Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 134

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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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One Step at a Time (4)
The screen showed an alley, and the suspect was cunningly hidden in a spot beyond the reach of CCTV cameras.
His face was concealed beneath the hood of his jumper, pulled down low.
But depending on what the man said, I could apprehend him any moment now.
Finally, I was about to connect with the loan shark known as Big Hand.
Yet the man was terrified.
“I, I was just… asking for directions.”
Whatever had transpired between him and the loan shark, he trembled violently while maintaining his denial to the end.
‘Sigh.’
I yanked open the man’s jumper and pulled out a cigarette pack from inside, tossing it onto the desk with a sharp flick.
As the man’s eyes widened in shock, I spoke in a dry tone.
“Investigator, could you check the fingerprints on this cigarette pack?”
“Of course.”
The investigator picked up the pack, and my gaze returned to the man.
“Once we get the fingerprints from whoever gave you these cigarettes, it’ll all come out. There’s no point hiding it.”
“…”
“Fine then. Let me ask differently. Was it a woman?”
For the first time, the man’s composure cracked.
His expression screamed: how did you know?
The CCTV footage alone couldn’t have revealed the suspect’s gender.
I seized that moment of his confusion and pressed on.
“This woman—was she the loan shark? Did she tell you to throw yourself in front of my car in exchange for forgiving your debt?”
The man swallowed hard.
The pressure of someone knowing everything he hadn’t said weighed on him.
He seemed about to buckle under the atmosphere, and he lowered his head to avoid my gaze.
In that instant, I slammed my palm down on the desk with a sharp crack.
“Listen. I think you’re misunderstanding something. What do you think happens if I say, ‘You’re not a suspect, so you’re free to go’?”
“…”
“You die. At their hands.”
The man’s face went rigid.
I continued, crossing my arms.
“They targeted a prosecutor and failed. On top of that, you got dragged to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and released.”
“…”
“You’ll tell them, ‘I didn’t say anything.’ Do you really think they’ll believe you and say, ‘Oh, you’re a tight-lipped fellow’?”
As the man’s desperate eyes continued to waver, I gently patted his shoulder and went on.
“Your death alone won’t solve their problem. These are people who tried to attack a prosecutor.”
“…”
“Don’t be fooled. After they kill you, they’ll come after your children for the debt. Renounce inheritance? Sure, they can do that. Then they’ll hunt down the secondary heirs and squeeze them dry.”
Children typically renounce their inheritance when their parents carry massive debts.
But renouncing an inheritance doesn’t end the abyss of debt.
Naturally, the line of succession continued within four degrees of kinship—direct descendants, ascendants, siblings, and so forth.
Without realizing it, one might find themselves obligated to repay debts incurred by a brother or uncle.
“Do you wish to be resented even after death?”
“I… I…”
The man’s lips trembled.
But he still lacked the courage to speak.
I brushed past the man and opened my mouth.
“If you tell me everything you know, I’ll arrange for you to spend about six months in the Detention Center. It seems like the safest place for you right now.”
“…”
“I’m confident I can catch all of them during those six months you’re inside. Now it comes down to your choice. I’ll give you three minutes to think.”
I twisted my wrist to check the time.
And the man’s mouth opened faster than expected.
Before even a minute had passed.
“Y-yes, he’s a loan shark. But he wasn’t Korean. So, the person I borrowed money from was a Korean boss, but the woman who came looking for me was a foreigner.”
“…A foreigner?”
What was this supposed to mean?
*
*
*
Several days later, at night.
I left work a little earlier than usual.
And I was examining scrawled sentences with the bookshelf pulled out.
The wall was filled with distorted characters and abbreviations—A, B, C, and others—that only I had devised, creating a complex tapestry of notation.
But I carefully reviewed those characters, searching for anything that might stand out.
Through the man who had jumped in front of the car, I had learned several new facts.
To put it simply, it was difficult to find the woman who had instructed the man to jump in front of the car.
Her fingerprints were not on file.
In other words, she was likely an illegal immigrant.
