Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 45

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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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Outer Reaches (7)
Lee So-hee set down her phone as she looked toward Seo Jin.
“…Have you heard the rumors lately? That you might follow the District Chief to Seoul.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not the only one with those rumors—you’ve got them too, don’t you?”
Seo Jin wasn’t the only name being floated for a Seoul transfer.
Lee So-hee had her own rumors circulating.
Young and capable people were always in demand.
But Lee So-hee spoke firmly as she ate her kimbap triangle.
“I won’t be able to go. I’ll just rotate through the provinces and then hang up my badge. That’s my future.”
Lee So-hee viewed her future with grim resignation.
Yet the reason for it was absurd.
“You wouldn’t understand, but my grades are terrible.”
It was a lie.
Lee So-hee’s grades were exceptional.
Her university credentials were impressive too.
Beyond that, she was steadily building her track record by following Seo Jin’s cases.
Even on an elite career path, she viewed her future with pessimism.
As Seo Jin watched her, he recalled a rumor he’d heard back when he was Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung.
That Congressman Baek Ki-ho had a hidden daughter.
‘If that were true….’
There was a possibility Lee So-hee was that daughter.
Congressman Baek Ki-ho was a problematic man.
Behind his benevolent face and his image as a principled judge, he concealed a chilling blade.
He wouldn’t hesitate to ally with any faction for the sake of power.
Most critically, he was in league with Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
One of my objectives was to dismantle their faction.
And if my suspicion was correct—if Lee So-hee was Baek Ki-ho’s daughter….
‘This is ridiculous.’
Either way, she was his child.
Yet he was blocking her path to success for his own advancement.
The more Lee So-hee excelled, the more she’d become visible to the world, and that could deal a fatal blow to his thriving political career.
Of course, all of this was my hypothesis.
Nothing had been confirmed.
For now, I intended to watch quietly.
“Let’s go.”
I closed my laptop and stood up.
It was time to head to the District Chief’s office.
*
*
*
The District Chief’s office.
Jeon Dong-guk, the District Chief, sat on the sofa alongside Kim Gwan-yong, the Chief Prosecutor, and Heo Sung-taek, the Chief Prosecutor of Criminal Division 3.
Kim Gwan-yong smiled warmly and waved his hand.
“Come in. Have a seat.”
The atmosphere in the District Chief’s office was bright, perhaps because the Dongnam District Prosecutor’s Office had been on a winning streak lately.
Yet this was hardly a space where a junior prosecutor could freely come and go.
For an ordinary newcomer, the weight of the District Chief’s position would naturally inspire nervousness.
Much like Lee So-hee, who sat with unusually rigid posture.
But Seo Jin showed no signs of intimidation.
Not disrespectful, yet far from the desperate demeanor of a typical junior prosecutor.
I read the room with ease.
After all, when I was Seo Jun-kyung, I’d faced far more formidable people—trembling in a place like this would have been absurd.
Observing this, Kim Gwan-yong chuckled lightly and spoke.
“Quite the iron nerve, aren’t you? I’ve never seen a junior prosecutor parade reporters around while looking so composed.”
Heo Sung-taek, Chief Prosecutor of Criminal Division 3, chuckled and picked up the thread.
“Is it audacity? Or shamelessness?”
“My apologies. Should I sit like this instead?”
When Seo Jin suddenly stiffened into a rigid military posture, both Kim Gwan-yong and Heo Sung-taek burst into laughter, clutching their sides.
“So it was shamelessness.”
“That’s not it. You’re supposed to rest your arms on your knees and keep your back straight. You didn’t do military service, did you?”
Light banter continued for a moment longer to ease the tension.
Apparently, attorney Woo Myung-soon had pleaded to have his assigned prosecutor changed to someone more courteous.
And then.
“Regardless, all that matters is catching the bad guys. That’s what we’re paid for.”
Jeon Dong-guk, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
Everyone fell quiet, and the office fell into stillness.
This was the moment for something important.
Jeon Dong-guk leaned back against the sofa and opened his mouth.
“You’ve heard the rumors?”
The rumors that Jeon Dong-guk was heading to Seoul.
The expectation that Seo Jin and Lee So-hee would be included in that transfer.
And those rumors had become reality.
