Prosecutor Kim Seo-Jin - Chapter 93

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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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Is That Really All the Reason? (2)
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Having spent the entire day running around outside, I hadn’t managed to accomplish what needed to be done.
I finally managed to fall asleep at 3 AM.
I had set up a cot in my office and caught a few hours of rest.
At 6 AM, I opened my eyes and shuffled groggily toward the restroom.
After washing my face, my mind became somewhat clearer.
‘Good.’
I looked at myself in the mirror and made a vow to give my all once more today.
This life I’ve regained—I don’t know the exact reason, but I cannot waste even a single minute of it.
And as I was stretching my body….
“You slept in the office? You couldn’t leave work?”
A prosecutor from the same department entered with a towel draped around his neck.
His name was Park Bong-ju—he had been my junior when I was Seo Jun-kyung, but now he was a far more senior colleague.
“Ah, yes.”
As I bowed my head, Park Bong-ju examined me from head to toe with a concerned expression.
There was something odd about that look.
“Why… are you looking at me like that?”
“Are you okay? You got hit, right? But your face looks fine?”
“Pardon?”
It all started with Jo Woo-jae’s words.
A rumor had gripped the District Prosecutor’s Office that I’d been beaten by Choi Hee-jun.
It would have been fine if it ended there, but Jo Woo-jae didn’t stop.
He made an effort to protect me, yet he also spread words that didn’t need to be said.
And so.
“You also got hit by Kim Yun-hwan?”
“Kim Yun-hwan and Choi Hee-jun? They’re both guys who’ve never worked out a day in their lives.”
“Hey, make sure Seo Jin doesn’t walk around alone from now on. He’ll come back beaten up from somewhere.”
Thanks to that, the news that I’d supposedly taken down a senior prosecutor was quietly buried, but my image had become that of a punching bag.
“No, sir. I wasn’t hit.”
I did my best to clarify.
The more I explained, the more people pitied me.
“Right… I understand. Let’s just say that’s the case.”
There’s nothing to be proud of about winning a fight at my age.
But the rumor that I’d been beaten by Choi Hee-jun and Kim Yun-hwan left a bitter taste.
It had been a long time since I’d wanted a cigarette this badly….
‘Damn it.’
But it was only momentary.
As formal operations commenced, the big news shook the District Prosecutor’s Office so thoroughly that the rumors about Choi Hee-jun being involved faded in an instant.
“Have you heard? Seo Jin brought in the Police Chief last night.”
“Oh, I choked on water this morning when I heard about it.”
“Really? He brought in the Police Chief? Damn, look at that audacity.”
Whenever prosecutors gathered, the conversation was entirely dominated by Seo Jin’s story—the tale of a prosecutor who started work just days ago and brought in the Police Chief.
“When he brought in the Violent Crimes Division detective, I thought ‘what kind of bastard is this?’ But… he’s just insane. Insanely impressive.”
“This isn’t something you can do just because you’re the Chief Prosecutor’s nephew. Even if he were the son, he couldn’t do it. Remember how Kim Yun-hwan did nothing? This is pure guts.”
“Agreed. Max combat power. Whether people call him a star prosecutor or whatever, this is genuinely impressive.”
It wasn’t just the prosecutors gossiping.
The investigators also gathered around to discuss Seo Jin.
“Has anyone ever seen a prosecutor wielding a hammer?”
“What? A prosecutor with a hammer?”
“Yeah, he didn’t hesitate—just smashed it.”
“Insane.”
“We were completely terrified. If this mess caused complaints, they could pin it all on us. But you know what Prosecutor Seo Jin said while throwing the hammer?”
“What did he say? Tell me quickly.”
“He dusted off his hands and said, ‘Just bill me for it.'”
“Huh? Bill him?”
“He’s loaded.”
“Damn! Just hearing about it feels refreshing.”
Normally, they moved by the book.
As a result, evidence slipped through their fingers, and they had to endure accusations of negligence through the media.
But Seo Jin acted without hesitation.
The investigators recounted yesterday’s events like tales of valor, exhaling cigarette smoke with satisfaction.
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“You bastard! What did you do to my Moongsil!”
At that moment, Seo Jin had just opened the door to interrogate the Madam.
But a voice dripping with malice greeted him.
“…Moongsil?”
It was the name of the dog the Madam kept.
A dog well-maintained despite the state of the household.
