Chapter 132
Chapter 132
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Brought to Justice
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Fuck!”
“Run!”
Crash! Thud!
The people around An Kwang-hyeon spat curses as they tried to flee, but they were rats in a trap.
Like mice that had encountered a cat, they attempted to escape, only to be surrounded and captured by the heavily armed prosecutors.
“Ugh, uh...!”
Amid their flailing, An Kwang-hyeon looked even more ridiculous.
His face had already twisted into a pitiful expression. He was starting to scheme his way out of this.
In the distance, Prosecutor Park Min-seong approached like a triumphant general.
Even to Kang Hyun, he looked truly terrifying. He was furious.
Just a glimpse conveyed how fearsome and powerful a prosecutor could be.
“Huh! Prosecutor!”
Thud!
Spotting him, An Kwang-hyeon dropped to his knees without a shred of pride.
“I, I! I was kidnapped by these guys!”
Pow!
One punch from Park Min-seong sent An Kwang-hyeon sprawling, blood trickling from his mouth.
“Gah, gah, gah...”
“You bastard, you dared to mess with the prosecutors?”
“Gah, gah. S-sorry...”
Thwack! Thwack! Pow!
“You piece of shit. You’re done for. I’ll make sure you get the death penalty. Why don’t you just jump off that ledge and die.”
“S-sorry! Gah, gah...”
Prosecutor Jeong Ji-eun, who had rushed over panting, crouched down and recited the arrest procedure mechanically into An Kwang-hyeon’s ear, even though he couldn’t hear it.
“An Kwang-hyeon, you are under arrest in the act for charges of enticement, abduction, aggravated assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and violation of the Narcotics Control Act. You have the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney... What are you doing, Kang Hyun? Don’t just stand there—start recording!”
“Ah, yes!”
Jeong Ji-eun shouted at Kang Hyun, who stood there with a satisfying grin, wanting to preserve the moment in case An Kwang-hyeon claimed he hadn’t heard his Miranda rights.
“I’ll do it again. An Kwang-hyeon. You are under arrest in the act for charges of enticement, abduction, aggravated assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and violation of the Narcotics Control Act...”
“Gah, gah, keh...”
Once the prosecutors had drawn their bows, the arrows were sure to hit their mark.
Even if they somehow missed, these two would make damn sure they didn’t.
“Prosecutor! Warehouse secured.”
“Proceed with the emergency search and seizure immediately. Leave no stone unturned.”
“Yes, sir!”
From Seoul Central, Seoul Western, the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office, and the Cheonan Branch.
The joint operation of the four prosecutors’ offices had a shockingly devastating effect.
The case wrapped up swiftly, in less than an hour, and An Kwang-hyeon’s gang was arrested in the act, their faces hooded and hands cuffed behind their backs.
Click, click.
The warehouse erupted in chaos.
Reporters, who knows how they found out, swarmed in taking photos, and the quick-footed media thrust their cameras forward.
With multiple prosecutors’ offices mobilizing at once, word had leaked fast among the journalists monitoring them.
-This is an unprecedented scandal. Active police officers have been caught distributing narcotics on a scale enough for over ten thousand doses. They’re also suspected of kidnapping and confinement.
-An enormous incident unfolded at dawn today. A massive drug trafficking ring in the Asan area of Chungnam Province has been busted.
The news spread like wildfire, stirring up SNS and online communities into a frenzy.
And at the center of it all was Kang Hyun.
-They say Kang Hyun uncovered this drug case?
-So he tipped them off?
-He got kidnapped but escaped and reported it.
-Crazy? Epic.
Even amid all this, Kang Hyun focused on one person with a worried expression.
Yu Seul-gi.
Pale-faced and hunched over, she watched An Kwang-hyeon’s gang meet their end.
On one hand, she was a criminal too. An undeniable fact.
To be precise, she had injected drugs, violated the Pharmacists Act through illegal sales, and dabbled in narcotics black market dealings and distribution.
Yet Kang Hyun couldn’t fully condemn her.
A young college student, barely twenty, getting mixed up in this. There had to be a story behind it, and villains who dragged her into it.
For this tale to have a perfect ending, she needed to avoid the abyss of despair and rehabilitate.
Kang Hyun quietly took a blanket from a staff member and draped it over Yu Seul-gi.
He felt her trembling ease a bit. He whispered softly.
“It’ll be okay now. Don’t worry.”
“...”
She said nothing, but she gave a faint smile. A smile that must feel refreshing inside, no doubt.
Yu Seul-gi would now face the law’s judgment willingly, then receive the best support to break free from drugs.
To prove the truth that following the right path means never losing.
To show the power of the law that protects the world.
Kang Hyun vowed not to lose interest in her from here on.
“Whew.”
Kang Hyun finally looked up at the sky.
The dark sky was brightening bit by bit, but the bright moon lingered, shining down on him.
As if watching over the man who had overcome a life-or-death crisis and accomplished something tremendous.
After the incident, the police force underwent a massive purge. It was triggered by the foolish and horrific actions of the corrupt officers.
In truth, if such corruption piled up layer by layer until the entire police organization rotted away, something like the “An Kwang-hyeon Gate” could erupt uncontrollably and throw the world into chaos.
