Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 33

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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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Childishly (6)
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The last thing Seo Jin pulled out was a fishing bag.
As he unzipped it without hesitation, it was stuffed with ten-thousand-won bills.
He brushed the dirt from his hands and surveyed the surroundings.
The ground was deeply gouged in places as if shells had fallen, and he could see eight 20-liter paint cans, five apple boxes, and four public utility bags.
All of them contained ten-thousand-won and thousand-won bills.
Including the fishing bag he’d just retrieved, it seemed to exceed five billion won.
‘Is this the damage amount?’
Scammers have a habit of hiding their ill-gotten gains.
It’s to avoid returning the money even when criminal or civil investigators arrive.
In other words, this money was likely the victim compensation from this case.
It was only a fraction of the total thirty-billion-won damage, but compared to cases where victims never recovered a single won, this was extraordinarily fortunate.
Seo Jin held a ten-thousand-won bill in his hand and shook it lightly.
He wanted to return it immediately to the victims who were waiting with tears of blood.
But not now.
Because no verdict had been rendered yet.
He had to avoid it being treated as unaccounted funds and swallowed by some high-ranking official.
For now, it was best to bury the money.
‘The time to retrieve it again would be….’
The right time for Seo Jin to retrieve the money had to satisfy three conditions simultaneously.
-When this case is confirmed to be fraud.
-When an order comes down to return the money to the victims.
-When this money can naturally reach the victims’ hands.
Seo Jin began burying the paint cans, awaiting that moment.
But he was already worried about something.
‘How am I supposed to explain how I found it?’
This place was quite a distance up from the construction site.
Moreover, it wasn’t even a hiking trail—just a barren ridge.
If he suddenly came up here and claimed to have found money bags, anyone would find it suspicious.
‘Should I honestly say I saw it through psychometry? And if anyone believes me, they’d have me committed to a psychiatric hospital?’
Seo Jin chuckled to himself and continued digging.
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-Coffee?
It was the next day.
A message from Lee So-hee came through to Seo Jin’s phone as he worked at his desk in the office.
I typed “Call” and sent the message to Lee So-hee.
We met at the coffee shop in front of the District Prosecution Office.
“But why?”
Lee So-hee tucked her hair behind her ear as she spoke.
“…That interview, you know.”
Today, an interview with the current affairs program “Seeing the World” was scheduled.
I had asked Lee So-hee to do the interview.
Lee So-hee opened her mouth with an apologetic expression.
“I don’t think I can do it.”
“Why? I think it would be helpful.”
My reason for handing the interview to Lee So-hee was simple.
The world worships beauty, and she is beautiful.
Even in this coffee shop, more than ten people seem to be glancing at her.
But if it airs on broadcast?
Terms like “beautiful prosecutor” and “milky-skinned Lee So-hee” would undoubtedly dominate the real-time search rankings.
Perhaps I might even receive a call from high-ranking prosecution officials wanting a figurehead.
That’s why I handed it to her.
“But why?”
“I get camera sickness.”
“What?”
Then she should have refused yesterday instead of making such an absurd excuse.
As I looked at her strangely, Lee So-hee continued with an apologetic smile.
“So you do it for me. I’ve thought about it all day, but I really can’t. Please?”
I sensed that Lee So-hee was lying, but I nodded obediently.
Whatever the reason, Lee So-hee was clearly in a difficult position right now.
She was smiling, but it was obvious she was struggling inside.
If it was because of the interview, there was no need to push her.
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.”
Lee So-hee smiled quietly and brought the straw to her lips.
Then, a moment later, while Lee So-hee was in the restroom.
Buzz.
Her phone vibrated.
My gaze shifted to the phone.
The caller ID showed “Mom.”
The phone buzzed again, then a ringtone sounded.
Vibration first, then the bell.
If it kept ringing, it would be a nuisance to the other tables.
I reached for Lee So-hee’s phone to lower the volume.
That was when it happened.
The world had lost its color.
-…You don’t want that.
“Mom, how much longer do I have to live like this? Why do I have to hide?”
Lee So-hee was on the phone, gazing out the window.
But her voice was heavy with darkness.
-I’m sorry, honey….
“Sigh….”
Lee So-hee exhaled deeply and brushed her hair back.
Then she nodded slowly.
