The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 160

On the bookshelf, a photo of Chief Tak taken during his study abroad in Russia was displayed prominently. Previously, I had examined the photo without being able to identify the country, but knowing all the facts, the Russian background was now clearly visible.

On the off chance, I opened up even the insides of the frames. Since I didn’t know the exact size of the syringe, there was a possibility that he might be keeping only the needle. I even took out the books on the shelf one by one.

“There’s nothing here.”

Prosecutor Joo muttered as he flipped through a thick file.

We skipped lunch and searched the small office several times for hours. However, no matter how thoroughly we looked, we couldn’t reap any harvest. In the end, with an annoyed expression, he pushed all the drawers he had pulled out back in and pounded the desk heavily with his fist.

“Nothing’s coming out.”

“I suppose so. Though there are many suspects who lie.”

I was quite exhausted as well, so I approached the window to rest my tired eyes. It was an office with a good view, overlooking the front of the Danhyeon Branch Office and the mountains in the distance.

I watched the people returning from lunch, let out a deep sigh, and bowed my head, when suddenly my eyes were drawn to the floor, underneath the window frame.

It’s missing.

It was definitely right here, next to the mini-fridge; there had been a row of air-purifying plants.

My lips parted on their own, as if I were possessed by something.

“It’s not here.”

“What isn’t?”

Prosecutor Joo, who was once again peering under the desk he had already checked, asked.

“The flowerpot.”

“Flowerpot?”

“There were several flowerpots in the Chief Prosecutor’s office. I definitely saw them last time when you and I were summoned here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. They’re gone.”

As soon as I nodded, Prosecutor Joo strode out. I followed him shortly after, almost running, and he was already grabbing an office clerk outside the Chief Prosecutor’s office to ask about the whereabouts of the pots. The administrative officer hesitated a bit, as if his memory were fuzzy, before replying.

“I think they were moved to the warehouse on the Chief Prosecutor’s orders.”

“Which floor is the warehouse on?”

“On the roof….”

Before the clerk could even finish his sentence, Prosecutor Joo walked out of the office. I bowed my head to the clerk on his behalf to say goodbye and hurriedly moved my feet to catch up with Prosecutor Joo.

Even while heading to the warehouse, I was skeptical. It wasn’t impossible, but I doubted he would have really gone that far. Still, since I hadn’t checked inside the flowerpots when we searched, it was worth a try.

We entered the warehouse where white dust was floating in the air. The plants that had been neglected in the warehouse for weeks were all shriveled and dying.

I pressed the soil in the pots with my fingers to find a pot that was relatively soft. As I started to dig into the soil first, Prosecutor Joo, who was standing beside me, gently pushed me away.

“I’ll do it. You’ll hurt your fingers.”

In the past, he would have issued an order and watched expressionlessly, or scolded me to dig faster. After acknowledging his feelings and starting to date, Prosecutor Joo cherished and considered me far more than I had expected. I shook my head because there was no need for him to go that far, even at work.

“I’m fine.”

“If the syringe is really hidden here, the needle might be pointing upward. The soil is rough, too. You might get pricked, so don’t do it.”

“Still….”

“It’s not a request; it’s an order. Since we’re at work, it’s okay to give an order, right?”

“…Thank you.”

Since it seemed my persistence wouldn’t work, I had no choice but to step back. I could have done it myself, but Prosecutor Joo must have known that well, too. Not wanting to spoil his care for me, I stood beside him and focused on checking if the tip of a needle might be visible.

The first pot was a waste of time. The second one was a dud, too.

Prosecutor Joo’s usually immaculate fingernails soon became dirty. The warehouse became a mess because of the soil and leaves that fell to the floor. The third pot had a plant that was entirely withered, so I pulled the plant out completely. Unlike live roots, the dead roots were easily separated from the soil and pulled out.

When Prosecutor Joo overturned the dead plant and dug about halfway through the spilled soil, the body of a syringe came into view. He stopped his hand and drew in a light breath.

I took out gloves and an evidence bag from my inner pocket and handed them to Prosecutor Joo. As he carefully pulled on the syringe, a syringe with some liquid remaining in the cylinder was extracted. The remaining liquid was surely a nicotine solution.

