The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 215

Firewood (4)

180 km/h.

It was the first time I’d ever driven that fast in downtown Seoul. I didn’t even know there was a road in Seoul where you could drive like this, even at dawn, but somehow, when I stepped on the gas, the speed just came. But I had no time to worry about that.

My wife and son.

My heart was pounding at the news that a stranger was loitering in front of their house.

Han Ji-yu said that she was about to go out when she heard the doorbell, but hesitated when she realized that it was ringing right in front of her door, not the main entrance. Besides, it was so late, and when she waited without answering, the stranger didn’t leave and was just hanging around.

Anxiety kept growing, and sweat started to pour all over my body.

Please, let there be no problem.

I wished and wished as I arrived at the apartment entrance, parked the car haphazardly, and ran straight home, taking out my cell phone to call Yoon Seol-ha.

-Yes, Chief Prosecutor?

She seemed surprised by the late-night call.

I immediately got to the point.

“If I don’t call you back in 10 minutes, please report it to the police. Send the police to my house.”

-Is something wrong?

But there was no time to explain.

“10 minutes.”

After saying that, I ran straight up the stairs.

If I used the elevator, the stranger in front of my house might recognize me right away.

In one hand, I held the stun gun I had bought for self-defense last time.

I should have asked Yoon Seol-ha to get me a gun sooner.

I swallowed hard and walked up slowly, and a man loitering in front of my house came into view.

He was leaning against the door, wearing a black hat pulled down low.

I released the safety on the stun gun and approached him very slowly.

At that moment, the man seemed to sense my presence and turned his head this way.

And the moment he met my eyes.

“Ah, Prosecutor!”

He stood up straight and called out to me.

“I’ve been waiting for you!”

A familiar voice.

Wait a minute.

Could it be…….

The man took off his hat and bowed to me.

“You remember me, right? I’d like to talk to you for a moment… Is that possible?”

It was Chief Kim Hak-min.

Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief and put the stun gun in my back pocket.

I took a breath and then…

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

As I spat out the words coldly, he put his hands together and opened his mouth.

“Ah, that’s actually…….”

“Go back.”

I cut him off.

“Wouldn’t it be difficult if I contacted the security office?”

Kim realized that there was no room for further conversation and knelt down instantly.

“Prosecutor, please, I beg you.”

“What are you doing?”

He grabbed my pants and pleaded.

“I’ll die if it’s not you, Prosecutor. Just once… No, can’t you at least listen to my story?”

I know the situation Kim is in to some extent.

But I’m not in a position to talk to him.

“Go back. I don’t think we have time to have a leisurely conversation like this.”

As I coldly pushed Kim’s hand away, he hurriedly opened his bag and took out two bundles of brown envelopes and handed them to me.

“These are documents related to Choi Gyu-hyun’s corruption. It’s half of the data I’ve collected over the past seven years, so please take a look…….”

He forced the documents into my hand.

But even so, I couldn’t talk to Kim.

I am now a national hero because of the Munso Station case.

Every word has a big impact.

But what if Kim has malicious intentions and induces a conversation that could be misunderstood, and records it?

He might be looking for a reversal to take Bulgom’s [Bear-like person, likely a nickname for someone powerful] place, and he might run to Choi Gyu-hyun with the recording and try to trick me.

More than anything, I was worried about Han Ji-yu and came in a hurry, so I wasn’t calm.

It was dangerous to talk to Kim in this state.

There was a high possibility that I wouldn’t be able to make a cold judgment.

Until I was completely calm, I might make a mistake.

But Kim, who had no idea, said desperately.

“You can check the documents right now. That’s enough to impeach Choi Gyu-hyun.”

“Then why don’t you just blow it up yourself? Why are you giving it to me?”

“……I’ll die if I do it.”

His voice was filled with fear.

“I’m giving it to you to save me.”

I couldn’t turn a blind eye to him saying this much.

But I couldn’t trust him completely.

I ended up helping him up.

“Go to EK Coffee at Yongdu-dong Sageori [Yongdu-dong Four-way Intersection] right now.”

He swallowed hard.

“Thank you!”

Kim bowed 90 degrees and ran out of the apartment as if he were running away.

After he left, I went into the house, and Han Ji-yu asked with a fearful look.

“What happened?”

“He’s gone.”

I made up an excuse because I was worried about her.

“It’s someone I know who came to ask me for something.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. He lost his cell phone and came because it was urgent.”

“Oh, I see.”

Only then did Han Ji-yu relax and shrug her shoulders.

“I was thinking about the Munso Station case at that time, and I thought he was a dangerous person… I’m sorry, you’re working.”

“No, I was going to come anyway.”

I asked, loosening my tie.

“Where’s Jihoon?”

“He’s sleeping. Are you going to take a shower?”

“No, just one phone call.”

“Okay.”

I went into the room with the envelope.

I sat down at my desk and called Yoon Seol-ha.

Her voice came before the ring could even sound.

-Chief Prosecutor, are you okay?

“Oh, Seol-ha. I’m fine.”

-That’s a relief.

A sigh of relief was heard over the phone.

-It’s been exactly 9 minutes, so I was getting ready to call the police.

“I’m sorry. Something came up… I’ll explain the details tomorrow.”

-Okay.

“And I think you’ll have to go out for a while now.”

-Yes?

