Chapter 9

"Prosecutor, you're on the rise!" - Chapter 9 (9/341)

Part 2

Im Sung-jin was so angry that he was trembling, but Song Hyun-seong, who had been watching the situation, came over and picked up the papers that had fallen to the ground.

Bak Seong-tak, the chief, didn't know what to do and tried to avoid eye contact, but eventually, fearing that the situation might escalate, he urged the other prosecutors to collect the papers and left the scene.

After confirming that Song Hyun-seong had collected all the papers, he moved to the back to avoid getting in the way, but Im Sung-jin's gaze still burned into him.

As the inspection department prosecutors were busy collecting numerous documents into blue boxes, Im Sung-jin drank water in large gulps, took a deep breath, and approached me.

The deputy chief prosecutor Park Seung-su's gaze shifted to him, but Im Sung-jin paid no attention to it.

"Is Yong-ho doing well?"

He said sarcastically, standing right in front of me.

"He was a dear junior, and I really miss him."

It was clear he was deliberately provoking me.

I considered ignoring him, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of winning a petty pride battle.

"Thanks to you, he's taking a good rest in the countryside. He doesn't even think about Seoul."

"Seems like he's better off there. He doesn't miss this place much, does he?"

"You'll be going to a place with fresh air soon, so there's no need to envy him, right?"

A vein popped on his forehead, but he didn't stop.

"Ah, there were houses with high walls in Seoul too."

Im Sung-jin forced a calm smile, but I could see that his eyes didn't move at all.

"Send him my regards."

"Why don't you do it yourself? He'll be a witness soon, so you can see him in person."

He took a step closer, almost touching my shoulder, and breathed heavily.

"Hey."

Im Sung-jin lowered his voice so others couldn't hear, but it was filled with venom.

"If you're going to kill, do it properly."

Despite the obvious threat, I didn't flinch.

"If I don't die, the one who dies will be you."

Im Sung-jin twisted his lips and tapped my shoulder.

"I don't know if I can kill you properly."

In the past, I would have been scared, but after several private meetings with Deputy Prosecutor Kim Seok-won over the past few days, my courage had grown, and I wasn't afraid at all.

As he was about to leave, I called out to him.

"I have no intention of killing you."

He stopped in his tracks.

"I'll let you live. Struggle all you want. I want to see a worm squirm when stepped on."

He clenched his fists before continuing to walk.

The provocation was enough.

The humiliation was evident in his gait.

Im Sung-jin is not the type to back down, even if his limbs are cut off.

After such a humiliation, he will surely try to make a comeback to settle the score once this situation is over.

He will definitely contact the Chief Prosecutor when the situation is resolved.

When he tries to climb back up using the Chief Prosecutor as a lifeline, I will catch both of them at the same time.

After Im Sung-jin left, Song Hyun-seong approached me.

"What's up? It seemed like you were talking about Shin Yong-ho."

I shrugged.

"If you're going to kill, do it properly."

Song Hyun-seong, unable to hide his surprise, frowned.

"What did you say in response?"

"I said I have no intention of killing."

I smiled.

"Instead of being satisfied with catching a big fish, the real catch is using it as bait to catch a shark."

I could feel all eyes in the Economic Crime Investigation Department on me, especially since they all knew that I had prepared with Song Hyun-seong to take them down.

"I need some fresh air. Let's finish up later."

"Sure."

As I headed for the door, I felt a strong gaze and glanced to the side.

I met the eyes of a man.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo Won-hyung.

Im Sung-jin's right-hand man and the next in line for Chief Prosecutor.

Or, rather, the one who was supposed to be the next Chief Prosecutor.

That guy has done quite a bit of damage.

Jo Won-hyung glared at me with eyes as fierce as Im Sung-jin's.

Buzz, buzz.

My phone vibrated.

The unique vibration that signals an incoming message.

I stepped outside the Economic Crime Investigation Department office, stood by the window, and checked the message.

-Sender: 29

-Photo

This time, it was a photo.

What does the number 29 mean?

The photo showed a headline in large letters with smaller text below, indicating it was likely an internet news article.

Before I could think further, my hand had already zoomed in on the photo.

-Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo Won-hyung, the main figure in the prosecutor's corruption involving bribery, found dead in a motel!

-In the so-called 'Im Sung-jin line corruption' case, which has been a hot topic recently, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo Won-hyung, a key figure in the Economic Crime Investigation Department corruption case, was found dead in a motel. The prosecution announced that they found him dead from carbon monoxide poisoning in a motel in Ilsan after he failed to respond to the final summons and they tracked his whereabouts. The suicide note he left revealed that he could not bear the pressure from the prosecution and the public and decided to leave his remaining life behind. The note also included a brief summary of the corruption case, stating that he would take full responsibility and expressed deep remorse, apologizing to the public and his family. This suggests that Jo Won-hyung took responsibility for the case and committed suicide. However, the note also revealed serious grievances about the inspection department's pressure and the targeted investigation, leading to calls for further verification of these claims.

