TWB 67

While preparing for work, Kang Hee-shin looked around his now-empty house. After sending Kang-min and Baepsae home last night and throwing away the old clutter, he felt a great sense of relief.

Im Gyeong, who had said he would return to check on things, had been silent since then, which was unsettling in its own right. He wondered if the madman had had a change of heart, or if he had harmed Baepsae and Kkang. Fortunately, when he contacted them early this morning, both answered the phone with voices thick with sleep. After telling them not to go out for the time being, he put on his jacket, a mask, and non-prescription glasses.

Throughout the bus ride, the flowers blooming on the roadside trees caught his eye. Spring had truly arrived. Seeing people’s lighter clothing and excited expressions made the change of season feel real.

After riding for a while, he got off and removed his mask and glasses as he walked toward the Prosecutors’ Office.

For some reason, neither the reporters nor the protesters who usually camped out in front of the main gate were in sight. Searching the news out of curiosity, he realized why. A scandal involving a famous actor had broken early this morning. The world was in an uproar over the news that he had not only cheated on his wife but had even fathered a child with his mistress.

He wondered if he should be grateful for the sudden scandal. However, the moment he stepped into the lobby of the Prosecutors’ Office, his thoughts changed. People’s attention shifted toward him, and he could hear them whispering. How shameless. He’s already coming to work? Is his suspension over? Wasn’t he under internal investigation? I heard they were putting him on standby.

Pretending to be composed, he scanned his access card and headed inside, where Park Tae-min approached him, waving.

“Hey, Kang Hee-shin!”

“Don’t act like you know me. I’m telling you, the sparks will fly your way.”

“Kid. That only applies to guys with a good image. Do I have any image left to ruin?”

Hee-shin laughed silently at that. If Park Tae-min had one strength, it was his excessive level of self-objectivity. And his second strength was…

“You heard the news, right?”

“I saw it—the top actor’s scandal.”

“Not that. The youngest at Guyoung Construction is dead.”

Hee-shin snapped his head around in surprise.

“Who died?”

“Shim Yong-ho. Was he the sales director?”

There was no way Hee-shin didn’t know Shim Yong-ho. His name had appeared dozens of times in the entertainment logs for members of the National Assembly. He had ignored the first summons as a witness, and a second summons had been scheduled. But he was dead? Why?

“They say he was attacked on the street. You know what’s more surprising? He died in downtown Jinwol. The authorities are trying to keep it quiet, but apparently, there’s a record of a 119 emergency call.”

“…….”

“Did your mother or Min-hye say anything to you?”

Park Tae-min asked subtly. It seemed he was thinking the same thing. Hee-shin turned around and headed back toward the lobby exit. He hurriedly called his mother. He heard a panting voice over the receiver. He belatedly remembered that she would be cleaning a building at this hour.

“It’s me….”

-Oh, oh, yes…. Son….

“Did anyone visit yesterday?”

-…….

After a moment, a trembling voice answered.

-He gave the money back…. I asked Min-hye not to tell you. Because I’m ashamed… embarrassed… I have no face to show you….

“…….”

-I’m sorry, Hee-shin…. I’m sorry I’m such a failure…. I must have been possessed by something…. Knowing how hard things are for you… how could I take that money….

He couldn’t bring himself to listen until the end. “I’ll call you later.” After unilaterally hanging up, he rubbed his face vigorously. He had considered that they might try to entangle his mother with money. Currently, the media was grouping Guyoung Construction, Assemblyman Choi, and Kang Hee-shin together as one.

That was why he had strictly warned his mother and Min-hye, and for their protection, he had asked Lee Young-hoon, a high school classmate. He had been a boxing champion in the past and was the most reliable of his friends. However, although his mother had met Shim Yong-ho, she didn’t seem to know that he had been murdered.

It was also strange that the media was so quiet. Even if the news was plastered with the top star’s scandal, there wasn’t a single line about Shim Yong-ho anywhere. Forcing himself to compose his troubled mind, he headed back to the lobby, where glances mixed with suspicion and condemnation flew at him from all sides. He told himself it was painful, but something he had to endure.

As he opened the door to his office, Chief Oh, who had been talking to staff member Baek Young-mi, jumped up from her seat.

“Oh? The Prosecutor is here!”

Staff member Baek Young-mi also greeted Hee-shin with a smile.

“Congratulations on your return!”

“I’m sorry. You must have suffered a lot because of me, right?”

Chief Oh spoke with her usual easygoing nature. She said that having worked for over twenty years, she had seen all sorts of things, and this didn’t even count as suffering. He felt grateful, yet apologetic. When he sat down, the documents were still piled up, and all his belongings were exactly where he had left them. As he took off his jacket and hung it up, Chief Oh crept closer.

“Did you hear? Shim Yong-ho of Guyoung Construction was murdered.”

“I heard from Sunbae Park on my way in.”

“They say he died in Jinwol.”

Hee-shin remained silent for a long while before speaking cautiously.

“I think he came to give money to my mother. She said she returned it, but she didn’t know he had been attacked.”

Chief Oh seemed to have guessed as much.

She thought deeply, a wrinkle forming on her chin.

