Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 59

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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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An Unsolved Problem (1)
But Lee Dong-young didn’t listen to what I said.
His grip on my collar tightened, veins bulging across his forearm.
“Answer me!”
This space had been created by Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung and me to catch bad people.
But Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung had passed away, and now Lee Dong-young used it alone.
Today, he’d come here to record information about Jin Yun-hee.
He’d been sitting in the room, copying notes from his notebook into a ledger, when I suddenly showed up.
Lee Dong-young’s eyes twisted.
“How did you find this place!”
The moment I saw his eyes, I realized I’d been thinking something incredibly foolish.
‘Should I tell him I’m Seo Jun-kyung?’
A stupid thought—wondering if Lee Dong-young might actually believe me.
The desire to reveal everything and share a strong drink of soju.
But…
‘I can’t.’
He wasn’t the kind of man who would believe such words.
If he did believe, something would be wrong with him.
Besides, the righteous Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung was dead, and my goals had changed.
It wasn’t just about catching bad people anymore—I intended to seize their power.
All the good things in this world belonged to the wicked.
The cries of the powerless and poor were no different from a stray dog’s barking.
I never wanted to live that way again.
I opened my mouth.
“…Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung taught me about it.”
The moment the name Seo Jun-kyung left my lips, Lee Dong-young’s pupils trembled.
I watched his eyes carefully and continued.
“How else would I know about this place?”
“How do you know Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung!”
“He came to give a lecture when I was in law school. That’s how we became acquainted, but first, let me explain—”
Lee Dong-young’s eyes narrowed.
Recalling the past, Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung had often given special lectures at universities.
He remembered students praising his enthusiasm each time.
‘Is that true?’
There was no other way I could have learned about this place.
Lee Dong-young slowly released his grip.
As I clutched my throat and coughed, Lee Dong-young spoke in a dry voice.
“Tell me. You met him in law school? What kind of relationship do you have?”
“There are various reasons, but I’ll keep it brief.”
“There are various reasons, but let me explain briefly.”
Seo Jin straightened his disheveled dress shirt and rose to his feet.
The longer the excuses, the more the flaws show through.
Since there was no truth—only a patchwork of lies—it was even worse.
So I stuck to the essential points.
-My uncle is Prosecutor Kim Young-jun.
-I want to take down Prosecutor Kim Young-jun, and Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung happened to find out about it.
-Before he died, he came to find me and told me about this place.
“Continuing the investigation was Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung’s final request.”
“I… I’ve never heard him say anything like that…”
“Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung keeps his mouth shut. How could he tell anyone that his nephew was raging about taking down his uncle?”
Lee Dong-young closed his eyes.
It would be hard to believe.
But Seo Jin was trying to exile Kim Yun-hwan, and the photographs scattered across the floor were also targeting him.
He had no choice but to believe.
And Seo Jin drove the final nail in.
“…So I’d appreciate it if you kept everything I’ve said confidential. I’ll keep my mouth shut about what you’re doing too.”
Lee Dong-young nodded.
With a soft click, the door opened.
Lee Dong-young, who had stepped outside for a moment, returned.
In his hand was a bottle of soju.
“What is this?”
Seo Jin asked, but Lee Dong-young didn’t answer.
He stacked Prosecutor Kim Young-jun’s documents and placed his phone on top of them.
On the phone’s screen was a photograph of Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung.
Lee Dong-young gazed at the photograph of Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung.
As if he truly missed him…
Then he let out a long sigh.
“Ah…”
He lit a cigarette and held it in front of the phone.
As the cigarette smoke wavered like incense, he wiped the glass with his sleeve.
Then he filled it with soju and held the glass out toward the photograph of Prosecutor Seo Jun-kyung as if making a toast.
“Have some.”
A single word, as if speaking to a dear friend.
He set the glass down in front of the phone and opened his mouth to Seo Jin.
“I’m asking for your help.”
Whether it was his uncle or anyone else, he was asking him to crush them.
Seo Jin understood what he meant and answered.
“Of course.”
Seo Jin smiled quietly.
But the moment Lee Dong-young saw that smile, his eyes widened.
‘Again?’
Seo Jun-kyung’s image overlaps with my vision once more.
No—it feels as though Seo Jun-kyung is smiling.
I know the relationship between Seo Jin and Seo Jun-kyung, and I’m certain this shouldn’t be happening, yet I can’t fathom why it’s occurring again.
‘Have I truly lost my mind?’
Lee Dong-young rubbed his face vigorously.
*
*
*
Kim Young-jun glanced at his wristwatch.
‘Fifty-eight minutes have passed.’
It had already been fifty-eight minutes since Seo Jin left, saying he would uncover the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office’s plan.