“I’m being transferred to the Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office as chief. How about the two of you come along?”
“…!”
The king of this office extended his hand toward Seo Jin and Lee So-hee.
It pained him to see prosecutors of their caliber buried in the countryside.
“You’ll be able to spread your wings far more brilliantly than rotting away in the provinces.”
The place he was inviting them to was Seoul.
Kim Gwan-yong and Chief Prosecutor Heo Sung-taek naturally assumed that Seo Jin and Lee So-hee would grasp the District Chief’s hand.
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong opened his mouth.
“Why? You didn’t expect to hear this directly from the District Chief? I can see you’re flustered—you’re still young, aren’t you? Both of your parents live in Seoul, right? If you go, you can be filial and…”
But Seo Jin had no intention of going to Seoul.
If Seoul were merely the goal, I could simply use Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun as my backing.
But my dream isn’t to go to Seoul.
My goal is to devour this entire world.
To achieve that dream, I’m quietly accumulating power and wealth, growing stronger each day.
The first seed is a National Assembly member from Songpa-gu in Seoul.
And the sword-wielders scattered throughout the provinces.
I wait for the day when those seeds germinate, grow into trees, and form a forest.
So when I finally go to Seoul, it will be the first step toward claiming that place as my own.
Which means not now.
“I’d like to stay in Gangwon Province for a while longer.”
“Right, Gangwon is nice. But… what? You’re saying you want to stay here?”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong’s face flushed with bewilderment at Seo Jin’s answer.
“Listen… it’s Seoul. Every single one of the two thousand prosecutors in the nation wants to go there!”
At the same time, Chief Prosecutor Heo Sung-taek clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“Am I really witnessing the moment when a Seoul transfer ticket—something money can’t even buy—is being torn to shreds?”
Chief Prosecutor Heo Sung-taek’s gaze shifted to Lee So-hee.
“Lee So-hee, what about you?”
Lee So-hee was staring at Seo Jin with her already large eyes opened even wider.
With a look that screamed, ‘This guy’s insane.’
I naturally thought that with such a look, she would obviously agree.
“Ah, I’d also like to stay in Dongnam.”
“What?”
Lee So-hee’s expression was equally resolute.
Chief Prosecutor Heo Sung-taek shook his head.
“Now we’re tearing up two Seoul transfer tickets? You two, do you understand how valuable this is?”
Seo Jin spoke, looking toward District Chief Jeon Dong-guk.
“I apologize, but…”
I continued expressing my refusal as respectfully as possible.
-I’d like to gain more practical experience here first.
-I’m concerned that going to Seoul would limit my autonomy.
And so on.
I made every effort not to offend the District Chief and the Chief Prosecutors, while Lee So-hee nodded along each time.
“I think the same way.”
…she replied.
District Chief Jeon Dong-guk regarded Seo Jin and Lee So-hee with an enigmatic gaze.
Then he nodded.
“If that’s what both of them want, there’s nothing we can do about it. But think it over carefully.”
*
*
*
Shortly after, Seo Jin and Lee So-hee left the office.
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
“Good grief… these crazy bastards.”
Chief Prosecutor Heo Sung-taek was no different.
“Haven’t they had enough of the ocean yet? Or are they chasing some romantic notion of overcoming crisis and achieving success?”
“Ah, that could be it. They’re still young, after all.”
While the two chief prosecutors kept clicking their tongues, District Chief Jeon Dong-guk stroked his chin and spoke.
“Those two—didn’t we say something was odd about them during the last personnel reassignment?”
The mouths of the two chief prosecutors fell silent.
Then Chief Prosecutor Heo Sung-taek, who had been lost in deep thought for a moment, carefully opened his mouth.
“Now that I think about it, Lee So-hee was virtually certain to be reassigned to the Central Headquarters in Chuncheon. But then the order suddenly fell through, and she ended up staying.”
Chief Prosecutor Kim Gwan-yong also recalled the memory.
“…Seo Jin is similar. That bastard’s uncle is Prosecutor Kim Young-jun, right? I remember Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo cursing at him back then, saying he should flee even if he had to write a hundred letters. But he said he’d stay here.”
Once, you could understand it.
But they’ve refused twice now.
District Chief Jeon Dong-guk narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.
“Something’s not right….”