“Fine. I won’t. Are we done?”
-Thank you, So-hee.
“I’m telling you clearly—it’s my choice. It has nothing to do with that person.”
Lee So-hee bit her lower lip indignantly, and her mother’s voice continued through the phone.
-Have you eaten? Did you eat?
“Please stop. I’m eating fine. How many times do I have to tell you?”
The world regained its color.
Before me lay Lee So-hee’s phone with the ringer silenced.
“Did you get a call?”
Lee So-hee had returned from the bathroom at some point.
She extended her hand, asking for her phone back.
After handing it over, she checked the caller ID, frowned slightly, and tucked it into her pocket without a word.
Then she sat down casually and opened her mouth.
“Want some pretzels?”
My answer seemed unnecessary.
Lee So-hee already held a receipt in her hand—she’d already ordered.
“What? You order and then ask?”
“If you say no, I’ll just eat them alone.”
“So you’re saying you’ll eat them alone?”
“I’m not that cruel. Food should be shared.”
Lee So-hee smiled brightly and kept glancing back to see when the pretzels would arrive.
“They taste better with beer,” she murmured.
I crossed my legs and gazed at Lee So-hee intently.
Last time, she had said something.
“Being in Dongnam County—it’s not because of that person.”
And now, again.
“It’s my choice. It has nothing to do with that person.”
The common phrase that emerged was “that person.”
I narrowed my eyes.
‘That person…?’
I didn’t know who it was, but the tone of it didn’t sit right with me.
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“Hello. I’m Lee Eun-ha from 【Seeing the World】.”
“I’m Seo Jin.”
So I ended up doing the interview after all.
The person most thrilled about this interview probably wasn’t me or Lee So-hee, but rather…
‘Father, surely.’
Before the interview began, I called to tell him I’d be appearing on 【Seeing the World】.
He immediately started drawing red circles all over the calendar and said he’d not only make sure to watch the live broadcast but also prepare to record it.
My gaze shifted to the side.
Lee Eun-ha came into view.
She’d been the main MC of the current affairs program 【Seeing the World】 for three years now, and she was quite popular for her refreshing appearance, sharp articulation, and aggressive reporting style.
Her lips moved.
“I understand that Prosecutor Seo Jin has been central to solving recent unsolved cases.”
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“They say Yoon Ki-soo is keeping his mouth firmly shut.”
Criminal Division 1 Chief Prosecutor’s Office.
The Chief Prosecutor let out a low chuckle at the news.
The name of the Criminal Division 1 Chief Prosecutor was Lee Jae-seung.
“I told you it wouldn’t be resolved easily.”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung lit a cigarette.
When Seo Jin brought Yoon Ki-soo in, I’d thought, ‘Surely not?’
But Yoon Ki-soo kept his mouth sealed as if it were zipped shut.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung tapped ash from his cigarette and opened his mouth.
“Yoon Ki-soo—that guy’s been through the wringer. He’s not the type to get intimidated even in front of a prosecutor. But you’re saying he’ll talk within 48 hours? Was the interrogation conducted by Lee So-hee? That cute-looking one?”
“…”
“And even if we do solve the case, that’s fine. We can just take it back.”
That’s when it happened.
The door burst open and the youngest prosecutor in Criminal Division 1 poked his head in.
“C-Chief Prosecutor!”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung furrowed his brow and looked ahead.
“What! What is it!”
The youngest prosecutor gasped for breath and spoke urgently.
“Criminal Division 4 has gone insane.”
“What?”
“Lee Eun-ha from 【Seeing the World】—she’s here at the District Prosecution Office right now!”
“Speak clearly! What do you mean Criminal Division 4 has gone insane, and what about Lee Eun-ha?”
“Seo Jin interviewed Lee Eun-ha, I hear!”
Lee Jae-seung’s face contorted.
“This insane bastard!”
Now it had transcended the question of whether the case would succeed or fail.
In the worst scenario, if it aired and the case fell apart, and the victim wept and grieved until someone died?
The world would rage, and every arrow of that fury would point at the Prosecutor’s Office.
‘Damn it, I’d have to take responsibility for all of it!’
That case still belonged to Criminal Division 1.
Lee Jae-seung stormed out of his office with a twisted face.
