The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 257

Prosecutor’s Success – 257 (257/341)

Recruitment (9)

The message was from an ‘Unknown’ sender, providing no information.

At first, seeing only the sender, I was startled, thinking it was a message from the future.

Strangely, though, the message only identified the sender as a ‘Loach’ [a type of freshwater fish, often used metaphorically to describe someone who is slippery or elusive] without specifying a meeting place or any particular location.

For him to say he’d find me on my way home meant he already knew my route.

His intention must be to approach me as I head home as usual.

As soon as 6 PM hit, I got up from my seat.

Walking out of the office, Yoon Seol-ha, who had been waiting at her desk, grabbed her coat and stood up.

“I’ll get the car ready right away.”

“No. I’ll be going separately today, so you can head home on your own, Seol-ha.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Yes. I have a place to stop by.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Seol-ha smiled brightly and bowed.

“Have a safe trip home.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Leaving her behind, I headed straight to the parking lot.

No one approached as I started the car and prepared to leave.

Was he waiting at my house?

When I was about halfway home, a bright light flashed in the rearview mirror.

Frowning, I glanced at the side mirror.

Tat-tat-tat.

The car behind me rapidly flickered its high beams.

In that instant, I knew.

That guy was the Loach.

When I moved into the second lane, sure enough, he quickly accelerated and overtook me.

So, this is what he meant by meeting me on my way home.

Chuckling, I followed the Loach’s car.

After driving for a while, we arrived at an empty lot on the outskirts of Seoul.

Stopping with the headlights on, a man with a sharp look got out of the sedan next to me.

As I got out of the driver’s seat, he bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Chief Prosecutor. I’m Loach.”

A sleek V-shaped jawline and spiky hair.

A slightly sharper image than the nickname suggested.

However, he didn’t look like a journalist.

“Nice to meet you.”

After a light handshake, I sat on the hood of my car.

“I heard from Go Pro that you’re quite skilled in media warfare.”

“That’s right.”

He answered with a confident voice, without a hint of hesitation.

“I’ve made a living with just that. Even JoongAng, Chosun, and Dong-A [three major South Korean newspapers] can’t keep up with me in this field.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can basically manipulate comments on all kinds of internet articles. My specialty is stirring up trouble and inciting people by getting what I want to be the top comment. Not to mention manipulating real-time search rankings or attacking specific sites with DDoS [Distributed Denial of Service] attacks.”

“The internet is one thing, but what about the press?”

“Actually, I’m even more confident in press warfare than the internet. No matter how big the incident, people are more interested in sex scandals and porn of famous celebrities than politics. If I released all the material I have right now, people wouldn’t care about politicians for at least a year.”

Since he was showing such confidence and Go Seong-tak had acknowledged and recommended him, there was no need to worry.

I took out my 2G phone [older generation mobile phone] from my pocket and threw it to him.

He raised his eyebrows and grinned as he caught it with both hands.

“This is just like a spy movie. Is this a burner phone too?”

“Only contact me using the number on there. Don’t contact me first unless it’s urgent.”

“Understood.”

Next, the important thing.

I crossed my arms and looked at him.

“What’s the price?”

“Oh, there’s no such thing.”

He waved his hand, trying to be nonchalant.

“I’m doing this because Go Pro asked me to, not because I’m looking for handouts… well, I am, but I’m not.”

“I don’t like beating around the bush, so just tell me.”

I asked, half-joking, half-serious.

“Are you looking for something like the Chinese Consul General position?”

“Hahaha, no.”

He chuckled and waved his hand.

“I don’t have the education to properly use such a high position even if I got it.”

“Then?”

“Just don’t forget about me.”

He said smoothly.

“To be honest, I don’t need anything right now.”

He was saying he would ask for my help when it was really important.

It was like a blank check.

“You know you can’t cross the line too much, right?”

“Of course. I heard it from Go Pro. I’ll only ask within the allowed range, so please help me then.”

“I will.”

I took off the watch I was wearing and threw it to him again.

“This is the down payment.”

He widened his eyes and asked.

“Doesn’t this have diamonds 박혀 박혀 [Parkhyeo Parkhyeo – Korean for ‘studded’] in it?”

“Take it or leave it.”

“I’ll take it.”

He grinned and put the watch on his wrist.

“I’ll work hard, Chief Prosecutor.”

“Alright.”

I got up from the hood and said to him, who was distracted by the watch.

“And before we get into the main game, I’d like to see your skills.”

No matter how much Go Seong-tak told me he was trustworthy, seeing is believing. I had to see it myself to be sure and feel at ease.

“Can you stir up some trouble in the press right now?”

“That’s a piece of cake. I’ve been itching to do it anyway, so this is perfect.”

The Loach nodded as if he had been waiting for it.

“When you wake up tomorrow morning, the news and articles will all be changed.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

***

-[Exclusive!] ‘Poong Island’ Revealed to Have Performed Concert Under the Influence of Hallucinogens…

-It has been confirmed that Yoon Jeong-guk, the vocalist of the six-member rock band Poong Island, performed on stage under the influence of drugs at the last of their downtown tour concerts on the 23rd in Seoul. The drug he took was LSD, which is classified as one of the strongest drugs…

“He’s definitely good.”

From the newspaper I read in the morning to the radio on my way to work, everything was filled with the story of Poong Island’s drug use.

