Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 212

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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 (2)
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“You drank quite a bit yesterday, and now you’re drinking again?”
That night, Jang Ji-hyuk sat in silence, downing glass after glass. He didn’t touch the side dishes, didn’t make small talk—nothing.
By the time his face had flushed red, he finally opened his mouth, his voice heavy with melancholy.
“Seo Jin.”
“Yes? But let’s stop drinking now.”
“I’m sorry.”
The weakness in his voice made me furrow my brow.
Jang Ji-hyuk had clearly been summoned to Kim Young-jun’s office today, and he’d heard something unpleasant there.
Jang Ji-hyuk set down his glass with a sharp clink and spoke.
“I learned something good today. That powerless justice is incompetence. Who said that? Your uncle.”
“…!”
A French philosopher once said: ‘Justice without power is impotent, and power without justice is tyranny.’
Jang Ji-hyuk had tasted the bitter helplessness of powerless justice.
I looked at Jang Ji-hyuk with a wry expression and asked.
“What happened?”
Jang Ji-hyuk told me about his meeting with Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun. Everything from his relatives to the orphanage.
The Prosecutor General had recognized Jang Ji-hyuk’s integrity and hadn’t cut off his head directly. Instead, he’d eliminated those around him, making him hear their screams.
In the end, Jang Ji-hyuk had agreed to release Kim Yun-hwan.
“If my relatives committed crimes, they should be punished according to the law. I haven’t changed my mind on that. But what crime did the children commit? Ah, I was told poverty is a crime. Fine, being poor is a crime.”
“….”
“I lost. I’m being exiled, and Kim Yun-hwan is being released. Well, at least the children can stay there because of it.”
Jang Ji-hyuk refilled his glass with slumped shoulders.
The silence between us was so complete that you could hear the soft pour of liquor into the glass.
And just as Jang Ji-hyuk brought the glass to his lips again, my voice came from across the table.
“Gwang-hyun, there’s an orphanage called Cheongma Orphanage in Gyeonggi Province. Find them a house they can move into. Don’t worry about the cost. Yangpyeong? Yeah, that sounds nice. They can have a vegetable garden, and the kids can run around. Since it might be far from school after moving, arrange a shuttle service too. Thanks.”
Jang Ji-hyuk blinked, staring at me.
“…What are you doing right now?”
“What else? I learned how the silver-spoon set makes donations.”
“Huh?”
“So what are you going to do about Kim Yun-hwan? Are you going to release him?”
“Wait, you’re being really annoying right now.”
“What?”
“I’m really feeling the difference between the working class and the bourgeoisie right now.”
Jang Ji-hyuk had agonized over this problem all day. But with one phone call, it was solved.
Money really does make the world go round.
Jang Ji-hyuk lifted his glass.
Glasses clinked together as Jang Ji-hyuk drained his drink in one satisfying gulp. The atmosphere had shifted entirely. His slumped shoulders straightened with renewed vigor, and life returned to eyes that had seemed hollow moments before.
“Thank you. So today, give me the chance to buy you a drink. I’ll take care of the bill.”
“Really? That’s very kind of you. By the way, did you know?”
“Know what?”
“Korean beef is supposed to be incredibly delicious these days. Marble Number Nine, I think?”
Jang Ji-hyuk’s expression froze. He had no idea what Marble Number Nine was, but it certainly sounded expensive.
Jang Ji-hyuk called out in a voice tinged with urgency.
“Manager, add some beef skin!”
“Beef skin again?”
“Beef skin is loaded with collagen, you know. I need to take care of my skin.”
A man who never applied lotion was now touching his cheeks thoughtfully while discussing collagen.
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At that same moment.
In a basement bar in Seoul, a place whose aged interior held its own charm.
Kim Young-jun and Seo Jin’s Father Kim Jun-man sat side by side.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
Kim Jun-man gazed around the establishment with nostalgic eyes, his fingers tracing the threads of memory.
Twenty years ago, this was a place he and Kim Young-jun frequented often.
Back then, their bond had been strong.
