Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 178

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A Dangerous Meeting (4)
The psychometry activated without warning.
The location was the airport.
*
*
*
Kim Yun-hwan emerged from the departure hall, pulling his suitcase behind him.
A man approached from beside him—someone I’d never seen before, with neatly combed-back hair that left a striking impression.
As the man took his place beside Kim Yun-hwan, he opened his mouth.
“Everything ready?”
“Working on it, but you’re really going through with this?”
The man’s eyes filled with doubt. But Kim Yun-hwan nodded.
“Of course. Thinking about how that bastard kept me locked away… ”
There was no need to ask who the ‘bastard’ Kim Yun-hwan was referring to was. It was Seo Jin.
As if recalling Seo Jin’s face, Kim Yun-hwan bit his lip. The seething rage was evident across his expression.
Kim Yun-hwan moved toward the airport’s smoking room as he continued speaking.
“I’ll do the same to him. Just like what happened to me, I’ll fabricate a false culprit and present it as real. That bastard deserves to spend two or three years inside. He got too cocky.”
“Fuck… won’t that cause problems?”
“Don’t worry. Who’s my father?”
Kim Yun-hwan entered the smoking room, placed a cigarette between his lips, and laughed with insufferable glee.
He was savoring the image of Seo Jin’s downfall.
He was delighted at the thought of wielding the strengthened power of President Kim Young-jun.
Then Kim Yun-hwan handed a cigarette to the man standing before him and continued speaking.
“First, call the girls. We need to pretend to reconcile, act like we’re in a good mood, keep them entertained. You know how it goes—they only get close when clothes come off, right? I need to make them trust me, at least a little.”
The man nodded at Kim Yun-hwan’s gaze. But seeming reluctant, he offered a subtle objection.
“But your face is pretty well-known, isn’t it? I think the girls won’t like it if we call them… Let’s just have fun among ourselves today.”
Kim Yun-hwan stared at the man with an incredulous expression.
“Seo Jin dislikes girls? I’ve spent enough money on girls at Room Salons with that bastard to buy several apartments. He’d sooner give up shit than women. He’s just playing innocent now. Forget it, just get ready. We’ll slowly squeeze the life out of him.”
The man couldn’t break Kim Yun-hwan’s stubbornness.
He eventually nodded, and hazy cigarette smoke flowed from Kim Yun-hwan’s lips.
*
*
*
As the psychometry ended, Kim Yun-hwan’s face—wearing an artificial smile—appeared vividly in my vision.
“I have things to say, so keep your schedule open. I’ll arrange the place.”
I smiled faintly.
Since his intentions were transparent, there was no reason to refuse.
“Sure. If it works for you, let’s do it.”
As my response reached Kim Yun-hwan, his gaze shifted toward President Kim Young-jun.
“Father, is it alright if I have a drink with Seo Jin today?”
Kim Young-jun flicked the ash from his cigarette and met Kim Yun-hwan’s gaze.
His thoughtless son was asking permission to drink on his first day back, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It didn’t sit well with him.
“Go ahead. But don’t forget to stop by the house first and see your mother’s face.”
Kim Young-jun granted his permission.
Because the other person was Seo Jin.
Kim Young-jun knew that relations between Seo Jin and Kim Yun-hwan had fractured.
And he believed that for Kim Yun-hwan to establish himself at Jaejeong Construction, his relationship with Seo Jin would be crucial.
“Thank you.”
Kim Yun-hwan flashed an awkward smile at Kim Young-jun, then turned toward Seo Jin and signaled that he would call later.
Seo Jin nodded and picked up his teacup.
‘A dog stops eating shit faster than that?’
I knew that the original Seo Jin had suited Kim Yun-hwan well.
But he wasn’t a trash who fell for women.
He merely acted that way.
It was preparation and the process of devouring that bastard Kim Yun-hwan whole.
Though the original Seo Jin had failed, that sentiment carried over to me now.
‘This time….’
I made a vow.
This time, I would bind him so he couldn’t escape, and I would surely sever his lifeline.
