Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 218

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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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I Remember (4)
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Baek Ki-ho appeared on television.
In the sweltering heat, he was installing a fan in an elderly person’s home, his hands moving with purpose.
Holding the old man’s hand, his radiant smile painted the image of a good-hearted soul.
The announcer spoke.
—Congressman Baek Ki-ho’s approval rating has surpassed 40 percent. Congressman Baek Ki-ho emphasized the need to care for our marginalized neighbors….
It was the home of Gong Dae-chul, the former congressman undergoing investigation without detention. When I arrived, Gong Dae-chul had prepared a modest spread of drinks.
“Care for a glass of makgeolli?”
As Gong Dae-chul poured, my gaze drifted toward the television.
The announcer continued her effusive praise of Congressman Baek Ki-ho.
A former judge with unwavering integrity, untouched by scandal, a man of genuine service rather than spectacle—the litany went on.
Gong Dae-chul smiled bitterly.
“The president’s approval rating isn’t terrible. Yet the opposition candidate Baek Ki-ho’s numbers are high. It’s unusual.”
The ruling party simply lacked compelling figures.
There were charismatic lawmakers, but they were too young for the presidency. As a result, the ruling party’s candidate was floundering.
“So, will you support Baek Ki-ho?”
“Congressman Baek Ki-ho’s appeal rests on the image of a righteous former judge—his cleanliness. But the moment the ugliness beneath that facade is exposed, his competitive edge vanishes.”
“I know, but there’s no way. People dismiss it all as negative campaigning anyway.”
“There is a way.”
My conviction halted Gong Dae-chul’s movements. His eyes sharpened as he waited for my next words.
I withdrew a recorder and a white envelope from my pocket, placing them on the table.
“Listen to this first.”
…!
Gong Dae-chul picked up the recorder and pressed play.
—…I borrowed money from a loan shark.
A man’s voice emerged.
As the voice continued, Gong Dae-chul’s expression twisted.
Murder and cover-up.
Everything resolved through money—vulgar capitalism at its most naked.
And finally, the man spoke.
—…That loan shark’s name is Choi Ji-beom.
I stopped the recorder and opened my mouth.
“The evidence that Choi Ji-beom gave the orders—it’s in this envelope.”
“Who is Choi Ji-beom? Someone acting on Baek Ki-ho’s orders?”
“No. Choi Ji-beom is someone who’s worked under the man known as Chairman Um for over thirty years.”
“Chairman Um?”
Gong Dae-chul’s eyes hardened. He knew Chairman Um as well.
“I heard he’s joined hands with Japanese capital now….”
As I apprehended Jeo Hoo-an, who had crossed over from China, the Illegal Loan Shark Market of South Korea was firmly under the control of Japanese loan sharks.
And Chairman Um moved swiftly. Grasping the hands of the Japanese loan shark operators, he was greedily raking in money.
“Are you thinking of Chairman Um? But it’s difficult to touch Chairman Um.”
Chairman Um’s influence is immense. He’s a man who seized vast fortunes by exploiting South Korea’s turbulent periods. He’s also acquired equity stakes in various corporations during that time.
If Chairman Um makes a move, there’s a possibility that all of South Korea could be engulfed in scandal.
I let out a short laugh.
“So, you’ll just keep leaving it alone? If you’re too afraid of surgery to pick up the scalpel, the outcome is obvious.”
My voice was audacious, and former Congressman Gong Dae-chul’s face began to harden.
But I didn’t care and continued speaking.
“This won’t work, that won’t work…. While you drag out time like that, you create monsters like Chairman Um, Baek Ki-ho, and Kim Young-jun. Those monsters… were created by politicians like you, sir.”
“You!”
Finally, former Congressman Gong Dae-chul burst out in anger.
But I didn’t back down.
Instead, I leaned forward toward the former congressman and whispered.
“Let’s excise those malignant tumors from this nation.”
“If it were that easy….”
