The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 166

“Won-i is always late. That habit won’t go away anytime soon.”

“Shall we look at the menu first?”

“Yes.”

My aunt unfolded the menu and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Having lost my mother at a young age, I was raised with a great deal of love from my aunt. They were sisters who looked exactly alike. My aunt’s face helped me remember my mother, whom I could only see in photographs. If my mother were alive, she would look exactly like my aunt now.

I chose adoption not only because I wanted to shed the label of being the son of a victim, but also as a gesture of love for my aunt. I wanted to show her that I loved her as much as I loved a mother.

Come to think of it, I was very lucky compared to Lee Chaeha. Because I had several people to rely on and several who cared for me. Lately, every time I saw my aunt’s warm smile, I found myself dwelling on Chaeha’s unfortunate past.

My younger sibling arrived about 15 minutes late.

“Sorry, Aunt. Traffic was bad.”

“It’s alright. Just being here is enough. It’s been a while since the three of us saw each other.”

“That’s true.”

It was my sibling who arranged today’s gathering. After meeting face-to-face for the first time in years, Won-i seemed to have found the heart to forgive me and suggested we eat together. It had been six years.

The Korean-style course meal was neat and delicious. I thought it would be nice to bring Lee Chaeha here later.

We sat and chatted a bit more while sipping the cool omija tea served at the end. Since none of the three of us were very talkative, the conversation felt insufficient to part ways just yet.

“So, have you two reconciled?”

My aunt asked directly. Since my inner thoughts weren’t the issue, I looked steadily at my sibling, and Won-i answered with a crooked expression.

“Is there even anything to reconcile? Time has passed, so I should come to my senses, too. It wasn’t something I should have blamed my hyung for. I’m just sorry, that’s all.”

That was enough of an apology between us.

“Good. Family should live harmoniously. You thought about it well.”

My aunt smiled joyfully, and her gaze shifted toward me.

“But Taeson, you said you had something to tell me today.”

“…Chief Tak Sungwoong will be standing trial soon.”

“Oh my. What does that mean? Why would Prosecutor Tak….”

Her deeply double-lidded eyes widened even more than usual.

Because my father’s inheritance was ample, I had never experienced financial difficulties, but everyone present here had received emotional support from Chief Tak. When my aunt, who worked at a company, found it difficult to take time off, Chief Tak looked after our siblings’ major events.

It was like that on the day Won-i was suddenly in a car accident, or on days like my university graduation when my aunt couldn’t come because of an important meeting. So, we were always grateful to him. To some extent, we felt indebted, too. Because he had filled the empty spot left by our late father, at least a little bit.

That was why I thought my aunt and sibling needed to know the truth, even if it was painful. What kind of person Tak Sungwoong really was.

I opened my mouth calmly.

“The charges are attempted murder and abandonment of a corpse. I was the investigating prosecutor.”

Shocked, my aunt set the white cup she was holding onto the table with a clatter. The clear-colored omija tea inside rippled.

“What? That’s ridiculous. Prosecutor Tak is not that kind of person….”

“Aunt, from now on, you must think of him as someone capable of that.”

Her serious gaze stretched toward me. Unlike Won-i, I am someone who doesn’t know how to joke or play around, so she didn’t seem to doubt the truth of what I was saying; she just seemed to want to confirm if I truly believed he was guilty.

It seemed too early to bring up my father’s case, so I only explained the current situation objectively.

“The court hasn’t reached a verdict yet. I just handed the case over to the trial prosecutor.”

My aunt tilted her head slightly. She remained still as if lost in thought, then carefully parted her thin lips.

“…If you think he is guilty, Taeson, then you must have grounds for it. It goes to show that there are sides to people you don’t know, even if you’ve known them for a very long time. Still, I really thought Prosecutor Tak was a truly good person.”

“The official documents and reports will be released under Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho’s name or the trial prosecutor’s name, without my name. Gyuho, you remember him, right?”

“Of course I remember him. He’s Soyeon’s older brother.”

