Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 79

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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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Your Face (4)
“What is your name?”
“Yoon Min-woo.”
The Judge began the trial by asking Yoon Min-woo about his name, occupation, and address.
Only their two voices echoed through the silent courtroom.
“And your occupation?”
“I’m a travel writer.”
Seo Jin watched the Judge quietly.
His name was Lee Woo-jin, a man who had just been promoted to Presiding Judge.
And.
‘Garbage.’
Before entering the courtroom, I had examined Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin’s past trials.
There were many verdicts that were subtle yet forced.
Truly, the rich go free while the poor hang.
It was highly likely he was working with defense attorney Kim Jong-jae this time as well.
As evidence of that….
‘He’s smiling.’
Attorney Kim Jong-jae was relaxed.
The way he crossed his legs and flipped through documents made it seem as though he were in his own living room.
My gaze shifted to Yoon Min-woo.
Yoon Min-woo wore a remarkably wronged expression.
Anyone could see he looked haggard and sorrowful.
Nowhere on his face could one find a trace of his usual snickering laughter.
My gaze finally landed on the gallery.
The packed seats held more than just journalists.
The victims’ parents were there too.
They bowed their heads and clasped their hands as if in prayer.
Their desperation reached even here.
But the Judge and the attorney turned away from their desperation.
They thought only of the profit to be gained.
“Prosecutor, please state your reasons for bringing this indictment.”
At the Judge’s voice, I rose, my robes billowing.
Then I turned my body toward the gallery.
“The defendant murdered twenty-two women.”
My voice resonated through the courtroom.
-A middle school student died. An employee of an entertainment establishment died.
-That number totals twenty-two.
-All of those bodies were abandoned.
-Not content with sexual assault, he framed his friend Kim Tae-kyung for it.
“The defendant demonstrated such meticulous cunning that he deliberately drank alcohol to exploit diminished capacity as a defense.”
Revisiting past cases is akin to reliving pain itself.
Some parents even shed tears.
But the trial process demands we examine and move forward.
My gaze shifted toward Yoon Min-woo.
Yoon Min-woo was glaring at me.
There was no remorse in his eyes.
He was desperately seeking any way to escape.
I approached him with deliberate, measured steps.
Then I opened my mouth.
“I have indicted you on charges of murder under Article 250, Section 1 of the Criminal Act, concealment of a corpse under Article 161, Section 1, and quasi-rape under Article 297, Section 2.”
Yoon Min-woo smiled coldly and shook his head.
“Prosecutor, I do not admit to these charges.”
“You must admit to them.”
“But I’m innocent.”
“If you show remorse now, you might at least receive some leniency in sentencing.”
In that instant, Kim Jong-jae’s attorney slammed the table and rose to his feet.
“Objection! The prosecutor is not following proper trial procedure! Moreover, you are coercing the defendant—!”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Counsel, you’re saying the defendant feels pressured by this? You know better than anyone that he’s not that kind of person.”
“Prosecutor!”
As both voices grew louder, Chief Judge Lee Woo-jin struck the bench with his palm—bang, bang, bang.
“Quiet, quiet! And Prosecutor, be careful!”
“Understood.”
I nodded and returned to my seat.
As I sat down, I studied Kim Jong-jae’s expression.
‘I was hoping to provoke him…’
But Kim Jong-jae’s expression remained unchanged.
If anything, he wore an irritating smile.
Seeing that smile, I became certain that he and the judge were in collusion.
*
*
*
“Oh no, Criminal Division 2 is getting stepped on again?”
It was at the District Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutors gathered in the smoking room were laughing bitterly.
“So it’s Kim Jong-jae this time? Ugh, what’s the point of catching him? The judges have already been completely bought off.”
Whenever Criminal Division 2 took on a case, a high-profile attorney would be appointed as if by curse.
Some even called it a curse.
“Should we really call in a shaman and perform a ritual?”
“Why the hell did Kim Jong-jae suddenly show up…?”
They are prosecutors.
I hope Yoon Min-woo receives the punishment he deserves.
But when a high-powered defense attorney enters the picture, the law sometimes loses its strength and gets trampled.
“This leaves a bad taste.”
One prosecutor spoke up as I flicked ash from my cigarette with a scowl.
“But it’s Seo Jin we’re talking about. Good track record, sharp mind. Shouldn’t we have some hope?”
“I’ll grant he’s sharp. But a kid who’s only done one trial is going to take down Kim Jong-jae? Come on? If that cunning old fox throws a fit, he might just lose his temper and throw his prosecutor’s robes on the ground.”
“Really? He didn’t seem like the temperamental type, though….”
