The Ultimate Inspector, Kang Ji-hyeok - Chapter 55



Only Noblemtl

Episode 55

In the video, Se-hee was seen collapsing during the interrogation.

I explained to everyone why she collapsed.

The judge nodded in agreement.

“There really was a person with that symptom. Interesting.”

“Yes. The psychiatrist personally stated that suspect Lee Se-hee developed these symptoms after graduating from high school.”

I turned my head and spoke firmly to the bewildered witness, Yeo Jin-ju.

“Even if Lee Se-hee really had a grudge against the CEO and wanted to kill him, she would have chosen a different method instead of this. If she had tried to find it, such as putting poison in the alcohol, there would have been plenty.”

I approached Yeo Jin-ju.

“During the investigation, the prosecutor discovered that the witness, Yeo Jin-ju, who pretended to be a witness and pointed out the culprit in the case, was in fact the culprit in this case.”

A commotion.

As the conclusion was reached, the audience was in an uproar.

The judge asked the question again with a determined look on his face.

“Are you saying that Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok already knew that the witness was the culprit?”

“Throughout the investigation, all the evidence pointed to Yeo Jin-ju. The only remaining mystery was her DNA and the fountain pen that was the weapon.”

The judge brought the microphone closer and asked quietly.

“So, until that moment is revealed, you’ve set up Lee Se-hee as a suspect. In order to completely accuse Yeo Jin-ju of her crimes on the witness stand······.”

The judge’s words brought out the words that had been in my mind.

“Yes. We had to put Yeo Jin-ju on the witness stand to prove that she was the real culprit in this case.”

The judge stared at Se-hee, who was sitting in the defendant’s seat.

A very faint smile passed by.

“It must have been hard, Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok. Keeping it a secret from even your old friends and finding the real killer like this… You’re amazing.”

With that, this trial is over.

The judge also knows through the trial who the real culprit is in this case.

Because so much evidence and arguments point to just one person.

Yeo Jin-ju was the eyewitness.

It was her.

“This is fucking crazy! They should all just die! What’s so wrong with killing a son of a bitch who treated me like trash after being a trainee for 10 years! Fuck!”

Yeo Jin-ju gave up everything and sat down, shouting as if talking to herself, or rather, as if lamenting the world.

There were also people in the audience who sympathized with her.

Cheon Je-gu also looked at Yeo Jin-ju with pitying eyes.

‘No. You’re wrong. Not only was I a trainee for 10 years, but killing someone and framing someone else for murder out of jealousy are both crimes.’

I thought that there should be no room for sympathy for the criminal, so I turned my head and spoke to the police officer.

“Arrest witness Yeo Jin-ju at the scene for murder and false accusation.”

Crunch.

Yeo Jin-ju, who was sitting on the witness stand, was arrested on the spot.

bang.

bang.

The judge struck the gavel.

“Lee Se-hee, who was the suspect, is innocent. In addition, she has become a victim of false accusation as of now. In addition, Yeo Jin-ju, who was a witness to the murder of Yoon Seok-ju, has been clearly revealed in this court to be a brutal murderer.”

Cheon Je-gu held Se-hee’s hand with a happy face and explained.

The whole time, Sehee was looking at me.

Those beautiful eyes were something I couldn’t avoid even if I turned my head.

‘Fuck. She’s so damn pretty. Sehee······.’

I feel a little bit relieved.

I remembered back in my days as a detective, when I saw her body in front of me, I felt like it weighed down by several tons.

“Phew.”

I let out a long sigh.

I felt lighter towards my wife Sehee, at least to the extent of my fingernails.

‘Sehee. Just being able to help you makes me feel like I’ve repaid a debt from my past life… no, from my future.’

I wished that Se-hee, whom I loved, would at least smile slightly from up there in the sky.

And then I looked at the judge and presented the final sentence.

“The prosecution seeks a life sentence for defendant Yeo Jin-ju in accordance with Article 250, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Act on murder and homicide. In addition, the prosecution seeks a sentence of 10 years of limited imprisonment, the maximum sentence allowed under Article 156 of the Criminal Act on false accusation.”

