Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 38

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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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Secretly (4)
Do Gwang-hyun’s voice continued.
The plan ahead, the execution date, and the necessary expenses.
The conversation went on for about five minutes.
“All right, good work.”
The call ended.
Soon, tens of billions of won would be at my disposal.
An astronomical sum—the kind you’d need to win the lottery multiple times to accumulate.
A luxury apartment, a fine automobile, designer jackets, an expensive watch on my wrist—and still money left over.
For a civil servant living on a salary, tens of billions was an incomprehensible figure.
Yet Seo Jin’s eyes remained composed.
It was a pittance compared to the dreams I harbored.
It could evaporate like foam if I wasn’t careful.
I needed to think with a clear, rational mind.
Seo Jin pocketed the phone and headed toward the Convenience Store.
Lee So-hee had asked me to buy Melona and World Cone ice creams.
I grabbed a few beverages as well, not just the ice cream.
Standing at the counter, I noticed a customer ahead of me finishing their purchase.
The customer was buying a vitamin drink.
It seemed they were visiting someone at the Hospital.
Then the customer turned.
The moment I saw that face.
‘Huh?’
My brow furrowed.
A familiar face—the man who had directed the investigation into this Hospital three years ago.
Once a prosecutor, now the owner of a Porsche: attorney Kang Chi-ha.
I quickly averted my gaze.
I’d never met Kang Chi-ha face-to-face before.
But 【Seeing the World】 had aired yesterday, and my face had become somewhat recognizable.
If he was paying attention, he might recognize me.
Fortunately.
Kang Chi-ha brushed past me, and I exhaled a tense breath quietly.
Then I turned my gaze to follow his retreating figure.
‘What’s this?’
Why had he suddenly appeared here?
What was his purpose?
I picked up the plastic bag and moved after Kang Chi-ha.
*
*
*
“Seventh floor.”
“What?”
“Let’s eat the ice cream later.”
I handed her the plastic bag containing the ice cream and drinks.
Lee So-hee looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Explain this to me step by step.”
But I was already walking ahead.
When Lee So-hee caught up and stood beside me, I spoke.
“Kang Chi-ha is at this hospital. He got off on the seventh floor, but I don’t know which room. We need to find him now.”
“Kang Chi-ha?”
Lee So-hee and I boarded the elevator and soon arrived at the seventh floor.
We found Kang Chi-ha by peering through the gaps in the open doors of the patient rooms.
That’s how we arrived at a private room.
Lee So-hee stopped and pointed to the patient’s name on the door.
“It’s Prosecutor Oh Yun-seok’s room.”
Oh Yun-seok—the person involved in the traffic accident this time.
Thanks to that, the workload for Criminal Division 3 and Lee So-hee had skyrocketed.
Lee So-hee continued.
“I think it’s highly likely he’s here.”
I nodded and pressed my ear against the door.
Two voices came through faintly.
“How’s the lawyer life treating you?”
“It was better when I was in Dongnam. No work to do, and even when there was, I didn’t do it.”
“Are you bragging about being busy?”
I mouthed something to Lee So-hee.
“Right. This is the place. But Prosecutor Oh Yun-seok—was he hurt badly?”
Lee So-hee tilted her head.
“No, I heard he’d be discharged in about ten days.”
My eyes narrowed.
For someone from Seoul to visit a hospital patient, there are three possibilities.
—They’re really close.
—The injury was severe.
—They were just passing by.
But listening to the voices from inside, it wasn’t any of those three reasons I’d imagined.
“Things have been noisy lately, haven’t they?”
“The new hires are enthusiastic. Even the District Chief seems to have some agenda.”
“An agenda? The District Chief?”
“Yeah, looks like he’s thinking about moving up to the central office.”
Kang Chi-ha continued asking about the atmosphere at the Dongnam District Prosecutors’ Office.
Why the sudden enthusiasm?
Do you think the District Chief is likely to go to Seoul?
And so on and so forth.
Something felt off.
But that was the moment it happened.
After a brief silence, two voices came from just outside the door.
“There’s no smoking room, right? We should go outside?”
My expression crumpled instantly.
I could tell from the voice alone.
