Almost as soon as Jubal and Jack left the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and before they even had a chance to get into their car, a massive swarm of reporters had already gathered at the entrance, completely blocking the way.
Before long, several police officers emerged, forcefully escorting Lee Geon-woo through the crowd and shoving him into a prison transport van. Throughout the entire process, Kim Jun-ho never made an appearance.
"I honestly can't tell if Prosecutor Kim listened to our advice… or if he didn't," Jubal muttered, leaning against the car and watching the scene unfold.
"He probably did… at least partially," Jack replied, equally uncertain. "If he hadn't, he definitely wouldn't have missed the chance to show off in front of the media. And from the way Lee Geon-woo is reacting, it seems like the two of them have clashed before."
As the prison van pulled away, Jubal finally opened the car door.
"We'll have Alice look into it when we get back, but judging from their interactions, this definitely isn't their first encounter."
—
"They're definitely not meeting for the first time," Alice said, turning her laptop screen toward the two men who had just walked in.
"Back when Kim Jun-ho had just started as a prosecutor, he investigated Lee Geon-woo for his suspected involvement in the death of a prostitute.
In the end, Lee was acquitted due to lack of evidence, though there were rumors that a key witness had been bribed into recanting their testimony."
"So that explains everything," Jubal said, finally understanding.
"When our investigation led to Lee Geon-woo, Kim Jun-ho must have thought that this time, he finally had enough to end their long-standing feud."
"So, what's our next move?"
Jessica had walked in right after them, with Hannah following behind.
Jack answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"We keep investigating.
Lee Geon-woo has lawyered up, so he won't be talking.
We need to find other ways to get answers."
Jubal then turned to Jack with a curious expression.
"Speaking of which—at first, he acted totally unfazed, like he knew nothing could touch him.
But then, after you mocked him, he immediately asked for a lawyer.
What exactly did you say that freaked him out?"
Jack grinned.
"You forgot that he already has another case against him?"
"Aha! Dubai."
Jubal suddenly slapped his forehead as realization struck.
"That piece of garbage is already a fugitive in Dubai!
I'll call the embassy first thing in the morning.
Oh, Jessica—don't you have some Interpol connections?"
"Since he's already in custody, regardless of how this case turns out, we can push Dubai to file for extradition.
As long as we make sure he stays locked up, we're golden."
"That's exactly why Jack looked so smug back there," Jessica said, shaking her head.
"But still, this case… it really doesn't seem like it was his doing."
Alice yawned as she handed a printed Google Map to Jubal.
It had three circles marked on it, overlapping in a single area.
Jubal squinted at the English names.
"Gangnam?"
Alice nodded.
"Jack asked me to track Lee Geon-woo's cell phone activity over the past 48 hours.
I found out that last night, he wasn't at his residence in Myeongdong.
But he also wasn't in Itaewon.
Instead, he went to Gangnam District."
Jack's brows furrowed as he took the map from Jubal.
"Gangnam?
That's across the Han River from Itaewon.
How accurate is your location tracking?"
"Margin of error? One street at most.
How you confirm it is your problem.
I'm going to bed.
My skin was getting so much better lately, but I think this case is making it worse again."
Alice stretched as she mumbled to herself, rubbing her arms.
"We picked up some Olive Young skincare products in Myeongdong earlier.
Apparently, it's the most popular Korean brand.
You should try it," Hannah suggested, linking arms with Alice.
Jessica joined in, and the three women disappeared into the bedroom.
Jack shrugged.
"Alright, I'll go find our local guy and have him confirm Alice's findings."
Then, he picked up his phone and called Ma Seok-do.
—
When people talk about the adult industry, especially men from a certain large Eastern country, they immediately think of Japan.
And when discussing women's rights, they often bring up India.
But in terms of pure degeneracy, Korea remains undisputedly ahead of the pack.
Japan has strict legal protections and laws like the Adult Business Act, which actually limit the industry's growth.
Korea, on the other hand, has no such barriers.
President Roh Moo-hyun, back in 2004, enacted the "Special Act on Prostitution," effectively making the adult industry illegal overnight.
At the time, it led to the shutdown of nearly 50,000 establishments, with over 300,000 workers arrested.
For 20 years, the law remained in effect, and anti-prostitution crackdowns only intensified.
Yet, miraculously, during those same 20 years, the adult industry in Korea exploded.
Employment in the sector surpassed one million, contributing 4% of Korea's GDP, nearly equal to the entire agricultural sector.
Traditional brothels vanished, replaced by places disguised as cafés, private cinemas, karaoke bars, clubs, and lounges.
And after President Roh committed suicide by jumping off a cliff, Korea's adult industry skyrocketed to new heights.
By 2011, Japan's per capita spending on adult services was $157, ranking second in the world.
Korea?
$527 per person—#1 globally by a massive margin.
A decade later, according to some Korean civil organizations, the total number of women working in the adult industry exceeded one million.
For context, Korea's total female population is only 25 million.
So, when Jack and Ma Seok-do entered a Gangnam nightclub for an investigation…
And two stunning hostesses immediately clung to them…
It all made perfect sense.
—
"Boss, here's what you asked for."
A club manager respectfully placed a printed document on the table before Ma Seok-do, then bowed and exited the VIP room.
It was a screenshot from a security camera video.
In the image, a man and a woman were intimately close, locked in an embrace.
The man was Lee Geon-woo.
But the woman?
A young white woman—not his clueless American fiancée.
Jack took a photo of the screenshot and sent it to Jubal.
Then, he gently pushed away the wandering hands of the hostess beside him, wondering just who was supposed to be paying whom in this situation.
"So this is why he lied to the police?
He was cheating on his fiancée?"
Ma Seok-do spoke as if this was no big deal, but his hands…
His hands were far less reserved than Jack's.
The hostess in his lap was already blushing so hard that even her makeup couldn't hide it.
"Clearly, cheating wasn't what really worried him," Jack muttered, finally losing patience and signaling for his hostess to move over to Ma Seok-do.
Not that he was some moral saint—he was just picky.
And the overly artificial look wasn't his thing.
The hostess looked a bit disappointed but quickly adjusted, snuggling up to Ma Seok-do instead.
"He was playing Kim Jun-ho the whole time," Jack said.
"He wanted to toy with him again—just like before.
He planned to humiliate him once he walked free."
Jack took a sip of his drink—
Then immediately spat it out.
"What the hell did you order?!"
He grabbed the bottle and saw the label.
Two unmistakable characters: 'Jinro'.
No wonder—
It tasted like industrial alcohol mixed with water.
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