The inspector is getting promoted! - C2

Mysterious text (2)

-Sender: 29

-Contact Shin Yong-ho.

What the heck is this guy?

These days, the feature to change the caller ID on mobile phones must have disappeared.

There are even those who go through the trouble of using a computer.

I brushed it off and focused back on my work.

“Ugh.”

In the office where silence reigned, the sound of an investigator stretching echoed.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“No, not at all.” You are the one who is truly working hard, prosecutor.

“Shall we go smoke a cigarette?”

“Sure.”

I went outside the building with the investigator and lit a cigarette.

“Don’t you feel lonely, prosecutor?” You should start thinking about getting married and settling down.

“I haven’t thought about it yet.” There isn’t a suitable woman either.

“Hey, if you have a resume like that, women would be lining up for you.” Graduated from a Korean university and passed the bar exam. Not only that, but you’re tall and handsome too.

Hmm, it’s true, so I didn’t really deny it.

It’s not a lie; the woman actually stood in line.

When the banner was put up in the neighborhood saying I passed the bar exam, I received an overwhelming number of offers through my parents.

Teachers and civil servants didn’t even dare to meet me, and many proposals came from those with impressive credentials like doctors and announcers.

However, I rejected all those proposals.

If I were a prosecutor in South Korea, I thought I could meet the right person and take care of everything.

Looking back now, I can’t believe I was so naive.

After being assigned to a local post, I didn’t stand out much even from the court’s perspective, so the number of marriage proposals gradually decreased, and I became so busy with work that I didn’t even have time to meet women.

Although I found out about it late, I heard that most of the outstanding people at the Judicial Research and Training Institute married into families with significant influence in politics and business.

It’s embarrassing to think I was arrogant about becoming a prosecutor just because I had good grades in the Judicial Research and Training Institute.

That’s how time has passed and brought us to the current situation.

Although it’s not as much as when I first became a public servant, I still receive marriage proposals from various professions like teachers, flight attendants, civil servants, and nurses, but now I don’t want to meet anyone.

It’s not that I’m rejecting it because it’s a worse job than before, but rather that I don’t feel like starting a family right now.

In the past, I sometimes envied Yong-ho for getting married to a doctor’s family right after passing the bar exam and living happily ever after, but these days, I can’t even see that anymore.

I kept turning down blind dates, and now that I’m finally considering one, it feels kind of funny.

He exhaled white cigarette smoke into the cold night air.

On days when I feel inexplicably bitter, having a drink with Shin Yong-ho was the joy of my life.

I wonder if Yong-ho’s kid is doing well.

Thinking about that guy, the text I received during the day suddenly came to mind.

“Oh, investigator.” These days, there are still people who modify the sender’s number to send texts.

“What message did you receive?”

“Yes.” It was really unusual. He told me to contact my friend. Someone who knows me seems to have played a prank.

I rummaged through my pocket, took out my phone, and went into the message inbox.

Huh?

The message is not visible.

Where did you go?

Did I block the spam as usual?

I think I put it down because I was busy and then took care of my work.

“Why isn’t it here?”

Just in case, I checked the communication records.

All the call logs and text message logs are here. Even if it’s marked as spam, it should still be there.

No matter how much I look for it, it’s not there.

Why isn’t it there?

Did I just see things?

There’s no way that could be true.

Furrowing his brow deeply and rummaging through his phone, the investigator said as if it were no big deal.

“It seems like you deleted it and forgot, sir.” You were really busy today, weren’t you?

“Was it?”

“You will.”

Am I being sensitive?

The investigator brushed it off and changed the subject while rubbing his belly.

“Prosecutor, aren’t you feeling a bit peckish?”

It’s already 7 PM.

Before I knew it, evening had already passed.

You’re burning through this fiery Friday with work.

“Shall we go have dinner?”

“No.” I’ll have a quick snack and leave before 9. I’ll go and quickly buy some snacks. Is tteokbokki and fried food okay with you?

“That’s fine with me.”

“I’ll be back.”

“Thank you.”

After the investigator headed to the snack bar first and rummaged through his phone for a long time, strangely, there was no record of any messages.

Even if I deleted it, I usually don’t forget things with my memory.

That’s strange.

Please provide the text you would like to have translated.

“Please go in carefully.”

“Yes, have a good night too, prosecutor!”

The investigator greeted with a broad smile, bowed his head slightly, and hurriedly made his way to the subway.

As I got into the parked car, for some reason, I became curious about Yong-ho’s whereabouts today.

Is it because of the text?

I should give them a call after a long time.

After all this, when we actually talk on the phone, I bet he just goes on and on about his achievements again.

Thinking about giggling while talking on the phone already made me chuckle.

Since it came to mind, I might as well reach out.

I immediately called him.

Even after a long time of ringing, he didn’t answer the phone, so just as I was about to hang up, I heard Shin Yong-ho’s voice on the other end.

-Hello…….

A voice with a completely hoarse throat.

It’s already 9 o’clock, so what time did the dinner party start for you to be this drunk?

“Yongho, are you at a company dinner?”

-No, I’m just staying home.

It’s home, and you’re speaking like this?

“Did you just wake up?”

-No, tell me.

The voice lacks any strength.

I’ve never seen you look this lethargic since you went to Seoul.

“I just called out of curiosity to see how you’re doing.” No matter how good Seoul is, don’t you ever contact your friends?

