Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 191

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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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Your Past (4)
What I brought for the genetic test was Kim Yun-hwan’s hair roots and toothbrushes from his family members.
‘The blue toothbrush belonged to Kim Yun-hwan.’
Yet a single toothbrush—its genetic markers differed from Kim Yun-hwan’s.
Just as I’d anticipated.
‘Kim Yun-hwan wasn’t Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s biological son.’
I shook my head in disbelief.
That filthy sensation of confronting a past I couldn’t see before.
But my thoughts couldn’t linger in the past.
This was reality, and I needed to consider how to leverage it going forward.
I stuffed the documents into an envelope and crossed my legs.
‘First….’
The question I’d been wrestling with continuously: ‘Does Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun know?’
Considering his paranoid tendencies, the likelihood he knew was substantial.
‘But….’
Genetic testing was introduced in 1992.
The period when it became widely used came after that.
Therefore, there was also a possibility he didn’t know.
Shaking my head as I pursued this line of fruitless reasoning, I narrowed my eyes.
‘What matters isn’t what’s inside Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s head.’
Whether he knew the truth was irrelevant.
It would be difficult for me to tell him directly, ‘Kim Yun-hwan isn’t your biological son!’
The fallout afterward—Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun would certainly not let me off the hook, given that I’d been investigating him.
‘A way to inform him without arousing Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s suspicion.’
I considered this.
My strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages, favorable and unfavorable positions—all of it surfaced and disappeared in succession.
Finally, Kim Yun-hwan’s face flashed across my mind.
‘Kim Yun-hwan?’
Kim Yun-hwan was convinced that Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was his biological father.
Had he known otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hide that expression.
Moreover, given his personality, he was perfect for placing in the palm of my hand and observing.
I picked up the envelope of documents and stood.
The plan had formed in my mind.
Of course, I couldn’t tell Kim Yun-hwan directly either.
I had to work around it so he wouldn’t realize I was moving.
Carefully, as if walking on thin ice.
*
*
*
A few days later, at the Sundae Soup Restaurant.
Seo Jin was sharing a bowl of soup and soju with Jang Seok-min.
“I could take you somewhere nicer….”
“What? You don’t like soup?”
Seo Jin had chosen this place as our meeting spot because I wanted hot broth.
A bowl of soup was pure happiness on days so busy I barely had time to eat properly.
But Jang Seok-min’s expression was troubled.
There was one reason—something I had told Jang Seok-min.
“Let’s say about a year.”
A statement about his sentence.
Kim Hyun-bong had been arrested, and now it was Jang Seok-min’s turn.
Depending on my decision, he could face the prison gates at any moment.
Of course, no one wanted to go to prison.
So he wanted to treat me to the best he could and change my mind.
“Then after we eat, I could take you somewhere nice….”
“Forget it. Just eat.”
Jang Seok-min suggested it several times, but I firmly refused.
In the end, Jang Seok-min had no choice but to focus on eating.
The meal continued in silence, punctuated only by occasional sips of alcohol, and the awkwardness only grew.
Jang Seok-min glanced at me and licked his dry lips. It was then he thought, ‘Why did he call me here if it’s going to be like this?’
“How many of your people are left?”
“Pardon?”
“How many subordinates do you have left?”
Dozens had been dragged away with Kim Hyun-bong.
Now only about a dozen remained.
“Why, why are you asking?”
Jang Seok-min felt his heart clench.
Seo Jin was a prosecutor, and the reason for asking about remaining forces was obvious.
A complete sweep. He was trying to arrest even the small-time thugs and uproot everything.
“Um, um, Prosecutor….”
Jang Seok-min wanted to stop me.
He wanted to say those guys weren’t serious criminals, to ask me to go easy on them just this once.
“They weren’t formally brought in and only did odd jobs. I could take more than a year instead….”
“How are you making money?”
“Pardon?”
“You and those guys—what money are you living on these days?”
Jang Seok-min stared blankly at me before answering honestly.
