The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 210

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 210

Had the sky fallen and there was nowhere to run (5)

“Good evening, this is PBC 8 o’clock News.”

“The first story we’re covering is an interview with Han Ji-yu, the wife of Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon, who was a victim in the Munso Station stabbings.”

“Yesterday around 8 PM, as Han Ji-yu was leaving the intensive care unit after visiting Choi Seo-joon, she stopped to answer questions from reporters. The public’s reaction has been so fervent that we’ve decided to make it our lead story.”

“Let’s watch the interview with Han Ji-yu first.”

As the announcer finished speaking, footage of Han Ji-yu’s interview in front of the hospital was broadcast.

It was more of a one-sided account from Han Ji-yu than an interview, but her words were so captivating that no one raised any objections.

The most important thing was that Han Ji-yu’s story touched the hearts of countless people, becoming a major issue online and among all sorts of people.

From 9 PM yesterday, the three keywords—Munso Station, Choi Seo-joon, and Munso Station Stabbing Incident—took turns topping the real-time search rankings.

Before this incident, Choi Gyu-hyun, as well as Choi Seo-joon, had suffered significant image damage due to the Jang Young-soon Gate scandal.

In fact, thanks to issues stemming from the election, Choi Gyu-hyun was slowly recovering his image, but Choi Seo-joon, buried by the presidential election, was in the worst possible state, with only a negative image.

However, the Munso Station stabbing incident allowed him to successfully restore his image in one fell swoop.

Initially, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, the world felt so dangerous that many people simply thought, ‘There was a big issue,’ or ‘That’s unfortunate,’ and moved on. Choi Seo-joon hadn’t quite recovered his image as the people’s prosecutor.

Most people were even unaware that he was in a coma.

That’s because Choi Gyu-hyun had been creating more issues to divert attention from Choi Seo-joon and steal the front page of the newspapers.

But all of this was reversed.

Not by Choi Seo-joon himself, but by his wife, Han Ji-yu.

The interview she gave captured the attention of countless people and even moved them to tears.

The pain and endurance of someone facing the risk of losing their ‘family’ and loved ones were conveyed to the public through her heartfelt interview.

Above all, the scene where Han Ji-yu told the female victim that she was not at fault and would never blame her brought tears to the eyes of many, and it brought renewed attention to the incident that Choi Gyu-hyun had tried to bury.

Since it was Han Ji-yu, a famous top actress, the effect was amplified. The fact that she was an actress and her voice captivated the audience was also a major factor.

Online, Han Ji-yu’s interview video became a sensation and quickly spread through social media.

Because of these reasons, those who heard her sincerity couldn’t help but root for Choi Seo-joon’s recovery.

In particular, Choi Seo-joon began to receive overwhelming support from the 20-30 generation.

So many bouquets and health supplements were being delivered to the hospital where Choi Seo-joon was hospitalized via quick service [Korean delivery service] that there was nothing more to say.

Many experts were amazed that all of this had happened in just one day, analyzing that the current level of trust in Choi Seo-joon was even higher than that of Shin Dong-hyun during the Mirs Aviation incident.

Following Han Ji-yu’s video, interviews with citizens followed.

“Actually, I also suspected him after seeing the Jang Young-soon Gate scandal before this incident, but there’s no way someone who cares so much about the citizens would have taken bribes. I regret even suspecting him a little.”

“Honestly, I was at the scene, and it was much more serious than what you see in the video. Even though a woman was being held hostage, no one could step forward, but Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon stepped up without any hesitation. Especially when he said he would take her place as a hostage… he was so cool. I really hope he recovers quickly.”

“I’m a political science and diplomacy student. Someone like him should run for president. The Grand Korea Party, the People’s Party, the Manse Party—all those guys just know how to tear each other apart. There’s no one who would step up for the citizens, even if it meant getting stabbed. Respect to Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon.”

“There’s no prosecutor like him in Korea. They all just know how to abuse their power; they have no sense of sacrifice. Someone like him should become the chief prosecutor. I don’t know who the next president will be, but I hope Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon doesn’t become a political scapegoat.”

***

“Good evening, I am Kwak Hwi-moon, the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency.”

Unusually, it was not the chief of police but the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency who held a press conference regarding the Munso Station stabbing incident.

It wasn’t a firearms incident, and the victim was a brave citizen who had subdued the criminal, and it was the police’s mistake.

And that person was none other than Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon.

The Commissioner General of the National Police Agency opened his mouth with a heavy voice.

“The suspect in the Munso Station stabbing incident is in custody and undergoing intensive investigation. The suspect claims to have been wrongly accused of murder and imprisoned, and claims to have committed the crime out of resentment for this, but considering that he was intoxicated…”

The Commissioner General of the National Police Agency briefly briefed on the suspect in this case and then brought up the story that everyone was interested in.