The prosecutors paused, recalling Seo Jin.
True enough, he wasn’t the sort to lose his composure over his own nature.
Rather, he possessed an almost extreme composure and unhurried demeanor.
Moreover, given his track record of solving cold cases, there was an odd sense of anticipation.
“Still, this one’s going to be tough. Do you know what our new District Prosecutor is called?”
-A lapdog.
“Kim Jong-jae already made his rounds. After that, Seo Jin was designated as the prosecutor in charge.”
“Really?”
Seo Jin taking on the trial and attorney Kim Jong-jae had absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Even the timeline was different.
But Prosecutor Yeo Jun-hyuk’s nickname was enough to fuel misunderstandings.
“Stop spouting nonsense and get back to work.”
At the sound of an irritated voice, the prosecutors hurriedly stubbed out their cigarettes and averted their gaze.
Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo was approaching.
“If you’ve got nothing to do, wipe down your desks. Stop spouting useless drivel! Go!”
As Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo waved his hand dismissively, the prosecutors bowed and scattered.
Watching them disperse, Lee Myung-soo furrowed his brow.
‘Damn it.’
Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo had heard the rumors too.
‘Seo Jin is just food and side dishes for attorney Kim Jong-jae.’
‘I don’t know about that.’
Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo thrust his hands into his pockets and left through the main entrance of the District Prosecutor’s Office.
His destination was the Court directly across the street.
He wanted to go watch Seo Jin’s trial and offer some support.
But as Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo walked toward the Court building, his eyes narrowed.
A familiar figure appeared in front of the Court lobby.
A small man in a checkered jacket.
‘Is that him?’
Kim Tae-kyung, who had finally been cleared after bearing countless false accusations, stood with his head bowed in front of the lobby.
‘Sigh….’
Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo exhaled a sigh and approached Kim Tae-kyung.
Then he opened his mouth in the gentlest voice he could muster.
“Kim Tae-kyung?”
Kim Tae-kyung flinched in surprise, his eyes widening as he looked toward Chief Prosecutor Lee Myung-soo.
Lee Myung-soo opened his mouth with a genuinely apologetic expression.
“I’m Lee Myung-soo from the Gangwon District Prosecutors’ Office. I’m not sure what to say, but let’s go inside first. Hearing what happened and why—that’s how we close the chapters of the past.”
Kim Tae-kyung pondered briefly before nodding.
“…Actually, Prosecutor Seo Jin told me to attend as well.”
*
*
*
At that moment, in the Courtroom.
I was cross-examining Yoon Min-woo.
“You’re saying you didn’t commit the murder?”
“…Yes, I didn’t.”
Yoon Min-woo’s face was shameless.
He wore an expression of grievance so nauseating it was almost theatrical.
His hands trembled slightly.
It was all an act.
I leaned forward across the desk, my body angled toward him.
“What about your confession? Was it all a lie?”
“I was so scared I had no choice. I was truly terrified…”
“Why did you have the victims’ identification cards?”
“They were there from the beginning. I found them by chance. I only touched them a few times. I didn’t know anything!”
Their strategy had shifted.
Attorney Kim Jong-jae must have instructed him.
-The middle school girl is a case from three years ago.
-The missing woman? That’s not necessary either.
-Without concrete evidence, murder charges won’t stick.
-Let’s admit to just one thing.
“I did meet Joo Min-ah! But I didn’t kill her. I drank alcohol, and the next day, she was dead. That’s why I was scared…”
-Admit only to abandoning the corpse.
-That’s all.
-Joo Min-ah’s body was left unattended for a long time anyway.
-Even with an autopsy, there’s nothing to confirm.
“I’m sorry!”
Yoon Min-woo collapsed onto the desk, his shoulders shaking as he wept bitterly.
Simultaneously, Attorney Kim Jong-jae rose to his feet.
“Your Honor, the only evidence in this case is the victims’ identification cards. However, those cards already bore countless fingerprints, most of them smudged. Can we truly identify the perpetrator?”
“…”
“I believe Yoon Min-woo’s claim that he found them by chance is reasonable.”
Attorney Kim Jong-jae walked forward with heavy, deliberate steps toward Yoon Min-woo.
Then he met Seo Jin’s gaze and gently gripped Yoon Min-woo’s shoulder.
“Prosecutor, you cannot place the charge of murder on this shoulder based solely on an identification card.”
Attorney Kim Jong-jae shot Seo Jin a look brimming with confidence in victory, then turned and returned to his seat.
Seo Jin exhaled a sigh and questioned Yoon Min-woo.
“You obtained the identification card by chance? Where did you find it?”
