Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 80

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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 (5)
I stepped closer toward Judge Lee Woo-jin.
“Your Honor, this is evidence that reveals the truth behind a case filled with lies. Please admit it into the record.”
Judge Lee Woo-jin couldn’t meet my eyes.
Because of the words he had already spoken.
Judge Lee Woo-jin turned toward Attorney Kim Jong-jae, concealing his visibly trembling pupils.
At the judge’s pleading gaze, Attorney Kim Jong-jae opened his mouth.
“I c-cannot consent. I don’t know what’s on the USB. However, it could be a devilish edit designed to frame the defendant as the culprit.”
Judge Lee Woo-jin nodded in agreement.
“I concur.”
The judge and the attorney were playing into each other’s hands.
The situation was clearly disadvantageous for me.
I had every right to be furious.
Yet I was smiling with my head bowed.
‘I anticipated this.’
I had expected the USB wouldn’t be admitted as evidence.
The reason I made a scene with the USB in hand, demanding it be accepted as evidence, was singular.
‘To shake the courtroom….’
And to sway public opinion.
It was the only way to achieve victory in a courtroom where the judge and attorney were in collusion.
My gaze turned toward Attorney Kim Jong-jae.
Attorney Kim Jong-jae’s voice grew increasingly confident.
“The Prosecution’s Office is completely disregarding the defendant’s right to participate in evidence examination and his right to defense!”
“….”
“Recently, the Prosecution’s Office obtained false confessions through reckless investigation. If you don’t deliberate carefully, an innocent person’s life….”
Suddenly, I interjected.
“…What’s so frightening about that?”
Attorney Kim Jong-jae’s sharp eyes turned toward me.
I waved the USB and spoke.
“This USB wasn’t held by the Prosecution’s Office. It was brought by Kim Tae-kyung, who spent an unjust time being framed as the culprit. Yet you claim we edited it? Did we have time for that?”
“You could have colluded!”
“Kim Tae-kyung would only harbor resentment toward the Prosecution’s Office. Yet you’re saying he colluded with us?”
“Kim Tae-kyung is still a suspect! He might try to shift his own guilt onto Yoon Min-woo!”
I laughed in disbelief.
“You write fiction quite well. You could become a novelist.”
“Prosecutor!”
Attorney Kim Jong-jae thundered his voice.
He pounded the table repeatedly, growing agitated.
“Take back what you just said! I’m filing a formal objection!”
If I had been an ordinary rookie prosecutor, I would have flinched at Attorney Kim Jong-jae’s rebuke.
But Seo Jin was waiting for Kim Jong-jae to lose his composure.
The man was rushing headlong into a quagmire from which there was no escape.
I walked toward Kim Jong-jae with measured steps and opened my mouth.
Then, standing directly in front of him, I spoke in a low voice.
“Counselor, I’m well aware that even the guilty have the right to legal representation. I’d even like to applaud your courage. But you have to defend based on facts.”
“….”
“If someone who claims to seek the truth tells lies, if they try to hide the truth in this courtroom… isn’t that shameful?”
The courtroom was packed with reporters.
And among them were those who had been sent here at my father’s behest.
They hurriedly wrote down my words.
Kim Jong-jae glanced toward the gallery.
He was a veteran; he sensed the courtroom’s atmosphere was shifting in an unusual direction, and he quickly sought out the presiding judge to change the momentum.
“Your Honor! The prosecutor is now quarreling with the defense counsel, completely irrelevant to these proceedings!”
It was just as the presiding judge was about to speak.
I grabbed my judicial robe with my hand and spoke rapidly.
“Your Honor, if even a single edit is mixed into this evidence, I will remove my robe.”
“…!”
“So what will the counselor wager?”
Kim Jong-jae blinked.
“…What? Wager what?”
At the same moment, the courtroom fell silent.
All those eyes were waiting for Kim Jong-jae’s answer.
Kim Jong-jae couldn’t continue speaking.
‘This bastard!’
There was no way out.
The prosecutor had wagered his position, so he too had to answer with something.
Then.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin tapped the gavel, rescuing Kim Jong-jae.
“Prosecutor! What are you doing!”
I smiled faintly.
