The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 188

Living with Joo Taeson, I discovered that he was a person who took care of household chores as meticulously as he handled work at the office. He woke up more than two hours earlier than me to read documents he’d brought home and prepare simple meals. Even though his arrival time at work was pushed back to 8:00 AM, he still started working at home from 6:30 AM. As expected, workaholism is also an addiction.

Whenever I finished showering and came out, the breakfast table was always set. Because I had been skipping breakfast since I was in middle school, I refused a few times at first, but now I’ve accepted the reality that I need to at least eat a rice ball before heading out. That was because, since my father left, Joo Taeson was the only one who nagged me about the necessity of eating breakfast.

Today’s menu was fresh salad and a yogurt bowl. For me, someone who usually has a low appetite and even less of an inclination to eat in the mornings, it was a very fortunate menu. In other words, it meant it was a meal he had prepared purely by considering my tastes. Prosecutor Joo was the type of person who could eat meat even in the morning. Having finished getting ready for work, he was neatly dressed in a suit and sat across from me.

“Eat up.”

“Thank you. It’s fine if I just eat a slice of bread. I feel bad because I can’t finish everything you prepare every time.”

“It’s fine if you only take a bite, so don’t feel burdened. You shouldn’t take your supplements on an empty stomach, so you have to be mindful to eat breakfast.”

Next to my water glass, the supplements I had to take after breakfast were neatly laid out.

“My condition is similar to how it was before the surgery now, so the supplements are fine.”

“You were stabbed in the abdomen and underwent long hours of surgery under general anesthesia. It’s better to be careful for a while. If possible, for the rest of your life.”

Joo Taeson now gave in to me on most things, but there were a few matters where he would not break his stubbornness. Meals, supplements, commuting methods, and things like sex. Counting them on my fingers secretly under the table, there were quite a few more than I had thought.

“I’ll follow behind you again today.”

To avoid making it obvious that we were commuting together, we took our cars separately. It would have been fine to leave about five minutes earlier, but Joo Taeson always insisted on following behind my car. Thanks to him always opening the way for me from behind, these days I’m on the verge of forgetting how to change lanes on my own. It’s not like we’re together in the car, and he should be in a rush for work due to his workaholism, yet he always followed behind as if escorting me.

I said while eating yogurt topped with blueberries.

“I’m a good driver.”

“I know.”

“I’m from the police force, so I have a Class 1 driver’s license too.”

“Even taxi or bus drivers get into traffic accidents. There’s no harm in being careful.”

“You don’t need to be that distrustful.”

“I’m just worried. Since it’s been raining for days due to the autumn monsoon.”

In the end, I gave up on convincing him.

Everything else was snappy, but because I am slow only when it comes to eating, we ended up finishing our preparations at a tight time. While I was taking my supplements at the last minute, Joo Taeson stood beside the dining table, watching my lips without blinking an eye. As if to confirm that I was taking my medicine properly. I wasn’t a child or a patient, but he enjoyed managing and supervising me. It was a soft expression of excessive possessiveness and control.

I had been worried because it was raining again from the morning, but fortunately, the commute wasn’t congested. We arrived at the Danhyeon District Office listening to the rhythmic sound of the wipers diligently clearing away the pouring rain. The autumn rain, which had soaked the windows to the point where I couldn’t see ahead, was swept away by the wipers the moment we entered the underground parking lot. The coffee that Prosecutor Joo had personally brought down and prepared for me as usual remained about halfway in my tumbler.

We parked on different floors, but luckily we met in the same elevator. I lowered my head out of habit.

“Good morning, Prosecutor Joo.”

It was 8:00 AM, but there were investigators who had come in early for today’s arrest operation meeting, so I had to be careful with my conduct. I greeted him politely as if we were meeting for the first time today. Prosecutor Joo responded with a light nod. After exchanging formal greetings with others, I stood one step away from his side.

His profile, looking up at the floor indicator just like me, hovered vaguely at the edge of my vision. And I also felt his fingertips gently bump against the tips of my fingers before falling away. As if by accident. The more the small encounters of our fingernails bumping against each other were repeated, the more heat rose slightly in the nape of my neck, where my employee ID hung.

