Chapter 108
Prosecutors indicted both Ko Jin-ah and Jo Hyun-seok as principal offenders, despite their claims that each was merely an accomplice to the other in an attempt to dodge responsibility. From their very first appearance at the prosecutor's office, Ko and Jo insisted they weren't having an affair. But once hard evidence emerged, they suddenly flipped their stories, trying to pin the blame on each other. On top of deceiving the public like this without a shred of remorse, the prosecution vowed to prove every single charge in court and deliver true judicial justice.
Once both were indicted as joint principals, Jo posted the following on his minihompy around 1 a.m. this morning.
The screen in the upper right corner of Jin Hye-kyung's broadcast expanded, filling the entire TV with Jo Hyun-seok's minihompy. His post included photos, but they were all mosaicked beyond recognition. The text he'd written alongside, however, was crystal clear.
J
Jo Hyun-seok
Minihompy • Today 1:03 AM
Writing this after a drink or two. It's true I loved KJA. And yeah, I get that we weren't supposed to be together... But she was the one who said we'd be free to be together once she divorced her husband first, so we made all these plans—and now she's trying to dump it all on me? Seeing that killed any feelings I had left... I'm so damn tired... Every time we're called in by the prosecutors, you and your lawyers make me out to be total scum. KJA... let's see this through to the end. Honestly, yeah, I've lived like trash, but you're no saint either, you bitch. haha I'll tell the prosecutors everything. How fake that image of yours really is. And what you've been hiding. No matter how powerful your family is, you're gonna eat prison rice someday...
♥ 12.4K↻ 8.7K💬 45K
The post was still up on his Cyworld page, with visitor numbers already surpassing 500,000 today. Comments were flooding in—mostly along the lines of "You're trash too, but we support the exposé."
The fact that the post was still live suggested he really planned to bring something to the prosecutors. People were already speculating wildly about what Jo Hyun-seok would reveal, breathlessly awaiting the prosecution's next move.
And I was no different.
"Things are getting interesting, huh?"
In my previous life, clueless prosecutors had danced to Jo Hyun-seok's tune without uncovering a thing. I remembered the prosecutor handling him back then wasn't Lee Ye-jin—it was someone else. I never imagined a new captain and different waves would send the ship sailing this smoothly.
"You think he's reached out to the prosecutors yet?"
"Who knows."
If Jeong Yeong-jun's innocence hadn't come to light as a wildcard, Jo Hyun-seok might still be toying with them even now. Of course, I didn't think it was all his own genius strategy, but it did prove he had a certain level of cunning. A real idiot never would have risen from low-rent pimp to rubbing shoulders with top officials and chaebol heirs.
From that angle, his choice to post on something as casual as Cyworld—without even looping in his lawyer—felt like another calculated move. Jo had occasionally shared photos and emotional rants there before. Sure, they were cringeworthy enough to make your toes curl, but that was the 2009 trend—let's let it slide.
Right now, Jo Hyun-seok was claiming he'd only filmed Jeong Yeong-jun's sex tape because Ko Jin-ah whispered sweet temptations in his ear out of love. By playing up his heartbreak and betrayal, he was vowing to expose her other crimes while subtly pleading his own innocence. And by admitting he'd written it drunk and emotional, he came off as spilling unfiltered truth in a moment of impulse.
Just reading the post, Jo Hyun-seok looked like the one who'd been used and discarded by Ko Jin-ah. The scattered typos even sold the "I was hammered" angle pretty convincingly.
I was dead certain Jo had written that post stone-cold sober.
After it went viral, pity started trickling in for "poor Jo." And the more that happened, the more Ko Jin-ah solidified her image as a "crazy bitch."
Jo had masterfully redirected all the spotlight onto her already-tarnished reputation—and it worked like a charm.
"Even with fire on her feet, ignoring the divorce like this is pretty damn infuriating. Makes me wanna poke the hornet's nest just to mess with her."
I muttered at the TV screen. Kang Min-jae chuckled and waved me off.
"There's that lawyer temper showing. But we gotta wait it out, right? We're just spectators, remember? Heh heh. This is way too fun."
"Yeah, let's pop some popcorn and watch."
"Popcorn? Should I go grab some now?"
Hmm, guess the "popcorn time" metaphor hadn't caught on yet. Explaining it would kill the vibe.
"It's like at the movies—you munch popcorn while watching the show. Means enjoy this case like it's a blockbuster. From the audience seats."
"Ah......"
