The inspector is getting promoted!

“What text? What text? I only see the home screen right now.”

I thought maybe I had accidentally swiped out of the app, so I looked at my phone again, but the video was still playing.

“Stop messing around and watch it. This is serious.”

The voices of Jeong Jae-won and Im Seong-jin started coming from the phone.

Despite that, Shin Yong-ho looked at me with a completely confused expression and tilted his head.

“What do you want me to see?”

His eyes were wide open.

There was no sign of concern on his face.

And yet, he couldn’t see it?

Was I imagining things?

I rubbed my eyes and checked again, but the sound of the video was still playing, and the screen was still showing the same playback.

No matter how much I turned up the volume, Shin Yong-ho’s reaction remained the same.

This was strange.

“I’ll send it to you.”

I saved the video and took a screenshot of the message screen before entering the gallery to send it to him.

What’s going on?

This can’t be.

It’s not showing.

The video I saved isn’t showing up.

I clearly clicked the save button, but the video had disappeared from the gallery, and the screenshot I took only showed the home screen with a few apps open.

“What the…?”

I couldn’t hide my panic and quickly checked the messages and call logs, but there was no trace of the message I had received.

This can’t be happening.

Ever since the other day, I had this strange feeling that someone knew about my private life.

I have no idea who it could be.

I don’t understand anything.

This is the first time in my life I’ve been this confused.

As all these thoughts flooded my mind, I heard Shin Yong-ho’s voice.

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard? Want to take a break?”

“I clearly saw the message with my own eyes…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

“No, it’s not that.”

My head was starting to ache.

“I’m going to have a cigarette.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“It’s fine. Just don’t contact Professor Jeong Jae-won and wait here.”

“Okay.”

I went to the rooftop alone, lit a cigarette, and lost myself in thought.

The exact same situation as before.

Back then, a message clearly came through, but it disappeared without a trace.

Now, it’s even worse since Shin Yong-ho couldn’t see it either. This was becoming more serious.

The thought crossed my mind that it might be a malicious app or a hacking program, but if that were the case, it should be visible to me and not to Shin Yong-ho.

Could it be that I’ve been so exhausted from late-night shifts lately that I’m hallucinating?

No, that’s not it.

I’ve been working this job for so long; it wouldn’t suddenly happen now.

If it were a sudden physical issue, it wouldn’t be restricted to just a specific text.

It doesn’t save, I can’t take a screenshot, and no one else can see it.

Only I can clearly see it.

Could it be something that’s showing me events that will happen in the future?

No, there’s no way that could be true.

But last time, I was clearly told to contact Shin Yong-ho.

If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have contacted him, and I wouldn’t have known about this happening.

What the hell is going on?

My head was pounding.

This isn’t something that can be judged with common sense, or with my own reasoning.

I need to let it go.

For now, I’ll put this aside and think about it later.

Thinking about it now won’t lead to a rational conclusion anyway.

Let’s return to the content of the message.

If I were to summarize the conversation in the video, it’s clear that Im Seong-jin shifted all his wrongdoings onto Shin Yong-ho.

The person who most likely passed on the information that we were going to attack Im Seong-jin is probably Professor Jeong Jae-won.

But why?

Why would that righteous professor suddenly do this?

No.

The image he showed in front of the students was just for show. His true nature might have been different.

Most of all, when he received the key card, that sinister expression on Jeong Jae-won’s face still makes me frown when I think about it.

Could the person in the video be his real self, the one he was hiding?

I don’t know.

The only time I ever met him outside of school was when I hung out with friends during my student days.

If that video is real, why would Professor Jeong Jae-won leak information to Im Seong-jin?

After thinking about it for a moment, I could guess the reason.

Im Seong-jin used his connection as a senior at the university to bury the Gwangju mayor corruption case and bring Shin Yong-ho into his line.

In other words, Im Seong-jin is also a graduate of Korea University.

As mentioned in the video, Im Seong-jin is also one of Jeong Jae-won’s students.

Moreover, Professor Jeong Jae-won probably values Im Seong-jin, who has been rising in prominence and is now a star prosecutor, much more than someone like me, a regular prosecutor.

It also seems that there may have been a covert deal between them, so it’s needless to say that there’s more to their relationship.

But how did he find out about Shin Yong-ho?

No matter how much I met with Professor Jeong Jae-won and talked, there’s no way I would’ve been foolish enough to try to take down Im Seong-jin or reveal his identity.

However, if Professor Jeong Jae-won already had a connection with Im Seong-jin, he could have known about Shin Yong-ho’s involvement and, to cover his own tracks, discarded Shin Yong-ho.

But if he’s known since our school days that Shin Yong-ho and I were close friends, could he have deduced that the story was about Im Seong-jin and passed the information along?

If that’s the case, it’s even more terrifying.

Im Seong-jin may have expanded his connections far beyond what I can imagine.

