Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 205

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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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Growing Wings (4)
Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Serial Disappearance Special Investigation Team.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo sat in the seat of honor and placed a cigarette between his lips.
“These incidents target female college students specifically. Request cooperation from local police departments in each area where missing person reports were filed and have them submit their investigation records. Send official notices to other regions too—tell them to report immediately if any missing person reports involving female college students come in.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo had no intention of going down to the provincial areas himself.
He believed the police should handle the field work, and he would simply receive investigation records from them and direct operations from here.
“If we solve this case, we can climb into the Prosecutor General’s faction!”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo, a man who had lived his life by the palm of his hand, believed that solving this case would allow him to grow wings in life.
At that moment, Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo’s phone vibrated with a buzzing sound.
The caller was the Sergeant from the police box earlier today.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo chuckled.
“Working hard, I see.”
He brought the phone to his ear, erasing the scornful tone from moments before and opening his mouth as respectfully as possible.
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
-Prosecutor Seo Jin has identified a suspect.
“…Yes?”
An unexpected statement.
I thought Seo Jin would report on whatever he was doing, but he’s already identified a suspect.
-He’s apparently moving toward Northern Gyeonggi. The details are….
“Understood.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo put down his phone and shot to his feet. He issued orders to the prosecutors waiting in the room.
“We’re moving to Gyeonggi Province. Get the investigators ready!”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo draped his jacket over his shoulders, a smile spreading across his face.
*
*
*
At that moment, I was driving while on a call with Jang Seok-min.
-He’s passing through Siheung.
Kim Eun-beom, the missing woman’s ex-boyfriend, was reportedly passing through Siheung on the outer route.
The exact destination was unknown, but if he continued straight, it would be Incheon.
The same destination as the van suspected of kidnapping the missing woman.
“Keep following him. Keep me updated.”
-Yes, sir!
“Oh, and I need to ask you something….”
-Go ahead.
“Send some people to this location.”
If my predictions were correct, these men were kidnapping people using a van.
There was no doubt they wouldn’t be easy to handle.
Even law enforcement wouldn’t intimidate them.
But I couldn’t request police cooperation for something uncertain.
For now, I can make use of Jang Seok-min.
-Understood.
Hearing Jang Seok-min’s crisp voice, I smiled faintly. Something had suddenly occurred to me.
Kim Young-jun, the Prosecutor General, was treating this case as trivial.
Like the Sergeant, he viewed it as nothing more than a simple runaway.
He’d even assigned someone like Lee Seok-woo as Team Leader, showing no will to actually resolve it.
‘What Kim Young-jun is really after….’
Making the case public to unsettle the people and erode the ruling party’s approval ratings.
If he actually solved the case, it could elevate his own approval ratings, but he was looking further ahead.
His plan was to get Baek Ki-ho elected, then ascend to the pinnacle himself.
‘But….’
When Lee Seok-woo reported that he’d identified a suspect, Kim Young-jun would find himself in a bind.
It was a shame I wouldn’t be able to witness that expression firsthand.
*
*
*
Shortly after, I arrived at a wharf in Incheon.
-They lost him there.
Tracking a vehicle through traffic signals wasn’t an easy task.
In the end, Jang Seok-min’s subordinate had lost Kim Eun-beom’s trail.
But it didn’t matter.
“Tell them they did well. When do you think the team will arrive?”
-I sent them right away after your call, so probably about twenty minutes?
After ending the call, I accessed a portal website and checked the map.
Places where someone could be hidden.
Or places where heinous crimes could be committed.
‘Abandoned factories, abandoned warehouses….’
There were quite a few closed factories and warehouses in the area.
Especially at night, there was hardly any foot traffic.
‘And….’
I continued to piece together the situation.
Those who kidnapped people—they had sinister purposes behind their actions.
And they only kidnapped. There had to be people who bought humans for money.
‘A safer place here. Somewhere with open ground where transactions could take place.’
I studied the map, thinking about where I would have set up a base if I were the perpetrator.
‘Not the entrance. But it can’t be too far away either.’
My gaze fixed on a particular area of the map.
‘Here.’
I got out of the car and recalled Kim Eun-beom’s license plate number as I headed toward the factory district.
*
*
*
“It appears to have been incorrect information….”
The Sergeant looked toward Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo with an awkward expression.
It was Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.
Dozens of investigators filled the Prosecutor’s Office van parked in that field-covered area.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo, standing before them, ran his hand through his hair in irritation.
“So, where is Seo Jin?”
“He apologized and said he would go in first.”
“Sigh….”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo shook his head.
He felt no apology toward the investigators who had mobilized all the way out here on a moonlit night.
There was only one thing he worried about—how to report this to Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun. That was the problem.
He had already reported that they had identified the suspect and boasted they would bring him in soon.
That premature announcement was now coming back as poison.
Still, he had to report something.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo turned away from the Sergeant’s side and brought his phone to his ear.
“P-Prosecutor General….”
-Did you catch him?
“W-Well, it turned out to be incorrect information.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo braced himself for a thunderous rebuke.
But the voice that came through was unexpectedly gentle.
-Where did you hear this information?
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo could not mention Seo Jin’s name.
If Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun learned that Seo Jin was involved, Seo Jin might end up joining this team.
Then he would have to share the credit. He might even lose all the spotlight to Seo Jin.
“We heard it from the police.”
-It’s fine. These things happen during investigations—you follow false leads sometimes.
“I apologize.”
-No, really, it’s fine. But… I’m sorry too, so what do I do?
“Sir?”
-We’ll need to hold a briefing.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had already anticipated that Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo would not catch the culprit.
He was certain they would return empty-handed.
That was why he had gathered the media.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office would be holding a briefing on the female college student disappearance case.
