Chapter 11: Schemes and Safe Havens

“CEO!”

An employee rushed into CEO Bang Gi-cheol’s office, panting heavily.

“Did you find out?”

“Yes! It seems Manager Cha isn’t even in contact with his family. So, for now, I asked his wife to file a missing person report, but…”

Unexpectedly, the eyes of CEO Bang Gi-cheol, who usually flew into a rage, were calmly sunken.

Of course, the employees knew better.

The CEO was most dangerous when he looked like this, rather than when he was smashing things.

“He used his head quite well. And?”

“According to current laws, in the case of a missing adult, it’s difficult to track their location without their consent.”

“Cut the obvious talk.”

“But what’s strange is that the police told the family they didn’t need to worry about his safety because it had been confirmed.”

Location tracking was impossible.

But he was safe.

Unless he had been shot in the head, there was no way Manager Cha would betray him.

Putting all this together…

“…Could he have been taken by the police or the prosecution?”

Soon, Bang Gi-cheol’s eyes narrowed like a snake’s.

He immediately grabbed his jacket.

“I’m going to meet a contact on the police force, so get the boys together. No one is going home for a while.”

“Yes, CEO!”

***

A high-end Japanese restaurant in Yongsan.

Slide.

When the sliding door opened, the guest had already arrived and was seated.

“You’re here?”

The Chief of the Yongsan Police Station, who held jurisdiction over the area, didn’t even stand up to greet him.

His expression clearly showed his discomfort.

“I never dreamed that you, CEO Bang, would stab me in the back.”

“Chief. I am a businessman.”

Bang Gi-cheol sat down nonchalantly and continued.

“How much money have I fed you until now? Why would I stab you in the back after all that? I have no reason to, and even if just for the money I’ve spent, would I do something so stupid?”

“…In other words, you’re saying I can trust you?”

“Shin Hye-seo. I don’t know what’s going through that crazy woman’s head, but I’ll keep a close watch to make sure she doesn’t say anything foolish if she appears before investigative authorities. Will that suffice?”

“If that’s the case…”

The Yongsan Chief gave a slight nod.

“That being said. For that very purpose, let me ask a favor as well.”

“What favor?”

“It seems Manager Cha has been detained.”

“Oh? Is it a case within our jurisdiction?”

“Probably not. He reported that he was going quite far before he left. I think he said somewhere in Gyeongsang Province.”

The Yongsan Chief let out a sigh.

“Not just out of the city, but out of the province. Regardless, if it’s not our jurisdiction, there isn’t much I can do.”

“You just need to let me have one phone call with Manager Cha. I need to know the details to prepare the next step. You can at least do that much, right?”

Only then did the Yongsan Police Chief shrug his shoulders.

“That much shouldn’t be difficult.”

***

Min Ha-ru became noticeably brighter as the days went by.

“Mother!”

“M-Mother?”

“Yes! I couldn’t think of a proper title… does it make you uncomfortable if I call you that?”

Even though she was a top star in South Korea, she was walking on eggshells over such a minor title.

‘Of course, my mother does have quite a defensive wall.’

Look at her now.

Her eyes immediately narrowed as she glanced at me suspiciously.

‘Are you perhaps…?’

‘I’m not that much of a thief, Mother.’

‘Can I trust you?’

‘In the first place, where would you find a guesthouse employee who hits on the guests?’

My mother and I exchanged a conversation with just our eyes.

Simultaneously, my mother gave a small nod.

“I don’t mind, but… the singer? Ha-ru? What should I call you?”

“Hehe! Just call me Ha-ru comfortably!”

“I can’t do that. This is still a business where I’m getting paid.”

Just then, my father cut in.

“Honey. Aren’t you being too cold to the young lady?”

“…What did you just say?”

“It’s not a big deal, you can just call her whatever…”

“What is this man talking about so early in the morning?”

My father’s neck immediately shrank into his shoulders.

“Such a temper…”

“Go do the field work!”

“Ahem.”

Still, thanks to my father, the atmosphere lightened up a lot.

‘Really…’

I watched my father’s retreating back with a faint smile on my lips.

It was because I liked that side of him.

He was incredibly blunt to others, but he became infinitely weak in front of his wife.

