The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 192

I nodded grudgingly at his worried voice. With my hand still placed over my abdomen, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the pain to pass. Thanks to the pain finally easing just a little, I managed to pull myself away from Prosecutor Joo with some effort.

“How did you follow me?”

“I was calling your name from behind, but you didn’t hear me. I barely managed to chase after you. There was a distance gap.”

The official vehicle the prosecutors were riding in had been a whole alleyway back, so the very fact that he was able to follow me was surprising. It seems he, like me, had taken a close look at the map. If he hadn’t, I would have fallen down miserably all by myself and gotten severely hurt.

As soon as I steadied myself, I checked the location of the CCTV cameras first. Prosecutor Joo’s gaze moved along with me.

“I should let Prosecutor Yoon know that we need to seize that CCTV footage first. Though it probably won’t be of much use.”

“I think so, too. It’s an angle that couldn’t have captured the alley where the motorcycle was parked.”

The same question flickered through our minds as we kept looking up at the CCTV. I broke the silence first.

“…Do you think it caught us hugging, Prosecutor?”

“Maybe. Was it long?”

“I don’t know. We usually hold each other longer than that, so I can’t really tell.”

“It would look like I was supporting you, though… Should we check beforehand?”

“…Yes. I think it would be better to check and then report it. It doesn’t seem like Lee Moon-cheol’s motorcycle was caught on camera anyway, and it would be troublesome if unnecessary rumors started spreading. I really need to be careful while working.”

“I let my guard down. Since we’re both men, I don’t think they’d think it’s strange. It’s just because we live together that being physically close has become a habit.”

“…That’s really a problem. Should we reduce our physical contact in public?”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard such an absurd thing.”

“It’s worth considering…”

“No.”

With that firm answer, both of our gazes simultaneously left the CCTV and dropped downward. His dark eyes carefully scanned me once again from head to toe.

“How can you run like that? Even when your stomach hurts.”

“I thought I was fine, but it hurts more than I expected. I guess the aftermath of the surgery is still lingering.”

For a moment, Prosecutor Joo paused with a look on his face as if he had seen a ghost.

“Why are you doing that?”

Thinking something might be wrong, I hurriedly looked around.

I saw a Mister driving a noisy truck, a person pulling a handcart piled high with scrap paper, and a group of children zipping by on kick scooters. The alley smelled musty. The scent of tangerines, which seemed to be wafting from a nearby fruit shop, tickled my nose. Nothing special seemed to be happening.

When I looked back at Prosecutor Joo naturally, there was already an easygoing smile hanging from the corners of his mouth.

“What do you mean, why. It’s because I thought you would say you were fine, but you said it hurt instead.”

“Because it does hurt.”

“Still, if it were in the past, you never would have said you were in pain. Now you even know how to say you’re in pain… Good job.”

Whether he liked my complaining so much, he kept letting out small laughs the entire way while we retraced the path I had run.

Even if it was another team’s operation, we missed the suspect. If it were the usual Joo Taeson, there is no way he would be laughing.

Joo Taeson looked so pleased that I felt embarrassed and even debated whether I should stop whining next time. However, on the other hand, a thought crossed my mind—since I like it when that cold face spreads into a smile, should I say things are difficult even when they aren’t?

Actually, I felt a similar emotion to Prosecutor Joo. Although I was frustrated about missing the suspect, I was happy that a moment was created where the two of us were walking down an alleyway during work hours. A new, empty room had been created in my mind, which in the past would have been entirely filled with thoughts of the suspect I’d missed.

A room where only pleasant sensations and words could enter. A space that only Joo Taeson could occupy.

Was this what people meant by the word “leisure”?

I suddenly wondered if a similar space had formed for Joo Taeson as well.

While walking through the alley, now messy with fallen leaves, the backs of our hands would occasionally graze each other, colliding with warm temperatures. We shared the remaining body heat and the cool scent of autumn that brushed against our fingertips. Dry leaves crunched under our dress shoes. Somehow, I felt certain—without needing to ask—that a space similar to mine must have been created for him, too.

