The Mad Prosecutor Picked Up AI - Chapter 61
Only Noblemtl
Episode 61: The Man Who Looks Unjustly
Kang Jin-gyu, sitting on a chair, began to seriously reveal his worries.
I don’t think you’d be that worried about simple assault. What the heck?
“So what happened?”
“B, who had injured his arm, started yelling at A again. He said he would sue him for assault.”
“Looking at how the case has come to this point, I guess they filed a lawsuit.”
“Yeah. But A’s situation is a bit difficult. He has two children. They are ten and eight years old. But the second child seems to be a bit sick. I guess he works day and night to earn the hospital bills.”
“What about B?”
“B is doing well. He’s a middle school academy instructor, and although he doesn’t make a lot of money, he seems to be making a lot of money.”
“hmm.”
Even though the law has no eyes, there are still some people who are more affectionate when you look at each individual. People who commit a crime without malicious intent and by real mistake, and you want to prevent them from going down a worse path.
That’s probably why there are things like suspended sentences, suspended indictments, and suspended executions.
“Still, it was a mistake to scratch the car and just drive away.”
“Right. Maybe it was because he was worried about the cost. I heard that the child’s hospital bill this month alone was over 300.”
If an average salaried worker spent all of their monthly salary on hospital bills, it would be really hard to live.
“At that time, A’s wife and children came out to meet their father. When A saw the children, he said, “Oh no. Although it may not be an example, it was a bad thing. So I think he apologized to B.”
“hmm.”
“I’ll pay for the car repairs, too. But I can’t pay in a lump sum, so give me some time. I’ll pay for the injured arm, too. But B, who was already angry, kept swearing at me and making a fuss.”
“How?”
“He was probably more upset that I underestimated him than that his car was scratched or that he was hurt. He hurled a series of curses that no human could bear to hear, and said that he would make him pay dearly.”
“So.”
“So what? In the end, I filed a complaint for assault and it came to this.”
In fact, the case is simple. If we look at the crime, A was at fault. Not only should he pay for the car repairs and B’s medical expenses, but he will also be punished for assault.
“The case is pretty simple and clear, isn’t it?”
“Yes. But.”
Kang Jin-gyu glanced at me and cleared his throat.
“I summoned the defendant for questioning a little while ago, and he felt a little bad. He goes to work during the day to pay his child’s hospital bills, and drives for a taxi in the evening. He also makes deliveries sometimes. He said he was so tired that day that he accidentally scratched his car while parking. The car next to him was a Benz. He said he was so dizzy thinking that the money he would have to work for several days would disappear that he tried to just leave without realizing it.”
“hmm.”
“It was a bit sad that he was apologizing while crying.”
“But if it’s to that extent, wouldn’t the judge take it into consideration even if it goes to a formal trial?”
“I can’t gamble. Even if I get a fine, it’s not enough money. Of course, I could get a suspended sentence, but I’d be too worried to do my job while I’m on trial. I’m also worried that if it gets out to the company, I’ll be disadvantaged or even fired.”
“B has no intention of withdrawing?”
“at all.”
If it is simple assault, the penalty is imprisonment for up to 2 years or a fine of up to 5 million won. Since A’s crime is clear, a suspended indictment is not possible.
The best way is for B to withdraw the lawsuit. Assault is a crime that cannot be prosecuted without consent. If B withdraws the lawsuit, there is no way to prosecute A.
Kang Jin-gyu scratched his head.
“If we were to do it according to the law, we could just file a complaint, but after hearing the circumstances, A didn’t get the job. Sigh. My head just hurts.”
“hmm.”
I tapped my fingers on the desk, lost in thought.
‘We need to clearly point out what A did wrong.’
[You must definitely pay for car repairs and medical expenses.]
‘I’ve already apologized, so I wish they’d just pay the costs and drop the lawsuit. But they won’t do that.’
[Then why don’t we just make them drop the lawsuit?]
‘how?’
“I guess even swords don’t have any sharp points? Then I won’t buy you lunch.”
“Oh, wait a minute. Why are you so impatient? I found the way.”
“What? What way?”