But the Central District Prosecutors’ Office ended it as an individual deviation before that happened, earning praise instead.
Especially spotlighted were the junior prosecutors.
Park Min-seong of the Violent Crimes Unit deserved applause for personally dismantling the drug trafficking ring. And Jeong Ji-eun, who was on site, went without saying.
The subsequent massive probe into the police was transferred to the Special Division, where oddly enough, Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min and others were waiting.
His day to navigate a major case and draw public attention wasn’t far off.
Anyway, the case came to a close like this.
Separately from that, Kang Hyun had one last thing to wrap up.
Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Special Investigation Division, Kim Jeong-min’s office.
Kang Hyun sat sheepishly in a corner of the bustling office, while Kim Jeong-min, having cleared some time, wiped his sweat and sat across from him.
“Whoa. Still haven’t done it?”
“They said I could do it at the civil complaints desk.”
“You punk... You’re confined here for a week so you don’t get kidnapped again.”
“Ugh. I’ll be careful...”
“Anyway, get to writing.”
Kang Hyun stared blankly at the document before him. It was titled “Narcotics Report Reward Payment Application.”
Gulp.
There was a reason Kang Hyun swallowed hard.
This case involved narcotics. Informants and whistleblowers on drug crimes naturally received reward money.
Especially since civilian Kang Hyun had made a major contribution, the payout wouldn’t be small.
“Ever seen a drug case reward when you were working?”
“...I saw one while copying records.”
“Calculate it. See how much you’re getting.”
Kang Hyun did the math. They’d seized enough drugs for about ten thousand doses. Assuming 100,000 won per dose.
That made it a 1 billion won case, simple as that.
“...Article 54 of the Narcotics Control Act: Those who report or file complaints about narcotics crimes to investigative agencies before detection, or aid in arrests, shall receive reward money as prescribed by presidential decree. The enforcement decree states rewards are paid within budget limits based on the case’s assessed value.”
“So?”
“Given the estimated confiscation amount and black market value, this case’s assessed value is 1 billion won. Per Article 14 of the Narcotics Reward Payment Rules, the upper limit for a civilian informant in a 1 billion won case is 20 million won.”
“So 20 million won?”
“But the review committee will decide.”
“Smart kid. Who’s the current review committee chair?”
“The Prosecutor General.”
“Congrats. The Prosecutor General will see your name.”
That was it.
Kang Hyun was recognized for his role in busting the drug offenders and would receive reward money from the state.
Up to 20 million won. But given the massive scale and the clear evidence of his risking danger to catch them, it wouldn’t be less.
He’d receive over 20 million won in reward money in an instant.
Kim Jeong-min watched Kang Hyun diligently fill out the form with an affectionate gaze, then lightly tapped his shoulder. He said it with a hint of worry.
“Even Jeong the prosecutor didn’t breathe a word about this. Scared I’d faint.”
“That’s why I didn’t call you. If I hadn’t remembered Prosecutor Jeong Ji-eun’s number, I’d be dead.”
“You punk. Not even promising not to do it again.”
Joking around, but when Kim Jeong-min had first rushed to see Kang Hyun, he’d been utterly shocked.
His face, pale as a ghost behind his glasses, looked almost corpselike, and you could see him suppressing his anger dozens of times so as not to scare Kang Hyun.
Seeing this, Kang Hyun felt grateful. Having someone worry about him like this, being protected by them.
It wasn’t luck anyone could have.
Perhaps that protection allowed him to act boldly and bravely in crises.
In that sense, Kang Hyun was blessed, and it motivated him to give his all in everything.
At that moment.
Bang!
“Kang Hyun!”
Kim Jeong-min stepped back slightly, and a familiar face burst in—Kim Eun-hye, the staff officer he’d contacted occasionally before.
She stormed in in a flurry, and Kang Hyun’s eyes welled up with joy and relief.
“...Sniff. Staff Officer!”
“You okay? Not hurt?”
Kim Eun-hye had heard Kang Hyun was there despite being on another floor and rushed over. Grasping his hand, she said.
“Oh dear, your face is all swollen! How could you get into such a mess! I was shocked when I heard. My heart dropped...”
Seeing his face, her eyes reddened, tears welling up. Her voice trembled as she checked him over, rubbing and patting everywhere for injuries.
Kang Hyun, seeing her on the verge of sobbing, felt relief wash over him, along with a desire to lean on someone, and only then did the tension drain from his body.
“...Sorry. I won’t do it again next time.”
Familiar faces Kang Hyun knew followed her in.
“Kang Hyun?”
“You okay?”
From deputies to section chiefs to prosecutors, the Central District Prosecutors’ Office staff came and went from Kim Jeong-min’s office.
On one hand receiving congratulations, on the other hearing worries and scoldings.
This was how Kang Hyun was growing.
The happiest was Kim Jeong-min, now standing off to the side.
“You punk... Never listen when I talk.”
Watching Kang Hyun smile surrounded by people, Kim Jeong-min grinned like a father looking at his son.
Because Kang Hyun looked truly happy.
The world’s awe and attention were nice, fame was pretty good too. Solving a shocking case young and reaching the top was great.
But what mattered most to Kang Hyun were the colleagues and friends around him. Surrounded by them, he looked happiest.