The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 108

“All the remaining portion of the drugs, except for what Mr. Kim hid in the motel, was in Ms. Oh Jahyeon’s possession. It wasn’t a small amount either, but a large quantity to the point where one could only say it was for distribution purposes. Claiming not to know the Koryo-in Mr. Kim is an nonsensical excuse. Looking at the evidence alone, it seems Ms. Oh Jahyeon is a drug broker.”

“You, you… are you treating me like a criminal right now?”

“Ms. Oh Jahyeon is a criminal. Narcotics were detected in your blood, after all.”

Prosecutor Joo snapped back in his usual dry manner and added.

“Because the weight of the drugs Mr. Kim brought was different from what was promised, it seems you must have been very angry, just like right now.”

She huffed and puffed, but barely managed to close her mouth, seemingly conscious of the defense counsel holding onto and dissuading her from the side. It appeared she intended to exercise her right to remain silent even if it was belated.

Without backing down, Prosecutor Joo prodded Oh Jahyeon.

“It must be frustrating. When you thought he died because you stabbed him with a needle containing nicotine liquid concentrate, only to find out that he died because the methamphetamine packet remaining in his stomach burst. If you had known it was attempted murder, you wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of borrowing someone else’s hands to abandon the body….”

“You son of a bitch, who do you think I am to carelessly treat me like a murderer!”

Ultimately unable to endure it, Oh Jahyeon rushed forward and grabbed Prosecutor Joo by the collar.

The interrogation room turned into a shambles in an instant, and I pressed the button to call the branch office guards right away. The defense counsel and I tried together to pull Oh Jahyeon away, but having lost her reason, she tenaciously clung onto Prosecutor Joo and hung on.

Only after the guards arrived and handcuffed Oh Jahyeon did the situation come to a difficult end. Rising from his chair, Prosecutor Joo’s tie was disheveled in a mess. He instructed in a calm tone.

“Since she assaulted a prosecutor during interrogation, detain her in the branch office lockup.”

Oh Jahyeon stared with her bloodshot eyes wide open and screamed toward the defense counsel.

“Do something, you bastard!”

However, as it was a situation where she had beaten a prosecutor right before his eyes, the defense counsel also had no measures he could take immediately. Coaxing her to endure for just one day, the defense counsel followed Oh Jahyeon out of the interrogation room.

Prosecutor Joo and I were left completely alone in the room. Although it was for a short time, because Oh Jahyeon had attacked him so fiercely, his hair, which was always neatly swept back, was sticking out in points.

Suppressing my upset feelings, I walked outside the interrogation room with him. In a place where there were no cameras, I tidied his tie for him and stood on my toes to smooth down his hair.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. What’s this much. I’ve even been hit with a fist by a homeless person before. It’s a relief Oh Jahyeon didn’t rush at Officer Lee.”

“You’re worrying about me too.”

“Of course.”

As the interrogation proceeded, he looked to be noticeably deep in thought. Especially when he gazed blankly at me like right now, a worried look briefly crossed his eyes as to what he was anxious about. Along with a heavy sigh, his large palm came down on top of my head with a thud, and then quickly fell away.

Mentally, I caught myself tracing what day of the week today was. Lately, I have noticeably been waiting for the weekends spent together with Prosecutor Joo. Ever since I was 13 years old, weekends were always alone. Having no friends or family I could meet, I was thoroughly accustomed to spending lonely and monotonous times. But now, there was a person I could meet.

Moreover, because that person was none other than Joo Taeson, and because he was making time for me and giving me attention, it was truly as good as it could get. Of course, to Prosecutor Joo, I might not be a person of such great significance, but it was fine even if it was one-sided. When having sex, he was also harsh enough to make me feel insulted, but that too was bearable.

Walking along the hallway with me, Prosecutor Joo said.

“Baek Youngjun and your maternal uncle’s cases have been passed over to the trial prosecutor. The trial will begin.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we slowly start the reference investigation into the people around Oh Jahyeon.”

“The Chairman Oh Mihyeon you mentioned last time?”

“Yeah. Chairman Oh might not be an assistant, but her information regarding her younger sister’s human relations will be sharper than anyone’s.”

“I will look up the contact information and place a call.”

“Alright.”

In front of the door to Prosecutor’s Office 512, Prosecutor Joo suddenly stopped his feet. Next to his face hung a black nameplate where our titles and names were written vertically. Gazing blankly at my name written on the nameplate, I turned my eyes toward him.

“Aren’t you worried? Continuing to investigate Oh Jahyeon.”

“Oh Jahyeon? I’m not worried at all, though…. Is there something weighing on your mind?”

“…Never mind.”

