Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 174

“Ha...”

Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, Investigation Room.

Park Gyu-min sat there, looking like the world had collapsed on him.

“Ha...”

All he could do was sigh.

His luck was absolute shit.

White Gold’s junket room had never been busted before.

Why the hell did they get raided today, of all days?

He was frustrated.

If things weren’t meant to go well, then this was the worst-case scenario.

‘At least... I wasn’t the only one who got caught.’

That was one small relief.

When he glanced around earlier, he had seen actors, singers, athletes—a whole mix of celebrities rounded up along with him.

So even if the media got hold of the guest list, he was sure that the spotlight wouldn’t be on him.

As long as he played his cards right with the Association President, he might even get away with just internal disciplinary action.

At that moment, the prosecutor who led the raid walked into his investigation room.

Kim Seung-hwan.

However, Park Gyu-min had no idea who he was.

At first, he considered calling up some of his connections in the prosecution office, but he decided against it.

For now, he wanted to observe the situation before making a move.

‘No need to panic and humiliate myself prematurely.’

In the past, he would have immediately shouted, Do you even know who I am?!

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

But that was the old Park Gyu-min.

The current him was different.

Because after dealing with An Su-ho, he had learned the hard way.

That there were monsters in this world—people who didn’t give a damn about political titles or four-term assemblyman backgrounds.

He had already been torn apart once, and that experience had humbled him.

Kim Seung-hwan sat across from him and spoke.

“Mr. Park Gyu-min?”

“Yes.”

“You’re the Vice President of the Grand Hunter Association, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

"Hmm."

Kim Seung-hwan flipped through the documents in front of him, then scratched his temple with his index finger.

Seeing that, Park Gyu-min narrowed his eyes.

Something felt off.

This guy... had the same dangerous energy as An Su-ho.

It wasn’t normal.

Normally, when a prosecutor of his age saw someone with his political background, they would immediately act with respect and caution.

But this man wasn’t acting like that at all.

After scratching his temple, Kim Seung-hwan muttered,

“This really doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“You’re aware that White Gold is run by Gangnam’s Baek-geum Faction, correct?”

At that, Park Gyu-min paused for a moment before shaking his head.

“Is that so? I had no idea. I was just invited to the event.”

“An invitation, huh? Who invited you?”

Park Gyu-min hesitated.

If he dragged Son Baek-geum down with him, that bastard wouldn’t take it quietly.

After some thought, he said,

“...I think I’ll speak with my lawyer from this point on.”

“A lawyer, huh?”

Hearing that, Kim Seung-hwan chuckled, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Park Gyu-min just watched him silently.

Kim Seung-hwan then spoke.

“Vice President.”

“Yes.”

“I know you’re a big deal—a former four-term assemblyman. But let’s be honest. You’re not the kind of guy who plays in junket rooms where a single chip costs at least 20 million won, are you?”

20 million won per chip.

That was true.

When Son Baek-geum first invited him, he had been intimidated.

After all, he had lost all his money to Su-ho not long ago.

If Son Baek-geum hadn’t promised to cover his chips, he wouldn’t have come in the first place.

But even knowing that, hearing it phrased like this stung his pride.

His eyebrow twitched as he asked,

“...What exactly are you implying?”

“You know exactly what I’m implying, so why are you pretending otherwise? Come on—think about it.

Baek-geum Faction’s junket rooms are strictly membership-only, and billions of won flow through them in a single night.

And you, a Vice President—not a businessman, not a conglomerate heir—got invited to a luxury private club like White Gold?

It just doesn’t make sense.

So here’s my theory.”

Taking a deep drag of his cigarette, Kim Seung-hwan exhaled a cloud of smoke and continued.

“Baek-geum Faction wanted something from you.

So they set up a VIP gambling night to butter you up.”

“......?”

What the hell was he talking about?

A confused expression appeared on Park Gyu-min’s face.

Was this guy serious?

But Kim Seung-hwan’s face was dead serious.

“If that wasn’t the case, then why else would a completely broke man like you suddenly get invited to a high-roller gambling club?”

“Broke?! Watch your mouth.”

“Oh? Then tell me—did you gamble with your own money?

Because that place only deals in cash.

So where exactly did you get the money for your buy-in?”

“That’s...”

Shit.

What the hell was he supposed to say?

If he denied it, he’d look suspicious.

If he told the truth, he was screwed anyway.

A true no-win situation.

Kim Seung-hwan snuffed out his cigarette and said,

“I’ll get your lawyer for you.

But let me warn you—don’t think you’ll get away just because a bunch of celebrities got arrested too.

I’m not interested in them.

I’m interested in you.”

“...And why is that?”

“Because you stink.”

Kim Seung-hwan leaned forward.

“I don’t need evidence to be suspicious.

I just need my instincts.

And my instincts tell me you’re filthy.”

“...This is ridiculous.”

“What’s really ridiculous is you.

Come on, Vice President—do you really think I’m questioning you without any ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) basis at all?”

“...That’s exactly what it feels like.”

Kim Seung-hwan smirked.

Then he said,

“Shock Project.”

“......?”

“I assume you’re familiar with it?”

“......!”

Park Gyu-min’s eyes grew wider than they ever had before.

Seeing that reaction, Kim Seung-hwan smirked.