And when I retraced the man’s confession and the sequence of events, the probability that a foreign organization stood behind her had increased significantly.
So I was opening the bookshelf again and examining the characters written on the wall.
Whether the previous me had been probing into foreign capital, and if so, why Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s name was written on the wall.
If I unraveled all those mysteries, the truth would become clear.
But the abbreviations revealed nothing I could understand.
I narrowed my eyes and recalled what my younger brother Jin-young had said.
‘Kim Young-jun’s Wife severed ties with her family, didn’t she?’
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had turned his back on his wife’s family.
I had never heard the reason directly, but it was likely because a loan shark family would be of no help to his future career.
‘But is that really the reason? Or has she truly severed ties and lived like a stranger? Could she still be in contact? And would Kim Young-jun know about it?’
I rubbed my lips, sinking deeper into thought.
But there were no answers.
Everything I’m thinking right now is merely speculation.
And then, I heard my mother’s voice.
“Seo Jin, your uncle has arrived.”
*
Shortly after, the reception room held my parents, myself, Kim Young-jun, and Kim Young-jun’s Wife.
A regular family gathering, though many chairs sat empty.
My younger brother Jin-young had chosen overtime rather than face Kim Young-jun’s family.
And Kim Young-jun’s daughter Kim Yu-mi used her hospital work as an excuse.
Finally, Kim Yun-hwan was living in the United States, making attendance impossible even if he wished to attend.
Throughout the meal, there was little meaningful conversation.
Rather, no one except my father and Kim Young-jun opened their mouths.
Especially my mother and Kim Young-jun’s Wife refused to even meet each other’s eyes.
They treated each other as if the other didn’t exist.
I exhaled quietly, releasing the tension, and lifted my gaze.
Kim Young-jun’s Wife sat directly before me.
The instinct I’d developed from encountering countless villains spoke volumes—her expression told me everything.
She was a bomb waiting to detonate at any moment.
The look in her eyes was chilling—as if she might grab the steak knife and harm herself while screaming without anyone finding it strange.
Kim Young-jun seemed aware of his wife’s state, stealing glances at her behavior.
The table that should have been joyful was instead laden with the cool tension of a loaded gun.
Only my father and Kim Young-jun continued their mundane conversation.
“You should quit smoking this year.”
“I’m planning to quit as a celebration when I become Prosecutor General.”
“What are your chances?”
“Fifty-fifty.”
“But wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t make it this time?”
“Why?”
“President Park Mu-hyuk’s term is ending in just a few months. Won’t everything change when the new administration comes in?”
Kim Young-jun smiled slightly and shook his head.
“How many Prosecutor Generals actually serve out their full terms? I’m just thinking of the position as a transit point myself.”
“Is that so?”
“And don’t worry. Before I leave, I’ll pave the way for Seo Jin.”
My father smiled slightly and raised his wine glass.
“I appreciate that.”
Kim Young-jun also raised his glass and clinked it gently against my father’s.
After drinking, he continued speaking.
“The more you dedicate yourself to prosecution work, the more enemies you make.”
“I know. Remember when you had about twenty locks hanging on our house? It’s funny thinking back on it now. The guys you released came to our home seeking revenge.”
As my father spoke with understanding, Kim Young-jun continued with a bitter expression.
“Seo Jin was nearly dragged away by Chairman Shin Moo-hak not long ago.”
“…!”
Father and Mother both froze, and even Seo Jin, who had been eating quietly, paused mid-motion.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was suddenly saying something unnecessary.
‘What on earth is he trying to say.’
Seo Jin studied his father’s and mother’s expressions.
Their eyes widened as they waited for Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun to continue.
Seo Jin had tried to shift the atmosphere before Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun could speak.
“That Shin Il-seung who was on the news recently—I was the one who had him arrested. But you don’t need to worry about it.”
However, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun didn’t stop.
He smiled faintly and opened his mouth the moment Seo Jin finished speaking.
“I went to Chairman Shin Moo-hak and made a deal. I told him we wouldn’t conduct a search and seizure, and to stay out of the Prosecutor’s Office’s affairs.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s deal with Chairman Shin Moo-hak wasn’t simply to save Seo Jin.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun led one faction within a gathering of powerful figures.