It had been some time since Ko Jin-ah and Jo Hyun-seok were exposed as the real culprits behind Jeong Yeong-jun's video. Ko's side hadn't gone totally radio silent in the interim. Taegwang Law Firm claimed the high-profile scandal made deep divorce talks impossible right now—"Please wait." Obviously, they'd split duties: criminal specialists for the prosecution mess, divorce experts for the marriage split. Lame excuse.
As I'd predicted, things wouldn't move until Ko's fate was clearer. I wasn't exactly hating the wait.
"Lawyer, phone for you."
Kang Min-jae handed me my cell. Caller: Lee Ye-jin.
Knowing he'd whine about being left out of the loop again, I hit speaker.
"Cha Juhan speaking."
📞 Lee Ye-jin
"Cha, congrats."
"What's the good news this time?"
📞 Lee Ye-jin
"You see the news? Jo Hyun-seok threatening to spill on Ko Jin-ah."
"Yeah, saw it. Was wondering what that's about."
📞 Lee Ye-jin
"Jo handed over docs on Ko Jin-ah's hidden assets. Massive. Around 100 billion won. Says he got it from a broker buddy."
100 billion in hidden assets. That was a curveball.
Kang Min-jae's jaw was still on the floor.
"That's huge."
📞 Lee Ye-jin
"Right? It's a candy trail. Gotta dig more, but looks like it built up after she married Jeong Yeong-jun."
"Will Ko Jin-ah admit it's hers?"
📞 Lee Ye-jin
"Dunno. If she does, tax evasion's on the table. Depending on how it was made, could hit illegal slush funds, breach of trust, embezzlement too. And get this—the juiciest part: since it piled up post-marriage, it factors into asset division. Source might whittle it down to half or less, but still way above our old estimates."
"If she denies it to dodge charges and division? Then it's untouchable for her too."
"Called to tip you off. Gotta run now."
"Thanks. Don't work too hard."
📞 Lee Ye-jin
"Hard? This is fun. Talk later—drinks after the case!"
The call ended. Kang Min-jae was buzzing with excitement. He threw on his jacket and bolted for the door.
"Where to?"
"Popcorn run."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time flew, and Ko Jin-ah and Jo Hyun-seok's trial was now just a month away. So much had gone down in the meantime.
Shortly after Jo exposed Ko's hidden assets, she fired back by leaking his sex-for-favors list. Turnabout being fair play—she had his balls in a vice too, just like he'd gripped her weaknesses via brokers.
Just like that, Jo went from "maybe pitiable guy" to "equally insane bastard" in the public's eyes. She'd probably spared anyone tied to Yangjin Group interests, but heavy hitters from politics and business still made the cut. Ko clearly didn't want to go down as the sole villain.
Watching this unfold reminded me of a famous line from some hit drama in my past life: The Korean War-level chaos ain't got nothin' on this.
Jo's list drop sent officials and chaebol execs scrambling in and out of the prosecutors' office. Some skated on lack of evidence; others got canned. "Jinhwa Gate" was all anyone talked about.
Hell, I even heard this: There were way worse scum than Jinhwa, but he got caught first—unlucky bastard named the whole scandal after himself.
⚡ BREAKING NEWS ⚡
Lee Jeong-chan of Minwoo Party—Eldest Son Lee Joo-young Appears as Witness
Lee Joo-young, eldest son of Minwoo Party leader Lee Jeong-chan, showed up at the prosecutors' office at 11 a.m. as a witness. Idol trainee A, mobilized for Jo Hyun-seok's sex favors, claims she saw Lee at the scene—but Minwoo Party vehemently denies it, calling the statement false.
LIVE | [CHANNEL NAME] — [Location] | [Time]
"Whoa, Lee Jeong-chan's kid got sex favors too?"
Kang Min-jae cranked up the radio volume. I shrugged.
Lee Jeong-chan, Minwoo Party leader. Future president. In my past life, despite Jinhwa Gate, they'd cut losses fast and clung to power. Flipped election predictions against the top opposition, Free Justice Party, winning by a hair—shocking everyone.
But his son tangled in Jo's sex ring? With the election a year out, that'd bleed bad. How much depended on the probe, but even a nick hurt on such a razor-thin mandate. Could tip him right out.
"This is insane, total jackpot."
"Eyes on the road."
"We're almost there anyway. See? Taegwang."
He nodded at the towering building ahead. I leaned back in the seat, nodding.
Finally, today marked the endgame for the divorce case.