Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 211

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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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Loyal Dog (1)
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“…We can confirm it through a DNA test.”
The next day, Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk stood in the apartment of a man who had once dated Seo Jin’s Aunt.
It was an old rental apartment, a cramped fifteen-pyeong space.
The man’s mother lived here alone.
“Such a thing exists?”
Many unidentified bodies were being discovered in the sea and mountains. However, without stored DNA from family members, many cases were processed as unclaimed remains.
“If you keep it on file, we can identify him when we find him….”
The man’s mother’s eyes glistened with tears.
“He wouldn’t have died. He’s alive. I’m certain of it….”
More than thirty years had passed. Yet the man’s mother still believed her son was alive. Or rather, she wanted to believe it.
Watching the man’s mother sob, Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk bit his lip.
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“Take this.”
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk handed me a plastic bag as we left the apartment.
“You’re not going to make me handle the genetic registration too, are you?”
“I should do it.”
“You really are something. We could’ve done this in person, you know?”
“I apologize for the trouble.”
I bowed respectfully. But Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk’s expression looked troubled.
“…What’s wrong?”
“She just reminds me of my mother somehow. If she were still alive… Ah, never mind. Let’s grab a drink.”
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk patted my shoulder and walked ahead.
I looked up from examining the hair and fingernails in the envelope, my gaze following Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk.
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As the pork skin sizzled and browned, Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk filled my glass and asked.
“Who is it?”
“Pardon?”
“That mother’s son—who’s the bastard that killed him?”
Instead of answering, I threw back the filled glass.
Under normal circumstances, Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk wouldn’t have pressed further.
But things were different now. He was asking again.
“You’re not the type to dig up a thirty-year-old case for no reason, are you? Tell me. Who is it? You know, don’t you?”
“….”
“Thirty years have passed, and you’re telling me your son is still alive! Do you have any idea how much I wept while pulling out my hair and trimming my nails?”
I didn’t answer this time either.
Jang Ji-hyuk’s fist clenched with a sharp crack.
“The statute of limitations has expired. Thirty years gone—there won’t be a shred of evidence left. But if you don’t tell me….”
“My aunt.”
“…!”
Jang Ji-hyuk’s eyes widened.
He stared at me with shock written across his face.
I poured more liquor into Jang Ji-hyuk’s glass and continued.
“I’m not entirely certain yet. But the suspicion dominates my thoughts.”
“You mean the Prosecutor General’s wife?”
“Possibly. But the resentment from thirty years ago—the law has closed that chapter. What can we do?”
Jang Ji-hyuk gulped down his drink to soothe his parched throat.
For a long moment, he said nothing. His eyes glazed over as he muttered to himself.
“The Prosecutor General….”
Even someone like Kim Yun-hwan, with solid evidence against him, is difficult to prosecute.
Trials are postponed under various pretexts, and his name vanishes from the media.
But this would be even harder.
No matter how I rack my brain, it’s impossible.
-A crime from thirty years ago.
-Evidence long since vanished, circumstances grown murky.
-Possibly the Prosecutor General’s wife.
Jang Ji-hyuk tugged at his short hair in frustration.
“Damn it!”
I picked up the bottle again and refilled Jang Ji-hyuk’s glass.
“There is one way for her to face justice—social ruin.”
It’s not something a prosecutor sworn to uphold the law should say.
But my aunt committed murder and lived lavishly for decades.
She laughed while her ex-lover’s flesh rotted away.
When his mother shed tears, she sipped liquor worth millions of won.
While that mother longed for her son, my aunt draped herself in luxury brands and walked the world.
“How could I stand by and watch her live like that?”
Jang Ji-hyuk crossed his arms in silence. Then he nodded.
“Put this on my shoulders too.”
“…What?”
“I’m being exiled anyway—might as well go out with a glorious title. The prosecutor who arrested the Prosecutor General’s son and wife. Has a nice ring to it. So let’s figure out the method. How will you do it? Don’t tell me you already know where the body was abandoned?”
“No. Not yet. But I think I’ll find out soon.”
