The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 276

Prosecutor, You’re Going Places! – Episode 276

Stealing Hearts (4)

“How are you planning to raise the money?”

Minister Park Chang-shik’s question was met with a calm response from Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun.

“I’ll start by joining one of the top four law firms.”

As if he already had a plan in place, he continued without hesitation.

“I’ll go there to study the structure and operations of the firm. That way, I can apply it to my own company later. As a former Deputy Chief Prosecutor, my salary should be quite substantial. I plan to work there for about two to three years to earn money and then start my own company.”

He was painting a surprisingly detailed picture of the future.

Perhaps he had given up on promotion to Prosecutor General and started preparing for this path the moment Sung Tae-hyun was elected.

Minister Park Chang-shik took a sip of his drink and asked,

“Should I help you with an introduction to the top four law firms?”

“No, thank you. I’ve already been contacted and am in discussions.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes.”

He continued with a hint of regret,

“Ideally, I’d like to start my company right after retirement, but it requires much more capital than I thought.”

“That’s right. If you’re aiming for a company on the scale of the top four law firms, it won’t be enough to just scrape by. You need to have at least several billion won to even get started.”

“Exactly.”

Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun swirled his drink in the glass.

“Of course, it’s still a long way off. My primary goal is to complete my term as Deputy Chief Prosecutor cleanly.”

“Of course, of course.”

Minister Park Chang-shik nodded and raised his glass high.

“It’ll work out. Let’s have a toast for Deputy Chief Min.”

“Yes.”

“To Deputy Chief Min!”

“Cheers!”

***

Time flew by as they shared a few drinks.

It was past 5 a.m., heading towards 6 a.m.

The drinking session had started late, but they had also drunk quite a lot.

The sun would be rising soon.

As expected, the second day would be spent in a haze of hangover, unable to even go outside, let alone ski.

“I’m starting to hit my limit.”

Minister Park Chang-shik waved his hand and got up from his seat.

I immediately went to support him, but he waved his hand, saying he was fine.

“I can walk on my own.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“It’s not far to the bedroom anyway. I’m going to bed first, so you all drink more.”

He shuffled off to the bedroom.

After Minister Park Chang-shik left, Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun looked at me and said,

“Let’s wrap things up too.”

“Yes.”

Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook quickly got up and opened the door to the terrace.

“You two, go have a smoke. I’ll clean up.”

“Shall we?”

“Our Prosecutor Gong is really good at navigating social situations.”

Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun patted him on the back and went out to the terrace, and I followed him.

Outside, it was nautical twilight [the time when the sun is 12 degrees below the horizon in the morning and evening].

The faint light of dawn was breaking before sunrise.

After lighting a cigarette and breathing in the morning air, my head cleared as if by magic.

Partly because I had slowed down my drinking pace at the end, but mostly because of Min Ho-sun’s story related to future money.

Fortunately, Min Ho-sun didn’t seem too drunk either.

I had heard he was a strong drinker, but I didn’t expect him to be so unaffected even after drinking this much.

The fact that this created a very good situation for conversation was good news.

“It’s chilly, but the cold air after drinking is so good.”

“Indeed.”

“Come to think of it, I saw your wife and sister-in-law hanging out together earlier?”

“Ah, they seem to have had a drink together in the next room.”

“I thought so.”

I slowly timed the moment to bring up the topic.

And finally, as one cigarette was about to burn out.

“Deputy Chief.”

I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Actually, I’m also interested in law firms.”

“Is that so?”

He looked at me with a delighted expression.

As expected, Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun took out another cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

“Choi Pro, you have a clear path to promotion, so is there really a need to be interested in law firms? Or is it like insurance [a backup plan]?”

The way he called me changed.

Not by my rank, but as friendly as when we were working-level colleagues.

“Aside from wanting to climb higher, there’s no better business than a law firm.”

“You’re looking at it from a business perspective?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I lowered the cigarette in my hand and looked at him.

“So, if it’s alright with you, Deputy Chief, I’d like to collaborate with you.”

“In what way?”

Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun’s eyes sparkled.

“Instead of you going to a law firm and going through hardships, I’ll provide the capital and manpower to start a law firm.”

“As I said before, the capital must be clean. Above all, it’s a law firm, and since we’re aiming to be a big firm like the top four, not a small one, dirty money is out of the question.”

As someone in the position of being called the second-in-command of the prosecution, it’s natural to know that many prosecutors have some dirt on their hands.

Min Ho-sun probably has an unimaginable amount of dirty money, but he can’t use it to build a law firm, which is why he came up with the plan from earlier.

However, I smiled brightly.

“Yes. That’s why I have a lot of clean money.”

“I’m sorry to say this…”

He continued cautiously.

“I don’t think your family is that well-off?”

“That’s right. ‘I’ am not. However…”

I emphasized the word, which seemed to pique Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun’s interest, and he leaned towards me, resting his arms on the railing.

“My wife is different.”

“Your sister-in-law?”

“Yes. My wife is not just a prosecutor’s wife.”

I twisted the corner of my lips.

“Isn’t she an actress who dominated an era in Asia, beyond Korea?”

“Ah!”

His mouth dropped open.