I cut off Congressman Gong Dae-chul’s words and continued.
“What does Chairman Um do? Money games. Lending money and collecting it. Why are you afraid to excise that?”
I was making the former congressman look like a coward with perfect precision.
Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul bit his lip and spoke.
“Hundreds of billions in bribes, sexual favors from high-ranking officials and politicians, and videos of it all. Chairman Um has everything.”
“Oh, how terrifying.”
The former congressman’s eyes narrowed. And just as he was about to shout again, I spoke quietly.
“But are you also afraid of catching his daughter?”
Congressman Gong Dae-chul tilted his head in confusion.
Come to think of it, my words lacked coherence. I said I’d catch Congressman Baek Ki-ho, then suddenly brought up Chairman Um. And now his daughter.
I pulled out a document and placed it on the table, continuing.
“The media has kept quiet, but a corpse was discovered a few days ago. There was a knife embedded in the body, and the killer’s DNA is on that knife.”
“So, what does this have to do with Baek Ki-ho?”
“The corpse was discovered on my aunt Eom Si-young’s land. As you know, my uncle is Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun. If my aunt falls, my uncle will fall too. That’s what I intend to do.”
My gaze shifted to the television. Congressman Baek Ki-ho was still on screen, smiling benevolently. Looking at that image, I continued.
“Then my uncle will grab Congressman Baek Ki-ho’s ankle to survive. Since he’s not the type to die alone. My uncle and Congressman Baek Ki-ho will clash. The Ruling Party can just watch the show and enjoy some rice cakes.”
My gaze turned back to former Congressman Gong Dae-chul.
“I apologize for speaking so presumptuously until now. But I’ve heard that a presidential election is a war. And right now, the Ruling Party is in a situation where defeat is certain.”
I placed the recorder on the white envelope with a tap and continued.
“You have a bomb—why not detonate it? Don’t worry about the gate blowing open. Just set it off.”
Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul gripped his glass of makgeolli. His hand trembled faintly.
I was right.
Chairman Um was a concern, but as I said, a presidential election is a war.
When the incident breaks, Seo Jin’s Aunt would inevitably be swept up, and a confrontation would erupt between Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun and Congressman Baek Ki-ho.
The Ruling Party could reap the benefits.
Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul downed a mouthful of the shimmering rice wine in one gulp, then looked at me.
“But will you be alright?”
“Me?”
Even if this case proceeded, no trace of me would be found.
It would merely be a struggle between the Ruling Party and Opposition Party, between those in power. I could remain thoroughly concealed.
There was no danger of being caught by Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
But that wasn’t what Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul was asking.
“You could leave the Prosecutor’s Office too.”
I was Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s nephew.
Everyone in the Prosecutor’s Office knew that fact.
After Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun departed, enduring those piercing stares would be difficult.
But I answered nonchalantly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“There might not be a Law Firm willing to take you in.”
“That doesn’t matter either.”
Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul chuckled and shook his head.
“I’m ashamed.”
“….”
“A young boy knowing full well he’d be hurt, yet insisting on catching the monster—and here I am, grown, trembling in fear of it. That’s what shames me.”
Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul filled his glass with rice wine and nodded.
“Count me in.”
“…!”
Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul had already withdrawn from politics.
But his influence remained substantial.
The reason Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun and Congressman Baek Ki-ho made him their first target was precisely because of that influence.
Such a man had just declared he would fight.
I lowered my head.
“A difficult decision—thank you.”
“Forget it. Just worry about your next job.”
“I suppose I should.”
I smiled faintly and nodded.
Suddenly, Congressman Gong Dae-chul slapped his knee and asked.
“Have you ever thought about going into politics?”
“Pardon?”
At the unexpected question, I blinked.
But the light in Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul’s eyes was sincere.
I shook my head.
“If people knew I was Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s nephew, wouldn’t that hurt my approval ratings?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. We can make it work behind the scenes. So, have you ever thought about entering politics?”
