The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 319

Treasure Hunt (2)

***

“Long time no see, Prosecutor.”

The door opened, and a woman wearing clothes so tight they accentuated her figure walked into the office.

“How have you been?”

“You can take off your sunglasses indoors, you know.”

“Oh, can I?”

She smiled brightly, took off her sunglasses, and immediately headed for the sofa, leaning back comfortably and crossing her legs.

“You’ve done a good job here. Nice interior.”

These actions didn’t seem arrogant or hateful.

I knew from our first meeting that she was this kind of person, so I knew there was no ill intent.

“Thanks for the compliment. And I’m not a prosecutor anymore; I’m a lawyer now.”

She tilted her head and waved her hand.

“You’ll always be a prosecutor to me. ‘Lawyer’ doesn’t feel right. The syllable ‘Byeon’ sounds like ‘poop,’ so I don’t like it.”

I chuckled and sat in the seat of honor.

“How have you been, Nana-ssi?”

The woman in front of me was none other than Kim Nana.

She had no qualms about criminal activities overseas and was more suitable than anyone else for finding something and taking it out.

“I’ve been great. Thanks to you, Prosecutor, I’ve been so free. I even went to Canada recently and pulled off a job.”

“How proud.”

Kim Nana nodded shamelessly.

“It’s something to be proud of in our industry.”

She placed a printed photo on the table and said,

“This is the pink diamond I stole this time. Pretty, isn’t it?”

I had seen it as a foreign news item last month.

It was an article about a jewel lost from a Russian dynasty that disappeared while on display in Canada.

I remember it being a hot topic, with master thieves stealing the stolen goods again.

“You’re talking so confidently about that in front of a former prosecutor.”

“Come on, our Prosecutor is a romantic. I thought you might be interested. Your wife would love it.”

She curved her eyes slyly.

“I’ll even give you a partner discount.”

“Still, it’ll be over 10 billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD], right? I don’t have the money to buy it. I was a public official until a few months ago; where would I get the money?”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

Kim Nana put the photo in her bag and smiled.

“So, what kind of job is it?”

She wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

“Treasure hunt? Just the title makes my heart flutter.”

This is truly a perfect job for her.

“There’s something I need you to find.”

Kim Nana leaned forward, her interest piqued.

“How much will you pay?”

Like a professional, the reward is more important than the case itself.

“Remember the reward I gave you after the last job?”

“That’s a little small.”

I smirked and held up three fingers.

“Three times that amount.”

Only then did Kim Nana smile contentedly.

“I guess it’s an overseas job?”

Her intuition rivals that of most prosecutors.

“Consider it a deal.”

Kim Nana leaned back on the sofa and added,

“Oh, but I can’t do everything. I think I’m wanted in China and a few other countries, so I can’t enter.”

“According to the records I’ve seen, there’s no record of you being wanted or arrested in Japan. Did you only go to Japan for travel and not for work?”

“I did it once.”

She shrugged.

“It was a medieval crown, and I didn’t get caught.”

“Heh.”

She’s really amazing.

“I sold it for a lot of money. The tiara was so pretty… If it wasn’t so expensive, I would have worn it myself.”

“Why can’t you quit working when you make so much money?”

“We get paid in stolen goods, so it’s not much when you sell it. Besides, we earn it over several years, so we have to make a lot. We have to prepare for retirement, you know?”

“That’s true.”

Enough with the small talk.

“Let’s get down to business.”

“I’ve been waiting.”

I took out a photo of a man from my pocket and placed it on the table.

“His name is Watanabe Kenshi. He’s a reporter for Asuha Shimbun [a fictional newspaper] and has been missing for five years.”

“Missing, or dead?”

“He was probably murdered.”

Kim Nana’s eyes turned serious, and she nodded slowly.

“There’s a reason the stakes are so high.”

“And the person behind his death is probably the current Prime Minister of Japan, Matsumoto Shinichi.”

She seemed startled but then twisted one side of her mouth.

“Sounds more interesting than I thought.”

“The details are just beginning.”

I began to explain the case in earnest.

“Five years ago, when Watanabe Kenshi was still alive…”

***

Kim Nana didn’t lose her interested expression until I finished the story.

“So, all I have to do is get the backup containing that video, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Okay, deal. Sounds easy.”

She stroked her face and said,

“It’s a shame I can’t use this shining beauty because he’s dead, but that’s not all I have.”

“Don’t think it’ll be easy. It’s been a while, but if you investigate, Prime Minister Matsumoto’s side will reach out again.”

“That’s what makes it more fun. It’s like being a detective, so cool, right?”

I don’t know if she’s fearless or just full of confidence.

“How long do I have to find it?”

“Not much time. By the end of this year at the latest, the sooner the better.”

“Then it might not be easy.”

Kim Nana pouted her lips slightly.

“I can’t speak Japanese. If I investigate the dead reporter, there might be difficult situations, and I don’t think I have enough time to study and go now, do I?”

“I thought that might be the case, so I found someone to help Kim Nana-ssi.”

