Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Dinner with Deputy Chief Jeong Jung-heon
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In the current prosecutorial world, it was hard to have a conversation without mentioning Deputy Chief Jeong Jung-heon.
The position of First Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Central District Prosecutors' Office essentially meant that ascension to the very top was imminent.
And that pinnacle was the exclusive domain of the Prosecutor Generals.
It was a place heavily influenced by the administration and embroiled in endless battles, but also the exalted summit that the greatest prosecutors—stars in the sky—climbed toward, one arduous step at a time.
Naturally, Kang Hyun knew of him and had heard plenty of stories.
Kim Jeong-min, Han Tae-woong, Jeong Ji-eun.
He was the formidable pillar that this rising group of young prosecutors trusted and followed, and rumors swirled that Jeong Jung-heon held them especially dear, treating them with unguarded familiarity.
At this late hour.
Such a man had called Kang Hyun directly.
"Hello, Prosecutor General."
Kang Hyun masked his surprise and greeted him with the calmest voice he could muster.
His greeting seemed to catch the other man off guard, drawing a faint note of admiration.
-Well, well. Looks like you know who I am.
"Yes, Prosecutor General. I've heard so much about you from the other prosecutors."
-Haha.
The title was a bit ambiguous. He held the deputy chief position but bore the rank of Prosecutor General, so it fit. Kang Hyun's unexpected show of respect visibly eased the man's tone.
-Maybe Prosecutor Han trained you well. Or was it Prosecutor Kim?
"Prosecutor Jeong Ji-eun taught me a lot about the prosecutorial system."
-Oh, really?
Jeong Jung-heon's already relaxed voice softened even further, in a way that felt almost magical.
The connection between Jeong Jung-heon and Jeong Ji-eun.
The fact that they were father and daughter was a secret known only to a scant few within the organization, and even they kept it under wraps.
Kang Hyun, of course, was on brotherly terms with Kim Jeong-min—Jeong Ji-eun's classmate and close friend—and Han Tae-woong was like a mentor to her, so there was no way he wouldn't know. In that split second, Kang Hyun had leveraged it to shatter the last barrier of wariness.
-I've heard a lot about you. But... hmm, you seem to know more about this place than I do. I still don't know much about you, though.
He continued in an amused tone.
-In any case, it's late, so I'll get to the point. How about dinner this week?
"Dinner?"
-The face that's always on the news—I wanted to see it in person. Your seniors told me to hold off, but I'm the impatient type.
Unpretentiousness.
That seemed to be his weapon.
Somewhere between the polite courtesy of Incheon's Bureau Chief Park Ok-hee and the fiery intensity of Korea University's Dean Kim Jong-hwan.
Kang Hyun fired back an immediate, positive response to the man's frank Seoul dialect, sharp and straightforward.
"Thank you. Dining with you, Prosecutor General, would be an honor."
-No need to say it like that. Truth is, I'm a fan of yours. I've been following you since you turned the police upside down.
"Ah. I had no choice back then. Sorry if I caused you any worry."
He was probably referring to the Im Cheol-su arrest warrant review case.
In this ambiguous mix of praise or criticism, the man chuckled heartily once more, wrapping up with a reassuring remark.
-Haha, save that for dinner. How's tomorrow evening? I'd love to see you during work hours, but my schedule's packed.
"That's fine."
-Great, then. Congrats on the National Competition win.
"Thank you."
Click.
"Whoa... is this for real?"
Kang Hyun pinched his cheek lightly. He'd kept his cool during the call, but it was still hard to believe.
Even at this late hour, he felt like he should reach out to Kim Jeong-min, Han Tae-woong, or even Jeong Ji-eun.
Clink. Sizzle.
A high-end restaurant near the Central District Prosecutors' Office.
They sat around a private table in one room, with a personal grill roasting top-grade Hanwoo beef.
Gulp.
Kang Hyun had never been to a place like this, and the atmosphere had him holding his breath, glancing around nervously.
Across from him: Kim Jeong-min, Han Tae-woong, Jeong Ji-eun.
Opposite them: Jeong Jung-heon.
And Kang Hyun, awkwardly sandwiched in between.
"So, our Kim Jeong-min is coming back in the second half of the year?"
"Yes, that's right."
"And the case is progressing well?"
"We'll push it through to the end. We nailed the biggest search and seizure, but digging into it has been a headache—some issues cropped up."
"That's how it always is. Mountains beyond mountains. You'll come back stronger, one level up. Back when I was a branch chief in the south..."
Case talk, office politics. Prosecutor gossip.
Kang Hyun listened quietly, sharing in the junior prosecutors' taut tension.
When discussing work, Jeong Jung-heon's eyes gleamed like a lion's.
His shift from affable to fierce was seamless, almost making the contrast feel natural—and that was the remarkable thing about him.
"Whoops, looks like we got carried away with shop talk. Tonight's star is Kang Hyun here."
"Yes, sir."
"You saved a man on the brink of death, subdued a raging complainant in seconds. Commendations, Brave Citizen Award—I've heard so many hero stories about you, I couldn't count them if I tried."
He glanced around at the other prosecutors as he continued.
"What do you think? Having such an outstanding junior following you."
"We're grateful," Kim Jeong-min chimed in.
Jeong Jung-heon turned back to Kang Hyun, his face flushed—whether from the alcohol or excitement, it was hard to tell.
"Alright, then. Wrap up school nicely and take the exam soon to join us."
"..."
"Deputy Chief. Kang Hyun's still a student. You're not pressuring him already, are you? We don't even know what his dreams are yet."
