The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 271

Prosecutor Choi is on the Rise – Episode 271

Minimum Justice (2)

After hearing the phone call, Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook looked at me with eyes full of respect and admiration, repeatedly giving me a thumbs up.

“You’re amazing.”

It was so embarrassing to be praised so openly, so I quickly sent him away.

After all, I had to have a private meeting with the leader of the Daehan Party.

Not long after, Yoon Seol-ha came with copies of the case files.

I had her file the originals and then leisurely reviewed the copies of the case materials.

I had skimmed through them briefly earlier, but I thought there might be some gaps if I reviewed them again.

However, after examining them thoroughly, the materials were more solid than I had expected.

I thought there might be a flaw in the fact that he had directly visited the judge, but it was a completely unnecessary worry.

In short, it felt like he had secured the basic evidence and then gambled on meeting with the judge to resolve the matter quickly.

This isn’t sloppy; it should be seen as having drive and boldness.

With just a little refinement, he could be similar to Lee Doo-hyung… no, if he does well, he could surpass him and become a reliable right-hand man.

I suddenly wondered how such a monster had been hiding all this time.

I immediately picked up my phone and called Prosecutor Park Gi-won.

– Yes, Chief Prosecutor!

“Oh, Prosecutor Park. How have you been?”

– Yes. I was sorry that I couldn’t properly greet you after seeing you at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office entrance the other day, but thank you for calling.

“No need to thank me.”

I chuckled and continued.

“I have something to ask you about Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook.”

– Please, go ahead.

“Where was he before he came to the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office?”

– As far as I know, it was the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office.

If it wasn’t in the Seoul area, I wouldn’t have known because it wouldn’t have come to my attention.

– I heard that he was quite active in the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office, so he was selected for the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

He was different from the start.

– However, in the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the section chief and director control him, so he couldn’t fully demonstrate his skills. Shortly after his appointment, he didn’t catch the eye of the higher-ups, and the person who brought him to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office also stepped down due to the change in government, so you can see that he became obsolete.

“And then he came to you?”

– Yes, that’s right.

In short, he’s a guy who’s optimized to go crazy on his own.

From beginning to end, he’s a swordsman himself.

He has the complete opposite personality of Director Jang Ha-young.

Since each of their strengths can cover each other’s weaknesses, having them both under me would be a great help.

“I see. Let’s have a meal together soon.”

– Please call me anytime.

“Okay. Rest up.”

***

How much time had passed?

Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Soon, the door burst open without a knock.

“Prosecutor, Prosecutor Choi.”

The main character who appeared was, as expected, Representative Kim Kang-jin of the Daehan Party [a major political party in South Korea].

He rushed into the office, grabbed his knees, and gasped for breath.

“I’m… not late, am I?”

I put my feet on the desk and glanced at my wristwatch.

“4:02.”

“…….”

“You’re two minutes late.”

I stood up with my hands in my pockets.

Then, I approached the office entrance, grabbed the door, and said.

“Please go back. I’m a little busy.”

As I returned the words that Representative Kim Kang-jin had said to me on the phone, cold sweat began to trickle down his forehead.

“No, Prosecutor Choi. I didn’t mean it that way….”

“Are you not leaving?”

I spoke in a stern voice.

Sensing the seriousness, Representative Kim Kang-jin put his hands together and said.

“Prosecutor Choi, the traffic was terrible, the traffic. You know how bad the traffic is from Yeouido [a major financial and political district in Seoul] to Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul], right?”

“That’s your problem.”

“I left as soon as the call ended, okay? You can ask Driver Oh.”

I closed my mouth tightly and stared straight into his eyes.

After about 10 seconds, his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Okay.”

I slammed the door shut.

“Please sit down.”

“Th, thank you.”

He sat down, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

I sat in the seat of honor, crossed my legs, and silently stared at him.

He had long abandoned the dignity of a party leader.

My strong stance made it clear that I had secured evidence of his corruption, without me even having to say it.

If you know Choi Seo-joon, it’s obvious.

Until now, I had never moved first until I had obtained perfect evidence.

A long silence followed.

But eventually, Kim Kang-jin, unable to bear it any longer, spoke first.

“Prosecutor Choi, what can I do?”

He asked, fidgeting in his seat.

“Should I kneel?”

He looked ready to kneel at any moment if I just nodded.

“My son has been preparing for this competition for four years. It’s all I can do as a father. It’s the Olympics, which he’s dedicated his life to. Just once….”

“If you’re going to say that, shouldn’t you be kneeling instead of asking me whether you should or not?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, he lifted his buttocks off the sofa.

I chuckled and stopped him.

“I’m just kidding.”

“Re, really?”