The phone inside my bag rang secretly.

Your face is red.

It’s just because the elevator is hot.

You’re cute.

I stopped my fingers at the rather bewildering reaction.

Seriously, what is this.

A small mutter escaped my lips before I knew it, but fortunately, it was near-silent, so it was completely buried. Since I had barely moved my lips, either. I assumed Prosecutor Joo, who was standing at a moderate distance, naturally hadn’t heard it, and I got off on the 5th floor with the others.

After leaving my outerwear in the prosecutor’s office, Room 512, we headed to Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho’s office to attend the meeting immediately. I had clearly heard it was an 8:00 AM meeting, but since no one else had arrived yet, only Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho was sitting all alone in the office.

“Good morning.”

“Investigator Lee, we’re working together after a long time.”

As I bent my waist politely to greet him, the other person welcomed me with a very delighted face. Prosecutor Yoon had approached me quite sociably ever since I was stabbed by Chief Song. It seemed to be because Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho had frequently appeared in the media due to the massive Tak Sungwoong and Oh Jahyeon cases alone, and thanks to me getting stabbed, he had received even more attention from the press.

Prosecutor Joo waved his hand roughly, spoke comfortably, and sat down first.

“Why hasn’t anyone else come yet?”

“It seems the notice wasn’t sent out properly. The chief investigator is currently contacting people as he arrives at work. And why are you here, Prosecutor Joo?”

“I’m going with you.”

“Even though it isn’t Prosecutor Joo’s case?”

“It’s a case our office’s investigators are going out to support, so I’m interested. I haven’t smelled the field much lately, either. Officer Lee, sit down too.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

At the superior’s call, I took a seat right next to him. He glanced lightly at the arrest operation report lying in front of him and greeted him with a listless tone.

“Prosecutor Yoon, you look good.”

“Ah, me? I am. I’m only telling you this, but I think I might be reassigned to Seoul. Possibly to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office if things go well.”

“That wasn’t just telling me; it sounded like you were telling me last? The rumor is already widespread. That Prosecutor Yoon is going back to the Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”

Yoon Gyuho continued to boast subtly.

“I even had a meal with the Chief Prosecutor last month. Is that why the rumors are spreading?”

“Did you get some kind of promise or something?”

“It’s not like that, but he praised me tremendously for finishing things up very well. It wasn’t purely my case, so I should have invited Prosecutor Joo to the drinking session too—my apologies.”

To the oily Yoon Gyuho’s apology, Prosecutor Joo replied with a forced, obvious fake smile.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean. It’s giving me goosebumps.”

“But it was good that you were on the news too, right?”

“Me?”

“The day I was interviewed in front of the district office. How is it that there were way more mentions of you, who just passed by for a moment behind me, than me, the one who was actually speaking? Thanks to that, I’m hurt.”

Thinking of Prosecutor Joo passing by with an expression full of irritation from the back because of the gathered reporters and Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho, who was enjoying the situation, I almost laughed. People were curious about who the handsome prosecutor was. While Prosecutor Joo, who had received the attention at the time, was actually just staying still, the same office’s administrative officer, No Seonhui, had been the one more excited.

‘I showed all my family members that this is the handsome Prosecutor I work with.’

Prosecutor Joo, usually listless about such things, showed a polite smile at Officer No’s not-a-boast boast.

Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho rose from his desk, came to the conference table, and sat across from us. Then, he made eye contact with me and spoke in a very gentle tone.

“It would have been really great if Investigator Lee Chaeha had been interviewed together. You suffered a lot because of the Chief Song case, too. You have to step forward a bit for things like that so the higher-ups recognize you.”

“I’m fine. I’m not used to cameras either.”

“But the location where the incident took place being the rooftop of the district office was quite dramatic, wasn’t it? It’s a shame. I feel like it’s a waste. Are you really okay to run?”

“Yes, thank you for your concern.”

“You are a valuable talent for our district office, so you must take good care of your health.”

Calling me, an 8th-grade investigator, a valuable talent for the district office.