The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 143

I neatly tidied the files I would need to look at tomorrow, stood up, and put on my suit jacket. I took off the heavy ID badge I had been wearing around my neck and tucked it safely into my cross-body bag. I passed through the hallway in quick steps to keep up with Prosecutor Joo’s stride. It was only when we stood in front of the elevator that I was finally able to start a conversation.

“What would you like to have for dinner? Shall I look into places like samgyeopsal or jokbal?”

Like the youngest member of the investigation office, I gripped my phone tightly, ready to search. Prosecutor Joo answered in an indifferent voice.

“I made a reservation at a restaurant.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said I made a reservation at a restaurant.”

Along with the elevator that stopped just in time, my heart rattled. Prosecutor Joo stepped into the empty elevator first, then pulled my hand as I stood there in surprise.

“Stop being surprised. I know I haven’t been able to do much for you lately.”

“No, that’s not it… it’s just that I’m not used to it.”

With clumsy movements, I shoved my phone into my bag and got into the car as usual. It had been quite a while since I’d eaten food like pasta or steak, so a flutter of excitement spread like the pretty colors of a sunset.

By the time the tangerine-colored sky outside the car window turned purple, the car pulled into the hotel at the casino. As soon as I spotted the flashing sign of the casino, I became a little anxious and carefully chose my words.

“Prosecutor, we’re not here for an investigation, right?”

“What are you… I told you I made a reservation. This is the only place in Danhyeon City that can be called a high-end restaurant.”

“Yes.”

I felt sorry for not trusting him, but I still secretly wondered if this was just an extension of work.

Prosecutor Joo seemed to have figured out the location of the restaurant beforehand, and without hesitation, he pressed the button for the 5th floor, where the main tower was. I looked up at the floor indicator and whispered in a low voice before anyone else got on.

“It’s our first date.”

“Yeah.”

Unlike me, who was trembling, the response was plain and simple.

The casino night was packed with people. Because so many people were getting on and off, the elevator’s movement up to the 5th floor was slow. The elevator was so crowded that a “full” sign appeared, and Prosecutor Joo and I were pushed to the back until our backs touched the wall. I was fidgeting with my fingertips because I wanted to hold his hand, and then Prosecutor Joo grabbed my hand first. Perhaps because the narrow interior was full of people, or perhaps because I was secretly holding hands with him in such a crowded place, the area around my neck where I wore my tie suddenly felt stifling, and lukewarm sweat began to bead.

I had always heard about the casino, but it was my first time entering it myself. It was smaller in scale compared to the casino in Buyong City, Gangwon-do, but as it was a place where quite a lot of money changed hands, the interior was much more extravagant than I had imagined.

A male employee dressed in a neat suit greeted us at the entrance.

“Do you have a reservation?”

“I made a reservation under Joo Taeson.”

His voice as he answered was clean.

“I will show you to your seats.”

The place we were guided to was by the window inside the restaurant. I had been worried that it might look strange for two men to come together, but perhaps because it was a restaurant in a casino, I was relieved to see several tables with other men dining together. While Prosecutor Joo flipped through the menu with natural movements, I scanned the restaurant with busy eyes. He said without lifting his head.

“Let’s go with the course.”

“Yes.”

I checked the price of the course his fingertip was pointing at, and feeling a bit surprised, I only raised my gaze slightly.

“It’s too expensive….”

At my reaction, Prosecutor Joo’s smooth fingertip covered the spot where the price was written. His neatly trimmed nails took the place where six digits should have been.

“I told you not to play with the calculator in front of me. Don’t worry about the numbers.”

“Still….”

“I don’t know how to do those kinds of shabby dates.”

“…It’s just that I’m not used to receiving.”

“You’d better get used to it now.”

It wasn’t an atmosphere where I could refuse, so I kept my mouth shut. Although we had just become lovers, he was older and even my superior, so it wasn’t easy to rebel even though our relationship had changed. If you asked me if I disliked that, it wasn’t the case. Instead, having an adult-like lover to make decisions for me brought me quite a sense of stability.

Prosecutor Joo called the waiter and ordered the course meal he had chosen.

Only after eating three small dishes that looked like appetizers did the pasta come out. The food was all clean and delicious.

