The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 157

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

I gathered my files and left the office with Prosecutor Joo. As soon as we stepped into the hallway, I asked in a low voice, careful not to be overheard by others.

“Were you busy?”

“Yes.”

He sounded somewhat distracted, and just as I was about to feel truly hurt, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the emergency stairwell. He stood me up, as if leaning me against the wall, and let out a small sigh.

This was the first time today I had properly faced him. Now that I looked, his complexion seemed far more fatigued than it had been in the morning. His eyes looked as if a difficult conversation had taken place in Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho’s office. I naturally expected him to talk about work, but a completely different question popped from his lips.

“How are you feeling?”

“…My mood? I’m fine.”

“Your advice to ‘not blame myself,’ Officer Lee—my head understands it, but it’s not easy.”

I brought up what I had guessed earlier that morning.

“…Is that why you’re pushing the indictment so quickly?”

Prosecutor Joo hesitated for a moment but soon nodded in acknowledgment. I had hoped it wasn’t because of me, but it really was.

“Officer Lee’s mind works too fast when it comes to work; I can’t deceive you. We need to file the indictment and start the trial as soon as possible so that Officer Lee’s suspension doesn’t drag on.”

“You don’t have to rush on my account.”

“That’s not true. I have to rush because of you, Officer Lee.”

“It’s an important case for you, Prosecutor, and for me as well. There’s no harm in taking it slow. You were obsessed with this case, weren’t you? Just a few months ago, you were charging ahead as if this case were your reason for living. I’m worried that you’re rushing to handle such a significant case because of me.”

“…I was like that in the past. Not anymore. I’ve found something I want to protect again, so the present has become more important than the past.”

I was left speechless by the sentence carried by his heavy voice. In my mind, his trembling voice that I had heard on the playground last winter played back.

‘Everything I wanted to protect has already left me. Isn’t that the same for you, Officer Lee?’

I exhaled a short breath. I might be oblivious when it comes to dating, but I didn’t need to ask to know what it was he wanted to protect.

He added in a low voice.

“I am still desperate to know the truth of the case. Before, I wanted to exact punishment just as desperately. Even if it meant sacrificing someone. But not you.”

“…Prosecutor, I’m the same.”

The man before me faltered. I looked up at him and spoke with a clear voice, filled with determination.

“If you can be left without regrets in this matter, I am prepared to sacrifice my career and my job.”

“It’s not like my abilities aren’t enough to feed one Officer Lee, and given my personality, it’s not like I’d be comfortable with Officer Lee mixing with others and engaging in social life.”

“…”

“But I can’t stand that you’ve come this far by struggling under such an uncle.”

I barely managed not to miss the timing, pressing my upper teeth hard against my lower lip.

It was a close call. We were at the office, but I almost let a tear show.

Prosecutor Joo, in a voice that had softened to the fullest, cajoled me as if soothing a young lover.

“Don’t keep pretending you’re fine in front of me. Because then you can’t fully receive comfort from me, either.”

“…”

“Do you like that?”

Looking up at him standing right in front of me as if to enclose me, I slowly shook my head. My vision blurred for a moment, but this time I didn’t cry and managed to blink my eyelids. Prosecutor Joo gently smoothed the corners of my eyes before pulling his fingers away.

“You’re allowed to whine. I didn’t think I was the type to accept such things… but it’s different for you, Officer Lee.”

“…I will.”

“How will you do it? Tell me.”

I felt like a student who had been given a difficult question. I thought about it for a moment before opening my mouth.

“If I’m having a hard time, I’ll call or text you… and if I’m worried, I’ll express it honestly….”

I muttered it quietly because I lacked confidence, but Prosecutor Joo nodded readily, as if it were the correct answer.

“And don’t worry, I will handle this matter quickly one way or another. And stop having foolish thoughts about sacrificing your career. I need to see Officer Lee doing well. Both at the company, and outside of it.”

Even if nothing were solved, those were words warm enough to compensate for all the pain I had experienced in my life so far. I bit down harder on the inside of my mouth. His dark pupils stared deeply into mine as he added.

“I am not foolish enough to sacrifice the present for the sake of the past. Especially if that sacrifice is Lee Chaeha.”

