Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 13

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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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Being Competent (3)
Detective Jung Min-gu’s expression was visibly flustered.
But only for a moment.
“W-what do you mean? Who investigates a case from ten years ago? Haha.”
An awkward laugh—he seemed to be continuing the investigation alone without informing his superiors.
But there’s always a reason for concealment.
I didn’t press further.
“I understand. Then I’d like to see the evidence as you mentioned.”
*
*
*
“There were no fingerprints. No hair or semen was found either. He vanished like a ghost, literally.”
We were in the Evidence Storage Room.
Detective Jung Min-gu laid out the items he’d found in the Yoo A-sung case on the table.
There was the hammer used in the assault, the clothesline that bound the victim, and a cigarette butt.
“Is that everything?”
“Yes.”
I pointed to the cigarette butt and asked.
“Was DNA analysis performed?”
“It was. But there was nothing.”
No matches were found among those who’d committed similar crimes.
They’d even confirmed the DNA of two hundred men under sixty-five living within a four-kilometer radius of the incident, but the results were the same.
“This is a high-tourism area. We suspected the perpetrator might be one of the tourists, so we essentially closed the investigation.”
“…Detective, do you really think the perpetrator was a tourist?”
“Huh? Well, I’m not sure how I would…”
Detective Jung Min-gu glanced at Lee Jung-woo and trailed off awkwardly.
He seemed uncomfortable with his solo investigation being discovered.
I shifted my gaze back to the evidence while recalling the psychometric world I’d seen when shaking hands with Detective Jung Min-gu.
In that world, the perpetrator had said:
“I was living with remorse. So why do you keep digging?”
“Keep it up. I’ll kill you.”
From those words, it seemed Detective Jung Min-gu had gotten close to the perpetrator, and the likelihood that the perpetrator was someone nearby had increased significantly.
‘Someone nearby…’
Was this person a local resident, an acquaintance of the victim, or someone connected to Detective Jung Min-gu himself?
I turned my head back toward Detective Jung Min-gu.
“Is there a place like this nearby?”
“Like what?”
I pulled out my notebook and pen, quickly sketching the alley I’d seen in the psychometric world.
Detective Jung Min-gu tilted his head as he looked at the drawing.
“…It looks like a residential area in Choseon-ri?”
Lee Jung-woo, who had been quiet until then, suddenly craned his neck forward to look at the picture.
“That’s right, the residential area of Choseon-ri. Church Back Alley. This is near where Yoo A-sung used to live.”
“Used to live? So he doesn’t live there anymore?”
Detective Jung Min-gu answered.
“He moved right after the child died. I believe he divorced five years ago. They said seeing each other kept reminding them of A-sung….”
After putting on gloves, I gently touched all the evidence.
I was hoping my psychometry ability might activate, but it didn’t appear as expected.
There was nothing more to ask or verify.
There was no reason to stay here.
I removed my gloves and greeted Detective Jung Min-gu.
“Thank you for taking the time despite being busy.”
“Not at all.”
“Then.”
I gave a light greeting and turned away with Lee So-hee.
As I headed toward the door, I brought my phone to my ear.
“Administrator, there’s something I’d like to confirm. Could you check how many households have moved in and out within an 8km radius of Choseon-ri Daesaeng-gil 12 over the past 10 years? Yes, thank you.”
In my voice, one could sense a genuine determination to catch the culprit.
Detective Jung Min-gu quietly watched the two figures’ retreating forms before asking Lee Jung-woo.
“Is he a friend of yours, Captain?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of person is he?”
“Once he sets a goal, he’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.”
“Whatever it takes?”
“Yes.”
Detective Jung Min-gu nodded.
*
*
*
“Why are we coming here again?”
“Choseon-ri. Where Yoo A-sung used to live.”
It was the residential area of Choseon-ri.
I used the church cross that Lee Jung-woo mentioned as a reference point and searched through the alley I had seen via psychometry.
And I found it.
‘Here.’
A place filled with illegally discarded garbage.
There was even a small refrigerator visible.
It was here that he held Detective Jung Min-gu’s ring and spoke in a menacing voice.
I didn’t know why it was there or how he had gotten it.
‘If I leave it here, Detective Jung Min-gu will be in danger.’
It was a narrow alley where even two adult men would struggle to walk side by side.
If that bastard had been hiding and attacked Detective Jung Min-gu, something terrible would have happened.
And he’s been waiting for that moment.
‘Sigh….’
I exhaled deeply and recalled why I needed to solve this case.
Solving an unsolved case raises my name value.
Then people gather around me.
