Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 69

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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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Stabbing Someone in the Back (2)
“So, what did you want to ask me about?”
The man who had strangled a middle school student to death.
He patted Kim Tae-kyung’s shoulder and opened his mouth, pretending to be the kindest person in the world.
But I saw the horrifying visage hidden behind that mask.
It was a monster that should never be allowed to walk free in this world.
I wanted to drag him away right then and there, but I managed my expression and carefully opened my mouth.
“It’s nothing much. Since I’m new, I’m still studying. But I happened to see your case, Kim Tae-kyung, and it seemed like there were many unfair aspects to it….”
I circled around the subject.
Then the killer answered with a bitter smile.
“I think so too. He’s not the type to do something like that. I was there at that drinking session too, and that woman was quite drunk.”
As I looked at his smile, I thought, ‘Could it be….’
Could this bastard have committed sexual assault behind Kim Tae-kyung’s back and pinned the crime on him?
And his words continued.
“I’m sorry to say this, but I was there with him at the time.”
“….”
“Since Tae-kyung was shy, I went first to encourage him, but….”
The more he spoke, the more my suspicion solidified into certainty.
Then Kim Tae-kyung, who had been quiet until now, spoke with trembling voice.
“I didn’t do anything. Really.”
Shortly after, the three of us—I, Kim Tae-kyung, and the killer—came out to the Parking Lot.
“Would it be alright if I contacted you again later?”
At my gentle voice, Kim Tae-kyung nodded.
His eyes gleamed with hope that I would clear his name.
“Then.”
I said goodbye to the two of them and got into my car.
And as I started the engine, I turned my attention toward the killer.
The car had tinted windows, so it was difficult to see inside from outside.
Unaware that I was watching, he put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.
-Name: Yoon Min-woo.
-Occupation: Travel writer, travel specialist YouTuber.
He usually moved around from place to place, but occasionally came to Dongnam County to stay at Kim Tae-kyung’s House.
And he was currently staying at Kim Tae-kyung’s House.
I fixed my gaze on Yoon Min-woo and picked up my phone.
The dial tone continued, and soon I heard the voice of investigator Lee Dong-young.
-Yes, Prosecutor.
“I’ll send you a vehicle number via message. Could you look into his insurance registration history?”
-Understood.
While I was on the call, Yoon Min-woo continued patting Kim Tae-kyung’s back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said.
But in that fleeting moment, Yoon Min-woo’s pupils shifted toward me.
With the heavy window tint, it might have been an illusion that our eyes met.
‘Is he smiling?’
He was definitely observing me and smiling.
I exhaled a sigh and brushed my hair back.
‘That bastard did something unforgivable.’
He did something unforgivable.
He killed a middle schooler brimming with dreams and now pretends to be virtuous to the world.
And he’s even displaying arrogance in front of a prosecutor.
That look in his eyes clearly says, ‘I won’t get caught, you bastard.’
‘I promise you. You’re getting the death penalty.’
No matter how much you struggle to survive, it won’t matter.
I will absolutely extract a death sentence from the judge’s lips.
Through psychometry, I saw the middle schooler’s body crammed in that trunk.
I heard the voice of that bastard as he removed the corpse and spouted his words.
‘I’ll kill you.’
I sent Kim Tae-kyung’s vehicle registration number to Detective Lee Dong-young.
‘Yoon Min-woo transported the corpse using Kim Tae-kyung’s car.’
A car isn’t something you lend out easily.
If he did lend it, wouldn’t he have taken out a one-day insurance policy?
And if he did purchase insurance as expected, and if that timing matches the date of the crime, it can serve as evidence.
I turned the steering wheel and exited the parking lot.
‘But….’
Through psychometry, that bastard was accustomed to murder.
That’s why doubt crept in.
If Yoon Min-woo killed all six of them, then he’s a serial killer.
For a serial killer, murder is like a drug.
I was curious why his crimes had suddenly stopped.
‘What could it be…? Did he turn his attention to other crimes? Or….’
*
*
*
“They’re saying they need a broadcasting station PD for case resolution, haha.”
At that moment, Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae was sitting across from Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
“Yun-hwan said something like that?”
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun shook his head.
If he were the type whose mind worked that way, he wouldn’t have been pushed out from here.
He must have simply parroted the exact words I had spoken.
Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun was displeased with Kim Yun-hwan, who was becoming increasingly superficial.
And Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae sensed an unusual atmosphere from Prosecutor General Kim Young-jun.
I gauged the room before speaking.
“…What should we do?”
“Didn’t you promise to provide support? Then send it.”
“Understood.”
“But Jo Woo-jae.”
Kim Young-jun’s voice dropped sharply.
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae tensed, regarding Kim Young-jun cautiously.
Kim Young-jun lit a cigarette and continued.
“Whatever you and Yun-hwan do is none of my concern. You don’t need to report every detail like today. But you’re responsible for the results.”
“…!”
“We can’t have your face plastered on television and humiliated, can we?”
Kim Young-jun’s voice was calm.
But Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae broke into a cold sweat.
He knew exactly who would bear the responsibility for those results.
Kim Yun-hwan?
No. He was Kim Young-jun’s son.
Blood ties weren’t severed, no matter how badly one was beaten.
But Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae was different.
He could be discarded at any moment.
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae bowed his head toward Kim Young-jun.
“I’ll make sure Yun-hwan doesn’t face any humiliation.”
“Just handle it.”
Kim Young-jun spoke dismissively, crushing his cigarette into the ashtray.
*
*
*
Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae moved swiftly.
The Current Affairs Program he’d contacted was GBN Broadcasting’s 25 Hours.
A popup window immediately appeared on their homepage accepting tips about the middle school girl murder case.
And on Seo Jin’s phone, a call came through from Lee Eun-ha of Seeing the World.
-I’d like to meet with you.
A few days later.
Seo Jin headed to a bar in Chuncheon.
To meet with reporter Lee Eun-ha.
As I stepped inside, I heard people whispering.
“I got a photo of her. Her face is literally the size of a fingernail.”
“If it’s fingernail-sized, is that even a person?”
They were talking about reporter Lee Eun-ha.
“Shut up. Look, look. Isn’t she gorgeous?”
“You’re next to her looking like a squid relative, and you want me to take a picture of you too?”
“She said she had an important appointment and asked me to be patient.”
“Damn.”
People recognized Lee Eun-ha as she entered the private room.
A few of them gathered courage to knock on the door and were blessed with the honor of taking a photo with her.
And Seo Jin entered the room where Lee Eun-ha was waiting.
“You’re here?”
“Ah, yes.”
My gaze shifted to the table.
I could see quite expensive liquor.
Lee Eun-ha spoke with a bright smile.
“A drink would be fine, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s fine, but do you like this liquor?”
When I stared intently, Lee Eun-ha shook her head.
“Honestly, I’m ordering it for the first time. If you’d prefer something else, I can order that instead.”
Lee Eun-ha had ordered the most expensive liquor for me.
She must have assumed I came from old money and always drank whiskey worth hundreds of thousands of won.
But I had no interest in expensive liquor.
It would be different if I were entertaining Kim Yun-hwan or Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae.
I didn’t want to drink something burdensome in a setting like this.
I pressed the bell on the table and a server entered.
“Never mind this liquor. There’s no soju, but… you have beer. Could you change it to that?”
My gaze shifted to Lee Eun-ha.
A look asking what she would order.
“Ah, I’ll have beer too.”
Soon beer arrived with snacks.
Lee Eun-ha watched me quietly.
“You don’t seem to like whiskey?”
“I think getting drunk is the same either way. It feels burdensome, and even if I drink it, I can’t taste the difference.”
Lee Eun-ha blinked.
Every person from old money she’d met before refused anything that wasn’t expensive liquor.
But Seo Jin was…
‘Different.’
He looked perfectly fine, but muttering “there’s no soju” gave off an uncle-like vibe.
Well, that wasn’t what mattered.
Lee Eun-ha raised her beer and opened her mouth.
“You know? Thanks to you, Prosecutor, the image of the Prosecutor’s Office has really improved.”
The Prosecutor’s Office was solving unsolved cases one after another.
Of course, I was the protagonist, but people didn’t remember my face and name individually.
They simply praised the Prosecutor’s Office.
“Is that so?”
Seo Jin answered casually.
In truth, the Prosecutor’s Office’s image was the least of my concerns.
It was obvious that Kim Yun-hwan’s blunders would soon crumble everything we’d built up anyway.
“You didn’t know? When the prosecutor appears on briefing broadcasts, viewership temporarily spikes. They say it’s because you don’t look like a prosecutor.”
Lee Eun-ha tried to butter me up, but I wanted to hear the real reason for this meeting.
Once alcohol entered my system, my mind would inevitably grow clouded.
“But why did you want to see me?”
As I spoke, Lee Eun-ha suddenly grabbed my hand.
Startled, I tried to pull away quickly, but she urgently opened her mouth.
“Could you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
Lee Eun-ha’s program, “Seeing the World,” had exclusively broadcast the crematory remains case and achieved impressive viewership ratings.
She was essentially rising to the number one position in that time slot.
But the person Chief Prosecutor Jo Woo-jae had contacted was a PD from a program competing with “Seeing the World.”
If they scooped the exclusive, her program’s ranking would be reversed.
“I don’t want to lose it. ’25 Hours’ is genuinely trash—they deserve to be called garbage. They edit, they incite! If those bastards get their hands on the broadcast, who knows what fabrications they’ll create….”
Not all journalists are trash.
For hardworking reporters, “25 Hours” was considered a disgrace to the profession.
I looked into Lee Eun-ha’s earnest eyes.
“Um… first, could you let go of my hand….”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize….”
“And don’t do that.”
Lee Eun-ha’s expression darkened.
“…Don’t do what?”
I needed the media.
A reporter like Lee Eun-ha could be an excellent partner and play a significant role in sinking Kim Yun-hwan.
