Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 197

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

Bluffing (3)
*
*
*
“Ah, tomorrow? Good. But this time, let’s do it right. Make sure that valet bastard gets properly educated. Hmm? If it goes well, I’ll buy you a real drink.”
Hallway in front of the Legal Team at Jaejeong Construction.
Kim Yun-hwan ended the call with Jang Seok-min with a pleased smile.
‘Finally….’
I could push Seo Jin into the abyss.
And the timing is perfect too.
The media has been constantly reporting the name of ‘Drug Lord Choi Sun-hye’.
If it becomes known that drugs were found in Seo Jin’s vehicle at a time like this.
‘That bastard’s life is finished.’
Unfortunately, Kim Yun-hwan didn’t know Choi Sun-hye’s name.
The media only reported that a drug distribution organization had been caught, but they hadn’t revealed that the organization had targeted the wealthy.
‘Perfect.’
Kim Yun-hwan chuckled and headed toward the Elevator.
With good news like this, I felt like enjoying a cigarette.
And shortly after, in the Smoking Room on the Rooftop.
Kim Yun-hwan put a cigarette in his mouth. He patted his pockets, but there was no lighter.
“Excuse me, could I borrow a lighter?”
“Oh, yes.”
The employee handed Kim Yun-hwan a lighter.
Kim Yun-hwan lit the cigarette and asked in a smooth voice.
“Which department are you in?”
“Sales Team 3.”
Kim Yun-hwan’s face and name were famous throughout the company.
The representative’s nephew, a textbook silver spoon.
As the employee smiled awkwardly with polite posture, Kim Yun-hwan exhaled cigarette smoke and spoke.
“Sales Team 3…. You don’t have any difficult tasks, do you?”
“Pardon?”
“Is my question unclear? I asked if you have any difficult or hard tasks.”
“No, sir.”
“If there’s anything uncomfortable, feel free to tell me. It’s fine.”
Kim Yun-hwan smiled broadly at the employee.
*
*
*
At that moment, in the Legal Team.
The Legal Team Leader entered the office with a furrowed brow.
Irritated by something, the Legal Team Leader slammed down the documents he’d been holding and opened his mouth irritably.
“Gather around. Apparently Omisan Industries skimmed wages from daily workers….”
The Legal Team Leader’s gaze turned toward where Kim Yun-hwan should have been.
“Where the hell did he go again?”
Everyone was gathering in front of the Legal Team Leader, but there was one person conspicuously absent.
“I said, where did he go!”
“…I don’t know, sir.”
“This is driving me insane.”
The Legal Team Leader brushed his hair back in exasperation.
The Legal Team of a construction company was a place where lawsuits and complaints never ceased—from defect issues in sold apartments to incidents at subcontractors, and even civil servants’ abuse of authority.
They were already understaffed.
Yet this new hire with prior experience was the CEO’s nephew, the Prosecutor General’s son.
“He’s really living the high life, isn’t he!”
Throughout the day, his actual work time seemed to amount to less than two hours.
And even that time was apparently spent on social media and online shopping.
Well, there were moments when he did work hard.
Specifically, when Seo Jin’s Father appeared—in those moments, Kim Yun-hwan was different. He looked exactly like an employee who’d buried his bones in Jaejeong Construction.
“Damn it!”
He was supposed to be working, but this eyesore only got in the way.
The Legal Team Leader tapped his chest in frustration.
*
*
*
“Hyung, did you hear?”
That night, when Seo Jin came into the living room after showering.
His younger brother Jin-young asked from the sofa.
“Hear what?”
“About Kim Yun-hwan hyung… I have a friend who works as a supervisor at the company.”
“And? Is there a problem?”
Seo Jin’s expression grew uncomfortable.
I was only anxious about what Kim Yun-hwan was pulling at Jaejeong Construction.
That bastard was a walking time bomb.
Jin-young sighed and spoke.
“He’s a real problem. Doesn’t do any work, just swaggers around everywhere. Apparently he’s playing the role of a chaebol heir perfectly.”
“Does Father not know?”
“He’s respectful in front of Father. Pretends to work hard, even sweats a bit. That’s what really pisses people off.”
Seo Jin shook his head in disgust and pulled a beer from the refrigerator.
He tossed a can to Jin-young and opened his mouth.
“I thought he’d at least work hard for a few months, but that’s unexpected.”
“Right? Even if he got in through connections, shouldn’t he at least be nervous for a few months?”
“Don’t worry about it. It won’t be long now.”
When Seo Jin smiled faintly, Jin-young sensed that he had some kind of plan in mind.
“Do you have a way?”
“You look exhausted. Get some proper sleep.”
He wasn’t going to tell him.
