Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 237

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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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Cutting Throats (3)
“Soon enough.”
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk couldn’t yet determine the exact date he would head to Wonju. The vague timeline was deliberate—a precaution in case Kim Young-jun summoned him for questioning.
Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk nodded and shifted his gaze to his laptop screen. He typed in the address from the note Seo Jin had given him.
“An apartment complex?”
The farmland had transformed into an apartment complex.
After my grandparents passed away, the government built public housing apartments there, and the construction company was Shinma Construction.
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That night.
Kim Young-jun stood alone in his darkened office, gazing out the window. His eyes burned with an intensity that had deepened over the long silence.
‘Just a little longer….’
Kim Young-jun thought to himself. With Baek Ki-ho—now president—backing him, he could command the world. After that, he would sit in the Blue House.
Then he would wield not the trivial power he possessed now, but absolute dominion over everything visible.
But it wasn’t easy. The fierce tempest his brother Kim Jun-man had unleashed still raged, and now a wave called Wonju was crashing toward him.
Kim Young-jun closed his eyes.
An old memory surfaced in his mind.
A rainy day. My parents tumbling down a steep, treacherous slope. Myself rushing toward them.
‘I was just a child then.’
Kim Young-jun shook his head, trying to erase the memory. Then he slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the world spread beyond the window, and murmured.
“I made a vow as I watched my parents die—that I would stand above everyone else….”
The silence of the empty space was filled only by his solitary voice.
“…That I would reach the summit by any means necessary, without hesitation. That was my oath.”
Kim Young-jun stepped closer to the window. His eyes gleamed with an intensity that sent chills down the spine.
“So… who are you?”
Kim Young-jun wondered who had orchestrated Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk’s journey to Wonju. That person had to be the shadow standing behind the prosecutor.
‘Seo Jin?’
Seo Jin was the first suspect.
He recalled how, before the accident, Seo Jin had meticulously investigated everything about him.
‘The man who showed no interest in the prosecutor’s office.’
Before the accident, Seo Jin had little interest in becoming a prosecutor. It seemed he’d chosen the profession for honor, at his brother Kim Jun-man’s request—a man of modest education.
‘Back then, he….’
At some point, after leaving the prosecutor’s office, he’d entered Jaejeong Construction to inherit Kim Jun-man’s position. In that process, he’d discovered Kim Young-jun’s shell accounts connected to Jaejeong Construction. And silently, without anyone knowing, he’d been tracking Kim Young-jun.
‘Has his memory returned?’
Kim Young-jun’s eyes narrowed. But he soon shook his head. Over the past few years, Seo Jin had shown no interest in Jaejeong Construction. He was a man devoted entirely to his career as a prosecutor.
For now, he needed time to confirm whether Seo Jin’s memory had returned.
‘Next….’
Seo Jin’s face faded, replaced by the image of Chairman Um.
Chairman Um was displeased that Eom Si-young and Eom Seon-ju were in the Detention Center.
‘And….’
Kim Young-jun recalled that Chairman Um’s recent behavior had been strange.
He wasn’t answering calls. He was avoiding meetings. As Kim Young-jun reflected on all these circumstances, a smile played across his lips.
‘Chairman Um….’
Chairman Um possessed power and knew much about Kim Young-jun. He was someone who could use Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk to negotiate with Kim Young-jun.
‘Moreover….’
When had he asked for Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk to be killed, yet no word had come back.
‘Old fox.’
Chairman Um had spent his entire life in the money business. He tapped his calculator with a pettiness unmatched by anyone else. That such a man had turned his back on Kim Young-jun meant….
‘He has confidence he can stand against me. He must have found something.’
Kim Young-jun tapped the window with his finger, muttering to himself.
“So it was you, Chairman Um?”
Kim Young-jun’s eyes gleamed with terrifying intensity.
*
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The next day.
Lee So-hee was in the records management office of the Wonju District Prosecutors’ Office at Seo Jin’s request.
“You know, right? The chances it doesn’t exist are high.”
-I’m asking just in case.