She had appeared in countless movies, and every one she filmed was a box office hit, earning her enormous guarantees. She had also been called the CF Queen [commercial film queen] in the broadcasting industry for over 10 years, reigning at the top of Korea.

Since she wasn’t a spendthrift, the wealth she had accumulated was enormous.

Min Ho-sun immediately agreed and nodded.

“Your sister-in-law is definitely capable.”

Of course, I have no intention of using my wife’s money recklessly.

As we have become a family, her intention was to share her wealth together, and she even gave me permission to use it as much as I wanted for my sake.

And of course, I have no intention of starting a law firm just to make Min Ho-sun happy and then stepping away.

“Ah, I should mention one thing. Since it’s not my money, but my wife’s property, I can’t give you all the shares.”

“Of course, you shouldn’t!”

His voice began to fill with strength.

“However, I promise to make it enough for you to be the head of the law firm and manage it.”

His mouth instantly stretched from ear to ear.

“Choi Pro, you’re a bigger man than I thought?”

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head.

“However, it’s not over yet.”

“Huh? Are there any more conditions?”

“Not conditions, but my offer.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

Beyond starting a company for him, there’s more to give, so he couldn’t help but salivate.

“I said earlier that I would give you capital as well as manpower, right?”

“Y-yes, you did?”

His pupils dilated.

Not only Min Ho-sun but also I had already lost all traces of intoxication.

“You know which prosecutors are the most successful in the law firm market, right?”

“…Ah!”

His mouth dropped open again.

The number one target for law firms to scout is prosecutors from the special investigation department.

Their skills are a given, and since it’s a department called the golden egg [most promising department] in the Central District Prosecutors’ Office, it’s basic to have outstanding connections.

Of course, it can’t be compared to executives like chief prosecutors, but it’s a reality that they overwhelm other ordinary prosecutors.

“You know that I have many prosecutors from the special investigation department around me without me having to explain, and I have a lot of people from the Central District Prosecutors’ Office on my side. I can bring in enough juniors who are already working at the top four law firms.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“You have enough capital to do that, right?”

The worry and anxiety had long disappeared from his eyes.

He was sparkling as if he were already the president of a law firm.

“Choi Pro.”

“Yes, Deputy Chief.”

“It seems like it was God’s will that I came here with the Minister today.”

I clenched my fist.

“Can I ask you for a favor?”

“Of course.”

I firmly grasped the hand that Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun extended.

“I look forward to working with you, Deputy Chief.”

“I’m the one who should be saying that.”

***

“Drive carefully!”

“See you in Seoul.”

Minister Park Chang-shik waved his hand out the window and left the golf course.

The three days and two nights passed quickly.

Perhaps it was because I slept for over 10 hours due to a hangover on the second day.

Even after that, the fact that I started drinking again as soon as I woke up on the second day, saying I needed to drink to get rid of my hangover, was a trap.

Thanks to that, I was still out of it now, even though the sun was high in the sky on the third day.

After seeing off Minister Park Chang-shik and Deputy Chief Min Ho-sun, who were out of their minds, Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook naturally guided me to the car.

“Chief Prosecutor, please go in quickly.”

“Oh, okay.”

I said as I opened the car door.

“Prosecutor Gong should go too.”

“Yes. I’ll leave right after seeing off the Chief Prosecutor.”

“Then I’ll go first.”

“Yes. Drive carefully!”

He bowed and greeted me, and I looked in the side mirror and raised my right hand to greet him.

The right hand.

There was a reason why it was the right hand, not the left hand.

It’s because I’m in the passenger seat right now.

Even though I’m sober, Han Ji-yu grabbed the steering wheel, saying that she would be better off driving than me in this state.

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

Still feeling sorry and uneasy, I asked.

“Of course, I’m okay. When you’re not around, I take Ji-hoon to daycare every time.”

“…That’s right.”

Come to think of it, I had forgotten that I had heard that Han Ji-yu used to drive a sports car before we got married.

After driving for a while, Ji-hoon quickly fell asleep.

“Ji-yu.”

I gently grabbed her hand and asked.

“You’ve worked hard for three days, haven’t you?”

Han Ji-yu slowly opened her mouth while holding the steering wheel.

“No. It was much more fun than I thought.”

“Really? I’m glad.”

“Yeah. I came prepared to work a lot because I heard that I was coming with high-ranking people, but they took care of me a lot instead.”

“They’re good people.”

“That’s right.”

After slowly stepping on the brakes because of the traffic light, she clapped her hands.

“Ah, right. I became very close with the older sisters.”

“Older sisters?”

“Yeah. They all told me to call them older sisters.”

“Our Ji-hoon’s mom has great sociability.”

“Of course.”

Han Ji-yu smiled brightly and said.

“At first, I felt a bit distant because she was an actress, but I quickly became close because we went through hardships together because of Gyu-tae’s matter.”

“I see.”

After a while, Han Ji-yu stepped on the accelerator and asked me.

“But what happened to that?”

“What?”

“I’m talking about the Gyu-tae kidnapping case.”

She looked at me as if it were obvious.

“Isn’t that a little bit related to the case?”

“…Huh?”

Looking at Han Ji-yu’s expression, she’s not testing me.

“How did you know?”

“I’m your husband, so I should know. How could I not know that?”

“Does anyone else know?”