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Chapter: 17
“Uh, Director, please calm down first—.”
“Let go! That damn old man wants to know about my damn business!”
Even though the lawyer sitting beside him tried to calm him down, it was useless.
Do Seung-jun shook off the lawyer’s arm, huffing and puffing.
“Well, the cash flow does look suspicious. It’s similar to the pattern of stashing money somewhere through shady channels.”
Maybe sensing that the situation was turning against him, Jin-hyuk chimed in, citing Seung-jun’s potential wrongdoing and siding with Woo-kyung.
“But is this really something to get so worked up about?”
“Worked up? Hah. I feel like a total damn idiot, damn it.”
Do Seung-jun roughly ran his hand through his hair, then suddenly grinned and leaned his chin on the desk.
“Well then, let’s start by examining our esteemed old men.”
His snake-like, glimmering eyes fixed on Woo-kyung.
“Is the great old man also great in bed? How many lovers do you have?”
“Hey! Stop stalling and just answer the question.”
Even though Jin-hyuk tried to intervene openly, Do Seung-jun chuckled and continued provoking Woo-kyung.
“My last relationship was three years ago.”
Everyone was taken aback, but Woo-kyung spoke coolly, as if it were no big deal.
“I haven’t dated since then because of the trauma from being dumped. Does that answer your question?”
Eun-jae, startled, dropped the pen she was holding with a tap.
Even though he wasn’t one to speak lightly, he had just said the truth bluntly when he could have dodged it.
So he really hasn’t been with anyone since then…? What about that blind date I saw at the hotel?
Ah. Unnecessary questions crept in. Whether he had been alone for three years or not, he was currently meeting other women.
Shaking her head internally, Eun-jae refocused on her work.
“Got rejected? That figures! For a guy like you—”
“Lawyer.”
Woo-kyung cut him off as if the rest of his words weren’t even worth listening to.
“Track the major cash flows of Do Seung-jun’s assets over the past three years and submit supporting materials.”
“Huh? But to check all that, uh, how would I even—”
“Then there’s nothing more to investigate at this point.”
As Jin-hyuk nudged the process along, Woo-kyung closed his laptop and gathered the documents.
“We’ll end today’s investigation here.”
He judged that they had already found the key trigger points and didn’t want to waste any more time.
“Uh, Prosecutor—!”
Ignoring the sighing lawyer and the desk-thumping Do Seung-jun, the prosecution team left the investigation room.
After the whirlwind of the first investigation, things remained relatively quiet for a few days.
The investigation had officially picked up pace.
While tracing Do Seung-jun’s financial flows, the joint investigation team was also busy checking for fraud and other illegal activities.
“Ah, the prosecutors are running late.”
Deputy Chief Kim straightened up and glanced at his watch, muttering with concern.
“Looks like the Deputy Chief is really upset?”
“Understandably so. Do Seung-jun is very cunning.”
As soon as the investigation ended, Seung-jun exaggerated to the media, pleading his case.
He claimed that his rights had been completely ignored and that he had been humiliated during the investigation, and he planned to file a defamation lawsuit against the Central District Prosecutor’s Office.
Upon seeing this, the Deputy Chief immediately called Woo-kyung and Jin-hyuk. He was probably furious about the damage to the prosecution’s image.
“Still, Prosecutor Baek did a great job, right? That sharp move at the end completely shattered that thug’s ego and set the investigation direction.”
“Tsk. But you know the Deputy Chief—he’s not the type to praise that.”
Listening to the worries of the Deputy Chief and the assistant officer, Eun-jae prepared to leave.
“Deputy Chief, I’ll head out a bit early today for a field investigation.”
“Oh, sure, sure. You must be busy. Which site will you go to?”
“I’m going to the club that Do Seung-jun runs to see if I can find anything.”
“Alright, be careful!”
Eun-jae left the office and closed the door with a sigh she had been holding in.
“This case will be even more troublesome because of the Chairman.”
