Ranker’s Return

Only two people existed in the dimly lit space—the man standing in the black suit, Kim Junsik, and the man sitting in the chair opposite him, Jung Cheolho. 

Kim Junsik bowed toward Jung Cheolho. “Hello, Jung Cheolho-ssi. I am Kim Junsik from the anti-corruption department of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office. Congratulations on being called back within a few hours.” 

Jung Cheolho’s expression stiffened as he faced Kim Junsik, who was talking playfully in front of him. He couldn’t understand why he had been called back here. 

‘Why am I called back to the prosecution?’ 

Clearly Park Gangcheol had used his power to end this... 

Yet somehow, he was called back to the prosecutor’s office and sat in the investigation room. 

‘It is definitely an arrest this time...’ 

This morning, it was just a summons to the prosecutor’s office. Now it was definitely an arrest warrant. 

“Jung Cheolho-ssi? Are you listening to me? It is a problem if you are this uncooperative.” 

Kim Junsik frowned at Jung Cheolho who was staring blankly at the desk. 

“No, keep talking, Prosecutor Kim Junsik.” 

Jung Cheolho raised his head when he heard Kim Junsik calling him. 

“Before I start the investigation, let me ask you one thing. Have you hired a lawyer?”

“No, I haven’t appointed a lawyer. It was so sudden that I can’t call one.”

“Ah, is that so? Would you like to have a lawyer now?”

Jung Cheolho pondered for a moment on Kim Junsik’s words. Then he soon shook his head. He made the decision that he didn’t need to have a lawyer now.

‘In any case, it is meaningless to hire a lawyer before meeting Park Gangcheol.’

Additionally, the legal team of Geumgang Investment Finance would move on its own even if he didn’t call them.

“If you don’t need one... can I just start the investigation?” 

“Yes, I will do my best to cooperate with the investigation.” 

Kim Junsik smiled when he heard Jung Cheolho’s answer. 

‘Will he still be able to act like this after a while?’ 

Kim Junsik was excited about the scene that would occur later. 

‘In order to enjoy it, I need to work hard now.’ 

“Then I will start. The suspect is the vice president of Damsu Construction. One day, you suddenly became the director of Geumgang Investment Finance. Can you briefly explain the process?” 

“Damsu Construction went bankrupt, so I moved to another company. There is nothing else.” 

“Does the suspect think the explanation makes sense?” 

“Yes, I think so,” Jung Cheolho firmly replied to Kim Junsik’s question.

Kim Junsik started to raise his voice to such a Jung Cheolho, “Geumgang Investment Finance is a huge conglomerate. Why would they scout the vice-president of a mid-sized company? Doesn it make sense at all? Are you living in your own world? Aren’t you too overconfident about yourself?”

Despite Kim Junsik’s attitude, Jung Cheolho repeated the same thing like a parrot, “I don’t know that. I just received the scouting offer from Geumgang Investment Finance and accepted it.” 

“Okay, let’s move on. What is your role in Geumgang Investment Finance?” 

Kim Junsik smiled and changed the question. There was no need to get angry. All of this was just a performance. 

‘The result is already determined.’ 

Even Jung Cheolho’s sentencing had already been set. Maybe there was even a fixed date for his prison release. 

‘It depends on those above...’

Kim Junsik was merely the leading actor of this play and not its director, so he didn’t know the detailed ending. He only knew the general picture. 

‘It is fun to pretend I don’t know anything and keep watching.’ 

Jung Cheolho didn’t know Kim Junsik’s heart and gave out prepared answers while waiting for Park Gangcheol, whom he didn’t know when would come. 

“My job was to set the direction of the investment. My job is to analyze which companies will invest huge amounts of money.” 

“Then you often have meetings, right? It is with people from outside companies, or... investors who have deposited large amounts of money in Geumgang Investment Finance.” 

“It isn’t my job, but I sometimes had meetings like that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to survive in such a large company.” 

Kim Junsik smiled and asked another question. Even if this was a race with a predetermined result, there was still a certain course and Kim Junsik was obliged to run along the route.

“I see... so, do you remember the investors you met with?” 

“I can’t tell you that because it is confidential. It is an issue related to the privacy of the investors. If we lose their trust, no investor will invest money in Geumgang Investment Finance,” Jung Cheolho replied with an expression like Kim Junsik didn’t know this.

Kim Junsik glanced at Jung Cheolho.“Really? Do you know these names? Kim Jindong, Park Yongtae, Hong Sangman, Na Yeongrim, Choi Joun, Jung Chando, and Gu Hyeongang.”

Jung Cheolho’s expression stiffened as Kim Junsik recited names. The names that came from Kim Junsik’s mouth were former and current lawmakers, all of whom had entrusted a large amount of slush funds to Geumgang Investment Finance. 

“I don’t know...”

The moment Jung Cheolho shook his head and tried to answer Kim Junsik’s question, the door to the investigation room opened.

“Who can arrest a suspect at will? Huh?” A man came through the door while shouting. Then the man abruptly stopped when he saw Kim Junsik staring at him. 

“Oh my, isn’t this Third Deputy Chief Park Gangcheol? What brings you here?” Kim Junsik gently greeted Park Gangcheol. 

“Why did Kim Junsik of the anti-corruption department come here? This is the Seoul District Prosecutor’s Office, not the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office.” 

“Let’s see... why did I come?” 

Kim Junsik, who moved behind Jung Cheolho, made a strange expression and abruptly slammed his hand against the desk in the interrogation room. 

Bang!

Both Jung Cheolho and Park Gangcheol were upset by Kim Junsik’s sudden behavior. 

Kim Junsik smiled at the two men. 

