Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 44

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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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Outskirts (6)
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-The Prosecution Service has indicted Director Jang Yong-min and Hong Ju-dae of Dongnam Central Hospital in Dongnam County, Gangwon Province, and…
I was driving toward the Dongnam District Prosecutor’s Office.
The radio continued broadcasting news about Dongnam County.
Changing the channel made no difference.
-National Assemblyman Eom Il-seop is reported to have accepted bribes worth tens of billions of won in exchange for overlooking misconduct at Dongnam Central Hospital, shocking the nation. Gangwon Province Governor Lee Se-moon stated that a thorough investigation must reveal the truth…
By the time I arrived at the District Prosecutor’s Office, I turned off the engine.
Only then did the cacophony from the radio fade away.
But that was all.
The moment I opened the car door and stepped out, the reporters who had been waiting descended upon me with a roar.
There were dozens of them.
“Prosecutor Seo Jin, is that right? We heard this isn’t the first investigation into Dongnam Central Hospital’s misconduct! Is there a plan to investigate the Prosecution Service and Police who participated in the investigation three years ago?”
The reporters’ voices came rapid-fire.
But I walked silently toward the District Prosecutor’s Office building.
Still, the reporters refused to give up.
They continued thrusting microphones forward, pressing their questions.
“Just one word, please!”
“Prosecutor!”
I opened my mouth just before entering the lobby of the District Prosecutor’s Office.
Having remained silent until now, I slowly turned toward the reporters.
In that instant, the reporters’ cacophony vanished without a trace.
Silence.
Everyone swallowed hard, their eyes fixed on me.
Waiting to hear just one word.
And I spoke.
“I give you my word.”
…
“There will be no favoritism toward our own. Nor will there be reckless prosecution.”
…
“We will proceed by the law.”
My words were nothing extraordinary.
They were merely obvious.
Yet we live in a world where the obvious appears strange.
The reporters hesitated for a moment.
Then they murmured among themselves.
“…By the law?”
Though they turned the words over in their minds, my voice and gaze were sincere.
Journalists who had rushed through countless crime scenes possessed the ability to discern lies from truth.
Yet never before had the words “by the law” sounded so chillingly ominous.
It was as if I had declared I would eliminate everyone involved in the case.
The journalists, who had been momentarily stunned into silence, turned their gaze back toward me.
At that instant, I bowed slowly toward the assembled reporters.
That was all.
Having said everything I needed to say, I turned and walked toward the District Prosecution Office.
It was then.
One journalist’s voice urgently pierced the scene.
“Shoot, shoot! Get it now!”
The cameras captured my retreating figure, and shutters clicked frantically.
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“Kid, you’ve got showmanship. Stars don’t become stars for nothing.”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong, who had been gazing down through the window, chuckled and turned away.
Lee Myung-soo appeared before him.
Lee Myung-soo set down his teacup and spoke.
“Do you think the article headline will be something like ‘A Prosecutor’s Back’?”
“Would even tabloid journalists write something so clichéd?”
“Don’t you remember when Chief Prosecutor caught that minister in Seoul? The headline was ‘I am the blade.’ And wasn’t it just two days after that article came out that you transferred to Dongnam County?”
“That’s true.”
The two men chuckled together.
Jokes exchanged after victory are always a pleasure.
After laughing for a while, Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong leaned against the window frame and spoke.
“By the way, did that bastard Seo Jin meet with the governor?”
“Yes, he said it takes a thief to catch a thief.”
“A thief?”
“Yes.”
At Lee Myung-soo’s words, Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong blinked before bursting out laughing again.
“That’s right, it takes a thief to catch a thief. Hahahaha!”
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And at that same moment, in the outdoor smoking area of the District Prosecution Office.
Investigators gathered, smoking cigarettes.
One investigator spoke in a low voice.
“Lim Jung-taek’s words were right.”
“About what?”
“You know what he always used to say about Prosecutor Seo Jin?”
—a natural-born talent.
—the future Prosecutor General.
“I thought that was all talk. But I was there when he arrested Eom Il-seop, you know?”
“….”
“It was impressive. Facing a National Assemblyman, he said, ‘Immunity from arrest no longer exists. Eom Il-seop, I’m placing you under arrest on suspicion of bribery.’ Man, that was something!”
The target had been a National Assemblyman.
My legs trembled before we finally caught such a big fish.
But Seo Jin had toyed with that big fish.
The investigators who witnessed the process felt an electric thrill run through them.
