Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 121

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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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The Inner Circle (2)
The first to approach me was the director of the Venture Startup Promotion Agency.
A man who’d feasted on political spoils by helping the current president’s campaign.
With the regime seemingly about to change, he appeared intent on attending these gatherings to build connections and secure his place in the new administration.
‘This one doesn’t have the caliber.’
On the surface, this gathering was a social club.
But its true purpose was unmistakable.
To preserve the power we currently held.
‘Yet….’
A man shaken by a mere change in regime would struggle to survive here.
He’d be expelled from the group soon enough.
Still, I bowed with courtesy.
“I’m Seo Jin.”
Following him, others approached me.
‘Song Won-tae.’
A National Assembly member who’d accepted bribes at the room salon.
He stood beside me, feigning familiarity.
“I thought Prosecutor Kim Young-jun would nominate you. You’re handsome, after all. Haha.”
“Thank you.”
One by one, they approached, patting my shoulder and offering various pleasantries.
Each time, I smiled warmly, bowed my head, and exchanged light greetings for roughly thirty minutes.
When no more approached, my gaze fixed on one man.
‘Baek Ki-ho.’
Assemblyman Baek Ki-ho—currently keeping a low profile, but rumored to be eyeing the presidency in the next term or the one after.
One of the troublesome figures in dismantling this cartel of power.
Then it happened.
Baek Ki-ho’s gaze slowly turned toward me.
Our eyes met.
He smiled with a chilling coldness before walking toward me with deliberate steps.
Passing by me, he spoke in a low voice.
“I’ve looked into your background. You seem driven by more than simple justice—you hunger for power.”
“….”
“Standing beside the Prosecutor General won’t let you rise. He won’t share his power with you. He doesn’t even share it with his own children.”
Assemblyman Baek Ki-ho and Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun belonged to the same circle.
But the two couldn’t join hands.
Each sought to stand above the other.
And their feelings toward one another were twisted.
The very fact that Baek Ki-ho was now provoking me spoke volumes.
“You’re clever enough to understand, aren’t you?”
Assemblyman Baek Ki-ho passed by me and moved on.
‘Sigh….’
I exhaled heavily and leaned my back against the wall.
‘Taking Kim Young-jun’s side? Power isn’t something to be shared?’
I shook my head.
‘That man has it all wrong.’
I’m going to destroy them both.
Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho alike….
‘I know, power isn’t meant to be shared, right?’
And so the formal gathering began in earnest.
They gathered together, exchanging words and laughter, each searching for someone who could benefit them.
And I stood with my back against the wall.
Today’s objective was to make my face known.
If I jumped in here and there from the start, I’d be treated as someone lightweight and merely exploited.
But that didn’t mean I was going to stay idle.
I observed them carefully.
‘Four of them.’
Four of these men had taken bribes from the Pseudo-Religious Cult, Buwun Church.
‘Those bastards will be my starting point.’
I devised a plan to use them as a foothold and consume this entire gathering.
But I quickly shook my head.
‘They’re weak.’
Among the four, some held positions higher than Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho.
But they were weak.
When facing Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho, I felt every fiber of my being stand on end, but not with them.
If I put them forward to fight Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho, I could be stripped bare—soul and all.
‘In the end, my only option is to put Kim Young-jun forward to strike down Baek Ki-ho, and then deal with Kim Young-jun next? Sigh… but then Kim Young-jun might become too strong to handle.’
That was when it happened.
“You’re Prosecutor Kim Seo-jin, aren’t you?”
Someone I vaguely recognized had already greeted me, and now another person was offering their regards.
I shifted my gaze.
The moment I saw the other person’s face, I quickly bowed at the waist.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Kim Seo-jin.”
Seoul Mayor, Shim Mu-young.
This man too was called a dark horse candidate for the next presidency.
A politician through and through—starting as a city councilman, then mayor of Gyeonggi Province, then a National Assembly member, and now elected as Seoul Mayor.
He smiled faintly as he looked at me.
“Thanks to you, Prosecutor Kim, I’ve stopped taking antacids these days. Hahaha.”
Mayor Shim Mu-young had been plagued by the Pseudo-Religious Cult.
Though they had established themselves in the heart of Seoul and were conducting missionary activities, there was legally nothing he could do about it.
But I had resolved it cleanly for him.
“I simply did what needed to be done.”
Seoul Mayor Shim Mu-young extended his hand for a handshake toward Seo Jin.
It was the moment our hands clasped.
