The Ultimate Inspector, Kang Ji-hyeok - Chapter 62



Only Noblemtl

Gangnam Yeoksam-dong, even more beautiful at night.

A quiet bar located on the second floor of a building.

‘Eleven Bar’ was a place that no one could enter.

“I guess this place is rented out?”

“Well, that’s true. If you live the tough life of a prosecutor, it’s hard to come to a place like this, right?”

“It’s not that cramped, but it’s hard to come by a place like this. It’s nice.”

There was no one at the bar.

On the table was an expensive-looking bottle of liquor and some tempting fruit snacks.

“Fruit snacks are nice. How much are they?”

“The snacks are free.”

Slurp.

He poured some expensive-looking liquor into a small glass and held it out to me.

“Sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Yeah.”

I poured the glass into a larger glass and added some ice.

“It’s impossible to go straight. I have to go back to the office and finish what I was doing.”

“Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok. He’s the rising star of the Western District Prosecutors’ Office?”

“I’m not a morning star, but these days everyone calls me an ace… But, I’ll be leaving the Western District Prosecutors’ Office soon.”

“Oh. Is that so?”

“The special forces kept calling me. I think I’ll go.”

“To punish criminals?”

“Yes. You know, sir. Why I became a prosecutor.”

Binggle.

I swirled the ice glass once.

Brown liquor diluted in clear ice.

“It smells good.”

“Because you drink alcohol for its fragrance.”

He offered me a small glass.

Bam.

I clinked my glasses and took a sip.

The scent of old logs filled my mouth and the spicy alcohol entered.

“Why was Sae-Saeng-Myeong Hospital searched and seized?”

“Because I was involved with a criminal. One of the part-time workers there was an accomplice in the case.”

“You said the hospital was searched and seized because the part-timer was an accomplice in the case? You even ransacked the server room?”

“Was it so? The investigators were harsh. I’m going to have to scold them tomorrow. They said they’ve scraped all the organ transplant data from Sae-myeong Hospital. We’re already checking that.”

Wiggle.

Heo Cheol-tae reacted unusually.

It was natural for me to do so since that was what I was told to do.

‘That data must have been the most important data, but it was stolen. Are you crying? Heo Cheol-tae.’

“But why did the organ transplant recipients at Sae-myeong Hospital come from Heo Hospital?”

“It’s a hospital we invested in.”

“The initial investment was 3 billion won, and the stake was around 15%······. The profits from that alone were over 10 billion won every year? You invested well. As expected.”

“It may seem like insider trading, but it will be difficult to prove because of the hospital’s special nature. What are you going to do about it?”

“There is no time or reason to prove that. This case is under investigation by the Special Investigation Team and is an important criminal case, so please understand that I cannot talk about it.”

Slurp.

I poured a drink into his empty glass.

A luxurious scent spread.

“This is a really high-quality drink.”

“It’s not good for a prosecutor to drink.”

“Well, I like soju better. I work very roughly, so I dug into this case too much and got scolded by the prosecutor general. Haha.”

“Be careful with hasty investigations, because you might get cut off. Kang Ji-hyeok.”

“Didn’t you say that if I get fired, you’ll give me the position of head of the legal team at Heo Byeong-won? That’s why I’m not worried. I feel secure.”

Heo Cheol-tae was trying hard to hide his shit-chewing expression.

“But, you know. Isn’t there a legal order for organ transplants? But why does Sae-Saeng-Myeong Hospital have several times more livers than other hospitals, and can transplant kidneys and even eyeballs?”

Heo Cheol-tae swallowed a snack without answering.

He added without giving time.

“Article 2 of the Organ Transplantation Act states that organ transplantation should be provided fairly to all who need it······. However, it is done particularly frequently at certain hospitals······.”

“It’s a hospital with outstanding capabilities, and there are many patients there who want organ transplants, so isn’t that natural?”

“Is that so? Yes······.”

I nodded and showed my approval.

Gulp.

