The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 179

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 180 (179/341)

Black Box (1)

Perhaps it was because I drank a hangover cure to try and clear my head, but I had a splitting headache that made me feel nauseous.

The taxi driver, noticing my poor condition, cautiously asked,

“Should I drive slower?”

“No, please hurry.”

I suppressed the queasiness and calmly organized my thoughts.

My brain felt like it was soaked in alcohol, but it was precisely at times like these that I needed to be more composed.

The accident that just occurred was highly likely the airplane accident I saw in the future text.

An incident that would solidify Representative Shin Dong-hyun’s support among the public, enough to make him a presidential candidate.

If it unfolds as the future text showed, a terrible tragedy would occur, with over half of the nearly 200 passengers dead or missing.

All I could do was to move with Representative Shin Dong-hyun, as I had prepared, to minimize the casualties.

It was past 2:30 AM, but without a moment’s hesitation, I called him.

The ringing went on for a long time.

About a minute later, just before the call was about to cut off, his voice came through the phone.

-Hello?

A completely sleepy voice.

He was indeed asleep.

But there was no time to excuse that.

“This is Choi Seo-jun. This is an emergency, so wake up quickly.”

-Wh, what’s wrong?

He hadn’t fully woken up yet and seemed disoriented.

“The situation I’ve been repeatedly warning about has occurred. Get out of bed immediately and get dressed.”

From the day I first met Representative Shin Dong-hyun at the Hill Consilience Hotel on Line 2 [a subway line in Seoul], after seeing the future text, I had instructed him.

To prepare rescue personnel and equipment in anticipation of a major disaster.

Of course, I didn’t explicitly say it was a plane crash.

I didn’t want to arouse suspicion by showing that I could foresee the future.

I had simply told him to prepare for all situations that threatened the lives of the people, including train derailments like the KTX [Korea Train eXpress, a high-speed rail system] and maritime accidents involving large ships.

Representative Shin Dong-hyun finally seemed to wake up, his voice becoming clearer.

-What kind of accident occurred?

“A Mirth Airlines passenger plane crashed into the West Sea.”

-Oh, my god…

He gasped.

-Your foresight is truly…

“This is not the time to be impressed. You need to move immediately.”

-I’m sorry.

I could hear Representative Shin Dong-hyun getting out of bed on the other end of the phone.

-Do you know exactly where the plane crashed?

“I’m just now hearing about the incident and moving, so I have no information at all.”

-Then I’ll have the SV information team look into it. Please let me know immediately if you find out anything.”

“Yes. Please contact me as soon as you have any updates, Representative Shin.”

-Okay. I’ll call you again.”

I ended the call with him and arrived at the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office.

As soon as I arrived at my office, cutting through the darkness, I immediately turned on the computer to gather information.

The crash hadn’t been properly confirmed yet, and there were only a few articles online.

After calling the National Assembly and Line, I gathered some information and confirmed that the crashed plane was a Mirth Airlines flight from Shanghai to Incheon, departing at 11 PM.

This confirmed that the accident was the tragedy I had seen in the future text.

However, the cause of the accident was still unknown.

Buzz, buzz.

I picked up my phone and saw a text message had arrived.

-Sender: Sung Tae-hyun

-I’ve confirmed the estimated crash location. It’s not an exact location, but based on the last signal received, I’m sending you the coordinates of the area.

Nice, Sung Tae-hyun!

As soon as the photo arrived, I sent the coordinates to Representative Shin Dong-hyun and called him.

-Yes, Prosecutor.

I could hear car sounds on the other end of the phone.

He had started moving as well.

“I’ve sent you the coordinates of the suspected location of the plane crash. Check it and head to Jeon Gok Port with your equipment.”

Jeon Gok Port in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province.

It was the closest and largest port to the estimated coordinates.

-Okay. Are you coming too, Prosecutor?

“No, I’ll stay in Seoul and contact you as soon as I get any information.”

-Yes, please do.

“Let me reiterate, I’ll take care of the image-making, so you need to focus all your efforts on rescuing the surviving passengers. You must do your best to reduce casualties. Don’t worry about politics or the media.”

-Don’t worry. I’ll do as you say, Prosecutor.

“It’s going to be a long haul. Be prepared.”

After ending the call with him, I felt completely drained.

I hadn’t slept well, and after drinking and moving so urgently, I was suddenly overcome with fatigue.

Now that I had finished the most important task of sending Shin Dong-hyun to the scene, the tension seemed to dissipate.

But if I fell asleep now, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the rapidly changing situation.

Even knowing that, it was past 4 AM, and my head was throbbing even more, making it hard to bear.

My head felt heavy and full.

Just as I was about to get up, thinking I needed the help of caffeine, the lights outside turned on.

Who was here?

I opened the door and saw a person who looked like they had just arrived, startled to see me.

“Chief Prosecutor?”

“Seol-ha, you’re here now?”

“Ah, yes.”

Yoon Seol-ha said with a dazed expression.

“I heard there was a major accident, so I came to organize things before you arrived, but you were already here.”

“I was out drinking with Mayor Sung and came straight to the office after hearing the news.”

“Did you stay up all night?”

“Yes.”

She looked at my face with concern.