I sat Kim Kang-jin down again, who was still unsure, and continued.

“You said he’s a precious son, right?”

He nodded silently.

“But Boo-yeol isn’t the only one who’s precious, is he?”

“…Huh?”

“I’m talking about the friend who was dropped. You know his name, right?”

“…….”

I knew he wouldn’t.

“It’s Im Jeong-hwan. That friend is also someone’s precious son, and he must have desperately dreamed of the Olympic stage. For four years. Didn’t you think about that?”

His mouth closed heavily.

“I looked into this friend a little. But my heart ached so much. You know, it tugged at my heartstrings?”

I took out the profile I had prepared in advance.

“Im Jeong-hwan is from Haenam, a remote village at the edge of the land. His parents are potato farmers who raised him with great difficulty. When he first came to Seoul, he was even selected as a national athlete, but he didn’t have enough money to live on, so he even taught kids at the gym… Did you know this?”

His gaze fell to the floor.

Of course, he wouldn’t know.

You can’t commit the corruption of stealing someone else’s opportunity unless you only think about yourself and your family.

“If this is revealed, your son will not only be stripped of his national team status, but he will also be permanently expelled from the Judo Federation, do you know that?”

Kim Kang-jin could somehow escape by claiming that he didn’t order it, but he could never stop his son from getting hurt.

He would know well enough that I wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

He grabbed my hand and asked.

“What can I do?”

A desperate voice.

He becomes endlessly weak when it comes to his children.

So, he shouldn’t just think his own child is important, but also know that other people’s children are precious too.

“Just… just my son. He’s only learned judo his whole life. He doesn’t even know that I intervened. I don’t know what will happen if he fails this time.”

I completely erased my stiff attitude and smiled brightly.

“Of course, I don’t want to see your son end up like that either.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Bribing the judges is wrong, but it’s also not right for a lifelong dream to be shattered because of a small mistake.”

“Th, that’s right.”

“Wouldn’t being expelled from the Judo Federation, where he’s dedicated his whole life, be a more severe shock than a death sentence because of a small mistake?”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Kim Kang-jin’s eyes.

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“However.”

I looked straight into his eyes and said.

“As a prosecutor, I cannot condone quietly passing over these facts.”

“I suppose not….”

At this point, he must be getting confused about what I want to say.

I lightly curved the corners of my lips and said.

“I just want to uphold justice.”

His head tilted.

“Justice?”

“The minimum justice in constituting a society.”

I immediately continued.

“Just step down from the national team. As per the original result, your son becomes a reserve player, and Im Jeong-hwan becomes a national athlete.”

“Doesn’t that mean revealing the corruption? Then my son….”

“No.”

I said firmly.

“He’s stepping down to the reserve team due to an injury or something. If he suddenly steps down from the national team for no reason, people outside will find it strange, so you need to make up a suitable excuse.”

Still, the worry didn’t disappear from Kim Kang-jin’s face.

“If you get injured, you don’t become a reserve player, you get completely canceled….”

“You can cover that with your power, can’t you?”

I leaned towards him.

“You even made him a national athlete, didn’t you?”

Kim Kang-jin’s mouth closed tightly.

“That way, you protect your son’s pride and uphold justice together.”

It’s not a very welcome proposal from his perspective.

Either way, the fact remains that his son is stepping down from the national team.

But Kim Kang-jin had no choice.

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

He nodded with difficulty.

“Thank you.”

Kim Kang-jin may not be 100% happy with the situation, but he should be grateful enough for this.

If I had decided to expose the case without calling Kim, his son’s judo career would have been over, and Kim Kang-jin’s position would have been threatened as well.

He slowly nodded and cautiously looked at me.

“Can I ask you just one thing?”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Why are you being so considerate of me?”

Kim Kang-jin asked sharply.

“If I were you, it would have been much more beneficial to reveal the series of facts and receive the support of the media.”

He’s old, but his senses haven’t dulled yet.

If he had just gone back with the joy of protecting his son, Kim Kang-jin would have only used him a few times after this incident, and even if he joined hands with the Daehan Party, he would have excluded this human and proceeded with the work.

But he didn’t disappoint.

In addition, considering his influence on the party as the party leader and the experience that comes from his years, he is worth collaborating with.

“I want to restore my relationship with you and the Daehan Party.”

Kim Kang-jin’s eyes widened.

It must have been an unexpected remark.

“But you….”

I waggled my eyebrows slyly and opened my mouth.

“The one I hated was Choi Gyu-hyun, not the Daehan Party, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“And the one I want to take down now is Sung Tae-hyun.”

In that instant, Kim Kang-jin’s eyes changed from those of a father trying to protect his son to those of a politician.

“Does that mean….”