Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 159

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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 (4)
I steadied myself and began a methodical inspection of the Warehouse’s interior.
The only way in had been through a small window.
I’d torn away the iron bars and climbed through.
‘And…’
Multiple CCTVs were stationed throughout this space as well.
They could monitor everything happening in real time.
But the power had been cut, rendering the CCTVs useless.
For now, this Warehouse was defenseless.
‘I have a maximum of thirty minutes to work with.’
Fire would soon engulf this Warehouse too.
Thirty minutes was all the time I could possibly endure.
In that brief window, I had to vanish with everything inside.
‘How?’
I recalled everything I’d observed during my reconnaissance visit days ago.
From the terrain—the buildings and trees—to the movement patterns of the people who frequented this place.
Lost in thought, I finally spoke to Do Gwang-hyun.
“The Bodyguards are here, right?”
The Bodyguards Do Gwang-hyun had assigned to me were always stationed nearby.
Do Gwang-hyun nodded, and I continued.
“Call them. Tell them to rent a few trucks and bring them here.”
“…Pardon?”
Renting trucks at this hour was already difficult enough.
But that wasn’t the real problem.
There was only one access road.
And that road was blocked by a broken-down vehicle and illegally parked cars taking advantage of the nighttime.
We could force our way through, certainly.
“The Fire Department will arrive, and the security guards here will spot us. There’s no way in.”
“There is.”
“Sir?”
“And the Fire Department won’t come.”
The Fire Department won’t come?
There were eight guards standing outside—surely one of them had already called it in.
Do Gwang-hyun asked carefully.
“Could it be… that you have authority over the Fire Department as well?”
“What are you talking about? What would I have to do with firefighters? Regardless, even if they do come, they’ll arrive late. So stop worrying and just focus on the work.”
“Yes?”
Do Gwang-hyun continued to blink in confusion.
But there was no time to explain the full situation now.
I shifted my gaze toward the window and continued speaking.
“Never mind that. Tell them to come to the field.”
“Pardon? What about the crops?”
“There’s a path over there. See it?”
Do Gwang-hyun followed Seo Jin’s gaze out the window.
Seo Jin was right.
Beyond the field, a narrow path barely wide enough for a vehicle appeared if you moved just a little further.
All we had to do was park the truck there and move the boxes.
The only problem was whether we had enough time.
“Call them. Tell them to turn off the lights and move carefully.”
Do Gwang-hyun nodded.
It was an endless series of incomprehensible events, but for now, I had to follow Seo Jin’s lead.
There was no other option.
“Understood.”
Do Gwang-hyun stopped asking questions and picked up his phone, while Seo Jin grabbed a box and hurled it out the window.
One, two, three… it never seemed to end.
My arms had grown sore, and acrid smoke drifted in with a choking smell.
Sweat dripped steadily from my forehead.
Then Do Gwang-hyun approached my side and began picking up boxes as well.
“They’re coming. I told them to be here in ten minutes.”
“Yeah?”
“He was whining about where to rent a truck at this hour, so I offered him a bonus. Said he’d steal one if he had to. Ha.”
Do Gwang-hyun grabbed another box and threw it out the window.
After several more tosses.
Do Gwang-hyun picked up yet another box and headed toward the window, opening his mouth.
“I’ll go outside and move the boxes toward the path.”
“Do that.”
As Seo Jin nodded, Do Gwang-hyun suddenly chuckled.
Then he continued, looking at Seo Jin.
“All the money is in these apple boxes, you know. I haven’t checked, but if everything inside is fifty-thousand-won bills, each box would be worth over a billion won.”
“Probably.”
“I once heard that Bill Gates earns over 150 dollars per second. At current exchange rates, that’s about 180,000 won.”
Do Gwang-hyun threw the box he was holding out the window and continued.
“Now that I think about it, even Bill Gates is a pauper. He only makes 180,000 won per second.”
Do Gwang-hyun laughed, clutching his stomach at his own joke.
Trying to ease the tension on his own.
The flames were creeping into this room, and outside was a chaotic frenzy to extinguish the fire.
He wasn’t saying it, but his lips must be parched dry.
Do Gwang-hyun climbed over the window frame and opened his mouth.
“We’re grabbing a drink after this, right?”
“Beer?”