-Political Section, Reporter Cheol Hyung-woo

What the hell!

Jo Won-hyung committed suicide?

I can still see the venomous glare he gave me just a moment ago, and now he's dead.

The article suggests that Jo Won-hyung took full responsibility and left.

This can't happen.

Typically, when someone takes responsibility and ends their life, the case is soon concluded.

Was this Im Sung-jin's escape route?

To throw his loyal right-hand man under the bus and survive alone?

I don't know if Jo Won-hyung chose death out of loyalty or was forced to commit suicide, but what's clear is that Im Sung-jin cut off his own limb to survive.

Im Sung-jin couldn't have been unaware of Jo Won-hyung's death.

This can't be allowed to happen.

If the case ends this way, not only will I fail to hold Im Sung-jin accountable, but all the corruption he committed will be swept under the rug.

If I didn't know about this, it might be different, but knowing it's going to happen and letting it happen would be foolish.

I won't be that foolish.

Unfortunately, the photo doesn't show the upload time of the article, so I can't determine the exact date, but given that it mentions a final summons, it's not likely to happen in the next few days.

There's still time.

I need to find a way.

To persuade Jo Won-hyung and pull the leash on Im Sung-jin.

***

"When will the analysis of the documents be ready?"

"Which ones?"

"The documents in the bag Im Sung-jin tried to sneak out at the end."

"Oh, that's done."

Song Hyun-seong handed me a file from his desk.

It was a ledger detailing bribery.

Specifically, it contained over 90% of the bribes received by the Economic Crime Investigation Department.

The author was likely Im Sung-jin.

It meticulously recorded where, when, and for what purpose each bribe was received.

"Those guys are crazy. They recorded everything even though it's dangerous to take bribes."

Usually, those who receive bribes prioritize covering their tracks, but these guys are truly remarkable.

"How much did they take to record everything like that?"

This wasn't written from memory.

It must have been recorded accurately each time they received a bribe.

As soon as I opened the first page of the file Song Hyun-seong had organized, I had a hunch.

"These guys were trying to pin everything on Shin Yong-ho."

The documents in the bag were of two types.

One detailed the actual bribery.

The other contained the phone records of the three prosecutors, including Shin Yong-ho, who were demoted to the countryside.

It was clear from the start.

They tried to match the movement records of the cell towers with the locations and times of the bribes.

If this ledger had been completed, the bribery charges would have been pinned on the three prosecutors, not the Economic Crime Investigation Department.

These guys were planning to execute a scheme that most people only imagine.

If the warrant had been issued a day later, it might have worked as they intended.

The more I investigated, the more I admired their audacity.

"The only downside is that the actual bribery records were also written on a computer and this is just a copy. If we had the original ledger, we could have done a handwriting analysis, but this is just a printout."

I didn't expect that.

Im Sung-jin wouldn't leave such a trail.

While the Economic Crime Investigation Department took bribes, there's no evidence that Im Sung-jin did.

He would use this to escape.

This was the concern Deputy Prosecutor Kim Seok-won had, and I was well aware of it.

However, this was enough to prove that the media play to pin the bribery on Shin Yong-ho and the other demoted prosecutors was a lie.

This alone would be enough to weaken Im Sung-jin's position.

"I'll contact Yong-ho and the other prosecutors. Even if Yong-ho doesn't know, the other two must be worried about the fallout."

Song Hyun-seong took out his phone, but I grabbed his wrist and shook my head.

"No."

"Why? They must be really worried. Wouldn't it be better to let them know?"

"A cornered rat will bite a cat."

He frowned, not understanding.

"Jeong Won-ho and Han Hee-ju. If these two are sure they can survive, will they testify?"

"Oh!"

Song Hyun-seong finally understood.

If the two prosecutors are sure they are safe, they won't side with either side to protect their status as prosecutors, even in the countryside.

If they raise a flag against Im Sung-jin and he doesn't fall, they might lose their status as prosecutors on top of being demoted.

However, if time passes and they realize Im Sung-jin is trying to pin the blame on them, they will likely side with us to survive.

This would provide two additional testimonies to implicate Im Sung-jin as a criminal.

It would turn Im Sung-jin's initial media play into a self-defeating move.

Song Hyun-seong, impressed, put his hand on my shoulder.

"You're really something, aren't you?"

"Of course. Who do you think I am?"

I'm the one who will become the king of this world, after all.