Chapter 202
Cha Juhan managed his expression well, but he couldn't conceal even the flicker of surprise. Kang Gwanung chuckled as he looked at him from his seat at the table.
"You seem pretty shocked, Prosecutor Cha."
"Didn't I tell you he'd react like this, sir?"
Park Younggi let out a hearty laugh as well.
"Come on, sit down already, Prosecutor Cha."
Park Younggi said to Cha Juhan, who was still standing rigidly. Only then did Cha Juhan realize he hadn't sat down yet, and he took his seat.
"The food's getting cold. Dig in."
"Yeah, eat up. You too, Prosecutor Cha—plenty to go around."
Cha Juhan picked up his chopsticks, but his mind was still racing. He was trying to figure out why Park Younggi was here. Had Kang Gwanung reached out to him after the recent incident? Kang Gwanung had decided to help Cha Juhan, and Park Younggi had assisted in this case too—maybe they'd teamed up as kindred spirits with the same goal?
But that didn't quite fit; the two men seemed far too close for a recent alliance. Suppose they had known each other for a long time. Then, given their already tight bond, when Park Younggi decided to help Cha Juhan, Kang Gwanung might have arranged this meeting to foster a real connection between them.
"I can hear the gears grinding in your head, Prosecutor Cha—it's too noisy to eat."
Kang Gwanung tossed out the joke, and Park Younggi burst into laughter again.
"Seriously, cut the thinking and eat first."
The two men, fully aware of the situation, lounged leisurely while the clueless Cha Juhan sat before them.
"I was more shocked when Prosecutor Kang suddenly appeared during my conversation with you, sir."
"Oh, you didn't know Prosecutor Kang was my grandson? Isn't he working under you now?"
"Yes. He seemed like he didn't want it advertised, so I didn't pry and waited for him to tell me himself."
"What consideration. Prosecutor Kang's lucky to have a boss like you, Prosecutor Cha."
His background had nothing to do with Cha Juhan. He'd hired Kang Minjae for his skills, plain and simple.
"Minjae's thrilled with the job. Back at Taegwang, he'd drag his feet every morning, hating to go in. But since joining you, he's humming tunes even on the way home. Haha."
Was that so? Kang seemed to love vacations and weekends so much that he hummed on the commute home anyway.
"If you're done eating, how about some tea? I brought some good stuff just for you, sir."
Park Younggi lifted a small paper bag from under his chair.
"Sounds good."
An extraordinary scene unfolded in Kang Gwanung's living room—one rarely seen anywhere. A former president, the current Western District Prosecutors' Office chief, and a mutant lawyer who'd left the prosecution on bad terms, all gathered to sip tea. All prosecutors or ex-prosecutors, but the vast gaps in their careers made even calling them seniors and juniors feel awkward.
"Time to clear up Prosecutor Cha's curiosity, I suppose."
"I've been waiting."
"You were my professor back at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. About ten years before you became president, right?"
"That's right. It was when I was briefly out of politics."
Kang Gwanung nodded in response. So they had that connection. Park Younggi must have cherished the experience of learning from Kang Gwanung at the institute. Though a prosecutor by origin, Kang Gwanung had left to become a lawyer before entering politics, earning acclaim as a civil law master. If he'd lectured there, it was probably on the Civil Execution Act. For Cha Juhan, who'd studied civil law from his books, it was fascinating to meet someone who'd learned civil execution directly from the man.
"Thanks to that old tie, I'm still honored to visit you occasionally."
"But this guy never contacted me once while I was at the Blue House. Before that, he'd pester me nonstop, saying he'd drop by to pay respects."
"Well, a prosecutor casually reaching out to the president doesn't look good, and I worried it'd make you seem like you had ulterior motives."
"Come on. Even when you were a rookie prosecutor, you'd visit me all the time while I lounged at the institute. Why would I suspect you of anything?"
"Gotta think about how others see it. Was it that disappointing?"
"Yeah, it was."
True to first impressions, the two shared a deep, longstanding friendship.
"Honestly, I figured since Prosecutor Kang joined you, you'd have introduced yourself to sir around then."
