Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Don't Trust Anyone But Your Own Shadow (1)
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1988, Hansik, Gyeongbuk Andong.
Sunset, where the red glow elegantly crested the mountaintops.
A man stood before a mound that at first glance screamed old money burial site.
A shovel was gripped in the man's hand.
He glanced around, then carefully began digging up the young scholar tree freshly planted before the grave that very day.
"Forgive me, sir. I need this tree. Please pardon me."
Having unearthed the scholar tree without damaging its roots, the man prostrated himself flat before the grave.
He scanned the empty cemetery grounds to ensure no one was watching, then scooped up the tree and hurried down the mountain.
After descending, the man deliberately took the nighttime path for hours before reaching his shabby home.
He planted the young scholar tree in the backyard, then fetched a small jar filled with dark red blood from somewhere.
He drenched the trunk and base with the blood, then bowed deeply.
"Duduri-nim, Duduri-nim. Please make our In-mok, our son Kang In-mok, a man of great power and influence. Duduri-nim, it's for In-mok. Please grant our In-mok power and authority."
From that day on, every night, the man fed the tree human blood and raised it.
And without fail, he prayed for his son Kang In-mok's fame and fortune.
As the father wished, his son grew tall and straight like the tree, passing the judicial exam while still in university.
A veritable boy genius.
But the father never lived to see his son become a prosecutor.
On his deathbed, after clearing the room of everyone but his son, he left these words.
"In-mok, my son In-mok. Your father can no longer watch over you. When life gets hard or someone blocks your path, feed human blood to the scholar tree in our backyard, bow, and pray."
"Father... what are you saying?"
"Listen well. It must be deep in the night. Duduri-nim will devour whatever stands in your way as payment for the blood you offer. No one will ever block your path. Don't forget, In-mok."
Only then did the son realize that the blood his father had fed the tree every night since he was young was human blood.
Now on the verge of becoming a prosecutor, with the lines of power in sight.
There was no need to repeat his father's actions.
'I became a prosecutor through my own studies. That tree would only hold me back.'
After becoming a prosecutor and settling in Seoul, he brought his widowed mother up and vacated the house.
To the son, the tree was now just something to hide.
From then on, the tree was alone.
* * *
Na-rae emerged from the KD Report building with a stiff expression and entered the coffee shop across the street.
A man who had arrived first greeted her with a smile.
Na-rae gave a curt nod and sat down.
"Long time no see. Officer Eun—or should I say reporter Eun now? You look well."
Unlike the man's smile, frost clung to Na-rae's face.
"Prosecutor Kang, we're not the type to exchange pleasantries. What brings you here? And how did you know I work here?"
"You're still pretty pissed, huh. I should've gotten you out, but you up and quit with that resignation letter. Surprised me. Today, I've got a proposal to smooth things over. Hear me out."
The man was Prosecutor Kang In-mok, who had handled the Central District Prosecutors' Office beat when Na-rae was at Su-seo Police Station.
It had been two years since their paths crossed.
"You already know. KD Report isn't a major paper—it's an online outlet. No reason for a prosecutor to have business with me, right?"
"Hahaha, don't be so quick to judge. You never know with people. Surprised you ended up here after a year off. If you'd been interested in media, you could've said something sooner. I know folks at the major outlets and broadcast news legal teams. Hang on a sec..."
Still smiling, Prosecutor Kang pulled out his cellphone and dialed somewhere.
Na-rae's phone buzzed right in front of him.
Na-rae hung up and glared at Prosecutor Kang.
"What the hell was that?"
"Habit. Gotta trust people, but... hahaha. They say an incoming call kills phone recordings. Oh, don't get the wrong idea. Not saying you're recording—just my habit."
"Wasn't planning to, but next time I meet you, I'll bring a separate recorder."
"Won't need it going forward. If you take my offer today, we'll be a team sharing intel."
"Let's hear it."
"Director Seong. He just moved to Western District Prosecutors' Office as deputy chief prosecutor. I shifted to Criminal Affairs as assistant chief."
Mention of Director Seong turned Na-rae's face icy.
She glared at Prosecutor Kang like she wanted to devour him.
"Seong Woo-jin's brother—head of that cyber gambling ring—is Criminal Affairs Director Seong Woo-yeol, now Deputy Chief Seong, and he's got your backing! Too big for a rookie cyber crimes officer at the station to crack. No indictment, right? No indictment."
"So?"