Kang Chi-ha the lawyer was standing close enough that he could reach the doorknob with just an outstretched hand.
I was definitely going to be caught.
In that split second, countless thoughts raced through my mind.
He was a lawyer.
A flimsy excuse about visiting an unfamiliar prosecutor wouldn’t hold up.
Moreover, my name and face were already known.
He’d only glimpsed me at the convenience store before, but this time he’d recognize me.
In the worst case, he might even suspect that I was tailing him at this hospital.
‘What do I do?’
Lee So-hee saw my expression.
She rushed over urgently and grabbed the doorknob firmly.
To keep it from opening from the outside.
At the same time, the door rattled and shook.
Lee So-hee whispered quickly.
“Go!”
Lee So-hee’s face wasn’t known.
She was free to move.
Besides, she was in the same Criminal Division 3 as Oh Yun-seok the lawyer, so the pretext of a hospital visit was more than sufficient.
I nodded and turned my body toward the end of the hallway.
And then.
“What? Why won’t it open?”
“Huh? It won’t open? Move aside.”
Two voices alternated from inside the hospital room.
Lee So-hee exhaled a sigh and released her grip, and only then did the door slide open smoothly.
“It opens just fine… huh?”
“Hello?”
Lee So-hee smiled brightly and bowed. Oh Yun-seok’s expression turned bewildered.
“…What? Were you both pulling on it at the same time?”
“It seems that way.”
As Lee So-hee made an embarrassed expression, Oh Yun-seok chuckled and asked.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I stopped by on my way home from work. I wanted to check if you were doing alright.”
“I’m fine. But seeing this prosecutor’s face makes me feel a bit sorry. It’s like I ran off during the time she should’ve been learning the ropes.”
Kang Chi-ha, who had been quiet until then, jabbed Oh Yun-seok in the ribs.
“Who is she?”
“I mentioned her earlier. The passionate new recruit.”
“Ah….”
Kang Chi-ha let out an involuntary exclamation.
It wasn’t often you saw someone this beautiful, and on top of that, she was a prosecutor.
It was a jackpot, plain and simple.
Lee So-hee bowed respectfully toward Kang Chi-ha.
“I’m Lee So-hee.”
“If I’d known such a lovely junior would be joining, I would’ve stayed here. I would’ve done my best with the goal of becoming Prosecutor General.”
“If you’d been here, she wouldn’t have come. So thanks for leaving.”
Kang Chi-ha and Oh Yun-seok exchanged frivolous jokes and chuckled together.
Then Kang Chi-ha took the plastic bag from Lee So-hee’s hand.
He peeked inside and burst out laughing.
“Nice touch. Bringing Melona ice cream.”
Oh Yun-seok snickers.
“Is that a joke from years ago? ‘Bringing Melona ice cream’?”
*
*
*
“Be careful. The District Chief has lost his mind.”
That night, Kang Chi-ha sat in a room salon.
Kang Chi-ha exhaled cigarette smoke and gazed ahead.
A man came into view.
He looked like a toad—a bloated pig of a man.
He forced his stiff legs up and opened his mouth.
“Damn it, isn’t this case already over?”
Kang Chi-ha filled the man’s glass with alcohol and shook his head.
“Since the case has already been overturned once, they won’t come at it head-on. Besides, a hospital isn’t something you can easily touch. How would a prosecutor even know about hospital matters? But if it blows up, the impact would be good. Hospitals are a sensitive issue, after all. So while excessive worry isn’t necessary, we should stay alert. Okay?”
The man frowned and threw a strong drink down his throat.
Kang Chi-ha continued quietly.
“But there’s some good news too.”
“What is it?”
The man turned his eyes toward Kang Chi-ha.
“I heard that one reason this rural area has been so noisy lately is because of some cocky newcomers?”
“So?”
“I thought they’d be impressive, but they’re just cute kids.”
The man laughed as if he understood. “Hehehehe.”
“I looked into it too because the neighborhood’s been unsettling. Seo Jin, the new prosecutor at Dongnam—that guy’s got some skills.”
That was the extent of his assessment.
Skilled bastard.
The man continued speaking, gripping his glass.
“But if a mouse gets trampled to death when a cow backs up, whose fault is it?”
“The mouse is an idiot.”
