highest viewership rating of 2022 at 18.72%.

In short, Choi Kyu-hyun was panicking.

*Well, let him sweat a little.*

*Because this is just the beginning.*

***

“Where is that bastard Choi Seo-joon!”

Assemblyman Choi Kyu-hyun hurled his cell phone in a fit of rage.

“Tell him to get over here right now!”

“Ah, I can’t seem to reach him….”

“He ignores my calls, so why would he answer yours?”

He raised his voice at the hapless Chief Kim.

“If you can’t reach him, drag him here!”

“Yes?”

“That bastard is constantly defying me!”

He threw the nameplate from his desk at Chief Kim’s face.

Startled, Chief Kim barely managed to dodge the nameplate as he collapsed to the floor.

Even so, Choi Kyu-hyun couldn’t contain his anger and gritted his teeth.

“That Choi Seo-joon has a death wish!”

He tried to take a few deep breaths to calm himself, but when that proved ineffective, he slammed his fist on the table.

“Call ‘Hand of God’ immediately.”

“Yes?”

“Is this idiot deaf!”

“I, I’ll get him!”

Chief Kim hastily opened the door to leave, but at that moment….

“Assemblyman!”

‘Hand of God’, Go Seong-tak, entered Choi Kyu-hyun’s office.

Of course, he had received instructions from Choi Seo-joon beforehand.

He was still weighing his options, but he could sense that the tide had turned.

“Go Pro! [short for ‘professional’, a nickname]”

As soon as he saw Go Seong-tak, Assemblyman Choi Kyu-hyun jumped up, filled with hope.

“What’s going on?”

Anticipating that Choi was about to inquire about Choi Seo-joon and Sung Tae-hyun, Go Seong-tak immediately took the initiative.

“I met with the CEO of RK Entertainment.”

“RK Entertainment?”

Choi’s brow furrowed.

“Why are you meeting with those entertainers at such a crucial time?”

“No, Assemblyman. The most likely suspect to be involved with Grand Kyo is Jung So-min, who is signed with RK Entertainment.”

“What?”

“Furthermore, according to Bong Man-soo, the CEO of RK Entertainment, Choi Seo-joon approached him separately and ordered him to dump Jung So-min. He was threatened with embezzlement charges, leaving him no choice but to link Jung So-min to Grand Kyo.”

“Damn it!”

Choi Kyu-hyun crumpled all the documents on his desk and threw them aside.

“What is happening! Did Choi Seo-joon suddenly join forces with Sung Tae-hyun?”

“No. This isn’t a collaboration; it’s a complete betrayal.”

“Betrayal?”

“Yes. It’s true that Choi Seo-joon aligned himself with the Second Faction, but he hasn’t reconciled with Sung Tae-hyun. I just spoke with Sung Tae-hyun and confirmed it.”

“Then why is Choi Seo-joon doing this? Why would he even need to go to the Second Faction?”

“I believe he’s planning to seize control of the Seoul mayorship entirely.”

Choi Kyu-hyun’s eyebrows twitched.

“You mean he intends to be a behind-the-scenes manipulator?”

“That’s right. It seems he plans to control Sung Tae-hyun through me and hold the Seoul mayorship in his grasp. Choi Seo-joon often hinted at that during our conversations.”

“You should have reported this sooner!”

“Ah, I assumed he would only make his move after the election… It was a misjudgment on my part. I apologize.”

“Hoo.”

Choi Kyu-hyun let out a deep sigh.

“That Choi Seo-joon… his ambition knows no bounds.”

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through Choi Kyu-hyun’s mind.

“Wait a minute. RK Entertainment is already dumping Jung So-min, correct?”

“Yes, it appears so. According to the PD X-File, she was portrayed as being converted after meeting a Grand Kyo executive at a hotel….”

“Release Jung So-min’s dating rumors.”

“Yes?”

“Release the dating rumors. A scandal. Since it involves a hotel, it will be perfect for capturing the public’s attention, right?”

“But Jung So-min’s image will be completely….”

“Do you have time to worry about the image of some entertainer? Instead of standing there, I should call them directly.”

He shouted and immediately dialed RK Entertainment.

“Oh, President Bong. Release Jung So-min’s dating rumors. Not that she met a Grand Kyo member at the hotel, but that she slept with a male rookie actor.”

President Bong Man-soo was already reeling from the rumors of involvement with a cult, but Choi Kyu-hyun’s words left him speechless.

-Yes?

“You have a rookie entertainer in your company who can generate buzz, right? Link her with him!”

-No, Assemblyman. A sex scandal for an actress whose image is everything!

“Then should I expose your embezzlement?”

Assemblyman Choi Kyu-hyun added menacingly.

“Do you think I’m incapable of doing it?”

He continued fiercely.

“Do you think I’m less intimidating than Choi Seo-joon?”

President Bong Man-soo was silenced by Choi Kyu-hyun’s threat.

“Right now. If you don’t release it within an hour, you’ll be ruined before I am.”

President Bong Man-soo couldn’t express the agonizing feeling of being caught in the middle, unable to do anything.

“Make it extremely provocative. Write it in a way that will shock the public about Jung So-min as soon as they read the article, making them forget about Grand Kyo. You’re going to dump her anyway, right? I’ll review the article. Got it?”

-……I understand.

***

-Exclusive! Jung So-min, dating rookie actor Ha Seon-jong?

-It has been confirmed that the real reason actress Jung So-min, who was suspected of being involved with Grand Kyo, went to the hotel was because of her relationship with rookie actor Ha Seon-jong. CCTV footage confirmed that Ha Seon-jong had entered the hotel in advance and was waiting, and an interview with a hotel employee at the time revealed that the room they stayed in was filled with traces of all sorts of sadomasochism, causing shock….

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

I clicked my tongue.

*All they could come up with was a scandal about meeting at a hotel.*

*And in such a vulgar way.*

*To target Jung So-min, the epitome of innocent beauty, with this kind of garbage.*

I knew they would write something provocative to divert attention from Grand Kyo, but I didn’t expect them to go so far as to destroy Jung So-min’s image, which she had cultivated for over 10 years, in an instant.

*No matter how different her real personality is from her on-screen persona, what can I do?*

So far, Jung So-min has only played innocent and charming roles, so her return to the entertainment industry is practically impossible.

I opened the last page of the three scenarios written in the notebook on my desk.

I had prepared all the rhetoric, as Go Seong-tak had suggested.

I didn’t want to use it if I could avoid it, but now that Jung So-min’s image was so tarnished, I didn’t need to hesitate any longer.

*I’m sorry to Jung So-min, but I can’t help it.*

*It’s her fault for stealing my wife’s role out of jealousy.*

I immediately called Reporter Park Soo-hyung.

-Yes, Prosecutor.

“Do you remember the third file on the USB I gave you?”

-Ah, the one where Mayor Na Kyung-joon goes into the hotel?

“Yes. Prepare that and release the article.”

-I understand. The article is written, so it will be up in 5 minutes.”

“Thank you.”

I hung up the phone and leaned back in my chair.

The third file I prepared was about an affair with a married man.

The crucial detail is that the married man is Mayor Na Kyung-joon.

Of course, Choi Kyu-hyun made a critical error by releasing an article about his sexual preferences, so it will be overshadowed by the scandal with actor Ha Seon-jong, but it’s inevitable that Na Kyung-joon’s name will be associated with the scandal.

His image will undoubtedly be tarnished.

But it was too early to celebrate.

There are still key incidents that have yet to be revealed.