Chapter 186
Chapter 186
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Taking Over the Case
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"187."
“What do you mean by that?”
At Choi Tae-ri's words, Seong Tae-o answered on Kang Hyun's behalf in a composed manner, casually organizing the documents as if it were nothing.
“Yoon Haneul and our prosecutor feel mutual attraction and are flirting with each other?”
At his somewhat bold interpretation, Choi Tae-ri took it at face value and hesitated in confusion.
“Gasp... So the dating rumor is true?”
“No, I told you it's not. We're not dating.”
Kang Hyun stepped in to deny it once more.
“Th-then... A crush? I c-can't... talk straight...”
“That's not it either. She's a fan.”
“Yes?”
“A fan. A celebrity I really, really like.”
“Ah...”
“I'll explain our relationship in detail later.”
Choi Tae-ri, who had been all pumped up from the story only to be let down, spoke without reading the room to the embarrassed Kang Hyun over his own white lie.
“Can I tell people about this? The prosecutor has a celebrity he's into. Anyway, it's still a big case.”
“...Sure, you can, but could you hold off until the case is solved? I'm worried it'll look like I'm investigating biasedly because of my feelings.”
Seong Tae-o, who had been quietly listening from the side, suddenly looked shocked.
“Gasp, r-really? Are we directly investigating Yoon Haneul's case?”
Kang Hyun gave a simple answer to his question.
“Yes.”
“Gasp!”
“Wow! Got it, sir!”
Choi Tae-ri struck a loyal pose. She was so beside herself that the hand she raised was her left one.
“Then, since it came up, let's get started right away. I have the number. Case number Hyeongje 6778. Defamation by dissemination of false facts.”
“Yes!”
“Yes! Of course!”
“We'll start by identifying the suspect, so let's check the complaint and pull the collected materials for review. Oh, and one most important thing. Since the media is involved, gather all the articles and rebuttals that have come out so far. As many as possible.”
Investigating a celebrity in Namyangju.
Choi Tae-ri and Seong Tae-o excitedly began preparations. But Kang Hyun smiled with a slightly complicated expression.
“And...”
Kang Hyun paused for a moment and hesitated. Their enthusiastic movements to dive into the investigation suddenly halted a beat late.
“I think I'll have to step out for a bit this morning. I have a guest coming.”
“Call if you need anything urgent.”
“No worries, go ahead.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Even at the unexpected announcement that he would be away, they readily agreed without much concern. After wrapping up the brief morning schedule, Kang Hyun headed straight to the meeting place.
Step, step.
As he walked briskly, Kang Hyun sank into thought. The faces of several people flashed by.
His expression wasn't all that bright. It was because he couldn't shake off the worry rising from one corner of his mind.
'She must be a mess.'
His biggest concern was Yoon Haneul, the victim herself.
Yoon Haneul's agency, ES Entertainment.
As a mega-agency spanning the modeling and entertainment worlds, their response with rebuttal articles and such had been swift.
But public opinion was icy cold, and the issue was boiling hot like a pot on the stove.
Sprinkling in words like 'allegations' or 'speculation.'
Articles were piling up one after another, from being dropped by advertisers to her modeling career being over.
Therefore, the most crucial thing for resolving the case now was 'speed.'
Lightning-fast resolution was key to survival.
Kang Hyun stepping up to handle the case personally might even be a burden to Yoon Haneul.
Yet she had obediently written and sent the complaint directly to him herself.
Just hours after dawn the next day.
This meant she had decided to place herself under Kang Hyun's protection. Because she trusted him.
'I have to wrap it up even faster, to match that trust.'
Kang Hyun unconsciously opened his phone. The messages exchanged with her at dawn were still there.
-Did you get the complaint?
-Yeah, it came through.
Kang Hyun and Yoon Haneul, meeting again after several years.
Their first exchange was these one-word messages.
For a moment, her tear-streaked face flashed by. Various emotions rose and fell repeatedly.
Step, step.
Before he knew it, he had arrived at the meeting place.
Bang!
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.
Pushing open the door brought the sound of a small bell.
The place Kang Hyun had arrived at was an ordinary cafe in front of the district prosecutor's office. The person he was meeting today seemed to already be there.
People who recognized Kang Hyun glanced at him.
It hadn't even been a full day since the first article broke, so it was understandable.
“Whew.”
But ignoring the surrounding stares, Kang Hyun just shrugged his shoulders and walked to his seat without a care.
There sat a man with a very familiar face.
“...The star of the massive dating scandal has arrived.”
Still dressed in a neat semi-formal suit, wearing glasses and reading something.
A man whose mere presence put Kang Hyun's mind at ease.
It was Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min.
“...You really going to do this?”
As Kang Hyun grumbled and sat down, he burst into laughter and neatly folded the magazine with a snap.
“Man, even this magazine is packed with articles. This is a big deal, huh?”
“You seem to be enjoying it.”
Ignoring Kang Hyun's remark, Kim Jeong-min appeared to find teasing him quite amusing. He was probably still seeing it as just a simple mishap.
“...For real? You two dating?”
“I told you no. I didn't have time for dating.”
“Ugh, yeah, that sounds like you.”
“Yes?”
“Get yourself a girlfriend.”
“...Yes?”
Kim Jeong-min's tsk-tsk expression was like a mischievous kid's. Kang Hyun almost let slip, 'You're not even married yourself,' but swallowed it back down.
At any rate, the reason he'd come all this way was business.
“Anyway. Spill it. Why'd you summon this busy hyung of yours?”
As Kim Jeong-min shamelessly pretended not to know the reason for the meeting, Kang Hyun paused briefly to organize his words.
