Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Necklace as a Gift (2)
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae tilted his head in confusion.
‘…Seo Jin?’
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae was not in his right mind.
Land prices were set to plummet, and there was even a risk that his name might be exposed on a list.
On top of that, debts approaching six billion won were impossible to resolve even by hanging oneself.
Monthly interest alone amounted to tens of millions of won.
For now, he was barely managing with the bribes he’d received over the years, but that wouldn’t last.
A prosecutor’s salary could never cover it.
And if he had to quit being a prosecutor, he couldn’t even count on those bribes anymore.
The urgency of his situation blocked any expansion of thought, leaving him no time to question how or why Seo Jin had found his way here.
He was filled only with the foolish hope that since Seo Jin was wealthy, perhaps he could be of some help.
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae opened the door and uttered something stupid.
“Oh, what brings you here?”
“You seemed to be struggling.”
“Huh?”
Seo Jin brushed past Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae and entered the apartment.
He headed straight for the master bedroom.
When he opened the door, he saw a female college student with her body covered by a blanket.
“You, get out.”
The female college student nodded at Seo Jin’s dry voice.
As the door closed, the sound of hurried dressing could be heard.
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae, realizing he was naked, went into the room and dressed himself.
And shortly after, the female college student left the apartment with a parting “Goodbye.”
“…How did you find this place?”
Only now did Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae’s mind begin to return.
He seemed curious about how Seo Jin had discovered his location.
“It’s the kind of story journalists would love. ‘Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office becomes a college student’s sugar daddy.’ That’s how I found out.”
“…Journalists?”
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae urgently glanced out the window of the living room.
He rolled his eyes, searching to see if any journalists were present.
“I’ve covered it up. Before that, you should vacate the room.”
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae, now certain there were no journalists, wiped his anxious brow.
Then he slowly turned his body toward Seo Jin.
In the meantime, Seo Jin was surveying the apartment.
A 34-pyeong apartment with a deposit of 200 million won and monthly rent of around 100 million won.
The expensive-looking sofa and television—there was no way a prosecutor’s salary alone could furnish a place like this.
Of course, all of this was achieved through bribes.
Yet this bastard had tried to entangle Investigator Lee Dong-young in corruption charges.
It was absolutely ridiculous.
Lee Dong-young is a man who has kept his distance from corruption.
He raises his daughter alone on a meager salary, finding happiness in that sacrifice.
But if I were to entangle such a man in corruption charges and make him a sacrificial lamb for a witch hunt, knowing it would destroy their lives—I wanted to strangle Jo Woo-jae right then and there.
“So… you really came because of the reporter?”
Jo Woo-jae’s voice was brimming with hope.
But Seo Jin’s tone remained businesslike.
“Of course.”
“Ha…”
Jo Woo-jae scratched his head vigorously.
Then he released the sigh he’d been holding and opened his mouth.
“I’m really sorry, and I know this isn’t the time to ask, but…”
“Please, speak freely.”
“Well, so… could I borrow some money?”
“Money? How much?”
Jo Woo-jae clenched his fist tightly.
His mind was racing through calculations.
Seo Jin’s Father is the CEO of Jaejeong Construction, someone who handles six billion won without blinking.
And Seo Jin is his son.
But he couldn’t ask to borrow all six billion won.
‘If I just put out the most urgent fire?’
He had a twenty-year contract with the bank.
The astronomical interest terrified him, but the most urgent fire right now was from relatives.
He’d pulled money from all sides, so they’d definitely start pressing him soon.
If he could just block that, he could survive by taking bribes to handle the rest—his mind spun these happy delusions.
“Chief Prosecutor, I actually heard the news on the way here—you didn’t sell that land in Chuncheon and still hold it?”
At Seo Jin’s concerned tone, Jo Woo-jae’s expression brightened slightly.
He thought it was easier to talk now that Seo Jin had broached the subject.
“Yeah, yeah! That’s right. I haven’t sold it yet. It’s land that’ll keep rising. But that provincial governor bastard stirred up shit. Don’t worry though. The congressman elected in that region this time is from the Ruling Party. We need to build this up to win Chuncheon’s hearts and connect it to the presidential election. You were in Chuncheon, so you’d know, right? So the land value will shake for a bit, but if I just put out the urgent fire…”
He was spouting nonsense with false bravado.
He was treating Seo Jin like a straw to grasp.
“How urgent is it?”
“That… uh, one… one billion won.”
“One billion won?”
Seo Jin’s expression showed genuine shock.
Jo Woo-jae laughed as if he might cry and opened his mouth.
“…That’s too much, isn’t it?”
“That’s not even the main issue. The problem is, if Lee Se-moon’s side claims speculation and releases the list of names…”
“That should be fine. Release a list? It’s not like I committed murder, and legally it doesn’t make sense, right?”
“The people in that world don’t live worrying about the law, do they?”
Jo Woo-jae bit his lower lip.
Seo Jin’s words were the truth.
If politicians actually abided by the law, the nation wouldn’t have spiraled into such an abyss.
“I know someone in the Opposition Party. I’ll meet with Lee Se-moon, the Gangwon Province Governor, and discuss wrapping this up quietly.”
Seo Jin shook his head.
“Chief Prosecutor, you just said the Ruling Party needs to develop that land to win public sentiment for the presidential election. Do you really think Lee Se-moon will sit idle and let that happen? The logic doesn’t add up.”
Jo Woo-jae, the Chief Prosecutor, tried his best to persuade him, but Seo Jin shook his head at his argument with a businesslike tone.
Irritation flickered across Jo Woo-jae’s eyes.
There was no time for this back-and-forth conversation.
His phone kept ringing even now.
All the incoming calls were from relatives.
