Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 208

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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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Finding (1)
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The table sagged under the weight of abundant dishes. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor licked his parched lips and brought a water glass to his mouth.
“Why…”
Out of nowhere, a call came from Jeon Dong-guk, the Vice Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
-I was hoping to see your face…
The Vice Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office was the second-in-command of the Prosecution Service. While his actual authority wasn’t substantial, his name carried considerable weight.
For him, who had risen to Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office without any backing, a summons from the Vice Chief Prosecutor was a welcome development.
“Welcome, sir.”
As the sliding door opened and Jeon Dong-guk entered, the Chief Prosecutor rose from his seat and bowed deeply.
Jeon Dong-guk waved his hand with an affable smile.
“Why such formality? Please, sit comfortably.”
The Chief Prosecutor offered an awkward smile and sat across from Jeon Dong-guk.
Jeon Dong-guk chuckled and opened his mouth.
“How about some makgeolli?”
The Chief Prosecutor licked his dry lips.
‘Makgeolli?’
It was a drink he hadn’t tasted since his impoverished university days. He had sworn that once he succeeded, he would drink only expensive liquor.
“Aren’t you from the same university as me? I heard you were my junior?”
At Jeon Dong-guk’s words, the Chief Prosecutor broke into a broad smile and pressed the bell.
Soon makgeolli arrived in a dented kettle and was placed on the table, clashing incongruously with the expensive dishes.
“Sometimes I miss those university days. Let’s have a drink and talk slowly.”
He drank a cup. Then Jeon Dong-guk refilled the empty glass and continued speaking.
“You became Chief Prosecutor to check Kim Young-jun, didn’t you?”
The relationship between the Minister of Justice and Kim Young-jun was strained.
The Minister of Justice had elevated him, a man with no backing, to Chief Prosecutor specifically to counter Kim Young-jun…
“I’m in the same boat.”
Jeon Dong-guk’s mission too was to check Kim Young-jun.
“But lately, there’s been talk that you’ve sided with Kim Young-jun.”
“Haha.”
The Chief Prosecutor laughed awkwardly. In truth, he couldn’t answer. He didn’t want to admit aloud that he had clung to survival like a bat.
Kim Young-jun was someone who had joined hands with Representative Baek Ki-ho and planned far into the future.
He couldn’t remain beside the Minister of Justice, who would vanish the moment the administration changed.
That was how one navigated the world.
So the excuse the Chief Prosecutor offered was…
“I haven’t sided with anyone. I merely uphold the law.”
“Uphold the law?”
“Yes, I simply move according to the rules.”
The Prosecutor General had no intention of discarding any lifeline.
The world right now was like a turbulent sea.
To avoid being swept away and drowning in waves of unpredictable change, there was only one way—grip the rope tightly and endure.
So he made that excuse, but Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk’s expression shifted dramatically.
He glared coldly at the Prosecutor General and silently tapped the table with his palm, tap-tap.
The force gradually intensified. Then, with enough force to shatter it, he slammed the table down with a thunderous ‘BANG!’
“And a man like that is dumping cases on Seo Jin!”
The Prosecutor General flinched at the thunderous voice. But it wasn’t over. The rebuke was just beginning.
“The public doesn’t know! They just see this young upstart Seo Jin running around solving cases and think it’s wonderful! But what is Seo Jin’s actual position!”
Seo Jin belonged to the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division.
“Why is he doing criminal investigation work! Why is he investigating murder cases! Why is he poking his nose into kidnapping cases!”
“D-Deputy Chief Prosecutor….”
The Prosecutor General tried to make another excuse. But Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk didn’t stop and continued speaking.
“Did Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun order you to? To make Seo Jin a star? To push his nephew forward! And you talk about upholding the law? Following the rules?”
The Prosecutor General’s face darkened.
“I, I….”
The Prosecutor General had never given Seo Jin any direct orders. Seo Jin had simply acted on his own. All the Prosecutor General had done was leave him alone.
But the world was misunderstanding him.
“That’s not true!”
“I’m not finished!”
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk gripped the glass cup and hurled it at the Prosecutor General. With a sharp ‘CLANG!’ the makgeolli cup shattered against the wall and fell.
A chilling silence hung in the air. Within it, the Prosecutor General trembled uncontrollably.
Then Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk’s voice dropped low.
“Do you know that people above are watching you?”
“…!”
“The ‘above’ I’m referring to isn’t the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. It’s higher than that.”
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk’s tone changed. The anger vanished, replaced by the counsel of a senior to his junior.
“You don’t want to end your honorable career as a prosecutor with the word ‘disgrace,’ do you?”
“….”
“Then, from now on, don’t give Seo Jin those kinds of cases. Even if Kim Young-jun orders you to, follow the rules you mentioned. Then the word ‘disgrace’ will disappear.”
“…!”
“And if you don’t follow his orders, what will Kim Young-jun do to you? You’re simply following the rules….”
The Prosecutor General nodded. Then Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk smiled gently and refilled the Prosecutor General’s glass.
“Listen, I’m your senior. I care about you. Don’t just look at your feet in haste—look a little further ahead. Then you’ll be able to walk the path you desire.”
“…I understand.”
“Take your time with your meal before you go. I’ll pay the bill.”
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk stood up.
Having made his threat, it was only natural to give him time to think.
But Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk, having stepped outside, didn’t head toward the exit. He went directly into the adjacent room.
And Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk broke into a broad smile.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Seo Jin was sitting inside.
Seo Jin rose from his seat and bowed respectfully toward Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk.
“Thank you for this.”
