Outside the exhibition hall, Hong Seok approached one of the parked cars.
said Hong Seok, who saw a man standing next to the car.
"Who's on board?"
"Oh Jong-myung."
When the man said, Hong Seok looked at the car and said,
"Did you confiscate the belongings?"
"We've confiscated everything."
"Please call me in about five minutes."
When Hong Seok gave his number, the man entered the number on his cell phone.
Rump!
When I opened the door, Professor Oh Jong-myung was riding inside. Hong-seok sat next to Oh Jong-myung, who looked around him with his eyes full of tension and anxiety.
"It's a big deal."
"What?"
Oh Jong-myung, who was refuting with an embarrassed face, hurriedly said.
"I have nothing to do with this."
"Yes, I know it all. Seung-hwan said he has a reputation and a high profile in academia. He asked me to take good care of him because there might be some misunderstanding.”
Of course, Won didn't talk about Oh Jong-myung. But Oh Jong-myung's face, who didn't know it, was bright.
Hong Seok nodded at the sight. The hardest thing to do when interrogating was those who had nothing to do with it.
But if you have somewhere to lean on, you have hope. And that hope lightens the mind.
The lightness is the lightness of the mouth.
"Hmm... ...I'm not the kind of person to be treated like this.There's some misunderstanding...….”
"Yes, I know and understand. Professor Oh is guilty of nothing. Isn't it the fault of the man who made you do it?"
"No, that's a misunderstanding......I have nothing to do with this...….”
Oh Jong-myung, who was talking, was silent for a moment.
Hong-seok was still staring at him, and the gaze was cold.
Oh Jong-myeong hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
"I really...….”
"Mr. Oh Jong-myung."
"What?"
"It's very nice to proceed with the story when I say I'm a professor."
The sight of Hong Seok speaking informally to Oh Jong-myeong made his spine shudder.
"No... ...I've really been...….”
"What is this job?"
"The fake one of the cultural assets...….”
Hong-seok opened his mouth as he looked at Oh Jong-myung with a crawling voice.
"I've secured testimony that you ordered, and you're going to keep coming out this uncooperative?”
"No, who!"
Oh Jong-myung, who was about to scream, hurriedly lowered his voice. When he shouted, Hong-seok stared at him.
When innocent people go to the police station, they feel guilty and intimidated.
And that's the same in front of prosecutors. The police were scary, but the prosecutor was also fearful to the general public.
However, Hong Seok is not a rank-and-file prosecutor, but a former prosecutor.
Although he is now a human rights lawyer, he was a mouse in front of Hong Seok, from murderers to gangsters.
As Hong-seok was determined and looked serious, he could not afford to be a scholar who had studied archaeology for his entire life.
Looking at Oh Jong-myung, Hong-seok opened his mouth.
"There are three men who have done bad things."
"What?"
At Oh Jong-myung's question, Hong Seok raised three fingers.
"The one who planned and directed and led bad things, the one who worked under the direction of the bad guy, the one who knew it was bad, but was forced to follow. Which of these three do you think is the worst?”
"You're the one who led...….”
Argh!
Hong-seok, who bounced his finger, nodded.
"Answer!"
"Thank you."
"Then which of these three do you think is the biggest sentence?”
"The one who led that, too?"
"Answer!"
"Then who's the lowest sentence?"
"The one who had no choice but to imitate?"
"Answer for sure!"
Then Hong Seok saw Oh Jong Myung.
"Choose."
"What do you mean?"
"You're going to be a leading man? You're gonna be the one who's gonna do the low sentence?”
"No, I really...….”
Hong-seok kicked his tongue at Oh Jong-myung's horse.
"Whew!"
Then Hong-seok, who was watching Oh Jong-myung for a while, opened his mouth.
"The evidence and testimony have already been secured, Oh Jong-myung, there's no way you can get out of it.”
Hong-seok continued, keeping an eye on Oh Jong-myung's eyes.
"Everyone who's already worked with you is being interrogated. What do you think will happen if they point you out?”
"Me? Why me?"
"Unless you're stupid, would you say I've led and committed everything? You have to somehow turn your sins over to others, and your sentence will be lowered."
Hong Seok continued to say, looking at Oh Jong-myung, who was rolling his eyes around and thinking.
"I'm doing this to make it as convenient as possible because Seung-hwan has a favor to ask. So... ...I'm trying to make you the one who was forced to follow, not the one who led you....why don't you know my mind? Professor Oh, if you really come out like this, I can't help you more even if you ask me a favor.”