“There is a strange rumor, so I came directly. It is said that Jung Cheolho, director of Geumgang Investment Finance, deliberately caused the bankruptcy of Damsu Construction... there is a rumor that a prosecutor was transferred to a province while investigating the incident... doesn’t that mean that someone high in the prosecution has become his backer? As the head of the anti-corruption department, I have to figure out the truth. Isn’t that right, Third Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District, Park Gangcheol?”

Park Gangcheol paled when he heard Kim Junsik speak. Things had become twisted in a worse way than he thought. 

Kim Junsik drove the wedge into Park Gangcheol. “The Prosecutor General is very offended by such rumors. It isn’t something that happened during his term in office, but rumors about collusion between the prosecution and a company... how could he feel good?”

Kim Junsik mentioned the prosecutor general and oppressed Park Gangcheol.

“Um... Prosecutor Kim Hyeongon went on vacation and I came here because I heard someone was going in and out of Prosecutor Kim’s office. Please work hard as you have been doing. It is nothing, so I’ll leave first,” Park Gangcheol spoke nonsense and exited the investigation room.

Jung Cheolho’s expression was very stiff when he saw Park Gangcheol’s actions.

“Then I will ask again. You really don’t know these names?”

Kim Junsik started to question Jung Cheolho again.

***

‘Phew, I was almost late.’

Hyeonu hurriedly pressed the button to close the elevator door several times.

‘I feel very good.’

The time calculation was a miss. Hyeonu wasn’t sure of how much time he spent moving. Then he suddenly remembered to check the time in reality and found it was time to leave the hotel immediately. 

‘If I hadn’t left like that at the end, I would’ve been late for the competition.’

Hyeonu intentionally went out forcefully. He created an excuse to escape. Otherwise, he would’ve kept being caught and wasted time. 

“You are the last one to come today.” 

In the makeup room, Kale greeted Hyeonu. There were no other players. Only the hair stylist and Kale were left. 

“What about the others? Have they already departed?” 

Hyeonu took out his smartphone and checked the time. 

‘It isn’t time to leave yet.’ 

Time was running out, but he wasn’t late. If he prepared quickly, then he could start as usual. 

“The players have returned to their respective rooms. They seem to be preparing something. After all, it is the last day.”

The Crescent Moon players finished their preparations even quicker than the past few days and had already returned to their rooms to get their things. The reason they went back was due to the fan meeting scheduled after Arena Week ended today. 

Fan meetings had been held several times in South Korea, but a fan meeting in the United States had a different type of tension. It was a fan meeting in the US that might happen only once in a lifetime, so they prepared carefully. 

“Ah, it seems so. The fan meeting. Everyone has brought many things... I didn’t pack anything.”

Hyeonu scratched his head. He was only told there was a fan meeting after arriving in the United States. He had been busy in many ways in South Korea, so things went in one ear and out the other.

“Mister Gang can just go. Originally, isn’t a fan meeting to meet with fans and receive gifts?” Kale laughed at Hyeonu. It was an unnecessary worry. Most of the fans gathered at Hyeonu’s fan meeting today would be satisfied just seeing Hyeonu’s face. 

“Or how about you sing a song? Dancing is also good.”

Hyeonu heard Kale’s words and momentarily thought about it.

‘I’m sure everyone has prepared something... I don’t like being the only one without anything.’

“I will think about it. Let’s look at the atmosphere.”

As Hyeonu and Kale were talking, the hair stylist approached and dragged Hyeonu to a chair.

“Why don’t you talk once I’ve finished doing your hair? Won’t you be late if it drags out like this?” 

Hyeonu sat down in the chair with an embarrassed expression. 

“What style do you want today? A neat one? Gentlemanly? Manly? Sexy?” 

“Anything is fine as long as it isn’t the last one.”

“Really? Then I’ll take care of it. I will wash your hair first. I can’t do anything when there is sweat.”

The hair stylist raised Hyeonu again and led him to a chair where his hair could be washed.

“There is a fan meeting today, so he should look good... please do your best,” Kale said while watching from the back. 

This only lasted a short time. Kale disappeared outside when his smartphone vibrated. “Yes, hello.”

-Kale? It’s me, Jamie.

The person who called Kale was Jamie Moore, the CEO of Nike Management.

“Yes, Boss. Please speak. What is going on?”

-That money ghost has caused a big incident, Kale. I think we need to prepare something as well.

“Incident? What type of incident did that person make, Boss?”

Kale cocked his head at Jamie Moore’s words that were spoken without any context.

-I don’t know what he did, but he acted against Locke’s father by moving the Korean prosecutors. Locke's father was arrested hours after the prosecution’s summons.

“Huh? Arrested?” Kale repeated it like he couldn’t believe it.

-Yes, arrested. It is already noisy in South Korea. The news will soon spread to the scene. The story will be led in a direction we don’t know unless we know the details of the situation...

“I will speak with Mister Gang. Consulting with the party involved is important.”

-That is what I wanted to say. Please take care of it, Kale.

The call ended with Jamie Moore’s request.

‘Mister Gang will know the news...’

No matter what Jamie Moore said, he eventually had to talk to Hyeonu, the party involved in this matter.

‘We have to talk about it.’ 

Locke/Jung Hanbaek was Hyeonu’s personal matter. It was obviously impolite to bring it up where there were other players or people. 

‘I will ask him in the elevator.’

Additionally, the time when traveling in the vehicle. These were the only two times when Kale could talk with Hyeonu. There was no other time. People’s eyes always followed them and there were listening ears everywhere.

‘I hope things go well...’

Kale prayed briefly before returning to the room where Hyeonu was.