Jin-young shook his head as he brought the beer to his lips.
“You should get some rest too. Your dark circles have practically reached your jaw.”
“Yeah. I’m going to bed.”
Seo Jin waved his hand and entered the room.
But he didn’t lie down on the bed right away.
After closing the door, he opened the bookshelf.
Random scribbles came into view.
To a stranger, it would look like drunken doodling.
But to Seo Jin, it was the only thread connecting him to his original self.
My gaze turned toward Kim Yun-hwan’s name.
‘Soon….’
An X would be drawn through Kim Yun-hwan’s name.
Followed by Kim Young-jun’s Wife and Kim Young-jun as well.
My gaze slowly shifted to the mirror.
And I muttered while staring at my own reflection.
‘The misfortune you were worried about won’t happen. I’ll take care of all these people for you.’
*
*
*
“Did you train the valet?”
“How many times are you going to ask?”
In the Hotel’s VIP Room, a space complete with a small pool and terrace.
Kim Yun-hwan and Jang Seok-min sat facing each other.
Kim Yun-hwan opened his mouth with a serious expression, cigarette in hand.
“Why hasn’t this bastard shown up?”
Two hours had passed since they were supposed to meet Seo Jin.
Yet Seo Jin, who said he would come, had made no contact.
“Maybe he’s not coming because he’s busy? Prosecutors are always busy, right?”
At Jang Seok-min’s words, Kim Yun-hwan’s face twisted.
This meeting was meant to send Seo Jin to hell.
He intended to throw salt in Seo Jin’s face.
But with no contact and him running late, his nerves were only growing sharper.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Kim Yun-hwan complained irritably, and Jang Seok-min glanced at his expression.
Jang Seok-min knew why Seo Jin was late.
He was deliberately stalling.
‘Did he say he’d come in three hours?’
Making the other party anxious and destabilizing their reason was the most fundamental strategy.
Kim Yun-hwan, oblivious to this, bounced his leg nervously and muttered to himself.
“He’ll come. He has to come.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his eyes lit up as he looked at Jang Seok-min.
“Is the alcohol ready?”
“I’ve stocked every variety, so don’t worry.”
“Bring me a bottle.”
“Huh?”
“Why can’t you understand simple instructions? I said bring it!”
Kim Yun-hwan’s voice thundered out.
He wasn’t insane—just prone to wild mood swings. Jang Seok-min blinked at the sudden outburst, but that was all.
Jang Seok-min exhaled a sigh and rose to his feet.
From the start, Kim Yun-hwan had never treated Jang Seok-min as a friend.
Always subordinate.
They called each other friends, but a clear hierarchy existed between them.
It had been that way in high school, and even more so when one was a prosecutor and the other a thug.
And that relationship remained unchanged now.
‘Insufferable bastard.’
Jang Seok-min bit his lip.
But it was fine. Kim Yun-hwan would soon be destroyed before Seo Jin.
Thinking of that, he could endure any humiliation.
Jang Seok-min opened the wine refrigerator and asked.
“Wine? Or…?”
“Something with a screw cap instead of a cork. Anything will do.”
Jang Seok-min tapped through the wines to check, then returned to the table with a bottle of vodka in hand.
He chose vodka because it would make Seo Jin intoxicated faster, which suited the plan.
But Kim Yun-hwan didn’t drink. After unscrewing the vodka cap, he pulled out a small packet and poured it in.
Jang Seok-min, watching intently, stammered out a question.
“Y-you’re planning to give this to Kim Seo-jin?”
“Think about it—just finding it in the car isn’t enough, right? We need a positive test result for it to be perfect. Vodka mixed with drugs—one glass and he’ll be out cold.”
Kim Yun-hwan’s lips twisted into a grin, and Jang Seok-min’s face went rigid.
This wasn’t part of the plan. Seo Jin didn’t know about this.
When Seo Jin arrived, he would definitely take a drink.
And that drink would be laced with drugs from Kim Yun-hwan.
The entire plan was unraveling.
Jang Seok-min decided he had to warn Seo Jin.
“I-I’ll go call the girls.”
Jang Seok-min hurriedly rose and grasped the door handle.
If I step outside now and call Seo Jin, everything will be resolved.
But Jang Seok-min’s movements froze in place.
It was because Kim Yun-hwan’s cold voice cut through the air.
“That’s enough. Sit down.”
“What? The atmosphere improves when the kids are here, doesn’t it?”
Jang Seok-min replied, forcing his voice to sound gentle.
But the look in Kim Yun-hwan’s eyes as he stared at Jang Seok-min was frigid.
Now he was openly speaking down to him.
Yet Jang Seok-min showed no sign of displeasure, offering an awkward smile as he spoke.