"Thank you."
At the sight of Oh Jong-myung rolling his eyes, Hong-seok looked at him without saying a word. Unless Oh Jong-myung was stupid, he was now thinking about what to do to his advantage.
"I'm going to have to think......everything from place to place.’
Most of the excuses of the numerous criminals I saw when I was a prosecutor were similar.
Oh Jong-myung will not get out of it either. But Hong Seok gave him plenty of time to think.
Instead of waiting for the thought of Oh Jong-myung to end, Hong Seok also had something to wait for.
That's... ...
Ring! Ring!
I was waiting for the cell phone to ring.
At the ringtone, Hong-seok slowly took his cell phone out of his pocket and answered the phone.
And Hong Seok pressed the volume button with one hand to reduce the sound as much as possible.
[Five minutes.]
Hong-seok quickly spoke on the phone call from an investigator who was supposed to call in five minutes later.
"Prosecutor Park. So, what happened to you? I don't think Oh Jong-myung is the main culprit...….”
[Sorry?]
"Yes, Professor Oh doesn't look like a man to do such a thing."
Oh Jong-myung nodded unconsciously at Hong-seok's words. Hong Seok nodded as if he knew it and continued the call.
"What? He made you do it? What's he saying? Oh Jong-myung made you do it, so you couldn't help it? Did he threaten you?"
When Hong-seok saw Oh Jong-myung while talking, he shouted in surprise.
"No! Not me! Who's lying to you like that?”
At Oh Jong-myung's yell, Hong Seok hurriedly pretended to cover his cell phone with his hands and said,
"He says you. Isn't that you?"
"It's not me. Mr. Prosecutor, please trust me. Who says that? It's really not me. What kind of man is he? Some guy lies like that!"
"With those glasses on...….”
Hong Seok did not say his name. You shouldn't make a mistake by saying a name that might not be with Oh Jong-myung.
Instead, he spoke vaguely, saying, "I wear glasses." Most of the people in the exhibition hall were wearing glasses.
And... ...
"Jang Hyun-soo, you piece of shit!"
Oh Jong-myung, who shouted as if he knew who it was, said again.
"No, I didn't seduce Jang Hyun-soo, he seduced me. I didn't want to do it, but Jang Hyun-soo said it wasn't difficult, he said he'd take care of it if he changed the numbers a little!"
When Oh Jong-myung began to blow, Hong-seok's eyes crept up.
"Right. I don't think Professor Oh would have done this. I have an eye for people.”
"Thank you very much."
Hong Seok spoke to Oh Jong-myung on his cell phone.
"I think the guy named Jang Hyun-soo is the main culprit.”
[I've heard about this. I'll pass it on.]
"Let's do that. And I think I'll have to squeeze him harder. How dare you accuse an innocent man of such a lie? Thank you."
[Okay.]
Hong-seok, who finished the call with that, saw Oh Jong-myung.
"Then to sum up the story...... Professor Jang Hyun-soo is the main culprit."
The story began to flow out of Oh Jong-myeong's mouth when Hong Seok said.
"That's what happened.... Jang Hyun-soo is a very bad guy."
"So this bad guy has attracted Professor Oh Jong-myung, Professor Kim Hyung-soo, and Professor Kang Bok-sung.”
"Yes."
"And you got a billion cash."
"My son has to get married, but I don't have the money to give him a house....I'm sorry."
"No. Why is Professor Oh to blame? It's the problem of house prices in our country. That's a big deal. I don't even have my own ground to put a needle in....and the support of grown-up children, Professor Oh is suffering."
"Yes."
Hong Seok handled Oh Jong-myung skillfully and could hear a confession-like complaint from him.
"How did you know that, Jang Hyun-soo? He's lending me money to spend it for now. And then, well, that's the excuse...….”
When Hong Seok was trying to extract a confession like Oh Jong-myung's complaint, Jong-seok was camped out inside the exhibition hall.
"Was he involved in the cultural asset leak?"
Jong-seok held the wrists of two people with both hands.
"No."
Jong-seok nodded as he looked at the vice minister as the two shook their heads.
In that gaze the Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism nodded and let those who were nodding back.
The ministry and foreign ministry officials involved in the incident have all completed inspections.
And Jong-seok could check five more of them.
Twelve "life divisions," and five more through the vein.
"You're seventeen."
Kang Chul-jae was fed up with what the principal said when he saw five people being dragged out by people.
