The Inspector Is Getting Promoted! [EN]: Chapter 69

A Prosecutor’s Success!-69

Simhwa (4)

Zzzzz.

While I was working in the office, my phone vibrated.

Seeing that the caller was Han Jiyu, I immediately got up from my seat.

“I’ll take this call outside.”

As soon as I left, Jo Ara and Yoon Seolha exchanged glances in the office.

“Didn’t the Deputy Chief usually take calls inside?”

“That’s right. I wonder if it’s an important call?”

“Well, judging by his expression, it doesn’t seem like a work-related call.”

At that moment, Yoon Seolha’s eyes sparkled.

“Do you think the Prosecutor is dating someone?”

“No way.”

Jo Ara paused after saying that.

“Ah, but his expressions have become richer compared to before.”

“Are we going to be eating noodles soon?” [A Korean idiom that refers to celebrating someone’s wedding.]

“Wow.”

Yoon Seolha suddenly recalled Choi Seojun’s excited expression from a few weeks ago.

“Now that I think about it, it seems like he really is dating someone.”

“To think he’d be able to catch both work and love at the same time… I’m jealous of the woman.”

“I know, right? I should ask him about it over drinks sometime.”

“Let me know if you find out.”

“Haha, I will.”

Choi Seojun, who had left the office, went to a corner and cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

He checked his voice after clearing his throat several times before answering the phone.

“Yes, this is Choi Seojun.”

-Ah, this is Han Jiyu. Is it a good time to talk?

“Go ahead.”

-It’s nothing much, but Jisu… my sister, told me that she sold everything, accounting for exactly 4.8 times the amount. She bought it in the section you told me about, Prosecutor.

“Well done.”

Choi Seojun let out a sigh of relief.

If she did as he said, there would be no reason to be under investigation.

“Don’t withdraw the money right away. Have your sister hold onto it and slowly transfer it to Ms. Jiyu’s account.”

-Yes, thank you.

Han Jiyu cautiously added a word.

-Ah, and I’d like to treat you to a meal…

“A meal?”

-Yes. As a thank you.

Unknowingly, Han Jiyu’s voice rose.

However, Choi Seojun was also nervous and didn’t notice it.

“I treated you last time, so I’ll treat you this time.”

-No. I’m so grateful this time, so I’ll pay. When would be a good time for you?

“Well, if we meet somewhere else before this case is over and it gets exposed to the media, it could cause problems for no reason…”

He meant to see her after the stock manipulation case was over.

However, Han Jiyu said something unexpected.

-Then, shall I come to your house, Prosecutor?

“…Pardon?”

Choi Seojun froze.

Meanwhile, at the same time.

In the Chief Prosecutor’s office at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, a serious conversation was taking place.

“100 times?”

“Yes. There are still about ten days left.”

“Hmph, these crazy bastards.”

At the words of Chief Prosecutor Kang Hyeonsu, Chief Prosecutor Kim Jaewook covered his forehead.

“At that level, it seems like it should be transferred to the Special Investigation Department, not the Economic Crime Investigation Department, right?”

“That’s right. That’s why I came to tell you.”

“Are you sure about that information?”

“Yes, 100%. You can trust the words of the police officer who directly took bribes to turn a blind eye.”

“This is going to be quite a headache.”

Chief Prosecutor Kim Jaewook didn’t like the situation at all.

“Didn’t anything come in for Kang Pro?” [A slang term referring to bribes.]

“Yes. I heard from Chief Kim Jucheol of the Economic Crime Investigation Department that it doesn’t seem like they passed bribes to that side…”

The moment he trailed off, the faces of one man simultaneously came to their minds.

“Could it be, Choi Seojun that bastard…”

Chief Kang Hyeonsu gritted his teeth.

“It seems like there’s a possibility.”

“Do you know something?”

“There’s a rumor that the CEO of Hanwool Investment & Securities is going to be Assemblyman Hwang’s son-in-law. If they’re contacting each other from that line…”

“Damn it!”

Chief Prosecutor Kim Jaewook slammed his fist on the armrest.

