Chapter 17 – No Matter What It Takes
"Inspector Cha, he asked where the picture came from."
When Jiyeon didn't say anything, Ganghun pressed her firmly.
Jiyeon came to her senses.
"Oh, yes."
She had to be honest. Fact was fact.
"This is President Seo Minho's garage."
Everyone's expression froze.
There was a long, heavy pause in the conference room.
It was obvious that everyone seemed hesitant to express their opinions.
Jiyeon sighed.
Now that she'd discovered this, they had to follow it through!
Jiyeon turned to Ganghun.
"Should we investigate Seo Minho as a suspect?"
Ganghun's eyebrows, which were normally soft like waves, were pulled tight with tension.
He spoke to himself as if he were sorting his thoughts.
"Just having the same model doesn't make one a suspect."
"There are two hundred models."
"If that's the case, then there would be two hundred suspects."
"Is there anyone else who could go in and out of the vice chairman's villa?"
"Hmmm…"
"As you can see, the height and build of the man in the surveillance footage are similar."
"Stop."
Ganghun raised his hand to cut Jiyeon off.
"Alright. If this is the evidence then we can look over it right away. But he is not an ordinary person. He may inherit Eunseong Group and he won't come easily to us. And what if we can't pin him down as the suspect? Can you be responsible for the fallout?"
Jiyeon couldn't help but acknowledge such risks.
"What should we do then? We can't manipulate or destroy evidence over time."
Eventually Ganghun nodded his head.
"Alright. Let's approach it carefully. Let's call him a character witness, not a suspect."
"Alright."
"And the questioning should be done by Prosecutor Cha."
"What? Why not you?"
"He'll give us more information if he’s relaxed. If Minho is the real criminal, wouldn't his guard be down if he was dealing with Prosecutor Cha instead of me?"
Again. The precision of the ace prosecutor!
"Yes, sir."
Jiyeon bowed her head to him.
So this was how the investigation would proceed…but somewhere in her heart she still felt uncomfortable.
Did Seo Minho really kill his brother?
She couldn't imagine such a thing.
.
.
As soon as she left the conference room, Jiyeon called her brother Ji-uk.
She hadn’t been able reach her brother's phone last night and she couldn’t now either.
Why would his phone be off for two days?
Jiyeon felt a mixture of anxiety and annoyance.
"What did you get involved in?"
She left him a message.
-Cha Dung! Why is your phone still off? Please call me as soon as you see this.
Since she was in elementary school, she called her by the nickname Cha Dung, and in turn her brother called her Jjengi.
He hadn't called her that since she became a prosecutor.
As she walked down the hall and Detective So came up to her and gave her a thumbs up.
"Wow, Prosecutor Cha, that was great."
"Hm?"
"You were like an expert detective. How did you find that picture?"
"It was just an internet search. Oh, by the way, I have a favor to ask."
"Anything!"
"It's a personal matter, but I think you'll handle it easily."
"Tell me."
"My brother's phone has been turned off for two days. I was in a hurry the night before and I couldn't call him. It's strange for someone like him keep it off. I'm worried…"
"Give me his name and number. I'll look up where he is today."
"Thank you!"
.
.
As soon as she returned to her seat, Jiyeon went on her cell phone again
She went over the information regarding President Seo Minho.
She would have inform him to come to the office for a witness interview, but she couldn't call him directly and had to go through his secretary.
She told the secretary she had a personal history with Seo Minho and she thought it would be more convenient if she used his personal number.
He had a motive for murder, and was a possible suspect.
She'd better draw the boundary line from the beginning.
After Jiyeon informed the secretary of her purpose, Seo Minho called her on his personal cell phone.
"You must have called my secretary if you have this number."
"I'm calling because of official business."
"And what business do you have for me?"
"I'd like to interview you for information regarding this case. Can you come to the prosecutors' office?"
"Well…yes and no."
"What?"
"I'll give you my statement. But going the the prosecutors' office is troublesome."
"Ah…it will only be brief."
"I don't want to."
No? Haaa…
"Alright. Where should we meet?"
"When would be a good time?"
"I'll meet you at your convenience."
"Tonight?"
She sighed…she didn't imagine she would ever respond to this statement.
"Yes, that's fine. What location?"
"I'll send you a link on your phone."
A few minutes later, a message appeared.
"Damn crazy…"
She couldn't help but swear.
-Come to my club.
Should she go to a club she had never been to?