Those people are my strength and power.
That was the reason.
But now another reason had emerged.
‘I have to save him.’
I’ll save Detective Jung Min-gu.
I’ll send him back to his family’s embrace.
I wiped my face and organized my objectives.
-Gather people and gain strength.
-Save Detective Jung Min-gu.
“That’s enough. Let’s go.”
“Go? Why did we come here in the first place?”
I had come to confirm the world of psychometry, but from Lee So-hee’s perspective, all I’d done was stand in the alley and look around.
She gave me a look that suggested she was dying of curiosity about why I was doing this.
I let out a small laugh.
Looking into those dark eyes, I wanted to explain everything.
“The perpetrator is likely someone from the neighborhood.”
“What?”
“He smoked leisurely next to the corpse. He knew that locals wouldn’t come to the scene at that time. And the police and villagers couldn’t find Yoo A-sung’s body for two weeks. That means he hid it well and is familiar with this terrain.”
Lee So-hee raised her hand to pause me.
“Wait, you said they checked the DNA of all males living within a 4km radius of the incident. But you’re saying he’s a local? There was no matching DNA.”
“Article 8, Section 3 of the DNA Identification Information Act. DNA can be collected without a warrant if the subject consents.”
Conversely, if they don’t consent, DNA cannot be collected until a warrant is obtained.
I continued.
“He probably refused the police’s DNA collection. Or he might never have encountered the police requesting it.”
“Then wouldn’t they have suspected those people?”
I shook my head.
“Two weeks after Yoo A-sung’s death, a serial murder case broke out here. Two high school girls died and a pregnant woman was killed.”
That’s how Yoo A-sung’s case was buried.
Except for Detective Jung Min-gu, almost no one remembered Yoo A-sung’s name.
“And he’s still living here.”
My words carried absolute certainty.
Lee So-hee blinked.
“…Still living here?”
“He committed a vicious and bold crime and evaded the police. He must think this place is his optimal sanctuary. He might even be using it as a base for additional crimes.”
Every year, thirty to forty thousand children go missing.
As of 2018, one hundred eighty of them have never been found.
Lee So-hee swallowed hard as Seo Jin continued speaking.
“Over the past decade, while investigative techniques have evolved, that bastard’s methods have too.”
“Evolved?”
“Which is why we have to catch him before he becomes an even greater monster.”
*
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*
Shortly after, Lee So-hee entered the Local Prosecutor’s Office and was massaging her legs.
When Seo Jin had said “That’s enough. Let’s go,” I should have followed without complaint, but I asked a question anyway and ended up taking a lecture while walking in circles around the neighborhood.
Seo Jin’s voice brushed past my ears.
“Which is why we have to catch him before he becomes an even greater monster.”
A faint smile played at the corners of my mouth.
Just then, the administrative officer set a coffee down on my desk and asked.
“What are you thinking about?”
The administrative officer was a woman in her mid-forties who had helped me greatly during my probation period.
“Officer, I’m curious about something.”
“Yes?”
“What if—just hypothetically—an unsolved case got resolved?”
“If it got resolved, there would be absolute chaos.”
“And what would happen to the prosecutor who solved it?”
“A prosecutor, not the police?”
“Yes, and doing it all alone—investigation, indictment, everything. If done well, they could even stand in court and see it through to the end.”
In a way, it was an odd and naive question.
But the administrative officer considered it seriously, then pointed her finger at the ceiling and spoke.
“Don’t you think they’d get calls? From the ruling party or the opposition?”
It was possible.
With the general election approaching, recruiting a prosecutor who solved an unsolved case would be quite effective.
The administrative officer smiled slightly and continued.
“But since this prosecutor is pretty, I think the broadcasting stations would call too.”
Lee So-hee shook her head and brought the coffee cup to her lips.
The administrative officer sat down in the chair and continued speaking.
“Politics might be a bit much, but the higher-ups would definitely take notice.”
“Higher-ups?”
“At least the main office, or if you’re lucky, the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office.”
Lee So-hee’s hand froze mid-sip.
“…The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office?”
*
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*
Several days later, deep into the night after everyone had left the office.
I massaged the back of my neck while concentrating on the case files.
I’d placed not only those who hadn’t provided DNA samples under suspicion, but also middle and high school students from that time period, narrowing it down through careful analysis to eight final candidates.
‘Among these….’
Just then, the door opened and Shin Jong-seung poked his head in.
“Not clocking out?”
Still speaking with that sarcastic tone, I dismissed him and flipped through the documents.
