You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 631

You Have Been Defended – Episode 631

[Special Prosecutor Cha Joo-han Submits List of 6 Special Prosecutor Aide Candidates to the Blue House]

The special prosecutor team investigating Woo-shin’s alleged underage human trafficking and illegal lobbying of political and business circles is in full swing preparing.

Special Prosecutor Cha Joo-han held discussions with the Ministry of Justice on the 18th regarding future investigation practices.

This morning, Special Prosecutor Cha Joo-han submitted a list of six special prosecutor aide candidates to the Blue House. It consists of four candidates with prosecutorial experience and two candidates with only lawyer experience.

There had been rumors that Special Prosecutor Cha Joo-han was having difficulty finding candidates because many lawyers had refused his offer to be a special prosecutor aide, but the rumor that Attorney Go Il-guk had accepted spread, and things went smoothly.

In addition, the special prosecutor’s office completed a lease agreement for the P Building located on Teheran-ro [a major street in Seoul’s Gangnam district] and began construction necessary for the operation of the special prosecutor team.

The dispatched prosecutors are expected to consist of three chief and deputy chief-level prosecutors and seven junior prosecutors.

Special Prosecutor Cha Joo-han has requested the Ministry of Justice to dispatch Park Young-ki, the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, as the investigation team leader.]

I was extremely busy.

Upon accepting the position of special prosecutor aide candidate, Go Il-guk, along with attorneys Do Ji-hwan and Chae Geun-soo from the same law firm, greatly helped in selecting suitable individuals for the position.

I filtered the list once.

Everyone on the list was problem-free as of 2012, but I couldn’t ignore what I had experienced in my previous life.

Choi Jong-hyun collected information on those who were not eliminated.

Anyone who had subtly leaked information to reporters during their active duty, tried to receive favors, or was known to associate with disreputable people was excluded without exception.

Then, Go Il-guk even stepped up to persuade those on my finalized list whom he knew.

Without their help, I would not have been able to complete the list of special prosecutor aide candidates yet.

This took three days.

Of course, the work was not finished.

As the article stated, I had to request dispatched prosecutors and special investigators.

Just as Lee Se-hwa found out that the list of special prosecutor aide candidates had been passed on, she contacted me, so I decided to meet her.

“Please send one person from the National Tax Service as well.”

Originally, this could be requested in writing to the head of the relevant agency.

This is because the law stipulates that the head of the relevant agency must accept the special prosecutor’s request.

However, if the person in question refuses, there is no way to force them, so I thought it wouldn’t be bad to get Lee Se-hwa’s help.

Because a single word from her direct superior would be more effective than the written request I sent.

Lee Se-hwa said with her own mouth that she became president thanks to me, so isn’t this level of repayment appropriate for putting her in the presidential seat?

“The former National Tax Service Commissioner is a suspect, so I think we should exclude those who were on his line. Is there anyone you want specifically?”

“Lee Min-gyu, Secretary of the Offshore Tax Evasion Information Division.”

At my words, Lee Se-hwa looked through the list and sighed.

“This person is an ace. I remember him because he even received a commendation last year. How much work do we have to do to keep him tied up in the special prosecutor team?”

“Please give him to me anyway.”

The National Tax Service’s Offshore Tax Evasion Information Division was newly established in 2011 by expanding and reorganizing the existing Offshore Tax Evasion Tracking Center.

It is difficult to say that it has achieved great results as of 2012, but Lee Min-gyu, who became the secretary in charge, is someone who passed the public offering for the position.

Above all, Lee Min-gyu is one of the special investigators who was dispatched to the special prosecutor team in my previous life.

He showed outstanding performance in tracking overseas accounts.

So, the special investigation at that time was truly a done deal.

If Hwang Young-chan hadn’t messed it up.

“The National Tax Service will be annoyed. Okay. What about the others?”

“I also need Inspector Heo Min-woo from the Gwangsu Unit’s [a special investigation unit] Investigation Headquarters, who was in charge of the existing investigation. When forming the Investigation Headquarters, please have Superintendent Hyun Byung-joo recommend Inspector Heo Min-woo and select the aces.”

“I knew you were going to take Inspector Heo, but if the special prosecutor team takes all the aces, who will maintain the country’s security? Ah, I shouldn’t have helped Special Prosecutor Cha. I’ll be the only one getting cursed.”

Lee Se-hwa playfully glared at me.

“But the dispatched prosecutors haven’t been set up yet? There’s no list.”

Lee Se-hwa rummaged through the documents I handed her and asked.

“I have some people in mind. However, I need to confirm their intentions and fill in more numbers.”

