“Stop pretending to be sick and get up already, you gangster brat. Where do you think you are, sitting down while the prosecutor is visiting a suspect’s room! When I was a rookie detective, whenever the young prosecutors appeared, it was automatic to bow. Damn! You think the world’s gotten softer!”
Park Dong-seok’s damn voice was truly disgusting.
Ever since the first day I met the older detective, he has been treating me as less than human—more like a dog.
And that guy is a prosecutor?
Looking like some sort of parasitic leech, calling himself a prosecutor—what nonsense.
Even in this hot weather, wearing a black suit and even round glasses—he was obviously not to my liking.
Anyway, it was clear just by looking: this guy came after receiving orders from Hong Jang-hyuk.
In the local legal community, that made him a senior.
He would buy them drinks, throw them petty cash, and maintain such relationships—seeing that be presented so purely was honestly bizarre.
“A warrant?”
With saliva flicking from their mouths, Park Dong-seok and Prosecutor Kang Gyeong-jun froze when I confidently mentioned the warrant.
“Hey, warrant? Has this runt lost his mind?”
Park Dong-seok panicked.
Shaking? You’re finished today.
“May I see your ID?”
“Heh. The kid’s got nerve now. Show him your investigator ID, Detective Kim.”
“Ayo! You little bastard, who do you think you are to yap like that in front of the prosecutor! Want to taste real brain stew?”
At the prosecutor’s command, a man called Investigator Kim—who knew perfectly well about my condition requiring absolute stability—still raised his hand as if to hit me.
“Look closely, brat. This is Investigator Kim Dong-sik from the Prosecution Service.”
Kim Dong-sik pulled out his ID from his inner pocket and showed it.
Along with the photo, the words “Prosecution Service” were clearly visible.
To me, this level of intimidation was nothing new.
A textbook-grade corrupt public servant.
“ID checked. And the warrant?”
I pressed once again for the warrant.
“Hah, you little punk? Do you even know what a warrant is?”
Kim Dong-sik looked at me with a dumb expression.
Then shall I explain?
I’m a former civil service exam student!
“The Constitution of the Republic of Korea guarantees the basic rights of the people, and therefore stipulates that any arrest, detention, or search of a person or property must be carried out only under a warrant issued by a judge! It is clearly stated in Articles 12 and 16 of the Constitution. Am I not being clear enough? Then shall I recite Articles 12 and 16 in full?”
“…….”
Suddenly, silence filled the room.
“A warrant is divided into two types: a permit warrant issued upon the prosecutor’s request, and a command warrant issued by a judge without the prosecutor’s request. Under the Criminal Procedure Act, arrest warrants, detention warrants, search-and-seizure warrants, and the supervision warrants under the Social Protection Act—all these belong to permit warrants. Meanwhile, subpoenas, summons, detention orders, deportation orders, and outside-of-court search-and-seizure warrants issued by the court, as well as inspection warrants and physical verification warrants, and accompanying warrants under the Juvenile Act issued by juvenile judges—all of these belong to command warrants. Do you require further explanation?”
“…….”
A second wave of silence fell.
All three of them stared at me with astonished expressions.
Looks like they picked the wrong target.
You guys are finished today. Be miserable.
“Why are you oppressing me, an utterly powerless victim? Even though this hospital room is obviously my personal living space! Is it normal for a Korean high school student to memorize these procedures instead of math formulas or English vocabulary just to survive in this society? Prosecutor Kang Gyeong-jun! Prosecutors are supposed to be smarter—you know this, right? What I’m receiving right now is illegal coercion, an abuse of power! Even if I’m just a high school student, with no attorney by my side, how dare you barge in like this! Aren’t prosecutors supposed to protect the weak!”
My trembling voice echoed through the hospital room.
Oh! I put a bit of internal power into it—the effect was great.
Even the nurses outside must have heard it.
And I was certain they would act as witnesses.
Thinking about it, I feel like I’m getting more vicious.
The things I learned in the past were finally being used properly.
This is why a long life is never wasted.
“Puhahahahahahahahahahaha.”
Suddenly, Prosecutor Kang Gyeong-jun burst into insane laughter.
Thud.
And he stopped laughing instantly.
His eyes twitched.
That bastard. He reeks of psychopath.
“Weak? You little bastard? Don’t bark like a dog. I hate punks like you the most. You don’t know anything and still run your mouth!!! How dare you wave the law in front of me and whine! I’ll make sure you’re locked up and eating prison beans! You gangster brat!”
No, seriously, I couldn’t believe a prosecutor like this actually existed in the world.
I thought he would try to pressure me properly with legal articles, but this bastard brought in a dog.
Wow! … I’m speechless.
“Are you thinking of forcibly detaining me?”
“Detective Kim, request this bastard’s detention warrant! He’s acting up like this, so brain stew is perfect! Contact the office immediately! I also already called the court, so it will be issued any moment.”
“Yes! Prosecutor!”
Oh? So even the court conversation is already done?
I suddenly felt the terrifying weight of the connection that reached all the way to the judge in charge of warrants.