Lee So-hee held her phone to her cheek and shoulder as she spoke with Seo Jin, rifling through the documents.
“But why suddenly? Do you want to know why your grandfather and grandmother passed away?”
-The cause of death for both was a fall on a steep slope. But both fell at the same time? Doesn’t that seem off to you?
“It does seem off, but it’s a case from over thirty years ago, right? It’s likely already been destroyed or lost.”
-Please look into it.
A case from over thirty years ago—it was quite possible it had already been destroyed or lost to someone’s hands. Yet Lee So-hee did not dismiss Seo Jin’s request.
Hearing the gravity in Seo Jin’s voice more than ever before, Lee So-hee picked up documents one by one and scanned through them quickly.
“But… what about Baek Ki-ho? It looks like he’ll be elected if things continue like this. I hate the thought of that man becoming president.”
-He’ll fall along with the Prosecutor General. I’ll make it happen.
“I really hope so. Um… I found it.”
-You found it?
Seo Jin’s voice came through urgently.
Lee So-hee turned the pages and answered quietly.
“But it’s really sloppy….”
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Seo Jin received photographs of the records from Lee So-hee.
Just as Lee So-hee had said, it was truly sloppy. It was merely a death by misadventure. No witnesses, no evidence. All it stated was that the couple fell while walking a mountain path. There was no explanation for why they were walking a mountain path on that rainy night, in the dead of night.
But for Seo Jin, this very absence was the clue.
‘Negligent investigation….’
It was clearly a negligent investigation. Which meant there was someone behind the scenes with enough power to manipulate the investigative agencies and orchestrate the situation.
Two possibilities rapidly formed in my mind.
First, one of them.
‘Kim Young-jun might have witnessed the murder scene.’
At that time, Kim Young-jun could have followed his parents when they suddenly went out in the middle of the night.
And witnessed that scene.
‘The killer must have come and threatened him.’
But I shook my head.
This was someone who had killed two people.
‘Would such a person have tried to silence a witness through threats?’
They don’t leave witnesses alive.
Especially not thirty years ago, on a rainy night.
A time when the crime could have been perfectly concealed if there were no witnesses.
‘Then?’
My thoughts continued spiraling toward the worst-case scenario—the horrifying possibility that Kim Young-jun himself might have killed his parents.
For an ordinary person, such psychopathic acts are difficult to imagine.
But among cases where the relationship between perpetrator and victim is established, murders committed by romantic partners or cohabiting family members exceed twenty-eight percent.
‘And the person in question is Kim Young-jun.’
I quickly shook my head again.
I must approach the truth with all possibilities open. Certainty breeds error, and faulty judgment can lead to death.
Now I need to determine whether Kim Young-jun was a monster from the beginning, or whether he became one over time.
‘What matters now is….’
There was likely some kind of deal between a person of power and Kim Young-jun.
And the original me had uncovered that fact.
I placed my phone in my pocket and exhaled.
‘Seo Jin… what exactly did you discover?’
My mind was filled with questions, as if shrouded in thick fog, but I felt no urgency.
If the original me had uncovered something, then I too could find it.
Then I could enjoy watching Kim Young-jun’s desperate struggles.
Just then, my phone vibrated.
It was Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae.
-Kim Young-jun is supposedly conducting a surprise search and seizure at Chairman Um’s residence?
“Suddenly?”
-Yeah.
I ended the call and tilted my head. Then I let out a soft chuckle.
‘He misunderstood.’
After hearing about Wonju, Kim Young-jun is trying to strike at Chairman Um.
He thought Chairman Um had ordered it.
‘This is amusing. Very amusing.’
Seo Jin slowly grasped his phone in hand.
It was time for the first act of watching Kim Young-jun’s desperate struggle to unfold.
“Gwang-hyun, what are you doing?”
-Eating ramen.
“Time to get to work?”
Do Gwang-hyun understood Seo Jin’s meaning immediately.
Seo Jin explained the situation and ended the call. Then he found Chairman Um’s phone number.
