Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 147

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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 Invisible Hand (1)
Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s expression was not what I expected.
I had anticipated her to be conflicted—uncertain whether to be pleased or displeased.
A nervous expression, sensing the blade drawn to its edge.
But Kim Young-jun’s Wife harbored no such conflict or anxiety.
Rather, she smiled as though amused by something contemptible.
She believed I could be crushed underfoot whenever she wished.
Over the past few years, I had become a prosecutor of some renown, yet the power I wielded was trivial.
In her eyes, I was merely a prosecutor.
That contempt was written plainly across her face.
But I was different.
I bowed toward her with an expression no different from usual.
“How have you been?”
Kim Young-jun’s Wife crossed her arms and opened her mouth slowly, her voice cold.
“You’ve been working hard, haven’t you?”
“Yes, of course.”
I spoke as though it were nothing and attempted to pass by her side.
But in that moment, her leisurely voice reached my ears.
“I told you, didn’t I? The Loan Shark Boss—I know him well. Don’t cross the line. Right now, you’re hanging by a thread.”
I stopped and slowly turned my gaze toward her.
“And if I do?”
“You’ll get hurt again. Lose your memory again. Perhaps die. Your aunt is so worried. What if our dear nephew gets hurt?”
Kim Young-jun’s Wife smiled faintly.
And watching that smile, I felt it with certainty.
The original Seo Jin, his death—Kim Young-jun’s Wife was surely entangled in it.
But I concealed my emotions once more.
“Thank you for the advice. I’ll take it to heart.”
I bowed slightly and turned away.
As I headed toward the living room, her gaze pricked the back of my head like a needle.
*
Kim Young-jun held the family gathering for one reason: his path to Prosecutor General.
“Brother, I’d appreciate some financial support.”
Kim Young-jun had set foot on the path to Prosecutor General.
But even with his appointment seemingly assured, he could not afford complacency until the very end.
Variables could emerge at any moment, and the position of Prosecutor General could be overturned by the smallest stone.
That was why Kim Young-jun needed money.
Money to sway the media and National Assembly members standing against him, and rewards for the Blue House staff who would whisper his name into the President’s ear until the final moment.
Money could move even ghosts.
A path paved with money was a path of flowers.
His father knew this as well.
“So, the Prosecutor General position is secured?”
“It should go smoothly. Thanks to Seo Jin doing well, there’s no one who can compare to me. The Blue House even sees me as an obedient dog.”
A president’s final battle is always with the Prosecution Service.
At this stage, the Prosecution Service begins wielding its blade against the president’s relatives.
It’s a display of the Prosecution Service’s power through a weakened president.
That’s why the president tries to appoint an obedient person as Prosecutor General.
Seo Jin tuned out his father’s voice and Kim Young-jun’s words, sinking into thought.
‘Kim Young-jun becoming Prosecutor General is a double-edged sword.’
With Kim Young-jun as Prosecutor General backing me, I can prepare the path I desire.
But Kim Young-jun is someone I’ll eventually have to break.
Someone who will inevitably become a threat if left unchecked.
Right now, Kim Young-jun’s gaze is fixed on power.
He looks beyond the Prosecutor General position itself.
But will greed end once power is in hand?
‘Next, he’ll covet money.’
Naturally, he’ll target my father and Jaejeong Construction.
Kim Young-jun has watched Jaejeong Construction’s growth all this time and knows exactly what vulnerabilities exist.
Moreover, he’s already had experience ordering raids and seizures on Jaejeong Construction.
Touching my brother’s company once is difficult, but twice is nothing.
‘I need someone to check him.’
Kim Young-jun will possess absolute power.
I need someone to monitor and restrain him.
And I already had the perfect candidate in mind.
‘Jeon Dong-guk.’
Jeon Dong-guk, who was once the District Chief of Dongnam County, is now the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office.
If I use Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk, a path might reveal itself.
My gaze turned toward Kim Young-jun as my thoughts concluded.
Kim Young-jun met my eyes and smiled faintly, raising his wine glass.
“We should have a toast.”
I lifted my glass and gently clinked it against Kim Young-jun’s.
And I thought again.
I would extract every last drop of benefit from the power Kim Young-jun possessed.
*
*
*
“Beef all of a sudden? And a private room at that?”
It was a Korean beef specialty restaurant.
Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office and Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong entered.
