The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 173

On the first day of our summer vacation, I got into Prosecutor Joo’s car and headed toward Gangwon-do. Contrary to my concerns, there was no traffic congestion.

I, who was sitting idly in the passenger seat, chose the music; I mainly selected and played old pop songs that I had listened to while studying when I was a student. Prosecutor Joo seemed to have no particular complaints about my choices, as he hummed along with the songs occasionally while leisurely gripping the steering wheel. As the music played song after song, the mountain ranges piled up layer upon layer beyond the windshield, and the peaks grew increasingly higher.

We stopped at the first rest area two hours later. As soon as I got out, the hot sun beat down on my head, and a sweltering breeze enveloped my whole body. Unlike when I went to work, I was wearing a light short-sleeved shirt and cotton pants, yet beads of sweat quickly formed on my forehead.

“Are you hot?”

“The sun is scorching. And it’s blinding, too.”

Prosecutor Joo took off the sunglasses he had been wearing, put them on my face, and chuckled.

“It doesn’t suit you.”

“Is that so?”

“I think a round style would suit you better, Mr. Lee Chaeha.”

Checking myself in the reflection of the tinted car window, I saw that the sunglasses were angular, just as he said, and they didn’t suit my appearance at all. I looked just like a child who had snatched an adult’s sunglasses, and laughter spilled out.

I returned the sunglasses to Prosecutor Joo and headed to the rest area’s food court. It was a hot day, but I decided that if I was at a rest area, I simply had to eat udon, so I opted for fish cake udon, while Prosecutor Joo chose a ramen and gimbap set. He, who initially loathed instant food, seemed to have changed his mind after I cooked ramen for him last time; it seemed he ate ramen occasionally now.

Watching my bowl of udon empty faster than was typical for me, he asked.

“Does that fill you up?”

“I’m fine, but shouldn’t you be the one asking yourself that, Mister, since your portion is small?”

“It’s enough. But if you call me Prosecutor even on vacation, people will think we’re out on an investigation.”

Hearing that, I realized he was right, so I immediately agreed.

“You’re right.”

“…I was hinting that you should call me something else during vacation.”

“I know.”

As I deliberately replied in a stiff tone, Prosecutor Joo lightly furrowed his brow, then quickly picked up a piece of gimbap and pressed it firmly against my closed lips. Glancing around at our surroundings, I opened my mouth and quickly took it. It felt like he was taking care of me, yet it also felt like a gesture to tell me to stop being infuriating and just shut my mouth—either way, the gimbap tasted quite good. Prosecutor Joo pushed the gimbap plate toward me, so I picked up about two more and filled my stomach to the brim.

Even though I knew he was hinting at it because he knew I called him Prosecutor because I didn’t want to make mistakes at work, he often pestered me about it. However, because professional life was also important, I always put up an iron wall and defended myself.

The risks I had to bear just by dating my superior were significant, and the world was small. If, by any chance, someone I knew was standing behind us at our vacation spot, it was much safer for them to hear me calling him Prosecutor. There was already a risk in not using a stiff tone when we were alone. Because I had lived my life suffering from rumors for a long time, the thought of letting my guard down never crossed my mind.

I finished my meal and was about to get up with my tray, but he stopped me and picked up my tray along with his own in both hands.

“Mr. Officer Lee, please sit and rest.”

The title ‘Mr. Officer Lee’ and the polite formal language didn’t mix, like liquids that couldn’t blend. It felt patronizing, so I looked up at him with wide eyes before tilting my head to one side.

“…On purpose?”

“Then do you think it was a mistake?”

After tossing that accurate comment at me, Prosecutor Joo walked over to the return station, emptied his hands, and came back. Although I had been slightly mocked just a moment ago, I knew better than anyone that his heart was thinking of me. Once we were outside of the company, Prosecutor Joo rarely gave me the opportunity to move. Unlike at the office, an organization with a clear hierarchy, he tried to do most things himself. Even a small task like taking the tray to the return station.

I parted my lips as we walked to a small café next to the food court.

“Thank you. I could have brought it back myself.”

“It’s nothing, for such a small thing. And don’t worry about the titles. I just said it for the sake of it. I knew you would refuse anyway.”