The white fish dish we ordered for the main course was also excellent in flavor without any frills. The situation of having a date at a nice restaurant with the person I like, with Prosecutor Joo, felt like a dream, so I sometimes had to look at the brilliant darkness outside the window to collect my feelings. It was an irony of ours that the first place was a restaurant in a casino.

Watching his thick fingers moving slowly with the fork and knife, I suddenly became curious.

“From the time you started matching your eating speed to mine… did you like me?”

“Why ask something like that?”

“But I’m curious.”

“I think I was shaken by you from much earlier.”

Dark eyes with a heavy luster touched me. With my face turning red, I put a piece of meat into my mouth.

For the first time in a while, we didn’t talk about cases. Just like people who had met for the first time, we talked about our favorite movies, hobbies, and what we wanted to do during our vacations.

“You can call me by my name when it’s just the two of us. You can use informal speech, too.”

When the dessert was served at the end, Prosecutor Joo made an offer I hadn’t even thought of. It was a suggestion I could fully take. While I was biting into a small piece of cake with a fork, I imagined myself calling his name for a moment, but I couldn’t even form a proper picture of it in my head.

“Wouldn’t it be better not to change? If I get used to doing that, I think I’ll make a mistake at the office. It would be strange if I suddenly called the Prosecutor by his name or used informal speech. Even without that, I already have a bad reputation.”

I expected him to scold me for not doing as I was told, but surprisingly, Prosecutor Joo nodded obediently.

“Right. Do whatever you want, Mr. Lee Chaeha.”

“Suddenly…?”

I thought Prosecutor Joo held all the cards, both before and after he confessed, but it seemed he was willing to give me a piece of the initiative. His voice, which usually didn’t show fluctuations in emotion, flowed out.

“Because I feel sorry for you.”

“…”

“Whether Mr. Lee Gilyoung is innocent or not, I shouldn’t have treated you harshly. I didn’t know it back then, but in fact, I knew better than anyone. That’s why I’m more sorry. If you say you want to use formal speech together, I’ll change if I can.”

I stared at him intently. I was grateful for every word he had just uttered, but a completely different sound leaked from my clumsy lips.

“Informal speech is fine. You are six years older than me, after all.”

“…You’re cheeky.”

Our eyes met, and for no reason, both of our mouths curved upward.

After finishing the meal, he took me to my residence. Unlike usual, I grabbed his arm as he walked up to the 3rd floor with me.

“Come inside for a moment.”

“Do you know how that sounds?”

I hesitated and nodded my head slightly. There was no way I couldn’t know, but he seemed to think I was just very oblivious or young when it came to these things.

With my head bowed low, I covered the door lock with my palm and entered the changed passcode. I wanted to hide my expression, but my fingertips were already dyed red, so it seemed it was already too late to hide my feelings. As soon as I entered the house with Prosecutor Joo, I turned on the lights and immediately placed the empty cup I hadn’t been able to clean up because I’d left for work early in the morning into the sink.

“It’s a little messy.”

“Officer Lee, you are always clean. The same goes for your office desk.”

“I’ll go wash up first and come out. Should I get you a glass of water?”

“It’s fine.”

I gathered all the pajamas I would need to change into and went into the small bathroom. It was an old villa, so the ceiling was low; when I looked up at the ceiling while showering, I thought it would be too cramped for Prosecutor Joo. I felt a slight regret, wondering if I should have suggested going to his place instead. The fact that the soundproofing wasn’t good was also a concern.

After washing up cleanly with warm water and coming out, I organized the bed one more time before he came out. The bed was also a double-single size, so it seemed like it would be overwhelming to bear the weight of two people.

Before I knew it, the sound of the hairdryer from inside stopped. The sound of my pounding heart filled the house, which had become so quiet I could hear ringing in my ears.

Prosecutor Joo walked out, wiping his bare body. Since it was the first time I had seen him like this in my house, it felt unfamiliar, and my gaze shifted silently to the floor. His feet approached my side and he sat down next to me, and his firm fingers caught my chin and lifted it.

“If there is something you are afraid of or don’t like, tell me honestly. Don’t hold it in.”

I moved the chin he was holding and nodded my head slightly.