Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 156

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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 Secret in the Shadows (1)
“…You’re buying a cup?”
I’d heard about it somewhere.
There existed some deranged bastard who collected cups that had touched another person’s lips.
But the problem was there were only three customers in the Coffee Shop.
Excluding Seo Jin standing in front, there was a woman over fifty and a burly man—that was all.
They must have used a straw, certainly.
‘This guy is definitely a pervert.’
The employee’s once-kind gaze instantly darkened with disgust.
“…Excuse me? That’s for in-store use only. We can’t sell it.”
At the employee’s cold tone, Seo Jin froze.
“I’m sorry?”
“We can’t sell it. Please leave.”
When the employee added quietly, “Before I call the authorities,” Seo Jin finally understood what misunderstanding he’d fallen into.
“Ah, I apologize. I genuinely need it for something important.”
“That’s not possi——”
Seo Jin pulled out his ID and held it up, then covered it with a fifty-thousand-won note.
“…The Prosecutor’s Office?”
“I really do need it. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
The employee’s frozen gaze thawed instantly.
They handed over a plastic bag and offered a friendly smile once more.
“You should have said so from the start. I misunderstood for nothing.”
As Seo Jin placed the cup in the bag, I surveyed the Coffee Shop.
There was only one CCTV camera inside.
And since it only captured the register, there was no way to know what Seo Jin had done while remaining here.
When I shifted my gaze toward the employee, they spoke exactly what Seo Jin wanted to hear.
“I’ll keep it secret.”
*
*
*
“…Why did you bring that?”
The moment Seo Jin climbed into the car with the cup in the plastic bag, Jang Ji-hyuk gave me a bewildered look.
It was strange—the guy who’d gone to meet Eom Seon-ju was walking out with a Coffee Shop cup.
“There’s something I need to check.”
“What? Did it have blood on it or something?”
Jang Ji-hyuk’s expression turned serious.
He knew that whenever Seo Jin played detective, unsolved cases got solved.
Besides, Seo Jin’s gaze was grave.
“There might be something far worse on it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ll look into it and get back to you.”
Jang Ji-hyuk’s eyes sparkled.
He found it oddly enjoyable to watch Seo Jin’s detective work unfold right beside him.
Seo Jin placed the plastic bag containing the cup into his bag and continued speaking.
“And there’s one more favor I’d like to ask.”
“Anything.”
“Could you dig up some background information on Eom Seon-ju’s bodyguards?”
I’d seen Eom Seon-ju’s bodyguards up close.
They were anything but ordinary.
They could very well be the type of men accustomed to killing—human butchers.
And Jang Ji-hyuk answered readily.
“They didn’t look like your typical security personnel, did they? You could tell at a glance they were the type who’d thrown some punches. Okay, I was curious about them too. I’ll look into it.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re in this together, catching the bad guys.”
Jang Ji-hyuk lit a cigarette, and I fell back into thought.
What I’d seen through psychometry.
A perfect crime—purchasing state-owned land at a pittance and pocketing blind money. Kim Young-jun’s Wife was involved in Eom Seon-ju’s plan.
‘Can I connect the dots?’
It was a precarious tightrope walk.
One misstep, and I might suddenly find myself facing Kim Young-jun directly.
‘…So, what do I do?’
When I was Seo Jun-kyung, I was an orphan without ties to the world.
That’s why I could act recklessly without worrying about anyone else.
But now I’m Seo Jin.
I have a family, and I want to keep their happiness going.
As I sank deeper into thought, Jang Ji-hyuk shook his head.
He’d noticed my serious expression.
‘This kid…’
He didn’t know the full extent of my family circumstances.
But he could understand the weight of targeting his uncle and his uncle’s wife.
The opponent was Kim Young-jun.
Every day was walking on thin ice, a suffocating family life.
Jang Ji-hyuk spoke with a cigarette between his lips.
“Take it easy. If my junior is going to handle everything alone, what are us seniors supposed to do?”
“Pardon?”
“Relax your expression. And enjoy life a little. A handsome guy with plenty of money—why are you living so grimly? Go eat this. I’ll dig up every last bit of dirt on those bodyguard bastards for you.”
Jang Ji-hyuk suddenly held out a black plastic bag.
“What is it?”
“Perilla leaves.”
“Pardon?”
“Eat.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Just eat what I give you. I have plenty at home.”
Jang Ji-hyuk started the engine, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
*
*
*
Moments later, Lee Dong-young watched as I entered the office carrying two plastic bags.
“What’s that?”
“I’d like to request a fingerprint analysis on this.”
I handed over the bag containing the cup first.