I had been waiting for even this.
Judge Lee Woo-jin’s remark was a self-inflicted wound.
The reporters noticed the subtle exchange of glances between the judge and the defense counsel.
I turned my body toward Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin.
Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin was furious.
He was the king of this courtroom, yet nothing was going according to his wishes.
He was being played in the palm of my hand.
“Exercise restraint.”
“My apologies. But faced with conclusive evidence, I believed it was a disgrace to the legal profession to be hindered by procedure and impose a lenient sentence.”
Now it seemed Seo Jin was the one teaching the judge.
Lee Woo-jin’s body trembled visibly.
He bit his lip as he spoke.
“Prosecutor, today is not the final hearing.”
“My apologies.”
As Seo Jin returned to his seat, Lee Woo-jin’s gaze shifted toward the gallery.
The atmosphere had turned frigid.
Not a single eye in the courtroom regarded the bench or the defense counsel with favor.
And as Seo Jin sat down, he turned his attention toward Lee Woo-jin.
‘The judge and the defense attorney are in the same boat.’
But that boat had sprung a leak.
Water was pouring in steadily.
The judge would have to make a choice.
-Patch the hole together with Kim Jong-jae’s attorney?
-Or escape alone?
A dilemma I had handed to him.
And now I intended to give him even less time to deliberate.
Seo Jin rose to his feet again.
“Your Honor, I request a recess to determine the admissibility of evidence and conduct a thorough investigation.”
Lee Woo-jin eagerly accepted the request.
“I will accept the prosecution’s request. We shall reconvene in one week. The prosecution must submit the evidence formally. I will decide on its admissibility after analysis. That concludes today’s proceedings.”
Everything had unfolded exactly as I intended.
And my gaze fixed on Kim Jong-jae.
The attorney’s face had turned crimson, the flush extending all the way to his ears.
Looking at him, I smiled quietly.
‘Now it’s time to make a desperate move.’
*
*
*
Several days later.
Kim Jong-jae and Lee Woo-jin sat across from each other.
It was a Korean traditional restaurant in Chuncheon.
Yet in a room among more than ten private dining areas, there were no other guests.
They had rented the entire space for a clandestine meeting.
It had cost considerable money, but it mattered little.
Once he became a legal advisor to L Group, this amount would be pocket change.
“I told the staff to stay in the back. Since there’s nothing to worry about, drink freely.”
Kim Jong-jae continued speaking as he filled Lee Woo-jin’s glass with alcohol.
“Will you admit it?”
The USB that Seo Jin had submitted as evidence contained dashcam footage from a vehicle.
Inside was a scene of Yoon Min-woo waving his ID as he descended the mountain path, along with a voice reminiscing about murder.
“Your Honor… The owner of the car Yoon Min-woo was dragging around was Kim Tae-kyung. Since Yoon Min-woo was using it like his own vehicle, it seems he checked on it periodically. And he was keeping records of all that data.”
“So?”
“…How could we not accept it?”
Kim Jong-jae chuckled as he set down his glass with a thud.
“Judge, why do you have such a serious expression on your face?”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t see why you’re making such a fuss over nothing.”
“Nothing, you say?”
Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin held out his phone.
The screen displayed articles from various news outlets.
Prosecutor Seo Jin, prepared to strip bare for this case
Prosecutor Seo Jin, a sharp rebuke to defend with facts
Strange atmosphere in the courtroom, judge and defense counsel?
The comments were in an uproar.
-Everyone knows Kim Jong-jae is a former judge, right? Preferential treatment for ex-judges.
-Why would someone like Kim Jong-jae act like this?
-Why else? The beginning of corruption and misconduct.
-Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin, this bastard is not a judge for the people. Disgusting.
Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin spoke firmly.
“I apologize. This seems difficult.”
But Kim Jong-jae was still smiling.
He pointed at an article on the phone screen with his finger and opened his mouth.
“Judge, don’t be shaken by this kind of gossip. Think rationally. That bastard Kim Tae-kyung was in the Detention Center not long ago, right? Then why wouldn’t he have presented this data?”
Because it had no connection to the middle school girl murder case.
But Kim Jong-jae’s thinking was different.
