Chapter 448: I Don’t Know What He’ll Do

The police van carrying Seo Jae-hoon arrived at the entrance of the National Police Agency.

The entrance was packed with reporters who had gathered to cover Seo Jae-hoon's story.

"Get out."

"..."

"I said get out. Or we'll have to use physical force."

Seo Jae-hoon closed his eyes without responding.

"Sigh..."

The Intelligence Division Chief sitting in the passenger seat sighed and exchanged glances with the detectives on either side of Seo Jae-hoon.

The detectives tried to forcibly remove Seo Jae-hoon from the car by linking arms with him on both sides.

"I'll get out on my own."

The detectives looked at the Intelligence Division Chief, who nodded.

When they released their hold, Seo Jae-hoon straightened his clothes and got out of the police van.

As soon as Seo Jae-hoon's face became visible, reporters started pressing their camera shutters.

"Vice Chairman Seo Jae-hoon. Is it true that you killed someone?"

"We heard this isn't the first time!"

The police should have been blocking the reporters, but no one was stopping them.

Surrounded by reporters, Seo Jae-hoon's brow furrowed. It was the first time in his life he'd been treated like this.

"Vice Chairman, please say something."

"We heard that Il-sung Electronics' management rights were transferred to Future Investments today. What do you think about that?"

The reporters fired questions haphazardly, and Seo Jae-hoon closed his eyes while surrounded by them.

"Step aside."

Thankfully, Il-seong Group's legal team and security team, who had been following the police van, arrived quickly.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Jang Geun-seok, who arrived last, shouted at the detectives who were just watching.

"..."

"He's still a suspect. And on top of that, he's the vice chairman of Il-seong Group. How could you expose him to reporters like this? We'll file an official complaint."

The Intelligence Division Chief sent the detectives back and stepped forward.

"How are we supposed to stop the reporters? You should know better. We might get beaten up if we upset the media."

"Wait, since when did the police start caring about that..."

Jang Geun-seok was at a loss for words at the Intelligence Division Chief's response.

The police had always controlled the scene to prevent excessive competition among reporters and blocked their access. And now they were suddenly playing dumb.

But there was no point in arguing about responsibility any further. Yet they couldn't just leave Seo Jae-hoon like this either.

"I'll take this up with the Commissioner. Be prepared."

He glared at the Intelligence Division Chief once before gesturing to the security guards.

"Take him inside."

"Yes!"

The security guards roughly pushed through the reporters and surrounded Seo Jae-hoon.

Only then did Seo Jae-hoon open his eyes, and he entered the police station surrounded by security guards.

"You handle the media. The Vice Chairman will be released soon, so tell them not to publish any articles yet. Can you do that?"

"Yes. I'll try."

"After placating the reporters, contact the chief editors of each media outlet. Tell them that if even one letter of the Vice Chairman's name appears, Il-seong Group will pull all their advertising."

"Understood."

Jang Geun-seok patted Lee Gi-woo's shoulder before quickly entering the police station.

Left alone, Lee Gi-woo called out in a loud voice.

"I'll explain everything."

The reporters rushed towards Lee Gi-woo. Lee Gi-woo smiled faintly.

"I recognize all your faces."

They were reporters he often encountered when he was in the prosecutor's office.

"The Vice Chairman is here due to a small misunderstanding, as a person of interest. He'll be released after today's questioning. Isn't it absurd? How could someone as high-ranking as Il-seong Group's vice chairman kill someone? This is all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

The reporters looked dumbfounded at his brazen tone.

One reporter asked a question.

"Director Lee Gi-woo. We heard he was caught in the act and urgently arrested at the scene. Are you saying it's just a simple misunderstanding? We even heard there was a shootout."

"Ah, Reporter Jang. It's been a while."

Lee Gi-woo seemed to know who the questioning reporter was and acted familiar.

"Is Reporter Jang experienced enough to be covering this kind of story?"

"Please answer the question. Wasn't he really caught in the act?"

"I don't know where such baseless rumors started, but…"

"Are you saying our Goryeo Daily published fake news on the front page?"

