The Mad Prosecutor Picked Up AI - Chapter 81



Only Krnovel

Episode 81: Who is our client?

Seocho-dong Law Town, lined with law offices. Among them, one high-rise building stands out on the 18th floor. The fairly spacious office was filled with antique bookshelves, desks, and chairs and tables that looked like they were covered with money.

Behind the desk next to the large window, the words “Yang & Ji Law Firm” were beautifully engraved on the wall, and they stood out even more because they were illuminated by indirect lighting.

In the center of the office was a square table, and about a dozen people in fancy suits were sitting around it, looking over various documents.

Everyone was looking down at their documents, but a man in his early 50s who seemed to be their superior was standing alone, walking back and forth around the table and talking.

“Hey, newbie over there. What’s the crux of this case?”

The man who was called a newbie barely opened his mouth with a frozen expression. His face turned pale, so it was fortunate that he did not faint.

“Yes, yes. In this case, the defendant drove drunk again less than a month after receiving a suspended sentence for drunk driving… … .”

“No, no.”

Partner lawyer Oh Seon-yeol clicked his tongue nervously, as if he was not satisfied with the answer. He stopped where he was, put both hands on the back of the chair of the new employee who had answered earlier, and looked at the lawyers.

“Who is our client?”

The young lawyers looked at each other for a moment, not knowing what their boss meant by asking such an obvious question. Soon, one of them mustered up the courage to answer.

“My name is Ma Jun-seok. I’m a 23-year-old college student… … .”

“No!”

This time, Oh Seon-yeol again showed his annoyance by tapping the back of the chair with his hand.

“Our client is not some unsung college student. Who is our client, Gong Byun?”

“This is Representative Ma Yong-gi.”

“okay.”

At Gong Min-ho’s answer, Oh Seon-yeol finally nodded, seemingly satisfied. There is something they must clearly understand. The client is not simply a college student or a father with a college-age son.

The client in this case is ‘a person we need to look good to, and a person who will definitely receive compensation in various ways in the future if they look good.’

Oh Seon-yeol glanced at the lawyers sitting there and then said.

“Our client is Yong-gi Ma, a former spokesperson for the ruling party, a two-term congressman and a potential future party leader. Congressman Yong-gi Ma has requested his son. Do you understand?”

“yes.”

“Now, let me ask again. Who is our client?”

“This is Congressman Ma Yong-gi!”

“Yeah, that’s it. Gong Byun, what’s the crux of this case?”

He asked the question again to Gong Min-ho, whom he trusted the most.

“I called a designated driver.”

“That’s right! That’s it!”

Oh Seon-yeol clapped his hands once and walked back and forth around the table with a confident expression.

“Ma Jun-seok called the deputy. Why? Because he had been drinking. This person had absolutely no intention of driving under the influence. We must emphasize that.”

Someone raised their hand and spoke cautiously.

“But the black box says he was driving under the influence… … .”

“It’s fine as long as it’s not used in court.”

“Huh? What is that… …?”

Oh Seon-yeol looked at the new recruit who didn’t understand what he was saying with a cold face and spoke again.

“Black box. Don’t let it be used in court.”

“Yes? Oh, oh! Yes. That… … I understand. Oh, yes.”

Our country has a system of evidence acceptance. What is submitted and accepted as evidence in a trial has a significant impact on the outcome of the trial.

So, if there is evidence against this side, we must do our best to block it.

The new employee stuttered and answered only after realizing that Oh Seon-yeol meant that he had to use any means necessary to erase the black box footage.

Oh Seon-yeol looked at Gong Min-ho, who was sitting at the very front of the table.

“Public opinion.”

“Don’t worry. I will take responsibility and handle it.”

“Okay.”

Even though he didn’t give a specific order, Gong Min-ho, who guessed what was going on, reassured Oh Seon-yeol with a clear answer. He could take responsibility for the car’s black box and get rid of it.

Whether it’s bribery or thieving, the means don’t matter. Yang & Ji Law Firm is a place that wins cases at all costs.

“I won’t admit to drunk driving. Since I have a criminal record, it would be difficult to avoid prison if I admit to that. I’ll only plead guilty to driving without a license. Okay?”

“yes.”