‘What?’
My vision flooded with grey.
And through psychometry, I saw.
‘Worried about his daughter?’
Mayor Shim Mu-young had one daughter.
Her name was Shim Jin-se, and she was twenty-eight years old.
But she was hopelessly immature.
At that age, she was running wild like a madwoman.
And Mayor Shim Mu-young had recently received intelligence that his daughter had even touched drugs.
My gaze fixed on Mayor Shim Mu-young.
After ending the handshake, Mayor Shim Mu-young was bringing up the subject of his daughter.
“My daughter is around the same age as you, Prosecutor, but she’s so different. Ha ha.”
There was only one reason Mayor Shim Mu-young was bringing up his daughter.
He wanted to confirm whether the Prosecutor’s Office knew about his daughter’s drug use.
If news of his daughter’s drug use broke, his political career would be finished.
And as I listened to Mayor Shim Mu-young’s story, I nodded quietly and opened my mouth softly.
“Mayor.”
“Yes?”
“…Would you like me to look into it?”
At my low voice, Mayor Shim Mu-young’s face went rigid.
He understood immediately what I was saying.
I spoke in an even quieter voice.
“Quietly, I’ll just find out.”
Mayor Shim Mu-young shook his head and laughed.
The tense expression from moments before vanished without a trace.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then let me be direct. If your daughter gets arrested for drugs….”
“Prosecutor!”
Mayor Shim Mu-young growled in a low voice.
His eyes flashed with a deadly gleam that said he’d kill me if I spoke another unnecessary word.
This was a place where the powerful gathered, and he couldn’t tolerate anyone around us hearing this conversation.
But I continued regardless.
“If she gets arrested… at worst, it’ll be a suspended sentence. You have backing, your family has money, and that’s how it works, right?”
“….”
“It won’t help my record either. So I’ll really just investigate quietly. And if it’s true, well, that’s for you to handle.”
I laughed softly.
In that instant, Mayor Shim Mu-young’s eyes darted left and right, surveying our surroundings.
And he opened his mouth even more quietly than before.
“I hope no one finds out.”
After Shim Mu-young expressed his agreement, he left Seo Jin’s side.
Seo Jin smiled faintly to himself.
‘A man of that caliber….’
He’d be in the same weight class as Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho.
Even if Baek Ki-ho withdrew, I could maintain the balance.
The more chess pieces you have, the better.
‘Excellent.’
With my thoughts settled, I surveyed my surroundings.
The gathering wasn’t composed solely of powerful figures.
Like me, their children and successors were also present.
They were here to become acquainted with one another and secure their positions for the future.
‘I’d planned to just show my face and leave.’
But meeting Shim Mu-young changed my thinking.
I needed to strengthen these connections.
My gaze, which had been scanning the room, fixed on one person.
‘That one.’
Lee Jung-ho, the minister’s son.
He was quite close with Shim Mu-young’s daughter, and was currently moving between tables, picking at snacks.
I walked toward him with steady steps.
“I’m Seo Jin.”
“Ah, I’m Lee Jung-ho. Ha ha ha.”
Lee Jung-ho seemed genuinely delighted when I greeted him first.
My appearance at this gathering must have caused quite a sensation.
Lee Jung-ho started chattering away.
“This is only my third time at this gathering. But I’ve never seen anything like it. Those people approaching to greet someone first—you were the first, Prosecutor Seo Jin.”
“I suppose it was surprising. I’ve been in the news a few times.”
“Nah, even if a famous celebrity came here, they’d be ignored. For these people, it must’ve been surprising for a different reason.”
“What reason?”
“Someone who made it on their own. Right? Your father’s the CEO of Jaejeong Construction and your uncle’s the Prosecutor General, so why would you put in effort? Did you use connections for university and law school? Hey, no shame in it. Everyone here does.”
It wasn’t worth answering.
I genuinely wondered if this guy was insane.
But I had a purpose in approaching him.
I shook my head without dropping my friendly smile.
“Studying was my hobby.”
“A hobby? Studying?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, amazing. So people like that actually exist. Is your hobby reading now?”
“Something like that.”
Lee Jung-ho laughed with exaggerated enthusiasm, as if something was genuinely hilarious.
Watching him cackle at such trivial remarks made me suspect he’d gotten high on something.
Lee Jung-ho then cleared his throat, stifling his laughter, and whispered.