The story of the collusion between the prosecution and police in the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office, which had been a hot topic a few days ago, had completely disappeared.

This is enough to trust him.

With this, all preparations were complete.

All that was left was to wait for the Minister of Justice to ripen so that he could swallow it easily.

In the meantime, I had other things to do.

“Yoon Seol-ha.”

“Yes, Chief Prosecutor.”

“Let’s prepare for the election. Tell Deputy Chief Lee Doo-hyung to start moving in earnest.”

“Understood.”

***

Time passed quickly.

The cold, dry Siberian air mass retreated, and forsythias [a shrub with bright yellow flowers that bloom in early spring] bloomed and swayed in the gentle spring breeze of March.

Shin Dong-hyun resigned from his seat as a member of the National Assembly to prepare for the by-election for the local elections to be held in May.

According to the Public Official Election Act, a member of the National Assembly, unlike the head or member of a local government, had to resign from their position at least 90 days in advance.

And Lee Doo-hyung threw his hat into the ring to fill his vacancy.

The official election campaign period was from tomorrow, but he was already receiving a good response from the residents of Seongwang-dong.

It was well known that he was from the Special Investigation Department and had caught all kinds of corrupt politicians and brutal criminals.

Moreover, he was known as Choi Seo-jun’s right-hand man, who was still receiving public support, so people thought he was ‘trustworthy’.

However, Seongwang-gu is the second political district, so it is by no means easy.

Politicians with quite a name in the Daehan Party and the Minguk Party [likely fictional political parties] had also declared their candidacy.

It wouldn’t be easy to be elected as an independent, but if he won the election, the impact would be much greater than joining Yeouido [the political center of South Korea, often compared to ‘Capitol Hill’ in the US] by belonging to a specific party.

His influence would be undeniable, and I could re-establish my authority.

That’s why I had to do everything I could to help him get elected.

Once the election campaign officially started, I would support and help him to the extent that I did not subtly violate the Public Official Election Act and the election law.

So, on the day before the election.

As usual, I had a pleasant dinner with my family at home and casually opened my mouth.

“How is your sister adjusting to life in the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president]?”

“Uh… Ji-soo?”

Han Ji-yu stopped her chopsticks.

Whenever her sister’s story came up, she always felt sorry because of Seong Tae-hyun.

“You don’t have to feel that way. Speak comfortably.”

“Okay.”

She smiled awkwardly and explained.

“It seems good. It’s so spacious, and there’s someone to take care of the kids, and all three meals are provided, so it’s really comfortable. Above all, it’s great that I don’t have to worry about the kids’ nutrition.”

“That’s a relief. That’s good.”

“She said she’s going to take our parents to see it this weekend. Mom and Dad wanted to see their grandchildren too.”

“Well… your parents were seeing four of them, but now that Jeong-min, Jeong-soo, and Jeong-ah are gone, the void must be big.”

“Grandma and Grandpa, are you going to see your brothers?”

The son, who was holding a spoon in his hand, widened his eyes and asked.

“I want to go too. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them.”

At my son’s grumbling, I stroked his head and changed the subject.

“Shall we go to the amusement park this weekend?”

“I like the amusement park better!”

“Okay. Then let’s go to Yongin [a city in South Korea with a popular amusement park] this weekend.”

“Yay!”

“But you have to eat this spinach and carrots.”

“Okay!”

Han Ji-yu gave a bright smile and put vegetables on her son’s spoon.

Just as the meal was coming to an end.

Beeeeeep.

A call came in from Director Jang Ha-young.

“I’m done eating, so you can clear it.”

As I was about to get up, Han Ji-yu shook her head.

“No. Take your time and talk. Ji-hoon seems like he’ll eat another bowl.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I’ll eat more!”

“Enjoy your meal.”

I put down my spoon and went into the study.

“Yes, this is Choi Seo-jun.”

-This is Jang Ha-young. I’m sorry to bother you while you’re having dinner. Is it a good time to talk?

“Yeah, go ahead.”

-I just got a call from Kim Na-na.

Finally!

Director Jang Ha-young’s voice wasn’t bad either.

I clenched my fist in my hand.

“What did she say, is she going in?”

-Yes, that’s right.

The answer I had been waiting for came from her mouth.

-She said she got a call asking if she could start working at the Blue House from the beginning of next month.

I punched the air.

Yes!

-But.

Director Jang Ha-young continued with a slightly laughing voice.

-Kim Na-na must have used her wiles to talk well, and she confirmed that she would be working for at least two years, not just a short period.

Two years.

A sufficient period to captivate Seong Tae-hyun’s heart and control him.

-After that, it will be extended on a yearly basis, so there shouldn’t be any disruption to the plan unless there are any major problems.

“Good job, Director Jang.”

-No, it’s all Chief Prosecutor’s plan.”

“She’s the one you scouted.”

-Thank you, Chief Prosecutor.

“Get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

-Yes. Have a good night.

I hung up the phone and went to the window.

My face reflected in the glass had a very satisfied smile.

Everything is going smoothly.

Far away, over the sprawling city.

The image of Seong Tae-hyun, who was precariously shaking, collapsing miserably and helplessly watching all the achievements he had built up, was clearly drawn.

Seong Tae-hyun.

You messed with the wrong person.