After a brief silence, Shin Yong-ho’s voice, heavy with emotion, was heard.

-I’m not in Seoul.

“Where is it?”

-Boseong.

“Jeonnam Boseong?” “Why there?”

I got transferred to Boseong District Court.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Based on their pronunciation and speaking manner, they don’t seem drunk.

“Did something happen?”

-Seojun…

“Uh, go ahead and say it.”

Shin Yong-ho struggled to speak for a long time, but finally managed to utter a few words in a trembling voice.

I’m so exhausted.

Please provide the text you would like to have translated.

“I have to go to work tomorrow, how did you get here?”

“Tomorrow is Saturday, you jerk.” Get your act together.

His hair was disheveled, his beard was unkempt, and he was dressed in just his underwear and a tank top, making Shin Yong-ho look like a complete wreck.

He let out a deep sigh and let me in.

The living room was small.

No, the house itself was small.

A small living room and one room attached next to it are all there is.

It’s embarrassing to even call it a two-room.

In a place like this, a house like this wouldn’t even cost 50 million won.

Why on earth did this guy marry into a family of doctors?

At this point, it must feel cramped for two people to live in.

No, wait a minute. There’s no one who should be here.

“Hey, where did the sister-in-law go?”

“I’m in Seoul.”

He came holding a bottle of soju and two glasses, which he hadn’t even put in the fridge, with a bitter smile.

“All I have to offer is alcohol.”

Silently, he took the drink and downed it in one gulp.

The lukewarm, bitter smell of alcohol made my mouth ache.

“Should I give you some ice?”

“Enough.”

I grabbed his shoulder and asked.

“What on earth happened?”

“How could it be, can’t you tell just by looking?”

He laughed in a hollow manner.

“Well, I messed up, didn’t I?” I was kicked out of Seoul.”

“Hey, what happened?” Even if you came, the sister-in-law should have come with you. Why did you come alone?

“My spouse says they don’t like the countryside and tells me to go alone.” He says he doesn’t even want to see my face.

Shin Yong-ho, whom I met after two years, was completely ruined.

The appearance of a shattered mental state.

“Take your time and talk.” I’m going to sleep here tonight, so tell me everything.

“……F*ck.”

He started to sob, shaking his shoulders, after spitting out curses.

“Ah, this isn’t good.” Embarrassingly.

Shin Yong-ho wiped away his tears and talked about what happened in Seoul.

Originally, the reason he ended up in Seoul was because he inadvertently got in with the Im Seong-jin crowd.

At first, I was properly active in Chief Prosecutor Lim Sung-jin’s line.

As he said, the department itself plans the incidents, sets traps to catch them, and if they solve it, it’s splashed all over the newspapers.

They say he thought he could rise to the position of chief prosecutor without any difficulty.

However, no matter how much he rode the line, he had his limits.

Even if I married a wife from a family of doctors, my father-in-law is just an ordinary doctor, and my wife is merely a housewife, leaving me with absolutely no support.

He didn’t have what is commonly referred to as ‘momentum.’

Nevertheless, he stubbornly endured and survived.

That’s how a year goes by.

Naturally, a new person entered Im Seong-jin’s line, and they began to push forward.

At that time, a problem arose in the Im Seong-jin line, and this guy, Shin Yong-ho, took the blame and was demoted to a provincial post.

He clearly said he would take him back when the time came, but before even a month had passed, his place had already disappeared.

My wife says she didn’t just move down here because she disliked the countryside.

While I was preparing for a comeback here, I got suspicious of my wife’s behavior and had someone check it out, and it turned out she was already having an affair with a foreign English teacher.

In the end, unable to overcome all these circumstances, Shin Yong-ho collapsed, and for three months, he reportedly endured each day in this cramped house, intoxicated by alcohol and sleep.

“I want to die, my friend.”

Hearing that something like this happened to my close friend was infuriating, but seeing him suffer so much that he even said he wanted to die was truly unbearable.

“Crazy bastard, if you die here, you’ll really be a loser.” You should stand up proudly and face those bastards head-on. Right?

“I can’t.”

He chuckled as if he had lost his mind.

“I’m done.” Even if I try to make a comeback, those bastards will stop me.

I clenched my fists in anger, but all I felt was pathetic for being unable to do anything.

“Since I came here, I’ve thought about suicide hundreds of times and even went up to the rooftop of a nearby apartment.”

“Hey!”

“But I just can’t bring myself to commit suicide.”

He lowered his gaze with a look of despair.

“It’s not that I’m scared and can’t do it, it’s because I’m embarrassed.” And I couldn’t do it because I felt wronged.

“Then you should stand up.” Die? What do you mean, die?

“If we’re going to die, we should all die together. I’m really too upset to die alone.”

He held my hand tightly with both hands and looked up at me with a pitiful gaze.

“Seojun.”

“…….”

“Just help me out this once.” Even if I fall apart, I have to drag those bastards down with me and go down together. I absolutely can’t die alone. I can’t die because it’s so unfair.

“How can a mere prosecutor like me bring those guys down?”

“I’ll let you know.”

He spoke with a trembling voice, full of desperation.

“I have all the ledgers.” We have their transcripts and there’s plenty of evidence. I can take them all down. I’ll be the whistleblower. If things stay as they are, I’ll have to take off my clothes in three months anyway. You go up and take those bastards down. Climb to the top and become the king.