The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 298

New Owner of the Throne (1)

“Good to see you, Prosecutor!”

The men who approached me with booming greetings weren’t from Sung Tae-hyun’s faction within the Min Guk Party, but rather those who had sided with me.

In other words, they were the loyalists who had given me the deciding vote.

These individuals, having joined forces with me, likely hadn’t been able to set foot in this penthouse before.

But now, the situation had changed, allowing them to act confidently, as if they were the owners.

As evidence of this, the lawmakers from Sung Tae-hyun’s faction were merely watching from a distance with envious eyes.

The newcomer had ousted the established one.

“The political situation is quite chaotic, so you must be working hard.”

“Not at all. You must have had a difficult time, Prosecutor.”

I responded with a slight scrunch of my nose and gestured toward the lawmakers from Sung Tae-hyun’s faction, saying:

“Well then, everyone, have a good time. I have many people waiting for me, so I’ll be going now…….”

“Yes, Prosecutor!”

They bowed their heads and naturally cleared the area.

Now, all that remained were the lawmakers from Sung Tae-hyun’s faction.

They knew they had to come and make a good impression on me, but they couldn’t muster the courage to step forward, so they were just exchanging glances among themselves.

They were pretending to chat while holding wine glasses, but their eyes were all directed towards me.

I confidently walked over and settled onto the lavishly decorated sofa in the very center of the penthouse.

As if waiting for this moment, a staff member approached and filled my glass with wine, and I took a sip.

The rich aroma of grapes and alcohol blended perfectly, creating a bittersweet symphony in my mouth.

While I was savoring the taste, a few of the more proactive members among the lawmakers who had been watching me carefully gathered and cautiously approached me.

“Prosecutor, good to see you.”

The man who greeted me as the representative was a man with deep wrinkles and white hair.

He looked more than twenty years older than me, but he was taking a more respectful posture than ever before.

It was Representative Park Cheol-sung, whom I had spoken to on the phone just the other day.

Of course, Park Cheol-sung wasn’t the only lawmaker I had spoken to; there were too many to count.

However, he was a key figure among Sung Tae-hyun’s core members, so he left a very strong impression.

“It’s been a while, Representative.”

I nodded with a benevolent smile.

He already had both hands clasped in front of him.

“It’s even more of a pleasure to see you after so long.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It feels like it’s been almost two years since I last saw you…….”

Representative Park Cheol-sung glanced at my glass.

“Ah, allow me to pour you a drink this time.”

“I’d like that.”

I raised my glass with one hand.

Representative Park Cheol-sung held the wine bottle with both hands and poured the wine very respectfully.

“Have a glass yourself, Representative.”

“Shall I?”

He quickly picked up an empty glass next to him and handed me the wine bottle.

However, instead of the wine bottle, I picked up a bottle of whiskey.

“Ah, then…….”

As Representative Park Cheol-sung was about to put down the wine glass and pick up a whiskey glass, I shook my head.

“No.”

“……Yes?”

Before he could react, I opened the whiskey bottle and began pouring it into his wine glass.

It wasn’t just a gentle pour; it was practically gushing.

The wine glass that Representative Park Cheol-sung was holding was filled with whiskey in an instant, and soon it overflowed and began dripping onto the floor.

Even so, I didn’t stop, and only after emptying the entire 750ml whiskey bottle did I turn it upside down.

The other lawmakers held their breath and began watching this, and Representative Park Cheol-sung was staring at the glass in shock.

But I spoke without a moment’s hesitation.

“Drink it.”

“A, all of it?”

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

“But if I drink all of this…….”

I’ll get drunk.

No, beyond that, I might be taken to the hospital.

Considering the size of the wine glass, it wasn’t a full bottle of whiskey, but more than half.

No, since it was quite a large wine glass, it probably held about 2/3 of a bottle of whiskey.

But I didn’t say anything more and just watched him intently.

Representative Park Cheol-sung’s hands began to tremble.

He must be scared.

But for politicians, losing their power is probably more frightening than death.

I turned my head and pointed to the wine glass filled with whiskey, looking at the other lawmakers.

“Anyone want to drink this?”

Just as the small-fry lawmakers who had been trying to get into my good graces were about to jump forward.

Bang.

Representative Park Cheol-sung squeezed his eyes shut and began gulping down the whiskey in the wine glass in one go.

The foul smell of alcohol must have been rising up and reaching his nose.

But he didn’t take the glass away from his mouth.

The whiskey that flowed from his mouth ran down his neck and soaked his pure white dress shirt.

The lawmakers who were watching this held their breath and watched the scene.

The lawmakers, women, and hotel staff exchanged glances and began talking among themselves in surprise.

But that was only for a moment, and before long, Representative Park Cheol-sung finally emptied all the whiskey in the wine glass.

“Huuu…….”

He gasped for breath, wiped his mouth covered in whiskey, and put down the glass.

Then, looking at me.

“I, I drank it all…….”

But before he could finish speaking, as if the alcohol was rising from his stomach.

His cheeks swelled up in an instant.

“Uwaaaaaa!”

Representative Park Cheol-sung grabbed the ice bucket nearby and began vomiting.