This time, my aunt’s eyes flickered toward Won-i. I felt it during our last meeting, but my sibling, who couldn’t hold back tears whenever that name was mentioned, had become thick-skinned enough to participate in the conversation without agitation. Well, that must be why they felt like forgiving me and seeing me again.

In the past, my sibling resented everyone who played a part in driving Prosecutor Yoon Soyeon to her death. Since I also hated myself for egging Prosecutor Yoon on, I had lived my life without expecting my sibling’s forgiveness.

My sibling joined the conversation normally, as if it were the old days.

“What have you been doing lately, Aunt?”

“Me? I just wait for news from you two. Make sure to call sometimes and stop by the house. Especially you, Won-i, since you live so far away, I’ll forget your face.”

“I’m sorry, Aunt. I’ll visit often from now on.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, though. Work is more important at your age, not visiting an old aunt.”

“Just a moment ago you told me to look after you.”

“That’s sincere, and this is sincere, too.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Won-i laughed aloud for the first time in a while. I thought that tonight’s dinner was a gift my sibling had given me, free of charge.

After finishing our brief conversation, we left the restaurant and went to our respective cars. We weren’t the type of people to spend hours together and hop from place to place chatting just because we met.

My aunt was also a person with a busy life of her own. Thankfully, and gratefully.

“Then go home safely, Aunt.”

As we said our goodbyes, my aunt reached out and waved lightly before getting into the driver’s seat. Because she was short, her crown and hand were barely visible over the roof of the car parked next to ours.

I got into my car with a faint smile. Since the meal finished quickly, it was still only 8 o’clock. As I was left alone, quiet darkness surrounded me, and complex thoughts washed over me like waves. I sat in thought for a while without starting the engine.

Originally, I intended to go straight back to Lee Chaeha, but the existence of a nearby memorial park irritated my mind like a small pebble that had rolled into a shoe. It was where Prosecutor Yoon Soyeon’s charnel house was located.

It felt awkward to ask my sibling to go with me, so I thought I might as well pay my respects alone for the first time in a while to commemorate our family’s reconciliation. I entered the destination into the navigation system and drove my car along the quiet road. Since all the nearby flower shops were closed, I arrived empty-handed.

The park where the charnel house was located always had colder air than other places, as if the temperature was a few degrees lower. Even though the sun had set and summer was just around the corner, a bleak wind like early winter brushed against my cheeks. It wasn’t near a holiday, and it was late on a weekday, so not a single person was visible at the charnel house. The sparsely installed streetlights had low illumination.

I followed the dark path toward the light leaking from the charnel house. Chief Tak wouldn’t be able to be punished for the charge of instigating the harassment of Prosecutor Yoon Soyeon. However, his resignation was scheduled to be accepted soon, and his end would be accompanied by the disgrace of a prison sentence.

It wasn’t perfect, but at any rate, I had tied a proper knot for the first time. If Lee Chaeha hadn’t worked hard together with me, it would have been impossible.

The cold touch of the silver doorknob met my palm. Inside the charnel house where the dead slept, the lights were bright.

I reached Prosecutor Yoon’s spot out of habit. To ensure I didn’t feel embarrassed about coming empty-handed, there was a fresh chrysanthemum placed in front of the urn. Intuitively, I knew it was a flower my sibling had left. They said traffic was bad; it seemed they were late for dinner because they had stopped by the charnel house.

“Soyeon.”

I gazed quietly at the photo of a smiling Soyeon and prayed for her soul in my heart.

After standing for quite a long time, I turned my head to the side, and suddenly, a residual image I had forgotten flashed across my vision. The silhouette of Tak Sungwoong, who had been standing across the aisle, surged before my eyes like a wave before disappearing.

I didn’t know it then, but looking back now, it was a very strange sight. Feeling a strange sensation, I slowly walked to that spot. I was met by the ash urn engraved with the name ‘Tak Jisook’, which I had thought was unusually large even back then.

Tak Jisook. The name of the sister Chief Tak killed in the non-indictment report was Tak Jisook.