The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 136

I had no choice but to get into the car. The quiet interior was filled only with the sound of the wipers squeaking as they swept away the water. The car pulled smoothly up to the front of the residence.

I unbuckled my seatbelt, picked up the umbrella I had placed at my feet, and bowed my head.

“Thank you for the ride. Please get home safely.”

“Yeah.”

As soon as I got out of the car, I opened my umbrella, but my shoulders and hair got slightly wet from the driving rain. Before closing the passenger door, I peeked my head inside and asked.

“Are you getting some sleep this week?”

The sound of the rain hitting the umbrella was loud, so I had to speak up.

“No. Ever since Officer Lee went home, it’s back to square one.”

“It must just be your imagination.”

“…Stop it and go. Sleep well.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

I clicked the door shut and turned around. I felt Prosecutor Joo’s car move behind me, but I consciously did not look back.

The sound of my dress shoes climbing the dark stairs rang out particularly loudly because of the rainwater I had tracked in. Splash, splash—the wet sounds continued until I stopped on the third floor. As I pressed the password and opened the door, the hallway sensor light flickered on and then off. The sound of the door closing behind me settled with a heavy weight.

In an instant, a jet-black silhouette appeared and disappeared in the darkness. Next to the slightly parted curtains, in the corner of the room.

At first, I thought I had seen things, but for some reason, my body wouldn’t move. My intuition told me:

There is someone inside.

As soon as I realized that fact, goosebumps bloomed on the back of my neck. Lukewarm sweat began to seep from my skin, and my mind grew chaotic. I pressed my lower lip tightly with my upper teeth to suppress the scream that was about to burst out at the intruder.

If I scream, the probability of being murdered is high. Screaming is the factor that provokes criminals the most. When asked why they killed their victims, countless criminals respond that they were “too noisy.” Even in the midst of my fear, my mind faithfully recalled the field experience I had accumulated during my time as a police officer.

So, instead of screaming, I slowly moved my hands behind me and grabbed the front door handle. Hoping that the sensor light wouldn’t react. The silhouette was inside, so I couldn’t properly identify the face, but it was certain that it was a man.

He could be an ex-convict I had caught and let go during my police days, or he could be a suspect in a current ongoing case. Or, he could have been an employee sent by Oh Jahyeon. Various possibilities flashed rapidly through my mind, and the moment I turned my wrist to open the door, the silhouette lunged at me like a beast.

At that moment, because the front door opened behind me, I became entangled with the shadow and fell to the floor. Half of my body tumbled out of the entrance. The hallway sensor light didn’t react, so I couldn’t verify the stranger’s face, but I had a premonition that the silhouette would be holding a knife. As is the case with most retaliatory crimes.

I punched out with all my might to defend myself before being attacked, but the opponent dodged quickly and dragged me back inside. I swung the folded umbrella I was holding in my other hand with force, but it hit the silhouette’s body and bounced off powerlessly. The old door, which lacked a doorstopper, closed with a weak sound.

The moment I was trapped in the entrance again, the sensor light turned on, illuminating Chief Tak’s face in backlight. He was panting with a monstrous expression. My fine hairs stood on end between the beads of lukewarm sweat that had flowed down.

“Chief! Why are you doing this? Let go of this….”

I tried to remove Chief Tak’s hands, which were gripping my collar, but since he was above me, it wasn’t easy to win with strength. Fear robbed me of my breath. Gasping for air, my eyes busily scanned the darkness to see if the silhouette had pulled out a weapon.

Fortunately, his hands were still empty. As soon as I confirmed that, I grabbed Chief Tak’s two hands and clung to them.

If I couldn’t get him off, I had to hold him down. So he couldn’t pull out a weapon.

“Killing one person like you is nothing.”

Chief Tak growled low. The polite gentleman’s appearance he had used as a disguise for so long was nowhere to be seen; only a middle-aged man unable to control his rage remained before my eyes.

I know, too. That any one of them could kill me if they put their minds to it.