He needed to properly explain that 'Kang Hyun himself would investigate the defamation case against Yoon Haneul.'
Persuasively, without startling him.
They had received the complaint, but setting aside personal relationship issues, 'regulations' made it realistically difficult for him to investigate directly.
First off, realistically, it was a case on the scale that the Central District Prosecutors' Office should handle.
A famous celebrity whose single word could cause massive ripples, rumored to be involved in a drug case—a popular rapper.
And with the famous prosecutor Kang Hyun mentioned too, it didn't make sense for Kang Hyun from Namyangju, who might have ties to the victim, to handle the investigation.
Moreover, beyond the case's severity, legally speaking, cases have 'jurisdiction.'
'Criminal Procedure Act Article 4 Paragraph 1: Criminal cases are handled by the investigative agency with jurisdiction over the crime scene, the suspect's address or residence, or current location.'
Cases without jurisdiction are typically transferred to the appropriate office, and for defamation via internet media where the crime scene or suspect is unclear, the victim's address jurisdiction often applies.
In that case, Seocho Station or the Central District Prosecutors' Office would take it.
That's why this meeting was crucial. Kang Hyun needed to hash it out with 'Section Chief Kim Jeong-min' to take the lead on resolving Yoon Haneul's case.
“Rules on Jurisdiction and Assignment of Criminal Cases Article 6 Paragraph 1 Subparagraph 1: For cyber crimes and cases where jurisdiction is unclear, the office that first receives it becomes the jurisdictional office. I received Yoon Haneul's complaint.”
“So? The Namyangju prosecutor is officially going to investigate the famous celebrity Yoon Haneul whose house is smack in the middle of Seoul?”
“Yes.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
“What are you trying to pull bringing up that regulation? That case belongs to Central District.”
“I know. But I'm here to take it. The case.”
“What?”
The more Kang Hyun spoke, the more Kim Jeong-min's expression hardened.
“Jack Daniel or whatever that guy is.”
“He's an idol rapper. Our division is already investigating him for marijuana use. And he's the other party in this Yoon Haneul scandal.”
“Yes. Your division, Anti-Corruption 3, is investigating the marijuana smoking case. Suspect Jack Daniel is already under investigation for smoking marijuana three times in Seocho, Seoul, and twice in unidentified locations around Namyangju. Please transfer the case to Namyangju based on crime scene jurisdiction.”
“...What?”
Kang Hyun continued his explanation.
“This incident isn't just the dating rumor between Yoon Haneul and me—it's also the scandal between Jack Daniel and Yoon Haneul. Yoon Haneul filed a complaint for defamation by dissemination of false facts regarding this rumor, so the rapper Jack Daniel—who's under investigation in Seoul as a suspect in the drug case—becomes a related party as a victim of defamation in this case.”
“So?”
“In the marijuana case, since he committed crimes in Seoul and also in Namyangju, we can naturally investigate here too. Ignoring case scale and the convention that big cases go to Central District, we can handle the defamation as a 'related case.'”
“...”
“Give me the case. I'll handle it.”
Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min was speechless for a long while.
It was genius, but he wondered if it was even feasible.
Finally regaining his voice, Kim Jeong-min spoke slowly.
“Of course, it doesn't violate regulations that way... but do you think this makes sense?”
Kim Jeong-min had come initially just to see his face.
But after hearing Kang Hyun out and grasping his thinking, his expression turned deadly serious as he made his judgment.
“No.”
“It works.”
“...I-I'm not someone who does everything just because you say so.”
“I know.”
“Go get permission from your superior. But they won't approve it anyway.”
“Yes?”
“Go ask your boss for permission. Even if you take the defamation case, what about the transferred drug case? You gonna dump it in your division and...”
“Ah,” Kang Hyun nodded as if he'd been about to mention it anyway.
“I already got permission. When the drug case transfers, Section Chief Park Min-seong will handle it personally. I'll take the defamation.”
No sooner had Kang Hyun finished than Kim Jeong-min gasped and held his breath.
That was right.
Kang Hyun had already, just before dawn,
finished negotiating with Namyangju Criminal Division 1 Section Chief Park Min-seong. That's why he'd called Kim Jeong-min this morning...
Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min's mind raced.
Not about the case this time, but politically.
He shot to his feet!
“...No, you can't!”
“Section Chief Park Min-seong specialized in drug cases back when he was in Central's Violent Crimes Division anyway.”
“That's not it. I'm saying getting tangled in this isn't good. Do you not know why Park Min-seong so readily said okay?”
“Well, he needed the caseload. The Namyangju building collapse has no progress.”
“If that's all, you'd be lucky. He's dragging you into a celebrity case to tarnish your reputation. You know how much of a headache celebrity cases are?”
“I do. Investigating corporations is easier than ones involving celebrities.”
“Then why?”
“This case is different. The celebrity isn't the suspect—she's the victim. Defamation investigations are common even for police, and not that high difficulty.”
Kang Hyun calmly breathed in and out. Then he resumed in a softer tone.
“Above all, this is really important to me.”
His resolve showed, and Kim Jeong-min's voice cracked in half.
“...Haa, you said the dating rumor was fake. Why is this your problem?”
“It is my problem.”
“Why go this far? Why step to the front and risk your image? People think silent white birch trees don't make noise. What's good about getting mixed up with famous celebrities?”
“Right now, she's a friend, and we're getting to know each other.”
“...What?”
Stunned by Kang Hyun's sudden confession, Kim Jeong-min asked back.
Kang Hyun conveyed his intentions even more firmly and clearly.
“I used to be friends with Haneul, and now I'm trying to seriously get to know her.”