The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 307

Sword Dance (2)

Chief Prosecutor Hwang Yun-seong of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office was arrested.

Oh Hyun-seung, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office, was also placed under investigation.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) is handling both the investigation and indictment, at least on the surface. It might seem like the CIO is the one taking action, but everyone in this field knows that Prosecutor Gong Sang-wook is behind this prosecutorial reform, and he is like my right-hand man.

Naturally, they will realize that this prosecutorial reform isn’t just about catching corrupt prosecutors and investigators.

Thanks to that, prosecutors started to act cautiously without me having to step in.

Those who had been cozying up to Sung Tae-hyun’s line among the high-ranking prosecutors in Seoul’s four major district offices resigned on their own.

The heads of the prosecutor’s offices in Gyeonggi Province contacted me first and bowed their heads.

Since my people already controlled the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, there was nothing to worry about there.

Besides them, many other prosecutors resigned.

Most of them were prosecutors who had sided with Sung Tae-hyun and those who had cooperated with them, but there were also some who had committed minor offenses and resigned even though they weren’t part of any particular faction.

They had no choice.

When even the chief prosecutor and deputy chief prosecutor were being made examples of, they couldn’t have imagined that mere junior prosecutors and department heads could hold out.

They wouldn’t even dare to think of holding out.

They figured that if they were going to be fired anyway, they would rather resign first and retire with severance pay, pension, and a semblance of honor.

There were quite a few of them.

Most were from Seoul and the Gyeonggi area, but even prosecutors I didn’t know from the provinces were resigning, totaling nearly 100 people.

Back when the bar exam still existed, about 200 people were appointed as prosecutors each year, so this was a significant number.

Thanks to this, the prosecutors who remained were having a field day.

Because many high-ranking positions, including department heads, were vacated – more so than junior prosecutor positions – there were enormous opportunities for promotion.

Of course, the remaining prosecutors would have more work, but that wouldn’t matter much in the face of potential advancement.

Perhaps because of these events,

The media praised me every day.

-The most successful prosecutorial reform in the history of Korea!

-Are the prosecutors who resigned now suspected of corruption? Will they be able to get jobs at prestigious law firms?

-As expected, Choi Seo-joon! #Successful at driving out corrupt prosecutors.

-The dirty truth of corrupt prosecutors finally revealed… Can we trust the remaining prosecutors?

-The prosecution completely changed with just one chief! This is the power of a leader!

Thanks to the media’s uncanny ability to highlight the resignations of corrupt prosecutors.

Of course, there was no mention of the fact that they were on Sung Tae-hyun’s line or any suspicions about political motivations.

No one confessed their wrongdoings either.

They had no choice.

Most of the prosecutors who resigned had been accepting bribes while in office, leading to extravagant spending habits and lifestyles. It was only natural that they couldn’t easily adjust when that income suddenly stopped.

So, in the end, to maintain their previous lifestyle, they would have to join a law firm and receive a huge salary. However, they knew that if I had my eye on them, they wouldn’t be able to do that.

Of course, I had no intention of letting them live comfortably, spending money lavishly, just because they had resigned from their positions as prosecutors.

The only reason I drew my sword this time was to lay the foundation for seizing power.

Even if the people who oppose me are insignificant right now, they could become huge obstacles when I run for president.

I only became a chief prosecutor a little over 10 years after being a junior prosecutor, which shows how quickly things can change.

That’s why I had to cut off all the guys who harbored animosity towards me.

That’s the only way I can survive.

From now on, it’s not a fight to climb higher.

It’s a war for survival.

“It’s been a while, CEO.”

“It has, Chief Prosecutor. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. You look much better, CEO.”

“There’s been a lot of interesting news lately.”

He smiled broadly as he spoke.

“Maybe it’s because I was forced to resign, but I find this whole thing so amusing.”

The person smiling brightly in front of me was Woo Jong-min, the CEO of W&K Law Firm, which boasts an overwhelming win rate among the top four law firms and is known as Korea’s leading law firm.

He was co-CEO with Kang Oh-bin, but Woo Jong-min was considered the de facto leader, so I scheduled a private meeting with him.

Woo Jong-min wasn’t just an ordinary prosecutor.

He was the youngest chief prosecutor until I became the chief prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

Because he was aligned with the Min Gook Party [a political faction], he naturally stepped down after Choi Gyu-hyun took power. The law firm he started became even more successful, making him known as the CEO of W&K Law Firm.

The reason Woo Jong-min was smiling so brightly at me wasn’t just because he had known me in the past.

In fact, there wasn’t a single person among the law firm CEOs and lawyers who could afford to frown in front of me.

The truth is, if a chief prosecutor with my level of political power decided to take action and destroy them, it would be easy to crush even the top four law firms.

In the face of overwhelming power, even large corporations are just individual companies.

“I heard that over 100 prosecutors resigned this time. Is that true?”

“It’s exactly 97. There seem to be more prosecutors who have resigned, but those resignations haven’t been accepted yet.”

“Amazing. Just a slight move on your part and so many prosecutors feel threatened…”

He chuckled.

“It’s incomparable to when I was a chief prosecutor.”

