Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 222

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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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Scorched Earth. (1)
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Chairman Um’s body trembled violently.
Chairman Um’s eyes were bloodshot crimson as he glared at the television and opened his mouth.
“Make a call.”
“…Yes?”
The Secretary hesitated at the sudden command, and Chairman Um clenched his fist as he continued.
“Call the Director of the National Forensic Service!”
“Ah, yes.”
The Secretary turned and pulled out his mobile phone. He scrolled through the contacts and found the number.
Meanwhile, Choi Ji-beom’s voice continued unabated.
-Eom Si-young is indeed the murderer. After committing the crime, she called me, and I disposed of the body. The reason the knife was left as it was is because I couldn’t think of another place to dispose of it. That land was owned by Eom Si-young’s father, and it was an era without CCTV or mobile phones….
Chairman Um turned his gaze toward the Secretary and shouted like thunder.
“Hurry!”
-I heard that Eom Si-young’s blood traces were found on the knife. Since much time has passed, I’m uncertain what results will emerge, but if a genetic test is conducted, you will discover that my words are true.
“Yes!”
The Secretary pressed the call button and held the phone to his ear.
-Of course, the statute of limitations has expired on this crime. The perpetrator cannot be arrested even if revealed. However, I believed it was unacceptable for a murderer to become the wife of the Prosecutor General, and later the wife of a politician, living a luxurious life.
The phone in the Secretary’s hand continued to emit the dial tone.
-I urge the Prosecutor’s Office to immediately conduct a search and seizure of Eom Si-young’s residence. You will be able to find land, homes, and stocks purchased under false names, as well as the crimes she committed with her brother.
The Secretary stared at Chairman Um with a rigid expression. What came from the phone was not the voice of the National Forensic Service Director.
-The call was not answered, so it’s being transferred….
-There is another reason I came forward today. Eom Dong-seok, Eom Si-young’s father, attempted to have me assassinated. To silence me as I sought to reveal the truth, Eom Dong-seok hired a contract killer.
Choi Ji-beom on the screen pulled out his mobile phone. He opened an application and pressed play. Chairman Um’s voice flowed from the television.
-Listen here… Manager Choi has been under me for over thirty years. Shouldn’t I give him time to say goodbye to his family? Let’s set it for the day after tomorrow.
Chairman Um began pounding the table with his palm—bang, bang, bang—in rapid succession. The table shook and a vase on top fell to the floor, shattering with a crash. Chairman Um didn’t stop there; he picked up an ashtray and hurled it at the television.
Crack!
A dull sound rang out as the television screen shattered.
The living room fell silent.
Only Chairman Um’s ragged breathing could be heard.
Then Chairman Um began to laugh—a harsh, guttural sound.
The Secretary stood beside Chairman Um with a worried expression.
“Ch-Chairman….”
Chairman Um waved his hand dismissively.
“There’s no need to worry. Someone once said it—the masses are creatures of low comprehension and swift forgetfulness.”
“…!”
“So they fall for the lies of politicians while wagging their tails, curse the wealthy while slaving away for them.”
“…!”
“This time will be no different. They’ll forget. And I’ll make sure of it. Follow me.”
Chairman Um rose to his feet. With hands clasped behind his back, he trudged steadily toward the study room.
The secretary quickly pursued him.
Standing in the study, Chairman Um withdrew a ledger and placed it on the table with a thud.
“Make a call. Tell them we should have dinner tonight.”
The ledger was filled with the names of countless congressmen and powerful figures.
As the secretary flipped through the ledger, Chairman Um clenched and unclenched his fist while speaking.
“The common people think they can move the world. But they’re only foolish enough to believe that. The world moves with just half the National Assembly in your hands.”
Chairman Um had lived through the Japanese occupation and the chaos of war. Born the son of a poor family, he had followed the tides of history with his eyes and become a parasite of the era, accumulating vast wealth in his hands.
He had lived as an unscrupulous loan shark, wielding and shaking the black money of South Korea.
Those years had passed, and he had grown old. He was finishing his life worrying about his children’s futures.
But now it was different. Chairman Um’s eyes gleamed with life. Facing a crisis in his final hour, he was savoring it.
Of course, he never entertained the thought of defeat. He trusted those who carried themselves with confidence in this nation—the time spent with them, the money he had given them.
“An egg thinks it wins before it shatters against a rock. But do you really have to throw it to know?”
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At that moment, in the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun sat at his desk.
His mobile phone was turned off.
The office telephone line had also been disconnected.
Calls that never ceased ringing.
Right now, he needed time to think.
Yet Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s expression was peculiar.
The corners of his mouth twisted slightly as he smiled.
‘Choi Ji-beom…’
Choi Ji-beom had exposed the crimes of Chairman Um and Eom Si-young through a press conference.
But there was nothing about Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun in Choi Ji-beom’s statements.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun crossed his legs and recalled a few days prior.
On the day the corpse was discovered, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had contacted Choi Ji-beom and said this:
-No matter what happens, don’t mention my name. Think of your family’s future. The moment you mention my name, all your assets will be frozen. Then your family won’t have a single won left.
Asset freezing is a legal measure created to prevent the concealment and embezzlement of property before a guilty verdict is confirmed.
But Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun intended to use it as a tool of economic blockade against Choi Ji-beom’s family.