*
*
*
Sizzle.
The sound of meat grilling was appetizing.
It was a Korean BBQ restaurant in Dongnam County.
Seo Jin sat across from Lee Jung-woo.
“You said we’d eat until we were full, right?”
When we caught Eom Il-seop, Lee Jung-woo had played the role of a private investigator and caught the situation of evidence destruction perfectly.
The promise made back then was beef.
“Damn it, but you said beef?”
The table was piled high with pork belly.
Seo Jin opened his mouth as he placed meat on lettuce wraps.
“Meat means pork belly.”
“Seriously… this is why you can’t trust animals with black hair. And he makes good money too. Or is it your dad’s card?”
“Isn’t it a bit much to be living off allowance at my age?”
“Since when did you grow up?”
Despite his grumbling, Lee Jung-woo ate the pork belly well.
Then.
“Why didn’t you mention it earlier?”
“Mention what?”
“That our former District Chief is also implicated in the Dongnam Central Hospital case?”
The Dongnam Central Hospital incident wasn’t just a matter for the Prosecution Service.
It was a sprawling cartel woven through a rural village.
Prosecutors, police chiefs, and prominent citizens blinded by greed.
Hong Ju-dae had gathered them and spoken plainly.
“We’re not strangers to each other.”
“Just turn a blind eye to this.”
“When you retire on a pittance of a pension, do you think you’ll live as comfortably as now?”
“Running a chicken restaurant?”
“Think of it as a business venture beforehand. Yes?”
Lee Jung-woo continued speaking as he transferred perfectly grilled pork belly to the plate before him.
“That police chief bought so much beef from me, and I ended up putting handcuffs on him.”
“….”
“Well, I’m not sorry about it. If a cop does something like that, he deserves to die. But that’s right—you know you’re making a name for yourself at our office?”
“Me?”
“Wherever you go, it’s a crime scene, they say. Conan, Kim Jeon-il—people talk. It’s proof you’re doing well. Hehehehe.”
Lee Jung-woo laughed in good spirits.
He was pleased to see Seo Jin bouncing back after being hurt so badly he’d lost his memory.
At that laughter, Seo Jin couldn’t help but smile too.
“Just eat.”
That was when it happened.
Bzzt.
Seo Jin’s phone on the table vibrated.
The caller was Lee So-hee.
Lee Jung-woo’s eyes sparkled as he glanced at the screen.
“Lee So-hee? That innocent-yet-sexy one, right? If she hasn’t eaten, tell her to come join us!”
“Innocent-yet-sexy? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know, a beauty that coexists in contradiction.”
Lee Jung-woo chuckled while Seo Jin shook his head and brought the phone to his ear.
“Yeah?”
-I think we’re going to move.
She meant a transfer was coming.
But she’d said clearly she wouldn’t go to Seoul….
Seo Jin blinked.
“What do you mean?”
-Where are you?
*
*
*
Shortly after, Lee So-hee entered.
Lee Jung-woo greeted her with a bright smile.
“It’s good to see you again. I’m Lee Jung-woo, haha.”
But Lee So-hee merely bowed her head lightly in greeting.
“I’m Lee So-hee.”
If you watched carefully, you’d notice that Lee So-hee treated everyone except Seo Jin with purely professional courtesy.
Cold, even, if you looked at it a certain way.
“Did you just get off work?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jin set out a plate, utensils, and a soju glass in front of Lee So-hee.
He placed a piece of grilled meat on her plate, and as she picked it up with her chopsticks and began eating, she opened her mouth to speak.
“It looks like I’ll be transferred to the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office. They must have thought it strange that we didn’t go to Seoul. It seems they’ve been doing some checking and testing us.”
Jeon Dong-guk, the District Chief, was investigating.
Who was blocking the path of his people.
He was waiting for the ugly scheming forces that would emerge during the transfer process to the Central Headquarters.
In truth, it was none of Seo Jin’s concern.
He remained by his own judgment, so there would be no schemes to reveal.
Seo Jin brought the soju glass to his lips, lost in thought.
‘The Central Headquarters?’
He had been planning to stay in Dongnam County for a while.
But if it was the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office headquarters instead of Seoul, that changed things.
‘That’s much better, isn’t it?’
There would be far more to gain.

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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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