“Regarding the responsibility for the victim caused by the police’s mistake in the suppression process, Noh Hyun-ho, the head of the Seongdong Police Station, has expressed his intention to resign, and Police Officer Ha In-soo, who fired the gun, and Police Officer Kim Byung-tae, who mismanaged the firearm, have been suspended from their positions, and disciplinary action will be taken against them with high intensity.”

***

Three days before the presidential election.

The President held an emergency press conference.

Many reporters flocked to the scene, thinking it would be very important information or a bombshell announcement related to the presidential election, and his story was broadcast live.

“Good evening, I am President Kyung Dong-soo.”

He bowed to the people on the podium.

“Many of you probably thought it would be a story related to the presidential election, but I’m going to bring up a different story.”

Murmurs spread among the reporters, but soon it died down.

“I pursue a just Republic of Korea. To do so, public officials must be just, and I believe that the police and prosecutors, above all, must be symbols of justice.”

Only then did many people realize what topic he was going to bring up.

“A few days ago, there was a very unfortunate incident at Munso Station.”

Kyung Dong-soo continued in a pitiful voice.

“I’m not trying to say that the police are not just. They will have to take responsibility for what they did wrong, but it’s not like they were pursuing injustice.”

All of his topics were unified under ‘justice.’

It was enough to remind viewers that a particular person was just, and Kyung Dong-soo was aiming for this.

“In fact, risking one’s life to save another is not an easy task. Knowing what justice is and putting it into practice are two different things.”

As expected of a president, his rhetoric made the people nod.

“There were hundreds of citizens there. But ironically, no one stepped forward. No, they couldn’t. How could they step forward when a maniac was wielding a knife?”

He continued with a lamenting expression.

“Even I would have hesitated. That’s normal. People’s fear is not an emotion that can be controlled.”

Kyung Dong-soo raised his voice.

“But one prosecutor risked his life to save a citizen and is actually in critical condition. And that person is someone who is constantly being cursed and pointed at by the public. Not just any prosecutor, but a deputy chief prosecutor. He has a family, so it’s not easy to step forward recklessly.”

His fist, raised above the table, clenched tightly.

“I’m not saying that everyone should be like this. As I said before, overcoming fear and terror is never easy. But!”

Kyung Dong-soo’s voice changed dramatically.

“As the President of the Republic of Korea, I think I should praise and commend such a person to set an example for others. That way, the people who watch this will work harder to create a more just Republic of Korea, and above all, criminals will fear and be afraid of the society that is the Republic of Korea and will not come forward.”

He paused for a moment and lowered his voice again.

“A few days ago, Hwang Cheol-min, the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, expressed his intention to resign. I finished accepting his resignation this morning.”

The reporters’ eyes widened at Kyung Dong-soo’s words.

They had a hunch that this was an unexpected scoop.

The sound of typing on laptops grew rapidly.

“The position of chief prosecutor should not be left vacant for long. Especially in these times. So I am going to appoint Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon as the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”

Kyung Dong-soo continued cautiously.

“It is unusual for a prosecutor in a coma to be promoted. But…”

He raised his voice again.

“If something goes wrong, his death deserves to be treated as a chief prosecutor, and I think he has the qualifications. It would be even better if he woke up, and I am confident that he can create a more just prosecution, so I made this decision.”

To prevent any misunderstandings that might arise, he immediately continued.

“Of course, this is in accordance with Article 34 of the current Prosecutors’ Office Act, and I am telling you the conclusion I came to after receiving and reviewing the proposal from the Minister of Justice.”

He mentioned in advance that there were no procedural problems.

Soon after, Kyung Dong-soo glared.

“If my judgment is wrong, even in the slightest…”

He passed the bomb to Choi Gyu-hyun.

“The people will directly express their opposition, and the disposition of this will be left to the next president.”

In other words, if Choi Seo-joon is to be removed from the position of chief prosecutor, Choi Gyu-hyun will have to take him down.

However, in a situation where he is receiving absolute support from the people, even Choi Gyu-hyun would find it nearly impossible to remove Choi Seo-joon from the position of chief prosecutor.

He wouldn’t even dare to think about it in the first place.

Choi Gyu-hyun’s failure to remove Choi Seo-joon from the position of chief prosecutor would naturally mean that Choi Gyu-hyun acknowledges Choi Seo-joon’s promotion to chief prosecutor.

He gave Choi Gyu-hyun a big middle finger at the end of his term [insulting gesture, showing disrespect].

It was just one word that he was following the opinions of the people, but what this implied was significant.

Since the people were supporting him, the political world couldn’t touch him.

If they did, they would be treated as traitors to the people.

The same goes for the prosecution.

It is an adventure in itself to do something that goes against the opinions of the people, but what if Choi Seo-joon wakes up without his appointment as chief prosecutor being canceled?

That means his head will be cut off [he will be fired].

In the end, Kyung Dong-soo solidified Choi Seo-joon’s position as chief prosecutor with this press conference.

After finishing his story, he said one last sincere word.

“I hope for Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon’s speedy recovery.”