The purpose was to bring this issue into public discourse in earnest.
*
*
*
Abandoned Warehouse.
A bonfire roared inside a steel drum.
Shadows of people flickered and danced across the wavering flames.
Nine rough-looking men had arranged chairs around the drum and settled in a circle.
One of them exhaled ashen cigarette smoke and asked Kim Eun-beom a question.
“But what brings you here? I thought you weren’t coming for the transaction.”
“I just wanted to see your face one last time.”
The men snickered at his words.
“This bastard was in love. He was in love.”
Teased by the men, Kim Eun-beom’s gaze shifted to one side.
A space that had once served as an office when the warehouse operated normally.
His ex-girlfriend lay there, unconscious from drugs.
Kim Eun-beom smiled bitterly and placed a cigarette between his lips. Then he recalled what had happened days ago.
Her words about breaking up—he couldn’t measure how deeply they had wounded him.
So he had clung to her several times.
And that day, Kim Eun-beom had followed his girlfriend as she headed home.
He grabbed her wrist and dragged her into an alley.
“I love you!”
“Stop it! I don’t want to see a thug like you. Don’t follow me. I’m calling the police.”
“Damn it!”
Kim Eun-beom struck his girlfriend’s cheek with his fist.
He snatched her phone and hurled it to the ground, screaming like a madman.
“I’ll kill you, I swear!”
Even at his murderous glare, his girlfriend didn’t cower.
Instead, she fought back fiercely.
“You crazy bastard, kill me! Try killing me!”
Having finished the brief memory, Kim Eun-beom exhaled cigarette smoke and muttered.
“I loved her.”
Then he tapped the ash from his cigarette and turned his gaze back to the men.
The regret had vanished from Kim Eun-beom’s face. Now only money occupied his thoughts.
Car lease payments, new clothes to buy as autumn approached.
He could find a new girlfriend.
“But how much will we get?”
“Not us—they set the price. Since she’s decent-looking, I don’t think they’ll turn her into logs… maybe around three grand?”
“Three grand….”
“Your role was significant this time, so I’ll give you a generous cut.”
“Thank you.”
Kim Eun-beom nodded. Then he calculated his share from the nine of them.
‘Not much….’
Kim Eun-beom stubbed out his cigarette with a taste of disappointment and opened his mouth again.
“But the Prosecutor’s Office came looking for me not long ago.”
The men’s eyes widened at the mention of the Prosecutor’s Office.
“…The Prosecutor’s Office? Not the police, but the Prosecutor’s Office?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Because of this?”
“It seems so. He asked a few questions and left… but that prosecutor is a famous person.”
“Who?”
Kim Eun-beom pulled out his phone, searched for Seo Jin, and showed the men.
The men peered at the phone screen, tilting their heads in confusion.
“Who is he?”
These men lived without watching the news; they didn’t know Seo Jin’s face.
Kim Eun-beom chuckled at their lack of current affairs knowledge.
“He’s a famous person.”
“So? Did you get caught?”
“No. I cried and made a scene in front of him.”
Kim Eun-beom explained to the men the situation when he met Seo Jin, boasting about how well he had acted while describing his own wailing performance.
Each time he finished speaking, the men lit cigarettes and laughed with amusement.
“I’m going to use the restroom.”
After drawing out the conversation for a while, Kim Eun-beom stood up and headed out of the warehouse.
With an eerie creaking sound, he opened the door and stepped outside, walking toward the edge of the empty lot to relieve himself.
The unmaintained lot was overgrown with weeds.
With each step, the sound of grass being trampled rustled softly.
Kim Eun-beom stood motionless in the darkness, undoing his belt.
“Hey.”
At the chilling voice, Kim Eun-beom’s eyes snapped wide open.
“Don’t scream. Your neck bone might pierce through your skin and snap off.”
A sinister hand touched Kim Eun-beom’s neck. The moment he opened his mouth as if to speak, it felt like his neck would be broken.
Kim Eun-beom’s eyes darted toward the source of the voice.
Seo Jin stood there.
Kim Eun-beom swallowed hard.
“Th-this place….”
“How did I get here? Your car is parked over there.”
“I-I came to meet a friend.”
“You must have good friends.”
“It’s true.”
“I already know everything, so spare the excuses.”
“Pr-prosecutor….”
“Never mind. How many are inside?”
Kim Eun-beom swallowed hard.
Seo Jin seemed to know everything.
And the grass is filled with other shadows. Even a rough glance suggests there are more than twenty of them.
‘W-wait, the police?’
In the darkness, the silhouettes that flicker into view are unmistakably imposing.
They’re even carrying batons.
Definitely the violent crimes unit.
Kim Eun-beom’s face contorted in despair.
“I asked how many there were.”
“Including me, there are nine of us.”
Kim Eun-beom’s judgment was swift.
There’s no winning against an investigative agency in a fight.
Besides, they’ve already surrounded this area.
It’s more advantageous to quickly provide information and hope for leniency.
And I sensed Kim Eun-beom’s cowardice. Dealing with a man like this isn’t difficult.
“Tell me—who’s ordering you to do this?”
“…What?”
“Who’s making you traffic people like this?”
“Th-that is…”
I have no intention of stopping at someone like Kim Eun-beom, a mere errand boy.
The garbage above him who traffics in human beings.
I plan to tear them apart too.
Kim Eun-beom’s eyes filled with terror. Soon tears streamed down his face.
“I’m sorry. I’m really going to die.”
The man who was about to sell out his ex-girlfriend was now worried about his own life.
And as I watched his desperate expression, I smiled coldly.
“I’ll teach you how to survive. Tell me everything. Then go to prison. Then you’ll live.”

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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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