“So, are you going to lend it or not?”
“A billion won… I do have it, but…”
“You have it?”
“Yes.”
Hope rekindled in Jo Woo-jae’s eyes.
He opened his mouth, thinking that a child from a wealthy family was indeed the best.
“You have it, then?”
At that moment, Seo Jin felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Seo Jin felt the vibration and drew a quiet smile.
Jo Woo-jae broke into a broad grin as well.
He was pleased by Seo Jin’s smile.
He thought something was finally falling into place.
“A billion won. That’s a lot, I know. But solving that is quick work. You know me—I’m resourceful. Two months, exactly two months. After that, I’ll give you 10% interest. That’s 100 million right there. A decent investment, wouldn’t you say…”
Seo Jin pulled out his phone while listening to Jo Woo-jae’s voice.
And showed him the screen.
The caller ID read “Lee Se-moon, Gangwon Province Governor.”
Jo Woo-jae’s eyes narrowed slowly.
“Lee… Lee Se-moon?”
“Yes.”
But Jo Woo-jae didn’t grasp the situation.
He spoke in an urgent voice and grabbed Seo Jin’s arm.
“You know Lee Se-moon? Answer it quickly. And let me speak with him, will you?”
Seo Jin pressed the speakerphone button firmly.
Then Lee Se-moon’s voice filled the living room.
-Prosecutor Kim, thank you. The party’s been treating me like an old man lately, but starting today, I can finally hold my head high. Hahaha!
Lee Se-moon’s laughter rang out loudly.
At the same time, Jo Woo-jae’s movements froze as if suspended.
Only his eyes moved, glaring at Seo Jin.
Only now did he sense that something had gone terribly wrong.
Seo Jin opened his mouth, looking at Jo Woo-jae.
“Congratulations.”
-Let me buy you a meal sometime. Come visit Chuncheon when you get the chance.
“Understood. But what will you do about the list of speculators?”
-That? It’s a bit complicated, isn’t it? I could get sued. Even if that weren’t the case….
“I think it would be sufficient to disclose just a few of the major names.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae’s face began to contort.
He realized that “major names” meant him.
-…Do you know something?
“I’ll contact you shortly.”
I ended the call and turned toward Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae.
In the living room filled with silence, Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae stared at me with eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Then he opened his mouth with a voice that was disturbingly calm.
“Was it you? Are you the one….”
“You’re the one who engaged in speculation. Why are you taking it out on me? Don’t blame others.”
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae’s composed voice didn’t last long.
“You bastard!”
He lunged at me like a beast and seized my collar with an iron grip.
His bloodshot eyes glared at me as he spat out his words with savage fury.
“Have you lost your mind? Have you? People smile and go about their lives, so you think I’m easy prey? What’s your reason!”
“Reason? Why were you trying to touch Investigator Lee Dong-young?”
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae’s expression shifted to utter bewilderment.
“An investigator? Lee Dong-young? What… You did all this just for that? You bastard! That was all for your sake…!”
“For my sake?”
At this absurd claim, I began to laugh—a low, mirthless chuckle.
The sound filled the space with a chilling atmosphere.
But Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae didn’t stop.
“Everyone around you keeps saying you’re doing well, so you don’t know fear, do you? Damn it, you caused all this just to save one investigator? You betray me for such a pathetic reason? Ha! Once I call the Prosecutor General, you’re finished!”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun is a man who abandoned even his own son.
If he heard of my wrongdoing, he would certainly destroy me.
My personality doesn’t fit the Prosecution Service that Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun envisions.
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae licked his lips and pulled out his phone.
His fingers moved quickly as he began searching for Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s number.
Watching this pathetic display, a sneer crossed my lips.
His grand threat amounted to “I’ll tell Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun!” Is this what a chief prosecutor does? I was ashamed to share the same profession.
“Chief Prosecutor?”
At my respectful tone, Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae let out a short laugh.
“What? Are you finally getting scared? Shut up and stay quiet. It’s over.”
“That’s not it… I think you’re misunderstanding something. When your uncle hears that your name will appear on the list of speculators, what do you think he’ll say? I suspect he’ll actually praise me for doing the right thing.”
“…What?”
“You passed the judicial examination, so why can’t you understand simple words? It’s not me who’s finished—it’s you.”
That’s the truth.
Jo Woo-jae found the Chief Prosecutor’s contact information but couldn’t bring himself to press the call button.
He could only stare pitifully at his trembling thumb.
Then, with a contorted expression, he turned his head toward Seo Jin.
“F-fuck….”
Only now did Jo Woo-jae truly look directly at Seo Jin’s face.
He had thought of him as merely a naive young man, but he was wrong.
Those eyes—they looked like they wanted to kill Jo Woo-jae.
“Ah….”
Jo Woo-jae realized it was over.
He didn’t know where things had gone wrong, but he understood now that he was prey caught in Seo Jin’s hands.
Jo Woo-jae unconsciously stumbled backward.
He collapsed onto the sofa, tripping over it as he fell.
Jo Woo-jae’s lips trembled violently.
The color drained from his face, leaving it ashen.
His lips moved, but no sound came out.
Then Seo Jin approached him with heavy, deliberate steps.
Walking with a demonic expression, he glared down at Jo Woo-jae and raised his arm sharply.
Jo Woo-jae thought Seo Jin was about to strike him with that raised arm.
Fear seized him, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
But then unexpected words spilled from Seo Jin’s mouth.
“One billion? I’ll give you three billion. I’ll even bury the governor’s list. In exchange, sell me your soul.”
Jo Woo-jae opened his eyes slightly and looked at Seo Jin.
He couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing.
Seo Jin lowered the hand he had raised and pointed to the ground, then spoke.
“If you understand, kneel.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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