Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 224

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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. (3)
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Interrogation Room.
A bowl of seolleongtang sat before Eom Si-young. Yet she hadn’t lifted a spoon once. All she did was stare into the void with eyes that had rolled back, vacant and hollow.
Creak.
The interrogation room door swung open with an ominous groan. As Eom Si-young shifted her gaze toward it, Kim Young-jun, the Prosecutor General, stepped inside.
“…Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
Eom Si-young asked, her lips trembling. But Kim Young-jun did not respond. He simply approached her with heavy footsteps and stood before her. Then Eom Si-young spoke again.
“I asked why you didn’t answer!”
“….”
Kim Young-jun remained silent. He only looked down at her quietly.
Eom Si-young shook her head. Then she pulled her hair back tightly and rose to her feet.
“If you don’t want to talk, then don’t. I don’t want to spend another second here—we’ll talk at home.”
Eom Si-young believed that Kim Young-jun was the head of the Prosecutor’s Office and could release her whenever he wished. Since he had appeared, she saw no reason to remain in this place.
But she was mistaken.
“Sit down.”
Kim Young-jun’s voice was ice-cold. Eom Si-young furrowed her brow and tilted her head in confusion.
“What?”
“You need to be questioned, don’t you?”
“…Questioned?”
Kim Young-jun said nothing more. He pulled out a chair and sat across from her, interlacing his fingers before speaking.
“You sit down too.”
“What are you doing right now?”
“I said sit down.”
At his grave tone, Eom Si-young reluctantly took her seat. Kim Young-jun continued.
“Back then, our marriage. I intended to use you.”
“…What are you suddenly talking about?”
“Burying your ex-boyfriend’s corpse with Choi Ji-beom—that was for the same reason. I needed you continuously, and I needed leverage to blackmail your father.”
“I understand, so let’s talk about this at home!”
Eom Si-young’s voice turned sharp. But Kim Young-jun paid no attention to her hysteria and continued.
“And it worked. Your father gave me freedom in exchange for covering up the murder.”
“What are you saying!”
“But that act became a weakness too. The fact that I disposed of a corpse—through some route I don’t know—reached Baek Ki-ho’s ears. But I endured it. Our relationship was built on mutual leverage, after all.”
“That’s not what matters right now!”
“And you believed you needed me too. My position as a prosecutor, the power I held, all the things you could enjoy without hardship….”
Kim Young-jun slowly raised his gaze, meeting Eom Si-young’s eyes. His expression was different from usual. A perfect hostility emanated from him.
Eom Si-young let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.
“So, that deal is over now, is that what you’re saying?”
“At least I thought I kept my end of the bargain.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“We met for profit, yes. But when we chose to live as husband and wife, there were lines we had to respect. You crossed that line.”
Eom Si-young slammed her hand against the table and shot to her feet.
“Stop dancing around it and get to the point! You’re saying you want to end this relationship because I committed a crime, because there’s no more profit in it?”
“I kept my line. But you didn’t.”
As he spoke, Kim Young-jun pulled a paper envelope from his jacket and placed it on the table with a soft thud.
Eom Si-young’s eyes fixed on the envelope. Kim Young-jun gestured with his finger and opened his mouth.
“Look.”
Eom Si-young’s trembling hand reached for the envelope. With shaking fingers, she opened it and examined its contents.
It was a paternity test result for Kim Young-jun and Kim Yun-hwan.
“…!”
Eom Si-young’s face drained of color. Her eyes darted frantically between Kim Young-jun and the test results.
Kim Young-jun placed a cigarette between his lips and spoke slowly.
“Yun-hwan won’t leave prison until he’s paid for every crime he’s committed. And I intend to let the world know that Yun-hwan isn’t my biological son.”
“H-honey… At least Yun-hwan….”
“The world will pity me. A man deceived by his wife for over thirty years. A man who lived as an upright prosecutor for justice, never knowing his wife was a criminal. A compelling narrative—that’s how I’ll be remembered.”
“Honey!”
“Si-young… Thank you. For your help until the very end.”
Kim Young-jun rose to his feet. He turned toward the door.
“Wait, just a moment! Please wait!”
Eom Si-young called out to Kim Young-jun with a desperate cry. He paused at the door handle and turned to look at her.
Eom Si-young faltered. Words surged to her throat, but her lips could not move. The look in Kim Young-jun’s eyes was as if he would grind her to dust.
When Eom Si-young said nothing, Kim Young-jun’s voice filled the interrogation room.
