The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 61

Judgment (4)

-Exclusive! Police Attempted to Obstruct Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon’s Arrest of the Judge!

-This paper has obtained the conversation between Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon (current head of the Joint Investigation Headquarters for the Judge case) and Inspector Kim Hyung-seok (aka Chief Kim) just before the press conference through an anonymous tip. After listening to the recording, the content of the conversation was utterly absurd. Kim Hyung-seok, who can be seen as the representative of the police in the investigation headquarters, was trying to obstruct Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon. The restored conversation is as follows:

-Inspector Kim Hyung-seok: Isn’t there any evidence that Song Hana, who you arrested, is the Judge?

-Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon: She confessed. It’s also been confirmed that the traces left on the victim’s body in the second Judge case match Song Hana’s weapon.

-Inspector Kim Hyung-seok: Couldn’t such a weapon be found anywhere?

-Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon: It’s a hammer similar to a sledgehammer, and Song Hana modified it herself. It’s not a weapon others can easily use.

-Inspector Kim Hyung-seok: But since it was assembled with off-the-shelf products, isn’t there a possibility that it could be a different culprit?

-Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon: Do you think that makes sense?

-Inspector Kim Hyung-seok: Anyway, I can’t allow you to reveal that she is the Judge this time. I will object. I’ll catch the real Judge.

-Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon: Chief Kim, are you picking a fight because you couldn’t contribute to the arrest of the Judge?

-Inspector Kim Hyung-seok: (Silence for a moment) A rookie prosecutor who has never even conducted an actual investigation wouldn’t understand the police. What does a prosecutor know? The police know.

The conversation recording after this is reserved because it cannot be disclosed through this paper. Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon’s arrest of the Judge in the Joint Investigation Headquarters where such conversations take place seems even more impressive. I don’t understand whether the police are investigating the case for their own achievements or for the people. Is the police of the Republic of Korea going in the right direction?

-Reporter Park Soo-hyung, WK Daily

***

“I’m sorry, Commissioner.”

“Chief Kim!”

Commissioner’s office, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The Commissioner threw the newspaper he was holding at Inspector Kim Hyung-seok’s head.

“What the hell have you been doing to get this kind of article out!”

“No, that’s……”

Inspector Kim Hyung-seok couldn’t help but feel wronged.

In fact, a similar conversation did take place, but it wasn’t *that* kind of conversation.

He did pick a fight at the beginning, but after that, Choi Seo-joon clearly said things that ignored him.

“Actually, it wasn’t that kind of conversation……”

Before he could finish his excuse, the Commissioner shouted.

“So, you went to see him before the press conference, or not?”

“I… I did.”

“Then it’s your fault!”

The Commissioner slammed the table as if he was burning with anger.

“The police image is completely in the toilet right now! Ruined! Are you going to take responsibility for this?”

Inspector Kim Hyung-seok bowed 90 degrees.

“I’m really sorry.”

“What good is being sorry?”

“……”

Inspector Kim Hyung-seok bit his lip. His image ruined, his achievements ruined, everything ruined.

There was nothing he could do in this situation.

“Hoo.”

The Commissioner let out a deep sigh.

“What’s left now?”

“If we can invalidate the evidence that Choi Seo-joon secured independently, we can somehow overturn the situation.”

“Did you say that evidence is at NDFC [National Digital Forensic Center] now?”

“That’s right.”

“Why send it to NDFC instead of transferring it to the National Forensic Service [government agency that analyzes physical evidence]?”

The Commissioner, gripping the chair tightly, glared at Inspector Kim Hyung-seok.

“It seems that Choi Seo-joon is trying to monopolize the credit for this case completely for the prosecution.”

“Do you know what the article says now? It says we’re not the people’s support, but the people’s *mold*! [implying they are shaping the people negatively]”

“I’m sorry.”

The Commissioner was racking his brain, but he couldn’t find an answer.

It is impossible to touch Choi Seo-joon in the current situation.

With this case, he has become a symbol of the prosecution, far beyond just an ordinary prosecutor.

No matter how much he is the Commissioner, touching Choi Seo-joon, who is likely to be a candidate for the head of the special investigation department, is like poking a hornet’s nest.

“Just let it pass quietly.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t do anything and stay quiet. Stirring things up in this situation will only get us killed. Choi Seo-joon is no longer someone the police can handle.”

Inspector Kim Hyung-seok clenched his teeth but couldn’t argue.

It was all true.

All he could do was stay still, as he was told.

Inspector Kim Hyung-seok reluctantly replied,

“Understood.”

***

“Inspector Kim Hyung-seok is quiet,” Yoon Seol-ha said, glancing back as she entered the office.

“He hasn’t even shown his face.”

“He must have been chewed out by the higher-ups.”

I chuckled and spun around in my chair.

“I feel a bit sorry that other police officers are getting trashed because of this case and the resulting articles, but it’s about time the police came to their senses.”

“Exactly. I was wondering when they’d get a good scolding. And…”

She took a step closer to me and lowered her voice.

“I’ve heard from the investigators that the other prosecutors are grinning from ear to ear. They say you completely flattened the police. So, these days, all our investigators do when they meet is praise you.”

“Oh, you’re making me feel awkward.”

“It’s true.”