Lee Se-hwa nodded and closed the file.

“Special Prosecutor Cha.”

“Yes.”

“You must have lived your life well.”

It was a sudden remark.

When I looked at Lee Se-hwa, she laughed.

“You’re stiff, can’t flatter, can’t say anything wrong, and if you see a problem with a senior, you immediately confront them. Just looking at your personality, there’s no reason to be liked. But your seniors help you a lot. Me too.”

“I am grateful.”

“People try to find flaws in situations like this, trying to bring you down by saying that a junior is trying to control a senior. You’ve probably experienced it too, Special Prosecutor Cha.”

“…….”

“In the future, remember this moment. When you have a cynical view, remember that there were people who believed in you and helped you to the end, people who understood your sincerity even with your clumsy expressions. Then life will be a little easier than it is now.”

* * *

Buzzz.

I was on my way to the next appointment after parting with Lee Se-hwa.

Heo Min-woo was calling.

“This is Cha Joo-han.”

─Ah, you’re really too much. Are you really taking me to the special prosecutor team?

Heo Min-woo shouted abruptly.

It seems he heard the news that he was being selected as a special investigator.

“Yes. I’m taking you.”

─I still only sleep an average of 4 hours a day. What if I die from this?

Even if he says that, I know everything he wants.

“I sent Gongjin-dan [a type of expensive traditional Korean medicine] to your house. Eat it and come.”

─Gongjin-dan? Suddenly?

“I learned it from somewhere. Eat it on an empty stomach, and refrigerate the rest except for 14 days’ worth.”

─Suddenly what…….

“But it wasn’t very tasty.”

─…….

After hanging up with Heo Min-woo, I arrived in front of the restaurant, which was the meeting place.

There was another person I had to meet to prepare for the special prosecutor team.

As I got out of the car, Kang Min-jae’s car was also entering the parking lot.

“Attorney!”

Kang Min-jae, who got out of the car, waved his hand and approached.

The clerk led us to the reserved room.

I arrived on time, but seeing two pairs of shoes placed there, it seemed that the people I was meeting had already arrived.

“Special Prosecutor, please come in quickly.”

Lee Ye-jin said as I entered the room.

Kim Jong-seok also raised his hand to greet me.

These are the two people I had marked next to Park Young-ki in selecting dispatched prosecutors.

Kim Jong-seok didn’t really like me in the first place, but I confirmed that it wasn’t the case anymore at the alumni association I attended on the day of the raid on Libon Medical Center.

He was also the one who publicly supported me by telling the juniors who were gossiping about me in the prosecutor’s office cafeteria to ‘feel a sense of debt to Cha Joo-han instead of inferiority.’

He was in the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and is currently the head of the Special Investigation Department 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. He is considered an ace within the prosecution for his family and skills.

“It’s uncomfortable if you talk like that even in private.”

As I sat in the empty seat, Lee Ye-jin chuckled.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you both.”

“I was really sorry that I had to leave without saying hello at the alumni association that day.”

Kang Min-jae bowed his head as soon as he saw Kim Jong-seok.

“It’s okay. Special Prosecutor Cha, I told you to speak comfortably in private, so I’ll do that.”

“Please do.”

“I heard you requested Deputy Chief Park Young-ki as a dispatched prosecutor.”

“Yes. I’m going to have him as the head of the investigation team.”

“Deputy Chief cares so much about Special Prosecutor Cha, so he’ll do that. But the people you have in mind are all from the Central District Prosecutors’ Office, right?”

“I plan to select the remaining 7 dispatched prosecutors from various places.”

“I see…….”

Kim Jong-seok nodded and stopped talking.

Lee Ye-jin leaked the story about the dispatched prosecutors to Kim Jong-seok at my instigation, and as a result, we met like this…….

It is uncertain whether he will accept.

“Among the three special prosecutor aides, Attorney Go Il-guk will be included unless there is a change, right?”

“That’s right. Usually, the senior special prosecutor aide does the public relations, so if Attorney Go Il-guk becomes the senior, he will handle the public relations work.”

Lee Ye-jin answered instead.

Kim Jong-seok nodded.

“You used your head well.”

And he smiled at me and said.

“Attorney Cha is so smart.”

Looking at Lee Ye-jin’s attitude, I could feel how hard she had worked to persuade Kim Jong-seok.

“The official investigation start date is 10 days away, right?”

“Yes.”

“Still, you have to look into it a bit before the investigation starts. When are you going to start?”

“The President said that he will appoint the special prosecutor aides tomorrow, and I plan to start 7 days before. But the dispatched prosecutors can come in from the official start date. It would be better if they came earlier.”