“We’re not touching anything illegal. What we’re doing now is just running a few karaoke rooms…. Ah, really normal karaoke rooms. Even high school students come and have fun. If you’re suspicious, you can come see for yourself….”
Jang Seok-min continued speaking with genuine desperation in his voice.
-We’re living hard and honest.
-We’re not doing bad things anymore.
But Seo Jin waved his hand dismissively.
“Do you have enough money?”
“…Not nearly. I can’t even give the kids a million won for spending money.”
Jang Seok-min laughed bitterly.
“Then drop everything and start a business.”
“Pardon?”
“The big, strong fighters handle security work. The sharp-minded ones with quick thinking run a detective agency.”
At this sudden proposal, Jang Seok-min’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What do you…?”
“You’ll understand the reason soon enough, and I’ve already found an investor. Work out the financial details as needed. What? Don’t like it? Are you going to starve the kids under you? Didn’t you say it’s hard to feed all those people with just the karaoke room?”
It was almost laughable to refuse when an investor was already lined up.
And it was Seo Jin—the one holding his leash—giving the orders.
Jang Seok-min hesitated for a moment, then brought the glass to his lips.
Then he suddenly stood up and bowed deeply toward Seo Jin.
“I pledge my loyalty.”
Jang Seok-min’s expression was serious, but Seo Jin laughed playfully.
“What loyalty from someone who betrayed Kim Hyun-bong?”
“I never liked Kim Hyun-bong’s business from the start. I would have torn it down eventually, with or without you.”
“What about Kim Yun-hwan?”
“….”
Jang Seok-min laughed awkwardly, realizing he had become the poster child for betrayal.
“Yun-hwan is a friend, but he treats me like a subordinate. That’s stung a few times, and besides… at least I won’t betray you.”
“You can betray me. But if I die, you’re done too. You understand that, right?”
“Yes!”
The words came out like a joke, but Jang Seok-min genuinely swore to follow Seo Jin.
And there was a reason for Seo Jin’s business proposal.
I was anticipating my future.
A life that would never be smooth.
A day where death would be no surprise.
Enemies on all sides.
Especially unpredictable was how the Illegal Loan Shark Market would move after losing Eom Seon-ju.
Until now, there had been Eom Seon-ju as a central point, but now they would act independently.
For them, where money mattered more than life, I was a target to be eliminated.
That’s why I was planning to deploy additional security.
Not ordinary bodyguards, but men who had lived rough lives.
The previous bodyguards had already been promised positions in the company I would create.
‘And….’
I recalled the Chief of Staff of Representative Hwang Yun-sung, whom I had met a few days ago.
The Chief of Staff had said:
“The Prosecutor’s Office cannot seize living power.”
Those in power are shameless.
Even when their misdeeds are exposed, they don’t bat an eye.
They believe their influence can bury such scandals.
Moreover, they designate scapegoats to take the fall—without getting their own hands dirty.
‘But….’
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun and Representative Baek Ki-ho were among the most powerful figures in South Korea.
To bring them down, I would need to pursue them relentlessly.
That’s why I needed a private investigation firm.
If one scandal didn’t stick, I would hunt down their other transgressions and unleash them like artillery fire.
I lifted my gaze slowly and looked at Jang Seok-min.
I had needed someone to operate in the shadows all along.
Against those who ignore the law and those who live above it, the law itself is useless.
When facing an opponent with a sword, pulling out a gun is the path to victory.
That’s why I chose Jang Seok-min.
“Drink.”
Glass after glass went down.
I set down my glass and spoke again.
“Running a private investigation firm and security operation won’t be easy. You’ll need proper training. I’ll make some introductions—get trained properly and recruit more people.”
“Thank you.”
“If anyone tries to back out because it’s too hard….”
“That won’t happen.”
“No, tell them to leave. I don’t need people without that kind of resolve.”
Jang Seok-min sensed the killing intent in my firm voice and realized the business he was about to undertake would be far from simple.
After a moment, he nodded with determined eyes, still fidgeting with his glass.
“Understood.”
The discussion about the business ended there.
