Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 183

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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 Rope of Danger (3)
Kim Hyun-bong stared at me with eyes streaked by burst capillaries.
He tried to retreat and flee, but it was futile.
Investigators stood at every exit.
Before me, behind me, to my sides—they gripped batons in their hands, their gazes sharp and lethal as they fixed upon Kim Hyun-bong.
‘Damn it….’
Kim Hyun-bong felt this was the end.
Resistance would change nothing.
His face contorted in despair as a single phrase looped endlessly through his mind.
‘How? How? How!’
The organization members didn’t know he was here.
Smuggling succeeded best when fewer people knew—so he’d moved with meticulous secrecy.
He’d even thrown his phone into a taxi to create confusion, and sent subordinates to delay the Prosecutor’s Office when they appeared.
But for Seo Jin to show up here meant one thing.
‘That bastard ratted me out!’
One name crystallized in Kim Hyun-bong’s mind: Jin Yong-sik, the contract killer.
It had to be him. No—it was definitely him.
If not for him, there was no way Seo Jin could have found this place.
Rage surged through Kim Hyun-bong’s eyes, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Then Seo Jin’s voice fell dryly.
“Light up. Consider it a courtesy.”
I flicked the lighter again and extended it toward Kim Hyun-bong.
Kim Hyun-bong lowered his head toward the flame and drew on the cigarette.
“…I only want to know one thing. Who exposed me?”
Seo Jin laughed at the question with disdain.
“Why? Did you think you wouldn’t get caught unless someone tipped me off?”
“Even if I die, I want to know who killed me. Who is it?”
I studied Kim Hyun-bong’s expression carefully.
Through psychometry, I’d learned this location’s coordinates.
But he was operating under a misunderstanding.
He was convinced someone had exposed his position.
And he was asking me questions to reinforce that conviction.
In such moments, it was courteous to dangle bait.
I tapped Kim Hyun-bong’s shoulder and spoke.
“You shouldn’t pay an advance without confirming the goods first.”
Kim Hyun-bong’s fists clenched until his knuckles whitened, and simultaneously, the contract killer Jin Yong-sik’s voice echoed in his ears.
That mocking tone, delivered with a snickering laugh.
“Sorry, but I can’t move without an advance. Is my belly made of stone? What if you disappear after I drop you off? I’m not saying you would, but there are so many bastards like that—I need to be able to trust.”
Kim Hyun-bong wanted to tear Jin Yong-sik apart right then and there.
And I read that desire in him.
I opened my mouth in a gentle voice toward Kim Hyun-bong.
“Shall I take revenge for you? I did receive contact, but I don’t know where that bastard is hiding. If you want, I can send him to prison too. What do you say?”
“…I’d like that, but I don’t know. We only talked about him coming here.”
“Ah… He said he was coming here?”
My tone was strange somehow.
It felt oddly sarcastic.
Kim Hyun-bong, exhaling cigarette smoke, carefully shifted his gaze toward me.
But my face, twisted in a mischievous smile, felt unsettling to him.
“…Se, surely not? Surely not!”
“You should have used your head more. Where in this world would you find a prosecutor who reveals a public informant?”
Kim Hyun-bong felt his hair stand on end.
Only now did he realize he’d been played.
But by the time he understood he’d been deceived, it was already too late.
I had heard what I wanted to hear, and Kim Hyun-bong had become a traitor.
His fists trembled violently.
Unable to contain his rage, he lunged toward me.
“Damn it!”
He tried to grab my collar.
But he failed—his hands only flailed uselessly through the air.
Investigators who had appeared suddenly subdued him and dragged him away with powerful hands.
“Let go! Let me go! Release me!”
Kim Hyun-bong glared at me with blazing eyes, struggling to the very end.
The sight was pathetic.
“Let go!”
After watching Kim Hyun-bong being dragged away in the investigators’ car to the District Prosecutor’s Office, Jang Ji-hyuk and I boarded the hotel elevator.
Our destination was the room where Kim Hyun-bong had been staying; our target was the ledger hidden there.
Men like him valued ledgers more than money.
They believed that with a ledger, they could resurrect themselves at any time.
And that ledger would certainly be in the room.
With a click, I opened the door to the room where he’d been staying and stepped inside.
Snack bags, soju bottles, and a Boston bag placed under the bed came into view.
I opened his bag without hesitation.
As expected, it contained several sets of clothes and a notebook filled with entries.