“If it’s to that extent, it can be covered up with a fine.”

“Then what about drunk driving… …?”

When another newbie asked a question, Oh Seon-yeol walked behind the man who had asked the question and placed both hands on his shoulders.

“I told you it wasn’t drunk driving?”

“Oh, yes.”

As the strength in his hand grew, the newbie grimaced without even being able to say that it hurt. Oh Seon-yeol squeezed the newbie’s shoulder one last time before walking behind the people and opening his mouth again.

“Didn’t Ma Jun-seok say he went to a psychiatrist?”

“Yes. They said they could secure the records from the beginning of this year.”

“Starting from last year.”

“Oh, yes.”

He knew that Ma Jun-seok was creating psychiatric records to avoid military service. He planned to use them in this trial as well.

“Witnesses at the time of the incident, nearby CCTV, black boxes from parked cars. Check everything. Record testimonies, collect evidence. If necessary, lay the groundwork to see if they can testify on our side.”

“yes.”

“You guys are detectives and you have to check everything. Got it?”

“yes!”

Oh Seon-yeol, who had been speaking alone, went to the upper seat and sat down.

“Juniors with 3 years or more of experience should now start gathering eyewitness testimony and evidence. Associates with 2 years or less of experience should search through all the precedents. Cases where drunk drivers were sentenced to imprisonment or fines, cases where sentences were reduced due to mental weakness or panic disorder, and even what happened when it was clear that the driver had no intention of drinking and driving. Search through everything, whether domestic or foreign.”

“yes.”

Oh Seon-yeol looked around at the faces sitting at the table.

“What are you guys doing? Move!”

“yes!”

Only then did everyone stand up and leave their seats. Oh Seon-yeol motioned only to Gong Min-ho, who was sitting in the front, to remain seated.

After everyone left, only Gong Min-ho and Oh Seon-yeol asked.

“You said you were sent to the prosecution?”

“yes.”

“Did you convey my message well to Manager Nam?”

“Yes. I said I would hand it over to Prosecutor Kim Kyung-soo of the 3rd Criminal Division.”

“Please don’t let Kyungsoo Kim feel disappointed either.”

“yes.”

Since it was the most basic information, Gong Min-ho answered mechanically without asking any questions. He just wrote it down in his notebook so he wouldn’t forget.

“Anything special?”

“I’m the police officer who first caught Ma Jun-seok. This is Detective Lee Mi-yeon.”

“What is that? The detective might catch it.”

“The person who got hurt while driving drunk last time was a junior of Lieutenant Im Yeon. He was the one who got angry and punched Ma Jun-seok at that time too.”

“okay?”

Only then did Oh Seon-yeol show some interest.

“Why did you have to be on patrol at that time?”

“No. It’s Hongdae, and Lieutenant Lee Mi-yeon is at the dog station. She said it was outside of work hours.”

“hmm.”

It was probably just a coincidence anyway. Oh Seon-yeol ignored Detective Im Yeon-i and gave orders to Gong Min-ho one after another.

“Get a few kids to thoroughly prepare Ma Jun-seok’s testimony. Have them write a plausible letter of reflection. By the way, who was that girl you said was in the car with you at the time?”

“This is Amanda Lee.”

“Make sure to prepare him too. If necessary, we’ll have him sit in the witness stand.”

“yes.”

As I was organizing my materials to finish my speech, Oh Seon-yeol asked as he passed by.

“What did Ma Jun-seok say? Didn’t he say anything?”

“Oh, that’s it.”

“Why? What is it?”

When Gong Min-ho hesitated slightly, Oh Seon-yeol urged him. Gong Min-ho swallowed once and said.

“They say he saw someone before Ma Jun-seok was arrested.”

“who?”

“A person from the Parents’ Network Management Office… … .”

For the first time, a blank expression appeared on Oh Seon-yeol’s face, which had been confident until now.

“… … Parental Connection Management Office? What is that?”

“I don’t know either. Ma Jun-seok kept saying that the Parents’ Network Management Office was out to catch him.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Gong Min-ho didn’t really have anything to say in response, so he just scratched his head.

* * *

Kim Jong-hyuk walked to the break room and looked around cautiously. He didn’t noticeably turn his head. He just rolled his eyes to see if anyone was there.

