The Prosecutor General is Exhausted (3)
“Hahahaha! These past few days have been such a stress reliever.”
The laughter of the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office Chief was boisterous and infectious. It rippled through the conference room, and soon, the entire room was filled with roars of laughter.
“Heh heh heh, it’s enough to make the summer heat vanish entirely. Did you all see the look on those stiff-necked lawmakers’ faces when they were practically weeping?”
At the Daegu High Prosecutors' Office Chief’s words, everyone nodded. Simultaneously, the Deputy Prosecutor General slapped his left palm with his right fist, as if realizing something.
“Oh! I was so refreshed that I completely forgot we hadn’t even turned on the air conditioning.”
These men were among the top ten figures in the South Korean prosecution. Naturally, an air-conditioned conference room was a trivial matter for them, and soon, cool air began to fill the space.
“Seeing those lawmakers in such a state of panic was so satisfying, I didn’t even notice the AC was off.”
At the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office Chief’s remark, everyone laughed again. It was mid-June, and the heat was just beginning to settle in, leading most people to switch to short-sleeved shirts or roll their sleeves up past their elbows. However, after the air conditioning had been running for a while, these men felt a chill and began rolling their sleeves down or putting their suit jackets back on. Of course, that didn’t mean they turned the AC off.
“This is why people must be educated. Shouldn’t we work in a cool place when it’s hot, and a warm place when it’s cold?”
At the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief’s words, everyone nodded again.
“Indeed. If we want to live like this until we die of old age, we must win. Isn’t this the life we’ve been chasing, banking on the jeongwan-ye-u (preferential treatment for former officials)?”
At the words of Jeon Seong-gyu, the Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office Chief, everyone nodded again, and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief spoke up.
“By the way, how was Assemblyman Kim Gi-sang? I’m most curious about his reaction.”
Jeon Seong-gyu, who received the question, chuckled and shifted in his seat.
“It was quite something. He even knelt before me, you know?”
Everyone in the room, except for the Prosecutor General, burst into laughter.
“Well, a hit-and-run death case would mean not just the end of his political career, but prison time as well. Man, I’m so envious. To have such a perfect lifeline.”
The voice of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief was filled with genuine envy. At this very moment, N was receiving reports on the current situation from some of the assemblymen.
“Wait, what? The prosecutors are pulling that kind of stunt?”
N looked at the assemblymen who had come to report to him, looking utterly bewildered.
“That is correct. They came to us, and it is certain they went to other assemblymen as well. To oppose the amendment of the bill, they would need to persuade at least 25 percent of the members. However, considering the nature of the issue, it is safe to assume they have blackmailed at least 50 percent or more.”
The assemblyman speaking had a mole the size of a pinky nail next to his nose. His crimes were relatively minor. Because of this, he chose to confess the truth to N rather than be swayed by the prosecution. He figured it was better to confess his past sins now and build more trust with N than to be manipulated by the prosecutors and lose N’s confidence.
“Those rotten bastards… I handled the judges through the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and now these prosecutors, who are part of the same executive branch, are causing trouble?”
N furrowed his brow and ground his teeth. After fuming for a moment, he looked at the assemblyman with the mole and asked.
“So, what kind of crime did you commit that the prosecutors came looking for you?”
“Well… that is…”
The mole-faced assemblyman licked his lips. Then he licked them again. And again.
“Damn it! What are you doing! Are you going to talk or not?”
Since N had YS as his Prime Minister, he was gradually beginning to resemble YS’s temperament. As they say, ‘birds of a feather.’ The interesting fact was that YS was also starting to resemble N. If anyone who knew both N and YS well were to watch their daily life at the Blue House, it would be quite an entertaining spectacle.
“No, well, that is…”
The mole-faced assemblyman scratched the back of his head with his right hand, unable to speak. Eventually, N, who could no longer wait, spoke first.
“What, did you get some lavish entertainment at a high-end hostess bar?”
“No.”