I pulled out one ledger and flipped through it briskly.
Written inside were bribes, sexual favors, lists of investors, and various contract killings.
Among them, the one name I was searching for was singular: Eom Seon-ju.
Now it was time to hear Eom Seon-ju’s screams.
*
*
*
Seo Jin stepped out of the hotel and twisted his wrist to check the time.
’10:50.’
I’d left the task of apprehending the hitman Jin Yong-sik to Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk.
Jin Yong-sik would enter the hotel unaware, intending to smuggle Kim Hyun-bong out.
And he would undoubtedly be caught by the investigators waiting for him.
I wanted to witness that moment with my own eyes, but there was something more pressing I needed to do.
Preparing to apprehend Eom Seon-ju.
The ledger I’d discovered contained detailed records of Eom Seon-ju’s investments and how he’d used them as leverage to direct the thugs to commit heinous acts.
Suspicions overflowing.
If I climbed the ladder through the gangsters, I could ensnare Eom Seon-ju.
That preparation came first.
Seo Jin opened the car door and settled into the driver’s seat.
As I started the engine and set the navigation for Seoul, my phone vibrated.
The caller was Kim Young-jun’s Wife.
Seo Jin brought the phone to his ear immediately.
“Yes, Aunt.”
-You… you know a girl named Lee So-hee, right?
“Pardon?”
-Do you know her or not!
There was an edge of irritation in Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s voice.
The reason was easily predictable.
She must have heard about Lee So-hee from Eom Seon-ju.
But Seo Jin feigned ignorance and asked back.
“Lee So-hee?”
-The one you were with in Dongnam County and at the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office, right?
“Yes, that’s right. But why…?”
*
*
*
Seo Jin’s Aunt lowered the phone.
And with bloodshot eyes, she glared at Eom Seon-ju sitting across from her.
“Seo Jin is coming this way.”
“Then why didn’t you tell him I’m here?”
“He’ll find out when he arrives. Why would I need to tell him?”
“So a nephew is still a nephew after all? When you asked me to kill someone, you didn’t hesitate, but now you’re curious about Lee So-hee and you’re calling him over?”
Seo Jin’s Aunt wanted to slap Eom Seon-ju across the face but restrained herself.
This was a private room in a bar in Gangnam.
Even though they were in a room, it would be problematic if a commotion leaked outside.
As if aware of Seo Jin’s Aunt’s feelings, Eom Seon-ju swirled his glass and smiled with his eyes.
“There’s no need to verify, I’m telling you? I heard it with my own ears and confirmed it with my own eyes. Our Yun-hwan is getting married, and you think I’d come here spouting nonsense? That girl Lee So-hee—she’s the daughter of an unwed mother. Her father runs a securities company? That’s ridiculous.”
“….”
“That kid’s mother barely graduated high school, you know? And here’s a woman with no job raising a child without any financial worries? Doesn’t that strike you as odd? She’s a mistress. I’m certain of it.”
“….”
“Where did my brother-in-law dig up such trash? Does he dislike Yun-hwan?”
Kim Young-jun’s Wife clenched her teeth so hard her jaw trembled.
And as Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s face hardened, a smile bloomed across Eom Seon-ju’s lips.
*
*
*
At that very moment, a faint smile played across my lips as I drove toward Seoul.
During the call with Kim Young-jun’s Wife just now, I hadn’t missed Eom Seon-ju’s voice flowing beneath hers.
The two of them were together.
‘How convenient….’
What I was contemplating was what would happen after I caught Eom Seon-ju.
Eom Seon-ju was the sister-in-law of Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
If I apprehended her, and if I couldn’t suppress the rumors from the start, whispers would certainly spread everywhere.
“The Prosecutor General’s sister-in-law was a loan shark, apparently.”
“So the Prosecution Service cracked down on loan sharks on a massive scale?”
“Wow… there’s no one to trust.”
“Where in this world is there anyone trustworthy? They’re all the same.”
“Damn it, why don’t they investigate their own homes first? Ptui, ptui, ptui.”
Right now, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s name was even being mentioned as a presidential candidate.
But if Eom Seon-ju’s case exploded, his approval ratings would plummet without question.
When he stepped down from his position as Prosecutor General, there might not be a single party willing to take him in.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun would certainly blame me for it all and scramble to contain the damage.
There was even a possibility that my father could become a target for Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
He would destroy my father’s company, Jaejeong Construction, while saying it.