As Lee Dong-young accepted the plastic bag, his gaze fell upon the pumpkin leaves I held in my other hand.
“Jang Ji-hyuk gave me these pumpkin leaves to eat. Would you like them, by any chance? I’m not sure when I’ll be able to go home.”
“Prosecutor Jang?”
“Yes. He must farm them or something, the way he hands them out.”
Lee Dong-young laughed.
“You didn’t know? He’s famous among the investigators.”
“…What?”
“You know those elderly women who sell wild greens on the street sometimes? Prosecutor Jang just can’t walk past them. He says they remind him of his mother. Then he just buys everything they have.”
The investigators tried to stop him.
They said if he kept buying everything like that, he’d be a fool.
“But when they say that, he just laughs like an idiot and says he’d rather be a fool. He’s got charm, that prosecutor. Haha.”
Now that I think about it, I remember him bringing back a whole bag of roasted sweet potatoes last time.
A prosecutor from humble beginnings—rare in this day and age.
Other prosecutors call him eccentric and don’t want to associate with him, but he’s quite well-liked by the investigators.
The more I think about it, the better he seems.
“In any case, I’ll find out who the fingerprint belongs to.”
Lee Dong-young left the office with the plastic bag containing the cup.
I already knew who the fingerprint belonged to.
What I wanted to know was his past. Once the fingerprint was analyzed, I could uncover his history.
What kind of life he’d lived, what crimes he’d committed.
Perhaps starting with him, I could even put Eom Seon-ju behind bars.
‘Is it just a matter of time?’
I anticipated the moment when I could finally lock up Eom Seon-ju.
But shortly after, the information Lee Dong-young brought back contained nothing.
“…It appears he’s an illegal resident.”
Just when I thought it would be easy, another obstacle stood in my way.
But there was no disappointment in my expression.
A faint smile even played at the corners of my mouth.
After all, they were a criminal organization. It was only natural they’d be hiding.
Moreover, Eom Seon-ju comes from a prestigious family with deep roots in Korean history.
‘This much I can do.’
I brushed the dust from my hands and stood up.
The tougher they act, the more satisfying it is to crush them.
*
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*
Late at night, at the Detention Center.
Do Gwang-hyun was chain-smoking.
“Do I really have to do this? Last time it was a prosecutor, now it’s a Chinese gangster? Sir, I’m not a man with nine lives.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t speak English. It’s even more annoying that way.”
Do Gwang-hyun exhaled a heavy sigh along with the cigarette smoke.
I smiled faintly and patted Do Gwang-hyun’s shoulder.
“I’m really sorry. I can’t step in directly, so just do exactly as we practiced. It’ll all work out. And don’t worry—there’s no danger. Even if there were, I’m right here.”
“Alright… I understand. Let’s do this.”
Do Gwang-hyun scratched his head vigorously and inserted the tiny earpiece he’d used when meeting the prosecutor into his ear.
“Can you see it?”
“Not at all.”
“Then, I’m going.”
“Fighting!”
“Say it in Korean. English really gets on my nerves.”
Do Gwang-hyun shuffled toward the Detention Center.
Visitation at such a late hour was impossible.
But money can move even ghosts.
Do Gwang-hyun reached the Lawyer Visitation Room without any obstruction.
*
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*
Creak.
The door to the Lawyer Visitation Room opened, and Do Gwang-hyun stepped inside.
Jeo Hoo-an’s wide-eyed gaze immediately fixed on Do Gwang-hyun.
As Do Gwang-hyun swallowed hard under that piercing stare, Jeo Hoo-an tilted his head.
“…Who are you?”
“I’m Kim Sung-moon, the attorney representing Anna Roux.”
The name Kim Sung-moon was completely fabricated.
Though he was tensing his shoulders, his organization was already destroyed.
I’d heard he had no visitors coming to see him.
In other words, he had no way of knowing outside information, so it would be difficult for him to know who Anna Roux’s actual attorney was.
“They said if I met with you, Boss Jeo Hoo-an, they’d give me extra compensation. Haha.”
And it unfolded exactly as I had anticipated.
Jeo Hoo-an stared at Do Gwang-hyun for a moment before nodding.
“So, why did you seek me out on this night?”
“I’ve brought a message from Anna Roux.”
Do Gwang-hyun sat across from Jeo Hoo-an with an obsequious demeanor.
He placed a cigarette on the table.
Jeo Hoo-an lit the cigarette and exhaled smoke, his gaze returning to Do Gwang-hyun.
A silent command to speak if he had anything to say.
Do Gwang-hyun caught the meaning and placed two photographs on the table with deliberate taps.