“Oh, really?”

She raised her eyebrows.

“I’d prefer a man, if possible.”

I chuckled and called out.

“Come in.”

The man who had been waiting in front of the office came in with his shoulders wide.

“Jennifer-ssi, it’s been a while.”

The Hand of God, Go Joong-hyuk.

Since he had plastic surgery when he changed his identity and lived in Japan for more than six months, there was no need to worry about his conversational skills.

Moreover, his skills and improvisation abilities were top-notch. More than anything else, the reason I put him in this case was that he was someone I could trust.

Besides, with his skills, he would be able to control even Kim Nana to some extent.

Kim Nana clapped her hands as if she was glad to see him.

“Oh my, we’re all seeing each other here?”

“Indeed.”

They must have met several times at the Blue House, so they must know each other.

Most of all, Go Joong-hyuk was the one who delivered my note to Kim Nana just before the empty house robbery.

“Please take care of me.”

“Let’s have fun working together.”

Go Joong-hyuk and Kim Nana shook hands lightly.

***

“Yes, I just received the data.”

A thick envelope of documents was on my desk.

Data collected over a long period by the Ahn Jung-geun History and Culture Foundation.

It contained detailed information about the laws of the Japanese colonial period, how they were actually applied, and what happened during Ahn Jung-geun’s preparation for the assassination.

I also had to understand everything for the lawsuit in Japan.

That’s how I can properly use these historical materials.

“Please keep the fact that I’m in charge a secret. Just in case, please keep it a secret within the foundation as well.”

-I understand. Is there a reason?

“Yes. If it’s made public through the media, the news will naturally reach the Japanese side. Then they will also prepare for the lawsuit.”

-Ah, you’re trying to prevent them from preparing in advance.”

“That’s right. If a special law related to the lawsuit is enacted beforehand, we will never be able to win. To win, we must move in a surprise manner.”

-I understand. The only people who know about this lawsuit are the secretary who delivered the data and me, so I will firmly instruct the secretary to keep it a secret.”

“Thank you.”

-I am the one who should be grateful. If you need anything, whether it be financial or human resources, please let me know at any time. As far as my hands can reach… no, even if I have to borrow someone else’s hands, I will help.”

“Thank you for your words. I’ll contact you if I need anything.”

-I understand. Goodbye.

I hung up the phone and carefully examined the documents.

Since it was historical data, the amount was enormous.

If I piled it up on one side of my desk, it would probably reach my shoulder.

However, compared to the amount of work I used to handle every day as a prosecutor, this is manageable.

“Seolha-ssi.”

Yoon Seolha, who had been waiting at the entrance, came in as if she had been waiting.

“Yes, Attorney.”

“Let’s read the data together. Seolha-ssi, you need to understand everything as well.”

“I understand.”

After that, we stayed in the office and put the historical materials into our heads for over a week.

It took a lot of time because it wasn’t just memorization but also the interpretation of the laws at the time.

There was a reason why we had to do that.

We had to check whether there were any errors in the facts, and the historical materials handed over by the Ahn Jung-geun History and Culture Foundation were contents interpreted in the Korean style.

However, our place of litigation is Japan.

We had to interpret these data so that they could be accepted ‘internationally’ by everyone, so it took a lot of additional time to verify.

And on the tenth day.

“Haaa, it’s finally over.”

Yoon Seolha put down her pen, leaned back on the sofa, and closed her eyes.

Her eyes were bloodshot, probably because she hadn’t slept properly for ten days and had only been holding documents.

“Keep your eyes closed for a bit.”

“You should rest too, Attorney. Your eyes are completely bloodshot right now.”

“Is that so?”

When I looked in the mirror, there were blood vessels all over my eyes.

I swallowed a hollow laugh and closed my eyes.

“Well, one thing has become clear.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The more we organized the data, the more clear what we had to do first.

There is no problem with Ahn Jung-geun shooting Ito Hirobumi [a prominent Japanese statesman] and being captured by the Russian army.

However, the starting point of the problem in this case is when Ahn Jung-geun was transferred from the Russian army to the Japanese consulate.

We have to prove step by step that it was wrong from there.

To do that, the first thing we have to do is one thing.

Not Japanese or Korean data.

It is to find the Russian data that was in the middle.

“Prepare to go to Russia.”

“I understand. I’ll look for a flight to depart by tomorrow.”

“Please also hire an interpreter. Someone who can keep secrets as much as possible.”

“Yes. I understand. Then I’ll schedule it unofficially.”

“Please do.”

“Then, can I hire someone I know as an interpreter?”

“Oh, do you have someone?”

“Yes. My cousin graduated from university in Russia, so he worked in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Korean representative for several years. He wasn’t a high-ranking official, but he’ll be much better than ordinary interpreters.”

“That’s good.”

Above all, there is no need to worry about information leakage because he is family.

Besides, if he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he must have some connections, even if he wasn’t a high-ranking official.

Then things will be much easier.”

She smiled brightly and got up from her seat.

“I’ll book a plane ticket right now.”