Shin Jong-seung sauntered over and stood in front of my desk, glancing at the case files laid out there before chuckling.
“Yoo A-sung? You’re really doing this? Word’s been spreading around the Local Prosecutor’s Office lately—they’re saying you’re pulling some crazy stunt.”
While some people had spoken of my diligence, Shin Jong-seung filtered out all the praise and spouted only the criticism.
Eventually, he perched his rear on the edge of my desk and continued talking.
“In a few days, I’m heading to Seoul. If there’s anything you’re upset about or anything you need, just say so. We were close, weren’t we? But if things stay like this, it feels awkward. Are you upset that I’m going to Seoul alone? And there’s no need to work so hard here. Just stay put and come up to Seoul next year. I’ll have a decent bar set up for us.”
I exhaled a sigh and shifted my gaze toward Shin Jong-seung.
“You said if I need anything, I should tell you?”
“Huh? Yeah. What is it? Tell me.”
“Could you move your rear end? It’s dirty.”
“You bastard!”
“Quiet.”
“What?”
My phone was ringing.
I signaled Shin Jong-seung to be quiet and brought the phone to my ear.
“Yes, this is Kim Seo-jin.”
-This is Jung Min-gu. I called because I wanted to ask you something.
“Go ahead.”
-Why… are you reopening such an old case from ten years ago?
“There must be a reason. I want to see the perpetrator’s face.”
Detective Jung Min-gu’s low laughter came through the receiver.
-Right. You’re doing this work because you want to see the perpetrator’s face. Good. Do you have time right now? There’s a pojangmacha in Choseon-ri.
I ended the call and opened my mouth to Shin Jong-seung.
“Clock out.”
I tapped Shin Jong-seung’s shoulder and grabbed my jacket, leaving the office.
Shin Jong-seung shot me a bewildered look.
I felt ignored again.
And only then did he realize that I had tapped his shoulder.
Shin Jong-seung burst out shouting.
“Hey! Hey!”
*
*
*
“I’ve been chasing this for ten years.”
It was a small pojangmacha in Choseon-ri.
A yellowed file envelope lay on the table, and Detective Jung Min-gu fidgeted with his soju glass as he continued speaking.
“The victim was my friend. I even presided over Yoo A-sung’s dol ceremony when he turned one. That’s why I wanted to catch him with these hands, why I wanted to dig deeper. But it’s difficult because people are watching. Other cases keep breaking, and I get cursed at for touching a dead man’s balls instead of moving on.”
“….”
“And lately I’ve been feeling the limits of my abilities. I’ve chased this for ten years, but I can’t even see a shadow. So I was thinking of giving up. But when I heard from Lieutenant Lee Jung-woo about the prosecutor’s tenacity, I thought maybe there was hope.”
That wasn’t all.
Detective Jung Min-gu remembered the piercing questions Seo Jin had asked in the Evidence Storage Room.
Those questions were sharp and hit the mark.
I thought that perhaps with a fresh perspective, the case could be approached and solved.
“So I wanted to pass the baton.”
With those words, Detective Jung Min-gu drained his soju glass in one go.
Seo Jin opened his mouth as he picked up the file envelope.
“I will catch him without fail.”
Seo Jin pulled out the contents of the file envelope.
Five files of suspects appeared before me.
But these overlapped with the people I had been thinking about.
It became certain.
One of these five is the culprit.
I flipped through the documents one by one.
But that was the moment.
The world lost its color, and a voice echoed from the darkness.
“You crazy bastard!”
It was Detective Jung Min-gu’s house.
He had broken into the detective’s home and was spreading out case files.
When he saw his own face in the documents, he trembled violently.
“I said stop! Didn’t you understand the warning?”
The world regained its color.
The suspect’s face from the documents was visible, and Detective Jung Min-gu was drinking bitter soju.
And cold, dried-out chicken sat on the table.
Detective Jung Min-gu raised his glass and spoke.
“He came to my house a few days ago.”
“…!”
“He took my wedding ring, saying he’d throw it away in the Church Back Alley in Choseon-ri.”
“….”
“Honestly, I’m terrified. I’m afraid my family might get hurt this time. So I’m going to give up.”
He was cornered too.
And a cornered beast always bares its fangs.
Detective Jung Min-gu knew that.
“Besides, I’m old now. Both body and spirit are exhausted from dealing with him.”
I filled Jung Min-gu’s soju glass.
And then.
“Anyone who mocks the authority of law enforcement deserves to be taught a lesson. I’ll have him in custody within days.”
My voice brimmed with confidence, but Detective Jung Min-gu only smiled bitterly.

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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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