“Chief Kim Hak-min will be going to EK Coffee at Yongdu-dong Sageori [Yongdu-dong Four-way Intersection].”

-That Chief Kim under Choi Gyu-hyun?

“That’s right.”

I opened the envelope and continued.

“Once you leave, I’ll tell you on the way.”

-Oh, but I’m down in Daejeon…….”

“Daejeon?”

-Yes. My younger sibling had a car accident, so I came urgently after work.”

“Is it serious?”

-No. They say they can get out in a week if they’re hospitalized. My parents are far away, so I came instead…….”

She hesitated for a moment and then asked carefully.

-Would it be okay if Chief Lee Doo-hyung stepped in? He lives nearby, too…….”

“Oh, that’s right. Chief Lee lives in Yongdu-dong, right?”

-Yes, that’s right.

“Then I’ll have to talk to Chief Lee. Seol-ha, you should take care of your sibling and take a day off tomorrow and come to work the day after tomorrow.”

-No. My parents are coming tomorrow morning, so I can go to work right away.

I would have insisted that she take a break as usual, but now I couldn’t force her to rest because of the situation.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

-I’m sorry. I couldn’t be of help.

“Don’t say that. Go to sleep quickly.”

-Thank you.

I finished the call with her and immediately called Lee Doo-hyung.

He answered the phone with a clear voice without a hint of sleepiness.

-Yes, Chief Prosecutor.

“Chief Lee, can you come out for a moment?”

He answered without a moment’s hesitation.

-Of course, I can. Where should I go?

“It’s a place called EK Coffee at Yongdu-dong Sageori [Yongdu-dong Four-way Intersection]…….”

After briefly explaining the situation, he immediately understood.

-I said Chief Kim hasn’t been seen lately, so that’s what happened.

“It seems like he’s made up his mind.”

-Then is the evidence he brought reliable?

“I’m skimming through it now, and it doesn’t seem like fake data. But I’m not sure, so I’ll stay up all night and check it properly.”

-You can give it to me tomorrow, and I can check it.

“No. It’s enough for Chief Lee to meet Chief Kim and talk.”

-Okay. By the way, did he bring those materials to take down Choi Gyu-hyun?

That was the question I had, too.

But looking at the current political landscape, it’s not meant to hit Choi Gyu-hyun or put him in crisis.

No matter how strong the data is… No, no matter what data you bring, it’s not enough to impeach a president who has a strong regime and has been elected for less than three months.

If my guess is correct, as he said urgently…….

“It’s meant to save him.”

-You mean…….

“In this Thunderbolt Gate [political scandal], if there’s a risk that his area will be invaded, he’s going to pass it all on to Chief Kim.”

More than anything, Choi Gyu-hyun already sees Kim as a hunting dog that has finished hunting, nothing more and nothing less.

Bulgom [Bear-like person, likely a nickname for someone powerful] has taken over Kim’s old position.

In other words, Kim is in a situation where he’s about to be abandoned.

He stuck to me to find a way to survive.

“First of all, you should meet him and find out. He left here a little while ago, so he’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”

-Okay.

“Be careful what you say, just in case. Chief Kim is a person who has nothing to lose right now, so if you get caught doing something wrong, it could be dangerous.”

-Yes, I’ll make sure nothing you’re worried about happens.

***

EK Coffee Shop at Yongdu-dong Sageori [Yongdu-dong Four-way Intersection].

Chief Kim Hak-min was sitting in the corner of the cafe, looking around with anxious eyes.

‘Was it a mistake to give the documents first?’

All sorts of thoughts ran through his head.

‘No. If I hadn’t given it to him, he wouldn’t have given me a chance to talk properly. Choi Seo-joon is cold-blooded enough to do that.’

How long has it been?

While his legs were shaking with anxiety, a man in a neat suit entered the cafe.

‘Chief Lee Doo-hyung!’

Chief Lee Doo-hyung went straight to Chief Kim without looking around.

Chief Kim opened his mouth happily.

“Chief Lee, it’s been a while…….”

But he cut off Chief Kim’s words.

“Come out.”

“Yes?”

Chief Kim asked back, but Chief Lee Doo-hyung went outside without answering.

Chief Kim Hak-min hurriedly packed his bag and followed Chief Lee Doo-hyung.

“Oh, where are you going?”

But Chief Lee Doo-hyung still moved his steps with his mouth tightly shut.

How long has it been?

Chief Lee Doo-hyung went into the bathhouse.

Chief Kim was still dazed and followed him, took off his clothes, and entered the sauna.

A sauna at dawn on a weekday.

Chief Lee Doo-hyung and Chief Kim Hak-min were the only ones in the large bathhouse.

Chief Lee Doo-hyung broke the silence first in the tub.

“Take off your glasses.”

“Yes?”

Chief Lee Doo-hyung snatched Chief Kim Hak-min’s glasses as if he were taking them away and threw them into the water.

His purpose was one.

As Chief Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon said, he brought him to the bathhouse to eliminate the possibility of recording or filming.

Even if it’s a special glasses, it won’t work properly if you put it in the water, so he prevented it.

Only after all the possible dangers disappeared did Chief Lee Doo-hyung open his mouth.

“You don’t have the guts to go to the Chief Prosecutor without permission.”

“Ah, that’s…….”

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

Chief Lee Doo-hyung asked in a cold voice.

“What is your purpose in approaching us?”