Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 56

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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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Past and Present (2)
Lee Dong-young felt a chill run down his spine.
He’d caught glimpses of Seo Jun-kyung in Seo Jin’s actions and gaze before.
But this time was different. Worse.
Seo Jun-kyung’s expression overlapped with Seo Jin’s face.
‘What on earth is this….’
Lee Dong-young thought to himself that he’d truly lost his mind.
Seo Jun-kyung was dead. He’d even attended the funeral himself.
No—before that, the person in front of him was Seo Jin, not Seo Jun-kyung.
Then it happened.
Seo Jun-kyung’s expression vanished from Seo Jin’s face.
The terrifying glint in his eyes softened, and Seo Jin opened his mouth with a bright, innocent smile.
“Oh? We meet here.”
Seo Jin had been following Lee Dong-young.
Lee Dong-young wandered through alley after alley, relying on his notebook, glancing around.
Then he stopped at one spot.
He hid his body in the alley and began peeking at something furtively.
Seo Jin stood behind him.
But then.
‘Jin Yun-hee?’
That cursed face he could never forget, even in death.
Jin Yun-hee—she was the administrative staff member under Seo Jin when he was Seo Jun-kyung.
And she was the one who accused Seo Jun-kyung.
-Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung Administrative Staff Sexual Assault
Everything was a lie, and there wasn’t even proper evidence to support it.
But the world had no interest in the truth.
Her consistent testimony and Jin Yun-hee’s tears were deemed evidence, and Seo Jun-kyung was branded as the Prosecution Service’s shame.
Her interview surfaced in Seo Jin’s mind.
She had spoken through tears.
“Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung told me, ‘I’m a prosecutor. Say you report me. Who do you think will believe you? No matter what you say, I can cover it all up.’ I had no choice. I was terrified of Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung….”
Whether someone had put her up to it or what instructions she’d received, Jin Yun-hee was one of the people who had taken everything from Seo Jun-kyung.
Seo Jin wanted to rush at Jin Yun-hee right now, grab her by the hair, and shake her.
That’s when Seo Jin felt Lee Dong-young’s gaze.
He was staring blankly at Seo Jin.
Seo Jin exhaled a sigh as he looked at Lee Dong-young.
‘Really….’
After being exiled to the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office, he thought he’d been quietly doing his work and living in peace.
Yet here he was, doing this again.
He was grateful to the point of madness.
Seo Jin smiled faintly and opened his mouth.
“Oh? What a coincidence running into you here.”
Lee Dong-young, who had been blinking in surprise, quickly regained his composure and opened his mouth.
“…Prosecutor, what brings you to this place?”
“My house is nearby, so I decided to take a walk around Seoul while I was here. And you, investigator?”
“Ah, well, I was at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. So I decided to meet up with some people I used to work with. Well then.”
Lee Dong-young uttered an obviously transparent lie.
Then he gave a quick bow toward Seo Jin and hurriedly left the spot.
My gaze followed Lee Dong-young’s retreating figure.
My eyes held a bitter light as I watched him go.
‘Please, stop now.’
This was enough.
I hoped Lee Dong-young wouldn’t get hurt.
I wanted him to forget Seo Jun-kyung’s death, live his own life, and be happy with his daughter Sung-ah.
I would be the one to avenge Seo Jun-kyung.
Without fail.
And when Lee Dong-young’s figure had completely disappeared, my pupils shifted toward Jin Yun-hee.
Glaring at Jin Yun-hee with eyes that could devour her, I found Do Gwang-hyun’s phone number and brought my phone to my ear.
“Where are you?”
-What? You suddenly disappeared.
“Sorry. Can you come over here? Let’s have a drink.”
My gaze turned toward the signboard of Jin Yun-hee’s pojangmacha.
An advertisement reading ‘Soju for 100 won with any side dish’ came into view.
Looking at that, I continued speaking.
“Soju’s only 100 won here.”
-Wow… You have 7 billion won and now you’re going to drink 100-won soju? Even 30-year-old whiskey wouldn’t be enough for you. Economics works because the rich spend money, you know? Don’t you get it?
“Never mind. Just come.”
I pressed the end call button and lowered my phone.
Before long, Do Gwang-hyun arrived.
