Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 117

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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 Shadow (2)
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“Hey? Junior?”
Lee Eun-ha, who had been hunched over her desk, lifted only her head to call out to her junior reporter.
The junior reporter then stopped what she was doing, swiveled her chair around, and faced Lee Eun-ha.
“What is it?”
“Am I not charming?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Just answer. Am I not charming?”
“Senior, if you just… didn’t open your mouth, you’d be perfect.”
“My mouth?”
“Your face is so pure that even actresses would turn into squid with envy, and no one wears jeans as well as you do. Really, everything’s great about you. But your mouth is just… well…”
“Whoosh!”
Lee Eun-ha grabbed a book from her desk.
As she raised it as if to throw it, her junior reporter quickly ducked and muttered, “See?”
“Sigh…”
Lee Eun-ha exhaled deeply and set the book down, and her junior reporter straightened up.
She observed Lee Eun-ha’s expression and asked.
“But why? Did someone say they don’t like you? Is there some crazy person like that? Or did they… curse at you? What about what they said in front of him…”
Lee Eun-ha eventually threw the book, and her junior reporter yelped in pain.
Lee Eun-ha then shoved her hands into her pockets, leaned back in her chair at an angle, and recalled what had happened at the coffee shop in front of the courthouse.
Lee Eun-ha had been watching Seo Jin and Attorney Lee Du-jin intently, a straw between her lips.
It was only much later, as the ice melted in the coffee cup, that Attorney Lee Du-jin opened his mouth.
“…What exactly are you proposing?”
“What you’re thinking.”
Attorney Lee Du-jin began laughing as if he found it absurd.
In a way, it was an arrogant thing to say.
He couldn’t understand how someone could claim to know another’s thoughts and speak so confidently.
But he didn’t frown.
He wanted to confirm whether Seo Jin was simply naive or if there was something deeper to his words.
So he asked.
“You know what I’m thinking?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jin pulled out his phone, dropped it on the table, and slid it toward Attorney Lee Du-jin.
The article headline was visible.
ENS Stock Manipulation Allegations, Minority Shareholders Preparing Class Action Lawsuit
Bewilderment filled Attorney Lee Du-jin’s eyes.
What he had been thinking was correct.
But he had never made an official announcement about taking on the case, let alone filing a complaint.
‘…But how?’
Lee Du-jin’s gaze slowly turned toward me.
I smiled faintly and opened my mouth.
“Right?”
“…That’s true, but how did you know?”
I saw it through psychometry.
And while the trial was underway, I finished a rough investigation into the venture company ENS.
That’s how I know.
‘But I can’t say it that way.’
I tapped my phone with my finger and spoke.
“A venture company with a market cap of 600 billion won—behind it are Shin Il-seung from Shinma Group and So Sang-woo, a major player in Jongno.”
“….”
“So Sang-woo used ENS’s stock price like a gambling den. He gathered gamblers, lent them money from loan sharks, used that money to inflate the stock price, then crashed it.”
“….”
“Personally, I’ve been tracking loan sharks. That’s how I discovered ENS, and I also heard rumors that you were preparing something. That’s all there is to it.”
“….”
“So… how was my ability?”
I spoke about ENS, then suddenly asked about my own competence.
A flustered Lee Du-jin forced a smile and spoke.
“Ha, well, your ability as a prosecutor….”
“You took on Shin Ji-seok’s defense to see my ability, didn’t you?”
My provocative question followed, and Lee Du-jin swallowed hard.
It was true.
The reason he took on Shin Ji-seok’s defense despite the criticism was simple.
To see my ability firsthand.
The opponent I would have to fight in the future was a conglomerate.
Among them, a youngest son so precious they’d never let him go.
If I rushed in with half-baked skills and resolve, I might end up thrown into the sea as fish food.
But to think he’d anticipated even that.
Lee Du-jin felt exposed before me.
He raised both hands and spoke.
“I lost. I admit it. A complete defeat.”
