Free Web NovelThe transport van carrying Seo Jaehun arrived at the entrance of the National Police Agency.
The area was ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ swarming with reporters eager to cover the story.
“Please step out.”
“...”
“I said, please step out. Or we’ll have to use physical force.”
Seo Jaehun said nothing and closed his eyes.
“Ha...”
The head of the Intelligence Division, sitting in the passenger seat, sighed and gestured to the detectives flanking Seo Jaehun.
The detectives grabbed him by both arms, ready to drag him out.
“I’ll get out on my own.”
The detectives glanced at the division head, who nodded.
Once they released his arms, Seo Jaehun straightened his clothes and stepped down from the van.
The moment his face appeared, camera shutters went off in a frenzy.
“Vice Chairman Seo! Is it true that you killed someone?”
“They say this isn’t your first time!”
The police officers who were supposed to keep the reporters at bay did nothing to stop them.
Surrounded by flashing cameras and microphones, Seo Jaehun frowned. He had never in his life been treated like this.
“Vice Chairman, please say something!”
“We heard that Ilseong Electronics’ management rights have been handed over to Mirae Investment today. What do you think about that?”
The reporters fired questions chaotically. Seo Jaehun closed his eyes amid the crowd.
“Step aside!”
Fortunately, the Ilseong Group’s legal and security teams, who had followed the convoy, arrived quickly.
“What the hell is this?”
The last to arrive, Jang Geunseok, shouted angrily at the detectives who were merely watching.
“...”
“He’s still a suspect — and on top of that, the Vice Chairman of Ilseong Group! How could you let him be exposed to the press like this? We’ll be filing an official complaint.”
The Intelligence Chief waved the detectives back and stepped forward.
“And how exactly do you expect us to stop the media? You of all people should know better. If we anger them, we’ll be the ones getting beaten bloody tomorrow.”
“Since when do the police care about that...?”
Jang Geunseok was momentarily speechless.
The police had always restricted scenes and kept reporters back to prevent excessive coverage. And now they were pretending they couldn’t help?
Still, there was no point in arguing responsibility here — and he couldn’t just let Seo Jaehun stand there, either.
“I’ll be bringing this up directly with the Commissioner. Be ready for it.”
He glared once more at the Intelligence Chief, then gestured to the bodyguards.
“Escort him inside.”
“Yes, sir!”
The bodyguards pushed through the crowd roughly, shielding Seo Jaehun as they moved.
Only then did Seo open his eyes, walking into the building surrounded by his men.
“Handle the media,” Jang ordered. “Vice Chairman will be released soon, so tell them not to publish anything yet. Can you do that?”
“Yes, I’ll handle it.”
“Once you calm them down, call every chief editor and tell them this — if Vice Chairman’s name appears even once in print, Ilseong Group will pull every advertisement.”
“Understood.”
Jang patted Lee Kiwoo on the shoulder and strode quickly into the building.
Left alone, Lee Kiwoo raised his voice.
“I’ll explain everything!”
The reporters immediately swarmed around him. Lee Kiwoo gave them a faint smile.
“Ah, familiar faces, all of you.”
They were the same reporters he’d often run into back when he worked at the Prosecution Service.
“There’s just been a small misunderstanding. Vice Chairman Seo is here as a witness, not a suspect. He’ll be released once the questioning is done. Really, what nonsense — the Vice Chairman of Ilseong Group, a murderer? It’s absurd.”
His brazen tone made the reporters stare in disbelief.
One of them raised a sharp question.
“Mr. Lee, sources say he was arrested in the act at the scene. You’re calling that a misunderstanding? There was even mention of a shootout.”
“Ah, Reporter Jang! Long time no see.”
Lee Kiwoo recognized him at once and greeted him with forced familiarity.
“Didn’t expect to see a senior like you covering something like this.”
“Just answer the question. He was caught on-site, wasn’t he?”
“I don’t know where that rumor came from—”
“So you’re saying Koryeo Daily published fake news on its front page?”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant—”
Reporter Jang’s cold tone cut off Lee Kiwoo’s excuses.
“We also heard bloodstained clothes and gloves belonging to Vice Chairman Seo were found at the scene. Are you denying that too?”
At that, the eyes of other reporters — who hadn’t known this — began to gleam with the thrill of a scoop.
“Is that true? That bloodstained clothing and gloves of Vice Chairman Seo were discovered?”
A chill ran down Lee Kiwoo’s back.
“He’ll be released today. So please, hold off on publishing. You don’t want a lawsuit, do you? This is Ilseong Group we’re talking about — can you handle that?”
He tried to sound intimidating, but it was a mistake.
These were reporters who’d bite even a president for a headline.
“Are you threatening us right now?”
Their expressions hardened instantly.
“Threatening? No, I’m just saying that if you print unverified information, we’ll have no choice but to respond accordingly. I’ll personally contact your desks. Just wait a moment.”
“...Desks?”
“Yes, I’ll be calling your chief editors directly. So please, hold off for a bit.”
At the mention of their editors, most reporters fell silent — except for the one from Koryeo Daily.
“I’ll publish regardless of what my editor says. Just answer plainly — is it true or not?”
Lee Kiwoo glared at him.
“Reporter Jang, are you trying to pick a fight? Why are you—”
But Reporter Jang didn’t even blink.
“We can’t decide whether to publish or not without confirming the facts. You could at least request an embargo properly. How can you ask for leniency when you won’t even clarify the details?”
“Ha.”
Lee Kiwoo sighed, clearly flustered.
“We haven’t fully confirmed everything ourselves yet. So please, just hold your stories for a day. Once this is resolved, dinner’s on me.”