“You don’t look good… Shouldn’t you rest a bit?”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you look pale. I’ll organize the accident files, so you should get some sleep on the sofa.”

Yoon Seol-ha said firmly.

“It looks like you had more than a couple of drinks… I think it would be better to clear your head and be more alert than to move around while you’re still drunk. I’ll wake you up immediately if anything special happens.”

She was absolutely right.

In my current state, I wouldn’t be able to make proper judgments.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

After showing her the estimated accident coordinates, I went into the office and lay down on the sofa, as Yoon Seol-ha had suggested.

The thought that she was indeed Yoon Seol-ha crossed my mind.

In a typical accident, it’s no exaggeration to say that the prosecution wouldn’t be involved.

But she knew that my situation was different from ordinary prosecutors because I was deeply involved in politics. Not only that, but she had come in advance to investigate and report to me without being contacted, which was truly admirable.

It was a fresh reminder that I would never find a better work partner than Yoon Seol-ha in my entire life.

I had barely rested my head on the sofa when I fell asleep.

***

I didn’t even hear the alarm, but my eyes snapped open.

A pink blanket was covering me, and a neck pillow was placed at my head.

Yoon Seol-ha must have taken care of it while I was asleep.

I put it aside and immediately got up.

The current time was 7 AM.

I seemed to have slept for about 3 hours.

Perhaps because I slept without moving, the hangover and fatigue had completely disappeared, even though I hadn’t slept much.

I cleared my head and went straight out of the Chief Prosecutor’s office, and Yoon Seol-ha saw me and stood up.

“Did you get some sleep?”

“Yes. I’m fine now. Has there been anything special in the meantime?”

“No. There are only articles about the ongoing search. I’ll report the details to you right away.”

“Yes.”

As I was about to go into the Chief Prosecutor’s office to receive the report, I noticed that the Director’s office light was on.

“Is Director Lee here too?”

“Yes. He came about an hour ago. He said that if a passenger plane that had no problems suddenly crashed, it could easily turn from an accident into a case, so he thought we should look into it.”

Director Lee Doo-hyung’s tenacity is truly amazing.

I really have a great eye for talent.

That’s why the Special Investigations Department is so successful.

Leaving behind the newfound pride, I called Yoon Seol-ha.

“Tell me everything you’ve gathered about the accident, without missing a single detail. Everything, whether it’s official or speculative.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll start with the official information.”

Yoon Seol-ha started speaking while looking at her notepad.

“The exact location of the crashed passenger plane has not yet been identified, and the cause is also unknown. All passengers are missing, and the Coast Guard, as well as fishermen, have been mobilized for the search operation. A notable point is that the SV Group is also mobilizing helicopters to help find the missing people.”

“Was that in the news?”

“It was on the 6 AM news.”

At this point, it was safe to say that Representative Shin Dong-hyun had successfully fired the starting gun to announce that he was helping to rescue passengers for the sake of the people.

“Okay. What else?”

“It has been confirmed that no high-ranking government officials or celebrities were on board…”

While listening to Yoon Seol-ha’s briefing, Director Lee Doo-hyung’s words suddenly flashed through my mind.

That a passenger plane crash could turn from an accident into a case.

Depending on the cause of the crash, what’s important in this situation is that Representative Shin Dong-hyun is rising as a presidential candidate.

In other words, Representative Shin Dong-hyun is becoming a hero.

But for a hero to be born, there naturally needs to be a villain.

He can’t just win the hearts of the people without any trials.

There needs to be someone who deserves the public’s scorn so that Representative Shin Dong-hyun can stand out and receive more attention.

The existence of a villain means that there’s a very high probability that this isn’t just a simple accident.

I smell a case.

A very strong one.

“Seol-ha.”

“Yes.”

“Deploy Prosecutor Nam Min-je and Prosecutor Park Gi-won to Jeon Gok Port.”

Her eyes widened.

“Tell them to investigate the truth of this accident. And don’t forget to subtly hint that the results of this case will determine who will be confirmed as Prosecutor Jang Ha-young’s replacement.”

That way, their efficiency will be maximized.

Yoon Seol-ha immediately understood my intentions and smiled lightly.

“Understood.”

***

Perhaps it was because I created a competitive dynamic to stimulate them.

Before a full day had passed since I deployed them, Prosecutor Nam Min-je confidently called me.

Judging by the fact that he called me directly instead of going through Yoon Seol-ha or Jang Ha-young, he must have grasped something significant.

I answered the phone, hiding my anticipation.

“Yes, Prosecutor Nam.”

-Hello, Chief Prosecutor. This is Prosecutor Nam Min-je. I’ve discovered important information in the Mirth Airlines passenger plane crash, and because of the nature of the matter, I thought I should tell you directly. Is this a good time to talk?

“Report.”

-This tragedy was not a typical aircraft accident caused by parts issues or fuel problems. It’s a case that must be treated as a crime.

His voice was full of confidence.

“Why?”

To my question, Prosecutor Nam Min-je replied without hesitation.

-At the time of the accident, the captain wasn’t the only one in the cockpit. We have secured eyewitness accounts that someone who shouldn’t have been there was also present.

Someone who shouldn’t have been there…

The corners of my mouth twisted roughly.

“Continue the briefing.”