The Ultimate Inspector, Kang Ji-hyeok - Chapter 22



Only Krnovel

Episode 22

The survey was conducted over a two-week period.

And then, two days later, we had to come up with the results of our investigation into the arsonist.

Kim Ji-cheol approached me with a worried face.

“Inspector, what should I do? I just can’t seem to get the hang of it.”

Then shall I tell you?

Honestly, I wanted Kim Ji-cheol to guess right this time······.

I took out one of the documents and showed it to him.

“Private Lee Soo-hwan. He is the arsonist. We should prosecute him.”

Kim Ji-cheol looked surprised.

Oh my. Why is it like this?

What if I investigate for two weeks and then look at you and say that it’s not like that?

“Private Lee Su-hwan is the arsonist? No, actually, when we were investigating last time, didn’t you light a fire without the prosecutor’s knowledge, and Private Lee Su-hwan took the lead in putting it out?”

“Did you see me set the fire?”

“···Yes. That’s what the inspector said, right?”

You saw that.

I was trying to identify and kill the arsonist······.

He takes out a photo of Private Lee Su-hwan and shows it to me.

The photo showed burns to both hands, arms, ears, and part of the neck.

There were large and small burns all over his body.

“He said he really hated fire because he got burned a lot as a child. I think that statement is true.”

It was an investigator who took out a recorder and played Private Lee Su-hwan’s statement again.

I held up the photo and showed it to him, saying:

“Second Lieutenant Kim Ji-cheol, look at this photo carefully.”

“Yes, inspector.”

“This burn photograph is the most powerful evidence to the contrary.”

I showed him the photo that Ji-cheol had placed.

I’m the one who caught and arrested seven arsonists.

They found out that they had something basic in common.

“No criminal commits a crime out of the blue. There may be a very small number of accidental crimes, but arson is never one of them. If you suddenly want to set fire, what do you do?”

“···Well. First, let’s buy some oil and set fire to something like toilet paper······.”

“Yes, that’s what happens. Arson is a crime that requires preparation. It doesn’t happen so randomly. You can’t make a fire that easily.”

widely.

I put the photo on the floor.

Now Kim Ji-cheol has become serious.

“You can’t know how fire spreads or how well it burns unless you try to set it on fire. It’s like a psychopath killing a nearby stray cat before committing a murder.”

Huruk.

We continued our conversation while taking a sip of iced Americano.

“So, in conclusion, most arsonists have burns here and there since they were young. They don’t hide those burns like medals. If it had been an accident, I would have tried to get rid of them. He didn’t. It’s natural for arsonists to get hurt when they first learn about fire. So, those small burns are the decisive evidence that he’s an arsonist.”

Ji-cheol’s face changed into one of surprise.

You never would have thought of that?

I did that too.

I learned this through gaining experience in catching and interrogating arsonists.

“If you keep working with fire, you will gain confidence and want to make your own arson.”

Nod.

Detective Kim looks convinced.

“okay.”

He sat down in front of the computer and started writing the report.

“It’s the same with putting out fires. Those who are good at handling fire know better than anyone how to put it out. Who would try to cover up a fire with a blanket? Only those who have tried to set fires and put them out would do that.”

That was the day.

I started a small fire on purpose, and the surprised unit members all came with water and fire extinguishers.

That’s a given.

If you don’t have any knowledge about fire······.

At that time, Lee Su-hwan looked at the fire with a calm face.

“This is a fire started by lighter fluid. So you shouldn’t pour water on it······.”

Then he took off the nightgown he was wearing and covered it with air quickly removed from above.

For a moment, a spark flew past my ear and burned me, but I was not bothered at all.

“Do you remember? When that guy covered you with a nightgown and sparks flew into your ears?”

“I remember.”

“He put out the fire with just one shotgun in exactly 20 seconds without moving an inch. That’s not the skill of an ordinary person.”

Kim Ji-cheol nodded.

I threw two pieces of paper in front of him.

