Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 238

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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 Off the Head (4)
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At that moment, Seo Jin was meeting with Do Gwang-hyun at a coffee shop in Songpa.
“Did you cover the tracks?”
“Yes. You know Jang Seok-min? He does good work.”
I had informed Chairman Um of Kim Young-jun’s plan to conduct a search and seizure. I also conveyed the message that he should hide his assets.
Chairman Um followed my instructions. He moved quickly and successfully concealed his assets.
But hasty actions always leave traces. Through Jang Seok-min, Do Gwang-hyun was able to discover exactly who Chairman Um had used to conceal his assets.
Do Gwang-hyun stretched his arms and continued speaking.
“It’s time for the Prosecutor to make his move.”
The person who had orchestrated Chairman Um’s asset concealment was the Secretary.
Now it was time to turn the Secretary.
The Secretary was a woman who had graduated from university and spent thirteen years by Chairman Um’s side, twenty-four hours a day.
It wouldn’t be easy, but if I could turn her and get my hands on Chairman Um’s assets—
“That’s when I’ll need to move. Money laundering the funds that went overseas and bringing them back to Korea. With such excellent foreign currency earnings, who wouldn’t reward that?”
Do Gwang-hyun chuckled with delight. He set down his coffee cup and murmured.
“Then my target, Private Equity Fund Poible, will crumble on its own.”
Private Equity Fund Poible, which had driven Do Gwang-hyun’s parents to their deaths, was known to be Japanese-backed. But the truth was different. It was filled with Chairman Um’s capital.
If I took all of that away, Do Gwang-hyun would achieve the revenge he desired. And Kim Young-jun, who had been after Chairman Um’s assets, would end up chasing his tail.
“Not much time left.”
I was speaking with a slight smile when my phone vibrated. The caller was Chairman Um.
“Yes, Chairman.”
—You’ve lifted a great weight off my shoulders. So I’d like to repay you. How about dinner this evening?
I was planning to swallow all of Chairman Um’s assets. He was a parasite who had lived his entire life feeding off the common people. He had to pay the price for his crimes.
‘But…’
He was thanking me. He was even offering to buy me a meal. It would be impolite to refuse at a time like this.
“Understood. Where should I go?”
—I’ll contact you.
I set down my phone and turned to Do Gwang-hyun. He nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“Contact Jang Seok-min and tell him to bring all the materials on the Secretary that we’ve gathered so far.”
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That night. In the hotel restaurant, in the VIP room.
I sat across from Chairman Um.
The wide table, which could seat a dozen people, was filled with dishes I had never seen before. Chairman Um said he didn’t know what I liked, so he ordered everything.
“I heard you’re someone with only 120,000 won in your account.”
After the Prosecutor’s Office conducted the search and seizure, Chairman Um had been loudly proclaiming that he only had 120,000 won in his account. When I brought it up playfully, he waved it off with a laugh.
“That’s the truth. I’m living off my pension, so eat it all without leaving anything behind.”
“Then I’ll enjoy the meal.”
I was picking up my chopsticks to eat when Chairman Um brought his glass to his lips and spoke.
“Young-jun has lived his entire life on his own terms. He’s obtained everything he wanted and achieved everything he set out to do. But now that it’s all crumbled like this… he must be furious.”
“….”
“But I’m worried. What if—just what if—he manages to overcome this? What kind of retaliation will he take? That man never forgets what’s been done to him.”
There was something ominous in Chairman Um’s words. I stopped using my chopsticks and narrowed my eyes. Then he clapped his hands sharply. At the same moment, the door opened and the Secretary entered. She placed a yellow envelope in front of me.
“What is this?”
“The bullet to blow Baek Ki-ho’s head off.”
“…?”
I took the envelope in my hand. A cold sensation ran through my fingertips. Inside were Baek Ki-ho’s misdeeds and secrets.
Chairman Um’s aged eyes gleamed as he continued.
“Baek Ki-ho has a daughter. You know her—Lee So-hee. She’s the illegitimate child he’s been hiding.”
I opened the envelope and examined its contents.
Documents about Baek Ki-ho and Lee So-hee.
“Expose it to the world. Then Baek Ki-ho can never become president. And Kim Young-jun will naturally lose his shelter.”