Some might mock him, asking if a man has no pride.

But.

‘I respect and love that prideless father of mine more than anyone in the world.’

Now that I was an adult, I knew very well how difficult that actually was.

Just then.

“!”

Had my feelings reached him?

My father glanced back toward us.

Just as I was about to show an expression full of respect…

“U-uh, Ha-ru. Just in case, if it’s not too uncomfortable, could you sing a song for me next time?”

“?”

Pardon?

“The thing is, I said some nonsense to my friends while drinking the other day…”

“Of course, Father! I really love singing!”

“Well, that’s great then!”

My father’s mouth twitched slightly in a grin.

“…Give me back my touching moment, Father.”

Immediately after, my mother spoke up softly.

“Then, should I call you Ha-ru from now on as well?”

“I’d love that! Ah! I’m really enjoying the food! Especially the side dishes you made, they’re so delicious! If this were my house, I’d eat three meals a day here every day. It’s such a shame!”

“Come whenever you want. I don’t turn away paying customers.”

“I have a lot of money!”

At her bold response, even my mother couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Hehet.”

The battle between the spear and the shield seemed to end in Min Ha-ru’s victory.

And with the help of the hidden card known as my father.

“…”

Shin Hye-seo and I just watched the scene blankly from the side.

“…It seems Ha-ru really likes you, Prosecutor.”

“To be precise, she likes this house.”

“To my eyes, it looks like both…”

“What?”

“…By the way, your mother’s defense is quite formidable. She seems to cherish you a lot.”

I paused for a moment and gave a bitter smile.

“My older brother got a divorce a few years ago.”

“Oh… did I make a mistake?”

“It’s fine. Right now, there’s no one else in the world who looks as relaxed and carefree as him.”

“I see. Does he have any children?”

A smile formed on my lips without me realizing it.

“Yes. He has a daughter.”

“Looking at your reaction, you must really adore your niece.”

Well, honestly, it’s a bit much coming from me, but…

“She’s cute enough to film a commercial for children right now.”

“Oh my?”

Shin Hye-seo covered her mouth and laughed.

“Prosecutor. You’re more of a doting uncle than you look.”

“It’s true. I’ll show you a picture later.”

“Hohoho. Yes. If she’s really that pretty, I might have to kidnap her to my company when I go back to Seoul.”

“Hmm. That’s a bit…”

“Why? Weren’t you confident?”

“It’s not that. I wouldn’t mind if she wanted to, but considering the entertainment industry I’ve seen so far, it’s not exactly a great place, is it?”

“Ah…”

Shin Hye-seo’s face darkened rapidly.

“That’s true. I’m sorry, Prosecutor. After showing you all the ugly sides of it…”

“In my eyes, it looks like Min Ha-ru is trying hard to act bright as well.”

“!”

Shin Hye-seo’s eyes widened.

Yes.

This was what I really wanted to say.

“Father! Should I pick the lettuce like this?”

“Hmm. Do it so the leaves don’t get damaged… there. Good job. You can do it like that.”

“Hehehehet!”

Even at this moment, she was chatting diligently with a bright face next to my father.

‘It’s dangerous.’

To my eyes, her current appearance looked quite precarious.

Like someone standing on the edge of a cliff.

“Prosecutor.”

Then, Shin Hye-seo looked at me with an incredibly serious face.

“Is it really okay for us to stay here?”

I had swallowed my words before, but this time I had to say it clearly.

“Hye-seo.”

“Yes?”

“I also don’t want to repeat the same mistakes.”

“!”

At my words, Shin Hye-seo’s face distorted sharply.

Like someone desperately trying to hold back tears.

“Thank you… for saying that.”

“I mean it.”

Only then did Shin Hye-seo take on a determined expression.

“…CEO Bang Gi-cheol. I feel guilty saying this, but he’s not the type of person to just sit still.”

“Yes. He seems that way.”

“If we continue to stay here, it will inevitably cause harm to you, Prosecutor. So, if a situation arises where we cause trouble again, I will take Ha-ru and leave.”

No.

That would be no different from pushing someone standing on the edge of a cliff.

So,

“Don’t worry. I’m already making preparations.”

***

As soon as I returned to my room, I turned on my phone.

