"Welcome, Deputy Chief Prosecutor!"

"Oh, come now~ Mayor, I retired years ago. These days I'm just a salaried lawyer who worries about paying for lunch."

"What are you talking about? You're a director at a major law firm now. Belated congratulations."

"You're the one who deserves congratulations, Mayor~ I'm just a hired hand, and you're the mayor responsible for hundreds of thousands of citizens~."

Attorney Jo Yun-tae shook his hand, laying on the banter.

Mayor An Hyo-geun didn't put on airs. He clasped the hand in both of his and bowed low from the waist.

Why's he here? Did he catch a whiff of something?

Behind the smile, he was wound tight.

A former regional deputy chief prosecutor still carried serious clout, however many years went by.

Prosecutors kept their weight long after they left the service.

And a man who'd made director at a major law firm could make most people in the legal world look like nobodies.

"Ha ha. That's not my own doing—it's thanks to good connections like you, Prosecutor Jo. Please, have a seat."

All smiles, he politely offered the man a chair.

Beeeeeep.

[Yes, Mayor.]

"Bring us two cups of the good stuff. Six-year red ginseng tea."

[Right away.]

Mayor An Hyo-geun judged a guest's worth by the tea he served, and he'd just ordered the most expensive one.

It was a signal to his staff to be on their toes.

Six-year red ginseng tea meant this guest got top-tier treatment.

"I hear Jangju's been growing like crazy. National agencies relocating here, big development projects under way."

Attorney Jo leaned back, perfectly at ease, and opened with the local news.

He's not here for an envelope, is he?

National-paper reporters and anyone who mattered always got a little cash envelope.

If he'd learned one thing as an aide to a Hanguk Freedom Party lawmaker, it was that.

No politician who pinched pennies ever lasted long in the game.

"Relax. I'm not here to beg for pocket money like some cheapskate. How much does a civil servant make, anyway~."

As if he'd read the mayor's mind,…