“You talk about it occasionally, so I thought you really wanted it.”

“I know the reason and I’m fully convinced. I just thought, since it’s vacation time, how about making an exception for a few days.”

We ordered iced Americanos together at the café and stood waiting among the crowd. My cross-body bag, which I had worn out even on vacation, vibrated. It seemed someone was calling.

I briefly took out my phone to check the name on the screen; it was a call from Section Chief Kim, who had filled the vacancy left by Chief Song. My heart sank for no reason. It was because I knew Prosecutor Joo found Section Chief Kim displeasing. Because he was such a meticulous person, it seemed that managing someone like Section Chief Kim, who was slow and handled work sloppily, was a great source of distress for him.

Since Prosecutor Joo was unusually silent next to me, I muttered an excuse on behalf of Section Chief Kim.

“I guess Section Chief Kim still isn’t used to your style, Prosecutor. It seems he has something to ask… I explained everything and left yesterday. Should I answer now, or call back later?”

I was rambling to myself, but when I heard no reply, I looked to the side—only to find some stranger standing in the spot where Prosecutor Joo should have been. Stunned, I stared at the stranger with wide, blank eyes. The person glanced at me as if I were a strange person and stepped a foot away.

Prosecutor Joo had disappeared before I knew it. I didn’t know when he had been left alone, but it seemed at least it had been before I checked Section Chief Kim’s call.

For a moment, I had no intention of answering the call, so I immediately shoved my phone into my bag. I moved my head this way and that, checking the opposite direction and behind me, but I was truly standing alone in front of the café.

“Prosecutor.”

I couldn’t call out loudly for fear of attracting people’s attention. For the first time, I called his name loudly.

“Mr. Taeson.”

I wandered around looking through my surroundings within the range where I could hear the clerk’s voice, but not even a shadow of Prosecutor Joo could be seen. I was flustered. He wasn’t the type to go anywhere without a word; it felt like I was being haunted by a ghost.

I couldn’t even go far to look for him because it seemed the coffee would come out immediately, so I rose on my heels and searched everywhere, but because it was the vacation season, there were quite a few people, so I couldn’t secure a clear line of sight. Looking down at the receipt, I suppressed my growing impatience and chewed over the scene where we entered the rest area together. The places Prosecutor Joo had glanced at unintentionally, the moments his expression subtly changed, the times he stopped speaking for a moment—and so on. Surprisingly, I remembered everything in detail.

I waited for my number to be called, and just as I turned back after barely receiving two iced Americanos, I bumped into a broad wall with a thud. It was because I was in a hurry to find Prosecutor Joo. I was startled and squeezed my eyelids shut before opening them.

“I’m sorr…”

I was busily examining if I had spilled coffee on the person’s body when a familiar voice sounded from above my head.

“Why is your expression like that?”

It was Prosecutor Joo. I immediately raised my head to meet his gaze. I didn’t want to show that I was flustered, but before I could be conscious of it, my wide-open eyes blinked rapidly. My voice didn’t get louder, but it came out one tone higher than usual.

“Prosecutor! Without saying a word, where did you go?”

“I went to buy that funny hat I saw when we were entering the rest area.”

After he took the coffee, he placed the straw hat sold at the rest area on top of my head. The shape of his rising lips was quite playful, so I moved only my pupils upward to scan the brim of the hat with my gaze. The finish was rough and coarse; I felt like I would look exactly like a scarecrow. I reflexively raised my hand to take it off, but for some reason, the bright smile of Prosecutor Joo I had just seen stayed in my mind, so I canceled the destination and lowered my arm.

“Still, you should have told me before you left.”

“Sorry. Next time, I’ll tell you before I go.”

The word ‘sorry’ had become a habit for Prosecutor Joo, which didn’t suit him.

“I thought Mr. Lee Chaeha would be too hot. I can’t buy sunglasses in a place like this. I thought a hat would be fine for a one-time use during the vacation season.”

“Since you bought it for me, Prosecutor, I will wear it with gratitude.”

“I saw you were about to take it off. You should try deceiving someone else.”

“On a day like this, wouldn’t it be better to turn off the radar you use when investigating for a while?”

“Is Officer Lee’s radar off?”