Jeon Dong-guk and Kim Gwan-yong—men from Dongnam County, blades that had once been exiled.
When Seo Jin transferred to Chuncheon, these two had been reassigned to the Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office.
Jeon Dong-guk, the Prosecutor General, sat across from Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong and spoke firmly.
“I’m not lending you money.”
“Good heavens, would a man asking to borrow money go out and buy beef? In that case, he’d put on a pitiful act, show up at the Prosecutor General’s office with a bottle of soju, and make his plea.”
“Then what is it? You’re not the type to buy beef without reason. Did you cause trouble? A congressman? A minister?”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong waved his hand.
“No, sir. It’s not that.”
“Don’t tell me it’s someone higher up? No, that can’t be it. Stop right there. I can’t cover for that.”
“Do I really seem like the type to cause trouble?”
“Everyone who came from Dongnam County is a social misfit. Those bastards never learned how to adapt and live quietly.”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong started to say, “Isn’t that true of you as well, sir?” but stopped himself.
Instead, he loosened his necktie and opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“There’s a real problem with someone.”
“A problem?”
“Yes.”
Jeon Dong-guk’s expression grew uncomfortable.
If Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong said there was a problem, it had to be serious.
“…Who is it?”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong twisted his wrist to check the time.
“He should be arriving soon….”
At that moment, the sliding door opened with a soft sound.
Both Jeon Dong-guk and Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong turned their gazes toward the open door.
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong smiled slightly and opened his mouth.
“That’s him.”
Seo Jin stood in the doorway.
Jeon Dong-guk’s hand, which had been holding a glass of alcohol, froze.
And a warm smile crossed his face.
“Seo Jin?”
Seo Jin bowed toward the two men.
“I apologize for not greeting you sooner.”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong chuckled and spoke.
“You should have come to pay your respects right away when you arrived in Seoul, but you’ve been slacking off.”
*
Drinks were poured, one glass after another.
They reminisced about their time in Dongnam County and shared warm laughter over lighthearted jokes.
After some time had passed, Jeon Dong-guk opened his mouth.
“But what brings you here so suddenly?”
It had been quite some time since Seo Jin arrived in Seoul.
Yet all he had done was make a courtesy call.
It was not easy for a prosecutor to visit the Prosecutor General of a different district.
So there had to be a reason for his sudden visit.
Jeon Dong-guk filled Seo Jin’s glass with alcohol as he pondered the matter.
“You must have had a reason to come see me.”
Seo Jin nodded and studied Jeon Dong-guk’s face carefully.
‘Jeon Dong-guk….’
The man who had thrown the Ruling Party leader’s son into prison and wielded his blade against the political establishment.
In return, he had been exiled to Dongnam County before making his way back to Seoul.
Now he bided his time, keeping his head low before the political powers.
I had chosen Jeon Dong-guk as a counterweight to Kim Young-jun.
“This might sound presumptuous, sir.”
I let my words trail off deliberately.
Jeon Dong-guk laughed as if it were no concern.
“It’s fine. You’ve always been presumptuous.”
“Sir?”
“You tore up your Seoul ticket right in front of me. In all my years, I’ve never met anyone like that. Haha.”
Back in Dongnam County, Jeon Dong-guk had extended his hand to me.
To go to Seoul together.
But at the time, I had my own plans and firmly rejected his offer.
“I apologize once again.”
As I lowered my head, Jeon Dong-guk waved his hand dismissively.
“Forget it. Just say what you came to say.”
Jeon Dong-guk was confident that nothing I could say would surprise him, and he leisurely brought his glass to his lips.
But then.
“I hope you’ll become Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.”
….
Jeon Dong-guk’s movements froze once more.
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong was no different, his eyes widening as he stared blankly at me with an expression that screamed, ‘Has this bastard lost his mind?’
For a moment, Jeon Dong-guk sat in silence, then drained his glass in one long pull.
He set the glass down with a sharp clink and opened his mouth.
“Did Kim Young-jun send you?”
“Sir?”
Suddenly, Kim Young-jun’s name had surfaced.
As I blinked, Jeon Dong-guk continued with an uncomfortable expression.
“I’ve heard the rumors that Kim Young-jun will be appointed Prosecutor General.”
….
“He might consider me for the deputy position.”
Jeon Dong-guk was thinking.