“What?”
“At the playground? Or at a bar? Why did you steal Joo Min-ah’s identification card?”
“I stole Joo Min-ah’s identification card because I was afraid. I thought my identity couldn’t be revealed…. I’m sorry.”
“Then what about the other identification card?”
I hadn’t thought this far ahead.
I had merely claimed it was obtained by chance.
Yoon Min-woo, who had been rolling his eyes with his mouth firmly shut, nodded as if something had occurred to him.
“…At home.”
In that instant, Attorney Kim Jong-jae spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Your Honor! The owner of that house is Kim Tae-kyung!”
At those words, the courtroom erupted into chaos.
“Kim Tae-kyung, you say?”
“Right? That person?”
Kim Tae-kyung had become the very embodiment of injustice.
Not only sexual assault, but also serial murder—false accusations!
But what if he wasn’t falsely accused? What if he was the true culprit?
A twist upon a twist was unfolding.
The atmosphere in the courtroom grew turbulent.
“What’s happening here?”
“So Yoon Min-woo was actually innocent?”
“There’s no evidence, though.”
Attorney Kim Jong-jae smiled.
The atmosphere of this place could very well render Yoon Min-woo not guilty.
And Kim Jong-jae was an attorney who knew how to exploit such an atmosphere.
“Defendant! Have you ever seen Kim Tae-kyung remove that identification card?”
Seo Jin’s brow furrowed.
“Your Honor! I am currently conducting the examination. Such disregard for proper procedure by the defense counsel….”
Attorney Kim Jong-jae cut off Seo Jin’s words.
“Your Honor! Please allow it. This is a crucial moment to uncover the truth of the case!”
Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin sided with Attorney Kim Jong-jae.
He deliberated for a moment, then nodded.
“I will permit it.”
“Your Honor!”
“Prosecutor, procedure isn’t what matters. Truth is what matters.”
As Seo Jin’s jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ached, Yoon Min-woo began to whimper once more.
Tears streamed down my face.
I forced my trembling lips open with great difficulty.
“…Yes. It’s Tae-kyung.”
Silence descended upon the courtroom.
Not even the rustle of fabric could be heard.
The judges simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Attorney Kim Jong-jae clenched his fists.
‘It’s done.’
It was finally over.
All that remained was to take a position as an advisor to L Group and look forward to a comfortable retirement.
But then it happened.
“You bastard!”
A vicious shout erupted.
Kim Tae-kyung, his eyes blazing red, came charging forward with all eyes fixed upon him.
“Stop him!”
The court bailiff stepped in front of Kim Tae-kyung.
Judge Lee Woo-jin pounded the gavel relentlessly.
“What are you doing! This is contempt of court! Bailiff, take him out immediately!”
The bailiff grabbed Kim Tae-kyung’s body.
He dragged him out forcefully.
But Kim Tae-kyung thrashed about while raising his voice.
“I was trying to protect you until the very end!”
The courtroom descended into chaos from the unexpected commotion.
Yoon Min-woo opened his mouth, his voice hollow as he looked at Kim Tae-kyung.
“Tae-kyung… I’m sorry….”
Upon hearing those words, Kim Tae-kyung’s eyes turned fierce.
He muttered.
“…Sorry? I’m sorry too.”
Yoon Min-woo saw the shape of those words on his lips.
A chilling sensation washed over him, but it was already too late.
Kim Tae-kyung slowly turned his gaze toward Seo Jin, then pulled a USB drive from his pocket and hurled it at him.
“I brought what you asked for! So please kill me! I’m begging you!”
As Yoon Min-woo’s eyes widened, Chief Judge Lee Woo-jin pounded the gavel mercilessly.
“Bailiff! Take him out now! What are you doing!”
In the midst of the chaos, Yoon Min-woo’s eyes were fixed on the USB drive that had fallen before Seo Jin.
His gaze was vacant, as if asking ‘What is that?’
And even in that moment, Kim Tae-kyung’s voice continued to ring out.
The bailiffs covered his mouth, but it was useless.
“Prosecutor! Please! Please! Kill me!”
Seo Jin picked up the USB drive and locked eyes with Kim Tae-kyung.
And I spoke.
“Yes.”
At that, Kim Tae-kyung fell silent.
He nodded as if trusting me, then allowed himself to be led away limply by the officer.
I slowly turned toward Chief Judge Lee Woo-jin.
“I submit this USB as evidence. While it deviates from procedure, you yourself said it, Your Honor—that truth matters more than procedure.”
“…!”
“I trust you will permit it.”
Chief Judge Lee Woo-jin’s face contorted.

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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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