“Sure. After playing with fire, there’s nothing like a cold beer.”
Do Gwang-hyun bounded out of the warehouse with a leap.
I exhaled a long sigh and surveyed my surroundings.
Even after moving all this, the boxes still overflowed everywhere.
‘Just how much….’
Where could all this money possibly be needed?
I could feel Eom Seon-ju’s endless greed laid bare before me.
And I found myself curious.
What expression would Eom Seon-ju wear when watching the greedily accumulated fortune crumble to ash and vanish?
‘Well, I doubt I’ll get to see it directly.’
While Eom Seon-ju screams, I’ll be savoring crispy chicken with an ice-cold beer.
I trudged toward the boxes once more.
Eom Seon-ju and that powerful family—they held money in their grasp.
They wielded vast fortunes to enslave people.
That’s why they feared no blade from the authorities.
Even when the blade fell, they surrendered only the tail, leaving their bodies and heads unscathed.
‘But….’
What would they do if their hidden slush fund disappeared?
It’s human nature to seek replacement when faced with loss.
They’d come clawing with even greater greed than before.
‘Greed’s end is destruction.’
I intended to teach them that truth firsthand.
*
*
*
“Congressman, I’m terribly sorry about this.”
“Why?”
After finishing his call, Eom Seon-ju entered the private room.
Congressman Park, who had been sipping his drink, tilted his head curiously as he regarded Eom Seon-ju.
Something seemed off about Eom Seon-ju’s expression.
He was forcing a smile.
His lips trembled faintly, as though barely restraining his anger.
“If something urgent has come up, you should attend to it first. We can always meet again another time.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Eom Seon-ju bowed his head.
Then, raising it again, he continued speaking.
“I’ve instructed Madam here to give you special attention.”
“Please, don’t go to such trouble.”
“How could I not, when hosting someone so distinguished?”
“It’s fine, really. Perfectly fine.”
But Congressman Park’s words and actions were at odds.
He was beaming at the three young women standing behind Eom Seon-ju.
The women from the establishment greeted Congressman Park in return.
“Hello?”
Eom Seon-ju felt relieved seeing his bright expression.
He hadn’t become a congressman to serve the people.
He was simply someone who’d poured money into his party because he wanted to wear the badge.
Manipulating him wouldn’t be difficult.
Eom Seon-ju gestured toward the women from the establishment and opened her mouth.
“These girls know to fear power and keep their mouths shut, so feel free to drop the formality. You all need to treat this gentleman well.”
The women from the establishment nodded without exception.
And Congressman Park was hoping Eom Seon-ju would leave soon.
But he maintained his composure throughout, offering a superficial smile.
“Heh, I’m not that kind of person, I’m telling you?”
“Well then, I’ll see you again later.”
With that, Eom Seon-ju stepped out of the room.
Soon, awkward laughter echoed from inside the room.
And in that instant, her face twisted terrifyingly.
She slowly pulled out her phone and pressed it to her ear, her voice dripping with lethal intent.
“I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Send the kids ahead. Open the warehouse door and get the contents out.”
-Understood.
“If even a single item gets damaged, you’re all dead.”
Eom Seon-ju ended the call, her lips grinding together.
She muttered to herself, “It’ll be fine. Everything will be okay,” as she climbed into the car.
“Siheung Warehouse. Get there as fast as possible. Run the lights.”
The driver in the front seat pressed down on the accelerator.
Eom Seon-ju sat in the back, anxiously gnawing at her fingernails.
*
*
*
“Why is the road blocked!”
Men in black suits were racing down the Rural Road toward the warehouse.
The warehouse perched on a hillside.
It would be quick by car, but a broken-down vehicle was blocking the way.
On foot, it would take roughly five minutes.
“Damn it!”
The men grabbed fire extinguishers and moved with urgency.
Their labored breathing felt like it would tear their lungs apart, but they pushed through and ran.
That’s how they managed to reach the warehouse.
But there was nothing they could do.
Whoooosh!
Flames erupted toward the sky, their crimson tongues blocking the warehouse entrance.
“Spray it!”
They pulled the fire extinguishers in unison.
With a sharp hissing sound, the suppression foam burst forth.
But it was only temporary—no real solution.
“What about the Fire Department? Did you call them?”
“They said they’re on their way!”
“When are they getting here!”