That bastard was probably delighted to have returned to Korea, hoping this place would become his paradise, but I couldn’t wait for the moment when Kim Yun-hwan’s false smile would twist into a pathetic, tearful grimace.
*
*
*
“Lee So-hee, she’s your classmate, right?”
“Yeah.”
“How is she?”
“She’s decent.”
“She’s pretty though?”
That afternoon, Seo Jin and Kim Yun-hwan were drinking at a bar in Gangnam.
From the moment Kim Yun-hwan sat down, he’d been talking about Lee So-hee.
“Ha, I go abroad and come back to a political marriage right away—that’s pretty funny if you ask me.”
“Tell me about it.”
I answered appropriately and laughed at intervals to match the mood.
Drinking at a bar was merely an appetizer before going to meet women.
His purpose was clear, and he wasn’t the type to drag things out here.
And he was impatient by nature. He’d open his mouth before the whiskey was even finished.
“My friend runs a business around here. I’ve been wanting to see his face after all this time—should we head over there?”
He was talking about the man I’d seen through psychometry.
That clean-looking bastard—I’d wondered what he did, but it turned out he was running a Room Salon.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
But the place they moved to wasn’t a Room Salon.
A VIP suite at a hotel—the kind of place Shin Il-seung, the youngest son of Shinma Group, kept for himself.
“First time in a place like this, huh? This is the trend these days. Guys without money go to massage parlors, but guys like us come to hotels. Drink comfortably, play comfortably. What do you think?”
Kim Yun-hwan spoke as if teaching Seo Jin a lesson.
Then the door opened, and the man I’d seen through psychometry walked in.
Even though I clearly knew we’d crossed paths at the airport, Kim Yun-hwan greeted him as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages.
Commenting on how gaunt his face had become and such.
“Keep drinking. I’ll bring the girls shortly.”
The man left the suite, and Kim Yun-hwan sat at the table laden with alcohol and appetizers, filling my glass.
After drinking a few rounds, Kim Yun-hwan opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“We have something we need to resolve, don’t we?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you really think I pushed you?”
Kim Yun-hwan traced through old memories for a moment.
The Justice Society Awards Ceremony hosted by the National Safety Committee.
Kim Yun-hwan had briefly become a celebrity for catching the culprit and even received an award.
But during his acceptance speech, the real criminal was caught.
When Kim Yun-hwan hurriedly entered a conference room in the corner with Seo Jin, the conversation we’d had at that time.
“Let me ask you something. Did you push me? Amnesia—did you push me?”
“You thought I pushed you, and that’s why you’ve been acting like this?”
“No, you pushed me.”
After that, we exchanged hurtful words and came to blows.
But when President Kim Young-jun appeared, the situation ended.
Recalling that memory, Kim Yun-hwan smiled bitterly.
“Are you still suspicious?”
Seo Jin looked at Kim Yun-hwan quietly. Then I gave him the answer he wanted.
“No. I think it was a misunderstanding. That’s why I feel sorry about it.”
“Then let me ask you this. Did you plan what happened back then?”
“Me?”
“Even if you did, I’m not going to be angry. But I’m really curious. When I thought about it slowly, everything moved as if it were perfectly orchestrated. From the fake criminal to the appearance of the real one.”
When Seo Jin didn’t answer, Kim Yun-hwan put a cigarette in his mouth and continued.
“Jaejeong Construction—my uncle planted the seeds, and my father built the greenhouse to shield it from wind and rain. It’s a company both of them raised with difficulty.”
“….”
“But this time the roles have switched. You’ll be the prosecutor who shields me from the storm, and I’ll tend to the plants inside. Jin-young and Yumi can’t do this kind of dirty work, can they? We have to do it.”
“….”
“So tell me honestly. I’d prefer it if this was something you planned. I think it’s reassuring to have someone with a mind that sharp working on the inside.”
Kim Yun-hwan was deliberately demanding an answer from Seo Jin.
Placing his phone on the table was a trick to make me feel at ease.
He’d definitely installed a recording device or CCTV somewhere.
Seo Jin was not the type to fall for such childish tricks.
I chuckled and shook my head.
