The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 184

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – 185

Black Box (6)

“Excuse me, Assemblyman.”

“Is something the matter?”

“It’s not a big issue.”

“Alright, we have time to discuss the presidential election later, so let’s talk about it again then.”

“Let’s discuss it at the regular meeting next week.”

I bowed politely to Jo Hyun-woong, stepped out of the private room, and picked up my phone again.

“Seol-ha, have you heard about the situation on-site?”

– Yes. As of 9 PM, all the Coast Guard officers at Jingok Port have withdrawn. At the temporary shelter, the bereaved families and government officials are clashing fiercely.

“Contact Prosecutor Nam Min-je and instruct him to go down to Jingok Port immediately to assess the situation. And tell Prosecutor Park Gi-won to come to the District Prosecutor’s Office. I’m heading there now as well.”

– Understood.

I hung up and headed straight for the elevator.

***

On the way to the District Prosecutor’s Office, my mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.

If the black box investigation ends like this, I’ll essentially become a sitting duck.

Investigating Mirs Aviation wouldn’t be a monopoly, but a burden I’d have to bear alone.

Until now, public opinion has been evenly divided, but naturally, the momentum will shift towards opposing the investigation of Mirs Aviation.

Then the media will tear me apart as if they’ve been waiting for it.

If the perception of Mirs Aviation doesn’t crumble, the content of the investigation will inevitably be dismissed as insignificant.

I need to move cautiously.

Like the saying goes, ‘where there’s a fan, there’s a detractor.’ Not only am I the husband of a national actress, but I’ve also risen to the position of the youngest Senior Prosecutor, increasing my favorability, but also the number of people who envy me.

If I act rashly and get caught with a weakness, the public’s trust in me could turn into ‘ambition for success.’

Above all, the Daehan Party won’t just sit back and watch.

The only way to overcome this situation is to drag Mirs Aviation’s image down to the ground.

The only way is to prove that this disaster was not a simple accident, but a disaster caused by the abuse of power by Mirs Aviation executives, as Prosecutor Nam Min-je has been investigating.

But there’s no black box.

Do I have to detonate it with just the informant’s testimony?

No.

Even if I engage in a media war, the chances of winning aren’t very high.

Mirs Aviation isn’t just an ordinary conglomerate, and the Daehan Party is watching me with their eyes wide open.

If they join forces, I’ll be released due to insufficient evidence without hesitation, and public opinion of me will only worsen.

The answer is the black box.

In the end, I have to find it to solve the problem, but the Coast Guard, which had the greatest chance of finding it, has given up.

Did the Daehan Party notice and intervene?

No, that can’t be.

No matter how powerful the Daehan Party is, it’s Gyeongdongsu, who is above the Coast Guard, who decides whether to search in this situation.

He wouldn’t have listened to the Daehan Party.

The order to suspend the black box search clearly has another reason…

Damn it.

In this case, the only hope is CEO Shin Dong-hyun.

I have no choice but to hope that he will find the aircraft and obtain the black box with his personal equipment.

I couldn’t just sit still and wait, so I ended up calling him out of frustration.

– Yes, Prosecutor.

“CEO, are you at Jeon Gok Port right now?”

– There was a commotion at the temporary shelter, so I’ve stepped away for a moment. Are you calling because of the news?

“That’s right. I heard the Coast Guard has given up searching for the black box…”

– Yes. I don’t know what happened, but… it seems like there’s something behind the scenes. There’s no way the government would stop the search for no reason.

“I’ll look into that, so please focus all your efforts on finding the black box.”

– Understood.

“I’m not suggesting it. You have to find it no matter what. The more time passes, the more disadvantageous it becomes for us.”

I raised my voice seriously.

“This could be an opportunity. If you find the black box in this situation, you can solidify the recognition and popularity you’ve gained from this incident, not to mention me.”

– I’ll try to find it as soon as possible.

“Please.”

***

Two weeks have passed since the general election ended.

It’s been exactly two weeks since the government gave up on salvaging the aircraft.

Even the citizens who believed in me and supported me are slowly getting tired.

On the other hand, those who criticized and envied me, and the Daehan Party, are becoming more active and tearing me apart.

Naturally, the investigation into Mirs Aviation is also losing momentum and starting to wander.

In this situation, I need to stay focused and encourage my subordinate prosecutors, but…

– Choi Seo-joon’s investigation of Mirs Aviation. Is it justice or stubbornness?

– What did Mirs Aviation do wrong? Now is the time to mourn the victims.

– Daehan Party Leader Choi Gyu-hyun’s interview, Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon’s actions are from an ambition to use the public’s grief and turn it into anger for his own success!

It’s gotten to the point where these kinds of articles are appearing, so I don’t have the mental capacity to comfort others.

Now, just thinking about checking the media makes my head hurt.

I feel so frustrated because there’s nothing I can do in this situation.

It was the first time I felt so powerless.

I really felt like putting on a wetsuit and jumping into the sea off Jeon Gok Port.

“Shouldn’t we give up on this case?”

Sung Tae-hyun asked worriedly.

“It’s not like giving up on Mirs Aviation will be the end of the world. It won’t become your Achilles’ heel [a fatal weakness].”