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk collapsed into the seat across from him with a wave of his hand.
“Forget it. That’s what a Supreme Prosecutors’ Office deputy chief prosecutor does anyway—cleaning up after those green prosecutors. It’s how we let them work without worry.”
“Still, I’m sorry.”
“I said forget it.”
“Then, going forward, I’ll need some more cleanup help….”
Seo Jin flashed a playful smile, and Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk chuckled softly in return.
Then Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk brought his glass to his lips and spoke.
“Cases like that won’t come your way anymore.”
The next assignment Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho would direct toward Seo Jin was a setup.
They were trying to examine what Seo Jin would do behind their backs.
‘But….’
Seo Jin had anticipated their move and made a request of Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jeon Dong-guk.
The greatest strategy in the world is to stay one step ahead of your opponent’s thoughts and dismantle everything.
Seo Jin had no intention of moving according to Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho’s wishes.
‘Next….’
Seo Jin’s eyes gleamed as he gripped his glass.
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The next day, Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo walked briskly down the hallway with one of his trusted prosecutors.
“Has the Prosecutor General been in contact?”
“No.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo’s expression had hardened.
After the human trafficking ring was completely dismantled, the team was disbanded. Naturally, there was no contact from Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun. He had been abandoned.
But Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo refused to give up and maintained a positive outlook.
‘Just one thing, just one thing….’
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo thought that if he accomplished something that pleased Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun, he would be contacted again and could enter that circle.
Then he would be on the path to success. Perhaps he could even enter the core of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
“It seems the Prosecutor General is trying to intervene in the presidential election.”
At Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo’s words, his trusted prosecutor’s eyes widened.
“The presidential election… intervention?”
“Think about it.”
When Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo was briefing, an article about Congressman Baek Ki-ho burst forth as if on cue.
“They were preparing for it. If we had continued to fail to catch the criminal, Congressman Baek Ki-ho’s approval ratings would have risen.”
“Then we were….”
“Yes, chess pieces.”
“…!”
Lee Seok-woo’s trusted aide’s face darkened, but the Chief Prosecutor continued speaking.
“Don’t be upset. There are plenty of people who don’t even get chosen as chess pieces. And think about what the Prosecutor General has done all this time. He’s never turned his back on those who helped him. Look at how that fool Jo Woo-jae is still attached to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo smiled and went on.
“So, let’s find what we can do to get involved in the presidential election. If we help, he’ll repay us.”
“….”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo patted his aide’s back affectionately.
“Jung Yong, don’t think badly of this. There’s only one way for guys like us from provincial universities to succeed. Attach ourselves to someone above. Otherwise, no law firm will even take us.”
But then it happened.
A voice pierced Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo’s ears.
“Seo Jin is investigating Gong Dae-chul? Wow, he’s a big fish, but isn’t that going too far?”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo’s pupils slowly turned. At the end of the hallway, leaning against the window, he saw an investigator on the phone.
“Really? He received orders from Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun? Damn, they’re just taking care of their own family.”
At the mention of orders from Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun, Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo’s eyebrows twitched.
The investigator’s voice continued.
“But if he received the orders weeks ago, why hasn’t he pushed forward until now? I guess… it would be scary. Touching a big fish like that….”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo narrowed his eyes and chewed over the words the investigator had let slip.
‘Seo Jin is investigating former assemblyman Gong Dae-chul? But he’s not pushing forward?’
Meanwhile, the investigator’s voice moved on to trivial matters.
“Hey, let’s grab a drink after this.”
There was nothing more to hear. Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo licked his dry lips and turned his body. And the corners of his mouth twitched.
‘I think I see the answer.’
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo walked toward the end of the hallway.
As his footsteps faded away, the investigator on the phone shifted his gaze toward the hallway.
“Is this good?”
From a blind spot invisible from Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo’s position, Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk emerged.
“Ah, you’ve worked hard. Now let’s go have a cigarette, shall we? I’ll buy the drinks. Hahaha.”
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk laughed brightly and pointed toward the smoking area.
And watching the investigator move ahead, he picked up his phone.
“Hey, Seo Jin.”
It was Seo Jin’s request.
Only Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk, who was close with the investigator, could do this.
“Bait cast.”
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“You’ve worked hard.”
Seo Jin lowered his phone as he listened to Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk’s words.
Bait cast so crudely it felt childish.
‘But….’
The bait will work.
‘There’s a saying that anyone who has ever seen gold can never forget it.’
Greed clouds a person’s judgment and makes them turn a blind eye to the truth.
Even when those around them warn of danger, they fall for the con with the thought, ‘I’ll be fine.’
This tendency is especially pronounced in those who have achieved social success and possess intelligence.
They believe themselves to be special, different from everyone else.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo possessed that same weakness.
‘For Lee Seok-woo, Kim Young-jun is gold.’
Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo would begin his reckless rampage according to my wishes.
‘Now….’
I could leave the matter of former congressman Gong Dae-chul to Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo.
All I needed to do was help him stumble into confusion, one step at a time.
Having finished my thoughts, I slowly lifted my gaze. Then, with a genuinely bright smile and a warm tone, I spoke.
“It’s been a while, hyung.”
Before me sat Kim Yun-hwan in a prison uniform. The bastard wore a rotting expression on his face.
I leaned forward toward Kim Yun-hwan and spoke in a low voice.
“The detention center food must be delicious. Looks like you’ve gained some weight.”
“You bastard!”
Kim Yun-hwan glared at me with a vicious expression.
But I continued smiling.
The more his face contorted, the brighter my smile became.

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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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