And within that faction existed National Assembly members, agency heads, and others who controlled the Republic of Korea.
To continue standing above them, he couldn’t afford to yield even once.
Power was a power game.
The moment one showed weakness—a lowered head instead of a raised tail—the stray dogs who caught the scent of rot would bare their fangs.
To remain strong, one had to stay strong.
This deal was merely a means to preserve that image.
But Father nodded in acknowledgment.
Father knew Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s nature.
When he brought up something like this, it meant he wanted something.
“When you become Prosecutor General, what should I do for you? Tell me what you want. I’ll do anything as a commemoration, brother.”
That’s when Seo Jin felt a sharp gaze.
The killing intent came from ahead—it was Kim Young-jun’s Wife.
‘Surely not….’
At Father’s words about doing anything, it seemed like she might blurt out something ridiculous like “Hand the company over to Yun-hwan!”
But Seo Jin’s prediction was wrong.
“I’m thinking of taking down Assemblyman Baek Ki-ho soon, but right now the power is evenly matched.”
“And?”
“If you help me, brother, I think the scales will tip.”
Father had also built up considerable connections over the years.
He had ties not only in politics and business but also with high-ranking government officials.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun smiled quietly and raised his wine glass.
“It won’t be a losing deal for you either, brother. You know Suhyung Construction controls the Seoul Metropolitan Area rental apartment market, right? Baek Ki-ho is behind Suhyung Construction. If we take him down, the Seoul Metropolitan Area will go to Jaejeong.”
The two brothers clinked their glasses together joyfully for the first time in a while.
And Kim Young-jun’s Wife, contrary to expectations, remained quiet.
*
After finishing dinner, Seo Jin returned to his room.
The adults were still exchanging wine in the living room, but there was no need for him to remain at that gathering any longer.
‘This is getting complicated.’
I exhaled a long sigh as I settled into my chair.
If Prosecutor Kim Young-jun took down Representative Baek Ki-ho, the balance of power would crumble.
But considering my father’s Jaejung Construction, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
‘There’s no reason Shinma Construction would build rental apartments.’
I’d considered redirecting the project entirely to Shinma Construction while we had the chance, but they were in the midst of elevating their brand image.
They were focused on a brand that catered to the wealthy among the common classes—one that satisfied their vanity.
I was lost in thought when it happened.
A knock sounded, the door opened, and Kim Young-jun’s Wife entered.
She regarded me sitting at my desk with cold eyes, yet her voice came out unexpectedly kind.
“Were you reading?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze shifted toward the bookshelf.
Fortunately, it remained undisturbed.
Of course, even if she saw the writing on the wall, she wouldn’t understand its meaning, but there was no harm in being cautious.
Kim Young-jun’s Wife pulled out a book and spoke.
“I have something to ask you.”
At that moment, my phone vibrated.
Not in my pocket, but in the desk drawer where I’d placed it.
I pulled it out and checked—the caller was Shin Ji-yeon.
I apologized to Kim Young-jun’s Wife before bringing the phone to my ear.
“Yes, this is Seo Jin.”
-I found the person you asked about.
I’d asked Shin Ji-yeon to investigate that foreign woman.
It was to leverage the intelligence capabilities of Shinma Group, known to rival the National Intelligence Service and the Police.
-Can you meet now?
“Yes, I’ll be right there.”
I slipped the phone into my pocket and turned to Kim Young-jun’s Wife.
“I apologize, but something urgent has come up. Could we discuss this later?”
Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s brow furrowed.
But that was all.
She nodded.
“Go.”
Just as I was slipping on my jacket and heading for the door, it happened.
Kim Young-jun’s Wife grabbed my collar.
She shook her head and opened her mouth.
“Just one question.”
“Yes.”
Her grip on my collar tightened.
She asked carefully.
“You… are investigating the loan shark boss?”
“Pardon?”
But that was the moment.
Seo Jin’s vision flooded with black and white.

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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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