"It's everywhere, but...... it breaks my heart whenever I see it."
"What is it?"
"To go the way that you shouldn't go for your own good."
When Kang Chul-jae's words saw grown-ups going outside, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vice Foreign Minister approached.
"Thank you for your help today."
"No."
"And I'm sorry, but...... please keep it secure until this is done."
The principal opened his mouth at the vice minister's words.
"We're old enough to know how heavy and sharp our tongues are....I can distinguish between what I should say and what I shouldn'm not supposed to say. I think we should take good care of other people's mouths."
"That's right. Besides, this is not the end of the work."
"Yes, it's important to catch the thief, but more importantly, to find the stolen goods.”
The vice foreign minister nodded at the elderly's words.
"That's right. Then please."
Then the vice minister saw Jong-seok.
"I'm sorry, but can you help me a little more?"
"Of course."
"Director Kang Seung-yoon."
Kang Seung-yoon, who had been absent-minded, rushed to the call of the vice minister.
"Yes."
Kang Seung-yoon's face was stiff, and his hands were rubbing against his trousers as if they were at a loss.
I had no choice but to. The museum director didn't know that the cultural assets on display were fake.
But the vice minister's call for him was not intended to be reprimanded. No, I'll reprimand him, but at least not here.
"Please show me around the exhibition hall."
"Ah...... I see. This way, please.”
The principal shook his head at the vice minister's remark.
"The atmosphere is chaotic, and we're going to get going."
"But you're here anyway...….”
"There are some tickets that Seung-hwan gave me, so I'll come and see them when they officially open next time."
"Then do it. Next time, I'll treat you to a formal meal."
The principal, who greeted him like that, saw his friends.
"Yongsan is close, so let's break up there after a glass of soju."
"There is a famous yukgaejang restaurant in Yongsan. Why don't we have some beef and soju there?"
"That's fine.”
"Drinking in broad daylight...... after a long time, that sounds good."
Kang Chul-jae saw Cha In-beom and Won Seung-hwan as his friends nodded.
"You guys need to clean up here.”
"You'll be surprised and embarrassed, so be comforted."
"If you drink soju, you'll be inclined, so call me when you're done with your work."
"Let's do that."
Jong-seok, who was following the adults out to see them off, could see Hong-seok talking to men in suits outside.
"Why are you guys coming out?"
Asked by Hong Seok, said Kang Chul-jae.
"The atmosphere is chaotic...... we're going to drink soju in Yongsan."
"It's not even lunchtime yet, but are you already going to soju?"
"What time does it take to drink soju? If there's someone to eat with, we eat. When you're done here, follow me."
And as Kang Chul-jae waved his hands carelessly, the adults followed behind him.
Jong-seok followed him, saw him off, and returned to Hong-seok.
"It's important to clean up the remnants, but you know that the recovery of cultural assets is more important, right?”
"Head of the District Prosecutors' Office, I have 20 years of experience now. Don't worry. Leave it to me."
"Yes, how can you take care of it says.
"By the way, I'm honored to have done the same thing with you."
"Thank you for doing me a favor from the retired old man.”
"Thank you."
Jong-seok approached Hong-seok, who was talking to a middle-aged man who smiled and bowed his head.
"How'd it go?”
At Jong-seok's horse, Hong-seok saw cars still standing on one side.
"There were a lot of people who were more naive than I thought."
"Soonjin?"
"The bad guys deny they're not, the worse ones use the right to remain silent, but they've made their own confession."
"So you've got it all?"
"It's just the beginning. There's someone else who designed this job, so we have to catch him to finish it."
Then Hongseok saw Jongseok.
"I think I should go to the prosecutors' office."
"Shall I follow you?"
"They've already confessed. No, I'm rather impatient."
Once you start blowing, you're all blowing on your own.
"Head of the District Prosecutors' Office!"
When Hong-seok saw what a middle-aged man called him, he said to Jong-seok.
"It was easy to work because Mr. Lee picked them up at once."
Then Hong Seok hurried into the car and Jongseok went into the exhibition hall after a while.
[Special note: Some of the cultural assets taken back from China have been turned into fake goods and the original has been sold overseas. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have arrested the criminals involved in the incident through a joint investigation with the prosecution, after finding out how the genuine article was turned into a fake in China before entering Korea.
The prosecution is investigating Chinese officials involved in the incident through a request for cooperation from China and is taking steps to retrieve cultural assets sold abroad.