I immediately turned and headed toward Jin Yun-hee’s pojangmacha.
Do Gwang-hyun grumbled, saying ‘Is it really just soju?’ but that was all.
After that, he silently followed behind me.
“Welcome.”
Jin Yun-hee greeted us.
Of course, Jin Yun-hee didn’t know my face.
She welcomed me with a warm greeting and guided me to a table.
Then she set down the menu and spoke.
“Just let me know when you’ve decided.”
Jin Yun-hee’s appearance was quite beautiful, and her voice was even kind.
Her slight smile made anyone feel affection toward her.
But I knew the ugly truth about her.
So all of his actions felt repulsive to me.
But I held it in.
I had to wait for the moment to tear off his mask and crush him.
Seo Jin opened his mouth with a courteous tone.
“I’ll order right away.”
Seo Jin ordered chicken and rolled egg.
And shortly after.
Three empty bottles of soju sat on the table.
But Do Gwang-hyun wasn’t drunk at all.
Something about how he’d grown stronger drinking soju instead of water while running the Weekend Farm.
In any case, Do Gwang-hyun picked up a piece of rolled egg with his chopsticks and opened his mouth.
“Can I ask just one thing? Why do you keep calling me ‘Gwang-hyun, Gwang-hyun’?”
At the sudden question, Seo Jin tilted his head.
“Isn’t your name Do Gwang-hyun? Did you change it?”
“Ah, seriously…. I’m your senior, aren’t I?”
Do Gwang-hyun fumbled for his ID and slapped it on the table.
And he spoke playfully.
“I’m thirty-one. How old are you, sir?”
Seo Jin let out a sigh.
And he told Do Gwang-hyun the truth.
“Actually, I’m quite old. Over forty. It sounds like a lie, but it’s true.”
Seo Jin’s exterior is twenty-eight years old.
But inside sits Seo Jun-kyung, who is over forty.
So I told him the truth, but Do Gwang-hyun doesn’t believe me.
When you think about it, it’s strange to expect him to believe it.
“Ha ha… do you really want to speak casually to your senior that badly?”
“You don’t usually care about age anyway, right? If someone has money and power, they’re the senior?”
“…How did you know that?”
“Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung told me.”
Do Gwang-hyun gripped his glass and muttered, “How much did that guy tell you? Well, with 7 billion won, you’d be the senior, I suppose.”
Seo Jin chuckled and opened his mouth.
“Should we order another side dish?”
“Crispy pork bones.”
Do Gwang-hyun answered promptly and eagerly ate the side dishes.
While drinking with Do Gwang-hyun, Seo Jin observed Jin Yun-hee.
She seemed to be continuously exchanging messages with someone.
She occasionally furrowed her brow as if troubled and sighed.
Meanwhile, empty soju bottles accumulated on the table one after another.
And volunteers from each faction came in to prepare for the general election next week, leaving their business cards.
Then, when Jin Yun-hee briefly went to the restroom, Seo Jin turned toward Do Gwang-hyun.
“The owner of this place.”
Do Gwang-hyun’s eyes gleamed at Seo Jin’s low voice.
He’d caught onto something.
When Do Gwang-hyun nodded, Seo Jin opened his mouth.
“Could I borrow your phone for a moment?”
Seo Jin is a prosecutor.
When he speaks like that, it means there’s a problem with this bar.
Do Gwang-hyun’s gaze shifted to the table where Jin Yun-hee had been sitting.
A phone with a pink case was visible there.
“That one?”
“Yeah.”
Do Gwang-hyun turned his head and surveyed the entire shop.
His eyes grew serious, his voice calm.
“No CCTV either. Then this is easy.”
Do Gwang-hyun ruffled his hair.
Then he unbuttoned his dress shirt and rolled up the sleeves.
Anyone would take him for a drunk.
“I’ll pay.”
Do Gwang-hyun brushed his hands off and stood up.
At the same moment, the door opened and Jin Yun-hee came in.
“Leaving?”
“Yes.”
Do Gwang-hyun pulled a card from his wallet and staggered toward Jin Yun-hee.
And the moment he handed her the card, he grabbed the table and crashed down with a loud clatter.