“Honestly, I doubted what a young prosecutor could accomplish. I mean, without experience, how could he be so skilled? But I was wrong. Just like Investigator Lim said—there are people born for this.”
Those who had experienced Seo Jin’s work nodded in acknowledgment.
But those who hadn’t yet brushed it off with a dismissive laugh.
That’s when Investigator Lim Jung-taek stepped forward before them, his voice firm.
He regarded the other investigators with an arrogant gleam in his eyes and opened his mouth.
“Do you know who our prosecutor is interrogating right now?”
“Who?”
“Woo Myung-soon.”
At those three syllables, the investigators swallowed hard.
“Woo Myung-soon?”
“Woo Myung-soon being interrogated by Prosecutor Seo Jin?”
“Now that’s what I call lacking experience, isn’t it?”
Woo Myung-soon, a lawyer now—three years ago, he’d been a prosecutor at this office.
He’d been a decent person once, but time had made him ruthless.
He spoke down to investigators far his senior, and later, rumors circulated that he’d fallen in with neighborhood thugs.
Taking bribes and turning a blind eye.
A prosecutor who had truly fallen from grace.
One investigator spoke hesitantly.
“Compared to Prosecutor Seo Jin, he’s like a towering senior, right? How many people does he know in this office? Can a young prosecutor really interrogate him properly?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The world ran on connections, and knowing the right people was everything.
“It’s impossible. No matter how I think about it, this is just a courtesy investigation.”
But Investigator Lim Jung-taek shook his head with unwavering conviction.
“Our prosecutor doesn’t know the meaning of professional courtesy.”
“I really hope that’s true.”
The investigators stared toward the interrogation room, their eyes brimming with hope.
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Interrogation Room.
My voice flowed out, dry and measured.
“I’ve confirmed the bank account transactions. We’ve secured the ledgers showing cash transfers, witness testimony, and receipts from the Korean Traditional Restaurant where the crime occurred. Text messages and voice recordings from that period will also be submitted as evidence.”
As Lim Jung-taek had anticipated, this investigation would not be a favor to the defendant.
I scattered the evidence across the table, and Woo Myung-soon’s lawyer clamped her mouth shut, her eyes darting across the documents.
No matter how carefully she examined them, there was no escape route.
Now it was time to consider a reduced sentence.
“Sigh….”
A heavy sigh escaped from Woo Myung-soon’s lips.
She shook her head and opened her mouth.
“What about Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo?”
“Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo? I’m sorry, but there’s a matter of rank. He’s occupied with handling Representative Eom Il-seop, so it seems difficult for him to come this far.”
I had described Woo Myung-soon’s lawyer as a pyramid scheme operator in my mind.
But she interpreted it differently.
‘He’s looking out for me.’
A novice prosecutor brimming with ambition and passion, yet still inexperienced in handling cases.
Compared to cunning veterans, she was remarkably easy to manipulate.
Perfect for toying with and extracting benefits.
Woo Myung-soon’s lawyer regarded me with a leisurely gaze.
Then she quietly opened her mouth.
“Don’t forget that sentiment.”
At her sudden remark, I tilted my head in confusion, and Woo Myung-soon’s voice continued.
“I once believed in justice too. But then I started wondering what I was actually doing. I worked hard to catch criminals, yet I was branded an incompetent prosecutor. Meanwhile, the bad guys kept strutting around….”
Woo Myung-soon’s voice trailed off mid-sentence.
It was because of my strange demeanor.
I was laughing—a low, rumbling chuckle.
Woo Myung-soon furrowed her brow and asked.
“…Why are you laughing?”
But my laughter didn’t stop.
I even turned off the recording button and clutched my stomach, laughing harder.
Then, abruptly, the laughter ceased.
And I spoke in a chilling voice.
“Justice? You’re joking.”
“What?”
“I’ve heard that no criminal exists without a reason. But making excuses—is that the criminal’s fault? Did it hurt your feelings that the bad guys kept strutting around? Is that something a person who claimed to be a prosecutor should say?”
“Hey!”
Bang!
I slammed my fist on the table.
Woo Myung-soon flinched and closed her mouth.
Then my voice continued, deadly and sharp.
“If it hurt your feelings, you should have caught them.”
“….”
“I don’t want to hear any more of this. Save your remorse for the judge.”
Woo Myung-soon’s face hardened.
Not yet thirty, Seo Jin was merely a young prosecutor, and she seemed soft, malleable even.
