Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 185

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

A Rope of Conspiracy (5)
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun fell silent.
But his wife would not relent.
“You’re pairing Yun-hwan with some woman of no standing? Have you lost your mind?”
“Let’s discuss the details at home….”
“I’m against it. Absolutely not. This cannot happen!”
His wife cut off Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s words, her voice resolute and unyielding.
She even began muttering like a madwoman.
“What kind of man is Yun-hwan, and how have I raised him—a mistress? A mistress?!”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s brow furrowed deeply.
The marriage between Lee So-hee and Kim Yun-hwan was a transaction—a stepping stone to climb the tower of power alongside Assemblyman Baek Ki-ho.
If the marriage fell through, that transaction would crumble as well.
That could not be allowed.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun shook his head.
“No, the marriage must happen.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was firm.
At that, his wife let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha!”
“Once we get home, I’ll explain everything that’s been happening….”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun attempted to soothe his wife.
But the more he tried, the sharper and more strained her voice became.
“I said no. Do you want to watch me die here? Should I slit my wrists? Or throw myself out the window?”
“What scheme are you cooking up with Eom Seon-ju?”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun exposed his wife’s secrets to reverse the situation.
His wife laughed as if bewildered.
“A scheme?”
“Yes, a scheme.”
“You’re the one with schemes.”
It was improper to witness a marital quarrel.
I slipped carefully out of the bar and made my way into the hallway.
In the hallway, the bartender—the bar’s owner—leaned against the window, smoking a cigarette.
He had stepped out when the atmosphere between my wife and Eom Seon-ju had grown tense, and had been standing there ever since.
Noticing my emergence, the owner hastily moved to extinguish his cigarette.
“Please, keep smoking. It’s fine.”
“…No, I’m sorry.”
This was technically a non-smoking building. The owner laughed sheepishly and stubbed out the cigarette.
I approached the owner and withdrew a check from my pocket.
“I would appreciate it if you forgot everything you heard and saw today.”
The moment the owner saw the figure written on the check, his face broke into a brilliant smile.
“…You didn’t even need to do this—it’s only natural.”
The Boss was genuinely delighted.
I lost count of how many cigarettes I’d smoked outside while Kim Young-jun’s Wife and Eom Seon-ju were fighting.
During all that time, unable to go back in, I’d spewed out a torrent of curses.
But that suffering had come back to me as a check.
As the Boss tucked the check into his pocket, I shifted my gaze toward the closed door.
Inside, Kim Young-jun and Kim Young-jun’s Wife were still arguing.
“Everything that’s happened to me is because of you!”
Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s sharp voice was loud enough to seep through the walls.
At least there was no sound of things being hurled and smashed.
Still, I could easily picture Kim Young-jun’s troubled expression.
Of course, this argument wouldn’t overturn the engagement between Lee So-hee and Kim Yun-hwan.
Kim Young-jun’s ambitions were too great to be deterred by his wife’s anger alone.
‘But…’
What I was aiming for was a prolonged cold war between Kim Young-jun and Kim Young-jun’s Wife.
It was only natural that when a household wasn’t harmonious, it became difficult to focus elsewhere.
I thought that whenever Kim Young-jun’s attention was diverted, I needed to accomplish as much as possible.
Just then, with a soft click, the door opened and Kim Young-jun and Kim Young-jun’s Wife came out.
Both their expressions were grim.
The chill between them was still palpable.
Kim Young-jun’s Wife walked down the stairs as she was, while Kim Young-jun stood in front of me.
“Wrap things up and head home. When you come in tomorrow, stop by my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
After issuing his instructions, Kim Young-jun descended the stairs.
And so the situation concluded.
The Boss also stepped away from the window and moved toward the entrance of the establishment.
“Just a moment.”
“Yes?”
The Boss stopped and turned toward me.
His expression was curious about what I might say.
I pulled another check from my wallet and spoke.
“Would it be alright if I took the CCTV footage with me?”
It wasn’t to erase any trace of what happened today.
I intended to preserve what happened today.
As I handed over the check, the Boss nodded with satisfaction.
*
*
*
I didn’t arrive home until past 2 a.m.