Yeo Jin-ju stood there as if dead, her arms held by the police officers.

‘This is the law’s hammer falling on criminals. Yeo Jin-ju. You dared to frame Se-hee for murder?’

* * *

The judge wanted to conclude the case as quickly as possible.

The trial commenced immediately.

“Defendant Yeo Jin-ju brutally murdered victim Yoon Seok-ju. Although she had the opportunity to save the victim while the weapon was still in her body, she did not take any action and showed her malicious intent in trying to cover up her crime. In addition, her false accusation of her colleague, victim Lee Se-hee, which made a mockery of the law, showed that her motive was impure and that she did not regret her crime at all.”

The audience held their breath, waiting for the judge’s final order.

I also turned my head and looked at the judge.

The judge properly sentenced Yeo Jin-ju in a heavy and solemn voice.

“Order, Defendant Yeo Jin-ju committed a murder crime that made her give up on being human, but she showed no remorse and instead tried to shift the blame for her murder onto others. Therefore, this judge has decided that the defendant must be permanently cut off from this society. In accordance with Article 250 of the Criminal Act (murder) and Article 156 of the Criminal Act (false accusation), she is sentenced to death, the maximum penalty under the law.”

bang.

bang.

I don’t know how long it’s been since a death sentence was handed down in a South Korean court.

Journalists in the audience also noted the unusual death sentence handed down by a progressive judge.

Moreover, this trial was a perfect storyline because several factors came together.

[The best ace prosecutor of the Western District Prosecutors’ Office, Kang Ji-hyeok! Save the chief prosecutor’s daughter from false accusations!]

[Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok, who demanded the maximum sentence this time as well. Realizing social justice again]

The social media articles all came out with the headline, “Ace prosecutor saves the daughter of the Western District Prosecutor.”

But the entertainment side was a little different.

[Popular actress Yuni’s happy ending, bloody courtroom romance male lead is prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok]

This article boasted a huge number of clicks and was a popular article on the portal for several days.

“Isn’t that prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok, the main character of the bloody courtroom romance?”

“Hey. Kang Ji-hyeok! Did you do it right this time too?”

Thanks to that, I, who went to work at the Western District Prosecutors’ Office, had to become quite famous for a few days as the male lead in a ‘bloody courtroom romance’.

“Whew. Are the inspectors here being too harsh?”

“This is iced Americano.”

Secretary Lee Hyeon-a handed me an iced Americano.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I can live a little.”

“Of course. You’re the main character of a bloody courtroom romance with a happy ending······.”

“Stop teasing me.”

“I only teased you once.”

She filed a brief incident report on my behalf.

A few hours later, Lee Hyun-ah reported with a surprised expression.

“Prosecutor. I heard that a different trial prosecutor will be brought in starting from the second trial. That’s unusual treatment for a first-year prosecutor.”

“Good. Thanks to this, I can now resolve the pending cases.”

I said, looking at the pile of papers on my desk.

Looking at the piled up books, I felt like I was back to my daily life.

“Hyun-ah.”

“yes?”

“I’m almost in my second year.”

“That’s right. Wow… Time really flies.”

I’m surprised that it’s already become like that.

* * *

A week later, a new Western District Attorney took office.

The prosecutors gathered in the Western District Prosecutors’ Office auditorium to welcome the new Western District Prosecutors’ Office chief.

“Nice to meet you. This is Lee Cheol-jung.”

At one time, Prosecutor Lee Cheol-jung, who was a craftsman and is now the Western District Prosecutor’s Office chief, stood proudly.

He smiled at me.

“I am able to stand here proudly thanks to the prosecutors at the Western District Prosecutors’ Office. I hope that the Western District Prosecutors’ Office will continue to fight against social evils without worrying about what anyone thinks. That’s all.”

The prosecutors in the Western District applauded and cheered at his short and simple inauguration speech.

I whispered quietly.

“Please take good care of me, Prosecutor Lee Cheol-jung. Don’t forget that promise······.”

Originally, it was prosecutor Lee Cheol-jung who should have been stripped of his bribery charges.

But he stands proudly as the Western District Attorney.

At least I’ve made another difference in the world.