Jeong Ji-eun playfully cut in to shield Kang Hyun, giving him room to breathe and respond.
"Yes, sir. I'm still very lacking. I want to gain more experiences before joining the organization."
"Huh. Is that so? I just hate to see talent like yours go to waste. It's a wonder that someone like you is entering the legal field."
"He might be more famous among the young crowd than even the 'Boss' now."
Kim Jeong-min quipped dryly to lighten the mood. The 'Boss' he meant was the Prosecutor General.
Kang Hyun caught on and froze in exaggerated shock, drawing an immediate amused grin from Jeong Jung-heon.
"Haha, yeah, yeah. Just private talk. No need to feel burdened."
"Yes, sir. No burden at all. I'm just grateful for your attention."
The atmosphere was warming up nicely.
Jeong Jung-heon was a powerhouse Prosecutor General on the rise.
Kang Hyun had been a bit tense beforehand, but the meeting was unfolding smoothly, without incident.
The problem lay elsewhere.
"Ugh!"
Gulp, gulp.
The rising buzz had Kang Hyun's head spinning.
'What the hell—they're drinking like there's no tomorrow.'
When it came to capacity, Jeong Jung-heon was undisputed number one.
Even at a dinner mentoring a mere kid, his love for liquor showed no signs of stopping.
Kang Hyun was the only one clueless about this.
Kim Jeong-min could hold his own, and Han Tae-woong had already stacked hangover remedies in the corner before the night began.
Everyone except the oblivious Jeong Ji-eun was fully matching Jeong Jung-heon's pace—and that left Kang Hyun as the sole one taking it all.
"Deputy Chief! That's enough drinks now."
"Whoa, our Prosecutor Jeong. At a fine gathering like this..."
"Ugh, enough!"
"See, this is why I don't drink with Prosecutor Jeong..."
Jeong Ji-eun, grumbling as she helped a muttering Jeong Jung-heon to his feet, called on Kang Hyun for aid.
"Kang Hyun, give me a hand."
"Sure."
Somehow, she supported Jeong Jung-heon and headed outside, signaling the brutal drinking session's end.
"Whew."
At this dinner, Kang Hyun seemed to have made a good impression on Jeong Jung-heon. Kim Jeong-min and Han Tae-woong hadn't interfered, and Jeong Ji-eun had even flashed a thumbs-up.
Meeting Jeong Jung-heon tonight was tremendous luck—and a huge boon—for Kang Hyun.
As the head who paved the way for rookie law school prosecutors, he was a legendary 'boss' figure and a real power broker in the organization. At this precise moment, with the power struggle between judicial exam grads and law school grads heating up, it fit perfectly.
As long as he stayed in Jeong Jung-heon's good graces, no one would dare target or sabotage whatever Kang Hyun did or thought.
"Alright, get home safe."
"Yes, thank you for tonight."
The gathering finally broke up.
Thoroughly soused, Jeong Jung-heon called his driver and left first, while Kang Hyun exchanged farewells with Kim Jeong-min, promising to meet again.
Pat pat.
As everyone departed and Kang Hyun straightened his clothes in relief that it was over—
Thud!
"Huh?"
A man burst out of the restaurant and slammed hard into Kang Hyun, shoving him sideways.
The guy wasn't that big, but Kang Hyun stumbled and fell. The man didn't even apologize as he rushed past.
"Ah... what the...?"
Pat pat.
Brushing off his clothes and standing, Kang Hyun glanced at the man—and froze.
"...?"
That face looked incredibly familiar, like they'd collided before or been involved in some incident...
"Huh?"
That's right. It was him.
Back in high school, the shocking, monumental event on the street.
The owner of the shadow that fell from the sky, overlapping with the moon.
A presumed exam prep student whose traces vanished completely after treatment, as if cloaked in mystery.
That man had just brushed past Kang Hyun.
"You!"
Stunned, Kang Hyun blurted out his thoughts and sprang up, chasing after the man down the alley with quick steps.
Thump thump.
Truth be told, the incident wasn't that important anymore; it had faded from memory.
But his own astonishing talent... sometimes he wondered if it wasn't innate genius but something bestowed upon him.
Like when he could recite the organizational chart of the justice system flawlessly, or when obscure early case precedents popped into his head unbidden.
In those moments, a fleeting thought crossed his mind.
Who was that man?
Whoosh!
At the alley's end, he spotted the man and yanked his shoulder hard.
"What?"
"...Sorry."
But...
It wasn't the guy who'd bumped into him.
'Where'd he go?'
Kang Hyun scanned frantically, but with no trace, he stomped in frustration and returned to the restaurant to ask the owner.
"Excuse me, sorry, but the man who just left—about this tall, not too big build... do you happen to know him?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes."
Thump, thump.
Eyes wide in shock, Kang Hyun pressed.
"Did he come with someone? Which room was he in?"
"Well..."
The owner furrowed his brow, searching his memory.
'Please.'
His heart pounded like it might burst. Uncharacteristically rattled, Kang Hyun was about to ask again when the owner spoke.
"...He wasn't a customer. He slipped in looking for someone, and when they weren't here, he just left."
"Oh..."
Kang Hyun sighed.
He dashed back out, racing down the main street, scouring the area.
"Huff, huff..."
But no one.
Just like after that accident years ago, vanished without a trace.
"...Am I drunk?"
The strange feeling wouldn't leave him.
Or perhaps.
Maybe that man had come to see Kang Hyun himself.
The thought swelled in his mind, circling relentlessly.