The Mad Prosecutor Picked Up AI - Chapter 121



Only Krnovel

Episode 121 It’s My Feeling

“Wow, it was really delicious.”

“That’s right. The portions are generous. Even Detective So Hae-jin would be satisfied with the size.”

After finishing the generous pork cutlet and sitting in a coffee shop eating dessert, Kang Min-jong, who I had called in advance, came in.

He looked around the coffee shop and then came straight to us. The two men in suits looked like prosecutors at first glance.

“Mr. Kang Min-jong?”

“yes.”

“Hello. This is Prosecutor Do Hyeon-gwang from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. This is Investigator Wi Jun-woo.”

“hello.”

Kang Min-jong, who looked to be in his early 30s, had a slightly thin build. He had a cat-shaped badge on his jacket that read, “Animal Guardian.”

As soon as he sat down, he nodded his head towards us and greeted us.

“Thank you so much for calling. I had filed an objection, but I didn’t know that you would personally investigate it.”

“I think there’s some misunderstanding. We’re not investigating the case.”

“yes?”

“We first need to look into whether the objection is justified and whether it is appropriate to reinvestigate the case.”

Kang Min-jong looked embarrassed, but soon nodded again.

“That’s okay. It’s not like they’re saying no and discarding it, but they’re still looking into it.”

At first glance, he seemed very timid, but when I listened to him speak softly, I realized he had a strong personality.

“You reported Mr. No Cheon-seong, right? For picking acorns from the mountain without permission.”

“yes.”

“We have carefully examined the objection you filed, but we have not found any evidence to support it. We have also reviewed the police investigation documents and have also visited the Special Forestry Judicial Police to talk to them.”

“Oh, did those police officers come looking for you too?”

Kang Min-jong looked slightly touched when he heard that we had not just looked at documents at our desks but had actually gone out and done it ourselves.

“Yes. But in this situation, it would be difficult to accept the objection you filed. There is no evidence that Mr. No Cheon-seong took the acorns, and there are no witnesses. The police investigation also found no errors.”

“ah.”

“But before I hand down the citation, I came here to hear Kang Min-jong’s story one last time.”

Kang Min-jong stared blankly at me. In fact, wouldn’t a prosecutor usually call everyone to the prosecutor’s office? But the prosecutor came to see me in person.

And that’s not all. How touching it must have been for him to want to hear his side of the story about something that no one would say anything about if he just stamped a non-citation stamp on the application for objection to the non-prosecution.

‘You seem touched, don’t you?’

[I might just be tired.]

As expected, the artificial intelligence Aliota seems to be somewhat lacking in the ability to guess human minds.

I asked, pointing to the badge on Kang Min-jong’s clothes.

“That’s a pretty badge. What does ‘Animal Guardian’ mean?”

“It’s an animal rights organization. I started volunteering here after quitting my job and preparing for a job. I also went to the mountain that day as part of my volunteer work.”

“Mr. Kang Min-jong, why did you think Mr. No Cheon-seong would have picked acorns without permission?”

“Chief Noh Cheon-seong is originally that kind of person. He is someone who doesn’t move unless there is a gain, and he doesn’t care about the means to achieve his goal. He is a very shady person. I was convinced because he was acting suspiciously in the mountains.”

“If you acted suspiciously, what?”

“I told the police officer at the time. I clearly saw Chief Noh Cheon-seong throwing something behind a tree.”

“You said there was nothing there.”

“Yes. I did say there were no acorns.”

Kang Min-jong was embarrassed. Of course, there was nothing. The young policeman said there was a dead bird. But a bird is not an acorn.

“I saw in the objection that you submitted evidence, but it says that the police did not investigate it. The police said that it was not accepted because it did not have evidentiary value. Can I see what kind of evidence you submitted at that time?”

“Oh, yes.”

Kang Min-jong’s face brightened when he said that he would personally see the evidence that the police had not even looked at.

“I felt strange, so I followed Chief No Cheon-seong the next day.”

“Are you following me?”

Wow, there’s a podium. And tailing.