Jang Seok-min is searching for someone named Manager Choi.
That person holds the key to this secret.
Seo Jin intended to seize Manager Choi and force his mouth open by any means necessary.
But then it happened.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Jang Ji-hyuk’s phone vibrated.
Jang Ji-hyuk glanced at the caller ID, tilted his head in confusion, and brought the phone to his ear.
“Yes, this is Jang Ji-hyuk speaking…”
-It’s me.
It was Kim Young-jun, the Prosecutor General.
At that voice, Jang Ji-hyuk’s eyes widened.
“Oh, h-hello?”
-Come to my office tomorrow.
With that, the call abruptly ended.
Seo Jin watched Jang Ji-hyuk blinking and asked, “Who was that?”
“My uncle.”
“Your uncle?”
“Yeah, the Prosecutor General.”
“Why… did he call?”
“No idea. He just told me to come to his office as soon as I get to work tomorrow.”
Jang Ji-hyuk finished speaking and brought his glass to his lips.
Not long ago, Jang Ji-hyuk had refused an order to release Kim Yun-hwan.
After that, he thought he’d fallen out of favor with the Prosecutor General, so this sudden summons was unexpected.
“What’s this about?”
While Jang Ji-hyuk narrowed his eyes in thought, Seo Jin could anticipate the reason.
Why his aunt, who was supposed to attend a couples’ gathering yesterday, had suddenly returned.
His aunt must have thrown a fit demanding that Kim Yun-hwan be released.
They probably argued in the car, and Kim Young-jun, the Prosecutor General, had to face the embarrassment of attending the couples’ gathering alone.
‘So… is he trying to persuade Jang Ji-hyuk again? For the sake of family peace?’
But Jang Ji-hyuk was, quite literally, an upright man.
Persuasion would be difficult.
‘There’s no way Kim Young-jun wouldn’t know that…’
Seo Jin brought his glass to his lips with a stern expression, imagining various scenarios, but nothing concrete came to mind.
There was only one thing he could say now.
“Be careful.”
“Do I need to be? Worst case, I just resign, right? When I open my own practice, send me a congratulatory wreath.”
“What if you die?”
“Die?”
Seo Jin had experienced death before.
So he asked with concern, but Jang Ji-hyuk seemed to have no such thoughts in his mind.
Jang Ji-hyuk was Seo Jin’s senior, but he still lacked experience dealing with powerful figures. He didn’t understand how they operated.
Jang Ji-hyuk is a senior prosecutor to Seo Jin. However, he still lacks experience dealing with major figures as a prosecutor. He doesn’t know how they handle things.
Jang Ji-hyuk chuckled softly as he picked up his glass.
“Death? That’s not what scares me. It’s breaking that terrifies me.”
Seo Jin nodded and brought his glass to his lips.
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The next day, in the office of Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
Kim Young-jun stood by the window, gazing out at the city below.
Then came a knock at the door, and Jang Ji-hyuk entered.
“You called for me?”
Kim Young-jun kept his eyes fixed on the window as he spoke, not turning around.
“A mere prosecutor has now visited this office twice, and he’s climbing the ranks.”
“….”
Jang Ji-hyuk said nothing, and Kim Young-jun continued.
“I wish Yun-hwan would let this go easily….”
“I apologize. I will follow the law.”
At the resolute tone, Kim Young-jun let out a soft laugh.
“How much longer do you think you’ll be in Seoul? Even without your cooperation, Yun-hwan will walk free. Do you really think keeping him in the detention center while you’re here counts as a victory?”
“I harbor no such naive thoughts.”
Kim Young-jun turned his body and pointed a finger at the table.
Jang Ji-hyuk bowed his head once more before approaching the table, and Kim Young-jun spoke.
“Read it.”
Scattered documents lay on the table.
Jang Ji-hyuk sat on the sofa and unfolded the papers. His eyes widened.
“Your uncle bought an apartment, didn’t he? But he used some tricks to avoid taxes. He drew up a separate contract. If that’s discovered, the penalty is forty percent, isn’t it?”
“…!”