What would have happened if I had no money?
Just because Hong Seong-hyeon made one call and stirred things up a little, all the urban power of the city moved at once.
It was something that could only be described as monstrous.
“Heh heh heh. You’re done. Brat. What kind of little punk dares to bark in front of the prosecutor. Damn!”
Detective Park Dong-seok lifted the corner of his lips and burst into laughter.
Tch.
Without realizing it, the corner of my own mouth twitched upward.
“You’re truly rotten to the core. A detective, a prosecutor, a prosecution employee—now a judge? Wow…… this country really does run on connections. Hahaha, hahahahahahaha.”
Prosecutor Kang, annoyed, left the hospital room.
I finally recognized that the world was this rotten.
The factional corruption that President Jo Geun-young and his associates had used to shake the Republic of Korea had been fully formed long before.
I remembered 2020.
Even if the economy was bad, society was not officially this rotten.
“Shut up, brat! Where do you think you’re threatening me from! You gangster brat, get your act together!”
Prosecutor Kang Gyeong-jun stormed toward me, raising his hand.
Should I kick him?
I hesitated briefly.
If I decided to, I could easily create a murder situation.
But…… just then!
Drrrrrk!
The door slammed open.
“W-what do you think you’re doing to a patient!!!”
The doctor who saw me earlier in the emergency room rushed in and blocked the front.
He was only a resident, but he was brave.
“Step aside! Don’t you see we’re in the middle of official duty!”
“Get out immediately! I’m going to report this to the police! Hurry!”
“Report to the police? Doctor, please. You’re just a resident—stay quiet. This gangster brat is under suspicion of a crime and could flee, so we requested a detention warrant!”
Prosecutor Kang’s eyes rolled sideways.
He looked like a drug dealer pretending to be a prosecutor.
Ridiculous.
No one in the room realized that everything was being recorded vividly.
“No! Whoever the person is, once they’re in the hospital, the doctor is responsible! How can you touch him like this!”
Doctor, I’m touched!
You are the light of the world.
“Aagh!”
At that moment, I grabbed my head and screamed.
It was time to start acting again.
I reversed the flow of my internal energy slightly.
One wrong move could seriously injure me, so I remained cautious.
But immediately my face reddened and my vision blurred.
“W-what’s wrong. Taesan, get a hold of yourself! Nurse! Nurse! Prepare for shock treatment!”
My acting skills were about to hit the peak today.
Everyone, including the doctor, fell into panic.
Hehuhu, perfect.
Now for the final entrance~
“Kang Gyeong-jun!”
Attorney Jo Yun-tae, who had been on standby in the restroom, came out and shouted Kang’s name loudly enough to blow up the hospital room.
“Gasp!”
Kang Gyeong-jun flinched in terror.
Smackaaaaaack!!!
Attorney Jo Yun-tae swung his hand wide and slapped Kang Gyeong-jun on the ear.
Kwa-da-da-dang.
With how much force he used, Kang Gyeong-jun flew across the floor.
“Ch-chief Jo!”
Kim Dong-sik, the investigator, trembled like he had seen a reaper from hell as he stared at Attorney Jo.
Perfect timing.
“You bastards! You’re nothing but a gang of thugs!!!”
Attorney Jo roared like a lion.
Thwack!
Without hesitation, Attorney Jo Yun-tae’s knuckles smashed into the investigator’s face.
“Aaagh!”
The investigator couldn’t even resist and got beaten.
“You’re a disgrace to prosecutors!”
Puk! Puk! Puk!
And then, he stomped on the collapsed prosecutor Kang with his shoe, smashing him brutally.
Even I, watching through narrowed eyes, flinched in surprise.
Damn, that place really was a vicious organization.
“…….”
Even the doctor stopped the treatment and blankly stared at the unfolding situation.
Riiiiing.
Attorney Jo, his face flushed red, dialed a number somewhere.
– “Oh dear, senior. What’s going on? After you retired, we haven’t been able to reach you at all……”
“Hey! Go Yeong-chan! You bastard, didn’t I warn you to raise those kids properly?!”
– “S-senior, what are you suddenly talking abou—…….”
“You’re the one who sent that bastard Kang Gyeong-jun to the hospital, right? Hey! You rock-for-brains bastard! Is that what a branch chief is supposed to do?! You have nothing better to do than drag a prosecutor into some punk kids’ fight?! You bastard, do you want to die by my hand?!”
– “…….”
Attorney Jo’s cellphone was so damn good that the entire conversation echoed clearly through the hospital room.
A recently retired former deputy chief prosecutor of a provincial prosecutors’ office was verbally crushing a small branch’s chief prosecutor who had just taken the position.
Ah~ the world really was! Definitely a place worth living in again.
All because a little bit of money flowed in, this was exactly the kind of development that deserved a warm welcome.
Now it was time for me to slowly start moving again.
If I stopped here, my acting might get exposed.
“Aaaaargh! Aaaaaaagh!”
I grabbed my head and screamed at the top of my lungs, infusing it with joyous emotion.
So that everyone in the entire hospital would come watch.