“Still, I should at least see the kids’ faces….”
“I said that’s enough.”
“If it’s not like last time with Seo Jin’s style, it’ll be awkward, won’t it?”
“Enough. Take out your phone and put it on the table. And don’t you dare leave this place from now on.”
“…What?”
Jang Seok-min felt his heart sink with a thud.
Kim Yun-hwan opened his mouth as he watched Jang Seok-min’s expression stiffen.
“Seok-min… don’t take this the wrong way. When I was at the Prosecutor’s Office, whenever there was an important operation, I always did things this way.”
Kim Yun-hwan tapped the table with his fingers, urging Jang Seok-min, who had gone rigid as stone, to move.
“Come on.”
There was no choice now. Jang Seok-min shuffled back to his seat.
He pulled out his phone from his pocket, placed it on the table, and swallowed hard.
“There. Done?”
“Thanks for understanding.”
Kim Yun-hwan crossed his legs and put a cigarette between his lips, humming a tune softly.
But Jang Seok-min’s expression was different. He was desperately praying that Seo Jin wouldn’t call.
*
*
*
Seo Jin was driving.
His destination was the Hotel where he’d arranged to meet Kim Yun-hwan.
Seo Jin parked in the Underground Parking Lot and got out of the car.
Checking his wristwatch, it was 11 PM—three hours late for the appointment.
I could already picture Kim Yun-hwan’s expression, anxiety at its peak.
‘It’s fine.’
Seo Jin caught the Elevator and headed to the designated floor.
*
*
*
Ding dong, ding dong.
The doorbell chimed.
Kim Yun-hwan’s face, which had been cold and distant until now, froze into an icy expression.
“The moment Seo Jin walks in, you leave. And bring the girls back in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes? Not right away?”
“Seok-min, my friend Seok-min… why are you asking so many questions today? I’d really appreciate it if you’d just do as I say.”
The intensity in Kim Yun-hwan’s gaze made Jang Seok-min’s lips go dry.
Jang Seok-min had been desperately trying to warn Seo Jin somehow.
That the alcohol was laced with drugs.
If he couldn’t speak, he’d use gestures, anything.
But Kim Yun-hwan was ordering him to leave the moment Seo Jin arrived.
And to come back in ten minutes.
All of Jang Seok-min’s plans had been blocked.
Kim Yun-hwan patted Jang Seok-min’s shoulder and flashed a friendly smile.
“I’m telling you, today is a golden opportunity. I’ll make it work no matter what. But you’re terrible at hiding your expressions, you know? So just step outside for me. Please.”
It wasn’t a request—it was an order.
Jang Seok-min had no choice but to nod.
“…Understood.”
“Relax your face. Anyone seeing you would think I’m about to eat you alive.”
With that, Kim Yun-hwan stretched and headed toward the entrance. He opened the door to greet Seo Jin with a bright expression entirely different from before.
“Goodness, I’ve been waiting so long my neck’s about to snap off. Why are you so late? Who’s making my little brother work overtime? I swear, I’ll kill them for you.”
“Sorry, I tried to get here on time, but it didn’t work out.”
“It’s fine. You worked hard.”
Kim Yun-hwan draped an arm around Seo Jin’s shoulder and turned toward the room.
Then he glanced at Jang Seok-min.
‘Get going.’
Jang Seok-min stood up with a stiff expression and bowed respectfully to Seo Jin.
“Huh? Why? Aren’t we drinking together?”
“Seok-min? He’s bringing some girls. Pretty ones. Let’s start drinking first.”
Kim Yun-hwan explained, and Jang Seok-min confirmed it.
“Please, enjoy yourselves. I’ll bring them back shortly.”
With that, Jang Seok-min passed by Seo Jin and Kim Yun-hwan and left the room.
The door clicked shut.
The space fell awkward with only Seo Jin and Kim Yun-hwan remaining. Kim Yun-hwan clapped his hands as if to dispel the tension, then headed toward the refrigerator and spoke.
“Have a seat. I’ll set everything up.”
“Hyung, I’m going to use the restroom first.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
While Kim Yun-hwan was taking out snacks, Seo Jin found the restroom and stepped inside.
Then he pulled out a crumpled note from his pocket and unfolded it.
Something Jang Seok-min had slipped to him discreetly as they passed.
Written hastily when Kim Yun-hwan had headed to the entrance to greet Seo Jin.
The handwriting was shaky and hurried.
BDK MW
Seo Jin’s eyes narrowed.
Then, with a soft chuckle, I tucked the paper into my pocket and turned away.
Returning to the living room, I settled onto the sofa as Kim Yun-hwan picked up a bottle of vodka.
“Vodka’s fine with you, right?”

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