And Choi Ji-beom had knelt before Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s voice.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun remembered that call and, with a leisurely expression, slowly took his mobile phone in hand. He turned it on and quickly searched through his contacts.
“Central District Prosecutor’s Office Chief—don’t approve the search warrant.”
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“The Chief Prosecutor will approve it.”
Seo Jin sat in Jang Ji-hyuk’s car.
The prosecutor in the driver’s seat opened his eyes slightly.
“What makes you so certain?”
“The Vice Prosecutor General went himself. And I’ll make you a promise. The next Vice Prosecutor General, our Prosecutor General—he’s living a mayfly’s life, never knowing when death will come. Have you ever seen a mayfly planning for the distant future?”
Jang Ji-hyuk blinked.
“The… Vice Prosecutor General? You don’t mean the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office?”
“Yes.”
Jang Ji-hyuk’s face twisted in disbelief.
Yesterday it was Congressman Gong Dae-chul who moved, and now a Vice Prosecutor General from the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office was making his play.
“What… what exactly are you?”
“Sir?”
“Congressman Gong Dae-chul, and now a Vice Prosecutor General—what is this?”
But there was no time to hear the answer to his question.
Jang Ji-hyuk’s phone vibrated as a message arrived.
Just as I had said, approval for the search and seizure had come through.
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Back at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, in Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s office.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun set down his phone and chuckled dryly. His laughter echoed with a chilling tone.
“Things are unfolding quite entertainingly.”
The Central District Prosecutor’s Office Chief Prosecutor’s betrayal.
The search and seizure had been approved, and the court had granted permission.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s eyes gleamed with a cold, steely light as he gripped his phone. Then he called his wife, Eom Si-young.
“They’re going to execute the search and seizure. Don’t even think about hiding anything. Move everything to your mother’s place for now.”
-W-what are you talking about? A search and seizure?!
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s voice was calm, but Eom Si-young was different. She was spewing curses in an agitated voice.
But Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had no intention of soothing her. This was not the time for a marital quarrel.
“Move it. Now.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun ended the call without listening to another word. He set down his phone, rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, and reclined leisurely on the sofa, closing his eyes.
In Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s mind, methods to navigate through this crisis began to spring forth rapidly.
After all, the affairs of the world are conducted by people. Move people, and anything can be resolved.
Allies and enemies, those whose allegiances blur and shift.
Their faces and names flickered in and out of his consciousness.
After a moment, a smile formed at the corners of Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s lips. He had thought of a way to escape this crisis.
Then the door opened and the Anti-Corruption Division Chief entered. The chief prosecutor bowed his head respectfully, approached the desk, and handed over documents.
“Everything you requested regarding Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk, sir.”
Jang Ji-hyuk was the man who had aimed his gun at Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun. But orchestrating something of this magnitude would be difficult for someone of Jang Ji-hyuk’s standing.
There had to be someone standing behind him.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun thought this as he flipped through the documents about Jang Ji-hyuk.
The first thing I saw was the phone call history. Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s face contorted.
“Is this… real?”
“Yes.”
“Real, you say?”
There were almost no calls. Just conversations with investigators and staff, and the occasional call to the orphanage. The only other records were game purchases on the phone.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun bit his lip as he stared at the blank call history.
At that moment, the door opened again.
This time, Jang Ji-hyuk entered.
“Leave us.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun gestured, and the Anti-Corruption Division Chief bowed before slipping out of the office. Then Jang Ji-hyuk approached Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun with heavy steps.
“You called for me?”
“You’re conducting a search and seizure of my home?”
“Yes. No matter what you say, we will proceed.”
At Jang Ji-hyuk’s resolute voice, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun twisted his lips and rose to his feet.
“Fine, do what you must. It will clear my name anyway. But let me ask you one thing. Who’s behind you? The Ruling Party? The government? Or…”
“There’s no one.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun shook his head.
“Ji-hyuk… I don’t know who’s behind you, but you’ll be abandoned. That’s the ugly truth of those in power. They’re using your sense of justice.”
“….”
“But now that the search warrant is approved, there’s nothing you can do. You’ll waste your efforts and be exiled as planned. However, Ji-hyuk. If you take my hand, I can give you wings.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun patted Jang Ji-hyuk’s shoulder as he continued.
“I once said that powerless justice is incompetence. But I will give you the power to realize justice. Just endure for three years. Then you’ll gain strength. In exchange… tell me. Who is the person behind you?”
“…You’ll give me wings?”
“Yes. I’m a man who keeps his promises.”
Jang Ji-hyuk, meeting Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s gaze, sensed something. Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was not afraid of the search and seizure.
He showed no concern about the current situation. He regarded it as merely a passing wind. That was power.
Moreover, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was known to take care of his people without fail. He had a reputation for keeping his promises to the end.
Jang Ji-hyuk, with his head bowed, murmured, “Wings… wings…”
Seeing this, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun smiled slightly. He thought he had almost won him over.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun grasped Jang Ji-hyuk’s shoulder and continued in a warm voice.
“A prosecutor called crazy for working hard. But if you take my hand, you’ll be recognized not as crazy, but as a diligent prosecutor.”
“…I have something to give you.”
“Yes, who is it?”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s eyes gleamed, and Jang Ji-hyuk pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it over.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun thought there would be someone’s name inside and quickly opened it.
But what unfolded was not what he expected.
A paternity test result between Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun and Kim Yun-hwan.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s movements froze completely.

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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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