"No, Reporter Jang. That's not what I…"

Reporter Jang's cold voice cut off Lee Gi-woo's excuse.

"I heard that clothes and gloves stained with Vice Chairman Seo Jae-hoon's blood were found at the scene. Are you saying there's no connection?"

At those words, the eyes of reporters from other newspapers who hadn't known this started gleaming with the word 'scoop'.

"Is that true? Were clothes and gloves stained with Vice Chairman Seo Jae-hoon's blood really found?"

Lee Gi-woo felt his back getting damp.

"Look, he'll be released today. So don't publish any articles. Unless you want to be sued later. This is Il-seong Group we're talking about. Can you handle that?"

Lee Gi-woo tried to intimidate them while pretending not to.

But this was a misjudgment of the reporters. These were people who would bite even the President for a scoop.

"Are you threatening us right now?"

The reporters' expressions hardened.

"Threatening? I'm just saying that if you publish articles about unconfirmed facts, we'll have no choice but to respond. I'll contact the desk separately. So please wait a bit."

"…The desk?"

"Yes. I'll contact the chief editors of each media outlet. So please wait a moment."

At the mention of chief editors, the other reporters closed their mouths, but the reporter from Goryeo Daily was different.

"I'm going to publish the article regardless of what the chief editor says. So just tell me if it's true or not."

Lee Gi-woo glared at Reporter Jang.

"Reporter Jang, are you trying to challenge me? Why do you keep…"

But Reporter Jang didn't even blink.

"Don't we need to know the facts to decide whether to write the article or not? Rather than asking for understanding without even explaining the facts, why don't you request an embargo?"

"Ha."

Lee Gi-woo let out a sigh, looking troubled.

"We haven't properly grasped the situation yet either. So please don't publish any articles for just one day. I'll treat you all to a meal once this matter is settled."

"What happens if he's detained?"

"That won't happen. There's no way Vice Chairman Seo Jae-hoon will be detained."

While Lee Gi-woo was trying to persuade the reporters, Seo Jae-hoon was waiting in a waiting room at the main building.

"I'm going to meet with the Police Commissioner."

Seo Jae-hoon nodded at Jang Geun-seok's words. Jang Geun-seok left the waiting room and headed to the Commissioner's office.

"Oh my, welcome. Director Jang Geun-seok."

Police Commissioner Lee Ho-hyung stood up and greeted Jang Geun-seok.

"Commissioner, it's been a while."

"It's not a good position to meet often. Let's sit down and talk."

Lee Ho-hyung sat in the seat of honor as if it were natural.

Jang Geun-seok's brow furrowed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and sat down.

"Sitting like this reminds me of the old days. Was it when I was the Deputy Chief of Investigation at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency? Didn't we meet often like this back then?"

Jang Geun-seok nodded.

"We met often when I was the head of the Special Investigation Department. I received a lot of help too."

"Those were really precarious times. Both you and I had to move at a single word from the President. Now I feel more at ease. We can't ignore the President's eyes, but things have changed a lot. You might not know since you left before that, but the prosecution has changed a lot too."

"I know from my juniors. The current Deputy Prosecutor General is my junior, isn't he?"

Jang Geun-seok subtly tried to assert dominance by mentioning the Deputy Prosecutor General.

Lee Ho-hyung knew this but inwardly sneered and said,

"I know you joined Il-seong Group. But you've come to see me because of Vice Chairman Seo Jae-hoon, right?"

"That's right. I came because of the Vice Chairman's case. Just question him today and send him back. The 48 hours are almost up, aren't they?"

"Hmm… You're asking me to release someone arrested at the scene? The media has already started talking. If we release him, the police will take all the blame."

Lee Ho-hyung inwardly sneered as he saw Jang Geun-seok's eyes narrow slightly.

"I know it's an unreasonable request. That's why I came to see you in person. I'll make sure you're not disappointed with the thank-you gift. So…"

"Are you saying you'll give me a bribe? Why are you doing this? If this is how you're going to act, you should leave."

