The inspector is getting promoted! - C16 - Negotiations (5)

“What the hell have you been doing?”
Song Hyun-seong asked with a bewildered expression.
“What have you been up to to get this kind of information?”

“I got tangled up in various things.”
I shrugged it off and pointed to the documents Yoon Seol-ha had given me.
“We really need to go through this carefully. There might be some erroneous materials mixed in.”

“Is the information unreliable?”

“It’s not that it’s unreliable, more like I know who it came from, but I’m still not sure if I can trust them.”
You never know until the results come out.
When I met Yoon Seol-ha, I felt there was no lie, but relying solely on intuition could lead to disaster.
I needed to move with solid evidence.
Especially when dealing with someone as big as Im Seong-jin.
A single mistake could derail the whole investigation.

He glanced over Yoon Seol-ha’s materials and then looked at me.
“There are some marked items here.”

“Yeah. I’ve checked them myself, but I only marked the ones I’m not confident about. Just focus on the documents with marks.”

“Alright. I should be able to go through everything in half a day. Just to be sure, I’ll check everything thoroughly.”

I also confirmed that the materials sent by Jo Won-hyung were free of problems.
He seemed to have understood the assignment well, bringing some pretty crucial things, so progress had been much smoother.
Now, the only thing left was the announcement.

Once the investigation is announced to the press, Im Seong-jin will likely have to resign without even going to court.
But in this case, it might not end with just a resignation. Given the nature of the case, after stepping down, he could still end up in court.
Even if I wanted to let it slide, I would make sure to grab him by the collar and drag him to court.

“How long do you think it will take to sort everything out, including the documents we have now?”
“Maybe two days?”

Two days.
Exactly one week from now will be the day of the bar exam.
If we wait five days, the case will start to die down, making this the perfect time for a strike.

“Alright, let’s do it. Get the script ready too.”

“A script?”

Blinking, I looked at him, and Song Hyun-seong shrugged as if it were obvious.

“You’ll be handling the press conference.”

“I’m doing it?”

“Yep. You’re in the Inspection Division now. It’s not a problem for you, right?”

This was the first I was hearing of it.
I had assumed that either Song Hyun-seong or Park Seung-su would be the ones to handle it.
He chuckled and patted my shoulder.

“I spoke to the deputy today. He thinks you’re a better choice than me. This case started because of you, after all. So, if anyone’s going to become a star prosecutor, it should be you, not me.”

He lightly tapped my shoulder and smiled.
“I may want to rise up too, but I’m not the kind of guy who takes food away from my friends.”

I was surprised.
And touched.
I had always thought of him as someone I could trust from the start of this case, but I hadn’t expected him to be this loyal.

“You’ve always been good at speaking in front of others. Why don’t you use your eloquence this time too?”

“Thanks.”

“Well, if you know, buy me a drink sometime.”

“Sure.”

***

“Good afternoon, I’m Prosecutor Choi Seo-jun from the Inspection Division.”

The shutter sound rang out, followed by a massive flash of camera lights.
In addition, ENG cameras were lined up in the back.
My face would likely be the main feature in today’s news.
I felt nervous, but oddly excited at the same time.

Star prosecutor.
I hadn’t reached that level yet, but today would definitely be the first step toward it.
And I would make sure of it.

As the camera flashes gradually dimmed, I took the microphone again and started reading the script I had prepared.

“An investigation was conducted on seven charges, including bribery, third-party bribery, sexual favors, illegal lobbying, lenient investigations, abuse of power, and forgery of official documents in the Economic Crime Investigation Division. The results are as follows…”

Once again, the camera shutters blared in my ears.

“It has been revealed that Im Seong-jin, the chief prosecutor, and seven other prosecutors from the Economic Crime Investigation Division, including Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo Won-hyung, were involved in corruption. These individuals received millions in bribes from specific companies in exchange for turning a blind eye to cases…”

His words were like flowing water.

It was so fluent that I even doubted whether what I was saying was correct.

Sometimes strong, sometimes gentle, sometimes pausing to emphasize the filthy corruption of Lim Seong-jin.

“Chief Prosecutor Lim Seong-jin, under the guise of being a star prosecutor known in the media! Threats and extortion are basic…”

The headlines of tomorrow’s newspapers would probably be filled with headlines like “The Fall of Star Prosecutor Lim Seong-jin!” or “Prosecutorial Corruption, Long-Standing and Now Exposed!”, “The Dirty Reality of the Economic Crime Investigation Division.”

As I shouted out the script I had prepared, I could hear the constant sound of keyboards being typed as some reporters uploaded the article in real-time.

After a long while, the press conference ended.

“The Seoul High Prosecutor’s Office Inspection Division will continue to do its best for a just prosecution,” the deputy chief prosecutor Kim Seok-won finished his final dramatic line as requested, then bowed his head.

I guess I have the knack for broadcasting.

***

“Jo Won-hyeong, where the hell is that bastard!”

Lim Seong-jin, the chief prosecutor, flipped over his desk.

The subordinates who were watching had long since evacuated to avoid the backlash.

Lim Seong-jin not only swept the items on his desk to the side but also threw his nameplate, smashing a flowerpot.

“Jo Won-hyeong, you bastard!”

He never expected that he would betray him.

In fact, it wasn’t that he didn’t know at all.