‘Another background has been created for me. I will slowly approach you who lost Park Chan-jin. So, wait at the edge of my sword of revenge.’

I vowed revenge without forgetting my original intention.

Wheein.

At that moment, another message from an unknown sender arrived on my phone.

[Kang Ji-hyeok. I watched this trial well too. Hehe. It was pretty good. We’ll watch it. Your bloody courtroom drama······.]

It was them.

Those sons of bitches who killed me and my wife.

They were still standing higher than me, looking down.

Kuk.

My fist clenched on its own.

A smile broke out, with only one corner of the mouth going up.

“Yeah. Are you enjoying looking down on me from above? I’ll grab you by the collar and drag you down to your knees soon. Wait.”

It was not yet.

I needed more strength.

I could tell instinctively.

This fight still tells me that I am the underdog.

‘I’ll make the bloody courtroom revenge drama with you all have a happy ending! I’ll end it my way.’

I felt like I was moving towards revenge.

There were more cases to solve and more things to pull me up higher.

* * *

“The defendant in this case, Lee Han-gyeol, threatened the victim by saying that he would harm her husband and children at an unmanned hotel from around 11 PM on the day of the incident until 1 AM the next day. He then pressed down on her collarbone with one hand and forcibly removed her panties with the other hand, attempting to rape and assault the victim.”

Beep.

The motel’s CCTV footage was submitted as evidence.

The video of him being dragged by the back of his neck was enough as key evidence in the case.

“This is the CCTV footage from when he came out. Let’s zoom in on the face.”

The CCTV footage clearly showed a dark bruise on the woman’s face when she entered and when she left.

Even though the video quality wasn’t very good, it was still visible.

“···How did you find that? I clearly stole the SD card and threw it away in the mountains······.”

Defendant Lee Han-gyeol had a puzzled look on his face.

I shouted, holding the SD card in its plastic bag.

“This SD card has suspect Lee Han-gyeol’s fingerprints on it, and this has been confirmed by the National Forensic Service. Lee Han-gyeol stole the SD card by taking advantage of the unmanned motel’s absence and threw it away in a nearby mountain, which we found during our investigation.”

Lee Han-gyeol bowed his head.

This concludes the trial.

‘This criminal will not find it.’

I’ve been searching the woods all week.

It was the result of me using my memory and quick feet to search almost the entire mountain.

“The defendant Lee Han-gyeol has shown no remorse and has abandoned CCTV evidence in an attempt to hide his crime, so the nature of his crime is quite serious. Therefore, Article 301 of the Criminal Act, Rape, etc., causing bodily harm, is applied and a sentence of 18 years in prison is sought. In addition, Article 155 of the Criminal Act, Destruction of Evidence, etc. is applied and a sentence of 5 years in prison, the maximum sentence statutory, is sought.”

The opposing attorney glared at me and muttered.

“You’re really evil. You gave him the maximum sentence possible under South Korean law.”

It was just as he said.

Article 155 of the Criminal Act, regarding destruction of evidence, provided for a maximum penalty of five years.

The trial was concluded at the judge’s discretion with a sentence of 10 years in prison for rape resulting in death, and 13 years in prison for destruction of evidence.

“Thank you, Inspector.”

The victim, Soijin, shed tears and thanked me.

“Legitimate revenge can only go so far. However, if a lawyer prepares well and takes the case to the second or final trial, the sentence can be reduced by half.”

I spoke honestly to the victim.

I thought that was the blind spot of this country’s crime.

The victim, Soijin, shook her head.

“It’s okay. I feel better just seeing him get punished.”

The victim believed that the criminal should be punished, regardless of whether the crime was big or small.

However, as someone who has actually experienced murder, I think it is absolutely unfair that the current judiciary is aiming for ‘minimizing punishment.’

This case was punished so severely that it was talked about among prosecutors in the Western District Prosecutors’ Office.

I got a call from the Western District Attorney.

– You raped a married woman and received the maximum punishment allowed by the law. On behalf of the Western District Prosecutors’ Office, I congratulate you, Kang Ji-hyeok.

‘Thank you, Master. If we had been like this in our last life, would we have been better off?’