“I went back to the mountain just in case, and Chief Noh Cheon-seong was there with the assistant writer. His behavior was a bit suspicious, so I took a picture. Wait a minute. He should still be here.”

Kang Min-jong took out his cell phone, searched for something, and held it out in front of us. I looked at the photo and barely managed to swallow my “Ah.” What kind of evidence photo is this?

‘The police would have refused.’

The photo that Kang Min-jong took wasn’t very good quality. He had to take it from so far away that his face was completely blurred.

The image quality was so bad that even when the person in question denied it, I had no choice but to nod my head.

“This is a complete self-mosaic.”

“I was a bit far away because I thought you might notice if I got closer. I zoomed in and took the picture because my phone isn’t that good.”

Kang Min-jong blushed, embarrassed by his outdated cell phone. I looked at the photo more closely.

Although the eyes, nose and mouth were not clearly visible, there was no problem in observing the actions of the people in the photo.

“Your behavior seems a bit suspicious.”

“Right? If you look at this picture, you can see that he’s reaching out towards the tree. Maybe he was picking acorns?”

The person in the photo was climbing up a ladder chair and examining the tree. In some photos, he appeared to be reaching high toward the tree and grabbing something, while in others, he appeared to be putting something in a bag.

‘But I can’t see any acorns. What do you think?’

[It’s obvious that you can’t see it. Acorns grow on oak trees, but that’s not an oak tree, it’s a crape myrtle tree.]

‘Do you know that too?’

[Are you ignoring me? Even so, I have over 20,000 cases related to ‘oak trees’ stored in my records.]

‘Okay, if that’s what you want, then so be it.’

After looking at the photos for a while, I handed the phone back to Kang Min-jong. Kang Min-jong looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.

“How are you?”

Unfortunately, I had no choice but to shake my head.

“This isn’t enough evidence. You can’t even see the acorn on the screen.”

“Even if you can’t see it, it might be following you.”

“Because this isn’t an oak. It can’t be an acorn.”

“Oh, really? This isn’t an oak tree.”

Kang Min-jong put his phone back in his pocket with a dejected look on his face. I met Wi Jun-woo’s eyes and opened my mouth.

I’m sorry, but it’s time to tell the truth. Even though it hurts, it’s better to hear the truth than a lie.

“I have reviewed the police investigation files, listened to the testimonies of the forest police officers who were dispatched to the scene, and reviewed all the evidence of the applicant, Kang Min-jong. I believe it is right to conclude the case of illegal acorn harvesting with a not guilty verdict.”

“……yes.”

“I am a person whose life motto is to send all the sinners to the bread. In the case of the acorn theft incident, there is no suspicion. I don’t think I can accept Kang Min-jong’s objection.”

“yes.”

Kang Min-jong lowered his eyes with a hardened face and shut his mouth tightly. Suddenly, Kang Min-jong covered his eyes with both hands. He was wiping away tears.

Wi Jun-woo shouted at the sight.

“Inspector! Why are you making people cry?”

“No, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“You’re saying this because the prosecutor came and said he would meet you for no reason. You thought he would investigate, but he said he couldn’t. You gave him hope, but then he took it away. That’s why you’re acting like this.”

“No, that’s it.”

Why is that my fault?

I felt wronged because it seemed like I was being cursed at for no reason, but I also thought that what Wi Jun-woo said was right. My expectations went up because the prosecutor said he would meet with me, but if he said, “There is no suspicion in this case,” I think I would curse at him too.

“Oh, over there. Calm down for now.”

“I’m sorry. I was just emotional.”

“no.”

“Thank you so much.”

“We… … , yes? Thank you?”

Kang Min-jong, who was wiping away tears, bowed his head in thanks. Both Wi Jun-woo and I were bewildered by the sudden appearance, not knowing what was going on.

“No one has ever listened to me. Even when I said I was being treated unfairly at work. Everyone just told me that that was just how company life was and told me to put up with it.”

Kang Min-jong took a deep breath and said.