Kang Jin-gyu, who was about to get up from his seat, sat back down when I told him there was a way. I organized Aliotta’s story in my head and then spoke.
“You said that when B was about to swear at A, his wife, and children were there too?”
“Oh. Is that all? It looks like everyone in the apartment came out and heard it.”
“You said those kids were young?”
“Yeah. Ten, eight.”
“Charge B for child abuse.”
“What? What is this child abuse all of a sudden?”
“You swore in front of the kids. There are many witnesses.”
Kang Jin-gyu snorted with a look of disbelief on his face.
“Hey, you’re saying that swearing in front of the kids is child abuse? And I didn’t swear at the kids directly. I swear at A. The kids just happened to hear it when they came out to meet their dad.”
“Even if you didn’t curse at the kids directly, it’s child abuse. You’re saying that people can’t stand to hear that kind of swearing. If it were an adult who heard it, it would be mentally devastating, so what would happen if it were a young child? This is an act that harms the child’s mental health and emotional development. It can be considered child abuse.”
“Hey, that was a bit much. That… really? Would that work? I don’t think it would work. Emotional abuse isn’t easy to cite. This… um, would it work?”
Kang Jin-gyu tried to refute me, then tried to agree again, and finally fell into a state of confusion where he didn’t know what his own opinion was.
[How indecisive.]
‘It’s true that emotional abuse is difficult to cite. Especially since it’s not like the abuse happened over a long period of time, but rather a one-time insult.’
[However, there is a precedent that recognizes child abuse in such cases.]
I spoke to Kang Jin-gyu, who just kept rolling his eyes.
“There is a precedent that acknowledged child abuse by swearing in front of a child.”
“okay?”
“But for now, don’t go as far as actually prosecuting him. Just make a gesture. Even if you prosecute him, he’ll probably get a suspended sentence or at most a fine of a few hundred dollars. He makes a lot of money, right? A fine of a few pennies won’t do much of a difference.”
“Then why are you prosecuting me? No, just making a gesture of prosecuting me?”
“B is a private academy instructor. If the person charged with child abuse is a private academy instructor, would the parents just sit by and do nothing?”
“No.”
“Everyone will rise up. Then I’ll be kicked out of the academy. My livelihood might be cut off.”
“What are you going to do if you cut off that person’s livelihood?”
I let out a long sigh and looked at Kang Jin-gyu.
‘Not only are you indecisive, but you also don’t use your head very well?’
[I think it’s better to just say it straight.]
“I’m not saying to cut off his livelihood. Just hint that if he doesn’t drop the assault charge, I might charge him with child abuse. If he’s worried about losing his livelihood, he’ll drop the case.”
“Ah. But is that okay? The prosecutor is threatening me.”
What are you talking about? All the prosecutors on the news make threats like it’s nothing.
“You said A was wrong. Prosecuting someone is a power, but not prosecuting someone is also a power that prosecutors have. Tell them to drop the case because they won’t charge B with child abuse. In return, tell A to pay for all the car repairs and medical expenses.”
“Is that so? Is that… Is that okay?”
“Of course. That would be the cleanest, fairest, and happiest ending, right?”
“Yeah, I guess I should do that. Thanks, Sword.”
After finishing speaking, Kang Jin-gyu abruptly got up and left the room.
Really. How can someone so weak and indecisive be expected to take the test? Tsk tsk.
As I was quietly clicking my tongue, Wi Jun-woo was looking at me from his seat and clicking his tongue as well.
“why?”
“Anyway, I said you have to know the rest.”
“Is that something to be criticized for?”
“It’s not something to be criticized, but can’t we criticize a little?”
“Of course. That’s up to the manager.”
“That’s right. Oh my, that piece of shit. Fortunately, he’s on our side. If we had met as enemies, oh my.”
“Manager? Who is it that got me to sit quietly and eat lunch right now?”
Wi Jun-woo, who was startled for a moment, nodded and opened his mouth again.
“People need to have a sense of humor. That’s something that’s absolutely necessary as you go through life.”
* * *
When it was time to leave work, we quickly took our seats.
“Come on. Let’s hurry up and get ready. Today is a company dinner.”
“Chief Moon. Does the 5th trial division usually have dinner parties like this?”