“Chairman Um, it’s Seo Jin.”
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“We’ll be conducting a search and seizure of your residence shortly.”
Days later, Chairman Um furrowed his brow as he regarded Kim Young-jun sitting before him.
“Are you trying to arrest me?”
“You don’t have many days left, so you should pay for your sins before you go.”
Chairman Um let out a harsh laugh.
“Listen here, if you’re going to threaten me, do it properly. If I’m caught, there’s nothing in it for you, so why would you do such a thing? Showing up suddenly with this nonsense doesn’t sit right with me.”
“I was waiting to reap the rewards, but since you’re drawing a blade, I have no choice.”
Chairman Um’s laughter ceased abruptly. The old man’s eyes studied Kim Young-jun carefully.
“I’m drawing a blade?”
“Stop Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk. That man stands on the opposite side from me, but he’s quite a capable prosecutor. I don’t want to see him hurt.”
“…Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk?”
Chairman Um recalled who Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk was—the man Kim Young-jun had once asked him to kill. Remembering that name, Chairman Um chuckled and opened his mouth.
“Young-jun… do you know why I chose you, a man with nothing, as my son-in-law?”
“This is not the time to reminisce about the past. If you don’t stop everything you’re doing now….”
“Because I saw that you were a viper—heartless and without tears.”
The name “viper” is composed of characters meaning “kill,” “mother,” and “snake”—a snake that killed its parents.
At those words, Kim Young-jun’s eyes filled with murderous intent. He was absolutely certain that Chairman Um was behind Prosecutor Jang Ji-hyuk.
At Kim Young-jun’s savage gaze, Chairman Um waved his hand dismissively.
“There’s no evidence, and everyone from back then is dead anyway. Why are you so frightened? Besides, you’re the Prosecutor General, aren’t you? Even if your subordinates turn their backs on you, covering up such facts is easier than throwing an infant, isn’t it?”
“Chairman!”
Chairman Um smiled with relish as he observed Kim Young-jun’s expression. Then he continued.
“In any case, I was impressed that such a man had ability, and I thought a man like you should rise to the top. And I believed you were sufficient to inherit my business. In this world, if you can’t collect money, you have to squeeze even your parents and siblings.”
“…!”
“But looking at you now, you’ve changed too. Your ability has vanished, and only venom remains.”
Kim Young-jun gripped his teacup tightly as he spoke.
“If you continue like this, I won’t stop.”
“You will stop.”
“Everything you’ve built will disappear.”
“I have something I’d rather watch than that. Do you know what it is? Your downfall. I think that’s my penance for marrying Si-young off to you.”
“They’ll take everything.”
“You won’t have anything left to take anyway.”
Chairman Um laughed loudly. Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun exhaled a heavy sigh and set down his teacup with a sharp clink.
“We’ll see each other at the Prosecutor’s Office. I’ll have a clean Interrogation Room prepared, so don’t worry and come by.”
“Thank you for your consideration. It’s good to have the Prosecutor General’s son-in-law around.”
The conversation had reached a stalemate. There was nothing more to say. Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun rose to his feet and left.
Left alone, Chairman Um opened his mouth.
“My assets were transferred safely, yes?”
The Secretary stood beside Chairman Um and answered.
“Yes, even if the Prosecutor’s Office investigates, they’ll assume it’s Japanese-side assets, not the Chairman’s. And even if they find it, they won’t be able to touch it.”
“And I took out loans against this residence as well?”
“Yes, that money has been hidden along with the rest.”
Chairman Um chuckled darkly.
“I don’t see what they’ll accomplish by ransacking an empty house. I’m curious what expression Young-jun will have. Ah, contact Seo Jin for me. I should buy him a meal.”
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-The Prosecutor’s Office conducted a search and seizure at the residence of a certain Mr. Um, known as a major loan shark operator in the country. Mr. Um claims that 120,000 won in his bank account is his entire fortune, and the Prosecutor’s Office’s investigation is overreaching….
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun slammed his palm against the table repeatedly. His bloodshot eyes blazed with fury.

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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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