“Even when I reported it to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, no one listened. My colleagues did not testify, and the labor attorney who came to investigate believed the company’s lies more.”

It seems that he was deeply traumatized by the unfair things that happened at the company.

“I was so angry and frustrated because no one listened to me. But you, sir… … listened to me. I’m so grateful for that.”

“ah.”

“You said you couldn’t hold me accountable, but you still listened to my story until the end and investigated everything. I’m grateful for that alone.”

It probably didn’t help much, but I felt embarrassed because he was so grateful that I just took the time to listen to him.

My ultimate goal as a prosecutor is to convict people. To send criminals to the bread. Whether they have money, connections, or are old or young. To make them receive the punishment they deserve for their crimes. That is what I pursue as a prosecutor.

But now. I didn’t send a criminal to the bread, nor did I solve the injustice that Kang Min-jong had suffered before. I just listened to him and received thanks.

It felt strange. I thought that listening to people’s complaints and comforting their hearts was the exclusive property of lawyers. But could a prosecutor who is guilty of the crime do that?

Practicing the act of confessing guilt is a great pleasure for me, but does it provide comfort to the victim?

I was quietly watching Kang Min-jong and then blurted out a word.

“The acorn theft case is over, but I’d like to look into the Nocheonseong case a little more.”

“yes?”

“What do you mean by ‘wave’?”

Kang Min-jong and Wi Jun-woo opened their eyes wide at the same time and looked at me.

“As you reported, something certainly seems suspicious. No Cheon-seong is said to be a photographer, but it doesn’t seem like he picked acorns without permission, but it doesn’t seem like he just took pictures either.”

“ah.”

“So I wanted to investigate a little more about what on earth they were doing up in the mountains.”

‘Plus, they said they found three dead birds there. There must be something there, right?’

[Yes. It’s definitely not an acorn. It must have something to do with the bird’s death.]

I said while looking at Kang Min-jong.

“If it is revealed that No Cheon-seong committed an illegal act on the mountain, I will make sure that he receives the appropriate punishment.”

“yes.”

“If that happens, it’s all thanks to Kang Min-jong, who didn’t give up and reported until the end.”

Kang Min-jong showed a faint smile for the first time since meeting her.

* * *

After breaking up with Kang Min-jong, Wi Jun-woo asked me as we got into the car.

“Are you going to investigate the real Nocheonseong?”

“I have to.”

“There is no suspicion.”

“You saw it earlier, Chief. The pictures of them acting suspiciously. And what the forest police said.”

“There were no acorns behind the tree, but there was a dead bird?”

Wi Jun-woo, who had been driving quietly, spoke again.

“It’s strange that not one but three birds were found dead. So you’re saying you’re going to investigate the bird deaths?”

“yes.”

Wi Jun-woo glanced at me and said.

“I’ve been working with you for a long time, and I know you always do your best regardless of the size of the case, but I never imagined this. You’d investigate a dead bird.”

“All bad guys should be sent to the bread. Whether they are murderers who kill people or savages who kill birds.”

“Can murderers also be punished?”

Aliotta quickly stepped forward and showed off.

[The Animal Protection Act limits the animals protected to ‘vertebrates with a developed nervous system that can feel pain.’ This includes not only mammals but also birds.]

“We also have an animal protection law in our country. That law stipulates that not only mammals but also birds are protected animals. If you carelessly abuse them or kill them in a cruel way, you will be punished.”

In the past, animal rights did not receive much attention, but now there is a growing public opinion that animals should be protected, because animals can feel pain too.

Not only is there opposition to cruel animal testing, but public opinion has also grown stronger that animals should be abused or killed sadistically in real life. Animal protection laws have also become more realistic along with this trend.

“I told you that he didn’t die violently. He could have just died of natural causes.”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll find out more when I look into it.”

“But, do you get punished for killing a bird in the mountains, not just a pet?”

“Wild animals are also protected by the ‘Wildlife Act.’ If you kill them without permission, you can be sentenced to up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.”

“The murder case. It seems like things are getting bigger.”

I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.

“It’s my imagination.”