Don't open your mouth without my permission.
Woo Young-sik was having a meal with prosecutors at a high-end restaurant in Seocho-dong.
"Senior. Let's have a drink."
Kim Seok-jae, the 3rd deputy chief prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office, poured alcohol into Woo Young-sik's glass and said.
Woo Young-sik nodded happily and raised his glass.
"Juniors. Let's all raise our glasses."
At Woo Young-sik's words, the eight prosecutors gathered there all raised their glasses at once.
Since they were all following Woo Young-sik, they were no different from a private organization within the prosecution.
"The prosecution!"
The inspectors shouted at Woo Young-sik's request.
"For!"
Woo Young-sik smiled leisurely and brought his glass to his lips, and the prosecutors turned their heads and emptied their glasses.
"Senior. How is this regular personnel meeting going?"
"Umm······."
Woo Young-sik put down his glass and swallowed his saliva, avoiding answering.
But Kim Seok-jae said with a faint smile.
"Hey, senior. Shouldn't you be leading us? We need to know roughly how things will go so we can come up with a plan."
"Seokjae, are you aiming for the position of Chief Inspector in this personnel change?"
"Yes. Shouldn't I also be wearing the inspector's uniform now?"
Woo Young-sik chuckled at Kim Seok-jae's teasing.
"It was about time."
"This time, the president abolished the rank of prosecutor general, but we still need to distinguish between them for the sake of personnel convenience. And although there is no legal basis for it, the authority is the same. I really want to include the prosecutor general in this personnel change."
Yoon Chang-ho interfered with the Prosecutors' Office Act under the pretext of increasing the independence of prosecutors.
This is a revision of Article 6 of the Public Prosecutors' Office Act, which classifies the ranks of prosecutors into the Prosecutor General, Senior Prosecutors, Chief Prosecutors, and Prosecutors.
As a result, the positions of Senior Prosecutor and Chief Prosecutor were abolished and it was stated that the positions would be divided into the Prosecutor General and Prosecutors.
However, the positions of Senior Prosecutor and Chief Prosecutor still existed, even though there was no legal basis for personnel management.
"You are a strong candidate, but that doesn't mean you have been selected."
Kim Seok-jae's face brightened at Woo Young-sik's words.
"Is that so?"
Woo Young-sik nodded. Then he looked around at the prosecutors sitting in their respective seats and said.
"All the juniors gathered here will be moving around."
The faces of the gathered inspectors all brightened.
"First of all, Seokjae, you are a candidate for the Central District Prosecutor's Office."
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"Is that true?"
"Hey, you buddy. You know but you're pretending not to know. I asked because I knew."
"Haha. No. I really didn't know until you told me."
Woo Young-sik's eyes instantly turned cold.
"Seokjae. Don't you know that what I hate the most is lies?"
"······Sorry, I'm sorry. I already knew about it because I heard rumors."
Only when Kim Seok-jae quickly lowered his head did Woo Young-sik's expression slightly relax.
"The other candidates are of similar or higher rank than you. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"Even if I push for it, ultimately it is the job of the President and the Attorney General."
"You don't like me very much, do you, Minister?"
Woo Young-sik nodded slightly at Kim Seok-jae's question, which seemed to be asking anxiously.
"That's right. That guy Choi Tae-min doesn't like you very much. But he doesn't appoint the Central District Prosecutors' Office based on personal likes and dislikes. You know that, right? Now, the Central District Prosecutors' Office is a shortcut to becoming the Prosecutor General."
"Yes, I know."
"That's how important the President's opinion is. No matter how good Choi Tae-min is, if the President refuses, he cannot abuse his personnel authority. And you know well about the relationship between the President and me. I will keep the Minister of Justice in check."
Kim Seok-jae jumped up from his seat and bowed his head.
"thank you."
"What kind of audit is this when you haven't even been appointed yet? Take a seat."
As Woo Young-sik gestured, Kim Seok-jae sat down again.
"I was thinking of sending Choi Tae-min to this reshuffle, but the President rejected it."
"Ah. I heard that rumor."
"What? Did the rumors inside the Blue House reach your ears, Seokjae? How?"
When Woo Young-sik looked at Kim Seok-jae as if he was puzzled, Kim Seok-jae quickly waved his hand and continued speaking.
"Ah, that is······. It's a story I heard while eating with legal reporters. Don't you know? The information power of reporters."