My eyes fixed on Lee So-hee’s face in the documents.
If Lee So-hee were exposed, Baek Ki-ho would certainly collapse. But Lee So-hee would also be unable to live in Korea. She would have to abandon everything she’d worked so hard to build.
“Kim Young-jun will be caught in every drop of rain that falls.”
Chairman Um believed I would release the documents immediately. Then everything would unfold according to his plan.
The world loves scandals about politicians and is obsessed with hidden births.
Once Baek Ki-ho collapsed, Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun would eventually come crawling to me, begging on his knees for mercy.
And there was no risk involved.
On the surface, Chairman Um had done nothing. It was all me, acting like a reckless fool, who would be seen as the instigator.
The bear does the trick while the merchant reaps the profit—that’s how the world works.
‘Then it’s done.’
Chairman Um’s lips curved into a smile. But I didn’t follow his wishes. I laughed coldly and shook my head.
“I can’t do that.”
“…!”
Lee So-hee was born as an illegitimate child and has lived a difficult life. She spent her whole existence with her head bowed, lacking confidence in everything she did. Now she’s finally struggling to find happiness. I couldn’t abandon her.
“I knew Baek Ki-ho had a child. But that child is my friend.”
I tore the documents to shreds.
Chairman Um glared at me with fury blazing across his face.
“What are you doing right now!”
“I tore them up.”
“What does friendship matter?”
“It matters.”
At my dry response, Chairman Um shook his head and spoke as if teaching me a lesson.
“If you concern yourself with such trivial emotions, you won’t be able to take down Kim Young-jun and Baek Ki-ho. You’re standing before an opponent with a blade. Yet you’re crying out that shooting a gun is cowardly? Do you really think you can win with bare hands?”
But Seo Jin’s gaze remained indifferent. I dropped the scrap of paper in my hand to the floor and opened my mouth.
“Chairman… you’re aware that Baek Ki-ho has a daughter. And Baek Ki-ho knows that you know about her existence. So why wouldn’t he have prepared for this?”
Seo Jin extended a hand toward Chairman Um. I continued speaking in a low voice.
“I told you before. Don’t test the waters—let’s cook the meal.”
“…!”
“Give me something in my hands that can kill Baek Ki-ho in one blow. Then I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”
Chairman Um’s brow furrowed at Seo Jin’s gaze, which showed I knew everything. But I continued without concern.
“Congressman Baek Ki-ho has been receiving allowance from Shinma Group since his university days. And you have that documentation, Chairman. Hand it over.”
“You….”
Chairman Um hesitated. Seo Jin chuckled and shook my head.
“Your opponent is rushing at you with a blade. Yet you’re deliberating whether to fire the gun in your hand. That’s… foolish thinking. Let me make a prediction. If Baek Ki-ho becomes president, you won’t survive, Chairman.”
Chairman Um’s lips pressed shut. Seo Jin met his fierce gaze and continued speaking.
“Are you perhaps thinking of clinging to life by waving around a small stake in Shinma Group? Telling whoever spares you that you’ll hand over your shares?”
“Insolent!”
In that instant, Seo Jin slammed my palm against the table.
“Tear up the blueprints and think rationally! Shinma Group’s children are staging a prince’s rebellion right now. The moment you wave your shares, they’ll strike first. They’ll come running like starving dogs and tear you apart.”
“…!”
“Right now, survival should be your priority.”
Chairman Um clenched his fist. His hand trembled. The Secretary watching from behind took a step forward, eyes gleaming with readiness to expel Seo Jin at the Chairman’s command.
But Chairman Um extended his hand to block the Secretary and spoke.
“Bring what he’s asking for.”
The Secretary hesitated.
If he granted Seo Jin’s request now, Chairman Um would surface. It would reveal to the world that he stood on the opposite side from Congressman Baek Ki-ho. Then when Congressman Baek Ki-ho seized power, the backlash would be difficult to bear.
“Chairman, if we’re not careful….”
The Secretary tried to dissuade him. If he didn’t step into the spotlight, it could end with mere dislike. By wringing his hands, offering excuses, and pushing money forward, there was a possibility they might let him off. But if he engaged in open conflict like this….