The scarlet letter that had made me a loner my whole life became powerless in front of the steadfast Prosecutor Joo. The stiff scarlet letter became suddenly worn and lost its strength, as if the long time it had been stagnant had flowed all at once. It hung raggedly, as if it were about to fall from my chest at any moment.

Instead of feeling shy as usual, I clearly conveyed my feelings to him.

“…Thank you, Prosecutor. I’ll endure to the end and make sure I keep working here.”

“Good. That kind of resolve is necessary. Let’s go.”

Prosecutor Joo looked tired, but with his usual solid expression, he opened the emergency door once again.

Chief Tak, wearing a suit, was sitting in the interrogation room with his arms crossed and an imposing expression. He looked even rawer than the face I had seen at the residence. Just by looking into his eyes, I could tell that Chief Tak had taken off the mask he had worn for a long time.

Prosecutor Joo, like me, seemed to have finished the necessary resolve as he sat down opposite him without hesitation. The metal chair dragged with a cold, grating sound. His dark eyes, which had previously shown glimpses of anguish, were now filled with firm determination. As expected, he was a strong person.

I sat next to Prosecutor Joo, placed my hands on the laptop keyboard, and watched Chief Tak quietly. Even with the son of the man who had been framed as the perpetrator and the son of the victim right in front of him, Chief Tak did not blink an eye.

“You came without a lawyer.”

Prosecutor Joo greeted him lightly. Chief Tak nodded readily.

“I know everything, so is there a need to hire one already? I’ll use a lawyer when I get to the trial.”

“You insisted that you would provide a statement before Ms. Oh Jahyeon, so what is it you want to say?”

“I’m the one who stabbed Koryo-in Mr. Kim with a syringe.”

We had naturally assumed that Oh Jahyeon was the one who had stabbed him. My fingertips trembled at the unexpected confession.

Chief Tak added matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t intend to kill him, just to scare him. In my time as a prosecutor, I never saw anyone die just from being pricked by a needle.”

It seemed like a ploy to avoid the charge of attempted murder. Prosecutor Joo did not show his emotions and responded logically.

“No, Tak Sungwoong-ssi, you stabbed him thinking he would die. It wasn’t just a syringe; it was a syringe filled with pure nicotine. If you hadn’t thought it was a lethal dose, you wouldn’t have been so sure he died from the drugs when he collapsed.”

“…Is that so.”

Chief Tak curled one corner of his mouth with a sneer. I was momentarily shaken by his vile expression, which I had never seen before, but Prosecutor Joo, who must have spent more time with Chief Tak than I had, did not waver.

“It wasn’t a thrill kill. There must be a motive for the murder. Was it because of the drugs transported via body packing?”

Prosecutor Joo slid a photo of the large quantity of drugs that Koryo-in had hidden in the motel across the table. It was the extra supply of drugs we had found a long time ago.

“You stole them secretly. The quantity of drugs was less than promised, and you demanded more money, right?”

“Who knows.”

“Tak Sungwoong-ssi, evidence that you and Oh Jahyeon distributed drugs has already all surfaced. We are catching drug offenders one after another through bank accounts and mobile phone call records. Are you saying it makes sense that you don’t know the quantity purchased by the person who distributed the drugs is different?”

“…”

“Even if you deny it, the judge will judge by looking at the evidence anyway. Don’t act like this between people who both know it’s better to confess—let’s make this easy.”

“…I just want one cigarette.”

Wanting a cigarette was always a good sign. As all investigators know, a cigarette is a gesture indicating a willingness to confess. Prosecutor Joo gave a slight nod in sign of permission.

“Officer Lee.”

As I took the cigarettes out from my inner pocket, Chief Tak shook his head and held out his hand toward Prosecutor Joo.

“Prosecutor Joo, you give it to me.”

“Why should I follow the instructions of Tak Sungwoong-ssi? The only person who can give instructions in this interrogation room is me. Officer Lee Chaeha will give it to you.”

I rose from my seat and handed the cigarette to Chief Tak. Prosecutor Joo had made the right decision. Even with his long-time acquaintance Tak Sungwoong before him, he had not forgotten the basics of investigation.

Never surrender power to the suspect.