Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 231

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

When the Waves Come (3)
Kim Jun-man said nothing and approached Kim Young-jun with heavy, deliberate steps. He came to a stop before him. Kim Young-jun’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“W-why are you here?”
Kim Jun-man did not answer. He simply gazed at Kim Young-jun’s face in silence. There was no emotion in his eyes.
Kim Young-jun forced a smile and opened his mouth.
“Brother, I can explain everything. You see, what happened was….”
But Kim Jun-man ignored his voice. He slowly turned his gaze toward the parked truck.
“May I open it?”
His voice was different from usual. Devoid of inflection, businesslike. No—drained of all strength.
“Brother…!”
“What’s inside?”
Kim Jun-man seemed to know everything already, yet Kim Young-jun spilled out excuses.
“I heard an external audit was coming. Our books are clean—not a speck of dust—but construction sites are what they are, right? So I….”
“An external audit? Who told you that?”
“…!”
Without someone planted inside the company, there was no way he could know. Kim Young-jun’s words caught in his throat, and Kim Jun-man walked toward the truck.
“Brother!”
Kim Young-jun tried to stop him. But Kim Jun-man opened the cargo bed without hesitation. He yanked out a box roughly, hurled it to the ground, and tore at the tape with both hands, ripping the box open. What lay exposed were documents from Jaejeong Construction.
“…!”
Kim Young-jun exhaled heavily.
“Brother, I’m telling you I can explain everything!”
Kim Jun-man squeezed his eyes shut. Kim Young-jun’s voice no longer reached his ears.
When a person confronts a truth they never wanted to know, despair takes hold. And when betrayed by a younger brother, one feels not anger but a hollow emptiness.
Kim Jun-man opened his eyes slowly, biting his lip as he spoke.
“Young-jun….”
“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s a misunderstanding. I really did this for you….”
“For me?”
“Yes!”
“Then let’s verify it.”
“…Verify?”
At that moment, the warehouse door burst open and roughly a dozen men in hats entered. It was Do Gwang-hyun and his associates.
Kim Young-jun’s eyes narrowed at the appearance of these unexpected figures.
“W-who the hell are these guys?”
“I said let’s verify it.”
Do Gwang-hyun and his associates passed by Kim Young-jun and Kim Jun-man. Then they moved with swift efficiency. They pulled boxes from the truck, tore open the tape, and dumped the documents out in a cascade. Do Gwang-hyun then opened his mouth toward Kim Jun-man.
“Beginning the external audit now!”
“Proceed.”
The command fell from Kim Jun-man’s lips. Do Gwang-hyun and his associates began sorting the documents with remarkable speed. They organized by date, by category, subdividing everything meticulously, and set aside any documents with irregularities. Their pace was astonishingly fast.
And as Kim Young-jun watched this unfold, anger kindled in his eyes. He did not reflect on his own wrongdoing. Instead, he felt as though he were being mocked, toyed with.
“Brother…!”
Kim Young-jun had initially believed the sudden external audit was a scheme orchestrated by someone standing behind Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk. But observing the situation unfold before him now, it seemed more like the handiwork of his brother Kim Jun-man.
“Brother!”
Kim Young-jun’s thunderous voice echoed through the warehouse. Only then did Kim Jun-man’s gaze settle upon him.
Kim Young-jun shook his head with an incredulous laugh, sweeping his hair back as his piercing eyes bore into Kim Jun-man.
“This is insane… You’ve been suspecting me?”
“….”
“Jaejeong Construction—yes, your efforts were substantial. But do you truly believe it would have grown to this extent without my assistance? Half of this success is mine.”
Kim Young-jun leaned forward, his face drawing close to Kim Jun-man’s. His bloodshot eyes locked onto his brother’s gaze as he spoke with a voice dripping with malice.
“You said later we’d split everything equally and amicably. Was that all pretense? Feigning kindness, pretending to care for me while harboring suspicion? Or is this something you’ve been preparing to monopolize all along? Don’t live like that.”
In that instant, Kim Jun-man’s hand swung. It connected with Kim Young-jun’s cheek, and a sharp crack echoed through the warehouse.