They were photographs of Eom Seon-ju and her bodyguard.
Do Gwang-hyun slid the photographs toward Jeo Hoo-an and opened his mouth.
“You know them, don’t you?”
Jeo Hoo-an did not answer.
He recognized Eom Seon-ju’s face, but he did not trust Do Gwang-hyun.
The claim that he carried a message from Anna Roux only deepened his suspicion.
‘Anna Roux is someone I tried to kill. Yet she sends a message?’
Jeo Hoo-an believed that opening one’s mouth to a stranger was the height of foolishness.
So he maintained his silence, scrutinizing every detail of Do Gwang-hyun before turning the question back on him.
“Why are you asking me this?”
But I had anticipated this response from him.
I immediately delivered the prepared words through Do Gwang-hyun.
“Anna Roux says that Director Eom Seon-ju was the mastermind.”
“…Mastermind? Of what?”
“The organization member who fed real-time information to Seo Jin—she was orchestrated by Eom Seon-ju, or so I’ve heard.”
“…!”
Jeo Hoo-an’s expression transformed entirely.
He had tried to remain composed, but the word “mastermind” was a detonator.
It was difficult to suppress the trembling in his hands.
If Do Gwang-hyun’s words were true, then Eom Seon-ju’s hands had destroyed the organization, and my life had ended.
But Jeo Hoo-an bit his lips and forced himself to think rationally.
‘…Director Eom?’
They were a Loan Shark Organization formed by pooled capital from Korea, China, and Japan.
Though their nationalities differed, money knew no borders.
Because of this, they shared profits and maintained a reasonable level of trust.
At least, there was no reason to stab each other in the back.
‘But…’
Eom Seon-ju, who controlled the major cog, had turned informant.
It was unbelievable.
‘Logically, it makes no sense.’
The Eom Seon-ju I had met was a woman distorted by greed, but not someone who would abandon great profit for something trivial.
Having thought this far, Jeo Hoo-an began to suspect Do Gwang-hyun even more.
“…Anna Roux sent you?”
“Yes.”
“Counselor, I still can’t trust you. So I’m asking. If Anna Roux really sent you, you would’ve known.”
Their organization always prepared for contingencies and maintained secret codes like those used in military bases.
If you couldn’t answer the question, you were a spy.
It was clear that this wasn’t Anna Roux sending him—the investigators had set a trap to extract information.
But Do Gwang-hyun spoke quickly.
“In the illegal loan shark market, what matters isn’t capital but a list of marks. Eom Seon-ju secured the debtor list from your organization.”
Do Gwang-hyun was desperate.
He had no information about the secret code.
He had to gain the man’s trust before the question was asked.
Otherwise, everything would fall apart.
“He thought that using that list, he could make more money without your organization. So he partnered with Seo Jin and tried to take over the organization…”
But Jeo Hoo-an didn’t bite.
He slowly shook his head and exhaled cigarette smoke.
Then he opened his mouth in a low voice.
“Forget that talk and answer my question. If Anna Roux sent you, there’s no reason you couldn’t answer. Tell me—what does August 20th mean to us?”
At the same moment, Do Gwang-hyun slapped a document onto the table.
“Eom Seon-ju is the younger sibling of Eom Si-young, the spouse of Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun. And Seo Jin is Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s nephew.”
“…!”
“Do you see the picture now?”
Jeo Hoo-an’s gaze shifted to the document.
The document Do Gwang-hyun laid down was Eom Seon-ju’s record.
Her family relations, relatives, and Seo Jin.
As Jeo Hoo-an stared at the record, he muttered in a trembling voice.
“Eom Seon-ju, Eom Si-young, Kim Young-jun, Seo Jin?”
Jeo Hoo-an’s face twisted in an instant.
His eyes turned bloodshot and he bit his lips.
All suspicion of Do Gwang-hyun vanished from his mind in a heartbeat.
The mere fact that Eom Seon-ju was connected to the Prosecutor General and Seo Jin made the circumstances crystal clear.
Jeo Hoo-an’s furious gaze shifted to Do Gwang-hyun.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to tear Eom Seon-ju to shreds.
*
*
*
Seo Jin stood in front of the Detention Center.
Through the phone, I heard Jeo Hoo-an’s excited voice.
He was spewing all manner of curses, starting with how he couldn’t trust this bastard and all that.
Still unaware that he was being played, he was throwing a fit.
Seo Jin waited quietly for Jeo Hoo-an’s excitement to subside.
And when his voice grew quieter, Seo Jin opened his mouth.
“Anna Roux suggested it—that we dismantle Eom Seon-ju’s organization using the same method.”

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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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