I took a sip of the drink in the ice glass.

“I see. So there are many doctors with excellent skills at Saengmyeong Hospital.”

“yes.”

“If it is because of the prohibition of the sale of organs, etc. under Article 7 of the Act, shouldn’t it be a problem?”

“No way. Organ transplants are done legally.”

“Then I guess they have tremendous information power. In our country, in 2007 alone, there were only 148 brain-dead patients and 665 transplants were performed.”

widely!

Heo Cheol-tae put down the straight glass he was holding on the table with an annoyed expression on his face.

“That’s the case in Korea, and there is no data on transplant cases using human tissue coming from overseas.”

‘That’s right. That’s what I wanted to hear. Heo Cheol-tae.’

Heo Cheol-tae continued his story in an annoyed voice.

“Even in our stem cell research center, the proportion of Japanese and Chinese people is higher than that of Koreans. That’s why Korea is popular for K-medicine.”

“I thought it was just plastic surgery clinics or something, but I guess not.”

“There are people in poor countries who can sell just one kidney and get enough money to live off of for the rest of their lives. There must be people like that.”

“That could be true. Well, I saw on the news that hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent on importing human tissue.”

Only then did Heo Cheol-tae seem to come to his senses.

He emptied his glass and changed the subject.

“By the way, do you have any plans to quit your career as a prosecutor?”

“You want me to stop now that I’ve started? I still have to work for 10 years. Then I can buy a house with my retirement money······.”

“2 billion. Wouldn’t that be enough to buy a house and live comfortably?”

“Well, I’m greedy, so I want to live on the royal floor, the most expensive house in Gangnam. Director.”

Heo Cheol-tae grits his teeth and glares at me.

I smiled.

“Don’t worry. I have 10 billion won. I won’t be swayed by money. As your disciple, I will become a great prosecutor. And later, when I retire, I will become the head of the legal team at Heo Hospital······.”

Clang.

Heo Cheol-tae threw the straight glass he was holding onto the floor.

Broken glass scattered.

“Let’s stop. Let’s end the drinking party here today.”

“Didn’t you tell me to close this case and quit being a prosecutor?”

“Okay. If you clear me of all charges, I’ll give you a place on the best royal floor apartment in Gangnam and set your annual salary at 1 billion won. Are you going to do that?”

Heo Cheol-tae shouted, grumbling.

I scratched my head and said with a worried look on my face.

“That’s a bit difficult. But my dream is to become a prosecutor. I came out today because I was curious about organ transplants.”

Swish.

I put the envelope containing one million won on the table.

“I’ll pay for the drinks. Would a million won be okay, Director Heo?”

“···He was a funny guy.”

“I know you have supported me for a long time, but since Heo Byeong-won’s investment hospital has been involved in this incident, I don’t think we will be able to meet in person in the future. Director.”

I waved at him and left the Eleven Bar.

Beep.

And then I turned off the recorder.

‘Thank you for giving me important testimony today. I’ll use what I need and write the rest later. Heo Cheol-tae.’

He praised me for having a hard time holding back from wanting to just leave things alone.

“Good job, Kang Ji-hyeok. It’s not time to arrest him yet. That incident will happen soon. Let’s arrest him then.”

The night view of Gangnam seen from the taxi on the way to the Western District Prosecutors’ Office was beautiful.

I wondered how many crimes people would commit if they wanted to live in a place like this.

“There is always darkness in a bright place······.”

“That’s right, sir. How many incidents occur in Gangnam? Hehe.”

The taxi driver laughed and responded to my muttering.

“The police, prosecutors, and high-ranking officials all crawl around like squeaky tom-toms… while trampling on commoners like us. Hehe.”

No, I don’t think so.

Someday we will create a world where that is not the case.

I can’t do it alone, but if I do what I can, my colleagues will increase.

“Please go to the Western District Prosecutor’s Office.”

“Are you the inspector?”

“No, I just work there.”

“I see. Hehe.”