‘He said he’d be back within an hour.’
In truth, uncovering something within an hour was no simple task.
But that hour was a deadline Seo Jin had set for himself.
‘Is he still lacking?’
One must honor the words that leave one’s own lips, regardless of the means required.
He believed that those who failed to keep their word were unfit for greater purposes.
However.
‘I’ll give him more time.’
Seo Jin was still young.
Besides, he was family.
Kim Young-jun decided to grant him additional time, something he would never do for anyone else.
‘Just one more minute now.’
That was when it happened.
The study room door opened, and at the sound, Kim Young-jun turned his body.
His eyes widened.
Seo Jin stood there.
He opened his mouth, breathing heavily as though he’d rushed here.
“I’ve found it.”
Though he’d expected it to be difficult, Seo Jin had kept his promise within the allotted time.
A smile gradually spread across Kim Young-jun’s lips.
“You’ve found it?”
Moments later, Seo Jin and Kim Young-jun sat facing each other.
Seo Jin took out his phone and placed it on the table.
The phone contained a photograph of Kim Yun-hwan.
Yet Kim Young-jun didn’t look at the phone—he simply flipped it over with a tap.
‘What is this?’
Seo Jin’s brow furrowed as he lifted his gaze.
Kim Young-jun opened his mouth, his voice measured and deliberate.
“I’ll transfer the case on your terms and send Yun-hwan to Dongnam County.”
“…!”
Kim Young-jun had no interest in what was on the phone or what schemes were brewing in Gangwon Province.
He simply wanted to see what Seo Jin was capable of.
Kim Young-jun crossed his legs and continued speaking.
“Seo Jin, come to Seoul.”
“…!”
“Learn the ropes here, and when Yun-hwan returns, you’ll work together. He’ll pull you up, and you’ll push him forward. When he becomes Chief Prosecutor, you’ll inherit his desk.”
Kim Young-jun was beaming with a radiant smile.
A smile I’d never seen even when I was Seo Jun-kyung.
So I responded with an equally bright smile and bowed deeply.
“I’ll do my best.”
“However.”
Just as the pleasant conversation was flowing, Kim Young-jun suddenly applied the brakes.
Kim Young-jun placed a cigarette between his lips and opened his mouth.
“It would be difficult for you to receive a transfer to Seoul in such a short time. People will wonder if I’ve pulled strings. There’s no need to listen to malicious rumors, but there’s no reason to invite suspicion either.”
Kim Young-jun rose from his seat and moved toward the coffee machine.
He continued speaking as he brewed the coffee.
“There’s a case in Chuncheon that they’re trying to close.”
During the hour I spent outside, Kim Young-jun hadn’t been idle.
He’d investigated a case that occurred in Gangwon Province.
And.
“Human remains were discovered in the hearth of an abandoned house. A woman in her twenties who went missing six months ago.”
“….”
“It’s clear she was murdered, but neither suspects nor evidence have surfaced. The investigation is effectively closed.”
Kim Young-jun set a cup of coffee before me and continued in a gentle voice.
“Can you solve it?”
He’s truly insane.
A case that’s been thoroughly combed through for months with not a shred of evidence, and he wants me to solve it.
He’s waiting for the moment I fail this task.
And when that moment comes, with his arm around my shoulder.
“If you’d just solved that, I could have brought you to Seoul without hesitation. You’d have an achievement. But you failed, and I went out on a limb to bring you here. So from now on, you need to listen to what I say.”
He’ll definitely spout this kind of nonsense.
He doesn’t want Yun-hwan and me to be in a mutually supportive relationship.
What he wants is for Yun-hwan to hold my leash.
It’s not even subtle.
But it was exactly what I wanted.
He’s confident I’ll fail.
But if I solve the case, I can break free from Kim Young-jun’s grasp.
I picked up the coffee cup and smiled brightly.
“Yes, Uncle.”
Seo Jin brought the coffee to his lips.
Many talented people lack connections and power, so they never receive recognition.
But I had no such excuse.
Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-jun wouldn’t want to, but he’d hand me a ticket to Seoul with his own hands.
I wouldn’t refuse that power anymore.
Once Kim Yun-hwan transferred to Dongnam County, I wouldn’t need to play the lackey.
So for now.
‘I’ll gratefully accept.’
I would exploit Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-jun’s plan and greedily swallow what was offered.
*
*
*
The weekend passed. Monday arrived.
Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon’s office was in an uproar, as if an earthquake had struck.
“Kim Yun-hwan is being transferred to Dongnam County!”
“Incredible!”
“Did Kim Young-jun back down over a single rumor? Ha ha ha ha!”
Victory always felt exhilarating.
And this was especially sweet—a small division like Criminal Division 2 at the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office had extracted a surrender from Chief Prosecutor Kim Young-jun himself.