The Madam bit her lip and opened her mouth.
“If you dare send him to an Abandoned Dog Center, I’ll kill them all!”
This was the same person who remained composed even when Seo Jin clashed with Prosecutor Choi Hee-jun.
But her expression now was truly terrifying.
Her eyes gleamed as she glared at Seo Jin as if to devour him.
As Seo Jin sat across from her, she unleashed an even fiercer voice.
“Answer me! Tell me! What did you do to Moongsil!”
“I already gave him food and water. Did I need to bathe him and brush his coat too? Or are you saying he’s healthy, so don’t worry?”
Seo Jin’s dry voice caused Madam’s expression to soften slightly.
At the same time, Seo Jin tossed the ledger onto the table with a thud.
“It’s true, isn’t it? Don’t bother denying it. You’re just wasting time.”
Madam didn’t answer.
She averted her gaze, looking elsewhere.
She believed that if she stayed silent, the Police Chief would help her.
No matter how powerful the Prosecutor’s Office was, it was difficult to ignore the strength of the police organization.
Especially the Police Chief of Jongno Police Station.
That’s what she believed.
But then….
“In case you didn’t know, the Police Chief was also brought in yesterday.”
Madam’s eyes widened in shock.
Her pupils trembled anxiously at this devastating news.
“…Brought in?”
Seo Jin didn’t miss Madam’s agitation.
He tossed a cigarette and lighter in front of her and continued.
“I’m sorry to say this, but don’t expect anything like a suspended sentence.”
This case involved both the Police Chief and a prosecutor.
The moment the media got wind of it, the public would be outraged.
“You’ll get at least four years.”
And that was only if they charged her with bribery alone.
“From what we seized during the search, there were also mentions of drugs….”
Madam shut her eyes tightly.
A bleak future flashed before her mind.
Now she would spend her youth in prison.
Her life was over.
In that moment, Seo Jin placed a cigarette between Madam’s lips and spoke.
“By the way, that Moongsil? That dog of yours—what are you going to do with him?”
Madam opened her eyes that had been closed.
“Pardon?”
Seo Jin lit the cigarette in Madam’s mouth and continued.
“If you have somewhere to give him to, tell me. I’ll move him there.”
“…I don’t have anywhere.”
Tears streamed down Madam’s face.
The dog had been her only solace in a harsh life.
The dog she’d raised before, she’d even had cremated and enshrined.
But this dog was only nine months old.
For her, with no family, the dog was family.
“If I’m not there, he’ll end up at the Abandoned Dog Center, won’t he? And if he doesn’t get adopted….”
There’s a high likelihood they’ll put the dog down.
Madam’s voice was thick with sorrow.
She began to cry earnestly.
That’s when Seo Jin’s voice pierced through to her ears.
“Then should I raise it?”
Madam lifted her gaze to look at Seo Jin.
Thinking she’d misheard, she asked urgently.
“You’ll raise it?”
“Reflect deeply while you’re inside. Then we’ll meet again.”
“I-I’m so grateful….”
“You’ll cooperate, won’t you?”
Seo Jin was demanding a confession.
Using the dog as collateral, no less.
I’d thought he was kind, but now Seo Jin’s eyes gleamed with the cunning of a devil.
Seo Jin leaned toward Madam and opened his mouth.
“Who killed Detective Eom Young-jin?”
“…The person who killed him? I really don’t know.”
Madam’s eyes spoke the truth.
“Then do you have any photos taken with the Police Chief?”
Madam tilted her head in confusion.
What Seo Jin wanted differed from her expectations.
After a moment of thought, she slowly nodded.
“…I do.”
“Good. Next. Who’s your drug supplier?”
Madam clamped her mouth shut.
There were things one could say and things one absolutely shouldn’t.
She had no way of knowing what kind of trouble she’d face if she touched the drug organization.
Seo Jin tapped the table with his finger and spoke.
“For first-time drug offenders, if you admit guilt and cooperate, we can reduce your sentence. Fortunately, you have no prior record. And if you cooperate… I’ll acknowledge that all of it—from bribery to drugs—was unavoidable because of the gangsters.”
“….”
“At most, three years. If you find a competent lawyer, you might even aim for a suspended sentence. Of course, that’s assuming you cooperate. I don’t need your hands and feet. I need your head.”
“….”
“And no one will ever know you talked. I promise you that too. So speak freely without worry. Who is it?”
