The inspector is getting promoted!

While I was deep into my work, the phone rang.

The caller was Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Seok-won.

“Yes, Chief Prosecutor.”

Are you busy?

“No, I’m not. Please go ahead.”

Come to my office now.

“Understood.”

A sudden summons.

What’s going on?

Could it be that someone higher up in Im Seong-jin’s faction has instructed to cover up the case? No, that can’t be it.

This is already a case that the media has caught fire with.

The press is clamoring for more fuel to add to the fire, and making a move at this point could easily backfire.

Unless it’s a VIP, no one would dare to step out in this situation.

It might be an overreaction.

I’d have to meet him in person to know what’s going on.

Worried, I walked into the Deputy Chief’s office, where he led me to the sofa.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“It’s already past 2 PM. You should make sure to eat on time. After all, we’re doing all this work to make a living. You should take care of yourself.”

“Yes. I’ll go eat after this conversation.”

“Good.”

He nodded and continued.

“You mentioned reaching out to the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District, right? The location has changed.”

So that’s why he called me in.

Although I’ve been assigned to this case, it’s not common for me to meet with someone at the Chief Prosecutor’s level directly, so Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Seok-won arranged it for me.

“Where is it?”

“Hanseong Office Building, Room 304. The time remains the same, 9 PM.”

“Understood.”

“Good. Handle it well.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head, and as I was about to leave, Kim Seok-won spoke again.

“You really handled the situation well. If Jo Won-hyung had died, that would have been the end. How did you even think to keep him alive? There’s no way you got the information from your side.”

I couldn’t tell him the truth.

He wouldn’t believe me anyway, and it would be foolish to pass up this opportunity to showcase my abilities.

“It was a gut feeling.”

“A gut feeling?”

“Yes. Given the situation, Im Seong-jin should have been in a panic, but I heard he was surprisingly calm. Our side didn’t have weak evidence, so it was clear he was hiding something. The only thing that came to mind was that if someone carried that secret and ended up committing suicide, it would be easy to shift public opinion, either with targeted investigations or pressure from the prosecution.”

Kim Seok-won let out an impressed “Oh.”

“But a regular prosecutor wouldn’t be able to carry such a case. Im Seong-jin will definitely survive, so that only left Jo Won-hyung. I figured if we didn’t let Jo Won-hyung die, it would be fine, so I kept him alive.”

He nodded, a pleased smile on his face.

“Just as I expected, you’re the one I’ve been looking for. Rather than being stuck only digging for evidence like other prosecutors, you know how to see things outside of the case too.”

“It’s an honor.”

Kim Seok-won nodded and fell into thought.

Just as the silence started to feel awkward, he tapped the armrest and met my eyes.

“You know how much I value ability, right?”

What could this mean?

I’ve already shown enough of my abilities, I thought.

Ah, could it be?

“While Prosecutor Shin Yong-ho provided a lot of information, it’s also important to build the kind of relationships that can get you this information. What impressed me the most was how solid the framework you built was. I admired that.”

“Thank you.”

“So here’s the thing, how would you feel about working under me?”

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Seok-won’s eyes lit up.

“Come to the Inspection Division.”

Without realizing it, I clenched my teeth.

This is it.

Finally, the opportunity had arrived.

There was no one foolish enough to let this chance slip by.

I immediately stood up and bowed deeply.

“I will work hard!”

Kim Seok-won smiled a satisfied smile I had never seen before and nodded.

“Good, you should work hard.”

At his gesture, I sat back down on the sofa.

“I was going to tell you this after this case is over, but seeing how Im Seong-jin is acting, it’s going to get messy and drag on, so I’m telling you now. You’re going to need more authority soon. You’ll get the official transfer in a few days. I’ve already arranged the position for you in the Inspection Division, so go out and get directions from the personnel officer.”

“Thank you.”

“When you get your transfer to the Inspection Division, you’ll also be jointly responsible for this case, so make sure to save your friend. It’s Shin Yong-ho who helped you get this far.”

“Of course. I’m truly grateful for your consideration.”

He gave a slight chuckle.

“Go on. You’ve got a lot to prepare for the meeting with the District Prosecutor.”

When I stood up, he patted my shoulder with a satisfied expression.

“Should I be expecting great things from you?”

“Of course. I’ll make sure Im Seong-jin ends up in jail.”

After leaving the Deputy Chief Prosecutor’s office, a staff officer waiting outside guided me to my new office.

It was located in the farthest corner of the Inspection Division, but it had all the essentials.

Although I hadn’t officially been transferred yet, I was grateful they had already set up the office for me.

“You can start using this from today. The rest of the staff will be assigned after your official transfer.”

“The rest of the staff?”

It sounded like this woman would be assisting me with my duties.

“Yes. This is Jo A-ra, a prosecutor’s assistant who will be working with you from now on. Please take care of her.”

An assistant in the office would typically be a level 9 employee, handling various support tasks.

“I’ll be sure to take good care of you.”

She smiled brightly, shook my hand, and added a bit more explanation.