“…Who could it be?”

Someone capable of eliminating a big shot like Shim Yong-ho…. One person came to mind. The man who was currently his greatest dilemma. A human being who unauthorized copymade him wonder what on earth he was thinking to do such a thing. But there was [stolen content]no reason for that man to send someone all the way there. Even [unauthorized copy]without his mother or Min-hye, he was a man who could strangle Hee-shin’s breath at any time.

“I don’t know…. I can’t think of anyone.”

“Or would you like to go together later? I heard the funeral is in Seoul.”

It wasn’t entirely uncommon for a prosecutor to attend the funeral of a suspect or a witness. But if he went in this situation, would they actually welcome him? Since the murder took place in Jinwol, they might even suspect Kang Hee-shin.

As his thoughts reached that point, he grew slightly anxious. Should he have sent his mother and Min-hye to Vietnam instead of Baepsae and Kang-min? While he was spiraling through various thoughts, Baek Young-mi’s expression darkened after taking a phone call. “Yes, yes, I understand.”

“Prosecutor….”

“Yes.”

“They want you to come to the Chief Prosecutor’s office.”

Chief Oh, who was beside him, let out a deep sigh. As he retrieved the jacket he had just hung up, she followed him to the door. “Nothing to be scared of. Be confident, okay?”

“And if worst comes to worst, just ram into them?”

“You can joke at a time like this?”

“I’ll be back.”

The moment he stepped outside, the smile completely vanished from his face. He took a deep breath as he walked down the hallway and buttoned his jacket. As [unauthorized copy]he took the elevator to the [Read on Read BL Novels]Chief Prosecutor’s office, heavy sighs kept escaping him. After greeting the secretary in front of the office, he entered.

Inside, the national flag and the prosecution flag stood side by side, and Chief Prosecutor Jo Hong-rae was sitting at his desk. He gestured for Hee-shin to sit. Since opportunities to meet the Chief Prosecutor as a rank-and-file prosecutor were rare, his body tensed up instinctively.

If Chief Prosecutor Cho felt like a viper-like military senior, Chief Prosecutor Jo was a man with a friendly impression. The two shared the same main building, and because of that, rumors circulated among the staff that the Chief Prosecutor was mentoring Cho.

“You’ve been through a lot of mental anguish, haven’t you?”

“No. I am fine.”

He smiled and operated the coffee machine. The beans were ground, and with a hissing sound, coffee slowly flowed into the cup. Chief Prosecutor Jo brought it over and placed it in front of him. “Drink.”

“Thank you.”

“Things have been very noisy lately. Right?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why sorry? There are days like that when you’re working. So. What are your plans moving forward?”

Unlike his nervousness, Hee-shin answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“If you leave it to me, I want to see it through to the end. It is true that I met Assemblyman Choi, but I swear I did not take any financial gain. Please let me prove this myself and clear my name. And I will persuade Kwak Seong-tae to get a confession somehow.”

“I like that you’re confident.”

The Chief Prosecutor smiled faintly, and Hee-shin quietly lifted the teacup to his lips.

In his mind, he was recalling the secret conversation he had with Jang Seon-woo at home yesterday.

-I think Chief Prosecutor Jo Hong-rae is also involved. Do you remember the national project that Assemblyman Bae put forward as a campaign promise in the election a few years ago? He said he would create a mega-city worth hundreds of trillions of won in the West Sea, and it seems he promised to give the core construction rights to Guyoung Construction. Guyoung mobilized a large number of employees for the election campaign. Afterward, Guyoung was indicted for violating the election law, but they were cleared of all charges.

-Yes. I know. I remember.

-The deputy prosecutor in charge at the time was Chief Prosecutor Jo Hong-rae. And, embarrassingly, my father, who was the Chief Prosecutor of the same district office, covered this up.

-…What?

-I have no face to see you, Sunbae…. My father wants to set things right now. He believes Assemblyman Bae is trying to set up a new deal with the Seo-il Group this time.

If Jang Seon-woo’s words were true, it made sense why Im Gyeong was so desperate to make this happen, even if it meant stepping over him. He had heard that the man’s mother was a famous investor and that the man made money in a similar way. He didn’t know the exact figures, but he guessed it was an amount beyond his imagination.

It was the same for Guyoung Construction. They had been used as much as possible, and now that the deal was being given to others, they must have lost their minds. Knowing this, Chairman Yoon must have poached Guyoung Construction’s financial director and linked him with Assemblyman Choi to deliver a proper backstab.

“Give it a try, then.”

Snapping back to reality at the sudden voice, he stared quietly at Chief Prosecutor Jo. The man’s eyes curved like bows. It was a smile that looked kind. The kind of smile anyone could be fooled by.

“I’ll push you from behind, so do it properly.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Of course. Do you think I’d joke at my age?”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, to do that, it would be better to have the title of Deputy Chief rather than a rank-and-file prosecutor, wouldn’t it?”

Hee-shin was speechless, stunned by the unexpected offer.

As he stood there with a foolish expression, Chief Prosecutor Jo laughed.

“Why so surprised? You’re someone who will do even bigger things.”