The rest was for Jang Seok-min and Do Gwang-hyun to handle.
What needed to be discussed now was.
“You said Kim Yun-hwan is trying to implicate me?”
“Yes.”
“That….”
*
*
*
“Why are you dragging out something so trivial?”
The next day, Kim Yun-hwan’s voice was sharp as he faced Jang Seok-min.
He was furious because Jang Seok-min kept making excuses and stalling on the plan to attack Seo Jin.
“Damn it, is it so hard to arrange a few women? Should I bring them myself? Huh?”
“Please understand my situation. My boss is in talks with a prosecutor right now. The girls I was keeping are under investigation too. If this goes wrong, my neck’s on the line. So just give me a little more time. I’ll prepare perfect ones.”
As Jang Seok-min spoke with a genuinely apologetic expression, Kim Yun-hwan frowned and gripped his glass, then gulped down the strong liquor.
“Don’t drag this out.”
“Trust me. You don’t know my skills? But how do you get the drugs supplied?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I need to make a living too.”
Kim Yun-hwan tilted his head quizzically.
Jang Seok-min was a thug—he could obtain drugs whenever he wanted if he set his mind to it.
“What’s wrong? You could make a deal if you wanted to, couldn’t you?”
“Kids these days have expensive tastes. They don’t like cheap stuff. From what you brought, the purity is high, right?”
“Sorry, but you can’t get it.”
“Why?”
“It’s something the children of wealthy families pass around among themselves. We drew the line at the start—thugs would lower the quality.”
“If you just tell me the route, I’ll handle it myself….”
“Even if I told you, you couldn’t get it, so drop it.”
Kim Yun-hwan laughed arrogantly, chuckling to himself.
Then he filled his glass with alcohol and spoke.
“Tonight is the last time I’ll drink like this.”
“Why?”
“I told you, didn’t I? My vacation is over. I’m reporting to Jaejeong Construction the day after tomorrow.”
The position Kim Yun-hwan would hold at Jaejeong Construction was Chief of the Legal Team.
But Kim Yun-hwan was already planning to take the CEO position soon.
“My uncle is getting close to retirement age. As long as there are no problems, the CEO seat will definitely be mine…. When that happens, my father will finally acknowledge me. He doesn’t say it, but he wants to have Jaejeong Construction.”
“What?”
Jang Seok-min was genuinely shocked.
It was well-known that Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun and the CEO of Jaejeong Construction were brothers.
But he was aiming for his older brother’s company.
“Jaejeong Construction may not be in the top 10 construction companies, but the contract limit is in the trillions. Once I get my hands on that, my father doesn’t have to worry about funding for his political ambitions, right? He’s being cautious around my uncle now, but once I become CEO, that won’t be necessary. I’ll be the one supporting my father.”
Jang Seok-min raised his glass.
“I’ll congratulate you in advance, so don’t pretend you don’t know me later when you succeed. Come on, let’s drink.”
Jang Seok-min brought the glass to his lips and smiled brightly.
He didn’t know how dysfunctional that family was, but he felt satisfied knowing he had plenty to tell Seo Jin.
*
*
*
-…That’s what he said.
“So he doesn’t know the route?”
-No.
Seo Jin was in his office, taking Jang Seok-min’s call.
“All right, good work.”
Jang Seok-min had pressed obsessively about the drug route, but Kim Yun-hwan never opened his mouth, and all he managed to uncover was the clue: ‘children of wealthy families.’
But that was enough.
Around Seo Jin, there were plenty of spoiled rich kids.
‘And….’
Knowing Kim Yun-hwan’s blatant intentions, I couldn’t help but laugh.
‘He’s planning to swallow Jaejeong Construction and push Kim Young-jun forward?’
I became curious about what expression Kim Yun-hwan would wear when he discovered that his father was someone else entirely.
And even if that weren’t the case, allowing him to perform ancestral rites for his deceased father—that was the proper courtesy toward an older cousin.
‘I’m quite the virtuous person, aren’t I.’

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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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