Chapter 5 – Summer, 9 Years Ago (1)

The chairman and the vice chairman of Korea's largest conglomerate died on the same day.

This crisis prompted the police and prosecutors' office to immediately establish a special investigation team.

Second-in-command Chief Prosecutor Han Junggwon of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office would directly handle the team himself.

After considering who would to appoint as the team leader, he called in Department Chief Prosecutor Hyeon Ganghun.

Hyeon Ganghun had been promoted at an early age to the position.

He graduated as a top student of Seoul National University School of Law and was an ace prosecutor, having been involved in several serious cases.

His slender body, pale skin, and gentle eyes that aroused one's protective instincts earned him the reputation as the Jung Woo-sung* of the prosecutors' office. He was clueless about it.

Among the bachelors in the prosecution office, he was the one who was most admired.

The chief prosecutor spoke to Prosecutor Hyeon.

"Hyeon pro. You will need the utmost vigilance for this case."

"Pro" was an informal name the prosecutors sometimes called each other, from the English word "prosecutor."

"Yes, sir. I'll do my best."

"I'll add more people if necessary. I sent the junior member to observe the autopsy examination today."

"Who is the junior member?"

"Cha Jiyeon."

"That Cha Jiyeon?"

Ganghun's eyes gleamed from beneath his naturally messy bangs when he heard her name.

"Why? Is she a problem?"

"No, it's fine."

Ganghun, who was lost in thought for a moment, looked around.

"She may be a good asset. I've heard people say she's very meticulous about her cases."

“Yes, I agree. So be nice to the junior member."

In fact, it wasn't just because of her work ethic that prompted the chief prosecutor to add her to the team.

As the junior member she would have to do the grunt work, bearing the burden of running around place to place like a madman.

He hoped that she would be too busy to pursue the sexual harassment case and the allegations would soon be forgotten.

It would have been a setback if Hyeon Ganghun didn't want Jiyeon on the team, but the chief prosecutor was relieved the events worked in his favor.

"Is Prosecutor Cha Jiyeon at the National Forensic Service?"

The chief prosecutor glanced at the wall clock.

"She may have arrived by now."

Ganghun thought for a moment.

"When does the autopsy take place?"

"It should be in about an hour."

Once again, Ganghun's keen eyes seemed to sparkle.

"I'll go as well."

He stood up from his seat.

"What? You want to see the autopsy exam yourself?"

Senior prosecutors usually received the autopsy reports, so Ganghun's insistence was unexpected.

"If I leave right now I won't be late."

Ganghun bowed and left the chief prosecutor's office.

The chief prosecutor grunted under his breath as he watched to door close.

"Nice work, boy."

He exhaled a long sigh.

His mind was a whirlwind of worry.

In addition to this problem, his relationship with the Eunseong Group was troubling him.

The company was well-known for making bold investments, aggressively using their large amounts of capital to their advantage.

Their interests lie not only in business, but in lobbying as well, and the prosecutors' offices were one area they turned their attention to.

They weren't interested in the entire organization, however.

Only the so-called "promising prosecutors" who rose to powerful positions could form ties with the Eunseong Group.

He, Han Junggwon, was one of those people.

Since then Eunseong Group had gifted him massive benefits: airline ticket upgrades, membership in luxury hotels, and sometimes even cash outright.

In other words, the Eunseong Group Scholarship.

Receiving money and privileges from certain companies was a punishable offense, of course. The prosecutors did not talk to each other openly about it, but it was clear there were a few who received these "scholarships".

In the event of an incident involving Eunseong Group, the investigation was to be conducted in the best interests of the company.

Now the chairman was dead.

And his successor.

There was chaos in the prosecutors' offices and in all areas of society.

The chief prosecutor, who had a close relationship with the chairman and vice chairman, no longer knew where to throw his allegiance.

Who will claim Eunseong?

It was just as important a question as who killed Vice Chairman Seo Minhyeok.

TN: Jung Woo-Sung is a famous Korean acto