“There are no investigators available yet, so it might take a little while. However, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor said you could bring an investigator from the Gwangju District Prosecutor’s office if you want. What do you think?”

As much as I’d like to, the investigator from Gwangju is too honest and steadfast. He has a strong sense of duty and justice, which makes him an excellent public servant in a rural area. However, I’ve decided to rise in this field, and it’s unclear what kind of mess I might end up in. He’s too straightforward to handle the dirty work needed for this job.

I need someone who knows how to navigate the system while still keeping things clean.

But not too much on the dark side.

“No, I’ll wait for now.”

“Okay. If you need help with anything, I’ll do my best to assist. Even with tasks the investigator would usually handle.”

Her attitude seemed ideal.

If Jo A-ra is assisting me, it’ll make things much easier for the time being.

I’ll need to find the right person for the job as soon as this case is over.

***

“Hey, Yong-ho.”

Why didn’t you call me first? You need to report the investigation status regularly.

“Hahaha, no news is good news, right? Everything’s going well, buddy. What’s up?”

I’ve finished the investigation on the judicial exam papers we talked about. It’s a done deal, no denying it.

This means Im Seong-jin now has an additional charge.

With just a few more documents from Jo Won-hyung, Im Seong-jin will be completely finished.

How should we handle it? There’s still some time before the judicial exam.

The best course of action, as we discussed before, would be to release the information on the day of the judicial exam itself.

Since it’s the last judicial exam, it will attract a lot of public attention, making the impact much greater.

If it overlaps with a case from the Economic Crime Investigation Department, Im Seong-jin could face not just demotion but an outright prison sentence.

The simplest way to generate this kind of synergy is one thing:

“I’ll try to adjust my schedule as much as possible. If we trigger the Economic Crime case while finishing off with the judicial exam scandal, it’ll be game over.”

Got it. I’ll send you the relevant materials by email. Just to be safe, make sure to check them on your personal laptop.

“Understood. Thanks for the hard work.”

Oh, and I’m not certain about this, but there’s one more thing. Don’t tell anyone, just keep it to yourself.

If it’s uncertain, it likely means there are traces, but no solid evidence.

The fact that we have evidence against Im Seong-jin but no leads on anyone else suggests that higher-ups could be involved.

“Tell me.”

It looks like the judicial exam leak might be connected to the Chief Prosecutor.

“The Chief Prosecutor…?”

“Yeah, the Chief Prosecutor of Seoul Central District, Im Joo-young.”

Nice!

I couldn’t help but clench my fist.

This was the most important piece of information at this point.

As expected, Shin Yong-ho’s skills from his time in Seoul were still sharp.

“Anyone else besides the Chief Prosecutor?”

I haven’t confirmed that yet. But it’s almost certain the Chief Prosecutor is involved. The problem is, there’s no evidence.

“That’s enough.”

I could hear Shin Yong-ho chuckling lightly through the phone, then he changed the subject.

By the way, I heard you’re getting transferred to the Inspection Division?

I hadn’t mentioned it, but somehow he knew.

“Did you plant someone there?”

Your assigned assistant, Jo A-ra, used to be my assistant.

No wonder.

I had a feeling Kim Seok-won, the Deputy Chief Prosecutor, might have arranged this on purpose.

She went from the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s office to the Seoul High Prosecutor’s office. She must think she’s stepped into an interesting game.

She’s really good at handling things, and she’s quick to pick up on instructions. She doesn’t need constant guidance and can manage things on her own. She’s got a great sense.

“Thanks.”

Go ahead.

After hanging up, my steps back to the office felt incredibly light.

Considering I was about to meet the Chief Prosecutor tonight and now had such a big card in my hand, it would be strange if I wasn’t thrilled.

If I play this right, I could achieve even greater results from tonight’s meeting with the Chief Prosecutor.

When I arrived at the office, Jo A-ra gave a slight bow.

“Jo A-ra, you were handling Yong-ho, right?”

“Ah.”

Her face turned bright red in an instant.

She seemed worried that I’d misunderstand her for being too chatty after mentioning him, thinking she might come across as careless.

“I thought you should know…”

“It’s okay, I wasn’t saying anything. If you don’t want to be compared to Yong-ho, you’d better do well.”

“Comparisons aren’t fair.”

“I’m just joking. Yong-ho spoke very highly of you.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t think telling her this made me loose-lipped.

If anything, it was better that she hadn’t fully erased Shin Yong-ho from her mind after he was demoted to a local position.

As long as she keeps the important facts in and doesn’t leak them, I’m fine.

Since Shin Yong-ho trusts her and says she’s okay to work with, I can trust her too.

Thanks to this, I could work with her without having to second-guess things.

When I returned to my desk, I noticed an unfamiliar envelope sitting on top of the papers.

“What’s this?”

“It arrived via courier just now. The delivery person said they didn’t know who the sender was.”

An envelope without a sender.

And it came via courier.

Something smelled fishy.

No, it was definitely suspicious.