But Chairman Um’s voice was resolute.
“Survival comes first.”
“Understood.”
As the Secretary turned and left the room, Seo Jin also rose from my chair.
“I’ll visit the restroom as well.”
Seo Jin slipped out of the VIP room. I stood beside the Secretary walking ahead.
“It seems like you’re with the Chairman 24 hours a day, night and day. When do you ever get to be alone?”
The Secretary’s gaze turned toward Seo Jin. His eyes were asking what I meant to say. I shrugged my shoulders and spoke.
“You don’t want to end up abandoned like Choi Ji-beom, do you?”
The Secretary’s footsteps stopped abruptly. He glared at Seo Jin with a sharp gaze.
“Prosecutor, if you’re thinking that I might betray you….”
“You seem to be pregnant….”
“…!”
The Secretary’s face hardened. It twisted as if a typhoon had passed through it. Seo Jin leaned close to her ear and spoke quietly.
“What do you think will happen if Eom Si-young or Eom Seon-ju find out about that fact?”
As the Secretary bit her lip, Seo Jin brushed past her with a faint smile.
“Please contact me. I don’t have much time to spare. I’m visiting Kim Young-jun’s Wife in two days, after all. And since I have a loose tongue, who knows what I might say.”
Seo Jin waved his hand and headed toward the Restroom, but the Secretary remained rooted in place, glaring after him.
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The next evening, at a Sundae Soup Restaurant near my home.
Lee Eun-ha sat across from me.
I slid the ledger across the table toward her.
“Can you break this story?”
Lee Eun-ha’s eyes widened as she took the documents.
“This… this is…”
The ledger contained a record of the pocket money Baek Ki-ho had received from Shinma Group. It was something Chairman Um had obtained by spending considerable sums through Shinma Group’s contacts.
“Behind the hypocritical mask of an ‘upright judge’ and a ‘man of integrity’ lies an ugly truth. Even if that man becomes president, he won’t work for the people. He’ll sacrifice himself entirely for his own gain and Shinma Group.”
Lee Eun-ha flipped through the documents in silence, then opened her mouth with a troubled expression.
“I could write it if I’m prepared to become unemployed.”
“Then please do. If you become unemployed, I’ll introduce you to media outlets with far better conditions than what you have now.”
“But there’s a problem.”
“What is it?”
“If Baek Ki-ho doesn’t admit to it, there’s a high chance the whole thing will fizzle out.”
It was presidential election season. Politicians from both ruling and opposition parties, along with their supporters, fought like soldiers on a battlefield.
Even if every sordid detail about Baek Ki-ho were exposed, his support—almost religious in its fervor—would likely remain unshaken.
Yet unlike Lee Eun-ha, whose expression was filled with worry, I remained composed.
“…Why are you smiling like that?”
“What if Shinma Group admits to it?”
“…What?”
Lee Eun-ha thought she’d misheard.
Shinma Group was the source of the bribe—they would never willingly admit to such guilt. Even ordinary criminals don’t confess their crimes, let alone tycoons. Yet Seo Jin spoke as though it were inevitable.
“On what basis?”
Instead of answering, I handed her my phone.
“Listen to this.”
A recorded call file. Lee Eun-ha pressed play, holding the earpiece to her ear.
My voice and Shin Ji-yeon’s came through.
-Do it that way. I’m grateful. I should buy our brother a meal, shouldn’t I?
Before meeting Lee Eun-ha, I had called Shin Ji-yeon. And she had enthusiastically agreed to expose Baek Ki-ho’s bribery scandal.
If the Prosecutor’s Office, riding a wave of public opinion, swept up Baek Ki-ho and Shinma Group, her brother would be unable to escape unscathed. Then Shin Ji-yeon would be one step closer to the chairman’s seat.
After hearing the call, Lee Eun-ha’s mouth fell open as she murmured.
“Y-you know Shin Ji-yeon?”
“I’m from a wealthy family too, after all.”
I answered with a quiet laugh, and Lee Eun-ha blinked.
Seo Jin jabbed the document with his finger again and asked, “Is it possible?”
Is that possible?
“…It’s possible. No, more than possible—Baek Ki-ho is finished.”

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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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