The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 64

Shortly after Prosecutor Lee Doo-hyung left, I also departed the officetel.

I had to meet with the Line people after a considerable absence.

Even if Lee Doo-hyung eventually becomes my man, I have no intention of bringing him into this Line.

The moment the number of helping hands reaching out to him increases, even the most loyal guy might become greedy. There’s no guarantee his loyalty won’t waver.

The solution is to eliminate such temptations from the start.

He must become a sword wielded only by me.

He needs to be more than just ‘my man’; he needs to become a true extension of myself.

How long had I been driving? A call came in from a familiar number.

“Yes, this is Choi Seo-joon.”

-You’re coming today, right?

A voice that never feels burdensome, no matter how many times I hear it.

It was Congressman Sung Tae-hyun.

The man poised to become the 22nd President.

“Yes. I’m on my way now. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

-You’re almost here.

“I’ll be up soon.”

-I see. I think there will be an interesting story today, so you can look forward to it.”

“I’ll see you inside.”

-Yes.

Dobby Hotel, which I was heading to after a long time.

It had been almost three months since I last visited that place, which is considered the symbol of our Line.

Before the Judge case, I used to go there regularly every two to three weeks to show my face, but lately, I’ve been too busy to go at all.

I heard that Prime Minister Choi Gyu-hyun wouldn’t be attending today, so I expect the discussions will proceed in a more autonomous atmosphere.

I’ve become quite close with Congressman Sung Tae-hyun since I secured his cousin a position in the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office.

His name was Sung Jin-hyun, I believe.

Judging by the fact that his name is occasionally mentioned even in the Central District Prosecutors’ Office, he seems to be quite active in the Western District Prosecutors’ Office.

It’s like I’ve gained a powerful ally.

I should see him soon.

While I was contemplating this and that, I arrived at the Dobby Hotel.

When I went up to the 37th-floor penthouse, I couldn’t help but smile.

This place is where you can truly feel the weight of power.

I was just planning to make a brief appearance with a simple greeting, but thanks to the momentum I gained from the Judge case, people quickly flocked to me.

“Wow, Prosecutor Choi, you’ve been on TV a lot lately, haven’t you?”

“The camera loves you. Prosecutor Choi looks radiant.”

“Hahaha, thank you. I think it’s because I’ve lost some weight from working so hard these days.”

“You’ve become sharper. Soon you’ll be able to cut meat with your jawline, right? Hahaha.”

At that moment, a member of the Korea Party came over and put his hand on my shoulder.

“As expected, it’s Prosecutor Choi. With your current momentum, you’d probably get elected even if you took off your robe and ran in the next general election. If you ever think about politics in the future, be sure to join our Korea Party.”

“Hey, what are you talking about?”

A member of the People’s Party glared and pushed away the hand of the Korea Party member on my shoulder.

“Prosecutor Choi is a member of the People’s Party. The ruling party is too greedy.”

“It’s okay. Our Korea Party is also in a state of emergency. Kwon Jae-cheol is barely holding on. His approval rating has fallen to the 20% range this time.”

The Korea Party member wrapped his arm around my shoulder again.

“So, Prosecutor Choi, come to our Korea Party.”

I laughed loudly and waved my hand.

“Oh, I don’t have any political aspirations yet. I have to become the king in the Prosecutor’s Office before I leave.”

“Wow, I like that Prosecutor Choi has such great ambition.”

As we exchanged jokes and laughed, Sung Tae-hyun naturally found me and approached.

“Prosecutor Choi, have you arrived?”

“Wow, are the young bloods getting together again?”

Sung Tae-hyun joked.

“Hey, Congressman. It’s not young blood, it’s just singles. There’s no wife to take care of us when we go home.”

“That wife is the scariest thing in the world.”

He chuckled and turned away.

“Go ahead and talk. The old guys will be looking for women.”

The Korea Party and People’s Party members wrapped their arms around the slender waists of the women next to them and left for a private room.

Sung Tae-hyun handed me one of the wine glasses he was holding in both hands.

“Thank you for coming all the way here. Was the traffic bad?”

“It was manageable because it was a weekday.”

I lightly clinked my wine glass against his and took a sip.

As expected of a high-end wine, the aroma of grapes and alcohol was perfectly balanced, filling my mouth.

“When did you arrive, Congressman?”

“I’ve been here for about an hour and a half. By the way, I heard an interesting story over there… Are you interested?”

“My ears are always open to hear what the Congressman has to say.”

After moving to a place where we could sit comfortably, Sung Tae-hyun was about to slowly begin the story.

“Prosecutor.”

A neatly dressed man approached and bowed politely.

Since it was the first time I had seen his face, I observed him carefully, and Sung Tae-hyun introduced him with a light smile.

“I don’t think I need to explain who this is.”

Was the story he was about to tell related to this man?

The man politely extended his hand and greeted me.

“Hello, my name is Gong Seok-min, and I am the president of Hanwool Investment & Securities.”

Hanwool Investment & Securities.

I know it as one of the top 5 investment & securities companies in Korea and the largest investment company that has expanded overseas.

It’s one of the affiliates of the Hanwool Group, but I know that they employ a professional CEO, so this man shouldn’t be a member of the Hanwool Group’s founding family.

He looks to be in his early 40s at best, but if he’s the CEO of Hanwool Investment & Securities, he must be quite capable.

I shook his hand.

“Ah, yes. I’m Choi Seo-joon.”

