Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 240

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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 (6)
The man wanted to object. But two billion won was a substantial sum. With just a little support, he could hire a tutor for his son, who seemed capable of excelling in his studies.
He could move into an apartment complex. Then his daughter, who cried about being afraid of dark streets, would finally smile brightly. And he could buy his wife a luxury handbag to replace the shopping basket she carried everywhere.
Moreover, there was his father, Park Jung-gil, who drank every single day and got into fights with neighbors. He’d lost count of how many times he’d had to visit the police station because of his father.
Just days ago, he’d taken punches while trying to break up a fight between his father and a neighbor.
Now he could escape that nightmare.
And this was the time when his company was hinting he should retire, saying he was getting too old.
This was enough money to kick open the doors of that wretched sweatshop and start his own business with pride.
‘Two billion won….’
With that money in his hands, he could do everything he’d just imagined.
But still, it was his father. His heart wasn’t cruel enough to commit such a heinous act.
Then Kim Young-jun’s voice continued.
“Three billion.”
“…!”
“As I mentioned, I’ll guarantee Park Jung-gil’s safety. I’ll even tell you where he’s being kept. There are a few conditions, of course, but for three billion won… I think it’s a satisfactory deal.”
The man couldn’t refuse.
*
*
*
My vision gradually returned to color.
As Kim Young-jun’s face faded, I could see the face of the man gripping my wrist.
He stammered with a desperate expression.
“I, I’m going to report this. Just because you’re a prosecutor, does that mean…?”
I ignored his words and slowly checked my phone screen. An unsent message was visible.
-Prosecutor Seo Jin came looking for you. Asking about your father’s whereabouts….
The phone number he was trying to send it to was unfamiliar. Most likely, it was one of Kim Young-jun’s burner phones.
My gaze shifted back to the man. I held up my phone screen in front of his eyes and asked.
“Were you trying to send this to Kim Young-jun?”
“…!”
The man swallowed hard. I leaned in close to him and continued in a low voice.
“You received three billion won in exchange for handing over your father. And you bought this apartment with that money.”
The man’s face began to change at my words, which made it sound like I knew everything. The color drained from his face like white paper, then flushed red, then darkened—it was chaos.
I understood why Kim Young-jun had let this man live. He was the fearful type—someone too terrified of Kim Young-jun to utter a single word.
The way to extract the truth from such a person was to instill an even greater fear. Then, for his own safety, he would spill everything.
“I’m going to launch a comprehensive investigation into the source of funds for your apartment purchase. And you’re running a restaurant, aren’t you? There will be health and safety inspections coming. You’ll be busy trying to stop them.”
“P, Prosecutor….”
“And finally, your father, Park Jung-gil.”
I pulled out my phone and found Lee Eun-ha’s contact information. I let him catch a glimpse of it in my address book before speaking.
“Lee Eun-ha from Seeing the World. The broadcast will compare how the serial killer Park Jung-gil’s son is living with how the people Park Jung-gil murdered are living.”
If my words came to pass, this man’s life would be ruined. His family wouldn’t survive either.
“Prosecutor!”
“Then, tell me. Where is Park Jung-gil?”
But the man couldn’t bring himself to speak hastily. The weight of the name Kim Young-jun was too heavy. I didn’t miss the flicker in his eyes.
“Kim Young-jun is under investigation by the special prosecution task force. How much longer do you think he’ll hold that position? Think carefully. There’s nothing to be gained from a fallen power broker.”
*
*
*
I was driving toward Hongcheon. Park Jung-gil was being held at a care hospital there.
The reason I kept him alive was obvious. Kim Young-jun hadn’t been able to find wherever Park Jung-gil had hidden his records.
‘He’s holding up well.’
Park Jung-gil was desperately enduring. He knew full well that the moment those records fell into Kim Young-jun’s hands, he would have to leave this world.
When I hit a red light, I called Lee Eun-ha. Her voice flowed through the car’s speakers.
-Just a moment. Let me take this somewhere without people around.
I heard the rustling sound of Lee Eun-ha moving. Then her voice came through a moment later.
-Go ahead.
I intended to send Baek Ki-ho to hell. I would shatter that mask he wore while playing an upright judge while pocketing money from Shinma Group.
“The weather’s nice today. A perfect day for a bomb to go off. Make it happen.”
Once the trigger is pulled on Baek Ki-ho, Kim Young-jun won’t be able to focus on me. He’ll grit his teeth and move to save Baek Ki-ho.
But it will be futile. That action is a shortcut straight into a deeper quagmire.
And Baek Ki-ho’s corruption won’t end with the bomb. Everything Lee So-hee has been preparing—those gunshots will ring out everywhere.
Baek Ki-ho will undoubtedly fall in utter ruin. Holding Kim Young-jun’s hand as they plummet off a cliff.
And I plan to seize the moment when Kim Young-jun’s attention is fixed on Baek Ki-ho to meet with Park Jung-gil and obtain the evidence he recorded.
After ending the call with Lee Eun-ha, I immediately called Jeon Dong-guk, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
“Lee Eun-ha will break a bombshell story today. Jirashi will explode everywhere. So I’d like you to meet with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor. And I’m asking for a search and seizure warrant on Shinma Group.”
The moment my voice ended, laughter filled the car from Jeon Dong-guk. He laughed for quite a while.
The targets I mentioned were presidential candidate Baek Ki-ho and Shinma Group. They weren’t opponents a mere prosecutor should speak of. Yet I was talking about them as if they were already in my grasp.
Jeon Dong-guk seemed to be reminded of his younger days watching my reckless actions.
-You’re really insane.
“I’m from Dongnam County. I learned a lot from you, Deputy Chief Prosecutor.”
-Are you prepared to throw it all away?
“I always am.”
-Good, I’ll help.