Jin Yun-hee let out a sharp cry and rushed over to Do Gwang-hyun.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh, I’m not drunk. I’m not drunk. I’m fine, so please ring me up.”
Jin Yun-hee frowned.
He was clearly intoxicated.
His tongue was slurred and his legs were unsteady.
He was fumbling around trying to tidy up.
Jin Yun-hee waved her hand.
“It’s fine. I’ll clean it up.”
“I’m sorry.”
As Do Gwang-hyun spoke with an embarrassed expression, Jin Yun-hee patted her chest and headed toward the counter.
In that moment, Jin Yun-hee’s phone had slipped into Do Gwang-hyun’s pocket.
Once outside, Do Gwang-hyun walked straight without staggering.
Compared to his performance in the shop, it was a complete reversal.
And Seo Jin and Do Gwang-hyun sat facing each other at a convenience store table a short distance from the shop.
As Seo Jin brought over coffee and set it on the table, Do Gwang-hyun, who had been handling Jin Yun-hee’s phone, opened his mouth.
“It’s locked.”
“Give it here.”
I took the phone from her hands.
It was secured with a pattern lock.
But I knew her pattern.
If it hadn’t changed….
‘Z.’
As I traced the pattern with my finger, the phone unlocked.
I checked the messages.
‘Her boyfriend.’
The conversation that had Jin Yun-hee frowning was with her boyfriend.
-Where are you?
-Why aren’t you answering my calls?
-How can you do this?
-If you keep doing this….
Whether they’d fought or something had happened, her boyfriend was clearly ignoring Jin Yun-hee’s messages.
‘Nothing significant.’
I checked her contacts.
There weren’t many, and nothing stood out.
Father, Mother, part-time job coworker, and friend, friend, friend….
But suddenly, the conversation between Jin Yun-hee and her boyfriend flashed through my mind.
‘How can you do this? If you keep doing this?’
Suspicious.
On the surface, it seemed like an ordinary exchange between a man and woman, but viewed differently, it felt like a threatening message.
I examined the conversation with her boyfriend again.
‘Strange.’
The conversation wasn’t long.
Mostly Jin Yun-hee initiated contact, and the man responded with brief replies like “No.” or “I’m fine.”
Otherwise, whenever Jin Yun-hee sent a message, the man seemed to call her immediately after.
The saved name was childishly “Jagi.”
I found the boyfriend’s contact information and wrote it down in my notebook.
Then I tapped my fingers on the table, lost in thought.
‘Could it be….’
I suspected the relationship between Jin Yun-hee and this man might be improper.
‘He’s probably a man with money and power. A sugar daddy?’
He must have set up the pojangmacha for Jin Yun-hee.
And at the end of all this, there might be someone who ordered Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung’s death.
‘Then Jin Yun-hee can’t afford to lose her phone.’
The moment he suspected a leak, he would erase all traces and abandon Jin Yun-hee.
Having finished my thoughts, I set the phone down on the table.
“Give it back now.”
“Huh? You want me to bring it back? Again? When did you tell me to steal it in the first place?”
“I never told you to steal it. I just said I wanted to take a look.”
Do Gwang-hyun stared at Seo Jin with a bewildered expression.
But Seo Jin’s eyes were cold and serious.
Do Gwang-hyun didn’t ask further and nodded.
“Understood. I’ll go get it and bring it back.”
Do Gwang-hyun gripped the phone and stood up.
Then he transformed back into a stumbling drunk and walked toward the bar.
There shouldn’t be any problems.
“I must have picked it up thinking it was mine when I stumbled. I’m sorry about that. I’ll come back later.”
A simple excuse like that would smooth things over—Do Gwang-hyun was now a perfect drunk.
He’d actually drunk quite a bit too.
Lee Dong-young, the investigator, was watching the scene unfold.
He opened his notebook and picked up his pen.
‘Seo Jin….’
A strange guy.
He’s a cousin of Kim Yun-hwan, the son of Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun, yet he attacks that side.
Well, up to that point, it could be dismissed as a family squabble between cousins.
He’d watched wealthy families’ children fight in courtrooms long enough that such things weren’t unusual.
But this time, he’s digging into Jin Yun-hee.
He couldn’t understand what he was doing at all.
‘What the hell is this bastard up to?’

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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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