That Kim Young-jun might be toying with the idea of putting his name in for the deputy prosecutor’s seat.
“So, did he send you to sound me out?”
Jeon Dong-guk stood on the opposite side from Kim Young-jun.
If Jeon Dong-guk became Deputy Prosecutor General and supported Kim Young-jun.
“I’d assume you’re thinking you can gain the support of prosecutors on the opposing side. If that’s the case, my answer is no.”
Jeon Dong-guk believed that prosecutors entangled with the political sphere were pus that needed to be lanced.
And the prime example of such a person was Kim Young-jun.
“Am I right?”
Jeon Dong-guk’s gaze burned with certainty.
If Kim Young-jun weren’t pulling strings behind the scenes, it made no sense for a mere prosecutor to come forward spouting nonsense about deputy chief prosecutors and such.
But he was misjudging Kim Young-jun entirely.
‘He’s operating under a misunderstanding.’
Kim Young-jun doesn’t look down at those beneath him.
He completely ignores criticism from below.
He views it as nothing more than a child’s whimpering, confident he can crush it whenever he pleases.
‘Would such a man really appoint someone from the opposing faction as deputy chief prosecutor out of concern for the support of ordinary prosecutors?’
It was absurd.
Kim Young-jun believed that only ruthless wielders of power could command true respect.
Naturally, he would fill the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office positions with his own people.
To gain absolute power and become someone prosecutors feared.
Seo Jin decided not to dance around the issue.
“This is my own thinking, not my uncle’s intention.”
“…?”
Jeon Dong-guk’s lips twisted, and his gaze toward Seo Jin turned glacial.
“To be frank, I believe there should be someone to check my uncle’s power.”
Jeon Dong-guk himself felt the necessity of checking Kim Young-jun.
But Seo Jin was Kim Young-jun’s nephew.
It was difficult to readily believe him, though he accepted Seo Jin’s explanation about family circumstances readily enough.
‘But….’
Seo Jin was a prosecutor.
Yet he was casually uttering words like “deputy chief” and “prosecutor general”—terms that should only come from the mouth of the Minister of Justice.
This went beyond presumption; it was sheer audacity.
Jeon Dong-guk was curious to see how far Seo Jin’s reckless words would go.
“Continue.”
As Seo Jin spoke further, the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile.
Kim Gwan-yong sat in visible discomfort, sending Seo Jin desperate glances to stop, while mechanically sipping water.
But Seo Jin paid no mind.
He had anticipated this atmosphere.
And when Jeon Dong-guk’s gaze turned lethal, Seo Jin opened his briefcase and withdrew a thick notebook.
“You must be aware that a loan shark named Jeo Hoo-an was recently arrested.”
“…!”
“They provided bribes to Korean politicians and engaged in sexual coercion.”
Jeon Dong-guk opened the notebook.
The ledger obtained through Anna Roux.
The list contained detailed information about names, times, amounts, and bribes paid to politicians.
The numbers were staggeringly high.
It was shameful that such people served as members of the National Assembly.
“I believe that through those people, it would be easier to reach the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.”
“Collude with them?”
Prosecutor General Jeon Dong-guk’s face twisted.
Collusion with the political establishment.
Again, it was the action I despised most.
“It’s not collusion—it’s using them.”
“Seo Jin!”
Prosecutor General Jeon Dong-guk’s fist clenched with a sharp sound.
A chill filled the space, as if violence might erupt at any moment.
But I did not back down.
“Justice without power is impotence.”
Justice without power—those words were about my former self, Seo Jun-kyung.
I had preached righteousness but ultimately accomplished nothing, only to be murdered and have it staged as suicide.
“When fighting dirty opponents, why should I expect my hands to remain clean? How is that any different from the politics you claim to despise?”
The excuse that “I fought fairly, but they fought dirty—if I had fought fairly, the outcome would have been different” is merely a coward’s rationalization for defeat.
A fight is not a sport.
There are no rules there.
If the enemy waits in the sewers, I must enter without hesitation.
That sewer is the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
“When the opponent is armed with guns and blades, facing them with only fists is recklessness, I believe.”
“….”
“Please go to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.”
I bowed my head.
But Prosecutor General Jeon Dong-guk did not answer.
He simply stared quietly at the bribery ledger.
The eyes that had remained unwavering until now were beginning to tremble.

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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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