The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 10

“The victim’s identity is indeed a Korean compatriot living in Russia. He returned to the country one day before he died, has no family, and is said to be a Koryoin living in Primorsky Krai. His surname is Kim. I’ll just call him Koryoin Kim from now on.”

“Yes, Prosecutor. Then, did the police transfer the case with a non-indictment opinion as expected?”

“Naturally. They claim that since he arrived in Danhyeon City, there have been no particular witnesses and he wasn’t captured on any CCTV.”

“…I see.”

“Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

I had noticed it was strange, but since I wanted to live as quietly as a plant in the Prosecutors’ Office, I didn’t go out of my way to add my two cents. Since Prosecutor Joo was seeking my agreement, I voiced my opinion only then.

“I think it’s strange. How could a Koryoin who had been in the country for only one day know the routes and avoid all the CCTV in Danhyeon City? Danhyeon City is a small town, so while there may be few CCTV cameras, it is normal for an outsider to be captured on at least one. Especially around the casino.”

“That’s true.”

Prosecutor Joo nodded like someone who had just set a quiz. It sounded like praise, but it felt so much like he was evaluating me that my tension soared another notch.

He rubbed his chin with his fingertips and continued.

“I believe Koryoin Kim was provided with a route in advance on how to move to avoid CCTV. Someone in Danhyeon City helped this person enter the country. The last confirmed movement of Koryoin Kim is that he took the Airport Railroad from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station. After that, he wasn’t captured by any camera, and the next day at dawn, he was found as a corpse in a back alley in Danhyeon City.”

“The estimated time of death is between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM, so it hasn’t even been a full day since he entered the country.”

“That’s right. It’s a bit fast to die from doing drugs. The conclusion is that he obtained a lethal dose of Philopon less than a day after a Koryoin passed through Incheon Airport security. But this person didn’t have a mobile phone in his possession at the time of his death.”

“He couldn’t have met a Philopon seller without a phone. Did Koryoin Kim lose his phone or was it stolen before he died?”

Prosecutor Joo tilted his head to the side. It seemed my hypothesis differed from his own thoughts, and he offered a different opinion without delay.

“Or perhaps someone removed the phone before dumping Koryoin Kim’s body.”

“…I don’t know if it went as far as murder, but at the very least, there is someone who abandoned the body. Is that how you see it, Prosecutor?”

“That is the reasonable way to look at it. If he had died while doing drugs alone, he should have been in possession of his phone. Yet, the police transferred it with a non-indictment opinion. They even closed the investigation too quickly.”

I recalled Prosecutor Joo’s prediction that the police would transfer it with a non-indictment opinion. He added:

“Keep this in mind, Chief Lee. The detectives at the Danhyeon Police Station are different from the police in other regions. Many of them take bribes from the casino and Osong Construction. They aren’t interested in cases where no small perks fall their way. This is the reason why Oh Jahyeon can hold her head high within the Prosecutors’ Office even after causing a scene in front of you.”

The image of Prosecutor Joo chatting quite familiarly with Detective Ma came to mind.

“I thought you were close with the detectives, Prosecutor.”

“I’m just pretending to be close. I don’t trust those people.”

The voice with which he answered while sweeping his hair back was filled with a cynical tone. Detective Ma must surely believe he is close with Prosecutor Joo.

I became curious about the real Prosecutor Joo—the humorous and warm person that Mr. Hwang said he had heard about from the administrative officer in the prosecution office. Of course, his attitude earlier, when he offered to make me coffee, was closer to the rumors I heard from Mr. Hwang than from my mentor.

I continued, looking over the materials the police had transferred.

“It seems one of a pair of leather gloves was left near the body.”

“Because it rained so much that day, unfortunately, no DNA came out from the glove. It’s clean, so it seems like it was dropped recently, though.”

“If there was someone who abandoned the body, they surely would have used gloves. But could they have left it behind?”

“It’s just one of the pair, isn’t it? If the person who disposed of the body was wearing them, they didn’t throw it away; they dropped it.”