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“What the hell are you doing!”
The door to Criminal Division 4 Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong’s office burst open roughly.
Lee Jae-seung entered with a menacing expression and thundered his voice.
“Who authorized an interview!”
Kim Gwan-yong, who had been conversing with me on the sofa, turned his gaze toward Lee Jae-seung.
“I’m not answering!”
Kim Gwan-yong’s brow furrowed.
Lee Jae-seung was his senior, but this attitude now crossed the line.
Still, Kim Gwan-yong swallowed his anger.
“The District Prosecution Office Chief approved it, and there were no procedural issues….”
Lee Jae-seung’s expression twisted.
“What? No procedural issues?”
“There weren’t any.”
Lee Jae-seung laughed as if in disbelief, then shifted his gaze to me.
“Hey.”
No matter how lofty a chief prosecutor might be, calling someone “hey” like that was presumptuous.
Informality was a sign of contempt.
Lee Jae-seung’s voice continued.
“You said Yoon Ki-soo was arrested urgently, right? You didn’t catch him at the scene—you made an emergency arrest based on suspicion alone? What era are we living in!”
“….”
“What if he gets acquitted? What if Yoon Ki-soo throws a fit saying you turned an innocent citizen into a criminal? And you’re telling me you followed procedure? Call the broadcasting station and tell them not to air this case! Now!”
Kim Gwan-yong rose to his feet.
He looked at Lee Jae-seung with cold eyes and opened his mouth.
“Are you worried that if the case goes wrong, we’ll wash our hands of it and Criminal Division 1 will take the fall?”
“You know it well? The way you’re acting, you’re trying to screw me over! Interviewing some beggar kid? Emergency arrest? You crazy bastards!”
“Then assign it to us formally. We’ll take responsibility and I’ll bear the criticism.”
The atmosphere between the two chief prosecutors turned glacial.
Lee Jae-seung hurled the documents in his hand onto the table.
“I gave it to him, you punk.”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong’s gaze tilted toward the table.
I handed over the documents, and he nodded.
“That’s correct.”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong then received the documents from me and signed them with swift strokes.
This meant the case had officially been transferred to Criminal Division 4.
“I’ve signed it.”
At the gleam in Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong’s eyes, Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung ground his teeth.
“Fine, go ahead and try. From now on, I’ll be checking every procedure. If anything’s out of line, I’ll raise it formally. So be careful. And Seo Jin? Where did a wet-behind-the-ears punk like you learn nothing but bad habits?”
Just then, the door clicked open.
“…Why are you like this?”
Reporter Lee Eun-ha entered.
She’d stopped by after Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong had invited her for tea following the interview.
Her arrival silenced Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung’s curses.
But his gaze still bore into me as if he could devour me whole.
In that instant, my phone vibrated with a sharp buzz.
“Yes, this is Seo Jin.”
-This is Lim Jung-taek.
I pressed the speakerphone button.
Investigator Lim Jung-taek’s voice resonated through the room.
-We’ve just caught Han Sang-jun trying to escape by boat!
Everyone’s eyes widened.
Han Sang-jun was Yoon Ki-soo’s right hand.
At the news of his capture, the office fell into such silence that you could barely hear anyone breathing.
But each person’s expression was different.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung’s lips had gone pale, while Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong’s face flushed with excitement.
And Reporter Lee Eun-ha hastily grabbed her phone and pressed the video recording button.
Investigator Lim Jung-taek’s voice continued.
-Whether we should call this fortunate or vicious, I’m not sure. He had all the victim’s money on him. He’d split it up and stashed it in shell accounts.
Reporter Lee Eun-ha clenched her fist tightly.
The fraud was resolved, and the damages were recovered.
Now all that remained was to clear up the suspicion of murder, and it would be perfect.
When this airs, everyone will surely be shocked by the dramatic turn of events.
Simultaneously, Chief Prosecutor Lee Jae-seung’s expression twisted, and Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong’s voice faltered.
“Y-you found the money too?”
He’d heard that Han Sang-jun was being cornered, but he hadn’t expected the damages to be recovered given the typical nature of fraud perpetrators.
“Jackpot.”
A truly shocking conclusion was unfolding.
But the most surprised person in this room was me.
‘…Then what about that money?’
It was truly blind money.

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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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