"Well, that's true. Anyway, it won't be easy to take control of the prosecution as long as Choi Tae-min remains in that position."
No matter how much influence the Chief of Civil Affairs had on the investigative agencies, it was ultimately the Ministry of Justice that decided on prosecutorial personnel and positions.
Currently, the prosecution is maintaining its power through two forces that are struggling to maintain power.
One side was the force led by Woo Young-sik, and the other side was the force led by Choi Tae-min and the current Prosecutor General.
In order to gain momentum, the plan was to unconditionally push Kim Seok-jae into the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office in this regular personnel reshuffle.
'But I can't figure out what President Yoon Chang-ho is thinking.'
Woo Young-sik, who had been lost in thought for a moment, opened his mouth as he looked at the prosecutors looking at him.
"And I've prepared the rest of the juniors to go to good positions, so look forward to it. Seok Jae-do's promotion to Chief Prosecutor has been confirmed. The only question left is whether he will go to the Central District Prosecutors' Office or not."
"thank you."
All the examiners stood up and bowed their heads.
Woo Young-sik said, waving his hand.
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"What about gratitude? Thanks to everyone's hard work for the prosecution, I was able to recommend them for good positions. So just leave it as is."
"all right!"
"Everyone go back except the stone."
The inspectors who answered loudly stood up from their seats and bowed again.
After the rest of the inspectors left, Kim Seok-jae spoke in a relaxed voice.
"Brother. What are you worried about?"
"Huh? No. What are you worried about? The problem is that the president is too hard-line. By the way, how is the problem with the Joseonjok people?"
"That······. Don't you know that Deputy Chief Prosecutor Oh Hyeon-woo is difficult for me to touch?"
"I know. But we have to send those Koreans back to China no matter what. That's good for us too."
Even though there were only two of them, Kim Seok-jae looked around anxiously and spoke.
"But if we put pressure on Deputy Chief Prosecutor Oh Hyeon-woo, things could get worse."
"Then how about sending Deputy Chief Prosecutor Oh Hyeon-woo to another department during this personnel transfer? By promoting him?"
"Really? Are you saying that you're going to promote him to chief prosecutor already?"
To become a senior prosecutor, you had to work in the prosecution for 12 to 15 years.
From the beginning, Oh Hyun-woo was in a state of abnormally fast debriefing.
But when it came to pushing for a promotion to senior prosecutor, that was a completely different matter.
Woo Young-sik chuckled as he saw Kim Seok-jae silently being shocked.
"No. That doesn't make sense. I'll send it to the Great Sword."
"Will you accept it?"
"What if he doesn't accept it? Should I run to the Chief Justice and yell at him like a child? The deputy chief prosecutor Oh Hyeon-woo that I saw wasn't the kind of person who would do that."
"Of course, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Oh Hyeon-woo does not particularly enjoy the influence of the Chief Justice. However, the Chief Justice's influence cannot be ignored. If the Chief Justice had not been there, would he have been able to become Deputy Chief Prosecutor already?"
The deputy chief prosecutor, who directs investigations in the field, was a waiting position before being promoted to the management-level position of chief prosecutor.
There was no legal basis for it, but it was an implicit law.
"Even if he is the Chief Justice, there is no reason to block regular personnel transfers. He doesn't move unless there is a reason."
"But wouldn't it be bad to be on the same page as the Chief Justice?"
"Going to the Great Sword is a great honor. Is there any reason to refuse it?"
Although Woo Young-sik said it casually, Kim Seok-jae still seemed worried.
"But there is no real power. Most of the real power has been transferred to the Central District Prosecutors' Office."
"But the Supreme Prosecutor is the flower of the prosecution. The moment you deny that, the prosecution will collapse. Seokjae, don't go around saying things like that either."
Kim Seok-jae, startled by the sharp reaction, lowered his voice.
"I will be careful."
"I will meet the Chief Justice separately and express my sincerity. Don't worry about that. If Oh Hyun-woo is transferred, will you be able to control him?"
"It wouldn't be difficult if I became the Chief Prosecutor of the Central District Prosecutors' Office. But since it's a case that the President is watching······."
"I know. I'll somehow convince you before this personnel change, so don't worry about that."
"Then I will prepare it in advance."
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"Yes, Seokjae. I only trust you."
Woo Young-sik and Kim Seok-jae continued talking for another hour or so.
Kim Seok-jae got up first and left the store, and after about 10 minutes, Woo Young-sik got up.