“And you have a younger cousin working at M Electronics? I heard you two are close…. He’s been taking kickbacks from subcontractors. The amount doesn’t seem large, but wrongdoing is still wrongdoing.”
“…!”
“The next page. Isn’t that your friend? A restaurant owner who’s been omitting cash income from tax reports? How does that work?”
Jang Ji-hyuk’s body trembled.
Kim Young-jun smiled faintly as he watched.
“The same crime. What will you do….”
Suddenly, Jang Ji-hyuk slammed the documents shut with a bang.
There was more, but he didn’t need to see it. His eyes blazed as he looked at Kim Young-jun and spoke.
“Arrest them all. If they’ve committed wrongs, they should be punished. If they’ve evaded taxes, they should pay what’s owed. That’s what I believe the law is.”
“Do you think I’ll stop here? I can turn a microscope on every single person around you.”
“I don’t care.”
Kim Young-jun laughed quietly and nodded.
“Yes, this nation stands upright because of prosecutors like you. But those documents—there’s still much more to read before we close the book on them.”
“Prosecutor General!”
Kim Young-jun turned his body. Then he walked toward the window with heavy steps and continued speaking.
“That Cheongma Orphanage where you volunteer. If the orphanage disappears, where do you think those children will go? That’s right, those kids aren’t guilty of anything. Their only crime was being born into poverty.”
“…!”
Jang Ji-hyuk’s hands trembled violently. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were parched when Kim Young-jun’s voice cut through the air.
“I think the terms are sufficient—poor children in exchange for my son….”
“…!”
“If you don’t think so, keep going. I have the power to turn everything around you into ruins.”
“…!”
“Ji-hyuk, I care for you. That saying about how a prosecutor like you is necessary for this country to stand straight—I wasn’t being sarcastic. But justice without power is impotence. Build your power first.”
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“We couldn’t determine when he started working, and there are many people with the surname Choi….”
At that moment, Seo Jin was meeting Jang Seok-min at the Coffee Shop in Front of District Prosecutors’ Office.
What Jang Seok-min hesitantly presented were the identities of those working under the man called Chairman Um. Their personal information.
“Six people?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jin pressed his lips together and flipped through the documents one by one.
The documents were incomplete, prepared in haste. They contained only photos and names. There were no contact numbers or home addresses for these men.
And there were six of them.
If it weren’t for me, finding him with only the clue “Choi” would have been difficult.
But the opponent is me. I had already confirmed the man’s face through psychometry.
My hand, which had been flipping through the documents, suddenly stopped.
‘Choi Ji-beom.’
The man who was with my aunt.
The man who had evaded saying I didn’t kill him.
I handed his document to Jang Seok-min and spoke.
“Find out where this person lives. What his children do, how his assets are structured—find everything you can verify.”
“This person?”
I intended to corner Choi Ji-beom. I would force him to betray the Um family, to spill out every detail of my aunt’s crimes. To do that, I needed to know everything about him.
“Yeah. How long do you think it’ll take?”
But Jang Seok-min looked at me carefully and whispered in a small voice.
“Prosecutor, is this person perhaps Yun-hwan’s father?”
“Huh?”
“That’s why you’re asking me to find him, right? To find Yun-hwan’s dad….”
I chuckled. Without giving him any other information and just telling him to look into it, he seemed to be letting his imagination run wild.
“Finding his dad is correct, but that person isn’t his dad.”
“No? He’s not his dad?”
“If I have something certain, I’ll tell you then.”
Jang Seok-min pouted but didn’t ask further. Then, as if remembering something, he clapped his hands and spoke.
“Ah, this.”
Jang Seok-min fished around in his pants pocket and pulled out the paternity test results for Kim Yun-hwan. The white envelope was crumpled.
I opened the envelope and examined its contents.
The result hadn’t changed.
Kim Yun-hwan was not the son of Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
“Keep it safe. And when I give the word, move.”
“Yes.”
I sipped my coffee through a straw and gazed out the window.
It didn’t matter what Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was thinking or what plans he’d made.
I would destroy it all.
Everything.

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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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