The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 185

The mountain terrain was deep. The mountain housing the cave seemed almost untouched by human hands.

The trees were much taller than any I had seen in other forests, and squirrels were countless and common on the mountain paths, where hikers were few and far between. The squirrels didn’t fear humans at all, running to their hearts’ content along the dirt paths toward wherever they wanted to go. Birds with colorful feathers—rare to see in the city—flew beautifully between the trees, frequently crossing our path.

The hand of the person walking beside me brushed against the back of my hand. My fingertips twitched, longing to hold it. Prosecutor Joo seemed to be the same, but since this wasn’t a rainy night walk, we couldn’t share our body heat.

I looked up at the vast blue Haneul between the treetops, then turned my gaze to him. His black eyes were already watching me.

“The cave was fun too, but the outdoors is even better. There are so many squirrels, too.”

“Mountains in other countries have a new kind of feel. I liked it when I traveled to Switzerland.”

“Next time, let’s go abroad.”

“You’ve finally started thinking about going?”

“Yes. Because it’s definitely good when I’m with the Prosecutor. I’m not even sure if I like traveling or not.”

“…You’ve started saying sweeter things since you came on this trip.”

Just as his large hand touched my head in a gesture of praise, my phone rang. I pulled it out, thinking it was mine, but there was no change on the screen, letting me know it was Prosecutor Joo’s call. He looked down at his phone for a moment, then swiped the decline button and returned it to his pocket. It seemed to be a call from the Chief Prosecutor, and I was so surprised that my eyes went round, wondering if he could really do that.

He replied with a voice that held a relaxed smile.

“I didn’t want to be disturbed.”

“I thought the Prosecutor was a workaholic… was it possible for you to hold back?”

“I’m holding back because I’m with you.”

I stood on my tiptoes as high as I could at his sweet words. Then, I reached out and gently placed my palm on top of Prosecutor Joo’s head before bringing it back down. Just the same way he had done to me.

Since there was a full hand-span difference in our height, if anyone had seen it, it would have looked more like I was feeling the top of his head than giving him praise. Prosecutor Joo chuckled at my playful action, gently squeezing my cheek before letting go.

“You’ve been quite cheeky for a long time now.”

“But it’s okay, right?”

“Yeah. Do as you please.”

The comforting answer returned.

That Prosecutor Joo and I could spend such comfortable time together and share trivial jokes. It’s something I never could have imagined when I first met him back in my police days.

Now that I think about it, the stifling pain and loneliness that I thought had become one with me after the age of thirteen had stopped being felt at some point. When did it start?

Even though the trials for Chief Tak and Oh Jahyeon aren’t over yet, I don’t even feel the need to seek out the news. Everything feels like a thing of the past. Regardless of the trial results, I have found peace.

I thought it might have been from the day Prosecutor Joo showed me the newspaper with the report that my father was innocent, but I soon realized that wasn’t the case. It was much, much earlier than that.

It was when Joo Taeson believed my words before I even proved them to the world, or perhaps the moment he started to love me even while he didn’t believe them. At the very least, it must have been around then. The time when my pain began to fade before I was even consciously aware of it.

After finishing a delicious meal at a famous restaurant nearby and looking around other tourist spots, we returned to the vicinity of our hotel around sunset. Just before the sun went down, we climbed to the observatory right next to the hotel and watched the sea reflecting the sunset. I felt I had seen enough of the sea and was about to head down when Prosecutor Joo pulled my elbow in the opposite direction. His eyes, reflecting the red sunset, gestured softly to me.

“Let’s walk to the suspension bridge before we go.”

I still had stamina left, so I nodded readily.

“Okay.”

Since we had mostly traveled by car, I wasn’t very tired, so we climbed the hill to the suspension bridge together. It was evening, so there was no one moving in the same direction as us; most people were on their way down. Because it was summer, the sunset lasted a long time and the colors were clear, so the Haneul remained bright enough until we arrived at the suspension bridge.

The walk was wonderful, but once we reached the entrance of the suspension bridge, I was a little scared to cross it. I hesitated slightly, but I pretended to be calm on the outside as I took a step forward. However, I ended up stopping in the middle of the suspension bridge and revealed the truth.

“Wow, this is scary.”

There was a section of the suspension bridge finished with glass, and after I looked down and quickly averted my eyes, Prosecutor Joo laughed and grabbed my hand, which was dangling in the air.

“Hold my hand. I thought you were fearless, but you’re surprisingly timid.”

“I shouldn’t be scared of something like this.”

“But it’s okay when you’re with me.”

Prosecutor Joo was right. There wasn’t a single person around, so I didn’t refuse his help and gripped his large hand tightly. I was glad we had come at sunset.

We crossed the suspension bridge to the very end and reached another observatory. It was much higher and had a wider, clearer view than the place we had climbed before. Behind us rose cliffs carved steeply by the waves, and in front of us unfolded the vast, open sea without a single obstruction. Because of the sunset, the sea looked as if it were burning.

The two of us leaned against the observatory railing and looked down at the incoming waves for a while before our eyes met. I smiled softly before I knew it, and a similar curve was drawn on his lips.

Prosecutor Joo slowly pushed his body away from the railing, straightened his waist, and looked down at me with a serious gaze. His lips, which had delicate lines, softly called out my name.

“Chaeha.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s live together.”

The noisy sound of the sea breeze that had been rushing into my ears and the sound of waves hitting the cliffs suddenly stopped, and the world went silent as if everything had ceased.

Prosecutor Joo whispered low and soft, letting my hair, which was scattered by the wind, flow through his fingers.

“If you’re worried about what other people think, it can be a little far from the office. It’s okay if the commute takes a lot longer. It doesn’t matter if we live outside of Danhyeon City. I just want to live with you, Chaeha.”

In a cautious and thoughtful tone, he asked for my permission. Looking up at his black eyes reflecting the red sunset, this time I understood without hesitation.

Joo Taeson’s proposal is something I have desperately longed for. Whether I realized it consciously or not.

I nodded slowly.

“Let’s do that.”

“It’ll be hard if it’s too far.”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as I can be with you, Taeson.”

“I’m of the same mind.”

I tilted my head to the side to check behind Prosecutor Joo. After confirming that there was no one coming to this side across the suspension bridge, I took hold of his two large hands. If we live together now, the time I can spend holding these hands will increase. That was enough.

Prosecutor Joo slowly bowed his head, and warm heat touched my lips. When I closed my eyelids, the red sunlight that had been seeping into my eyes disappeared completely. I still couldn’t hear the wind or the sound of the waves. It was as if only Joo Taeson and I were left in the world.

Suddenly, I remembered the morning of the day that incident happened when I was young, the empty school playground I looked at as I was the first to arrive at school. Rubbing my eyes, which were stinging from the sand blown by the wind sweeping across the wide ground where there were no students, and smelling the dust, I think I felt lonely. Even at that young age.

But now, I didn’t feel lonely at all. Because I wasn’t alone, standing on this sea, having crossed the swaying bridge and set foot on the observatory.

As our plush lips met perfectly, the sounds finally started to return.

It was a truly peaceful rhythm, gently echoing in my heart.