I got up from my seat and approached him with a calm face, slowly patting him on the back.

“Are you alright?”

“Huu…… Yes, yes. I’m, I’m alright.”

Contrary to his words, Representative Park Cheol-sung vomited several more times after that.

I gently patted his back and opened my mouth.

Speaking in a voice that even the other lawmakers who were watching could hear.

“I’m not someone who doesn’t hold grudges.”

The faces of the lawmakers from Sung Tae-hyun’s side turned pale.

I continued in a cold voice.

“Of course, I should. Politicians need to know how to retaliate and take revenge to survive. That’s how I can strengthen my power even more.”

“…….”

They must have realized that they were screwed.

“However.”

I twisted the corners of my mouth roughly.

“I’m also someone who knows how to forget when I need to forget.”

The lawmakers’ Adam’s apples bobbed.

“At this point, with the general election ahead, it seems more appropriate to forget the past and embrace rather than seek revenge.”

Representative Park Cheol-sung, who was holding the ice bucket, barely raised his head and opened his mouth.

“Does that mean…….”

I nodded readily.

“Yes. I’ll forget. Everything.”

“Thank you, Prosecutor!”

He bent over at a 90-degree angle, reeking of strong alcohol.

I looked at the other lawmakers and continued.

“It’s okay even if you were from Sung Tae-hyun’s faction. I’m someone who values the future more than the past. Isn’t it more important who you’ll be with ‘going forward’ than who you’ve been with in the past?”

I stood up Representative Park Cheol-sung, who was bending over, and asked.

“Representative Park, who will you be with?”

“O, of course, it’s Prosecutor!”

“Thank you.”

I smiled and nodded slightly.

Then, I spoke to the lawmakers again.

“There’s a saying, ‘On Go Ji Shin’ [Learn the old and know the new].”

It means to learn from the past to understand the present and future.

“I hope you all think carefully and make a rational decision about who you’ll be with in the future. I won’t force you at all.”

I gave a benevolent smile like a saint and sat back down in my chair.

“Those who have something to say to me, come on your own. I won’t be here for too long, so…….”

I glanced at my wristwatch and said.

“If you’re too late, I might not be able to see you before I leave.”

With those words, I leaned back against the backrest and took a sip from the clinking wine glass.

After that, no more time was needed.

The lawmakers, who had been cautiously watching, began to approach and surround me without anyone taking the lead.

“Prosecutor, it’s been a while. I’m Goo Won-rae from Gangdong-gu Eul [a district in Seoul]. I’m a two-term lawmaker, and I’ve properly captured the local sentiment. So, if I get the nomination this time, I’ll definitely win the election and work for the Prosecutor…….”

“Nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Jeon Tae-woong, who first wore the badge through the by-election the year before last. I haven’t had a chance to greet you…….”

“I’m Choi Chang-hwan, CEO of Future Construction. Last time, I…….”

It was like a marketplace.

Everyone was bowing their heads and rubbing their hands together to try to get into my sight even once.

People who had ignored others with the power of a National Assembly member and had reigned as people above people were now flattering me to get on my good side.

It was hard to hold back a burst of laughter.

“Alright, alright. I can’t see your faces if you’re like this.”

I jumped up from my seat.

Then, stepping on the chair, I stood above the others on the table.

Reigning over the heads of the National Assembly members.

“Let’s all have a toast. I’ll definitely remember those who do a one-shot.”

Then, everyone rushed to the nearby tables and picked up glasses, whether they were champagne, wine, or whiskey, and raised them high.

At that moment, a familiar face caught my eye in the distance.

Assemblyman Jo Byung-gap, the floor leader of the Min Guk Party and a key member of Sung Tae-hyun’s faction.

Perhaps he couldn’t bring himself to flatter me, so he stood far away, arms crossed, watching this scene.

I looked directly at him and said.

“Assemblyman Jo Byung-gap over there?”

In an instant, the lawmakers’ heads turned in that direction.

“Aren’t you going to make a toast?”

He squeezed his eyes shut.

But the hesitation didn’t last long.

Most of the Min Guk Party lawmakers who had been in Sung Tae-hyun’s faction had sided with me.

The floor leader, who wasn’t supported by the party members, was just a scarecrow, and he knew that better than anyone else.

In the end, floor leader Jo Byung-gap seemed to have made up his mind and raised the champagne glass next to him.

I gave a satisfied, broad smile and shouted to the National Assembly members below me.

“Let’s have a toast. For the brilliant Min Guk Party!”

“Cheers!”

With a resounding echo, the lawmakers emptied their glasses in an instant.

Assemblyman Jo Byung-gap did the same.

I also poured the champagne into my mouth.

The refreshing scent enveloped my mouth, and the moderately sparkling carbonation scratched my throat as it went down.

“Kya!”

I let out a deep exclamation and stretched out the emptied champagne glass high in front of me.

Then, as if waiting for this moment, dozens of National Assembly members.

“Choi Seo-joon! Choi Seo-joon!”

“Choi Seo-joon!”

Began chanting my name.

Yes.

This is Choi Seo-joon.

The man who will become the true king of Korea.

I am Choi Seo-joon.