“Right, it’s funny to be pushed around by some fresh-faced kid. I’ll be careful. But only that much. That works, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Kang Chi-ha smiled faintly.
Then the man pressed the bell on the table firmly.
The door opened and the madam entered.
“Oh my, you’ve finished already? Why don’t you enjoy some time with the girls?”
Behind the madam, the room salon hostesses lined up.
But the man didn’t even glance at the other women—he pointed directly at the long-haired woman in the middle.
“That’s enough. I only want Min-hee. So don’t play coy and come sit.”
The woman called Min-hee pressed herself against the man’s side.
“Why haven’t you come by lately?”
“Because I’ve been busy!”
The man chuckled and pointed at the palm-sized clutch the woman had brought.
“What’s that? What do you have in there?”
“This? Lipstick, my phone, cigarettes. Why? Are you offering me a cigarette?”
“Never mind. Just drink. Counselor Kang, go ahead and choose!”
“Then I’ll take the one in the red dress at the end.”
The man giggled and picked up the bottle.
Shortly after, the woman called Min-hee stood up from her seat.
“I need to use the restroom.”
It was when empty bottles lay scattered on the table and both Kang Chi-ha and the man were thoroughly drunk.
A waiter came and whispered in her ear.
“You’ve been requested. Can you handle two tables?”
The woman nodded readily and left the room, moving directly to the adjacent one.
When she opened the door, a man in his early-to-mid twenties was sitting there.
The man was Seo Jin.
The woman sat across from him with a bright smile.
“Oppa? I’ve never seen you before—you requested me?”
Seo Jin nodded.
“Wow, such a handsome oppa requesting me. Would it be okay if I smoked a cigarette?”
This time too, Seo Jin nodded.
She put a cigarette in her mouth and spoke.
“But what about drinks? Aren’t you ordering any?”
Seo Jin threw a bundle of one million won onto the table.
Thud.
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What? You want me to order expensive liquor?”
Seo Jin tossed another million won onto the table.
Thud.
Two million won.
The woman forced a smile.
“This is insane. What do you want? Are you some kind of pervert student?”
Seo Jin pointed toward the back with his finger.
“Your partner in the next room. Who is he?”
“Huh?”
I’d expected Kang Chi-ha to meet with the hospital director.
But that wasn’t the case.
The man was a stranger.
I was curious about him.
The woman’s expression soured.
Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she continued.
“Why do you care about my partner?”
“….”
“Is this some kind of errand service? Did your wife send you to buy customer information with this money?”
“….”
“You think I’m easy because I pour drinks? You think this place is a joke? You want to die?”
The woman had no obligation to show loyalty to the man in the next room.
But to her, that man was her meal ticket.
Taking two million now was like cutting open the golden goose’s belly.
Then Seo Jin tossed another million won.
Thud.
Three million won.
She let out a scream.
“Hey!”
Bang! The door flew open and three menacing-looking thugs stormed in.
They glared at Seo Jin as if ready to kill him and demanded an explanation.
“What’s going on?”
The woman explained quickly.
“This bastard’s an errand boy! He came here asking about customers! The crazy son of a bitch!”
The thugs immediately started barking orders.
“An errand boy?”
“You punk thug, get out!”
“Hey, get lost! Go!”
Menacing voices filled the space, but Seo Jin remained calm.
“Choose.”
The large men burst into laughter at my words.
“Wow, kid. You’ve watched movies.”
“So now we’re supposed to beat you up? Like some third-rate film?”
Beneath the smug tone lurked a palpable killing intent—violence was imminent.
But I remained composed.
I rolled up my sleeves and spoke slowly.
“Either take the money quietly and sell the information, or…”
“Or?”
I flicked my identification card onto the table.
All eyes naturally shifted toward it.
-Prosecutor’s Office
The large men’s mocking voices vanished as if muted.
The atmosphere turned glacial, as though frost had descended.
Their gazes locked onto me.
They had taken me for a mild-mannered young man.
A diligent newcomer who’d just started at an errand center.
But my expression transformed in an instant.
The gentle facade evaporated without a trace, revealing a sinister, terrifying demon beneath.
And my voice reached their ears.
“Or we shut this place down effective immediately.”

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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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