“Don’t worry. I’ll raise Yu-mi well. And don’t think of anything else. If you or Yun-hwan want to breathe fresh air even a moment sooner, you’ll have to watch my every mood for the rest of your life, just as you do now.”
That was the end. The interrogation room door slammed shut with a bang.
And Eom Si-young tore at her hair and screamed.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
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Outside the interrogation room, Kim Young-jun’s expression was different from Eom Si-young’s. With cold, hollow eyes, he held his phone in his hand. There were over thirty missed calls.
Reporters, reporters, Chief Prosecutor, reporters, Yu-mi, Seo Jin, and his brother, his brother, his brother, his brother, his brother….
Messages from his brother Kim Jun-man filled the screen.
-Are you okay?
-Is there anything I can do to help?
-Tell me anything. I’ve already contacted the media company presidents I know….
Kim Young-jun ignored everything from his brother Kim Jun-man. With still-hollow eyes, he scrolled through his contacts and pressed the call button.
“Prepare a press conference for tomorrow morning. Tonight will be busy.”
Kim Young-jun ended the call. Then he checked his contacts again. His finger stopped on Seo Jin’s name.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun pressed the call button without hesitation and brought the phone to his ear.
“Have you left work?”
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Seo Jin lowered his phone and opened his eyes slightly.
‘What is this?’
I knew that Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had come to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office to meet with Eom Si-young.
But now Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was supposedly coming to my office without warning.
‘Why all of a sudden?’
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun could barely maintain his sanity right now.
Eom Si-young had been arrested on an emergency warrant, and all the media was condemning Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
On top of that, he had discovered that Kim Yun-hwan was not his son.
In other words, there was a mountain of matters to handle.
There was no time for him to meet with me and exchange pleasantries.
I bit my lip and continued to contemplate the reason Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was coming to see me.
Right now, I was engaged in a struggle against Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
Every step was like walking on thin ice.
If I were alone, I could fight without hesitation, but now I had family.
One misstep could cause the fallout from this conflict to reach my father, mother, or my younger brother Jin-young.
That was why I always kept the worst-case scenario in mind. I had to prepare contingencies for escape.
It was the same now. I thought and thought again, trying to predict Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s moves and prepare my defenses accordingly.
Suddenly, words that Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk had spoken flashed through my mind.
“You know what he said while glaring at me like he was going to kill me? ‘Tell the person behind you this. Thank you for sending such a good gift. And tell him one more thing. I’ll send a gift too, so look forward to it.’ When I heard those words, I thought my heart would burst.”
My movements faltered.
‘…Could it be?’
Several possibilities came to mind. The worst among them was if Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had discovered that I was the person standing behind Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk.
That was when the door opened and Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun entered my office.
“Welcome, sir.”
I greeted him as naturally as possible while observing Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s expression.
But there was no emotion in Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun’s eyes. He simply approached me with a hardened face. Yet his voice remained calm.
“You’ve heard about Kim Young-jun’s Wife, haven’t you?”
“Ah, yes.”
“It’s brought shame upon us.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun pulled out a chair and sat down. Then, gazing at me with indifferent eyes, he continued in an affectionate tone.
“How is your health?”
“My health?”
At the unexpected question, I blinked, and Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun pointed to his own head with his finger and spoke.
“Your amnesia—is it still the same?”
“Ah, yes. I don’t remember anything in particular, but there’s no major inconvenience. So I’ve just been living without thinking about it.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Something was off about Kim Young-jun’s gaze. This wasn’t the look of an uncle—it was the piercing stare of a prosecutor determined to unearth every secret I possessed.
Everything about Kim Young-jun felt foreign to me now. Yet I continued to maintain my usual composure, refusing to let my unease show.
Kim Young-jun nodded and reached for a cigarette. When I placed a paper cup before him to serve as an ashtray, he continued speaking.
“I need to ask you for a favor.”
“…!”
An unexpected question followed by an equally startling request.
“First… I can’t even trust you right now. But you’re the only person I can think of to handle this.”
Kim Young-jun’s circle was filled with luminaries of the Prosecutor’s Office, and politicians wielding considerable power were scattered throughout his network.
By contrast, I was merely an ordinary prosecutor. The outside world praised me as a star prosecutor, a specialist in cold cases, but to someone like Kim Young-jun, I was still nothing more than a novice.
Yet Kim Young-jun had singled me out. I waited for his next words, my mind already preparing for the worst-case scenario. Then his lips moved.