“Hmm……. I’ll be honest.”

Kim Jong-seok continued without hesitation.

“Being a dispatched prosecutor doesn’t really benefit us active prosecutors. Is there a lot of work in the special prosecutor team? Even if you return after working hard……. All you can think about is getting into the eyes of the Deputy Chief, who is the head of the investigation team? He’s going to be promoted to Prosecutor General.”

“Then, do you think there will be few people who accept, so it will take a long time for dispatched prosecutors to come to the special prosecutor team? The remaining seven dispatched prosecutors are planned to be set up as junior prosecutors, and aren’t all the current junior prosecutors your classmates or juniors, Attorney? So I thought there wouldn’t be a big problem with the dispatched prosecutors…….”

Kang Min-jae said with a worried voice.

“Since the President is pushing this special investigation hard, if there is someone who wants to get in line with the political side, they will try to enter without hesitation. But that’s not the style Special Prosecutor Cha wants, right?”

I nodded at Kim Jong-seok’s question.

I know that it is impossible to completely castrate human desires.

I thought it was a stroke of luck that I had gathered so many people who were solely for the purpose of justice.

Even if it is right to aim for justice, people can’t help but want secondary rewards.

“Trying to create it with too clean people can be Special Prosecutor Cha’s greed. Of course, there are 100% pure prosecutors. But there is no guarantee that that person is also good at their job. Special Prosecutor Cha will want to pick someone who is good at their job. No matter how good the purpose is, the goal is achieved only when the results are good.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“This pro also said that Special Prosecutor Cha is worried about filling the number of dispatched prosecutors. He’s already a character who receives a lot of hate.”

At Kim Jong-seok’s words, Lee Ye-jin shrugged and added.

“It’s true. Don’t think of it as cruel.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I think the Deputy Chief has already helped, but if you need more, please refer to this. These are the junior prosecutors I have directly experienced.”

Kim Jong-seok placed a piece of paper on the table.

“They are similar to the direction Special Prosecutor Cha is thinking and are good at their job. That’s how I see it. Sometimes they are rude and disobey orders. But they are logical and only say what is right. These kids will work hard if you call them. Even if there is a secondary purpose, you can suppress them so they can’t mess around.”

[Truth]

I scanned the paper Kim Jong-seok handed over.

There weren’t many, but there were quite a few people who overlapped with those recommended by Park Young-ki.

I often saw people who were under me in my previous life and remained in my memory.

“Thank you, Senior.”

“Um…….”

At that time, Kang Min-jae carefully intervened.

“Oh? Are the adults talking?”

Lee Ye-jin laughed and looked at Kang Min-jae.

“……No, it’s better to be sure. Senior, you have decided to come as a dispatched prosecutor, right? Senior Lee Ye-jin will definitely come too.”

“Why is it obvious for me? Persuade me. Attorney Cha, quickly say things that appeal to my taste. Quickly.”

Lee Ye-jin looked at me with a dissatisfied face.

Then, Kang Min-jae smiled and said.

“Senior said that she used to go to work to see the lawyer’s handsome face when he took off his clothes, but now she has no joy. If you join the special prosecutor team, you will have joy.”

“Ha, you little…….”

Kim Jong-seok, who was listening to Kang Min-jae and Lee Ye-jin’s conversation, smiled slightly and answered.

“I have misunderstood Special Prosecutor Cha for years, and I feel sorry and indebted, so I’ll just go in as if I’m paying it back. I should also be able to talk about pure justice with dignity. I don’t think I’ve done it since I was a rookie. I won’t be able to do it if I accumulate more years.”

[Truth]

* * *

[Woo-shin Special Prosecutor Team to Hold Plaque Unveiling Ceremony Today]

[Special Prosecutor Team Said to Have Problems with Personnel Selection… Personnel Selection Completed Quickly]

[President’s Remarks, ‘No Seniority Culture Above the Constitution,’ Influenced Special Prosecutor Team’s Personnel Selection]

[Special Prosecutor Aide Go Il-guk, ‘There is No Doubt About Special Prosecutor Cha Joo-han’s Qualifications and Qualities’]

The special prosecutor’s office is located in a building on Teheran-ro.

Although three floors are leased, the hallway is not very wide.

I was standing in front of the plaque covered with a white cloth in front of the reporters who filled the hallway.

Three special prosecutor aides, including Go Il-guk, and Investigation Team 4 leader Park Young-ki were on either side of me.

Starting this life, I was once again preparing to fight lonely battles with a few like-minded people, just like in my previous life.

But to stand here stably without major noise, I ended up receiving help from many people.