“It’s a bit like that. I guess I work overtime a lot.”
“It seems like other departments don’t have many company dinners even though they work overtime often?”
Wi Jun-woo quickly interrupted my words.
“That’s right. Even if other departments work overtime, they each take care of their own dinner. The prosecutors are also somewhat of a loner type. Even if that weren’t the case, I think it’s rare for prosecutors and investigators to have a company dinner together with everyone in the office.”
Chief Moon Seung-hwan explained.
“Our department is kind of famous. It’s a department full of haters. We all know that we work hard for each other, so we’re kind of nervous. Maybe that’s why we have company dinners every now and then.”
“That’s also our new manager’s style.”
I nodded to Kang Jin-gyu’s words and asked Wi Jun-woo.
“What about Manager Shin?”
“Manager Shin stopped by the deputy manager’s office and will be back soon. He told me to go ahead.”
“Then let’s go.”
The place we went to was a small store without a sign. It felt like a regular store that only people who know about it visit.
There were a few seats in the hall, but we headed to the innermost corner. It seemed like that was where we usually sat. There weren’t any separate booths, but since it was a corner, it seemed like we could talk quietly.
“Shall we order?”
“Sit here, inside.”
“First, I’ll order two side dishes and two stews each.”
Shortly after we sat down and finished ordering, Manager Shin Hyo-jin came in.
“Oh my, I’m in last place? Is everyone here?”
“We just got here. Please sit over here.”
Manager Shin Hyo-jin sat down on her seat and looked at me with a smile.
“The sword flew around a lot at the trial, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, well. I guess I was a little bit crazy.”
Manager Shin Hyo-jin clapped and laughed.
“I like this sword. It doesn’t show off its humbleness. It’s honest. Hahaha. My goodness, it almost ended with a suspended sentence, but it was charged with assault and murder. And it was all a prison sentence, right? That was under the 3rd criminal division, right? Chief Kim Jong-hyuk must be shaking like crazy. We took care of the mess that that bastard made.”
“… … .”
As my compliments continued, Kang Jin-gyu’s face hardened. It was originally his, but he had given it to me under the pretense of being busy, so it was understandable.
Manager Shin Hyo-jin, who was looking at the table, said.
“But why isn’t anyone sitting across from me? Oh, Director Kang Min-hee’s seat?”
“No. Director Kang left early today for a memorial service.”
“Then? Whose seat is this?”
When the seat opposite Manager Shin Hyo-jin became empty, everyone’s eyes turned to Kang Jin-gyu.
“that is…….”
“What the heck? This is my seat.”
I turned my head toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man walking toward our table. His pitiful face looked strangely familiar.
“Hey, why are you here again?”
“Why did you come? Just to eat and drink. Why are you talking nonsense when you’ve already prepared a place for me?”
“Hey, where are you sitting? You should go to your department dinner.”
“The kids in my department hate me.”
“We like it?”
“You like it, right, Pro Kang? Manager Moon?”
“Of course. You’re always welcome.”
“of course.”
Unlike the nagging manager Shin Hyo-jin, Kang Jin-gyu and Moon Seung-hwan greeted the middle-aged man with smiling faces. Manager Shin Hyo-jin also told him to leave, but placed an empty glass in front of him.
“Wait. But there’s a face I’ve never seen before?”
A middle-aged man with a sour look spoke to me. Manager Shin Hyo-jin introduced me.
“Oh, is this your first time seeing me? It’s been a couple months since I came up from Gunnae-myeon branch office. Prosecutor Do Hyeon-gwang. He’s a treasure of our department. He does his job so well.”
“Oh, I heard that someone came up from Gunnae-myeon. Did they come to the trial department?”
“Sword, this is Chief Prosecutor Han Jae-sik of the 8th Criminal Division. We went to the same university and the same training center, so we’re kind of close.”
Manager Han Jae-sik looked at me and held out his hand.
“Even though this is our first meeting, can I talk to you? I’m Manager Han Jae-sik.”
I looked at Manager Han Jae-sik, who looked resentful, for a while in silence before opening my mouth.
“부장님, 혹시 그때 그 개새끼예요?”