They had climbed toward the summit of the world together, pushing and pulling each other forward, sharing their struggles over drinks every night.
Recalling those memories, Kim Jun-man spoke.
“We’ve changed, but this place hasn’t.”
“The original manager passed away, I heard.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I looked into it before coming.”
The two brothers laughed bitterly.
Kim Jun-man then poured whiskey into Kim Young-jun’s glass and asked.
“But why did you send the bartender out?”
Only Kim Young-jun and Kim Jun-man remained in the establishment.
The bartender had stepped outside, and the door bore a sign reading “CLOSED.”
“What else? I wanted to have a quiet drink with my brother after all this time.”
Kim Young-jun had rented the entire place just to talk with Kim Jun-man.
“If you have something to say, say it before you get drunk. Tonight, let’s set aside our pride and drink freely.”
Kim Jun-man loosened his tie and chuckled softly. The thought of drinking with his brother after so long had lifted his spirits.
Kim Young-jun added one more thing.
“I don’t have anything particular to say. I just wanted to talk with you. When I think about it, it’s been years since we’ve had a drink alone together.”
“You’re right. It’s been more than five years since we drank just the two of us. We always met with the families.”
The two brothers slowly sipped their drinks and conversed in hushed, intimate tones.
There was no particular topic. We reminisced about old times and talked lightly about our current situations. After a few drinks had gone down, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun finally spoke.
“By the way, when are you going to marry off Seo Jin? I heard he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”
It was about Seo Jin’s marriage—an intention hidden within casual conversation.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had summoned Kim Jun-man specifically to bring up this topic, and he felt the opportunity had finally arrived.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun continued speaking while observing Kim Jun-man’s expression.
“Yun-hwan will have to wait a bit longer given his situation, but Seo Jin is fine, isn’t he?”
“Well, Seo Jin doesn’t seem to have the inclination. Oh, but Jin-young appears to have a girlfriend.”
“Jin-young? Surely you don’t mean Jin-young is going first? No matter how much the world changes, the older brother should go first.”
“Who knows….”
For Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun, Jin-young’s marriage was of no concern. After all, the boy was always running around doing cooking—it didn’t matter who he met or spent time with.
“Ah, I know a decent girl. Want to see her?”
“Who?”
“I heard she was in the same class as Seo Jin.”
“Same class? A prosecutor?”
“I have a photo….”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun muttered “Where is it” and scrolled through his phone screen before handing it to Kim Jun-man.
Lee So-hee’s face was beautiful. Her profession as a prosecutor elevated her credentials even further. Moreover, she was supposedly in the same class as Seo Jin.
As Kim Jun-man’s eyes brightened with interest, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun whispered softly.
“Should I casually bring it up to Seo Jin? I work at the same place, after all. I can easily feel him out in passing.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun believed persuading Seo Jin wouldn’t be difficult.
The Seo Jin he knew was exactly like himself—someone who would put love aside without hesitation if there was profit to be gained.
He believed that if he explained the benefits a marriage with Lee So-hee would bring, Seo Jin wouldn’t refuse.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun smiled quietly and picked up his glass.
“Let’s drink.”
But then it happened.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk.
-Sir, I’ve given your words deep consideration. I will engrave in my heart your statement that “a prosecutor like you is what this nation needs to stand upright,” and I will expose every one of Kim Yun-hwan’s crimes.
However, it wasn’t just Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk who deviated from Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s expectations.
The phone vibrated again….
-Chief Prosecutor Lee Seok-woo is summoning Representative Gong Dae-chul.
Representative Gong Dae-chul was one of the targets for verifying Seo Jin’s ideology. Yet suddenly, this fool was running wild.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun laughed heartily.
“What? Found something amusing?”
At Kim Jun-man’s question, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun shrugged with an unbothered expression.
“Why do these flies keep swarming around? They’d disappear with just a wave of my hand….”
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And then, back at the meat restaurant where Seo Jin and Jang Ji-hyuk sat across from each other.
Jang Ji-hyuk stuffed his phone into his pocket and turned his gaze forward.
“Sent. Now I’m even running errands by text message.”
“I’m always sorry and grateful.”