Madam’s confession came quickly.
“It’s the owner of our shop. Not the figurehead owner. Heo Hong-il.”
Once the mouth opens, it’s difficult to close.
After that, everything unfolds in an instant.
Madam admitted to everything in the ledger and readily explained how dirty the Police Chief, Detective Jang Gil-joo, and several other officers had played.
When Madam’s story ended, Seo Jin smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
I had nothing left to discuss with Madam.
Seo Jin pressed his hand against the table and rose, opening his mouth.
“Moongsil, don’t worry. Even if you hadn’t confessed, I would have kept you. You’ve been well cared for. You have a good temperament.”
“…Thank you.”
Madam offered her sincere gratitude to Seo Jin, tears streaming down her face once more.
“The bribery has surfaced. The dashcam captured his confession on audio.”
Seo Jin promptly summoned the Police Chief and sat across from him.
He threw a copy of the bribery ledger onto the table, but the Police Chief’s expression remained brazenly composed.
He was even turning the tables.
“So?”
“Now we can discuss who killed Detective Eom Young-jin.”
The Police Chief chuckled dismissively.
“He killed himself. Why are you asking me that? And the dashcam? That won’t be admissible as evidence.”
The recorded audio contained the name of Assemblyman Song Won-tae.
“If that were used as evidence, Assemblyman Song Won-tae would be in danger too. Could you really use it?”
The Police Chief was confident.
He tapped the ledger copy on the table repeatedly with his finger as he continued.
“Once you reach a position like this, your name gets passed around everywhere. For example, ledgers like this. Prosecutor, I’ve never been to a bar like that.”
“….”
“But these thugs wrote my name down and even made a ledger. The reason is obvious. If rumors spread that I know them, it makes their operations easier.”
“….”
“Do you understand? I am innocent.”
The Police Chief was desperate.
If he lost this fight, it was over.
Receiving bribes exceeding 100 million won would result in life imprisonment or at least ten years under the Act on the Punishment of Specific Crimes.
As the Police Chief continued speaking, Seo Jin tugged at his hair in irritation.
At that sight, the Police Chief smiled faintly.
‘You have no way out either, do you?’
The bribes had been received in cash.
No matter how thoroughly they searched the bank accounts, there would be nothing to find.
‘The dashcam footage obviously can’t be used.’
What remained was the ledger, but if the Police Chief insisted stubbornly enough, there was no way forward.
‘Yesterday I panicked and spouted some nonsense… but now it’s done.’
The Police Chief’s eyes were full of regret.
Once this case ended, he would have to take responsibility for everything and resign.
A detective from the Violent Crimes Division had been caught, and his name had been dragged through the mud—it was the natural course of events.
‘My days of living luxuriously are over.’
That was what the Police Chief regretted.
But he had lived lavishly all this time.
For the rest of his life, he planned to retire to some quiet place and farm.
But in that instant, Seo Jin’s expression shifted dramatically.
“This is driving me insane.”
He was even laughing.
The Police Chief’s face trembled with anxiety.
A prosecutor’s laughter without explanation was always terrifying.
And then.
“I brought this just in case, and sure enough, he’s moving exactly as predicted.”
“…Predicted?”
“What is this?”
Seo Jin placed his phone on the table.
Madam’s private SNS account.
She was posing with her upper body fully exposed, arm-in-arm with the Police Chief.
The Police Chief’s eyes widened in shock.
“This, this is….”
“You said you didn’t know each other? Do strangers pose bare-chested with their arms around each other?”
The Police Chief’s face drained of all color.
His eyes remained fixed on the photograph, unmoving.
Then.
“It’s, it’s photoshopped. Yeah, it’s fake! Investigate it! It’s fake! That’s not me! It’s either fake or someone who looks like me! Yeah, someone who resembles me. That’s not me! I don’t know! I’m telling you I don’t know!”
The Police Chief’s words tumbled out incoherently.
“And… Jang Gil-joo! Jang Gil-joo is right here next to me. Go ask him! Ask if it’s real or fake!”
Detective Jang Gil-joo was making a peace sign with his fingers beside the Police Chief.
“Ask this bastard!”
“Pathetic. Stop it.”
Finally, the flustered Police Chief slammed the table and stood up, grabbing Seo Jin’s arm and shaking it.
“No! It’s not me!”
In that moment, Seo Jin’s world drained into black and white.