Their cheers continued for quite some time.
And shortly after.
Seo Jin stood before Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon.
Everyone else had left. Only the two of them remained.
Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon twirled his pen, studying Seo Jin.
“What is it?”
“May I look into the Chuncheon abandoned house case?”
The pen in Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon’s hand stopped mid-twirl.
He tilted his head, regarding Seo Jin with confusion.
“…Why that?”
The victim’s identity had been confirmed through DNA testing, but that was where it ended.
A perfect crime with no evidence whatsoever.
In other words, it was a complete dead end—utterly useless for a prosecutor’s career.
It would follow like a scarlet letter of failure for the rest of one’s life.
“Why would you want to take that on?”
“I’d like to try.”
Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon clicked his pen thoughtfully.
Seo Jin was someone who’d solved impossible cases in Dongnam before.
There was a glimmer of hope—what if?
But if he failed, a pile of shit would be thrown onto an otherwise promising future.
To climb higher, one must solve only cases that help one’s career and manipulate the appearance of competence.
A tainted record has clear limitations.
Just like Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon himself.
So I was about to object, but Seo Jin’s eyes were serious.
“Please allow me to proceed.”
Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon exhaled a long sigh.
“Then let’s make one promise. I won’t put this case under your name. Think about what happens if you fail. It will remain on your record for life.”
“….”
“But if the case gets solved and results become visible, then I’ll put your name on it.”
Even failure wouldn’t be a problem.
It was an excessively generous condition.
Seo Jin bowed immediately.
Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon’s voice continued.
“If you think it’s impossible, back out. Don’t waste time on something futile.”
“Understood.”
Chief Prosecutor Ji Se-heon stood up and patted Seo Jin on the shoulder.
“I’m doing this because I feel sorry. Regardless of what anyone says, Kim Yun-hwan is your relative after all.”
Kim Yun-hwan—fortunately, he had many uses.
*
*
*
It didn’t take long for rumors that Seo Jin was taking on the abandoned house case to sweep through the entire District Prosecutor’s Office.
Wherever one went, voices mixed with anticipation and concern filled the air.
“The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. No evidence, you say? It’s recklessness and showing off.”
“But didn’t he solve several cold cases in Dongnam?”
“Will his luck continue forever? And there are rumors that Dongnam pushed him. I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Does that even make sense?”
“Listening to you talk, it sounds like you’re hoping he fails. Don’t be jealous just because he’s better looking than you.”
“That guy is fifty-fifty luck. If he succeeds, I’ll buy him dinner.”
“To Kim Seo-jin?”
“Yeah!”
Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, exhaled cigarette smoke and opened his mouth.
“A star is a star. When you go to the smoking room, everyone’s talking about you. But don’t mind it. They’re just excited. But are you confident?”
“I’m not sure. I’m planning to visit the scene after work. There might be something there, right?”
“There won’t be. The police went through it like they were catching rats, and not a single hair turned up. If they found nothing, then there’s nothing.”
The Police Scientific Investigation Division had examined the scene, but true to Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo’s words, not a single hair was found.
But.
“It’s worth trying.”
One cannot know without attempting, and perfect crimes do not exist in this world.
Seo Jin believed there was a possibility.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo chuckled.
“You know that place has a reputation for being haunted, right? If you go at night, you’ll see ghosts. I wish a virgin ghost would show up and get married.”
This guy was seriously spouting curses.
*
*
*
That night.
Seo Jin headed to the scene.
It was a place where an elderly man who harvested medicinal herbs once lived, and after his death, it had been abandoned and left to decay—the Abandoned House.
“It’s pretty eerie.”
Coming here at night made it somewhat frightening.
But I, too, was a body that had died and awakened.
Mustering courage, I walked slowly toward the scene.
The kitchen had a large traditional hearth.
It looked like something you’d see in old rural villages.
I crouched down and examined inside the hearth.
This was where the remains had been discovered.
‘Why would they leave it behind?’
That was my first question.
A killer who commits murders like this doesn’t leave bones unattended.
They bury them in the ground to plan an even more perfect crime.
‘But why?’
I touched various places in the kitchen, hoping my psychometry ability might manifest.
But I felt nothing.
Since this power doesn’t activate on command, sometimes it’s frustrating.
If I could only control it, I could have used the ability when I entered Kim Young-jun’s Study Room.
‘Huh?’
That was the moment.
As I placed my hand on the door next to the kitchen, the world turned black and white.
Psychometry had activated.
Creak.
The door opened, and a man in a thick jacket emerged from the room and descended into the kitchen.
The kitchen floor was completely covered with plastic sheeting used for kimchi preparation.
The man exhaled roughly and opened his mouth.

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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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