As expected, is there something about me weighing on his mind?

To me, Oh Jahyeon was just the same as any other suspect. It was merely weighing on my mind that a defense counsel always came attached and she exercised her right to remain silent; I didn’t particularly register the connections or external pressure Oh Jahyeon possessed. I wasn’t afraid either.

It did seem like pressure was coming in on Prosecutor Joo from several directions, but could it be that blackmail regarding me was included as well? Is that why he is worried about me?

He referred to Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho as a ‘chess piece’. That word flew like a dart and stuck tightly in my heart. Because in Prosecutor Joo’s carrying out of the investigation, the person for whom the expression ‘chess piece’ was more appropriate was me, not Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho.

So, after hearing that word, I tried hard to let go of my expectations for Prosecutor Joo further, but it wasn’t easy. Because there were the words and actions he had done. Although there were times he heavily wounded me with language and treated me carelessly, affectionate moments definitely existed. And like an investigator, I was remembering every single circumstance in detail.

Swallowing the bitter feeling, I entered the prosecutor’s office and did my work right away. I placed a call to Chairman Oh Mihyeon’s secretary’s office, and fortunately, they connected me with Chairman Oh right away.

— Hello.

“Hello, Chairman. I am Investigator Lee Chaeha from Criminal Division 1 of the Danhyun Branch Office. I am contacting you regarding the suspect investigation matter of Ms. Oh Jahyeon. Is it possible to speak for a moment?”

— Yes. Is there any story you need to hear from me? Since she is a younger sister I have long cut off contact and lived apart from, I don’t think I can be of great help.

Fitting for sisters, Oh Mihyeon and Oh Jahyeon had voices that were identical as if stamped out. However, the way of speaking on Oh Mihyeon’s side was far drier. Her tone was calm, and her pronunciation was not slurred like her drug-addict younger sister.

“Because I’d like to hear broadly about the relationships around Ms. Oh Jahyeon. There are many other things to ask besides that as well.”

While having the phone conversation, I made eye contact with Chief Mr. Song sitting in front of me and smiled slightly. Tucking the receiver between my cheek and shoulder, I pulled out a pen and a notepad.

“Is it possible for you to appear at the Danhyun Branch Office tomorrow afternoon by any chance?”

— Entering a prosecutor’s office is a bit difficult. There are many eyes watching, and I haven’t done anything wrong either. I am also exhausted from being contacted because of Jahyeon. Instead, could the Prosecutor and Investigator come to the company? If so, I will cooperate to the maximum.”

“Just a moment, please.”

Blocking the receiver, I asked Prosecutor Joo.

“She asks if we can come to the company.”

Normally, it was a proposal he would absolutely never permit, but pressing the tip of the pen he held firmly against his lips and then pulling it away, he answered after deep deliberation.

“Tell her alright.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

We finally set an appointment with Oh Jahyeon’s older sister, and we also received contact from Prosecutor Yoon’s investigator who had gone out for the search and seizure. Hanging up the phone, I reported to Prosecutor Joo via the messenger.

Lee Chaeha: They say nicotine liquid concentrate came out of Oh Jahyeon’s house. They couldn’t find the syringe.

Prosecutor Joo: We were lucky enough with that much.

Lee Chaeha: Will we be able to tie it to attempted murder? Looking at the reaction, it seems certain.

Prosecutor Joo: Since the syringe didn’t come out, unless we find the person who abandoned the body or get a confession from Oh Jahyeon, it’s impossible. Otherwise, we’d have to find murder evidence regarding the preceding cases.

Lee Chaeha: Yes.

Prosecutor Joo: After meeting Oh Mihyeon tomorrow, do you want to come to my house in the evening?

While he normally never says personal words even on the company messenger, for some reason he made an affectionate proposal, so I accepted it and sent a reply right away.

Lee Chaeha: Sounds good.

Prosecutor Joo had no further words beyond that, and instead a message sent by Chief Mr. Song flew in.

Chief Mr. Song: Did Oh Jahyeon’s interrogation end well?

Lee Chaeha: Because she exercised her right to remain silent, there isn’t any particular result.

Chief Mr. Song: I heard she threw a tantrum and entered the branch office lockup.

Lee Chaeha: Has the rumor spread already? It’s not to the degree that she’ll be detained, so she’ll be released right away tomorrow.

Chief Mr. Song: You worked hard. Officer Lee, what are you doing this weekend? Let’s go eat something delicious.

Unknowingly extending my gaze to Prosecutor Joo’s face, I returned to the monitor again. Although there wasn’t any explicitly promised arrangement regarding this weekend, lately I have often spent Saturdays at his house, so I hesitated to answer right away.