The mole-faced assemblyman was very good at answering in the negative.
“Then what, did you beat someone up with a club?”
“No! How could I possibly…”
“Then, did you receive gold bars from someone?”
“Oh, if I had received gold bars, I would have quit being an assemblyman and fled to Southeast Asia.”
N grabbed the back of his neck with his right hand and slammed the table with his left.
“No, then what on earth did you do!”
Eventually, the assemblyman sitting next to him stepped in. He was in his mid-40s, and it was a pity that he had only one strand of hair on the top of his head. Still, thanks to this, he had been able to get elected in the last election.
[Politics as refreshing as my cool head!]
Perhaps thanks to this interesting slogan, the bald assemblyman was narrowly elected and was currently enjoying the benefits under N.
“This guy, he once got dead drunk at a tavern and ran through the streets naked. He got caught by the police then. It was fortunate that no one other than the tavern owner saw him. It was late at night.”
“Hey, you! Why are you saying that!”
“Then what should I do? I have to tell him.”
N, listening to the two, asked.
“So, they blackmailed you based on that incident?”
The mole-faced assemblyman sighed and nodded.
“Yes. The police officer at the time took a picture of me with his camera. It was just a warning back then, but I didn’t know they still had that photo…”
N gave a wry smile at what was, in a way, a cute reason. So this time, he asked the bald assemblyman.
“Then, what about you?”
“I was running next to him at the time.”
“……….”
N was momentarily speechless. And then, he burst into laughter before he could stop himself.
“Ah, seriously, I’m going crazy. Hahahaha.”
To think that these people called assemblymen had gotten dead drunk at a tavern and run through the streets naked in the middle of the night. It was definitely insane, but since it wasn’t the kind of political corruption that usually comes to mind when one thinks of assemblymen, N found them rather cute.
“Well, it’s nothing to worry about. You all judged the situation well.”
However, N couldn’t stop laughing. Only after some time had passed did N stop laughing and put on a solemn expression.
“Good, that was very good information. Now that I know, there is nothing to worry about. Pass this on to the others.”
[[Understood!!]]
After the boisterous response and the departure of the interesting assemblymen, N immediately sought out Yoon-gi.
Prosecutor General Han Bon-chan visited YS’s home after receiving a call from him.
“Welcome.”
At YS’s welcoming words, the Prosecutor General also bowed his head toward YS.
“Hello. Thank you for calling me.”
He appeared quite polite. Originally, the Prosecutor General was not exactly subordinate to the Prime Minister. While the Prime Minister’s ceremonial rank was naturally higher, in reality, the Prime Minister’s words rarely held sway over the prosecution. However, the current Prosecutor General showed his clear position by maintaining a very respectful attitude toward YS.
“Well, come on in.”
YS led Han Bon-chan not to the reception room or the kitchen table, but to the main bedroom. He then placed a small tray containing citron tea, fruit, and snacks between himself and Prosecutor General Han Bon-chan.
“It’s late, so I assumed you had already eaten, so I prepared something simple.”
“Ah, I did have a meal a while ago. This is just right.”
YS also intuited that Han Bon-chan was not stupid. If he had acted arrogantly upon arriving here, that would be one thing, but if he was acting this friendly and slightly submissive, didn’t that mean he had his own plans?
“The tea tastes good.”
“Ah, that’s something I bought at the market, but it’s quite delicious.”
“Pardon? Ahahaha…”
As they say, the taste of citron tea depends on the sugar. However, Han Bon-chan, thinking it was a high-end product, scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression.
“I’m joking. It is a high-end product.”
“I-is that so? As expected, it is a high-end product, right?”
In fact, it really was bought at the market. However, YS had saved Han Bon-chan’s face.
“Yes, as expected of a high-end product, the taste is different.”
The two deliberately did not discuss the recent issues regarding the prosecution. They just had casual conversation. Of course, there was some talk about Japan, but any talk about the prosecution was thoroughly excluded. About an hour passed like that. Judging that the atmosphere had ripened, YS brought up the main point. YS’s patience, trained by DJ, truly shone.