Chief Kang Hyeonsu sighed deeply and continued.

“But the problem is public opinion. If it goes up 100 times, there will naturally be a huge number of ordinary victims, and if news breaks that the Special Investigation Department is taking over…”

“They’ll all be clamoring for Choi Seojun to handle it.”

“That’s likely.”

“Damn it.”

Chief Kang Hyeonsu continued with an uneasy look.

“If he takes charge of this case, isn’t it inevitable that Choi Seojun will be appointed as the next Chief Prosecutor after me?”

“That’s right. His performance has been overwhelming so far.”

“Do you have anyone in mind to succeed me right now?”

“Do you know Han Taemin from the Western District Prosecutors’ Office? The Chief Prosecutor of the Fair Trade and Corporate Crime Division.”

“Ah, I know that friend from the Fair Trade Division.”

“I was going to bring that friend up, but if Choi Seojun takes over this case, it’ll be a complete mess.”

Chief Prosecutor Kim Jaewook asked with a troubled face.

“Can’t we transfer it to another prosecutor before Choi Seojun’s name comes out in the media?”

“Ah, the thing is, this case is actually being orchestrated behind the scenes by a chaebol…” [A large South Korean business conglomerate.]

“Are you talking about Hanwool Group?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This is messed up in a really dirty way.”

If they entrusted it to another prosecutor, it was obvious that they wouldn’t be able to handle it properly because a chaebol was involved.

In a case like this where public opinion was running wild, it was obvious that a prosecutor’s head would be on the line if they took it on, so even a prosecutor from the Special Investigation Department wouldn’t want to take on this case.

But if they did nothing, Choi Seojun would take over this case and try to secure the position of the next Chief Prosecutor.

From the perspective of the two men who saw Choi Seojun as a thorn in their side, it was nothing but a headache.

After a moment of silence, Chief Kang Hyeonsu rubbed his hands together and cautiously changed the subject.

“By the way, this promotion to Deputy Chief Prosecutor…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely take Kang Pro with me.”

“Thank you.”

He bowed his head.

Chief Prosecutor Kim Jaewook gestured to him and said.

“I’m more worried about Choi Seojun than that. If Han Taemin becomes your successor, he’ll definitely go crazy.”

Chief Kang Hyeonsu hesitated for a moment before deciding to bring up a case he had been holding back.

“Then I’ll step up.”

“You?”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you before that I have a hold on Choi Seojun?”

He twisted the corners of his lips into a smirk.

“If this case is passed without Choi Seojun taking it on, I’ll take responsibility and prevent him from running wild.”

“Are you sure about this ‘hold’?”

“Of course. It’s not that I didn’t have the confidence to cut off his breath, that’s why I’ve been holding back until now.”

He recalled the video that Han Jiyu had taken of Choi Seojun receiving sexual favors.

With that video, even Choi Seojun, who had the support of the public, would surely fall into ruin in an instant.

“I was originally going to take it out when he rose higher, but it seems like I need to cut off the bud before it gets any bigger.”

“Okay. Then I’ll trust Kang Pro… wait.”

Chief Prosecutor Kim Jaewook, who had something come to mind, put his arm on his knee and twisted the corners of his lips into a smirk.

“Do you happen to have a prosecutor in the Special Investigation Department who’s suitable for getting their head chopped off?”

He continued with a glint in his eyes.

“Someone we can easily abandon at a reasonable level, even if things go wrong.”

“You mean…”

“Yes. We need to feed Choi Seojun a taste of his own medicine too. We don’t need to give him what he wants, do we?”

He didn’t need to explain in detail for his intentions to be understood.

To prevent Choi Seojun from taking over this case, someone in the Special Investigation Department had to take on the case.

However, they weren’t going to take on the burdensome case themselves to prevent Choi Seojun from getting it, but rather, they were going to let the case blow up.

They were going to hand over this case to someone who didn’t have any connections or backing, and if the case went in a bad direction, they would try to gloss over it by having that prosecutor resign.

