Chapter 99
Chapter 99
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Confrontation at the Prosecutor's Office
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Korea University's student council election campaign was a cauldron of chaos, fully ablaze, but the final battle still lay ahead.
Law School Student Council Office.
The one who brought the white envelope and placed it in front of Kang Hyun was none other than Yi Myung-hwan, who had agreed to help his student council.
"Something like this came in the mail... From a law firm."
Yi Myung-hwan brought the white envelope with a troubled expression.
'Certified mail.'
Kang Hyun calmly opened the envelope, read the contents, and spoke to Yi Myung-hwan with an impassive face.
"They've filed a complaint against me for disseminating false information, so cooperate fully with the prosecution's investigation. They even kindly attached the complaint."
"What does this mean?"
"It's a warning shot. They've got dirt on me, so bow my head and behave?"
The lawsuit was exactly as Kang Hyun had predicted. When he gave a false explanation about the text message, the person who reported him came forward.
In a way, it was inevitable.
It was a situation where false information had been countered with more false information.
Either way, the key point here was this.
The opponent, in their stupidity, hadn't protected themselves and had simply accused Kang Hyun of disseminating false information to take a bite out of him.
'At least now I know who the enemy is.'
Kang Hyun slowly read through the attached complaint. It had bypassed the police entirely and gone straight to the Central District Prosecutors' Office.
"Disseminating false information. Complainant: Yang Hee-chan."
Yang Hee-chan. It was him, after all.
The guy who had smirked at him so politely and smugly was listed as the mastermind behind this case.
This one might also be a scapegoat, a sacrificial pawn set up as a shield.
But that was fine.
He would make an example of him.
...
Kang Hyun scanned the summons with sharp eyes.
His gaze merely skimmed the text quickly, but by the time he finished reading the grounds for the complaint, he had already mapped out the case's conclusion in his mind.
"One week."
"One week? To prepare for the investigation?"
"No, to close the case entirely. One week."
Yi Myung-hwan's eyes fixed on Kang Hyun at his absurd declaration, but Kang Hyun remained calm and impassive. Instead, he began doing something, saying, "One week is all it takes."
...
Yi Myung-hwan stood there, mesmerized, watching him.
Kang Hyun pulled out his phone, searched for something, then made a call and spoke in a businesslike tone.
"Hello, this is an inquiry for the Central District Prosecutors' Office case division. Yes. Case assignment desk, please. Who handles complaints and reports? The section chief or deputy chief, anyone."
Casually, he began taking the steps needed to steer the case.
"Yes... It's probably just the complaint filed, no assignment yet. I'd like to check the planned prosecutor's office for assignment. I'm the party to the case."
With just a few calls, Kang Hyun started accelerating the prosecution's case initiation.
A case that hadn't even begun was now entering the assigned prosecutor's sights with one phone call and swiftly moving to the investigation division.
No backroom deals were needed.
It was simply a matter of exercising legitimate rights.
The only difference was whether you knew the method or not.
"Yes. If you can expedite it this much, I can appear anytime, weekdays, weekends, whatever. Thank you."
Kang Hyun finished the call leisurely, then crumpled the white envelope and stuffed it into his pocket with a straight face.
"You sped up the case?"
"Yeah. Pull the iron while it's hot, right?"
"Preparations?"
"All done."
Once again, Yi Myung-hwan fixed his gaze on Kang Hyun, analyzing him.
Just who was this guy?
He seemed approachable at a glance, but no one could pull off these little moves so effortlessly.
Of course, Kang Hyun had already thought everything through before acting.
'Your mistake.'
Kang Hyun planned to properly punish his opponent this time.
From now on, no one could beat him like this.
It wasn't talent or luck.
The current Kang Hyun was the crystallization of effort and ability. No money, no backing, but a genius-level brain, calm and cold legal judgment, and a track record of achievements.
He lacked nothing and wouldn't yield to anyone.
That didn't mean he lorded over the law.
The scales that weighed guilt were merely his tool, and the sword of judgment his weapon alone.
Kang Hyun thought for a moment, then started calling someone else.
To prepare step by step.
Time passed, and at the main entrance of the Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Yang Hee-chan arrived in a suit, even with makeup on for his appearance at the investigative agency.
Not quite on the level of a major politician or celebrity, but reporters nearly as numerous were waiting for him.
'I've got my logic perfectly prepared.'
"Heh."
How many lies had he spun in his life? How many sprouts had he uprooted to survive?
Yang Hee-chan cleared his throat, shoved his trembling hands deep into his pockets, and started walking.
Click, click!
Shutter sounds popped one by one, filling the area in front of the prosecutors' office with flashes and noise, as a few reporters crowded in, ready to question him.
Yang Hee-chan paused for a moment.
He had never received this much attention before, but he tried to act as if he were used to it.
"This is an unprecedented scandal at Korea University. How do you think the prosecution will judge this case?"
"Disseminating false information to students— this isn't just about being a Korea University student; it's something that could never happen across all universities in the nation, as future members of society. I will cooperate sincerely with the investigation and help reveal the truth!"
The reporter heard his prepared response, tilted his head, and thrust the microphone closer for the next question.
"The Central District Prosecutors' Office unusually issued a statement showing strong investigative intent, and many say it's due to university corruption involvement. What are your thoughts on that?"
"Pardon? University corruption...?"
Yang Hee-chan's expression froze for an instant. A bad premonition began to creep in.
