Chapter 32

When Jin Yunho arrived at the江南地检厅 (Gangnam District Prosecutors' Office), he was immediately called over by Chief Prosecutor Luo Wenshan.

"Prosecutor Jin Yunho, there's a case I need to hand over to you," Luo Wenshan said after a few pleasantries, directly handing him a file and explaining.

Jin Yunho quickly skimmed through the file and found that the case was not too complicated:

- Plaintiff: Male, 32 years old, left ear torn, mild concussion.

- Defendant: Male, 19 years old, high school graduate, accused of being the perpetrator in this case.

- The plaintiff filed a lawsuit for serious assault, while the defendant claimed it was an act of righteousness, stating that he saw the plaintiff sexually assaulting a young woman and intervened, injuring the plaintiff in the process.

However, the woman who was allegedly assaulted could not be found, making it impossible to verify the defendant's claim. The defendant also lacked any other evidence to prove that he acted out of righteousness.

After Jin Yunho finished reading the file, Luo Wenshan explained, "The defendant has been detained by the police, but without a formal arrest warrant, they can only hold the suspect for 24 hours. The plaintiff is now requesting further detention of the defendant, so the police, under pressure from the victim's side, have applied to us for an arrest warrant.

The defendant was detained by the police at 5 a.m. this morning, and it is now past 5 p.m. This means we have only 12 hours to investigate the case and make a decision. Since the defendant is under 20 years old, he is considered a minor, so this case is somewhat special and needs to be handled quickly."

After explaining the case, Luo Wenshan added, "Currently, our Criminal Department has six case-handling prosecutors, and we are severely understaffed. The others are all busy with their own cases and cannot be spared, so I have to trouble you."

Jin Yunho nodded, indicating his understanding. He knew from his internship that the work of a prosecutor was very busy, with a shortage of personnel and a high volume of cases, and some prosecutors could not even complete their work despite working overtime.

Moreover, the six case handlers Luo Wenshan mentioned included himself, the Chief Prosecutor, and the Deputy Chief Prosecutor.

Seeing Jin Yunho nod and take on the case, Luo Wenshan patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Don't feel burdened. If you have any questions, come to me anytime. I will be the final gatekeeper for you."

The reason Luo Wenshan assigned this case to Jin Yunho, who was on his first day of work, was twofold: first, the case-handling personnel were indeed tight, and second, he wanted to test Jin Yunho's ability to handle time-sensitive cases.

This case was not a major one and had limited influence. If Jin Yunho made any mistakes during the investigation, Luo Wenshan could correct them at any time. Even if Jin Yunho messed up the case, Luo Wenshan was confident he could handle the aftermath.

Everything was under his control, which is why he assigned the case to Jin Yunho.

Back in his office, eager to work, Shin Donghae immediately pounced, "How was it, boss? What kind of case is it, a murder or arson?"

Murder cases and arson cases were major cases and would not be assigned to a prosecutor on his first day of work. Wasn't that obvious?

Jin Yunho, not in the mood to deal with Shin Donghae's antics, immediately called a meeting to discuss the case.

The main investigators were Jin Yunho, Shin Donghae, and Yoon Gukhong. Song Jieun, the clerk, was responsible for recording the case details and other secretarial work, while Secretary Lee Hwana was in charge of serving tea and water.

After explaining the basic case details, Jin Yunho summarized, "The key to this case is whether we can find the woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted within the limited time to verify the defendant's claims and clear his name."

Shin Donghae nodded in agreement, but Yoon Gukhong, after a moment of silence, expressed a different opinion, "Prosecutor Jin, this is just the defendant's one-sided statement and cannot be taken as fact. Your investigation direction is questionable."

Seeing Yoon Gukhong challenge Jin Yunho, Shin Donghae was the first to object, "Why is the investigation direction questionable? If we can determine whether the 'sexually assaulted woman' exists, we can figure out who is lying, and the case will be resolved. What's wrong with that?"

Yoon Gukhong smiled and said to Shin Donghae, "Yes, Investigator Shin, you are right. But you forgot the most important point—we don't have enough time!

We need to make a decision by 5 a.m. tomorrow on whether to issue an arrest warrant for the defendant. To find out if the woman exists, 12 hours is simply not enough. That's why I say the investigation direction is questionable."

"Time won't be an issue. If the woman really exists, we can widely publicize the case, and she will see it and come forward. Then the problem will be solved," Shin Donghae argued.

Yoon Gukhong shook his head, "This case has already been handled by the police, and I believe they have already used publicity. Since the case has been handed over to us, it means the publicity was ineffective, or there is no such woman."