This bastard must be crazy.

Does he know who I am to raise his voice at me?

An irritated Jang Geun-seok narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice.

"Commissioner. Are you trying to challenge me?"

"I'm saying I'll follow the law. If a detention warrant doesn't come out within 48 hours, we'll release him. So please wait."

"Do I need to move the Special Investigation Department to investigate you before you'll listen to my request?"

Lee Ho-hyung flinched at the mention of the Special Investigation Department.

Jang Geun-seok added in a mocking voice,

"I still have people in the Special Investigation Department who listen to me. Should I have them thoroughly investigate you like in the old days?"

When Lee Ho-hyung didn't say anything, informal speech immediately followed.

"If you've become the Commissioner, you should know how things work to some extent. Why are you being so stubborn? It's not like we're going all the way with this."

But contrary to Jang Geun-seok's thoughts, Lee Ho-hyung had flinched simply because he was dumbfounded, not because he was scared.

He was already firmly holding onto Kim Mu-hyeok as a lifeline. So why would he be scared of Jang Geun-seok now?

"Ha, this is driving me crazy. Legal Affairs Director Jang Geun-seok. Do you still think you're a prosecutor? The prosecution has already submitted documents to the court requesting a detention warrant. We should be leaving for court soon, so do you have time to be doing this with me?"

"What? What are you saying now? Since when do things move this quickly?"

"The prosecution has already finished all preparations. The Seoul District Prosecutor is personally overseeing this case. So why don't you try moving that great prosecution network of yours to stop it? No, now you'll have to move the court that conducts the substantive warrant review, won't you?"

Lee Ho-hyung sneered as if he found it amusing.

A panicked Jang Geun-seok abruptly stood up.

However, as he was walking towards the door, he turned to look at Lee Ho-hyung.

Lee Ho-hyung raised his coffee cup with a smiling face.

"You'll regret this. I'll make sure of it."

Jang Geun-seok ground out the words through clenched teeth and left the Commissioner's office.

Unconcerned, Lee Ho-hyung took a sip of coffee and muttered,

"People who say 'you'll see' are never scary."

* * *

The time Seo Jae-hoon arrived at the police headquarters.

I parted ways with Lee Ho-hyung and visited Oh Jeong-seok's house.

"We're seeing each other often these days."

Oh Jeong-seok joked.

I got straight to the point as soon as I sat down.

"A detention warrant for Seo Jae-hoon will be requested today. Please contact them to conduct a substantive warrant review even in the evening so it can be issued quickly."

"Why the rush? Take it slow."

"It's Seo Jae-hoon. We don't know what he might do."

Oh Jeong-seok put down the teacup he was holding and said,

"Did that person really kill someone?"

"Yes. And it was an American. You know what kind of country America is, don't you? They'll use any means necessary when their citizen dies abroad. We need to detain him first and then proceed with the case. The evidence is solid too."

Oh Jeong-seok nodded and picked up the phone next to him.

"Chief Han. It's me, Oh Jeong-seok. Who's the judge in charge of Vice Chairman Seo Jae-hoon's warrant review?"

He seemed to be calling the Chief Justice of the Seoul District Court.

I brought the teacup to my lips and listened to Oh Jeong-seok's call.

"Judge Kim Ji-woo? That's good. I'll call her."

His voice was indeed relaxed.

Oh Jeong-seok briefly flipped through a notebook with phone numbers, then made another call.

"This is Oh Jeong-seok. Yes. Let's skip the greetings for now. You should have received a warrant application for Il-seong Group's Seo Jae-hoon. Call him to the court right away for questioning. And issue the warrant."

Oh Jeong-seok listened to the other party and then said,

"I know it's unusual. This is an unusual case. It could develop into a diplomatic issue. Just issue the detention warrant first. Yes, let's have a meal together sometime soon."

After hanging up, Oh Jeong-seok smiled and said,

"They said they'll start right away. The substantive review is just a formality anyway. The warrant should be issued within a few hours."

"Thank you, Chief Justice."

I gave him a bright smile.