“Can I sit down for a moment?”

“Yes.”

He sat down in a position that formed a triangle with me and Sung Tae-hyun.

“I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. I had something I really wanted to discuss with the prosecutor, so I came as soon as I heard you were here.”

Sung Tae-hyun quietly observed with a faint smile.

The fact that he’s not intervening suggests that it’s not something that could be problematic.

“What’s going on?”

Gong Seok-min carefully began to speak.

“Actually, I’m planning to make a big score this time.”

“A big score?”

“Yes.”

He twisted his lips and continued.

“To put it bluntly, it’s stock manipulation.”

Stock manipulation.

It’s a type of fraud where manipulative forces profit by taking money from individual investors [often called ‘ants’ in Korean stock market slang].

It seems that this stock manipulation is what Sung Tae-hyun referred to as an interesting story earlier.

This man isn’t talking nonsense.

The fact that he came to this Line is proof that he can be trusted.

The person who brought him here is vouching for him, and he knows that it won’t be easy to survive in Korea if he speaks carelessly here.

Above all, the fact that this is a penthouse allows him to comfortably admit that he’s planning to manipulate stocks.

“Why did you come to me specifically for stock manipulation?”

“You’re a special investigation prosecutor. We’re planning to manipulate stocks, but since this is no ordinary case, it seems likely that it will be transferred to the special investigation department.”

Stock manipulation being transferred to the special investigation department is no ordinary matter.

Because ordinary stock manipulation cases are typically handled by the Economic Crime Investigation Department.

But the fact that it’s being transferred to the special investigation department means that it’s not a normal scale.

It means they’re planning to take a significant amount of money from individual investors.

“So?”

“When you investigate in the special investigation department, I was hoping you could simply avoid targeting Hanwool.”

Trying to negotiate a deal before even committing the crime.

His audacity is remarkable.

“Before that, let me ask you one thing.”

I put down the wine glass I was holding and stared at him.

“Are you doing this alone, or is the Hanwool Group itself involved?”

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Hey, how could I act alone in such a significant matter? It’s all at the direction of the higher-ups.”

“Can you tell me exactly who it is?”

Gong Seok-min glanced at Sung Tae-hyun.

“Congressman Sung doesn’t need to worry.”

“My lips are sealed.”

Only after Sung Tae-hyun smiled and spoke did Gong Seok-min lower his voice and say.

“It’s the eldest son of the chairman’s third son.”

A third-generation chaebol [family-controlled conglomerate heir].

If he’s a third-generation chaebol of the Hanwool Group, he’ll be about the same age as me.

“I see.”

“I’ve already instructed them to take care of the prosecutor so that you won’t be disappointed. It’ll be more than you can imagine…”

“Oh, what am I to do?”

I raised one corner of my mouth as if I was disappointed.

“My imagination isn’t usually that vivid.”

“You’re not ordinary after all.”

He clicked his tongue.

“How much do you want?”

“Hey, how can I say such a thing directly?”

I smirked and crossed my legs.

“I have to meet you in person to discuss it. You’ve already learned the inside story, so if you leave disappointed, President Gong won’t be able to bear the responsibility.”

Power.

Power that stems from authority.

Gong Seok-min, who manipulates money, understands better than I, who wields authority, how overwhelming it can be.

He immediately agreed without hesitation.

“I understand. Then I’ll arrange a meeting as soon as possible.”

“Yes. Please do.”

I put the tips of my fingers together and placed them on the table.

“But how much are you trying to gain that you’re already engaging in behind-the-scenes maneuvering?”

He silently spread out all ten fingers.

All ten fingers, without missing one.

As soon as I saw it, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Ten times?”

But Gong Seok-min shook his head.

“It’s 100 times.”

Crazy.

Beyond letting out a hollow laugh, I’m now speechless.

“Is that even possible?”

“All I’ve known since I was a child is playing with money. If I can’t even do this, I should just give up and die.”

I smirked and took out a business card from my pocket and handed it to him.

“Please contact me.”

“Yes. I’ll decide on a date within this week and contact you. Is sometime next week alright?”

“If the schedule doesn’t conflict.”

“I understand.”

He put my business card in his pocket and was about to get up from his seat when Sung Tae-hyun suddenly spoke.

“I personally have something I’d like to ask you.”

Gong Seok-min sat back down.

“Please tell me.”

“Ah, I’m worried that it might be rude to the prosecutor…”

Sung Tae-hyun carefully looked at me.

Even if he’s concerned, the fact that he’s bringing it up means that it’s something that won’t be offensive.

If it was something truly problematic, Sung Tae-hyun, whom I know well, wouldn’t say it.

“It’s okay. Please tell me.”

“Then…”

Sung Tae-hyun turned his gaze to Gong Seok-min and asked.

“I’m curious as to why you contacted Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon, the deputy head of the special investigation department, and not Chief Kang Hyun-soo, knowing that it would be transferred to the special investigation department. If you wanted to, it wouldn’t have been difficult to meet Chief Kang Hyun-soo, who has connections to the next administration.”

Gong Seok-min said lightly, as if there was no room for hesitation.

“Prosecutor Choi Seo-joon is the real power within the special investigation department, so why would I need to meet Chief Kang Hyun-soo?”

I couldn’t help but smirk.

Sung Tae-hyun quickly agreed.

“Ah, I see.”

“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave now.”

“It was a pleasure talking to you.”

Gong Seok-min shook hands with us and moved to another group.