“If it weren’t for you, Officer Lee, we would have missed it.”

“Why on earth didn’t he throw this away and keep it here…. I had speculated that his obsession would be severe, but this is beyond imagination.”

“…True.”

He carefully placed the syringe into the evidence bag. Then, he glared at the murder weapon inside for a long time before suddenly leaving the warehouse with quick strides. His gait seemed agitated, and his strides were so long that I had to walk as if running to keep up.

“Prosecutor!”

I called out from behind, but he didn’t slow his pace. As soon as I barely caught up and got into the elevator together, his long fingers pressed the button to go down to the detention center. I had originally intended to say something to him, but my lips, which had been about to move, stayed firmly shut because his expression as he stared at the floor indicator was frightening.

As soon as Prosecutor Joo got off the elevator, he walked past the security guard who requested identification. I showed my ID card to the embarrassed guard, wrote my name in the access log, and hurriedly followed him.

He pounded roughly on the door of the detention center where Chief Tak was imprisoned. Tak Sungwoong’s face appeared through the window with iron bars. Prosecutor Joo thrust the evidence bag containing the soil-covered syringe toward the person’s face, as if striking the bars. A voice, suppressing intense rage, escaped his lips.

“This is your souvenir. That’s why you kept it. Isn’t it?”

As soon as I heard the word “souvenir,” my heart dropped.

It was only natural that uncontrollable rage would permeate his voice. If the syringe was truly a souvenir, it meant that Chief Tak had projected his desires and pleasure into the murder. It meant he had a heart that enjoyed the act of murder itself.

Prosecutor Joo barked low.

“Where is the awl you jammed into President Kang Woosung’s neck? Speak properly.”

He, who had never once used casual language with Tak Sungwoong and had tried his best not to call him by name even in private, was swaying like a tree before a storm. However, the opponent stared straight at Prosecutor Joo Taeson in front of him and retorted without agitation.

“Prosecutor Joo, why do you keep searching for the awl on me? I told you to ask the dead Lee Gilyoung about that.”

“I’m asking where you stashed your souvenir.”

“It’s probably in Lee Gilyoung’s grave.”

Chief Tak tilted his head to the side and cast his gaze over Prosecutor Joo’s shoulder. Toward me, Lee Gilyoung’s son.

I clenched my fists tight and stared directly at Tak Sungwoong. I didn’t even think about avoiding his eyes.

For a long time, I had wanted to look into those eyes. The eyes of the true culprit who framed the dead.

I called out the suspect’s name firmly from behind Prosecutor Joo.

“Tak Sungwoong-ssi, we will definitely find your souvenir.”

I took a step toward the imprisoned Tak Sungwoong. As I took a step forward, Prosecutor Joo’s broad back came closer.

He said.

“Fifteen years ago, you handed money to the son of Kang Woosung and Lee Gilyoung. Because you felt pleasure in hearing thanks from the victim’s family. Isn’t that right?”

Prosecutor Joo didn’t look back at me. But I didn’t need to see to know that his dark pupils were glaring at the Tak Sungwoong in front of him as if to kill him.

Tak Sungwoong rolled his eyes upward and then down, opening his mouth with a gentle smile.

“Why ask what you already know so well?”

I caught sight of Prosecutor Joo’s fist, which was clutching at the air. Seeing the veins bulging on the back of his hand, I heard the sound of my heart pounding.

The sense of humiliation that Prosecutor Joo Taeson must be feeling was conveyed entirely. The fact that Tak Sungwoong was nothing but a filthy human being who would keep murder weapons as souvenirs.

I stood waiting until Prosecutor Joo calmed down and turned away, but he didn’t turn around for a long time.

We became certain that the awl must still exist, just as we had guessed. Chief Tak is a person who even kept a syringe in a flowerpot. And in a flowerpot in the office of the Chief Prosecutor at the Danhyeon Branch Office where he worked, no less.

Tak Sungwoong was not a criminal who destroys evidence, but a criminal who collects souvenirs.