“He was simply waving an ID as he came down, right? Does that become evidence of murder? That bastard Kim Tae-kyung would have wondered ‘What is this?’ when he saw it.”
“Your Honor, there were three such scenes! The IDs all belonged to missing women!”
“Right, there are twenty-two missing women. But the footage only captured three.”
“The rest of the footage must have been deleted!”
There were only three scenes of Yoon Min-woo waving his ID.
While Kim Tae-kyung was in prison, the rest had already been erased.
Kim Jong-jae laughed and spoke.
“Remember the presumption of innocence. If someone could be punished on mere suspicion, how unjust would that be?”
“Your Honor, the footage also contains Yoon Min-woo’s voice!”
“Did he directly mention murder? He didn’t, did he?”
In the dashcam footage, Yoon Min-woo, who was driving, hummed a tune and said this.
-Damn, can’t even last five minutes.
-From now on, I should pick lighter ones.
Presiding Judge Lee Woo-jin shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
In that instant, Kim Jong-jae set down his glass with a sharp clink.
As Lee Woo-jin flinched, Kim Jong-jae fixed him with a smoldering gaze and spoke.
“Judge Lee, why do you lack ambition like this? The criticism will last a week at most. But living as a powerless judge—that’s decades. Think carefully. This is only the first trial.”
“….”
“And you don’t know? People these days are sharp. They understand that the first trial isn’t the end.”
Kim Jong-jae picked up the salad and tossed it down in front of Lee Woo-jin.
“The first trial is like this salad. An appetizer. No one pays it any mind.”
“….”
“And judges have judicial independence. So no one can hold your verdict against you. Only those pathetic internet trolls will whine.”
Lee Woo-jin’s eyes began to tremble.
Kim Jong-jae leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.
“Woo-jin, no one succeeds alone in this world. We all live together. So let’s succeed together. Yes?”
Shortly after, Kim Jong-jae and Lee Woo-jin emerged into the Parking Lot.
Kim Jong-jae crushed out his cigarette beneath his heel and spoke.
“I’d love to have a Supreme Court Justice in my circle. I was hoping it would be you.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
“That’s right, you must. Doing nothing but complaining is what losers do. And remember this—your place isn’t in some backwater like Gangwon Province. It’s the Supreme Court.”
Kim Jong-jae straightened Lee Woo-jin’s necktie and patted his shoulder.
“Do well.”
“Yes.”
Kim Jong-jae climbed into the rear seat of the vehicle.
As Lee Woo-jin bowed, the car quietly pulled away.
Lee Woo-jin walked toward his own vehicle.
He leaned against the driver’s door and lit a cigarette.
“Damn it….”
The wind was cold.
It was equally bitter.
“Life really is… what’s the point?”
That’s when it happened.
“You called for me?”
I hadn’t called yet.
I slowly turned my head to look, and there stood Seo Jin.
My eyes widened and my heart began to race.
I had been caught red-handed meeting with that attorney while the trial was ongoing.
Seo Jin smiled faintly and spoke.
“Did you enjoy your meal?”
“I… I….”
Seo Jin stepped closer to me.
Then he pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed it to me.
A video plays on the screen.
The image of Associate Judge Lee Woo-jin bowing deeply toward Kim Jong-jae’s receding car looked utterly servile.
“I, the reason this happened was….”
Associate Judge Lee Woo-jin attempted to make excuses, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
But I waved my hand, cutting him off.
“Spare me the excuses. You certainly know how to work the camera. Have you considered becoming an actor?”
“Pardon?”
“The CCTV inside the restaurant must have captured everything too. Shall we review it together?”
*
*
*
The second trial hearing had begun.
More journalists were present than at the first hearing.
Public interest had intensified following my declaration that I would even remove my clothes.
And.
“The court is now in session! All rise, please.”
Kim Jong-jae smiled with confidence, his gaze fixed on Associate Judge Lee Woo-jin.
But then.
‘Huh?’
Kim Jong-jae’s brow furrowed.
Associate Judge Lee Woo-jin was avoiding his eyes.
The moment he sensed something was amiss.
‘What is this?’
I was mouthing words toward Kim Jong-jae.
‘You’re finished.’

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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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