“Chairman Um—my father-in-law. One of the handful of people in this country with the most liquid assets. I’m going to take him down.”
“…!”
“Don’t ask why or what the purpose is. As I said, I can’t even trust you right now.”
Kim Young-jun exhaled cigarette smoke and rose from his chair, stepping toward me. He placed a light grip on my shoulder.
In that instant, my vision flooded with black and white.
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A Korean traditional restaurant in Gangnam.
Kim Young-jun walked down the hallway, heading toward the VIP room at the far end.
Two men in black suits stood waiting outside. They recognized Kim Young-jun and bowed respectfully.
“He’s waiting for you.”
The sliding door opened smoothly at their touch.
A long table capable of seating dozens came into view. And there, sitting alone and drinking, was Chairman Um.
“You’ve come?”
“It’s been a long time.”
“It’s been about three or four years since we last met face to face, hasn’t it?”
“That sounds about right.”
“Sit.”
Kim Young-jun sat across from him and glanced at his wristwatch.
It was 7 p.m.
About three hours had passed since Eom Si-young’s arrest—meaning this vision I was seeing through psychometry occurred just before Kim Young-jun came to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.
Chairman Um swirled his glass and asked.
“Is something urgent?”
“It’s fine. Please, speak freely.”
“Sixty-five people have sat across from me until now. Congressmen, court judges, those holding key positions at the Blue House, presidents of media companies—they’ve all sat here and left.”
“Have you achieved results?”
Chairman Um chuckled softly.
“Money is a wonderful thing, I’ll give them that. Every single one of them said they wouldn’t ask about my crimes. But….”
Chairman Um paused briefly, then slammed his glass down with a sharp crack. His cold eyes fixed on Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun as he continued.
“Si-young said there was nothing to be done. Something about having to watch the beggars’ faces? Kim, how much longer do I have to live anyway? What does it matter if I spend a few years in prison before I die? So I’m here to propose a deal with you.”
“….”
“I turned a blind eye to Sun-ju being in the detention center. I thought his reckless nature needed to be restrained for a while. And I figured it was just a family squabble. But not anymore. Release Si-young, Sun-ju, and Yun-hwan immediately.”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun gave no response.
Chairman Um’s anger flared. He drummed the table with his palms—thump, thump—and spoke.
“Are you also saying there’s nothing you can do?”
“Yes.”
At his calm reply, Chairman Um’s face twisted.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun refilled his glass and continued.
“The prosecution’s search and seizure was watched in real-time by the entire nation.”
“…You’re saying you can’t?”
“And I’ve also learned something.”
“What!”
“That Yun-hwan is not my son.”
“…!”
Chairman Um’s movements froze. Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun smiled coldly and brought the glass to his lips. He set down the empty cup and spoke.
“Father-in-law… or rather, Chairman, you knew this too?”
“You, you….”
“The Prosecutor General of South Korea—a position with little real power. But if I decide to go down, I can send the people who made me a fool for over thirty years straight to hell. If I’m willing to be destroyed, Chairman, you won’t be able to hold out either.”
“But… isn’t there affection built up over all these years?”
Chairman Um was a strong man.
But a father with a daughter was weak.
Chairman Um’s voice was growing softer.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun refilled his glass again and asked.
“Enough. Now, let’s make a real deal. What will you give me?”
“Is there… a way?”
“There is. One covers up a bigger case with another bigger case.”
“So?”
“Kill a prosecutor for me. This time, unlike last time, it can’t end quietly. You need to do it properly.”
“A prosecutor?”
“There’s a man named Jang Ji-hyuk.”
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The psychometry ended.
As the monochrome faded, the world regained its colors.
Seo Jin’s mind flooded with confusion. The words Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun had spoken to Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk echoed in his thoughts.
“And one more thing—tell him I’m sending a gift too. He should look forward to it.”
That gift was Jang Ji-hyuk’s life.
And there was something else that troubled Seo Jin.
The final words Kim Young-jun had uttered during the psychometry.
“This time, you cannot end it halfway like last time. You must do it properly.”
The question Kim Young-jun had suddenly thrown at me when entering the office.
“Amnesia—is it still the same?”
A complex puzzle suddenly unfurled before my eyes. But there was no time to solve it now.
Seo Jin managed his expression and looked at Kim Young-jun.
Kim Young-jun opened his mouth.
“I’m giving you the recipe to catch Chairman Um. All you have to do is cook.”

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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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