Meanwhile, Park Gyu-min’s heart began pounding like crazy.

Kim Seung-hwan casually pulled out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter, sliding them across the table towards him.

Then, he slowly stood up, buttoning his suit jacket as he spoke.

“Let’s be smart about this.

I’ll give you plenty of time to think.

We’ll talk again later.”

Without looking back, he walked out of the room.

As soon as Kim Seung-hwan left, Park Gyu-min sat in complete silence, his lips pressed tightly together as he stared at the cigarette pack left in front of him.

After a moment, he slowly picked one up, placed it between his lips, and lit it.

“Huuh...”

A long exhale of smoke vanished into the air.

Then, he muttered to himself.

“Shit... Nothing is fucking going my way...”

***

Outside the interrogation room, Kim Seung-hwan headed straight to the observation room next door.

From there, one could watch the interrogation through the one-way mirror.

Waiting inside was someone else.

An Su-ho.

As soon as Kim Seung-hwan entered, Su-ho greeted him with a smile.

“You did great. Your acting was top-notch.”

“That wasn’t acting. I was just being myself.”

“We call that method acting.”

Su-ho chuckled before continuing.

“Told you, didn’t I? The moment you mentioned ‘Shock Project,’ his expression would crumble.”

“Yeah... I just saw it firsthand.”

But despite his words, Kim Seung-hwan’s expression remained dark.

It was understandable.

Because before Su-ho told him, he hadn’t even known about Shock Project or the Reconstruction Cartel.

Or rather, he had vaguely heard rumors about these kinds of crimes.

The first time he met Su-ho, he had heard about Pi Seong-yeol and the corruption behind him.

But at the time, he assumed it was just isolated incidents—random acts of greed.

He never imagined that there was an entire cartel behind it, running a systematic project.

And that it was still ongoing.

So when he learned the full truth, Kim Seung-hwan felt an overwhelming anger like never before.

Meanwhile, Su-ho casually took a sip of the orange juice in front of him and said,

“With a bit more pressure, Park Gyu-min will start talking.

Since you brought up ‘Shock Project’ first, he’s probably already convinced that he’s about to become the scapegoat for everything.”

“You really think so?

If you ask me, he might be too scared of the cartel to spill anything.

Maybe he’d rather keep quiet and go down alone.”

“No way.

Park Gyu-min is a coward.

There’s no way in hell he’d take the fall alone.”

Su-ho smiled.

“I’ll handle it from here.

If I show up now, after you’ve interrogated him, he’ll be too scared to resist.

He’ll do whatever I say.”

“...Is he really that afraid of you?”

“Yes, for some reason.”

Su-ho grinned.

And for some reason, Kim Seung-hwan found that smile terrifying.

So he decided not to press further.

After watching Park Gyu-min through the one-way mirror for a moment, Kim Seung-hwan, without taking his eyes off him, asked,

“Can I ask one question?”

“You can ask two.”

“Why are you handling this so roundabout?”

“What do you mean?”

“You already know everything.

You already have all the evidence.

You could have just exposed it directly.

The public would be on your side, and no one could stop you.”

“Yeah, but then I’d become the target.”

“...The target?”

Su-ho leaned back.

“You already know how big the cartel is.

The best way to deal with scumbags like them is to let them tear each other apart.

I could handle the backlash, sure.

But I have other things to do, you know?”

“...That’s enough of an answer.”

Su-ho stared through the one-way mirror, his expression calm and composed.

Kim Seung-hwan watched him for a moment before shifting his gaze back to Park Gyu-min.

And suddenly, he realized something.

Su-ho wasn’t just looking at one tree.

He was looking at an entire forest beyond it.

‘He doesn’t even see Reconstruction Gate as a main event.

To him, it’s just one part of his bigger plan.’

A chilling thought.

This case alone was big enough to shake the nation—a case that would go down in history.

And yet, Su-ho treated it as nothing more than a stepping stone.

A means to an end.

Kim Seung-hwan gulped without realizing it.

For the first time, he wondered...

Maybe this man sitting next to him was the most terrifying person in the entire country.

‘...Just do my job.

As long as I just do my job...’

That way, Su-ho would never become his enemy.

Glancing at his watch, Kim Seung-hwan spoke.

“It’s about time. I’ll head back in.”

“No, I will.”

“...You?”

“If you interrogate him, he’ll try to negotiate and waste time.

I’ll end this in one shot.”

“Ah...”

That was the plan all along.

If he had gone in first, it would have been too obvious.

But now—after everything that had happened—there would be no room for doubt.

Su-ho drank the last of his orange juice, then pressed the stop button on the recording system before standing up.

“Could you step out for a moment?”

Kim Seung-hwan nodded and left the room first.

The moment he stepped out, Su-ho entered the interrogation room.

As the door opened, Park Gyu-min’s gaze shifted towards it.

And the moment he saw who walked in—

“Ah, ah...!”

A strangled noise escaped his throat.

He shot up from his seat, unable to stop himself.

Su-ho, loosening his watch strap, spoke.

“Vice President.”

“Ah, An Hunter! T-This is all a misunderstanding! I can explain—!”

“I told you to stay out of trouble, didn’t I?”

“Ah, no! That’s not it! Listen, I—!”

Su-ho calmly placed his watch on the table.