“You’ve been watching too many Hollywood movies in the States, haven’t you? You think I manipulated you into creating a fake culprit? If I had that kind of superpower, would I be living like this? I’d be saving the world.”
As I deflected with a joke, Kim Yun-hwan smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
“Yeah… that’s true.”
“Well, I’m sorry for suspecting you and saying harsh things back then.”
“No, forget about it. Let’s have a good drink today and really work together starting tomorrow. I’ll grow Jaejeong Construction two, three times over. Don’t worry about the shares. We’ll split them equally.”
The repeated mention of Jaejeong Construction by Kim Yun-hwan irritated me.
He spoke of it as if it were his own, when he had no intention of giving anything back.
I wanted to tear his mouth apart right then, but I kept my emotions in check and picked up my glass.
“Let’s drink.”
*
*
*
Three women entered.
They wore form-fitting dresses that revealed their skin, their faces youthful and beautiful.
They sat beside Seo Jin and Kim Yun-hwan, linking their arms and pressing against them uncomfortably close.
In cloying voices, they introduced themselves, their faces brushing against ours.
Kim Yun-hwan’s friend then seated himself with one of the women beside him.
“Treat them well. They’re my most cherished friends.”
The women responded in unison with “Yes!” and Kim Yun-hwan’s friend continued while pouring drinks.
“They don’t perform in Korea, so you might not know them, but they’re quite popular in China. You said you were coming back, so I rushed to bring them.”
Kim Yun-hwan smiled with satisfaction, examining the face and body of the woman sitting beside him.
“They’re my type.”
“Do you like them?”
“Yeah.”
As Kim Yun-hwan naturally embraced the woman, his friend filled my glass and spoke.
“I’m Jang Seok-min.”
“I’m Seo Jin.”
“Since these girls don’t follow Korean media, you can relax and enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, thank you for being understanding.”
I examined Jang Seok-min’s face while bringing the glass to my lips.
Information rapidly organized itself in my mind.
He was working with Kim Yun-hwan to trap me.
His profession: pimp.
A girl group operating in China.
But engaged in sex trafficking.
‘This…’
A connection to Congressman Hwang Yun-sung, my next target, began circling through my thoughts.
Congressman Hwang Yun-sung was in league with gangsters and taking bribes. Those gangsters lured aspiring entertainers by offering girl group opportunities, then profited through overseas sex trafficking.
What he’s doing now is no different from that.
I sent a message to Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk where no one else could see it.
Three characters: Jang Seok-min.
The reply that came shortly was exactly as expected.
-That criminal organization bastard.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and retraced the questions etched in my mind.
Why did this thug have the audacity to show his face before a prosecutor, why did Kim Yun-hwan call him, and how does he know him? Even this seemed like a trap to ensnare me.
But I concealed my expression.
It didn’t matter whether I knew why Kim Yun-hwan called him or not.
From today on, he would no longer be Kim Yun-hwan’s friend—he would listen to my words.
And Jang Seok-min continued to observe me while drinking.
He’d heard it from Kim Yun-hwan and from the organization as well.
That I should be careful.
But looking at my face now, it didn’t feel that way at all.
Literally gentle and docile.
If I drank with proper courtesy, I might even win his heart.
Shortly after, Kim Yun-hwan’s face flushed crimson as he moved to another room with a woman.
Jang Seok-min offered the same to me.
“You must be tired. Why don’t you rest? You need to really relieve this man’s stress today.”
The woman clung to me tightly with a “Yes!” and Jang Seok-min refilled my glass as he continued.
“If Yun-hwan is your younger brother, then he’s like a precious younger brother to me too. So…”
“Younger brother? Then should I call you hyung?”
“Well, whatever’s comfortable for you.”
I shook my head. Then, peeling the clinging woman away, I opened my mouth.
“You, get out.”
“Pardon?”
At my cold voice, the woman flinched, and Jang Seok-min tried to stop me.
“There’s nothing to worry about…”
“Funny. A thug hoping to hear a prosecutor call him hyung.”
“…Pardon?”
Only then did Jang Seok-min see it.
My expression had completely transformed.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————