“This is a fax I received this morning from the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office. That guy was reported to the neighborhood about five times and investigated. Officially, it wasn’t arson, but rather a case of playing with fire······.”

Detective Kim Ji-cheol squinted his eyes as he looked at the documents.

“As expected, you are the inspector.”

“According to Article 66 of Chapter 11 of the Military Criminal Act, if an object for military use is present, the punishment is death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for 7 years or more.”

Kim Ji-cheol swallows and looks at me.

“That kind of person should be isolated from society in the first place. If we just let him go here, he’ll definitely cause a bigger accident.”

Kim Ji-cheol smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.

“Looking back at the evidence we’ve collected so far, it’s definitely him.”

“Yes. When judging a criminal, you have to look at him without the veil of prejudice.”

Huruk.

He said, swallowing the last of his iced Americano.

“Feelings change. So don’t trust feelings and look only at the truth. This guy will get up to 10 years. But if I try him in court, I definitely want to make it a life sentence.”

* * *

Eventually, a thorough search of his surroundings uncovered hidden evidence, including a lighter and over 50% benzene disguised as cooking oil.

The cooking oil can with fingerprints on it played a crucial role.

“I thought it was spoiled cooking oil because it smelled, so I put it in the corner of the restaurant.”

“Why didn’t you throw it away?”

“In the military, items classified as military items cannot be carelessly thrown away.”

However, the special circumstances of the South Korean military, created by the testimony of a cook, also held us back.

The judge ruled that the suspect could not have committed arson if the old cooking oil had been properly disposed of.

The trial in which I was sentenced to life imprisonment ended with a sentence of 17 years.

The reason was that the fuel from the oil tank he set on fire was for military use and would later be put into tanks, but it was not a wartime situation.

“But if he gets 17 years in prison, does that mean that society will be safe from him for 17 years?”

It’s a shame, but that’s how it ended.

The law could not be perfect.

In this trial, reporter Park Chan-jin also published a malicious article about me.

〈Terminator Kang Ji-hyeok, the prosecutor who forces the poor burn victim into military law. Three reasons why he should not be released into society.〉

He tried to paint me as a devil prosecutor who would blow up the minor crimes of young men who were forcibly drafted into the military and bring them to the maximum sentence in a military court.

“Park Chan-jin. Wait. There’s not much time left.”

I smiled as I read his article.

To me, it is a welcome development that there are more articles like this.

Some people might think that he is a good prosecutor who can judge crimes firmly.

“The world is not made up of one opinion. Even if it’s a minority, there will always be those on my side. Thanks to your article, that number will increase, right?”

Detective Kim smiled as he poured me some coffee.

“Thank you for your hard work in this trial. I always like prosecutors who dig deep into the criminal facts.”

Hey, Kim Ji-cheol.

Don’t say anything rude.

“Don’t forget that Article 64 of the Military Criminal Act states that anyone who insults a superior in front of him or her shall be punished by imprisonment or confinement for not more than two years.”

Kim Ji-cheol’s face hardened.

“No, isn’t it true that you are so good at handling crimes? It’s already been widely known in the military that you have contributed the most among military prosecutors. How many times have other military investigators praised you?”

Oh oh.

Are you thinking of taking a joke and making it into a documentary today?

“In addition, do you know that Article 2 states that anyone who defames a superior by falsely reporting facts shall be punished by imprisonment or a fine for not more than 3 years?”

Only then did detective Kim Ji-cheol smile bashfully.

“Haha. I really can’t take it. You’re the best, inspector.”

It feels really great to be recognized by the people you work with.

It was the same when I was a detective.

It’s a shame that I wasn’t recognized by my father-in-law or my wife who were right next to me at the time······.

* * *

As I continued to investigate incidents within the military, I came to realize just how deeply involved reporter Park Chan-jin was.

Time passed like that, and discharge was two months away.

“Inspector.”

“why?”

Kim Ji-cheol approached me with a pleasant face and said.

