Ch.155Chapter 155. The Full Story of the Incident (1)

The reaction to the press conference could truly be described as explosive.

By the time the conference ended, a staggering 500,000 people were watching the live broadcast, and the recorded video uploaded to the internet surpassed 10 million views in just one day.

Without this level of attention, it could have been a case that simply faded away.

The unidentified third party who killed Jinsoo’s daughter, drove his wife to suicide, and forged her will would have remained unknown, and the reinvestigation might never have begun.

But voices calling for an investigation into the military prosecution and military court, as well as a retrial for Jinsoo Kim, began spreading across social media.

This wasn’t a political operation designed to appeal to one particular faction.

That’s why people across political lines could unite in criticizing the Navy.

“Congressman, please fasten your seatbelt.”

“……”

Washington D.C.

A car was blocking the road toward the Capitol.

Conrad gritted his teeth as he stared at the black van.

His bodyguards were one by one drawing their guns and releasing the safety catches.

“Put those guns away.”

“Excuse me?”

Soon the van door opened, and a man in a suit stepped out.

Conrad breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized the face.

At least the situation wouldn’t turn violent.

As the man approached, the car door opened automatically.

The man climbed into the back seat with a sly smile.

“It’s been a while, Congressman.”

“I’d appreciate it if you’d move your car quickly.”

“Since you weren’t answering my calls, I had no choice. I’ll keep it brief, so let’s talk.”

“……”

He was a well-known lobbyist in the industry.

Though young, he was famous for running around handling multiple tasks simultaneously, so people often sought him out when they needed something done urgently.

It seemed someone quite desperate had hired him.

“You’re too late, I’m afraid.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“You’re here to talk about the call for a special investigation committee into Allison General Hospital and the Navy prosecution and courts, aren’t you?”

“W-well, yes…”

Amateur.

Conrad almost laughed seeing the sweat dripping down the man’s forehead.

“The Navy Alumni Association is expressing strong opposition. They’re asking you to reconsider for the sake of the Navy’s honor…”

“How much are they offering? Just tell me the conditions quickly.”

“Ah! Yes! They’re willing to pay $500,000 if you refrain from calling for an investigation for the next year, and an additional $500,000 if you announce that there were errors in what Juliane Stadtfeld presented at the press conference…”

“Juliane Kim.”

“I apologize. Juliane Kim. Yes, that’s right.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint. Please convey my regrets to Navy headquarters.”

“Pardon?”

Clunk.

The door opened again as Conrad coldly turned his head.

Though the lobbyist claimed the request came from the Navy Alumni Association, Conrad knew better.

It was obviously Navy headquarters slipping money through the alumni association.

It was good to see a young man working hard, but judging by his willingness to accept dirty money, he wouldn’t last long in this business.

“The, the conditions can be adjusted, the Navy says…”

“The Navy says?”

“The Navy Alumni Association says…”

“Move your car quickly. Otherwise, we might have to push it out of the way.”

“……”

Realizing there was no room for negotiation, the man closed his mouth.

He glanced around nervously and was about to exit the car.

“Hey!”

“Perhaps you’ll reconsider the conditions…”

“No, not that. You should distance yourself from this case. If you’re not careful, you might go down with the military.”

“Congressman, are you seriously planning to investigate the Navy?”

“Of course. It’s a fight I can’t lose, so why wouldn’t I?”

“Ah…”

“Are you going to move your car?”

“I-I’ll move it right away!”

The man, looking dumbfounded, stared blankly for a moment before rushing back to the van.

A common enemy that could be attacked regardless of political affiliation.

A quiet period with no other pressing issues.

And on top of that, all the capable hunting dogs gathered in the perfect situation.

It would be strange to lose.

-Statement Urging the Formation of a Special Investigation Committee into Allison General Hospital and the U.S. Navy Prosecution and Courts

Conrad glanced at the script in his hand and put it down again.

It was a script he had read and memorized many times.

Thanks to Juliane’s successful press conference, things had become easier now.

Once he proposed the formation of a special investigation committee, it would likely be approved within three days.

How many congressmen could the Navy buy with only $1 million in lobbying funds?

So the approval was essentially guaranteed.

“Tsk. Three days is too long.”

Three days.

For a closed organization like the Navy, that was plenty of time to destroy all potential evidence and witnesses.

The key would be how much could be salvaged from what remained after they burned everything…

It seemed likely that several people would suddenly die in the coming days.

“We’re running behind schedule. Should I speed up?”

“No. Drive slowly and defensively. It’s fine if we’re late.”

“Yes, sir.”

There was always the risk of an “unfortunate accident” if they rushed.

The van that had blocked their way moved aside, and Conrad’s car slowly drove toward the Capitol.