"Cops investigate all they want, but no prosecutor indicts? Dead end. Especially not against a sitting deputy chief. Cyber team's not equipped, and no prosecutor would touch it. Don't hate me too much."
"You just here to make excuses? Get to the point."
"Hahaha, straight shooter! Truth is, I'm handing you Deputy Chief Seong's head. To you, Reporter Eun."
"I'm not even on social affairs— I chase ghost stories. Wrong address."
"You're not the type to nitpick, Reporter Eun. Your cyber team went after a director."
"What do you get out of handing me the deputy chief's head?"
For an assistant chief to finger a sitting deputy chief was a huge risk for Kang too.
If Na-rae recorded and went public, he'd be done in the prosecutors' office.
"Just testify about your teammate, Reporter Park Dong-jin. He drinks often with the ruling party floor leader, takes pocket money too, from what I hear. That do it? Plenty. We'll handle the rest. Not hard."
Dong-jin had covered the ruling party in politics, so friendships made sense.
But Prosecutor Kang said it casually—friendship and bribes were worlds apart.
"Never seen it, don't know anything."
"Just say 'seems like it!' We'll take care of the rest. 'Seems like it!' Easy peasy."
"Why's Senior Park the target?"
"That guy's chasing a nonexistent prosecutor-media collusion story. Snooping around like there's something between our chief prosecutor and Dongguk Ilbo. You're better suited for broadcast legal desk, majors' legal teams, or social affairs. Police academy elite."
The powerful repay slights, if not favors.
That's why no one dares challenge them lightly.
They maintain power through retaliation.
"Think it over. You're not some pterodactyl chasing hack for laughs."
"If I agree, what happens?"
Na-rae asked, and Prosecutor Kang sipped his coffee before answering.
"Well, this sparks the regime change down the line, right? You'd be a hero of the new order. Plenty would sell their soul for one 'seems like it' to launch their career. Thought of you while drafting it."
Na-rae, burned by power before, knew Prosecutor Kang wasn't bluffing.
'Dumping a sitting deputy chief, offering it to me. He's risking from the pitch. Big payoff for him.'
Prosecutor Kang's eyes brimmed with confidence as he watched her.
"Senior Park dropped the collusion story."
"Doesn't matter. We all know he quit. We just need a reporter sacrifice to paint the picture. Can't use you as bait and promote Park—he's marked. You know."
Na-rae's gaze wavered.
"Reporter Eun, team up like before, aim higher. Finish this picture, and we're in their ranks. One of Them. Get it?"
* * *
Back at the office, Byung-su and Dong-jin prepped to head out on assignment.
"No stories to run lately. Where's Reporter Eun?"
"Some visitor came. Said she'd be back after stepping out."
"Visitor? Gotta hustle if it's far."
"To Andong, right? What's the story?"
"Yeah, tip on a ghost tree."
"Ghost tree—you mean that famous one near Andong Dam?"
"Huh? You know it, Park. But that ghost tree in the middle of the road by Andong Dam's gone. 2009."
"Gone?"
"Yeah, someone chainsawed it at midnight. Tree killed a bunch, probably revenge."
"So there's another ghost tree?"
Na-rae, who had slipped in unnoticed, answered for Byung-su.
"Andong and Gyeongbuk have worshiped tree ghosts called Duduri since before Goryeo. Yi Ui-min's famous tale of serving one. Lots of sightings there."
Na-rae's voice dipped low.
Byung-su cocked his head and urged them on.
"You know your stuff, Reporter Eun. Alright, let's roll."
* * *
Dong-jin punched the destination into the nav and started driving. Na-rae glanced at him sidelong and asked carefully.
"Senior Park, you planning to pick up the prosecutor-media collusion story again someday?"
Out of left field, Dong-jin hesitated, then said firmly.
"Like Editor Kim said, no witnesses left to verify, so stalled for now. But yeah, gotta resume eventually. Got plenty of material already. She worried I'll stir trouble?"
"No. You're not just some ghost tree chaser... You were politics ace."
Annoying style, but competent in politics.
Byung-su, listening quietly to Na-rae and Dong-jin, cut in abruptly.
"So ghost tree gigs are for trash like me?"
"Ah! Team Leader, not what I meant."
Na-rae panicked and backpedaled. Byung-su grinned, then turned to Dong-jin.
"Good thing it ain't. Anyway, Park."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Big game like prosecutor-media collusion—not ghost trees? Never breathe a word till it runs. Never. When chasing that, remember one thing: 'Don't trust anyone but your own shadow!' Got it?"