Chapter 155: So, is the Investigation Ongoing?

“So, is the investigation ongoing?”

“We’ve requested their presence as witnesses. However…”

“Don’t hesitate, tell me. What is it? Is there a problem?”

“Out of the blue, they’ve touched on Miracle Investment. Rumor has it they have a close relationship with you, Chairman.”

“Close relationship? They’re the ones stealing my company piece by piece. Haha.”

The Prosecutor General could tell there was no animosity in Chairman Jin’s laughter.

“They won’t find anything even if they dig, but what about it? What about my daughter’s mess? Is it difficult to clean up?”

“No, sir. In any case, your daughter is the victim who lost a large sum of money. And regardless of the process, the company’s funds have been returned to their original state. Unless the shareholders step forward, we can’t make a big issue out of it.”

Jin Seo-yoon had sold her personal shares to cover the amount. There was no reason for the shareholders to get involved, and the majority shareholder was Miracle anyway.

“Then, if our Prosecutor General doesn’t issue any special orders, what happens? Will the Eastern and Southern District Prosecutors’ Offices be at each other’s throats in a proxy war?”

“They’re colleagues working at the same office, there’s no way that would happen. They’ll just confirm the facts they’ve each uncovered and come to a conclusion. They’ll discuss it amongst themselves.”

“Then our Prosecutor General doesn’t have much reason to worry.”

“Actually… there’s just one thing that’s been bothering me that I’d like to confirm, Chairman.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s about this investment company, Miracle. Is it really not connected to you?”

“Why is that bothering you?”

Chairman Jin stared intently at the Prosecutor General as he asked.

“Ajin Group, Soonyang Automobile, Dae-ah Construction… and now they’re sequentially swallowing up even Soonyang Department Store Group. Looking at the changes in shareholdings, they hold quite a bit of Soonyang’s shares. This wouldn’t be possible without your approval.”

“Automobile was sold off during the IMF because we didn’t have the dollars to settle the hot money, and the department store was lost because my foolish daughter caused trouble. There’s no such thing as approval.”

The Prosecutor General’s tone became a bit more rigid.

“I don’t know if you’ve received information, but the Financial Supervisory Service has begun to monitor Miracle. It’s clearly foreign capital, but its nature is ambiguous. Whether it’s speculative capital or sound capital….”

“Money is just money, does it have a color? Tell them to stop doing useless things.”

“It’s speculative capital that made a killing during the IMF and then pulled out. It’s natural to be wary.”

Chairman Jin smiled faintly and shook his head.

“I know those guys well, they’re not speculative capital. Think about it. They brought dollars, acquired failing companies, and even took care of the employees’ back pay. Do you think speculators would do that?”

“Then I’ll take that as meaning there’s no problem even if the Financial Supervisory Service starts an investigation.”

The smile disappeared from Chairman Jin’s face.

“They’ve already started, haven’t they?”

“Yes. I understand they’ve also sent official requests for cooperation to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.”

“Those people are really making a fuss. Haha.”

The Prosecutor General, who had been quietly observing Chairman Jin’s hollow laughter, slowly stood up.

“I understand your intentions, Chairman. I’ll watch quietly and contact you again if anything special happens.”

“Alright. Sorry for the trouble.”

“Not at all, Chairman. Then….”

As the Prosecutor General bowed and retreated, Chairman Jin glared at the firmly closed study door, his brow furrowed.

“How much did that bastard get from Young-ki?”

Lee Hak-jae gave an awkward smile.

“I apologize. It’s difficult to track down every bit of pocket money that goes back and forth.”

“What about the Financial Supervisory Service?”

“We’ve confirmed that Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki has been pulling strings here and there.”

“Aigoo, a man his age, and he’s still so full of fear… tsk tsk.”

Seeing Chairman Jin clicking his tongue at the thought of his eldest son, Lee Hak-jae’s expression was quite serious.

“Isn’t the opponent incredibly formidable? It’s an adversary you can’t let your guard down against for even a moment. If it were me, I would have wanted to cut off the bud before it grew too big.”

“When facing a terrifying foe, rushing things will lead to defeat. The standard approach is to bide your time. Anyway, make sure the head of the Financial Supervisory Service and the Prosecutor General are removed after this general election. If they’re swayed by Young-ki, they’re too lightweight.”

“Are you telling me to make it look like a favor?”

“Yes. Provide ample funds for the general election and just hint at it.”

Even if he seemed to have stepped back from the front lines, ginger was still ginger. It was exceptionally spicy.

The way to avoid falling out of Chairman Jin’s favor was very simple.

Stand by Chairman Jin’s side, or stand by no one’s side.

“Then are you planning to leave Do-jun as he is? If Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki keeps pressing, he’ll have to respond to a prosecutor’s summons at least once.”

“If that guy is aiming for this position, it’s a place he’ll be visiting countless times in the future. There’s no harm in him getting a preview.”

Chairman Jin tapped his large leather chair.

“He’s a law student… starting with a summons instead of going to work. Haha.”

At Lee Hak-jae’s joke, Chairman Jin’s stiff expression eased slightly.

* * *

“Our youngest isn’t ordinary, is he?”

“I know, I was a bit surprised too. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but when three incidents happened in a row within a month, I figured it was Young-ki’s doing.”

“How did he think of covering up the department store owner’s corruption with celebrity gossip?”

“People go wild for that kind of stuff. It’s nothing new for company owners to embezzle funds. It’s old news now.”

The two brothers didn’t burst into anger but rather shared hollow laughter. Their younger brother’s counterattack was truly ingenious.

“The prosecutors are happy that the burden has been reduced. Hanseong Ilbo was the first to break the story, giving them a reason to investigate, and it’s true that it’s uncomfortable when there are too many eyes watching. They say it’s easier to handle quietly now.”