He noticed the change in Jo Won-hyeong’s attitude after he narrowly escaped death.

But he just ignored that change.

Without him, there was no hope.

When Choi Seo-jun exposed that information at the press conference, Lim Seong-jin couldn’t hold back his swearing.

The only other person who knew about it was Jo Won-hyeong.

In order to survive, Jo Won-hyeong had betrayed him and crawled under Choi Seo-jun.

Lim Seong-jin, still fuming, opened the bottom drawer locked with a padlock and pulled out a yellow envelope.

The investigation material on Jo Won-hyeong’s wife.

He had threatened to expose this, yet Jo Won-hyeong still stabbed him in the back.

The cost of betraying him—he would feel it firsthand.

His son would be so happy if his mom and dad both ended up in jail!

As Lim Seong-jin grabbed the yellow envelope, the door opened and someone entered.

“Which bastard dares to come in without knocking…”

He was about to yell, but when he turned around, he was speechless.

“Prosecutor-General!”

“Oh, my.”

Prosecutor-General Lim Joo-young shook his head as he looked at the chaotic office.

“Looks like you’ve really caused a mess.”

He saw the yellow envelope in Lim Seong-jin’s hand and asked,

“Why, are you planning revenge on Jo Won-hyeong?”

“You saw how that bastard got away, didn’t you?”

Prosecutor-General Lim Joo-young clenched his teeth as he took the envelope from Lim Seong-jin’s hand.

“Prosecutor-General, people like him should be taught a lesson…”

Before Lim Seong-jin could finish, Lim Joo-young grabbed his shoulder tightly and said,

“Take off your clothes quietly. That’s the best thing you can do.”

“But…”

“Don’t do anything. Don’t even try. Just quietly take off your clothes and leave. If you do something foolish, you’ll end up in jail.”

Lim Seong-jin, unable to control his anger, trembled and tried to respond.

“If I leave like this, I won’t even be able to practice law anymore.”

“Take a year off. Go abroad for a year and spend the money you’ve saved. It’ll settle down by then. I’ll make sure to get you a spot in a corporate legal team.”

Lim Seong-jin felt a glimmer of hope.

‘A decent place’—that would mean at least a position in the legal team of a large corporation!

Prosecutor-General Lim Joo-young hadn’t abandoned him.

Same surname. Same bloodline.

Indeed, only blood ties were his hope.

“Thank you!”

Lim Seong-jin bowed deeply, almost 90 degrees.

After looking at him, Prosecutor-General Lim Joo-young felt a twinge of pity.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell Lim Seong-jin his true feelings.

Once his resignation was accepted, Lim Seong-jin would have no place left to stand.

The aftermath of the judicial exam corruption scandal would soon crush him.

A year later, instead of joining a large corporation’s legal team, he would be in prison.

***

Lim Seong-jin took off his clothes.

There was no revenge on Jo Won-hyeong.

It seemed like Prosecutor-General Lim Joo-young had handled it well.

But this wasn’t the end for him.

That bastard would have to stand trial.

That was the least I could do for Shin Yong-ho.

“The Judicial Exam?”

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Seok-won showed genuine surprise for the first time in front of me.

“You’re saying that Prosecutor Choi is bringing up the judicial exam corruption?”

“Yes. Here is the evidence of the exam leak.”

“Huh.”

He chuckled bitterly and started tapping the armrest of the sofa.

“A grand slam, huh?”

“Not exactly a grand slam, it’s related to Lim Seong-jin.”

“Lim Seong-jin?”

His hand, which had been tapping the armrest, stopped.

“That bastard leaked the judicial exam papers too?”

“Yes. He seems to have contacted a few people to sell or exchange them for a price. A current professor is also involved.”

“Who is it?”

“Professor Jeong Jae-won from Korea University.”

“Heh.”

He laughed, but the amusement quickly disappeared from his expression.

“I’m starting to think I’ve brought in a tiger cub.”

“Don’t worry. This is the end of it.”

“It better be. If more comes out, it seems like you’ll be the one rising to Chief Prosecutor, not me.”

After a light joke, he looked at me seriously again.

“Should I set up a press conference for you?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“The day after the judicial exam, if possible.”

“The hottest time, huh?”

“Yes. I would like it to break in the morning.”

“Alright, that’s not hard. You’ve gotten quite a bit of attention with this, so once they hear ‘Choi Seo-jun,’ reporters will rush in.”

“Thanks to you, Deputy Chief Prosecutor.”

“What thanks? You should thank Shin Yong-ho for that.”

As time passed, public attention gradually started to fade.

In short, the highlight had passed, so interest was waning.

It became eerily quiet in just a few days.

And instead, the final judicial exam scandal began to surface.

***

On the day of the judicial exam, all the news outlets made it the main topic.

The following day, I stood at the press conference once again.

With the bombshell about the judicial exam corruption, I was ready to reignite the smoldering interest in Lim Seong-jin and the Economic Crime Investigation Division.

“Hello, I am Inspector Choi Seo-jun from the Inspection Division. Today, I am here to expose the corruption surrounding the judicial exam. It is with shame that I reveal this, but it is an exam paper leak involving a current professor and a former chief prosecutor from my alma mater, Korea University. I will now reveal the truth about this matter.”