“But CEO Woo earns an enormous amount of money compared to me, right? A chief prosecutor only makes about 100 million won a year [approximately $75,000 USD].”

After saying that, we both burst out laughing.

The light atmosphere was only temporary.

“By the way, the fact that you came all the way here…”

CEO Woo Jong-min quickly changed his expression to that of a businessman and cautiously asked.

“I’m sure you have something to say regarding this matter, right?”

“I think CEO Woo can guess what it is to some extent.”

He took a sip of green tea and slowly opened his mouth.

“You’ve come to warn us not to hire the prosecutors who resigned this time, right?”

As expected, someone in his position understands immediately.

“A warning?”

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“I’m just giving you a heads-up.”

“Right.”

“You know the reason why, right?”

“Of course.”

There were bound to be quite a few people that W&K was targeting among those who resigned this time.

Quite a few prosecutors resigned, and law firms often try to scout and bring in high-ranking prosecutors whose abilities have been proven.

Even if there are allegations of corruption, the law firms know that the scrutiny will subside in less than three months.

That’s why I’m stepping in to prevent them from living comfortably.

“But I have one question to ask.”

CEO Woo Jong-min stroked his chin and asked with difficulty.

“If the prosecutors who resigned this time go to other law firms, wouldn’t we inevitably clash with them?”

I listened to him quietly.

“Then we might face very awkward situations during trials…”

“You know that I won’t just be talking to W&K Law Firm, right?”

“Yes. I expected that too, but if they open their own practices and handle cases, and receive preferential treatment as former officials, it would be a huge blow to us, so I’m worried.”

That damn preferential treatment for former officials.

I don’t like it, but the truth is, law firms have no choice but to worry about it.

In Korea, where blood ties, regional ties, and school ties [social connections] are rampant, there’s an unspoken rule in this industry that people who resign from being judges or prosecutors and become lawyers are guaranteed to win their first trial.

Besides that, there are so many other forms of preferential treatment that it’s hard to explain them all.

It’s a bad custom created in preparation for when they resign themselves.

From a business perspective, it’s only natural to worry about it.

However, this time the situation is different.

“Preferential treatment for former officials…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Tell them to shove that shit up their asses.”

“…Excuse me?”

His face was filled with embarrassment.

“But…”

“Do you think I’ll just stand by and watch that happen?”

CEO Woo Jong-min’s eyes widened.

“Chief Prosecutor, don’t tell me you’re going after the judges too…”

“Just listen to me quietly, CEO, and you’ll be fine.”

I wrinkled my nose and got up from my seat.

“Understood?”

Instead of speaking, he closed his mouth tightly and nodded.

***

The heads of the top four law firms met with me directly, and Yoon Seol-ha visited the next five largest law firms.

It goes without saying that all nine law firms decided to follow my instructions completely.

It was an obvious result.

They have to listen to survive.

I wasn’t very interested in the other law firms.

In the first place, it’s unlikely that those who went as far as aligning with Sung Tae-hyun would turn their attention to general law firms. Even if they did, there would only be law firms left that could give them a salary just enough to make a living.

Besides, no matter how hard they try, they can never win if they go up against the top four and top five law firms.

These nine law firms win or break even against other law firms, and the moment they lose, their reputation is shattered, so they will try to win at all costs.

In the end, even if they resigned to prevent becoming my target, they won’t be able to do anything.

When you think about it, what I did was just a natural act.

It’s foolish not to tie up the opponent’s hands and feet before a big fight when you can.

I have to be fully prepared for the presidential election.

And the reason I could speak so confidently to these nine law firms was because of this person I had a dinner appointment with tonight.

“It’s been a while, Justice of the Supreme Court.”

“It has, Chief Prosecutor.”

Justice of the Supreme Court Yang Cheol-joong.

He was the person Prime Minister Park Hyung-tae had appointed as the chairman of the National Election Commission, and the person I had promised to rig the presidential election with.

He greeted me warmly and filled my glass.

“Has it been about three years?”

Instead of filling his glass, I put it down and shook my head.

“I don’t know. As far as I remember, it hasn’t even been six months.”

“Six months?”

Justice Yang Cheol-joong tilted his head.

He was trying to remember, but he couldn’t seem to recall.

He scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

“I keep forgetting things these days because I’m getting old. I can’t remember very well. Hahaha.”

I smiled lightly and slowly filled his glass.

“You know Prime Minister Park Hyung-tae, right?”

He nodded so naturally that you wouldn’t know he was acting.

“Of course, I know him. I used to see him often at the Hill Consilience Hotel.”

“Are you close?”

“We were quite close. But I haven’t been able to contact him well since the last party primary…”

I nodded slowly.

“So that’s why.”

“Yes?”

Yang Cheol-joong looked straight at me, as if he didn’t understand the meaning.

“What do you mean…”

I emptied my glass in one gulp, as if it were nothing, and stared at him intently.

“Well, you can’t plan to rig an election without being close.”

In an instant, Justice Yang Cheol-joong lost his composure and turned pale.

“Excuse me?”

I twisted my lips roughly.

“I know everything, you bastard.”