The taxi driver turned on the radio and listened to the news.

– The special unit conducted searches and seizures at three locations simultaneously today, and they said they will soon make an interim announcement on the results of the investigation into the organ trafficking organization based on the data obtained there.

The Western District Attorney’s Office was in sight.

Unlike the dark surroundings, light was leaking out.

“Look, sir. The inspectors work so hard. That’s why the world will be a better place.”

“Of course. I like how things have become more refreshing since last year. Prosecutor General Choi Hye-sung is also cool, and what was that Bang Si-hyuk? It’s so refreshing to see such young and righteous prosecutors. I wish there were more prosecutors like that. Hehe.”

It’s not Bang Si-hyuk.

That cool inspector is Kang Ji-hyeok, sir.

Bang Si-hyuk is called the father of BTS.

“Then, make lots of money, sir.”

I got out of the taxi and went up to the prosecutor’s office.

I was planning to stay up all night tonight too.

* * *

I searched for information about New Life Hospital all night.

It was a truly amazing hospital.

There were few existing inpatients, but the wards were full of patients admitted after organ transplant surgery.

“Most of them came from other hospitals or brought in organs for transplantation, and the transplants were done right away.”

Even things that were once impossible after the organ transplant laws changed in 2015 are now possible in this era.

Maybe, that’s not it either.

The medical field is a specialized field that is not easily accessible to anyone.

The decay inside this place cannot be found outside.

That’s probably why Heo Cheol-tae was able to run wild in the evil cartel that killed me.

“It was a place where money bought life. This place······.”

It was a hospital that was not ashamed of its name, Saengmyeong Hospital.

It was full of prominent figures in society, including corporate CEOs, older celebrities, and even some fairly famous politicians.

“I was curious about how Heo Cheol-tae, who was a doctor, came to have power······. Now I know why.”

Gangnam Heo Hospital had a huge investment in stem cell research at the time.

Stem cells were soon proven to be a scam, but they were a dream come true for countless people with incurable diseases.

“Among those terminally ill people, those with a lot of money and power were given special treatment at Sae-myeong Hospital, and he built trust and a line?”

Evil is constantly multiplying.

Like a fungus that grows in a dark, damp place that cannot be seen, they were spreading out from an unseen place.

‘The most mysterious psychopathic bastard among the cartel that killed me. So this is how Heo Cheol-tae built his own castle.’

I had to cut it off.

He was convinced that by cutting off this massive castle’s most lucrative source of income, he would have ramifications for the entire cartel.

“Shall we compare the lists?”

I had a list of everything I needed ready to go.

Activate your memory.

Names, addresses, resident registration numbers, and incident dates on countless lists.

In it, my abilities shone through.

“I found it. The link between these incidents.”

Chook.

He throws the documents he was holding onto the table and looks at them.

“You bastards. There are some real devil bastards here.”

Dawn came, breaking through the darkness.

The night is sometimes swallowed up by light.

‘Light overcomes darkness. That is an immutable law of nature.’

I looked out the window at dawn and made a promise.

“If there is a disease in an invisible organ, I will definitely remove it. That way, it won’t spread to other organs.”

From that day on, everyone suddenly became silent.

Those who were captured exercised their right to remain silent.

I was grateful to them.

‘Silence means simply that you will not admit guilt or testify against yourself.’

At this point, the investigation was meaningless.

* * *

– Are you sure you can handle this massive organized crime after just three weeks of investigation?

The strongest prosecutor was rather worried about me.

It’s worth it.

But I’m different.

Because he is a prosecutor with the strongest abilities.

“Prosecutor Choi. The special division will take over the investigation of the political and business figures I mentioned. I will only be in charge of the crimes at Sae-myeong Hospital, the human resources office, and Choi Jin-cheol.”

There was no way the special forces would not accept it.

– Okay. Then, let’s start with the case you’re investigating under the special unit. If the evidence from there confirms your guilt, it’ll be easier for us.