It was the lawyer’s visitation room at the Detention Center.
The Police Chief and Detective Jang Gil-joo stood alone in that empty space.
Detective Jang Gil-joo stared at the Police Chief with terrified eyes.
“P, Police Chief….”
“Trust me. Then I’ll take good care of the kids.”
Detective Jang Gil-joo shook his head.
But the Police Chief’s voice continued, cruel and relentless.
“Think about Young-jin. The kids’ mother is struggling a bit, but she’s not selling the apartment, right? You know why? Because I’m covering her loan payments. Even if you don’t know anything else, I keep my promises. And both you and Young-jin are my children. Do you really think I wouldn’t keep the promises I make to my own children?”
Detective Jang Gil-joo’s eyes were hollow, devoid of soul.
He opened his mouth hesitantly.
“Um, um Police Chief. Young-jin…. Surely you didn’t make him become a thug, you didn’t….”
“No, he jumped on his own.”
“Police Chief!”
“He’s already dead! What does that matter now! There’s only one thing you need to think about. Your decision—that’s what matters. Listen carefully. Should I let the world know you slept with a high school girl?”
Detective Jang Gil-joo’s face went pale.
At the same time, the Police Chief’s voice slithered into his ears.
“What happens when your daughter finds out? Hmm? And the media will go wild. A detective who had sexual relations with a high school girl! Perfect material, isn’t it? Then netizens will dig into your personal information. Your family’s faces will be plastered all over the internet. Is this what you want?”
Detective Jang Gil-joo’s expression grew grave. Seeing this, the Police Chief continued with a glossy smile.
“Gil-joo, let’s end this with the Prosecutor’s Office’s excessive investigation. And trust me. I’m a man of my word. Die peacefully… Then you’ll remain a good father.”
The psychometry ended.
The repulsive face of the Police Chief materialized before my eyes.
He was still fixated on the photographs in his phone.
Seo Jin bit my lower lip.
“This insane bastard!”
I wanted to crush the Police Chief right now, but there was something I had to do first.
“You… I’ll see you later. I’ll make you cry.”
At Seo Jin’s chilling gaze, the Police Chief swallowed hard.
My vehicle raced toward the Detention Center.
I violated every traffic signal, pressed the accelerator with all my strength, and called the Detention Center.
“This is Prosecutor Seo Jin from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Check on Detective Jang Gil-joo. And keep him restrained until I arrive. He might try to kill himself!”
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Detective Jang Gil-joo was in a solitary cell at the Detention Center.
He tied his running shirt to the window frame, his hands trembling violently.
This morning, he heard that the Police Chief had been taken by the Prosecutor’s Office.
The Police Chief’s voice brushed past Detective Jang Gil-joo’s ears.
“Die peacefully… Then you’ll remain a good father.”
Now there was no choice left.
He had to die.
Then the Prosecutor’s Office would bear responsibility for the coercive investigation.
That way, the Police Chief could escape from the Prosecutor’s Office, and his family could live a peaceful future.
“Damn it….”
Tears streamed down Detective Jang Gil-joo’s face.
“Honey, I’m sorry… Young-jin, I’m sorry….”
The names of his loved ones spilled from his lips.
“Hye-jin… I’m sorry.”
Finally, his daughter’s name escaped him.
Detective Jang Gil-joo walked toward the window frame, trembling.
He was going to use the running shirt tied to the frame as a noose to die.
“I’m sorry for everything….”
That was when it happened.
CRASH!
The door burst open violently, and staff members rushed in roughly.
“Grab him!”
“What are you doing!”
The staff members seized Detective Jang Gil-joo.
“Let go!”
Detective Jang Gil-joo thrashed against them.
He had to prevent his daughter from learning that her father had engaged in transactional relationships.
There was only one way.
He had to die.
“I said I’m going to die, so back off and get out!”
Detective Jang Gil-joo flailed desperately, his legs kicking wildly.
That was when Seo Jin entered.
He strode purposefully toward the struggling Detective Jang Gil-joo and extended his hand in a swift arc.
Crack!
Detective Jang Gil-joo’s head snapped to the side.
A vivid red handprint bloomed across his cheek.
“Ah….”
Detective Jang Gil-joo let out a groan and slowly turned his gaze.
Seo Jin stood before him.
His eyes were terrifying as he glared at Detective Jang Gil-joo and opened his mouth.
“Who told you to die on your own?”

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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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