“Even if he is my older brother, I cannot condone illegal conduct.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was a man who would do anything to boost his approval ratings.
There was a possibility that Eom Seon-ju’s case would create a butterfly effect, leading to a life-or-death confrontation between me and him.
‘Not yet.’
I had simulated a confrontation with Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun countless times.
The result was always catastrophic.
That’s why I kept reminding myself.
That this was still the time to remain hidden, to gather more strength.
So I was pondering how to resolve this going forward, when Kim Young-jun’s Wife was with Eom Seon-ju.
‘Finally….’
An escape route appeared before my eyes.
A way to avoid being caught in the crossfire of that family feud.
Rather, an opportunity to gain trust.
When the car stopped at a red light, Seo Jin picked up his phone.
The caller ID showed Kim Young-jun, the Prosecutor General.
“Uncle, it’s Seo Jin. I wanted to discuss something rather delicate with you.”
My voice sounded drained of energy.
But my eyes gleamed with razor-sharp intensity.
*
*
*
Moments later, at a bar in Gangnam.
Seo Jin was climbing toward it.
After ascending the staircase, I arrived at the second floor.
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, soft music drifted through the dimly lit space.
No customers were visible, only a bartender seated behind the counter offering a greeting.
Seo Jin mentioned having company and brought the phone to his ear.
“Aunt, I’ve arrived.”
The moment the words left my lips, the door to a private room in the corner burst open, and my aunt emerged, striding swiftly to stand before me.
“I have something to ask you.”
A question thrown before even exchanging greetings.
My aunt was impatient.
She desperately wanted to uncover the truth about Lee So-hee as quickly as possible.
Seo Jin studied his aunt carefully.
A faint scent of alcohol emanated from her body, but her eyes remained steady—filled only with rage.
I had worried she might be intoxicated, but fortunately, she was perfectly composed.
“You’re close with Lee So-hee, aren’t you? You must be—you were together from Dongnam County all the way to the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office.”
“Aunt, I’m not sure why you’re asking about So-hee, but I have something to tell you first.”
“Are you close with her or not!”
“Please, just a moment. This is urgent.”
My aunt swept her hair back and closed her eyes, then opened them again to suppress her anger.
“Fine, speak first.”
Seo Jin’s gaze moved swiftly.
It turned toward the interior of the room from which my aunt had emerged.
The door stood slightly ajar, revealing the hem of a woman’s skirt and the tips of high heels.
Eom Seon-ju was there.
Everything was prepared.
Now the domestic conflict would begin.
*
*
*
Eom Seon-ju, seated in the private room, perked up her ears at the voices drifting from outside.
She had anticipated her sister-in-law would fire off questions without preamble.
But Seo Jin cut off his sister’s question, saying he had something to say first.
Eom Seon-ju raised her glass to her lips, curious about what Seo Jin might say, and let out a soft laugh.
‘A handsome bachelor who only studied hard, it seems. He doesn’t know how to read people.’
In Eom Seon-ju’s eyes, Seo Jin had simply come running at the summons of someone trying to kill him.
Moreover, he was grinning foolishly while relaying all sorts of messages.
The sight of it was nothing but amusing.
‘Pathetic.’
But at Seo Jin’s next words, Eom Seon-ju’s eyes snapped wide open.
His tone was barely a whisper, yet those words struck her ears with crystal clarity.
“That person named Eom Seon-ju you mentioned back then—by now, the arrest warrant should have come through….”
Eom Seon-ju shot to her feet and shoved the door open roughly, stepping outside.
The dimly lit space was quite a sight.
Her sister had clamped her hand over Seo Jin’s mouth, and he stared at Eom Seon-ju with startled eyes—frozen like a paused frame.
Seeing the situation unfold, Eom Seon-ju understood with absolute certainty.
Seo Jin’s words were the truth.
Her sister was trying to send her to prison.
“Ha!”
Eom Seon-ju let out a hollow laugh, then began laughing like a madwoman for a long while.
Then, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor, she approached Seo Jin.
An inscrutable smile played across her face.
So Eom Seon-ju stood before Seo Jin and his aunt, her crimson lips parting.
Her eyes burned with such venom that one would expect crude insults and profanities to pour forth, yet from her lips came only a dry voice.
“Sister, what are you saying? You told them to arrest me?”
“Wait….”
“Sister!”

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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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