However, the reason Oh Jahyeon and Chief Tak did not resort to violent measures was because killing me would not change the flow of the massive swirling currents—not because they had generous hearts. I had to counterattack.

The moment I attempted to throw Chief Tak, he noticed it and kicked my stomach with his knee. A terrible pain surged through me.

“Ah! Hup… Ugh….”

But even in the midst of that, I held on to Chief Tak’s hands and endured. I clutched the opponent with fingers that were turning pale and losing strength. The sensor light turned on again, but because of the backlight, Chief Tak’s face looked pitch black, like a knot-hole in wood.

“Persuade them to stop and fold. You’re the only one who can stop Prosecutor Joo.”

Perhaps because he was tense from committing violence, Chief Tak’s voice, unlike usual, wavered and trembled. A bead of sweat that had formed in a circle on the tip of his chin fell onto my cheek at the same moment the sensor light turned off.

“If you can’t persuade him, no matter what the result is, I will kill you with my own hands. Do you understand?”

The forceful grip shook me without mercy, demanding a definitive answer over and over again. It felt like I was being strangled.

In our country, strangulation occurs as often as murders using weapons. Since Chief Tak was on top of me, if he began to strangle me, I would never be able to get him off.

My stomach, which had been kicked by his knee, still hurt terribly, and it was difficult to breathe, but I had to use some kind of tactic. I persuaded him in a tone as composed as possible.

“Turn yourself in.”

I had to use one of the skills I had been forced to hone since childhood. Hiding my emotions and pretending not to be afraid.

Chief Tak ground his teeth. Grind.

“What did I do wrong to turn myself in? If my life is ruined, know that you won’t be able to keep a foot in the Prosecutor’s Office either.”

I did not react to Chief Tak’s bait and, like an investigator, changed the topic.

“Did Oh Jahyeon do it?”

“…Don’t bring that name to your lips. If you don’t want it to become common knowledge that you’re Lee Gilyoung’s son.”

“It’s fine. I also know many things about you, hup, that I could spread rumors about, Chief.”

However, I was not the only one accustomed to investigation. Chief Tak was also focused on continuing what he wanted to say without being swayed by the bait I threw.

“Think carefully, Officer. If rumors spread that this investigator is a murderer’s son and your uncle is in prison, you will never be able to survive at the Prosecutor’s Office. I could even use my entire network to tear you apart while I’m at it. The biggest advantage of this profession is that you can make an innocent person wish they were dead with a warrant.”

What should I do? I am someone who counts the days I didn’t want to die faster than anything. All thanks to Chief Tak and Oh Jahyeon.

I wanted to spit out the words that had come to mind, but I stopped myself.

“Even if you want to block it, Oh Jahyeon will go to prison soon. Wouldn’t it be Oh Jahyeon who will wish they were dead, rather than me?”

“You bastard… I told you not to bring that name up in front of me.”

“Then, for Oh Jahyeon’s sake, you shouldn’t have come, seeking me out like this.”

I observed Chief Tak’s reaction and examined the situation as objectively as possible. Since Chief Tak knew better than anyone that killing me wouldn’t stop the investigation, it was highly probable that this was a visit without the intent to murder.

However, just in case, it was possible Chief Tak had brought an awl. If Chief Tak, excited from my continued provocation and defiance, accidentally pulled out that awl… it would be evidence beyond compare.

Even knowing it was a dangerous thought, I wanted to present that awl to Prosecutor Joo. A weapon that could catch the real killer.

But if that sharp, pointed weapon ended up stuck in my throat, who would deliver that awl to Prosecutor Joo? I desperately suppressed the foolish impulse to provoke Chief Tak just to confirm if he possessed the awl.

“Chief Tak, instead of doing this, let’s stand up and talk. You aren’t going to kill me, are you? If you had really intended to commit murder, you would have killed me the moment I entered.”

I heard a sigh in the darkness. I could faintly see a movement as if he were running his hand through his hair with his remaining hand.

Chief Tak was hesitating.