Yoon Seol-ha smiled brightly and sat down at her desk.

“Ah, but what I’m really curious about is the article Park Su-hyung wrote. I thought only you, me, and Inspector Kim Hyung-seok were there at the time, so who could have leaked it?”

I can’t possibly say that the prosecutor in front of you leaked it.

“Who knows? Maybe someone passing by overheard and reported it?”

“Well, our location was a bit open.”

She shrugged.

“Anyway, it’s really satisfying.”

“Hey, you shouldn’t be satisfied with just this.”

Yoon Seol-ha’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she rested her chin on the table.

“Is there something else left?”

“If a mere police officer messes with a prosecutor, we have to see it through to the end. How dare a police nobody try to surpass a prosecutor?”

At those words, she leaned her upper body towards me, looking intrigued.

“Working with you, Prosecutor, is like a continuous string of expectations.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever disappointed those expectations.”

“Of course. Never once.”

“It’ll be the same this time.”

I twisted my lips into a sinister smile.

Because I’ve been working on the preliminary steps to take him down since yesterday.

Buzz.

Just then, Yoon Seol-ha’s phone rang, and she quickly picked it up.

“It’s NDFC…” [National Digital Forensic Center]

“Take it here.”

“Yes.”

She immediately pressed the call button.

“Yes, this is Investigator Yoon Seol-ha from the Joint Investigation Headquarters of the Prosecution and the Police.”

Her tone gradually increased as she nodded several times and answered, ‘Yes.’

Sounds like good news?

Soon after, Yoon Seol-ha hung up the phone, smiled brightly, and stretched out both hands towards me.

“The DNA test results match!”

“Yes!”

I clenched my fist and approached Yoon Seol-ha, giving her a refreshing high five.

Confirmed.

The moment when the gambit I threw at the press conference was predicted to be a 100% victory for me.

Unable to contain my joy, I opened the office door and shouted to the people in the investigation headquarters outside.

“Song Hana is confirmed as the Arbiter!”

At the same moment, cheers erupted from the people at the investigation headquarters.

Clenching and shaking my fists in joy, I approached Yoon Seol-ha.

“Seol-ha, let’s prepare for the press conference.”

“Understood.”

***

“Hello, this is Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun. I’ve called this emergency press conference to inform the public that Song Hana, whom we arrested previously, has been confirmed as the Arbiter.”

The cameras flashed wildly.

“Until now, she was only suspected of being the Arbiter, but the recent NDFC [National Digital Forensic Center] test results have confirmed that Song Hana is indeed the Arbiter. Let me briefly explain the circumstances…”

I showed the reporters and cameras a disposable artificial tear in a zipper bag.

“During the sixth incident, the police failed to collect this disposable artificial tear, which the perpetrator dropped at the scene, as evidence. After the crime scene investigation, the informant went to the scene himself and found this artificial tear.”

I explained that it was acquired after the police conducted the crime scene investigation to protect Reporter Park Su-hyeong.

If I told the truth, Reporter Park Su-hyeong could be in danger for illegally obtaining evidence.

“Of course, until now, this couldn’t be used as evidence but only to narrow down the scope of the suspect.”

That was true.

At best, I could only assume that the suspect had undergone LASIK or LASEK surgery or had an eye condition such as dry eye syndrome.

“However, while questioning Song Hana, we discovered that the suspect completely placed the artificial tear on her eye wrinkles when inserting it. In other words, it was a method that would inevitably leave DNA on the artificial tear. So, we immediately requested the NDFC to analyze the DNA from the evidence, and as a result…”

I unfolded the test result report sent by the NDFC.

“The DNA found in the artificial tear at the crime scene completely matches the DNA analysis results of Song Hana.”

All the cameras started taking pictures of the test result report.

“Furthermore, as a result of questioning Song Hana, we learned that she had lost her disposable artificial tear at the sixth crime scene, and as a result, this artificial tear became valid as evidence.”

I smirked and continued.

Now, the final conclusion.

“As a result, we announce that the perpetrator of the nine Arbiter cases involving serial murder and attempted murder has been finally apprehended.”

After answering a few more questions, the press conference was completely over.

When I returned to the Joint Investigation Headquarters of the Prosecution and the Police to handle the remaining work, Inspector Kim Hyeong-seok was waiting for me with a face full of animosity.

He called me out separately and bowed his head.

“I apologize if you felt uncomfortable during this time. Now that the Arbiter case has been resolved, if you have any grievances, let’s put them to rest today…”

That’s ridiculous.

“Are you saying we should end this on good terms?”

I scoffed and shook my head.

“It would be a shame to end it here. Don’t you think?”

His lips twitched.

“I found out this time that you’ve been playing dirty, relying on your connections…”

I took a step closer, looked down at him, and said.

“You’ll either get an internal investigation and be transferred to the provinces, or be demoted to a precinct.”

Inspector Kim Hyeong-seok, who came to end things appropriately, trembled and glared at me.

“Don’t push it too far. I’m only here to apologize because I was forced to. Do you know who’s behind me?”

“Chief Cha Gyeong-seok of the Planning and Coordination Department of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office?”

As soon as I said the name accurately, I noticed Kim Hyeong-seok flinch.