“By the way, they say the prosecution’s movements lately are quite unusual. At a time when everyone should be working together to punish that Japanese bastard Himura and the pro-Japanese traitors, it is very regrettable that the prosecution alone is going astray. I wonder if the prosecution is not concerned about the MEV newspaper, which sells over a million copies.”
“Well… that is so. As you know from hearing it from the Minister of Justice, it is a situation I cannot control.”
The Prosecutor General thought that the prosecution’s current movements were flowing into the government side through DJ. Of course, he was wrong, but in any case, it was true that the prosecution’s movements were reaching the government. That was why this meeting could be arranged.
“That is why I am saying this: the President wishes for you to lend us your strength.”
“I would like to help as well, but it is truly difficult. Until just a while ago, I was the head of the prosecution and a dignified figure. But now, I have become a dull, nominal number one. What can someone like me do…”
Han Bon-chan was intentionally lowering himself. However, there was a reason for it. Because he wanted something.
“That is something we can help you with so you can work hard, isn’t it?”
YS suddenly stood up and opened the wardrobe door wide. What was revealed was not blankets… but cash packed tightly into the wardrobe.
“Gasp!”
Han Bon-chan was surprised and his jaw dropped.
“Isn’t all this fuss right now because of jeongwan-ye-u? But we have no intention of bribing other prosecutors. It’s a hassle. So, we will bribe only you, Prosecutor General. What will you do? This amount would exceed the money you would earn while retired and living as a lawyer, so what is there to worry about?”
Naturally, there was nothing. There couldn’t be. As much as he was supported by Yoon-gi in many ways, YS’s house was naturally large. In addition, the main bedroom was large, and the wardrobe was large. The 10,000-won bundles filled that main bedroom.
‘This is completely different from the bundles of money that were in Professor Lee Ki-chang’s wardrobe.’
YS had no shame. The bundles of money that were in Professor Lee Ki-chang’s house were dirty money intended to throw the Japanese bastard’s Korea into chaos. These bundles of money, which would be delivered to Han Bon-chan from his own wardrobe, were righteous money to prevent prosecutors from committing corruption.
[The best way to give money to prevent corruption is to increase the budget, but since it’s ambiguous to introduce that right now, I have to use my own money. What can I do?]
YS, thinking of Yoon-gi, who had shrugged his shoulders and laughed, was also wearing a smile on his lips.
“Well, what will you do? Seeing as there is no reaction, should I just close it?”
“Ah, no! W-what! From now on, I will actively cooperate with the President’s policies! It’s fine even if I get stabbed by a sword!”
In reality, the position of Prosecutor General was worth an investment of this magnitude. And Han Bon-chan would show that value before long.
The ruling party, the main opposition party, and the second opposition party announced that they would actively participate in this amendment of the Criminal Act. In a situation where one could know the state of public opinion just by looking at newspaper sales, the party’s guidelines coincided with public opinion. Of course, not all assemblymen participated actively. This was because there were an enormous number of assemblymen who suddenly made excuses about being ill to skip it. The number was a whopping 100. Of course, they still met the requirements to enact the law, but it was a situation where one didn’t know what would happen if more assemblymen feigned illness. Therefore, the prosecutors exercised their right to prosecute simultaneously against the assemblymen who did not succumb to their blackmail, using the information they had collected so far.
If it were September, it would have been the regular session of the National Assembly, so the invocation of the privilege of non-arrest would have been possible. However, since it was a situation where an extraordinary session had to be opened, they could not immediately activate the privilege of non-arrest. What if an extraordinary session was held suddenly now that the prosecution had proceeded? It was a situation where the justification of the National Assembly would fade somewhat. Therefore, the prosecution pressured the assemblymen with great momentum. However, the reason for recruiting Prosecutor General Han Bon-chan was revealed here.