Time seemed to freeze. Do Gwang-hyun and his associates, who had been examining documents, stood motionless.
Kim Young-jun remained standing with his head turned to the side, dazed.
“Just now…”
Kim Young-jun’s wavering eyes processed what had happened. What had struck his cheek. What was occurring at this very moment.
His expression twisted as comprehension dawned. Only his pupils moved slowly, fixing a glare upon Kim Jun-man.
“…What are you doing?”
Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the warehouse. In that suffocating silence, only Kim Young-jun’s voice continued, desiccated to an extreme degree.
“Brother… Have you lost your senses?”
Kim Young-jun straightened his posture. He slowly adjusted his clothing, then turned toward Kim Jun-man. The same words emerged from his lips.
“You’ve lost your senses. Stupidly so.”
“Come to your senses.”
At Kim Jun-man’s words, Kim Young-jun shook his head as if bewildered. Then, with a desolate laugh, he spoke.
“Tomorrow… Jaejeong Construction will face a search and seizure. All assets will be frozen, and banks will demand loan repayment. Bankruptcy will follow. You’ll lose everything you’ve enjoyed and return to your former state.”
“…!”
“Employees will clamor for their wages. They’ll rush to the Ministry of Employment and Labor to file complaints—that their salaries have been embezzled. Thousands of unemployed workers. The media will stir. The headline will read: ‘Unscrupulous businessman Kim Jun-man, who devoured his employees’ wages.’ The ending is predictable. Prison. A sentence handed down. A life of misery.”
“…!”
“All this time, you thought you succeeded because you were capable? Let me teach you. That’s not it. Everything was my power.”
His voice sent chills down spines. Even Do Gwang-hyun, listening to every word beside him, flinched. Do Gwang-hyun exhaled a tense breath and reached into his jacket. He pulled out his phone to contact Seo Jin.
Kim Young-jun’s extreme choice was unforeseen. And the words he had just spoken—he possessed the power to make them reality.
There’s a saying: shake anyone and dust will fall. No matter how upright a person claims to be, once targeted and thoroughly shaken, filth will pour forth. Jaejeong Construction would inevitably crumble.
But it was at that very moment Do Gwang-hyun was about to send a message to Seo Jin.
“By tomorrow morning, all the materials in that truck will be heading to the Blue House.”
Kim Jun-man’s voice rang out, and Kim Young-jun’s eyes widened.
Kim Jun-man fixed his gaze upon Kim Young-jun and continued.
“The President will be delighted. He’ll finally be able to bury an eyesore like you.”
“…!”
“Young-jun, I have power too. Tomorrow at lunch, I’ll be dining with key lawmakers from each party. Once they hear my story, they won’t sit idle. They’ll move against you.”
“…!”
“And the media outlets you mentioned? I’m curious whose side they’ll take. The advertising revenue from Jaejeong Group is quite lucrative, after all. Will they chase the money? Or will they bow their heads to your uncertain power?”
Kim Jun-man was no ordinary man. He had built Jaejeong Construction by traversing rough construction sites. Though his smile appeared gentle, he too had lived a fierce life.
Moreover, Kim Jun-man is the older brother of Attorney General Kim Young-jun. Blood ties don’t disappear.
Attorney General Kim Young-jun opened his mouth with a rigid, hardened expression.
“If that material reaches the Blue House… even you won’t be safe, hyung.”
“I don’t care. Let’s die together, Young-jun.”
The gazes of the two men collided in the empty air.
Then Attorney General Kim Young-jun laughed with a clicking sound and shook his head.
“You’ve grown a lot, hyung.”
“Ten years ago, you ordered a search and seizure. I can’t let the same thing happen to me, can I?”
“Fair enough. Let’s move past that. But answer me one thing. Did you do this alone? Looking at your expression, there’s someone behind you, isn’t there? Tell that person—if they come any closer… then I won’t hold back.”
Kim Jun-man didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his lips. It was his way of saying there was nothing more to say.
Attorney General Kim Young-jun nodded. Then, with a cold gaze, he brushed past Kim Jun-man and spoke.