A man in a black suit scanned the area with bloodshot eyes, searching for the security team leader.
The team leader’s name was Kim Gwang-eun, someone Seo Jin had met before.
“What did you do? What the hell did you do, you bastard!”
The man struck Kim Gwang-eun’s shins with such force that audible cracks echoed—thwack, thwack—relentlessly.
As Kim Gwang-eun bent over in agony to touch his injured shins, the man immediately swung his palm, slapping his cheeks repeatedly—smack, smack, smack!
“You insane bastard! Can’t even manage basic security, and you just watch the place burn? You’re finished, you piece of shit!”
Kim Gwang-eun kept his head bowed, saying nothing.
It was what he’d expected all along.
If he could endure a brief humiliation and pain, he could start a new life.
Moments later, the fire truck arrived and began suppressing the blaze.
The fire had already spread inside the warehouse, breaking through windows, flames now shooting outward from within.
Eom Seon-ju, who had arrived at the scene, stared at the warehouse with a blank, vacant expression.
No words came from his lips.
His eyes widened in horror as he watched the flames consume everything.
All the money he’d desperately accumulated in secret from his father.
Every last bit of it was being devoured by the inferno’s jaws.
Eom Seon-ju considered going to the bank with the ashes.
He’d heard somewhere that they’d convert the weight into cash.
But he couldn’t do such a thing.
It would be the same as inviting investigators to scrutinize the source of his funds.
‘Ha!’
Eom Seon-ju let out a hollow laugh.
Then rage poured forth.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
*
*
*
In a distant place where flames danced across the sky.
Do Gwang-hyun, who had stolen a hand cart to transport boxes, came to a halt.
And stood there in a daze.
Crash!
With a deafening roar, the warehouse crumbles before my eyes.
Another inferno engulfs the collapsed structure.
“Hey, Prosecutor?”
Do Gwang-hyun’s grip slips from the cart handle.
Seo Jin hasn’t emerged.
I’d told him it was time to leave, but he insisted on staying just a bit longer.
“Prosecutor!”
Do Gwang-hyun bolts toward the warehouse.
Whether caught by the police or those thugs—it doesn’t matter anymore.
Right now, Seo Jin’s life is what matters.
“Damn it! Don’t you dare….”
“Where are you going?”
Seo Jin’s voice suddenly calls out from beside him.
Do Gwang-hyun narrows his eyes, peering through the darkness.
Seo Jin is walking toward him, phone pressed to his ear.
Upon meeting Do Gwang-hyun’s gaze, Seo Jin signals with his finger to stay quiet, then speaks.
“This is Kim Seo-jin. I have a favor to ask. I’d like to use that shopping complex of yours.”
The person on the other end is Shin Ji-yeon.
That abandoned shopping complex under her ownership.
The perfect place to hide the boxes.
And she readily agrees to Seo Jin’s request.
-Anytime. Want to take ownership of it while we’re at it?
“No, thank you. I’ll just borrow it for a few days.”
Seo Jin ends the call and turns his gaze toward Do Gwang-hyun.
“Why are you standing there like that?”
“Oh, I thought you were dead, Prosecutor.”
“Huh? Why would I be dead?”
“That over there….”
Seo Jin shifts his gaze.
Flames rising above the collapsed warehouse.
Water streams spraying down upon them.
“Ah, I got out before that happened.”
I was just delayed because I had to sneak a look at Eom Seon-ju’s face.
As Do Gwang-hyun catches his breath, Seo Jin scribbles an address in his notebook and hands it over.
“Move the boxes there for now. And don’t forget to switch vehicles at a spot without CCTV on the way.”
“Aren’t you coming, Prosecutor?”
“I still have something to take care of.”
“Understood.”
After receiving the address, Do Gwang-hyun asks what he’s been curious about all this time.
“By the way, how did you know the fire department would arrive late?”
“Because they would have reported it late.”
“Pardon?”
“You know about the Murder on the Orient Express?”
The Murder on the Orient Express—a detective novel by Agatha Christie.
A murder occurs aboard a train, but it turns out all the passengers were the culprits.
“I won them over. All eight security personnel were on our side.”
“What?”
Watching Do Gwang-hyun’s stunned expression, I smiled faintly.
I’d taken the money.
Now it was time to observe their reactions and confirm the amount.

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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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