“We have a gathering, you know? Just us, without the adults. Would you be interested in joining? Everyone would be thrilled if Prosecutor Kim Seo-jin came.”
These young bastards had already learned all the wrong lessons and were forming their own cartel.
I played it cool, remaining silent, and Lee Jung-ho gestured with his chin to continue.
“Look over there.”
It was toward the direction where the powerful were clinking wine glasses.
He continued, watching them.
“In ten years, we’ll be doing exactly that. There’s no harm in getting close beforehand.”
Ten years—what would their circumstances look like then?
Would they still be wearing expensive jackets like now? Or would they be wearing prison uniforms?
I opened my mouth with a playful smile.
“A gathering just for us?”
“Yes.”
“Who’s involved?”
“Well, quite a few people. First, there’s Shim Jin-se, the daughter of the Seoul Mayor.”
I already knew Shim Jin-se was connected to this guy.
That’s why I approached him in the first place.
But then an unexpected name spilled from his mouth.
“There’s also someone famous. Shin Il-seung, the youngest son of Shinma Group.”
“…!”
My eyes narrowed.
Shin Il-seung—the youngest son of Shinma Group.
The one who coldly rejected me when I asked to meet, and the one I’d marked as my target.
‘Shin Il-seung?’
Chaebol stick with their own kind.
They don’t like mixing with outsiders.
But these people are merely the sons and daughters of the powerful.
The chaebol look at them and snicker, calling them people with limited lifespans.
‘Then why?’
The youngest son of Shinma Group participating in their gathering meant there was a reason.
And if a leaky bucket leaks on one side, it’s strange that it doesn’t leak elsewhere.
There had to be something wrong.
I began to understand why the Seoul Mayor was worried about his daughter’s drug use.
‘This is… not bad.’
I’d obtained an unexpected windfall.
Lee Jung-ho’s face, which had seemed insane moments ago, now looked beautiful to me.
I smiled at Lee Jung-ho and opened my mouth.
“I’d like to check it out.”
“I’ll give you a call. Since we’re meeting over the weekend, there’s no need to feel burdened.”
A moment later, Seo Jin made a gesture emphasizing the importance of staying in touch before leaving Lee Jung-ho’s side.
Then Lee Jung-ho pulled out his phone and brought it to his ear.
“Hey, Jin-se.”
The person on the other end was the Seoul Mayor’s daughter.
“No way—Kim Seo-jin might actually show up at our gathering. You know? Kim Seo-jin, that crazy bastard.”
His expression and tone were entirely different from when Seo Jin had been present.
Shim Jin-se’s voice came through the receiver.
-Kim Seo-jin? The real Kim Seo-jin?
“Yeah.”
-He came today? Damn it, I drank so much yesterday that I deliberately skipped today!
She was squealing with excitement.
And as Lee Jung-ho furrowed his brow, Shim Jin-se continued.
-From photos, he looked like some refined gentleman, but he really went into a pseudo-religious cult by himself and dragged out the leader? Huh? Huh?
“Ha… that’s bullshit. Prosecutor Kim Young-jun must be controlling everything from behind. Your win at the competition was also because of your mom’s influence, right? It’s all lies, pure lies.”
-Lies? I don’t care about that anyway. He’s handsome. Having him by my side would make me feel proud. But seriously, is he even more handsome in person? Does he have that aura? Can you see it?
“Hang up.”
Lee Jung-ho ended the call with a sulky tone.
Then he fiddled with his phone again, searching through his contacts.
Shinma Group Shin Il-seung
Lee Jung-ho licked his dry lips and pressed the call button.
Seo Jin was watching Lee Jung-ho from a distance.
His behavior was predictable.
Even without listening closely, I could sense exactly what he was doing.
From his lip movements and expressions, I could feel what he thought of me.
‘Thanks for thinking of me that way. Keep it up.’
It’s easier when the other person underestimates you.
Even if I push forward relentlessly, since they’ve already written me off from the start, they end up confused—”Huh? What?”—before getting crushed.
That’s how it’s always been.
And their gathering will be no different.
‘Thank you.’
There was nothing more to see.
Now I just had to wait for his call.
As Seo Jin turned to leave, my phone vibrated.
The caller ID showed So Sang-woo.
I had asked So Sang-woo to find the people who killed the original Seo Jin.
That call was coming in now.
Seo Jin glanced around the surroundings.
There was no one nearby.
Seo Jin brought the phone to his ear and spoke.
“Yeah, talk.”
-It seems we’ve stepped on a tail.

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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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