Woo-kyung and Oh Hye-joo didn’t get along well. Even Eun-jae could notice it.
There were limitations to her role as a stepmother, and though Eun-jae didn’t know all the details, it seemed entangled with group inheritance issues.
In the meantime, Woo-kyung would need to investigate the link involving Oh Hye-joo, which meant he would have to dig deeper.
“Well, I’ll just do my best with the investigation I can handle.”
The foundation staff Eun-jae had seen on the day Do Seung-jun appeared lingered in her mind.
But she couldn’t report suspicions to Woo-kyung without any evidence or clues.
Perhaps if she went to Do Seung-jun’s base, the club, she might pick up even a minor lead about that staff member. She held onto this small hope for the field investigation.
For now, that was all she could do.
Of course, the Deputy Chief probably just thought she’d conduct a standard employee interview. He certainly wouldn’t have imagined Eun-jae would enter the club pretending to be a guest.
“Good thing I have at least this dress.”
Baek Hae-na had conveniently lent her a dress, so Eun-jae could enter the club.
For someone like Eun-jae, who usually wore office attire or T-shirts and jeans, this was the only outfit suitable for dressing up.
“How should I do my makeup? I’d need experience for that.”
Her college years had been nothing but studying or following Baek Woo-kyung’s guidance, so she had never even been near a club entrance.
Eun-jae searched thoroughly online for tips on how to dress for a club as she left the prosecutor’s office.
A few hours later.
After stepping out of the taxi, Eun-jae admired the dazzling nightscape of Cheongdam-dong.
“Even though it’s evening, it looks like daytime.”
Despite it being a weekday night, the energy of the club scene was intense.
Well-dressed men and women were lined up to enter.
“Is my outfit too plain?”
She glanced down at herself.
Her black halter dress had a small circular cutout at the chest but was otherwise very modest compared to the others.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she had draped a jacket over it, but a faint regret lingered that she should have been bolder.
She subtly removed the jacket and held it in her hand.
Just then.
“Go ahead. You may enter.”
“Oh, thank you!”
Fortunately, she was allowed in. Eun-jae nodded to the guard and descended the dark stairs.
At that same time, Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office.
“······.”
Woo-kyung and Jin-hyuk walked silently down the corridor after leaving the Deputy Chief’s office.
Only after taking the elevator, entering the office, and slamming the door did Jin-hyuk finally vent his irritation.
“Ah, didn’t go smoothly, huh?”
Deputy Chief Kim and the assistant officer jumped up to greet them.
“Seriously, what got the Deputy Chief so tangled up? The thug just talking—how big a deal is that?”
Jin-hyuk scratched the back of his head, venting his frustration.
“Eh, Prosecutor An, just hold it. You know the Deputy Chief tends to be a bit much.”
“Nagging, ugh! Can’t even talk about it.”
While Kim tried to calm him down, Woo-kyung silently sat, opened his laptop, and began going through the documents.
After a while, Jin-hyuk calmed down and sat back down, and the office air felt a bit more settled.
But the brief calm was broken when Jin-hyuk spoke again.
“Baek, I’ll handle the media briefing for this case. You’re not interested in that anyway.”
“Do as you please.”
Woo-kyung replied without looking up from the monitor.
“Okay. I’ll prepare it properly. And—”
Hmm, Jin-hyuk quickly added his thoughts.
“Your investigation method was solid too. I learned a lot.”
Finally, Woo-kyung looked up from the monitor and stared at him.
“Yeah.”
Seeing the two of them getting closer, the Deputy Chief and assistant officer shrugged.
[They actually make a decent team.]
Kim sent a message via messenger and received a quick reply.
[Surprisingly, the chemistry isn’t bad.]
[Right? I think we can push for a team dinner for them.]
Amid this trivial conversation, Woo-kyung asked sharply.
“Where is Investigator Jung Eun-jae?”
Kim quickly closed the chat window.
“Oh, she went to the club!”
“What? Where?”
Woo-kyung’s face darkened immediately.