In the jargon used in the prosecution, it’s called ‘Nongae’ or ‘Pulling a Nongae.’ [Referring to a historical figure who sacrificed herself to kill an enemy general.]

Rather than watch someone enter their stomach, they thought it was better to cut off the head of one prosecutor.

At that moment, one man came to Chief Kang Hyeonsu’s mind.

“There is one easygoing friend.”

“Who is it?”

“That’s…”

While they were plotting like this, Chief Prosecutor Kim Jaewook and Chief Kang Hyeonsu were unaware that Choi Seojun’s blade was casting a shadow over their necks.

***

-Despite being designated as an investment caution stock due to the overheating of ‘Saint Harper,’ it hits the upper limit again! Imminent third trading halt…

-‘Saint Harper’ hits the upper limit for the 18th day, where will the end be?

-Breaking! ‘Saint Harper’ rapid sale. Hundreds of billions of won worth of stock released into the market in an instant…

-‘Saint Harper’ hits the lower limit for three consecutive days… How far will it fall?

-New word ‘Saint Harper Jonber Tribe’ registered in the dictionary. What does it mean? [A term for investors who stubbornly hold onto a stock despite losses.]

-Four suicides already due to ‘Saint Harper.’ Estimated damage amounts to 1 trillion won…

-‘Saint Harper’ police investigation confirms stock manipulation. Who was the operation force?

-‘Saint Harper’ stock manipulation case suspects arrested. However, doubts remain as to whether the three Joseonjok [Korean-Chinese ethnicity] were all of them…

-Hanwool Investment & Securities and three major companies that earned hundreds of billions of won in profit from ‘Saint Harper’ cleared of charges in police investigation?

-‘Saint Harper’ stock manipulation case referred to the prosecution. As the social impact of the case is significant, it is expected that the Special Investigation Department, not the Economic Crime Investigation Department, will take charge and resolve it.

-Public Interview: We hope that Choi Seojun, the symbol of the Special Investigation Department, will resolve the Saint Harper case. Bring down the conglomerates and bring justice…

Articles about Saint Harper were filling not only stock news but also social news.

As Team Leader Gong Seokmin and Han Seungho had said, Hanwool Investment & Securities was cleared of charges by the police.

However, now that it had been handed over to the prosecution, they would have to reveal the charges again through a search and seizure warrant.

But for some reason, Chief Kang Hyeonsu was dragging his feet without assigning the case.

It seemed like he was using tricks to avoid handing the case over to me.

What could I do? There wouldn’t be anyone in the Special Investigation Department who was worthy of handling this case.

Even if it was Chief Kang Hyeonsu, he wouldn’t be able to make a decision easily because if he entrusted it to another junior prosecutor with connections, there could be bad rumors.

As much as he had contacted within the line, Chief Kang Hyeonsu must have noticed to some extent that I was involved and was trying to sprinkle red pepper powder [obstructing someone’s progress].

If he was determined and willing to take a bucket of criticism from the public, it wasn’t impossible for him not to entrust this case to me.

But even if he had ill feelings towards me, I didn’t expect him to pick a fight with me to this extent.

There was a possibility that things could go wrong.

It seemed like it was going to be a headache.

“Deputy Chief.”

Jo Ara, who was holding the receiver, turned her gaze towards me.

“Yes?”

“It’s a call from Prosecutor Lee Duhyung.”

“Prosecutor Lee Duhyung?”

For Lee Duhyung to contact me.

It would be one thing if he contacted me on my cell phone, but he wouldn’t have called on the internal line very often.

Was it a work-related matter, not a personal one?

“Please transfer the call.”

“Yes.”

I picked up the receiver.

“Oh, Prosecutor Lee.”

I spoke in a normal tone, unlike when we met in private.

“What’s going on?”

-Ah, Senior. I called because there’s something I wanted to ask you. Is it a good time to talk?”

“Is it related to the case?”

-Yes. It’s a case that came down this time, and it seems quite complicated. I don’t think I have the ability to handle it on my own, so I was hoping you could help me. If you have time, I was wondering if you could come and review it with me.”

“Okay, bring it over.”