After showering and drying my hair, I heard the sound of someone entering the security code at the front door.
It was my younger brother, Jin-young.
He doesn’t appear to have been drinking.
His haggard face made it clear he’d been worn down by labor all this time.
“…Have you been working this whole time?”
“Our chef is absolutely insane. I don’t know what’s bothering him today, but he made me prep all the vegetables for tomorrow before clocking out. So….”
“I’ll report him. I’ll beat him to a pulp for you. How much time—ten years? Does that sound good?”
Of course, it was meant as a joke.
Jin-young must have pictured the chef being dragged away by Seo Jin’s hand, because he chuckled and opened his mouth.
“Ten years is too light. He deserves life imprisonment before my heart will settle. Later, when I see our chef embezzling, I’m definitely reporting him.”
Jin-young went to wash up while Seo Jin headed to his room. After closing the door, he connected the USB drive to his laptop.
CCTV footage files appeared on the screen.
He clicked and scrolled through the video.
Everything was captured—from the moment Seo Jin entered the restaurant, Kim Young-jun’s Wife rushing out, Eom Seon-ju, and even Kim Young-jun himself.
This alone wasn’t enough.
There was only video; no audio was recorded.
Under Article 3 of the Communications Privacy Protection Act, recording audio on CCTV is illegal.
‘But.’
Seo Jin had used his phone to record all the audio, uncertain what Kim Young-jun’s Wife might say.
He took out his phone, connected his earbuds, inserted them, and played back the recording file.
Since soft music had been playing in the background, the audio quality was flawless.
It wasn’t crystal clear, but it was intelligible.
‘Perfect.’
He had no idea when or how this video and recording might be used.
Perhaps they’d never be used at all.
But leverage was always better to have in abundance.
Seo Jin ejected the USB drive and tossed it beneath the bookshelf.
*
*
*
The next morning, Kim Young-jun sat in his chair with an exhausted expression.
He’d managed barely an hour of sleep after arguing with his wife all night.
A knock sounded at the door.
As Kim Young-jun straightened himself, his secretary entered and spoke.
“The Central District Prosecutor’s Office director has arrived.”
“Tell him to come in.”
As he spoke, the prosecutor from the Central District Prosecutor’s Office entered and bowed his head.
He then placed a file folder on Kim Young-jun’s desk.
“As you requested.”
What the prosecutor brought was a summary of information about FLF Entertainment.
Since his sister-in-law Eom Seon-ju was involved in the gangsters’ operations, Kim Young-jun had summoned the prosecutor for a direct briefing.
“They’re the ones luring children into their business. Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk has been pursuing them relentlessly for months, and yesterday….”
“Jang Ji-hyuk?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jin had not stepped into the forefront of this case.
It was to avoid any possible attention from Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
On the surface, Seo Jin was merely a cooperator in this matter.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun flipped through the file while listening to the Chief Prosecutor’s additional explanation.
‘There’s no risk of Eom Seon-ju’s identity being exposed.’
Eom Seon-ju was not someone who would take Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s warning lightly.
She would certainly keep her mouth shut no matter what questions were asked.
Besides, he had assigned trustworthy personnel to her investigation, so there was nothing to worry about.
‘The problem is….’
The Central District Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk was famous for being uncompromising.
If that man traced his way up to Eom Seon-ju while investigating FLF Entertainment’s representative Kim Hyun-bong, it would be difficult to predict what kind of butterfly effect might occur.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun, who had been contemplating, closed the documents and spoke.
“Tell Jang Ji-hyuk to drop this case.”
“…Pardon?”
“He’s done enough work so far. Let him rest and move on to other matters. Hand it over to Seo Jin.”
“B-but, Prosecutor General….”
The Chief Prosecutor was flustered. He understood this to be a case that Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk had pursued and resolved over several months.
Yet now he was being told to hand over the finished work to Seo Jin.
“Credit Jang Ji-hyuk with the achievement. Then there’s no problem, is there?”
With such a statement, the Chief Prosecutor had no grounds to refuse.
He had to follow the Prosecutor General’s orders.
“Understood.”