Since nothing had really changed, Jin Young-ki felt at ease. It was a minus for him as well if the name Soonyang was constantly mentioned in the media.

“By the way, I heard a rumor that the Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office is doing a background check on you. Is it true?”

“Seo-yoon asked her husband to do it. Choi, her husband, has connections in key positions in the Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office.”

“This… I feel bad that you’re suffering alone, hyung. Is there anything I can help with?”

“I know you don’t really want to, so don’t say useless things. Put some pressure on the guys under you. Let’s thoroughly investigate Miracle this time.”

“Sure. I can do that much. Let’s get it done before the general election.”

As the brothers firmly joined hands to fleece their nephew, I reported to the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office.

The prosecutors were quite considerate. I went straight from the underground parking lot to the 7th floor, Financial Investigation Department 2, Room 710. It wasn’t because I was a difficult case; it was because Grandpa’s eyes were scary.

“Shouldn’t we be going to the interrogation room, Prosecutor?”

“We just need to get a few witness statements. Why? Is there something so important that you need to be interrogated in the interrogation room?”

“How would I know what’s important? If you have any important questions, I’ll answer them to the best of my knowledge.”

Prosecutor Lee Kang-shik started to get heated as the young man, who seemed barely out of his teens, didn’t show an ounce of nervousness and kept picking at his words.

“The world has gotten much better. In the old days, I’d have you stand in front of the wall for some reflection time… then the conversation would flow smoothly.”

Showing off power from the start?

Well, no family background, no rich father-in-law, having clawed his way up here relying solely on his own intelligence—anyone would think the world was unfair seeing a guy with Seoul National University pedigree, a chaebol grandfather, and blessed with good looks sitting right in front of them.

I heard the best way to get close is to fight and then make up. Should I try to provoke him?

“Prosecutor, do you have a complex?”

“What?”

“Being called in as a witness and immediately being treated like a criminal and showing off your power… it suddenly occurred to me. Why is someone who wields the greatest power in South Korea so sharp-edged?”

“Hey!”

I spoke softly to the prosecutor who shouted loud enough to shake the small conference room attached to the prosecutor’s office.

“Prosecutor Lee Kang-shik. Lower your voice. Shouting won’t change the fact that you’re being transferred to the Cheongju District Prosecutors’ Office next month.”

…!

This time, he didn’t shout but just stared with wide eyes.

“Why are you surprised? The personnel changes for prosecutors in South Korea aren’t national secrets. Oh, right, is subtly letting off a wealthy friend who was caught drunk driving and receiving a bit of pocket money a secret only known among prosecutors? That’s not a secret either. That’s why you’re being sent to the provinces.”

“Y-you… you…!”

Only groans escaped from his clenched teeth. A witness who knew his dirty secrets inside and out. This was probably the first time this had ever happened to him, so he wouldn’t know how to respond.

“Investigations are the authority of the prosecution, but anyone can conduct an investigation. If you compare the stack of documents from your abuse of prosecutorial power to investigate me with the stack of documents from my use of money to investigate you, mine will be two or three times thicker. Don’t waste your energy and let’s finish this quickly. You wouldn’t have found a speck of dust on me anyway.”

Prosecutor Lee Kang-shik was reluctant to open his mouth.

Inside the Prosecutor’s Office, the only ones holding the knife were always the prosecutors. But today, there were two knives in this room. He could clearly see that the knife I held was pointed at his neck, making him utterly lost.

This was the face of human Lee Kang-shik, not Prosecutor Lee Kang-shik.

It’s natural to be flustered by the unexpected, but the key is how quickly you recover.

Prosecutor Lee stared at me for a long time before taking a breath and opening his mouth.

“I thought you were just a reckless kid, but the grandson of a chaebol is scary. You’ll be frequenting the Prosecutor’s Office.”

“Didn’t you get that backwards?”

“Reckless kids who cause trouble end up with summary indictments. But if you cause trouble, it’ll be big trouble. Like, for example, embezzling eleven hundred billion won.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. If you have nothing else to say, can I leave?”

As I moved to get up, Prosecutor Lee pressed down on my shoulder.

“We’ve caught Jin Seo-yoon using company funds like money in her pocket. And when she refilled her pocket, the shares of Soonyang Distribution were completely transferred to a company called Miracle. You call it a coincidence, but I don’t believe it.”

“Why would it be a coincidence? She took company money and sold shares to cover it.”

Prosecutor Lee Kang-shik looked a bit surprised at my readily giving the answer he wanted.

“She moved company money to a shell company and paid it back. She probably didn’t include the interest for the few months she used it, so a fine will be enough to settle it. Since I gave you the answer you wanted, I’ll be going now.”

I casually brushed off the hand on my shoulder and stood up.

“A forced investigation where you won’t find anything more than a few flakes of dandruff, the opponent is a chaebol family that controls the country. If things go wrong, the blade could come back to you, so they probably assigned it to a non-mainstream prosecutor being sent to the provinces to just put on a show. The guy who requested the investigation isn’t just anyone.”

“Enough!”

“If there’s a problem, that prosecutor will take the fall, so there’s no issue with the safety of those with pedigree.”

I handed my business card to Lee Kang-shik, who was glaring at me.

“You’re lucky, Prosecutor Lee Kang-shik.”

The prosecutor only looked back and forth between my eyes and the business card, not reaching out his hand.

“Take it. Think of it as grabbing a thick lifeline instead of pedigree. It’s the business card of someone who might become a big shot causing trillions of won worth of trouble in the future.”

He still didn’t reach out, but his gaze was different. He was trying hard to maintain his pride.

I shoved the business card into his pocket.

“Come find me when you need something. I’ll show you that I’m very different from someone like Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki.”

You start with small fry like this. Though who knows who the small fry will bring along.