Moreover, she had worked experience at this District Prosecution Office.
He believed she deserved a certain degree of respect.
But he was wrong.
In Seo Jin’s gaze, there existed no such courtesy toward former colleagues.
She regarded him as nothing but prey.
‘This is a rookie?’
Unbidden, the word “malevolent spirit” surfaced in his mind as he observed her eyes.
‘What… what is she?’
As Woo Myung-soon’s eyes trembled uncontrollably, Seo Jin crossed her legs and spoke in an ominous tone.
“Let’s stick to confessions in front of me, Woo Myung-soon.”
Tension settled over the lawyer’s face, which had been composed until now.
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Shortly after, I finished the first interrogation of Woo Myung-soon and walked down the hallway.
Lee So-hee stood beside me.
“All done?”
“Looks like one or two more sessions should wrap it up.”
Woo Myung-soon appeared to have given up entirely.
He was readily confessing and requesting a reduced sentence.
Lee So-hee’s voice continued.
“You drank a lot yesterday, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, that guy can really put it away.”
Last night, I drank with Lee Se-moon, the Gangwon Province Governor, until late.
We started with wine, moved to beer, and finished with soju.
I lost count of how many bottles were emptied in the process.
And as soon as I came in this morning, I arrested Eom Il-seop, then interrogated Woo Myung-soon upon my return.
“How’s your stomach?”
“Manageable.”
“Eat this.”
Lee So-hee handed me a black plastic bag.
Checking the contents, I found a lunch box, a triangle kimbap, a hamburger, a sandwich, and.
“Sari gomtang noodles?”
“Hangover cure.”
I wasn’t sure if sari gomtang noodles were actually good for a hangover.
But I was grateful she’d packed all this for me.
“Thanks.”
“Ah, the hamburger is mine. Don’t touch it.”
“You haven’t eaten?”
“When would I have had time?”
“Fair point.”
A congressman had been arrested, and a hospital was involved in the case.
Everyone was moving frantically.
Seo Jin nodded and peered inside the plastic bag.
And then.
“So I can eat everything except the hamburger, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Triangular kimbap!”
Seo Jin entered the office with Lee So-hee.
The investigators and administrative staff were nowhere to be seen.
Seo Jin sat before the laptop with a sandwich in his mouth.
There was no time to eat and rest.
Working time was eating time.
As Seo Jin fixed his gaze on the laptop, Lee So-hee leaned diagonally against the desk and spoke.
“The Hanmin Party called to protest. They’re asking if we’re conducting a targeted investigation into Eom Il-seop.”
“Don’t worry about it. Eom Il-seop has already been abandoned. During the briefing, they’re just pressuring us not to tie him to the Hanmin Party.”
“…Abandoned?”
Seo Jin nodded.
“The incident happened when Eom Il-seop was with the Daehan Party. The Hanmin Party just needs to declare, ‘We didn’t know about this. We’re victims too,’ and it’s over.”
“…”
“But if we keep hounding the Hanmin Party during our briefing, they’ll be annoyed with an election right around the corner.”
The others were already tense just from the Hanmin Party’s call.
Whispers and chaos erupted.
“Are we going to be targeted again?”
“Exactly… Why did it have to be Eom Il-seop?”
Probably because they were the ruling party.
But Seo Jin didn’t concern himself with such external matters.
He saw only the essence.
Lee So-hee found this aspect of Seo Jin remarkable.
‘That’s enviable too.’
Lee So-hee gazed at Seo Jin with envious eyes and pulled out the triangular kimbap from the plastic bag, tearing it open.
Then she brought it naturally to her mouth.
And ate it deliciously.
Seo Jin blinked as he watched her.
“Didn’t I say you could eat everything except the hamburger?”
“Huh?”
“The triangular kimbap… I was saving that…”
Lee So-hee’s eyes wavered.
The image of Seo Jin bursting into the office shouting about kimbap flashed through her mind.
She held out the half-eaten kimbap with an apologetic voice.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… Would you like some of this?”
Seo Jin shook his head and pulled out a tissue, handing it to her.
“Just wipe your mouth. You’ve got seaweed flakes on it.”
“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”
He’d meant it as a joke, but Lee So-hee was genuinely apologizing.
Over kimbap, of all things.
“It’s fine. Eat comfortably.”
At that moment, both Seo Jin’s and Lee So-hee’s phones vibrated simultaneously.
The same message.
-Come to the District Chief’s office.

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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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