The call ended. I pressed down hard on the accelerator. The wide-open highway toward Hongcheon stretched out before me.
*
*
*
At that moment, Baek Ki-ho was visiting a military base in Chuncheon.
Journalists were snapping photos as he sat at a table eating with the soldiers.
As the soldiers chanted a prayer of gratitude for the meal, Baek Ki-ho opened his mouth with an apologetic smile.
“Thank you.”
The soldiers blinked at the sudden expression of gratitude.
Baek Ki-ho gazed at them with warm eyes and opened his mouth.
“You are at an age when you should be studying, an age when you should be playing, yet you sit here determined to protect your country. You must endure a confined existence, and you will cry alone beneath your blanket over the separation from your girlfriend.”
“….”
“You are here, bearing that anguish. That is why I express my sincere gratitude.”
“…!”
“So as I toured the base, I wondered what I could do for you. I make you this promise: I will find ways to compensate for the time you spend here, and I will ensure that this time becomes truly meaningful. Because of you, this nation enjoys peace.”
Yet even as Baek Ki-ho spoke these words, both of his sons had been exempted from military service. One claimed a bad back, the other a knee problem. Meanwhile, golf was their hobby.
Shortly after, Baek Ki-ho exited the restaurant and climbed into his car. He turned to his Chief of Staff sitting in front.
“Give it to me.”
The Chief of Staff quickly handed over the tablet PC. Articles about the base inspection had already been posted.
[Soldiers Moved by Baek Ki-ho’s Words]
[Baek Ki-ho: “I Empathize with the Hardships of Our Service Members”]
Baek Ki-ho chuckled quietly.
He liked the headline.
But then.
[Baek Ki-ho Promises Compensation for Military Service. Will Military Service Points Be Revived?]
Baek Ki-ho’s brow furrowed. He handed the tablet to his Chief of Staff and spoke.
“Contact the reporter who wrote that piece about reviving military service points. Tell them to take it down immediately.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And make sure that bastard never comes near me again. Military service points? Everyone goes to the military anyway. I hear they even let them use cell phones now. That idiot could cost me millions of women’s votes.”
Baek Ki-ho sank deep into the car seat as his Chief of Staff replied, “Understood.”
“Make a reservation at a Korean Traditional Restaurant near the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office.”
Baek Ki-ho hadn’t properly lifted a single spoon during his meal with the soldiers.
He believed that proper food should be eaten in proper places, and his car headed toward the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office.
*
*
*
Baek Ki-ho sat in the Korean Traditional Restaurant.
The door creaked open and someone entered. Baek Ki-ho’s gaze turned toward the newcomer. It was Lee So-hee. She spoke in a sharp voice.
“Why did you call me?”
“I had business in the area. Since I’m just asking you to share a meal, relax and sit quietly.”
Lee So-hee bit her lip. But she couldn’t refuse Baek Ki-ho’s words and sat across from him.
“The vegetables here are delicious.”
Baek Ki-ho set a side dish in front of Lee So-hee. She found his hands utterly repulsive.
“Tell me. You’re not the type to call someone without reason.”
“There’s not much time left.”
He was referring to the presidential election.
Baek Ki-ho continued while chewing his vegetables.
“Even now there’s intense negative campaigning, and who knows what will happen ahead.”
“So you’re saying I should keep my mouth shut? Even if someone comes and tries to stir things up, I should just ignore it?”
Baek Ki-ho let out a smirk.
“I like that you’re smart.”
“….”
“Sometimes I wonder if all my good genes went to you.”
My two sons are pathetic. They graduated from prestigious universities, but they’ve never measured up to my standards—I’ve always demanded the best. Lee So-hee, though, was different. She became a prosecutor through her own merit.
“It’s a shame. You should have been born to a different family….”
Lee So-hee said nothing. Beneath the table, her clenched fist trembled silently. She couldn’t bear to spend another second in the presence of this beast who spoke such words without hesitation.
But she held it in. She was curious to see the expression on Baek Ki-ho’s face when it all came crashing down.
Baek Ki-ho, meanwhile, paid no attention to Lee So-hee’s expression or thoughts. He stuffed a mouthful of seasoned vegetables into his mouth with his chopsticks as if savoring every bite.
“Once it’s over, I’ll give you your freedom. I’ll even return your mother to you. Quit being a prosecutor and go live a quiet life somewhere peaceful.”
“Just… one question, if I may.”
“Anything.”
“Did you ever love my mother?”
Baek Ki-ho burst into laughter.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Please answer me. It matters to me.”
Baek Ki-ho glanced toward Lee So-hee. Then he spoke casually.
“It was a mistake.”
Lee So-hee’s lips twisted. A cold smile played at the corners of her mouth as she responded.
“Thank you for answering.”
That was when it happened.
The sliding door burst open, and the Chief of Staff rushed in with an urgent expression.
“Sir, sir!”
Baek Ki-ho, who had been picking up raw beef with his chopsticks, narrowed his eyes and looked at the Chief of Staff.
“What?”
The Chief of Staff held out a tablet PC with a tense expression.
An article appeared on the screen.
[Shocking! Baek Ki-ho Accused of Bribery]
[Shinma Group Has Been Bribing Baek Ki-ho Since His College Days!]
[Prosecution Launches Surprise Search and Seizure on Shinma Group]
Baek Ki-ho froze like stone. If not for the raw beef dripping from his chopsticks, one might have thought time itself had stopped. His eyes alone moved across the article.
Suddenly, Shinma Group. Bribery.
He tried to comprehend what was happening, but his mind had gone numb. Only one word escaped his lips.
“Fuck….”
Many citizens harbor distrust toward the wealthy elite.
There are plenty who relish tearing apart the facade of an upright and incorruptible judge.
His downfall had begun.

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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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