As soon as we returned to the Danhyeon District Office, Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho came down to Room 512. I expected him to summon me since I’d missed the fleeing suspect right before my eyes, but he must have been too frantic to think of that.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho burst through the door without being able to hide his anxious demeanor. Section Chief Kim glanced at the two prosecutors, then quietly gathered his documents and walked out of the prosecutor’s office, pretending he had business to attend to. A small sigh escaped me.

Section Chief Kim had already been scolded by Prosecutor Joo as soon as he returned to the office. Because he had seen firsthand that Section Chief Kim did not follow me even after witnessing me giving chase. He isn’t a bad person to be around, but he is truly incompetent at work, making him the exact opposite of Prosecutor Joo.

It was also hard on Section Chief Kim, who had been assigned to the wrong place. If he had met a superior who liked to have their ego stroked, it would have been much easier for him. There are more prosecutors in the prosecution service than one might think who like the style of Section Chief Kim. It’s because they hear sweet words that their superiors find satisfying during the day and enjoy drinking parties at night.

Yoon Gyuho pulled a chair toward me and sat down.

“Investigator Lee Chaeha, how did you know that guy would go into that alley? Everyone else was just wandering around in confusion.”

“I judged that it was the only place he could go if he fled to the back of the hideout. According to the map, it seemed difficult to find escape and hiding means outside of that route. Not only public transport but also convenience facilities like inns and saunas were concentrated there.”

“I see… Since he abandoned the motorcycle in the middle, I guess we won’t be able to find it for a while?”

“Why are you asking that here when the answer is obvious?”

Prosecutor Joo, who had been flipping through documents, replied in a blunt voice. He was right, but I tried to calm the superior in front of me for the time being. Although my direct superior is Joo Taeson, as long as I work in the prosecution, all prosecutors are effectively my superiors.

“Even if he abandoned the motorcycle, we will definitely be able to find him if we trace the CCTV routes, Prosecutor Yoon.”

“Ah, good grief. This is a headache… I’ll have to put the section chiefs on night duty. I thought I’d be drinking happily while celebrating the arrest today, but what an absolute disgrace this is, ha…”

Staring blankly at the discouraged Prosecutor Yoon Gyuho, I replayed the situation of Lee Moon-cheol fleeing in my mind.

“There was a red backpack.”

“Yes?”

“On the luggage rack of the motorcycle Lee Moon-cheol was riding. Has a red backpack been found on the abandoned motorcycle?”

Yoon Gyuho thought for a moment and then said in an uncertain tone.

“…Hmm, I’m not sure about that. I think I was reported that there were no remaining belongings.”

“Given that he wasn’t carrying a backpack earlier, I don’t think there would have been any important luggage, but if he took it regardless, I suspect he might have packed some clothes to change into. Once we find the point where Lee Moon-cheol’s trail cuts off, I think it would be better to watch the CCTV focusing on his physical appearance or the red bag rather than just his clothes. The range of CCTV coverage we need to watch changes depending on whether he changed his clothes or not.”

The person who had been listening intently turned his head to the side.

“Pro Joo, can’t you let me take Officer Lee? I’m short-handed.”

“No.”

Prosecutor Joo answered before the question was even finished. And he gave a fake, bright smile to Yoon Gyuho, as if to show off.

“Stop and get out. It’s Prosecutor Yoon’s case, not our room’s case. Investigator Lee Chaeha has a pile of cases to deal with while helping me.”

“You don’t even have any important cases these days, Pro Joo. …Do you, by any chance?”

“No.”

“Like drugs or murder. I’m asking if you’ve been assigned any big cases.”

“There are no big cases these days. And besides, it’s not only cases that can make the news that are important. Do you want me to give you a speech on why?”

“…I’m leaving. I’m leaving, Officer Lee.”

Yoon Gyuho stood up with an expression that said he was fed up. He must have a lot on his mind because it’s certain his promotion will be off the table if the Lee Moon-cheol case falls into a deadlock. In fact, since the execution of the arrest warrant failed today, it was certain that he would face a reprimand from the higher-ups.

Yoon Gyuho, who ran out as if escaping, closed the office door. No Seonhui, the administrative officer who had been sitting quietly, poked her head out from her diagonal seat.

“That person who ran away, I heard he cheated people by vlogging, targeting the elderly? With health food. Saying it’s good for bones and teeth. Did you watch the vlog, Prosecutor?”