Then, I looked for the name ‘Seo Yi-re’ and called immediately.

Ring…

— Senior! Why aren’t you looking at your phone!?

Before the ringtone could even finish once, a shouting voice came through the receiver.

“Why? Did something happen?”

— The Disclosure of Investigative Facts case. An official order came down from above. They told me to just lose to the police due to lack of evidence. Since the one who filed the indictment is someone else anyway, they told me not to cling to it so desperately.

Of course, the one who filed that indictment was me.

“Is that so?”

— Argh! Still, a prosecutor has pride. What do they mean by ‘just lose’!?

“Then, what about the police?”

— Naturally, the police must know our atmosphere by now! Since things have reached this point! Do you think our Prosecution would give up on such a good ‘leak’ tactic?

Once a precedent is set, that weapon cannot be used again.

If the Prosecution or Police leak an article to pressure a suspect, and that fact itself leads to a guilty verdict…

What investigator would dare to use it again?

— For now, I’m wagging my tail like a well-behaved dog.

…Yi-re, regardless of the situation, isn’t that expression a bit much?

— But even if I want to stab the organization in the back, I ultimately need CEO Shin Hye-seo, who is the key witness in this case.

Due to the police investigation, Lee Ji-hoon had been under a lot of mental stress.

In particular, the intentional leak of investigative facts by the lead investigator became the trigger for his extreme choice.

The only person who could give such a statement now was Shin Hye-seo.

Because the dead cannot speak.

— Since you proved the fact that the police intentionally leaked investigative information to reporters so meticulously, Senior, there’s nothing more for me to touch. However, as I said, to lead this to a guilty verdict, I think I need to secure CEO Shin Hye-seo’s statement at the right time…

“You’re saying it’s hard to move directly right now? Since an order came from above, they must have put you under surveillance.”

— Exactly. I don’t even know which of my investigators is a mole. The problem, in particular, is that while I’m doing this, it seems the police are also moving. If I accidentally call Shin Hye-seo to Seoul and the police snatch her away, it’ll be even more troublesome.

This was certainly a problem.

“I suppose the police wouldn’t just be sitting on their hands either. If I were the police, I wouldn’t be trusting only the Prosecution.”

— Yeah. The police aren’t fools, so they know that the key witness in this case is Shin Hye-seo. So, they’ll probably strike immediately. In a wild way that’s different from us in the Prosecution.

“Wait a moment.”

Just in case, I searched for related articles.

…And as expected.

[  Top star Shin Hye-seo suspected of illegal Propofol use. Police currently raiding Shin Hye-seo’s residence. ]

“…Yeah. It’s just as you said.”

— What? They actually moved!?

“Yeah. But don’t worry too much.”

— How can I not worry…

“Did you think I wouldn’t have anticipated a situation like this?”

— !

I had told Shin Hye-seo as much, and I was planning to start moving soon anyway.

“I have a USB.”

— Huh? No way?

“Since I didn’t know who the next person in charge would be, I kept the key evidence that guarantees a guilty verdict. It would be troublesome if a new prosecutor in charge closed the file without even looking at the case properly.”

— D-did you put undeniable evidence in there?

“Yes.”

— This is why you’re my favorite senior! Are you going to release it right away!?

I thought for a moment and shook my head.

Timing is important when releasing something.

If I played this card now, it would be buried by the Shin Hye-seo case.

Issues tend to be covered by other issues.

Above all,

“There’s no need to make more enemies. Dealing with the Prosecution alone is enough of a headache.”

Rather, now was the time to make more allies.

At the same time, a worried voice came through the receiver.

— That’s true, but in this situation, it doesn’t seem like the police will stop even if it’s just to save their own.

“No. The police are slightly different from us in the Prosecution.”

I spoke with conviction.

When a scandal breaks out, the Prosecution first tries to protect its internal staff.

Because even if they hate them, they are one of their own.

It would be troublesome to smear the reputation of the Prosecution.

First, they embrace them and then discipline them quietly with a club inside the house.

But the police are not like that.

“Anyway, leave this matter to me.”

— I trust you because it’s you, Senior… but it’s not dangerous, is it?

“Well…”

I let out a chuckle.

“I’m entering the tiger’s den to catch the tiger, so it might be a little dangerous.”