But if Kim Yun-hwan jumped off a cliff and she jumped with him, her image would be damaged as well.
A journalist who misses the facts becomes a target of ridicule.
I was about to explain the reason.
“The reason is….”
But my phone vibrated.
The caller ID was….
Yoon Min-woo
I tilted my head in confusion.
After gesturing an apology to Lee Eun-ha, I brought the phone to my ear.
“Yes, Kim Seo….”
Before I could even finish saying my name, Yoon Min-woo’s voice came through rapidly.
-Prosecutor! Right now Tae-kyung is… Tae-kyung!
My eyes widened.
Kim Yun-hwan had made his move.
He brought the police along to apprehend Kim Tae-kyung.
‘Insane!’
I’d known from the start that he was reckless.
But I never expected him to act without any preparation.
As Seo Jin ended the call and rose to his feet, the flustered Lee Eun-ha asked.
“…Why? Do you have an urgent matter?”
“Let’s go together.”
Seo Jin’s car roared down the highway.
And upon arrival at Kim Tae-kyung’s House, a residential area that would normally be quiet.
But now it was in chaos.
Police and patrol cars filled the street, and investigators carrying prosecution boxes were descending from the house, apparently having conducted a search and seizure.
The residents watching the spectacle clicked their tongues.
“They say he’s a sexual assailant, ugh.”
“Why? What else did he do?”
“Can’t you tell from the police showing up like this? A leopard can’t change its spots.”
“A bastard like that deserves to die!”
As Seo Jin tried to push through them and enter, Yoon Min-woo staggered toward him.
“Prosecutor….”
He grabbed Seo Jin’s arm and collapsed to the ground.
“Tae-kyung… Tae-kyung….”
Tears were streaming down his face.
“Calm yourself. What’s happened? You need to explain….”
“They say he’s a serial killer. A serial killer who murdered a middle school student! He can’t even kill a single bug, but they’re framing him! This is a false accusation!”
Seo Jin’s eyes narrowed.
‘What’s this?’
He should be shedding crocodile tears.
He should be delighted that Kim Tae-kyung was being taken away instead of him.
Yet his emotions now seemed genuine.
Seo Jin patted his shoulder and spoke.
“It will be fine. Don’t worry.”
As I comforted Yoon Min-woo for a moment, I heard the murmur of the crowd.
“Shameless bastard!”
“Die!”
“A monster like that deserves execution!”
Kim Tae-kyung descended the stairs with his face hidden behind his jacket, and beside him stood Kim Yun-hwan with a triumphant expression.
Lee Eun-ha quickly pulled out her phone and took photographs.
After snapping several shots, she immediately switched to video mode and spoke.
“Prosecutor, thank you. I’ll buy you drinks later—something really expensive. You don’t need to worry about the cost then.”
Lee Eun-ha’s face was radiant with the joy of landing an exclusive scoop.
But in that moment, Seo Jin leaned close to Lee Eun-ha’s ear.
At her startled reaction to my sudden move, I opened my mouth.
In a voice that Yoon Min-woo, crying beside her, couldn’t hear.
“Do you trust me?”
“…What?”
Reporter Lee Eun-ha stared at me with wide eyes before nodding.
“Of course I do.”
“Then would you send that photo you just took to those guys called ’25 Hours’ or whatever?”
“…This one?”
Reporter Lee Eun-ha’s wide eyes filled with confusion.
This was an exclusive scoop.
It even captured the raw intensity of the moment the Serial Killer was caught.
But to send it to those tabloid hacks she despised.
She couldn’t help but hesitate.
That’s when it happened.
“Has Seo Jin arrived?”
An arrogant voice rang out.
Kim Yun-hwan, having spotted me, approached with his hands shoved in his pockets.
Standing before me, Kim Yun-hwan glanced around before furrowing his brow and speaking in a low voice.
“You met that bastard, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think he was the culprit.”
“A detective? Working on intuition? We’re prosecutors who verify through documents, you fool.”
Kim Yun-hwan tapped my shoulder and continued.
“This time I caught him. When I do something, it gets done.”
“You confirmed it thoroughly?”
“What? Are you looking down on me?”
As I continued the conversation with Kim Yun-hwan, Reporter Lee Eun-ha remained frozen.
She was recalling my voice from just moments ago.
‘He didn’t think he was the culprit?’
If Seo Jin—who had elevated the Prosecution Service’s image and solved unsolved cases multiple times—said that….
‘He told me to trust him? To trust him? Ah, what do I do!’
Reporter Lee Eun-ha squeezed her eyes shut.
And she sent a message to a friend.
-Send this photo somewhere else for me instead. Who should I send it to? The number is….
Okay.
‘I’ve lost my mind!’
Only after sending the message did Reporter Lee Eun-ha realize what she had done.
She had handed over an exclusive scoop to the bad guys.
‘I’m insane, I’m insane!’
Lee Eun-ha let out a series of heavy sighs.
But regret wouldn’t change anything now.
The reply had already come through.
-I sent it.

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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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