“Enough. I’m the one who’s grateful.”
Jang Ji-hyuk felt gratitude that the children at the orphanage could now live in better conditions.
He was relieved that he could remain true to his convictions.
Jang Ji-hyuk picked up his chopsticks and asked.
“But won’t making such a declaration of war make things harder?”
“No, that’s exactly why I sent it.”
I knew Kim Young-jun’s character well.
He would regard Jang Ji-hyuk’s declaration of war as trivial. Kim Young-jun possessed that much power.
‘But….’
As long as he was human, he would certainly be bothered, and the strong cannot tolerate the weak challenging them.
“I wanted to make him focus on small matters. So he wouldn’t know about the greater event to come.”
Soon, Kim Yun-hwan’s family reunion would take place.
Until then, Kim Young-jun had to be occupied with Jang Ji-hyuk and other matters.
Because if he found out too late and got blindsided by the very person he trusted, it would truly hurt.
‘The problem is….’
Whether Kim Young-jun knew about Kim Yun-hwan’s situation or not—that was the problem.
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-The Prosecutor’s Office announced it will investigate former congressman Gong Dae-chul. The Hanmin Party claims this is prosecutorial interference in the election, which is coming up soon….
I turned off the radio. And when silence filled the car’s interior, I turned the steering wheel.
I arrived at a hotel in Seoul.
Choi Ji-beom, who harbored Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s secret, was said to be here now.
I parked the car in the hotel’s parking lot and stepped out.
Jang Seok-min approached me and bowed at the waist. Then he opened his mouth with a sly grin.
“Choi Ji-beom is in his room right now. You know J Kim, right? That idol singer who just turned twenty. He went in with her….”
“Where’s his car?”
“Pardon?”
“Where is Choi Ji-beom’s car parked?”
I didn’t want to hear sordid details. So I got straight to the point, and Jang Seok-min corrected his sly expression and turned his body.
“This way.”
In the parking line marked VIP, Choi Ji-beom’s car was parked.
A luxury convertible worth over six hundred million won.
I let out a soft chuckle and muttered.
“A convertible past sixty. He’s living stylishly.”
I checked the phone number and immediately pressed the call button.
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In the Hotel’s VIP room.
Choi Ji-beom was smoking while listening to the idol singer shower.
His phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
“Hello?”
-There’s been a minor accident. Come down and take a look.
At the sudden, insolent voice, Choi Ji-beom’s brow furrowed.
“Excuse me?”
-A. Minor. Accident. Can’t you hear me?
“Look, you sound young, but shouldn’t you apologize first before anything else?”
-Now that you know, come down. I’m at Basement Level 3 G11 Line.
That was it. The call ended abruptly.
Choi Ji-beom stared at his phone with a bewildered expression.
He was curious to see what kind of lunatic would pull something like this.
“I’ll be back soon, so wait here.”
Choi Ji-beom turned and left the room, taking the elevator down to the underground parking lot.
Upon finding his vehicle, Choi Ji-beom put a cigarette in his mouth and walked forward, opening his mouth to speak.
“If we talk with courtesy, we can both avoid frowning, right?”
“Ah, sorry. I’m not the type to be courteous with a thug.”
“…!”
Just as Choi Ji-beom tilted his head in confusion.
Seo Jin approached him with steady steps and spoke.
“Prosecutor.”
“…?”
“I said, Prosecutor. Let’s talk.”
Choi Ji-beom laughed incredulously, shaking his head. Then he exhaled a refreshing stream of cigarette smoke and spoke.
“Since you came looking for me, you must know who I am…. Did you think I’d be scared if you called me a prosecutor?”
“No. You won’t be scared.”
“Then, shouldn’t we be more courte….”
Seo Jin cut off Choi Ji-beom’s words.
“Listen, if you know I’m not scared of prosecutors, shouldn’t you be wondering why I’m doing this anyway? Look at my face. You don’t recognize me?”
Choi Ji-beom narrowed his eyes and studied Seo Jin’s face carefully. Then he hesitantly opened his mouth.
“Kim… Seo Jin?”

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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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