The break room, located in a corner of the first floor, had one wall entirely made of glass, so it was a place that let in a lot of sunlight. There were tables and chairs, so we could sit down and chat.

Perhaps because it was still early in the morning, the break room was empty. Since they were the only ones in the large space, it was a good place to share secrets.

However, Manager Kim Jong-hyuk chose the innermost seat in the break room.

Because it was a seat facing the entrance, I could tell right away who was coming in and out just by turning my head.

As Manager Kim Jong-hyeok and Jeong Min-gu sat down, Kim Gyeong-su took a coffee and handed it to them.

But right now, this position had nothing to do with perception. As soon as Manager Kim Jong-hyeok sat down, he started scolding Kim Kyung-soo.

“What happened to the Ma Jun-seok case? How long has it been since he was released on probation and now he’s been arrested again?”

Kyungsoo Kim didn’t really have anything to say. It was that guy Ma Junseok’s fault for getting caught for drunk driving, not his own.

Still, it was not hard to understand why Director Kim Jong-hyeok was acting so wild. This was because Ma Jun-seok’s father, Congressman Ma Yong-gi, was one of their main sponsors.

Although it is more common for a member of the National Assembly to receive money, the amount of money he gave to prosecutors while taking care of his only son must have been a truckload.

But the guy who was finally released on probation got caught again.

“I didn’t know he would be caught like this.”

“Can you solve it well this time too?”

“That’s it. This time, he was caught red-handed and it was difficult to drop the charges because he was on probation. Instead… … .”

As Kyungsoo Kim’s speech became longer, Manager Jonghyuk Kim clicked his tongue.

“So. Are you saying that you can’t let that guy go after becoming a prosecutor?”

“I wrote the indictment as nicely as I could. If nothing happens, it could end with a suspended sentence or a fine.”

“I have pride. I told Congressman Ma not to worry, but if he gets caught, how ridiculous would I look?”

It’s not that they’re worried about looking ridiculous, they just don’t want their one never-ending source of income to be blocked.

While Kyungsoo Kim was feeling depressed, Manager Jonghyuk Kim continued speaking.

“If we don’t do this properly, Rep. Ma might completely turn his back on us. He was complaining a lot last time. He said he got a prison sentence instead of a fine.”

“This is the prosecutor for this trial, Kang Jin-gyu.”

“Ah. Kang Jin-gyu?”

“Yes. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s good.”

Director Kim Jong-hyeok, who had been nodding with a satisfied expression, turned his attention to Jeong Min-gu this time.

“What about the Hwang Daebong incident?”

“I got in for embezzlement and breach of trust. Wow, this amount is quite large.”

“Hey. Look at what he’s throwing at us. And he didn’t just throw it at us. He must’ve stabbed us in a lot of places. To throw it at that much, he must’ve embezzled a lot of company money. He’s not the kind of guy who would throw it away without leaving anything for himself.”

Hwang Dae-bong was the president of the investment company Citrus. On the surface, he made money through investments. But the actual source of the money was shrouded in mystery. Of course, the source of the money was also unknown.

“But I can’t pretend not to know. I received something. Pro Jeong, please do a good job.”

“Yes. If you just trim it well, I think a suspended sentence will be no problem.”

“Yes, that’s right. We really have to take good care of Hwang Daebong.”

Manager Kim Jong-hyeok looked at Jeong Min-gu and Kim Gyeong-su and said.

“As a prosecutor, you should never forget a favor. If you receive a favor, you should definitely repay it. If you build up resentment, you should return it in double. Do you understand?”

“yes.”

“yes.”

“What the hell are you talking about.”

As Jeong Min-gu and Kim Kyung-soo bowed their heads, an unfamiliar voice was heard from somewhere.

“What? Who are you?”

“well.”

“Where did that sound come from?”

Everyone looked around to see who was making the noise, and Do Hyeon-gwang’s head suddenly popped out from behind a large flower pot a couple of tables away.

“I heard dog barking a while ago. I was wondering who brought a dog to the prosecutor’s office.”

“What is it? You… … Is that blood, blood?”

Do Hyun-kwang, with bright red blood on his lips, looked at the three shocked faces and smiled strangely.