Woo Young-sik came down to the underground parking lot and got into his car.
"Go to the officetel."
The car moved slowly at Woo Young-sik's words.
As the car started moving, he dozed off for a moment.
Then Woo Young-sik opened his eyes for a moment, looked out the window, and shouted as if he was puzzled.
"What! Where am I? Where are you going? Let's go to the officetel."
"Please follow me quietly. Chief Minjeong Woo Young-sik."
"What? Who are you?"
It was only then that Woo Young-sik realized that the man behind the wheel was not his driver.
Because the voice was completely different.
"If you resist, you will get hurt. Just go without saying anything."
"Who are you! Do you know who I am and why are you doing such nonsense! If you want to meet, you have to go through the formal process······."
"Chief Min-jeong, don't you understand the phrase 'without a word'? Or are you going to see it end like this?"
The unknown man finished speaking in a cold voice and gripped the steering wheel tightly.
The car was already traveling on the road at a fast speed of over 100 kilometers.
It was obvious that even a small mistake would have caused a major accident.
Woo Young-sik calmed down and sat down to think.
"Whew······. Someone wants to meet me."
"You will know when you go."
"······My safety?"
"If you cooperate well, you will be able to return without any problems."
"Okay, then go quietly."
The driver bowed his head slightly. The chilly atmosphere soon subsided, and silence settled over the car.
Even as the scenery outside the window changed rapidly, Woo Young-sik's head turned quickly.
'National Intelligence Service? Blue House Security Service? Or who else? To be so bold······.'
Even with all the names running through his head, Woo Young-sik couldn't recall Kim Mu-hyeok's name at all.
"We have arrived. Please get off."
"Where is this place?"
Instead of answering, the driver got out of the car and opened the back door.
"Please come down. Or I will drag you down by force."
"Wow. These guys are fearless."
Woo Young-sik glared at him, but the man showed no reaction.
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Woo Young-sik got out of the car and looked around.
Under the stars that had fallen in the thick darkness, a single villa stood alone.
"There are many places like this in Korea······."
"Come on in."
"That rudeness will come back to you later."
The driver. No, the man disguised as the driver shrugged his shoulders despite the threats and took Woo Young-sik inside.
Woo Young-sik couldn't help but be surprised once he got inside.
It was because the people I met every day came first.
"Chief Woo!"
"No. Chief Security Officer Ban Jang-woo! Why is the Chief here······."
"I don't know. They dragged me here for no reason. I heard that Chief Kim was also brought here. They brought him here politely, though."
Woo Young-sik's gaze was fixed on Kim Kap-soo. Kim Kap-soo, who received that gaze, spoke.
"······I was also dragged here."
Ban Jang-woo shouted in excitement.
"You dare kidnap three senior Blue House officials at the same time? You crazy bastard!"
Woo Young-sik, who agreed with him, also distorted his face and swore.
But the commotion was short-lived. The man who had kidnapped Woo Young-sik calmly stopped them.
"I know you're all curious, but please wait a little longer. He'll be here soon. But before that… please keep one thing in mind. This is for the sake of all of you. Never lie to him. If you only tell the truth, you'll all be able to return safely."
"what?"
Chief of Security Ban Jang-woo frowned. But the man spoke again in a low voice.
"That's all I can say right now. We don't want to hurt you either, sir. So please don't ignore our advice."
* * *
I arrived at the villa in Gyeonggi-do.
"Ban Jang-woo met with the Chinese ambassador to Korea······. Kim Gap-soo had drinks with friends. And Woo Young-sik met with prosecutors."
"Yes, that's right."
"Hmm······. Let's go in for now."
I went into the villa with Director Ma.
The three chiefs' eyes were fixed on me.
But only one out of three people recognized my face.
It was Ban Jang-woo, the chief of foreign affairs and security. I seemed to recognize him because I had seen his face once at the Blue House.
"Now, you······."
"Don't open your mouth without my permission, Chief Ban Jang-woo."
Ban Jang-woo, whose face turned pale, closed his mouth.
"Hello, sirs. The reason I invited you is simple. I have received word that at least one of the three here is a Chinese spy."
As I spoke, I observed the reactions of the three people one by one.
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Ban Jang-woo was shocked, Woo Young-sik expressed his doubts, and Kim Gap-soo's eyes wavered.
"So, please answer my questions carefully. If you lie, today will be your memorial day."
< Don't open your mouth without my permission > End