“So… do you think my ability is worth working together?”
“More than enough.”
I am bold.
I unilaterally infiltrated a pseudo-religious cult and caught a judge, a lawyer, a prosecutor, and a police chief.
Moreover, my ability to dig into cases is excellent.
It felt sufficient to fight a conglomerate.
As Lee Du-jin nodded, I opened my mouth.
“It seems like you two are at each other’s throats, but there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“…What is it?”
Lee Du-jin’s eyes narrowed with tension.
He was already exposed; he couldn’t predict what other questions might be thrown at him.
Seo Jin looked directly into Lee Du-jin’s eyes and asked.
“Why do you fight so hard?”
“…!”
Lee Du-jin is not a human rights attorney.
Yet he only takes cases that don’t pay.
He doesn’t hesitate to stand with the weak and shake the heads of the powerful.
I was curious about his reasons.
And if his answer sounded insane, I was prepared to stand up and walk away.
Lee Du-jin smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth.
“I don’t hate large corporations. I actually like them. But I know what happens if they become more selfish than they already are, so I want to stop them.”
“That’s an almost textbook answer.”
Lee Du-jin shrugged and continued slowly.
“When I was young, I grew up quite wealthy. My father ran a small company. I didn’t live as comfortably as Prosecutor Kim, but we got by.”
“….”
“But a large corporation stole my father’s company’s patent rights. The bank cut off his loans, and our house was seized. We went bankrupt completely. So I want to stop corporate greed and take my small revenge. That’s all there is to it.”
“….”
“Oh, there’s one more thing. After a long fight ends, I feel good when people thank me. And I’m not losing money either. Class action lawsuits pay quite well. It’s not a losing proposition. I think that answers your question?”
Seo Jin nodded.
Then Lee Du-jin asked in turn.
“My answer is done. So why does Prosecutor Seo Jin want to take this case?”
“Results. I have big dreams.”
“So you’re aiming for the Prosecutor General position already, haha.”
“Perhaps.”
Seo Jin smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward the window outside.
‘Prosecutor General?’
I’m aiming for something beyond that.
I intend to greedily devour all power and wealth.
And this case has two objectives.
-Find the shadow of who killed the original Seo Jin.
-Shake the Shinma Group and seize one of its lucrative subsidiaries.
And I felt no guilt about taking a Shinma Group subsidiary.
It wasn’t a company they built anyway. They too acquired it by trampling others.
I wanted to kindly teach them that if you steal from others, your own possessions can be stolen too.
“Sigh….”
Lee Eun-ha, thinking about what happened at the coffee shop, exhaled a long sigh.
She had expected something when he suggested having coffee, but instead she only discussed work with Lee Du-jin.
And the last thing Seo Jin had said.
“I’d appreciate your help going forward. When fighting conglomerates, public opinion warfare is essential.”
Lee Eun-ha muttered to herself.
“…Is it because I’m a reporter that we’re meeting? Well, that’s why we’re meeting. So, I’m the same way, aren’t I? Because I’m a prosecutor, I’m viewing this professionally. That’s all it is.”
The junior reporter who had been hit by the book glanced at Lee Eun-ha.
The muttering didn’t sound like she was in a good state of mind.
So the junior reporter asked carefully.
“Senior, did you perhaps curse at Prosecutor Seo Jin? Right? Am I right? Wow! Isn’t that prosecutor scary? His face looks gentle, but the way he acts….”
“No.”
“Come on, you did, didn’t you? Lately I’ve been obsessed with Prosecutor Seo Jin, even when reading articles….”
“Get lost. Shut up. Say one more word. This time I’m hitting you with the edge.”
Lee Eun-ha picked up the hardcover book in her hand.
Just as the junior reporter’s face went pale, Lee Eun-ha’s phone vibrated.
The junior reporter exhaled in relief as if saved, and Lee Eun-ha reached toward her phone with an indifferent gaze.