He was right.

Even if a line is drawn on my career, this case won’t become a fatal weakness in my prosecutor’s life or hold me back.

Of course, public opinion will worsen, but it will inevitably recover over time.

The name value of Choi Seo-joon won’t collapse with just this kind of incident.

However, the glimmer of hope that I might find the black box wouldn’t let me let go of the investigation into Mirs Aviation.

“I think we should wait a few more days.”

“I didn’t want to say this…”

Sung Tae-hyun said as if he was frustrated.

“I think you were reckless in this case.”

I gritted my teeth.

I couldn’t deny his words, which made me even more angry.

I couldn’t say anything and downed my glass.

After emptying two glasses in a row, Sung Tae-hyun grabbed my arm.

“I’m sorry. I think I misspoke.”

Instead of answering, I clenched my fist tightly.

At that moment, my phone rang.

I wanted to reject the call and get drunk today, but for some reason, I felt like I had to answer this call.

I pushed Sung Tae-hyun’s arm away and took out my phone.

But the moment I saw the phone screen, a sense of hope filled me.

The caller was CEO Shin Dong-hyun.

I immediately put the phone to my ear.

“Yes, CEO.”

– Ah, Prosecutor!

The moment I heard CEO Shin Dong-hyun’s voice, I knew it.

It’s time to escape from the swamp of despair.

His voice was so full of energy that I was convinced.

– I found it!

I knew it!

I clenched my fist without realizing it and jumped up from my seat.

“Really?”

– Yes, I finally found the aircraft. After the diver’s confirmation, I even sent a live cam to secure the video just in case.

“You did a great job, really great. I believed in you.”

– If you’re curious, I can send you the live cam video right away via message.

“No…”

I came to my senses at his words.

Right, there’s no need for me to go all the way to Jeon Gok Port.

“Prosecutor Nam Min-je is down at the site. I’ll send him to you, so please let me know if there are any changes.”

– I will.

“How much longer do we have to wait?”

– The aircraft salvage itself is difficult to do right now. Even SV Group can’t afford the astronomical amount of money it would cost…

“We just need to get the black box. We can postpone the aircraft salvage.”

– That’s not difficult. I’ll get a diver and get the black box by tomorrow.

“Understood. Thanks to you, I think I’ll sleep well tonight.”

– Have a good night, Prosecutor.

“Thank you.”

When I hung up, I saw Sung Tae-hyun’s face looking up at me with a surprised expression.

“I guess it wasn’t me who was reckless, but your judgment, Mayor [Sung Tae-hyun’s title].”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, what you said made perfect sense.”

I smiled and raised my phone.

“Until this call came.”

“I’m really glad it worked out.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled and picked up my coat and stood up.

“I think I’ll be busy, so I’ll get going.”

“Go ahead.”

***

“I got a call from Prosecutor Park Min-je.”

Yoon Seol-ha said with a bright smile.

“CEO Shin Dong-hyun has secured the black box.”

At her words, the atmosphere in the entire office changed in an instant.

There were even cheers coming from all over the place.

I clapped my hands and said to the prosecutors.

“Everyone worked hard. But now the real work begins, so let’s keep it up.”

“We will work hard!”

“Fighting!”

At that moment, one of the prosecutors asked cautiously.

“How long will it take to analyze the black box?”

It’s understandable to be curious.

Because the black box used in an airplane is different from a typical car’s black box.

I briefly explained to the prosecutors.

The black box of an aircraft is divided into FDR and CVR.

FDR stands for Flight Data Recorder, which means flight recorder, which records all situations related to the operation, including the performance and operation of the aircraft, and the instrument panel.

The average time to analyze this is about a month.

CVR stands for Cockpit Voice Recorder, which means cockpit voice recorder.

In other words, it is the part where all conversations taking place in the cockpit, including conversations between pilots and conversations with the control tower, are recorded.

This CVR can be analyzed within two days at the latest.

In general, the analysis of an aircraft’s black box takes at least six months because it involves estimating and investigating the circumstances before and after the accident with the airline, government, and investigative agencies, and identifying the exact cause.

But this situation is completely different.

SV Group, led by Shin Dong-hyun, found the aircraft and obtained the black box without reporting it to the media.

I can get the CVR part in my hands in two days.

The CVR alone is enough to reverse this situation.

Of course, the FDR will also be needed to determine the truth of the accident, but that’s another story.

What I’m going to release to the media right now is the CVR.

“In other words, we can analyze the parts we need in two days.”

I said, holding back the corners of my mouth from rising.

“In other words, it means we can move right now.”

The prosecutors got up from their seats in an orderly manner.

Prosecutor Jang Ha-young said with a fierce expression.

“Aren’t they the ones who degraded us, including the prosecutors of the Special Investigation Department, into lowly humans who are so blinded by performance that they can’t even tell right from wrong?”

At her words, Deputy Director Lee Doo-hyung said with a glint in his eyes.

“We have to punish those who have done wrong.”

When I heard their words, the corners of my mouth twisted very roughly.

“It’s time to tear apart the mouths of those Mirs Aviation bastards who were running their mouths off.”

I powerfully instructed the prosecutors.

“Go and catch those criminal bastards.”