“Since it was raining so hard, they would have been flustered, so it’s not impossible that they dropped it without knowing.”

“I thought so too, which is why I checked only that glove separately among the evidence transferred by the police. A lot of DNA came out from the cigarette butts left in the alley, but all of those people have solid alibis, so I think we can discard them. They don’t have prior records, and in this day and age, a criminal wouldn’t have left cigarette butts at the scene.”

“The police transferred it with a non-indictment opinion—did you call me because you have something to order me to do?”

As if he didn’t like my phrasing, Prosecutor Joo tilted his head and furrowed his brows slightly.

“‘Order’ is a bit of a strong term; let’s just call it an instruction. Your choice of words is a bit rough, Chief Lee, perhaps because you’re from the Police Academy.”

He leaned his back against the chair and crossed his legs naturally. Then, after watching me steadily for a while, he slowly parted his lips.

“I’m curious to see if you have any new opinions that I didn’t hear from the police, Chief Lee.”

“To give you an opinion, I think I have to visit the scene first… May I conduct the investigation?”

“You were on duty for the post-mortem examination, weren’t you? It’s your job, so if you don’t do it, who will?”

I felt a little breathless at that answer. I know he didn’t have bad intentions, but the more I experience him, the more he feels like a razor’s edge. There was no way Prosecutor Joo didn’t know that, usually, such tasks are given to the investigators one has under them, not to someone on duty like me.

I chewed on my lower lip, then let it go. Prosecutor Joo’s voice was heavy and mature.

“I’m not asking you to do some grand investigation. Even something small is fine. I’m just curious if you have anything more to tell me, Chief Lee. If not, it can’t be helped.”

“Yes, I understand. I will think about it for a few more days and tell you.”

“Not a few days—three days. No longer than that.”

Prosecutor Joo’s three long fingers signaled my deadline. He soon folded his hands, concluded the conversation, and began to organize the documents scattered on his desk.

“Then go ahead. You must have had a hard time being pestered by non-payers all day.”

I heard the dismissal, but I couldn’t get up first, so I helped him organize the documents together. Without our movements overlapping, our fingertips, which had been dangerously close as we worked on the desk, brushed against each other when the organizing was finished. Startled, I pulled my hand away.

Prosecutor Joo lifted his eyes, which had been fixed on the documents the entire time, and watched me with sharp, narrow eyes. My heart sank. That look was the same look of disgust he had shown me on the morning I had told him I respected him.

He was the one who genuinely wanted to avoid the fingertips that had touched, but it was a look that seemed to imply he was displeased because I, an insignificant person, had beaten him to the punch.

I hurriedly lowered my eyelids and amended the thought that had just occurred to me.

It’s self-consciousness. He just looked because I acted awkwardly, so let’s not keep assigning negative meanings to it. The more I do, the more easily people will notice my misery.

With my cheeks slightly flushed, I finished organizing the remaining documents, and we stood up from our seats together. As we left the prosecution office, I bowed to Prosecutor Joo.

“I will be going now, Prosecutor.”

“Go.”

Prosecutor Joo returned to his desk and sat down, not even glancing in my direction as I left. I quietly closed the office door and came out.

I stood leaning my back against the hallway wall next to the door. The fluorescent light I looked up at while sighing was pale.

I only talked about work with someone I respect—why does it feel so uncomfortable? Why do I find hostility in the eyes of the person dealing with me?

Perhaps the desperate desire that I must adapt to this workplace somehow is over-stimulating my sense of caution. Going to the Police Academy in the first place was a mistake. Of course, it was the best choice for me at the time. I know that, but considering the life I’ve lived and my personality, it would have been much better to choose a profession where people speak kindly to each other. If I had, I might have experienced less of the world’s cruel pranks that have been continuing since I was thirteen.

I let out a small sigh and pushed my back away from the hallway wall where Prosecutor Joo Taeson’s office was located.