“You have been selected as the recipient of this award. It is for having a 100% win rate and for bringing honor to the military.”

You’re Major General Cha.

This is a gift he gives me.

But doesn’t Kim Ji-cheol have such a happy face?

There is definitely something different.

“But why are you smiling so brightly?”

“This award includes a one-rank promotion and early discharge. You will be discharged as a major without having to serve in the rest of your military service.”

It’s a huge deal.

Could such an extraordinary award exist in the military?

Even if it’s a one-rank promotion, of course that’s still huge.

But, I have more than two months left in my military service, and they are even processing my early discharge······.

“Congratulations, Major Kang Ji-hyeok.”

“Thank you, Kim Ji-cheol.”

Kim Ji-cheol was a good detective.

Similar to my philosophy, he also believed that criminals should be isolated from society.

“You will be discharged from the military tomorrow.”

Kim Ji-cheol accompanied me on my way to the guard post after reporting for discharge.

“Okay. I hope you do well in your military service and when you go on vacation, please buy me a glass of soju, Inspector.”

He looked at me with tearful eyes, as if overcome with emotion, in front of the guard post.

“Okay. I’ll definitely see you later.”

A black sedan arrived in front of the guard post.

“You’re not late, are you, Jihyuk?”

Sehee got off there and ran towards me with a broad smile.

Kwak.

She hugged me without giving me any chance to escape.

“It was hard to keep my promise not to send letters, call, or meet anyone while I was in the military!”

The guards and Kim Ji-cheol look at us with bewildered expressions.

“Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok, do you have a girlfriend?”

“I never said I didn’t have a girlfriend. No one ever asked me.”

Honestly, I forgot.

As I focused on the incident, I even forgot that Se-hee was by my side······.

Kim Ji-cheol, who had been filled with sadness over parting until just a moment ago, came closer to me.

“Excuse me. Are you actress Yuni? Could I have your autograph?”

Ji-cheol took out his military notebook and ballpoint pen.

“What about a signature? Let’s take a picture together. Manager, please take a group picture for our first and last military service.”

Her manager came out with a camera.

“Okay, and if you want to make it to filming time today, it’s a bit tight.”

“Okay. But I still have to take a picture with my boyfriend who is being discharged.”

I see her.

A lover who is being discharged from the military?

We were a couple in our last life, Sehee.

Click.

The photo was later passed on to the unit, and Kim Ji-cheol said he kept it like a treasure.

This is how my military life ended.

A total of fifteen cases.

Ten of them were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Four cases were sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.

However, one case was dismissed without charge.

Rather, it proved that he was not a suspect.

The private, who brought in a public defender who was doing a sloppy job because he had no money, was acquitted by defeat.

A person who is not a criminal.

It is also unforgivable for such a person to be isolated from society due to misunderstanding.

However, as a lawyer, I cannot defend him, so I have no choice but to present real evidence to the judge and induce him to be found not guilty.

“Thank you for your hard work, Inspector!”

A few soldiers shouted behind us as we made a U-turn in front of the guard post.

One of them was the private I exonerated.

“Loyalty! I will never forget it for the rest of my life. I will live harder.”

It is not a sin to be born poor.

It may be a sin to keep blaming yourself and do nothing······.

He wasn’t that kind of person.

“I will definitely become a good police officer. So I will help those who have been wronged! Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok!”

The private shouted so.

I know him.

“Yes, Lee Myeong-cheol. Now stop taking adultery photos at that cheap detective agency and become a great detective.”

I had run into him in a past life.

He was a good guy who was good at fighting, but it turned out that he was running a detective agency.

He said this while having a glass of soju after the incident.

“I was misunderstood in the military and got a red line drawn on me. I wanted to be a detective, but ugh.”

Lee Myeong-cheol.

Now you can be a detective.

No, he’ll make a good detective.

See you later.

“Where should I take you?”

The manager told me.

I spoke to him calmly.

“I’m going to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. There’s someone who wants to see me.”