***

Tap.

A cute pair of slippers dropped at the airplane exit.

Cuss slipped her feet into them and scurried out of the plane to stand beside me.

“Hehehe. That was a fun trip.”

“Really? We didn’t do much.”

Travel time took up nearly 90 percent, and we only spent 10 percent at the North Pole, not the South Pole.

We didn’t even get to see the penguins that Cuss wanted to see so badly.

All I remember is communicating with Eskimos through body language, riding dog sleds across the snow, eating Big Macs at airports we passed through, or lying under blankets watching movies on the plane until we fell asleep.

‘Wait, that actually sounds pretty good?’

Looking back, it was surprisingly nice.

So if someone asked if I enjoyed it, I would answer yes without hesitation.

“Jinsoo. Juliane waiting. Let’s go quickly.”

“Alright, alright.”

I let Cuss lead me by the hand.

The dreamlike time was over.

It was time to return to reality.

“Oh? There’s Jinsoo on the screen.”

“You’re right.”

While waiting for immigration, Cuss pointed at a screen on the wall.

The news was talking about me.

The so-called “Jinsoo Gate.”

“What the hell…”

I thought it was supposed to be the “Navy Gate.”

Why is my name attached to the gate?

This is so embarrassing I won’t be able to show my face in public.

-The Special Investigation Committee under the Department of Justice, formed at the President’s direction, has begun by raiding Allison Hospital…

It seemed things had progressed well while we were away.

The President must have decided to cut ties with the Navy generals, as even the White House was now joining in the attack.

It definitely felt like it had become a massive issue worthy of being called a “gate.”

“Jinsoo! Cuss! Over here!”

As we exited, I saw Juliane waving at us from a distance.

I waved back, when suddenly a bag flew onto my arm.

“Oof?!”

The heavy bag weighed down my arm, nearly making me lose my balance.

By the time I regained my balance and shouldered it, Cuss had already run far ahead.

“Juliane!”

“Cuss…!”

That kid.

She must have been really happy to see Juliane after so long.

Juliane’s eyes were welling up with tears as she stretched out her arms to receive Cuss, but—

“Penguin!!!”

“Huh?”

Cuss ran right past Juliane and grabbed the penguin doll lying on a chair.

Juliane was about to burst into tears, but seeing Cuss’s expression, she quickly smiled warmly.

Cuss examined the penguin doll from all angles, almost drooling, before hugging it tightly.

She looked absolutely ecstatic.

Juliane must have bought it to comfort Cuss after I texted her about accidentally going to the North Pole and not seeing any penguins.

With my suitcase in one hand and the bag in the other, I approached Juliane and kissed her.

“In public…”

“What does it matter? It’s just a light kiss.”

“Your tongue movement is too sensual.”

“Then I’ll keep my tongue still.”

But what if you put your tongue in even when I’m keeping still…

After a long, intimate kiss, I felt the stares around us.

Only then did Juliane step back half a step from me, her cheeks turning red.

“Did you have fun? At the North Pole where you went to see penguins?”

“No penguins! But I saw something much more amazing!”

“What was it?”

“I saw something called aurora!”

“Aurora? At this time of year? That’s strange.”

“…?”

Juliane looked perplexed and tilted her head.

Why is she reacting like that?

“The gate situation seems to be going well, which is good.”

“Yes. Things are going so smoothly it almost feels like a dream.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I hugged Juliane tightly.

So tight I worried I might crush her ribs.

Though with two high-performance shock absorbers between us, that probably wouldn’t happen…

I hugged her as tightly as I loved and appreciated her.

Then Cuss forced her way between us.

What a cute girl.

As I stroked both their heads, I felt a tender emotion.

-The accident footage of Mari Kim that has been made public is spreading rapidly…

“Accident footage?”

The news was playing on the electronic billboard.

In the blurred video playing in the background, I recognized a familiar alley.

That was definitely in front of the daycare where I had left my daughter.

“Ah.”

“Don’t look…”

A warm hand covered my eyes.

I tried to remove it, saying not to joke around, but I could feel Juliane’s body trembling.

I heard her sniffling.

“I usually show you everything… but not this. Please promise me you won’t search for it.”

“I promise.”

Juliane was sobbing.

I decided to give up and keep my eyes closed.

It was clearly a video I wouldn’t be able to handle.

-Breaking news. The raid on Allison Hospital has revealed that they were secretly conducting human experimentation. Allison Hospital extracted spinal cords and stem cells from corpses without consent to cultivate illegal human clones, and provided these clones to research teams conducting human experiments…

“…?!”

I quickly pushed Juliane’s hand away and looked up at the screen.

Damn, what did they just say…?