Shin Donghae countered, "Maybe the publicity was not widespread enough. I think..."

Yoon Gukhong interrupted, "If it was widely publicized, the woman would be even less likely to come forward.

People are willing to help others when it does not harm their own interests. However, in this case, if the woman comes forward, she will have to testify in court and describe the sexual assault. From my years of experience, this is the hardest thing to do, and few women are willing to testify."

Yoon Gukhong turned to Jin Yunho and continued, "Moreover, this is all based on our judgment, and we are only considering the defendant's one-sided statement.

If the defendant is lying and the woman does not exist, how long will it take to prove that? That's why I say the investigation direction is questionable."

Yoon Gukhong was very focused and authoritative during the case discussion, but after speaking, he reverted to his usual subservient demeanor, bowing and scraping to Jin Yunho and Shin Donghae, afraid that his differing opinion might anger them.

After listening to Yoon Gukhong's explanation, Shin Donghae was speechless. Indeed, with this investigation direction, time was not enough.

However, Jin Yunho, after listening, insisted on the original investigation direction: "I know we are short on time, but there is no other way. Investigator Yoon, if you have a better suggestion, please share it."

Yoon Gukhong thought for a moment and asked, "What about nearby surveillance cameras?"

Jin Yunho replied, "The police checked this morning and found nothing."

Yoon Gukhong seemed hesitant to say more.

Jin Yunho asked, puzzled, "What's the matter?"

Yoon Gukhong rubbed his hands and glanced at the quartz clock on the wall, embarrassed, "Well... Prosecutor Jin, it's... time to go home. Do you think I can leave now?"

Hearing Yoon Gukhong's final words, Jin Yunho was speechless.

Is this for real? Discussing the case, and you want to go home? The case is urgent, and it's your first case on the job, but as the main assistant, you want to go home?

Jin Yunho didn't know what to say about Yoon Gukhong. No wonder the other prosecutors couldn't stand Yoon Gukhong's quirks. Now, it was his turn, and he found it hard to tolerate.

Jin Yunho suppressed his anger and asked, "Do you have something important to do?"

Yoon Gukhong bent over, rubbing his hands, and replied, embarrassed, "Well... today is my daughter's birthday."

Alright, a good father.

What could Jin Yunho say? Force him to stay and ruin his family time?

He waved his hand helplessly, "Alright, you can go home."

Yoon Gukhong smiled broadly, bowed several times to Jin Yunho, "Thank you, thank you so much. I'll go home now."

Yoon Gukhong pretended to tidy up for a while, and as soon as the clock struck 6 p.m., he left in a hurry.

"Slam"

Shin Donghae threw the file on the table, "This is outrageous. How can you even think about going home at a time like this? How can you have the nerve to go home? We all have families, and if his family members have birthdays or if his pets get sick, does he always go home on time?"

Shin Donghae became increasingly angry and finally jumped up, shouting.

"Alright, instead of getting angry, we should focus on the case. Now it's just the two of us, and time is tight. Let's get to work," Jin Yunho took a deep breath, calmed down, and comforted Shin Donghae.

"Cough, cough..."

Lee Hwana had come over at some point and cleared her throat.

"Is there something? Ha ha, are you also going home?" Jin Yunho joked.

"Sure, I also want to take a leave and go home. How did you guess?" Lee Hwana pouted and said in a coquettish tone.

"..." Jin Yunho.

Is this a joke?

Jin Yunho was already on the verge of a breakdown.

What's going on? Yoon Gukhong leaving on time was somewhat expected, but why is Lee Hwana also joining in?

After some thought, Jin Yunho waved his hand, agreeing to Lee Hwana's request.

Since he had let the capable people go, it didn't matter if he let the less capable Lee Hwana go as well.

After thanking Jin Yunho, Lee Hwana went back to her desk, touched up her makeup, and then swayed her hips as she left the office.

Jin Yunho threw his pen on the table, put his hands behind his head, and started to worry.

Leading a team is not easy!

Soon, a figure caught Jin Yunho's eye. It was Song Jieun.

"Are you also going home? If so, I agree, it doesn't matter if you go," Jin Yunho said straightforwardly, not wanting to show favoritism.

"I came to ask if you have any other instructions. If not, I'll go back to work. If you need me, just call me," Song Jieun offered to take over the secretary's duties after seeing Lee Hwana leave.

Misunderstood.

Seeing the ice queen stay, Jin Yunho's mood improved. At least he had one more person, which was progress.

After composing himself, he began discussing the case with Shin Donghae.

With 12 hours, Jin Yunho was determined to solve the case. Even without an investigator and a secretary, he was confident he could handle it.

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