“Let me tell you one last thing. Before the presidential election ends, if there are any remaining irregularities, expose them all. Then it will be my world. You can’t stop me with such clumsy threats like now.”
“….”
“And Seo Jin… if you’re worried about your son’s future, keep cooperating with me. That would be better for you.”
Kim Jun-man’s jaw clenched tight. And his gaze changed. Until now, there had been no murderous intent in Kim Jun-man’s eyes. But now it was different.
“Young-jun, let me tell you something too. If anything happens to Seo Jin… you’re dead.”
Attorney General Kim Young-jun smiled slightly.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Then Attorney General Kim Young-jun waved his hand and walked toward the warehouse door as he continued speaking.
“Take the truck. It’s a gift.”
Attorney General Kim Young-jun left the warehouse, but Kim Jun-man stood in that spot for a long time. And Kim Jun-man, who had been staring blankly into the void, lowered his head.
Shortly after, Do Gwang-hyun and his associates sorted through the documents and finished predicting where and how the funds had been siphoned off. But none of them could approach Kim Jun-man and tell him “it’s done.”
Even then, Kim Jun-man remained motionless with his head bowed.
*
*
*
At that moment, at Chairman Um’s Residence.
In the spacious room sat only a tea table. There, Chairman Um and Seo Jin faced each other.
Around them, dozens of men in black suits stood like a folding screen. Their gazes fixed on Seo Jin were sharp and piercing. It seemed that with a single command from Chairman Um, they could kill Seo Jin at any moment.
But Seo Jin remained composed. Ignoring the men standing around him, he faced Chairman Um with ease and without a trace of anxiety.
Chairman Um set down his teacup and opened his mouth.
“…What do you mean by that?”
Chairman Um’s face had grown rigid to a serious degree. His displeasure was openly displayed.
Seo Jin smiled quietly and answered.
“Let me say it again. Attorney General Kim Young-jun will attack you, Chairman Um.”
“…!”
Veins bulged in Chairman Um’s hands. His hands trembled slightly.
Seo Jin continued speaking while observing every action and emotional shift in Chairman Um.
“Attorney General Kim Young-jun had two golden geese. One was you, Chairman Um, and the other was Jaejeong Construction. But the money flowing from Jaejeong Construction dried up. The goose that laid golden eggs disappeared. When someone had two and then had only one, what do you think they would do?”
Seo Jin extended one hand. Then, clenching it tightly, he continued speaking.
“‘I mustn’t lose what remains. I must grip it tightly. This is mine….’—that’s what he’ll think. And that remaining one is Chairman Um’s assets.”
Chairman Um let out a hearty laugh and shook his head as if it were absurd.
“Do you know how old I am? That bastard Kim Young-jun hopes for my death. When I die, he’ll cast aside my children and devour the entire inheritance.”
“….”
“You’re mistaken about something. I’m preparing for what comes after. What happens now isn’t so important. How much longer do you think I have to live?”
“….”
“And he knows my power. He’s not foolish enough to charge at me while my eyes are wide open.”
Chairman Um believed that Kim Young-jun might bare his fangs, but he wouldn’t dare attack directly. Because Chairman Um still possessed strength.
But Seo Jin’s casually thrown words brought Chairman Um’s movements to an abrupt halt.
“Then he could commit murder. If he keeps your two daughters in the Detention Center and settles the assets, it would be far easier. He might even swallow it all.”
Chairman Um’s eyes hardened as Seo Jin’s voice continued.
“There were dozens of people planted by Kim Young-jun in Jaejeong Construction.”
Seo Jin slowly turned his gaze, meeting the eyes of those standing nearby as he spoke on.
“Are you certain none of them were planted by Kim Young-jun?”
“…!”
“Consider Kim Young-jun’s greed. If he loses one thing, he needs to stuff the remaining one into his own belly to feel satisfied.”
Chairman Um’s lips pressed shut.
And Seo Jin slowly bent his upper body toward Chairman Um.
“Stop examining the liver. Now it’s time to cook.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————