Former Congressman Gong Dae-chul continued with a quiet laugh.
“This world needs a bad guy like you.”
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A few days later, at Kim Young-jun’s House.
The living room looked as though a shell had detonated inside it.
The curtains were torn, family photographs shattered. Glass shards scattered everywhere cast a sinister pall across the space.
Standing in the midst of it all was Seo Jin’s Aunt, Eom Si-young.
Her pupils were dilated from the vast quantities of alcohol she’d consumed. Her hair, torn and disheveled from rage she could no longer contain, hung wild about her face. She looked like a specter.
“To the very end….”
Eom Si-young had just received a call from Kim Young-jun.
-It’s just too difficult. You asked me to wait until after the presidential election. Then Yun-hwan can come out.
Eom Si-young bit her lip and hurled her phone away. It struck the wall with a sharp crack, shattering into pieces.
“What kind of bastard locks up his own child for his own selfish ambitions!”
And in that moment, the memory of meeting Kim Yun-hwan surfaced in Eom Si-young’s mind.
Her son, weeping and begging to be released. His desperate plea to go home. His voice promising to live honestly from now on.
“Just wait a little longer. Mother will get you out, I promise.”
As Kim Yun-hwan’s image faded from her thoughts, her ex-boyfriend flashed across her mind.
The scene of the murder. Her ex-boyfriend, drenched in blood, had stepped back and spoken.
“At least… raise Yun-hwan well.”
Eom Si-young remembered her ex-boyfriend and nodded.
“I’ll raise Yun-hwan well. Don’t worry.”
Eom Si-young’s gaze shifted upward to the second floor, where Kim Yun-hwan’s room was located.
“Still… I haven’t forgotten you, brother. Every password I have is your birthday. Yun-hwan… I’ll get him out. I’m doing this for you.”
Eom Si-young walked to the table. She brought a glass of wine, red as blood, to her lips and smiled bitterly.
“Brother, Mother… have I been neglectful all this time? You loved me so much, yet I never once came to see you. When things quiet down, I’ll visit. And I’ll keep apologizing. I’ll give you plenty of spending money too….”
But then it happened.
The doorbell rang through the living room.
“Ma’am!”
At the cold voice, the housekeeper who had been trembling in the kitchen emerged and checked the intercom.
“Madam… Prosecutor Seo Jin has arrived.”
“Seo Jin?”
As Eom Si-young tilted her head in confusion, the housekeeper opened the door and returned to the kitchen.
Soon the door swung open and Seo Jin entered.
But his expression was grave, his face rigid with tension.
“Aunt!”
Eom Si-young looked at Seo Jin with eyes glazed from intoxication and asked.
“…Why?”
I approached Eom Si-young.
“This is… this is bad.”
“…Bad? What could be worse than Yun-hwan going to prison?”
I twisted my expression and picked up the television remote from the table.
But pressing the button did nothing—the screen remained dark, an ashtray lodged in its center.
I pulled out my phone and opened the Portal Website, then played a video.
It was the preview for Lee Eun-ha’s “Seeing the World.”
As Lee Eun-ha’s face filled the screen in a close-up, she began to speak.
-A buried corpse. A knife driven into the chest like a curse. The victim was Seon Chae-o, who disappeared thirty years ago. And… the moment the body was discovered, a mysterious man sought out Seon Chae-o’s mother for the first time in thirty years.
The screen shifted, and a man’s voice flowed through.
-…I borrowed money from a loan shark.
Then the screen went black. In the darkness, subtitles typed out rapidly, one character at a time.
-We know who the real culprit is. You killed him.
Kim Young-jun’s Wife’s face drained of all color. Only a faint whimper escaped her lips. “Ah…”
And I drove the final nail in.
“I heard through someone at the media company. That land—it belongs to you, doesn’t it? It seems the Ruling Party orchestrated this. They’re saying they need to investigate your DNA…”
Eom Si-young let out a scream of denial.
“No!”

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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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