"Rumors are swirling that Yang Bo-hyun from the Business School's embezzlement case also implicates you, Mr. Yang Hee-chan. Is that true?"
"Pardon? What are you talking about? I'm only here to give a statement on Kang Hyun's false information case!"
Yang Hee-chan looked around at the reporters with fearful eyes.
Something was wrong.
Why was his name coming up in his brother's embezzlement case?
"You're saying you have no connection to Yang Bo-hyun's embezzlement case?"
"Of course! And that's unrelated to this case. I've already submitted a written statement to the police about that. Please focus on this case!"
"Just one more: The police have already forwarded it to the prosecution. And regarding opinions that Kang Hyun's public interest report has high credibility..."
"Hey! I said focus on this case! I won't answer anything else. I'm here for Kang Hyun's false information dissemination!"
"It might end in a no-bill..."
"What?"
The reporter's mutter pierced Yang Hee-chan like an arrow.
"You... fuck..."
He felt something snap in his mind. In a fit of rage, he shoved the reporter aside and pushed forward.
"Wait a second!"
"Just one more answer!"
Step, step.
Bang!
The prosecutors' office staffer escorting him handed him off expressionlessly to the station-duty officer, and Yang Hee-chan silently wrote his name in the entry log.
From the entrance of the prosecutors' office, he was already beside himself.
"Damn it. What the hell? What's going on?"
Revenge.
He had planned a big move fueled by vengeance, but unbeknownst to him, he had suffered a fatal counterattack.
The opponent was trying to drag him down into a bigger pit by linking him to his brother, and now he was in a position to defend rather than attack.
"Shit... Embezzlement? Why has it come to this...?"
The opponent seemed to have already tied him to his brother's embezzlement case.
While he had let his guard down, the other had skillfully toyed with him.
Now, what he hung on wasn't just resolving a school issue or winning the student council president election.
It was survival.
"Come on, why isn't he picking up!"
He anxiously called his lawyer, but only the ringtone continued.
As impatience and anxiety tightened around him, regret and fear began to set in.
Scary. It's scary!
Suddenly, he thought of "them"—the ones who had made him appear at the prosecutors' office.
The powerful ones, those shadowy hands who believed they could escape any danger. At their urging, Yang Hee-chan had boldly shown up.
His lawyer had said it was fine. Just go and give the statement.
Perhaps they had known this would be his end.
In the end, he alone was the sacrificial lamb sunk in this quagmire.
Thud. Rattle.
Someone dragged something, flinging open the locked door with a clank.
From inside emerged a burly man who looked like an investigator.
"This way."
Yang Hee-chan followed without properly responding, down another dark hallway, up to the next floor, then another.
He had no choice but to trail the massive staffer from earlier.
Yang Hee-chan was out of his mind, unable to think, his free hands feeling as if they were already cuffed.
"A... at least my lawyer..."
"Yang Hee-chan."
The giant spoke to him.
Terrified, he looked up at his escort with wide, deer-like eyes.
"It's good you didn't waste more money."
"...Yes."
Finally, they arrived somewhere.
"Knock and wait."
...
Knock, knock.
No response.
Knock, knock, knock.
Whoosh!
The door slid open, and Yang Hee-chan looked at the giant with a miserable expression.
He stood like a statue, unmoving, just looking down at Yang Hee-chan.
Step, step.
Entering the dimly lit room, surprisingly, Kang Hyun was sitting there.
His face was expressionless, his posture relaxed as if meditating.
"K-Kang Hyun!"
"Long time no see."
"Today, you bastard, I'll—"
"Getting emotional like that will put you at a disadvantage. This isn't school."
"What?"
"I'm saying this isn't school."
"W-What are you...?"
Yang Hee-chan, chilled by Kang Hyun's changed aura, couldn't continue and muttered to himself as he slumped weakly into the seat beside him.
Kang Hyun looked distinctly different from at school. He couldn't put it into words, but it felt like he was the criminal and Kang Hyun the investigator.
Sitting down, his breath caught in his throat.
It was hard even to stop his fingertips, eyes, and legs from trembling.
In contrast, Kang Hyun sat still, staring straight ahead, as if waiting for someone to enter the room.
'He's nothing special.'
From what he could see, Kang Hyun was empty-handed.
Just one binder of documents.
Yang Hee-chan kept telling himself that the guy was all show.
'Why isn't anyone coming?'
Five minutes, ten...
Past ten, approaching fifteen.
Bang!
The door flew open.
Yang Hee-chan instantly clocked that the person bursting in was a woman.
She plopped down at the seat opposite him without so much as glancing his way, as if he weren't there, and faced her computer screen.
'A woman?'
Yang Hee-chan relaxed a bit, relieved that it wasn't the burly man from earlier but a woman.
But that was a hasty judgment.
"I'm Prosecutor Jung Ji-eun, on duty in the Criminal Division. We will now begin the confrontation between complainant Yang Hee-chan and respondent Kang Hyun at the Central District Prosecutors' Office."
'What? P-Prosecutor?'
Yes, she was a prosecutor.
The one handling this case, no less.
Yang Hee-chan glanced startled at Kang Hyun, who greeted her with a peculiar demeanor.
A clear, faint smile spread across Kang Hyun's face.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm the accused, Kang Hyun."
Kang Hyun greeted the prosecutor leisurely, adjusting his posture.
She smiled back brightly, but Yang Hee-chan shuddered for some inexplicable reason. He felt from the start that something was going terribly wrong.