“What if he’s arrested?”
“That won’t happen. Vice Chairman Seo will not be arrested.”
While Lee Kiwoo tried to pacify the press, Seo Jaehun waited in a holding room inside headquarters.
“I’ll go speak with the Commissioner.”
At Jang Geunseok’s words, Seo Jaehun nodded. Jang left the room and headed to the Commissioner’s office.
“Ah, welcome, Director Jang Geunseok.”
Commissioner Lee Hohyeong stood to greet him warmly.
“It’s been a while, Commissioner.”
“Not exactly the kind of occasion we enjoy seeing each other for. Have a seat.”
Lee Hohyeong took the head seat without hesitation.
Jang’s brow twitched, but he quickly steadied himself and sat down.
“This brings back memories. When I was Deputy Commissioner of the Seoul Police, we used to meet often, didn’t we?”
Jang nodded politely.
“Yes, back when I was Chief of the Central Investigation Department. You helped me a lot.”
“Those were tense times. A single word from the President could send either of us scrambling. Things are easier now. We still mind the Blue House, but it’s not like before. You probably wouldn’t know — you left before the reforms.”
“I’ve heard from my juniors. The current Deputy Prosecutor General is one of my protégés.”
Jang subtly dropped the name to assert status.
Lee noticed, but only sneered inwardly.
“I know you’re with Ilseong Group now. I assume this visit concerns Vice Chairman Seo?” freёweɓnovel.com
“You’re right. I came to discuss his case. Please, just conduct the questioning today and release him afterward. The forty-eight-hour limit is approaching.”
“Hm... you want me to release someone caught in the act? The media’s already in a frenzy. If I let him go, the police will take all the blame.”
He noticed the faint twitch at the corner of Jang’s eye and smirked inwardly.
“I understand it’s a difficult favor. That’s why I came myself — to ensure my gratitude would be shown properly. So, if you could just—”
“Are you offering me a bribe right now? A man like you should know better. If that’s your intention, you’d better leave.”
Has this bastard lost his mind?
Do you even know who you’re talking to?
Jang’s expression darkened, his voice dropping low.
“Commissioner... are you really trying to go up against me?”
“I’m saying I’ll do things by the law. If no warrant is issued within forty-eight hours, he’ll be released. Until then, wait.”
“So you’ll only cooperate if the Central Investigation Department comes after you?”
At the mention of the CID, Lee flinched.
Jang’s tone turned mocking.
“There are still people in the CID who answer to me. Want me to have them dig into you — like the old days?”
When Lee didn’t respond, Jang switched to outright informal speech.
“As Commissioner, you should have a grasp of how things work. So why be stubborn? You’re not really planning to go to war with us, are you?”
But contrary to Jang’s assumption, Lee had flinched only out of disbelief, not fear.
He was already holding tightly to the lifeline called Kim Muhyuk. There was no reason to fear Jang anymore.
“Ha, unbelievable. Director Jang, do you still think you’re a prosecutor? The prosecution already submitted the warrant request to the court. You should be heading there instead of wasting time here.”
“What? What did you say? Since when do they rush things like this?”
“The prosecution’s done with preparations. The Seoul District Prosecutor’s Office Chief is overseeing it personally. Go ahead — use your precious connections, see if you can stop it. No, actually, you’ll need to convince the judge handling the hearing now.”
Lee’s tone dripped with mockery.
Panicking, Jang shot to his feet.
He started toward the door but stopped midway, glaring back. freёwebnoѵel.com
Lee lifted his coffee cup with a calm smile.
“You’ll regret this. I’ll make sure of it.”
Grinding his teeth, Jang spat the words and stormed out.
Lee sipped his coffee unbothered and muttered,
“No one who says ‘you’ll regret this’ has ever actually been scary.”
* * *
When Seo Jaehun arrived at police headquarters, I had already left Commissioner Lee’s office and gone to see Oh Jeongseok.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of each other lately.”
Oh Jeongseok greeted me with his usual humor.
I sat down and got straight to the point.
“An arrest warrant for Seo Jaehun will be requested today. Please make sure it’s processed quickly — contact the court so the substantive review can be held tonight if possible.”
“Why the rush? It could wait.”
“It’s Seo Jaehun. Who knows what he’s capable of.”
At that, Oh Jeongseok set down his teacup.
“Did he really kill someone?”
“Yes. An American. You know how the U.S. is — they’ll stop at nothing when one of their citizens dies overseas. We need him in custody before anything else. The evidence is solid.”
Nodding, Oh picked up the phone beside him.
“Director Han? It’s Oh Jeongseok. Who’s in charge of the warrant hearing for Vice Chairman Seo of Ilseong Group?”
He was apparently calling the head of the Seoul District Court.
I raised the cup to my lips as I listened to the conversation.
“Judge Kim Jiwoo? Perfect. I’ll call him directly.”
His voice remained calm, even cheerful.
Flipping through a small address book, he soon dialed again.
“It’s Oh Jeongseok. Yes, yes, greetings later. You’ll be receiving the warrant request for Ilseong Group’s Vice Chairman Seo. Summon him immediately for the hearing and issue the warrant.”
He paused, listening, then said,
“I know it’s unusual. But this whole case is unusual. It could escalate into a diplomatic incident. Just get the warrant issued. Yes, let’s have dinner soon.”
Hanging up, Oh smiled.
“He says he’ll start right away. The hearing’s a mere formality anyway — you’ll have your warrant in a few hours.”
“Thank you, Chief Justice.”
I smiled broadly.