How can I set up a plan to bring him down?

A cold wind blew, cooling my head, but no viable ideas came to mind.

After racking my brain for a different approach, I eventually started chain-smoking in frustration, and not long after, Shin Yong-ho came outside and leaned against the railing next to me.

“Why are you chain-smoking?”

“I just lit it, man.”

“Put out your cigarette and stop lying.”

“Ah.”

He smiled slightly and turned his gaze far away.

“I just found Professor Jeong Jae-won’s contact. I’ve sent it to your phone.”

“Really?”

“Should we contact him?”

No, we can’t.

Contacting him might actually cause Shin Yong-ho to collapse.

Although I’m not certain that the message represents something that will definitely happen, I can’t rule out the possibility that Professor Jeong Jae-won has a connection with Im Seong-jin.

Right now, we need to choose a path that isn’t the easy or straightforward one but the one that’s difficult but guaranteed.

“No. I think it’s better to find another way.”

“Suddenly? You were okay with it earlier.”

“I thought about it, but Im Seong-jin is also from Korea University. Even though he’s not going to reveal Im Seong-jin, there’s still the issue of him being one of Professor Jeong’s students.”

“Do you think it will be a problem if we don’t reveal Im Seong-jin?”

“How sharp do you think he is? We don’t know how this will turn out. Let’s hold off for now.”

“Alright.”

He nodded, as if understanding.

“It’s not urgent, so we can take our time. Even when crossing a stone bridge, we need to tap it first to check its safety.”

“Thanks. You’re putting in a lot of effort even though this isn’t your problem.”

“Your problem is mine, and in the future, it will be my problem too. There’s no way I’ll half-ass it when I’m trying to help my friend climb up.”

“…Thanks.”

I chuckled and patted Shin Yong-ho on the back.

“Go downstairs. I’ll finish my cigarette and head down.”

“Okay.”

After he went downstairs, I spent some time thinking and smoked three more cigarettes before finally organizing my thoughts.

There’s no need to cross the stone bridge yet, but it’s essential to check whether it’s dangerous or safe first.

I took out my phone and called Professor Jeong Jae-won.

After a long period of ringing, he answered.

-Yes, this is Jeong Jae-won.

“Hello, Professor. This is Choi Seo-jun, from the class of 2008, and I was assigned to the Gwangju District Prosecutor’s Office…”

Oh, Seo-jun! I remember you!

Professor Jeong Jae-won greeted me with his characteristic gravelly voice.

Are you doing well?

“Yes, I’m doing well and healthy. How have you been, Professor?”

I’m always doing well. Everything’s going smoothly on my end. No problems with your work?

“Yes, everything’s fine except for working late every day.”

Hahaha, our prosecutors really have it tough.

I couldn’t bring up anything about Im Seong-jin.

Even mentioning him could lead to suspicion.

Are you still at the Gwangju District Prosecutor’s Office?

“Yes, I am. I should visit you sometime, but since I’m in the provinces, it’s hard to find the time. I’m sorry.”

No need to apologize. Don’t overdo it, and take care of your health. If you’re ever in Seoul, stop by.

“Will do.”

So far, it was a typical conversation between a mentor and his student.

Now, it was time to get to the main point.

“By the way, Professor.”

I was testing the waters.

“How is your daughter? I remember you mentioning she was preparing for the law school entrance exams when I was in school.”

Ah, I remember now. I think I helped her prepare for the interviews, right?

“Yes, that’s right. Your daughter is so beautiful, I still remember her well.”

Hahaha, thank you. My daughter is now in the law school at Korea University and preparing for the bar exam. This is her last chance to take the bar exam, but I told her not to overdo it and to prepare for law school instead, but she insists on taking the exam.

The bar exam!

In the video, Im Seong-jin had mentioned something related to an exam.

Could it be that the materials he gave were related to the bar exam?

To be capable of leaking the bar exam papers…

Im Seong-jin might be even more dangerous than I had imagined.

There were many things I wanted to ask, but I knew better than to push too far and risk sinking myself by stepping too eagerly. I had to pull back.

“Ah, I see. I hope everything goes well for her.”

Thank you. I hope you stay healthy and do well, too.

“Yes, I’ll definitely visit you. Take care, Professor!”

Alright.

With that, he hung up the phone.

While Professor Jeong Jae-won probably thought I was just calling to catch up, I had gathered a lot of useful information.

The video from the text seemed somewhat credible, and Professor Jeong Jae-won still had no idea that Shin Yong-ho and I were preparing to take down Im Seong-jin.

This meant that the text wasn’t sent to threaten or intimidate me.

I still couldn’t determine who sent the message, but I had a strong suspicion that Professor Jeong Jae-won was involved in something dangerous.

It wasn’t Professor Jeong Jae-won that I needed to focus on, though. I needed to find another way.

A method that’s both safe and certain.