Anyone who knew whose grandson Kang Minjae was might think the same. Even at Taegwang, Yoon Wonhyeong had treated him specially—Cha Juhan knew that much. No matter that Kang Gwanung's administration had opposed Taegwang's line back then; now he was the father of civil law. They'd studied from his books too, and given his stature in society, it made sense. Taegwang had nothing to gain by antagonizing him.
But Taegwang was one of Cha Juhan's main enemies. Kang Gwanung knew that too. For him to lend support anyway meant he was prepared to clash with Taegwang someday if needed. Just as Taegwang gained nothing by currying disfavor, he lost nothing by staying on good terms.
"Even when sir asked me to find ways to back you in this case, I assumed that's why."
Park Younggi's words drew a faint smile from Kang Gwanung toward Cha Juhan. Cha Juhan was shocked once more.
Now he understood why Park Younggi had made him a liaison investigator and put him front and center in briefings. Sure, Park had openly said he'd push for him, but Cha Juhan had wondered about the real motive. Was there some hidden agenda? He'd even used his ability to probe Park's true intentions.
This makes sense now.
The string of [Lie] verdicts that followed suddenly clicked. Park Younggi hadn't bought that Cha Juhan pursued the Antrozol Alpha case purely to uphold justice. He'd already known it was to take down Wooshin. Sure, that could serve justice, but it wasn't the pure motive.
Likewise, the [Lie] on his claim of backing the case for justice's sake. It wasn't about justice—it was at Kang Gwanung's behest. That's why his promise to support Cha Juhan rang [Truth].
During those talks with Park Younggi, Cha Juhan had been under Kang Gwanung's scrutiny, so he'd never imagined the old man's involvement. Seeing the lies, he'd reevaluated the Park Younggi he thought he knew.
"You're surprising me left and right today, sir. I thought you were testing me, but you'd already decided to help."
"Sir made up his mind a bit earlier. He asked me a lot about you. And I had a good impression, so no reason to badmouth you."
"Thank you."
"Plus, this was a golden chance to put your name out there."
"Once the Myeonghwa Pharma case wraps at Western District, this guy's heading to Central District."
Kang Gwanung interjected as he listened to their exchange. Wrapping the Myeonghwa case successfully at Western meant a solid outcome. If Park Younggi then moved to Central, it'd be a promotion. Too soon for chief prosecutor, probably third deputy at most. A Central third deputy rivaled a chief prosecutor and got minister-level perks.
"Congratulations on the promotion, Chief."
Cha Juhan stood from the sofa and bowed to Park Younggi, who waved it off.
"Only if the Myeonghwa investigation goes off without a hitch. But thanks to you, I shook off that Food and Drug Administration director. Barring surprises, it'll be smooth—and that'll be on you."
"No, that's not—"
"When Park heads to Central, he'll help you out a ton. Since I've decided to back you, might as well go this far, right?"
This confirmed Cha Juhan's guess was wrong: the current Park Younggi wasn't the one from his past life. But in that life, Park had never become Central third deputy. And crucially, that spot was Hwang Youngchan's next posting around this time. Hwang had already done a branch chief stint, passed through Supreme Prosecutors' Office and Justice Ministry, and was now waiting as a Central senior prosecutor.
If Park snagged it instead, what happened to Hwang?
"...Thank you."
Hwang tumbling was good for Cha Juhan. And it wasn't strange. In his past life, Hwang had slithered through the shadows backing Wooshin to climb. But this time, he couldn't bury the Go Yunseong case. Wooshin hating him was only natural.
In that life, Hwang had rocketed from first deputy to chief prosecutor to Prosecutor General, unstoppable. But now, with this snag, who knew? If Park climbed to chief prosecutor someday—and didn't betray him—the Wooshin special prosecution could end well.
But it was all wishful thinking. Hwang's reaction was unpredictable, and Park's unexpected rise meant he'd need to play politics at minimum. No telling how that'd turn out.
Tough. Relying solely on past knowledge might not cut it for the future anymore. Much had already changed in places he knew—and surely in those he didn't.