And the moment Lee Eun-ha picked up the phone, her voice suddenly became gentle—completely different from before.
“Yes, Prosecutor. No, it’s fine. Go ahead.”
The junior reporter looked at Lee Eun-ha with the eyes of someone watching a fox.
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“Are you with the police?”
“No.”
“Then why are you asking such a thing?”
“Just in case. I was worried you might hit me.”
A few days later, Seo Jin found himself in a loan shark’s office in Jongno.
The atmosphere of the office was far from pleasant.
A worn sofa and desk, a window frame caked with dust, and a rough-looking man sitting at the desk.
The loan shark stroked his chin and chuckled.
“Goodness, what kind of world is this, hitting people and all that? Rather, we’re the ones desperately begging for our money back. When borrowing, they act like they’d pluck out their own heart, but when it comes time to repay, they just lie flat on their bellies and refuse.”
“So, what if they don’t repay?”
“We sue them. We’re a legitimate company receiving reasonable interest. So, how much do you need?”
Seo Jin stared intently at the loan shark before speaking.
“I’d like to borrow 20 million won for now.”
“What’s your occupation?”
“Civil servant.”
“A civil servant? Excellent! These days civil servants are the top marriage prospects. Hehe. So, deducting the upfront interest of 24%….”
The loan shark continued, tapping away at his calculator.
“That comes to 15.2 million won. Sound good?”
“When do I repay it?”
“How long are you looking to set the repayment period for?”
“One year.”
“Let me see, let me see.”
The loan shark continued speaking with a cheerful expression, jabbing at his calculator.
“We charge by the day, you see. We count a month as twenty days, deduct our commission, and you’ll pay 103,000 won per day. If you’re even a day late, there’s a 10% penalty interest, so keep that in mind.”
I did a quick calculation.
The amount I’d receive was 15.2 million won, but over a year I’d be paying 24.8 million won.
That meant the interest exceeded 50%.
A figure far beyond the legal interest rate.
And if I was even a day late, there was an additional 10% penalty.
It was insane.
I laughed incredulously and opened my mouth.
“Excuse me? I heard that only the actual amount disbursed is recognized as principal.”
“Oh my, customer… You’re mistaken. We legally charge 24%. The upfront interest is a safety measure—in case you take the money and run, we issue a promissory note, you see? So go ahead and ask around. Who’s right? You don’t know the law very well.”
“…I don’t know the law?”
“That’s right!”
The loan shark shook his head, clicking his tongue dismissively. Then he continued in a thoroughly contemptuous tone.
“Did you perhaps look this up on the internet? Those people are all quacks. What do they know? If you don’t believe me, call the court yourself. Is 24% correct or not? Do I know this business better, or do you? Why don’t you call and ask?”
The loan shark kept invoking the law right in front of a prosecutor.
He even went so far as to rebuke me for not knowing the law.
I laughed incredulously and asked.
“You don’t know me?”
“…?”
“I need to become more famous—there are still people who don’t know who I am.”
The loan shark tilted his head in confusion.
His eyes widened as he stared at me.
The way he spoke so confidently with that innocent face made it seem like he knew something, but I couldn’t figure out what.
“…Who are you? An entertainer? Wait, you said you were a civil servant?”
“A prosecutor.”
The loan shark burst out laughing.
He held his belly and laughed for a while, then giggled as he spoke.
“You’re a funny customer. If you’re a prosecutor, then I’m the Prosecutor General. Stop joking around. If you’re not planning to borrow money…”
I flicked my ID card at him.
The loan shark’s eyes snapped to the ID card that had been thrown.
He stared at it blankly for a moment, then spoke in a hollow voice.
“…You’re really a prosecutor?”
“So Sang-woo—the big shot who throws his weight around in this business—he’s your money lender, right? Don’t make a fuss. Let’s keep this quiet. I promise I’ll only shake down this place and leave everything else alone.”
The loan shark’s face went ashen.

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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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