*
*
*
Shortly after, at the Central District Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk stood before the Chief Prosecutor.
The Chief Prosecutor shook his head.
“Don’t look at me like that. This is an order from above.”
The Chief Prosecutor lit a cigarette with a bitter expression.
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk’s obsession with cases was legendary.
His various antics in pursuit of the truth had become so routine they barely registered anymore.
But this case, he had apparently invested considerable time in it.
He had staked out until dawn and even brought in a hired killer.
Yet an order had come down to hand the case over to Seo Jin.
‘Sigh….’
The Chief Prosecutor resolved to forgive Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk even if he went wild like a beast for a while.
“Don’t take it the wrong way—I’m giving you the credit.”
The Chief Prosecutor thought to himself.
Now was the time for Jang Ji-hyuk to push back.
But Jang Ji-hyuk’s response was unexpected.
Rather than anger, he acquiesced without hesitation.
“Yes, I’ll hand it over.”
“Huh?”
The Chief Prosecutor was so taken aback that he even asked again.
“What did you say?”
“I’ll hand it over.”
“…Are you sure?”
“It’s Seo Jin, right? We investigated together, so he’ll do well. I trust him.”
Jang Ji-hyuk gave a slight nod with an unbothered expression, then turned and left the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.
The Chief Prosecutor stared at the closed door and muttered to himself.
“That bastard just handed over the case without a fuss? Jang Ji-hyuk? Because it’s Kim Seo-jin?”
The Chief Prosecutor tilted his head in confusion.
He was reassessing Seo Jin, not Jang Ji-hyuk.
And in the hallway.
Jang Ji-hyuk, heading back to his office, burst into quiet laughter.
‘Did this guy steal a fortune teller’s underwear and wear it….’
It was yesterday. While sifting through the ledgers after catching Kim Hyun-bong, Seo Jin had said something.
“It’ll be difficult for you to wrap up this case, Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk.”
He’d heard it in one ear and let it go, but it had come true.
Seo Jin certainly had a keen eye for the world.
Though he was a junior, I acknowledged his insight.
Jang Ji-hyuk muttered, ‘He’s got the touch, definitely got the touch,’ and continued walking.
Then he spotted Seo Jin approaching from the opposite direction.
Jang Ji-hyuk grinned and opened his mouth.
“Heard? He told me to back off?”
“Yes, I heard too.”
Seo Jin was on his way out from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
He’d met with Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun and heard the news.
And he’d even managed to discern the Prosecutor General’s true intentions.
Jang Ji-hyuk chuckled quietly and tapped Seo Jin’s shoulder. Then he spoke softly.
“Are you heading to meet Eom Seon-ju now?”
“Yes.”
“Go get him.”
Seo Jin drew a refreshing smile.
Just moments ago, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had called Seo Jin and told him something.
To take full charge of not just FLF Entertainment, but Eom Seon-ju as well.
Because I don’t want anyone to know about my relationship with Eom Seon-ju.
At least I trust Seo Jin.
But entrusting Kim Young-jun with this is like leaving fish in the care of a cat.
Seo Jin remembered yesterday’s events with perfect clarity.
Eom Seon-ju, being dragged out of the bar by investigators, brushed past Seo Jin with a twitch of her lips.
She clearly had something to say.
Words she couldn’t speak for fear of Kim Young-jun.
Seo Jin intended to hear what she had to tell him.
After parting ways with Jang Ji-hyuk, Seo Jin headed straight for the Interrogation Room where Eom Seon-ju was being held.
Upon arriving at the door, Seo Jin grasped the handle to enter.
The door creaked open with an ominous sound, revealing Eom Seon-ju sitting inside with her eyes gleaming.
Seo Jin pulled out a chair and sat across from her.
Three objectives.
Eom Seon-ju’s confession, the words I didn’t hear yesterday, and Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s past.
I would uncover all of it.
“Then, shall we begin?”
The moment Seo Jin spread out the documents.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Jang Ji-hyuk.
-Kim Young-jun is watching.
Beyond the glass partition, Kim Young-jun stood watching.
It meant even I couldn’t fully trust him.
This is interesting.
A faint smile crossed Seo Jin’s lips.

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