The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 22

“Oh, really! It’s unfair. It’s so unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong! That rude jerk made me angry.”

“Think about it carefully. If an indictment is filed, we will have no choice but to prosecute the disturbance you caused at the police station as obstruction of justice as well. Since you have a prior record, the possibility of a prison sentence will increase, right?”

I intentionally spoke a bit sternly. Mr. Choi flinched significantly at the fact that his charges would increase.

“…I didn’t see the dotted line. You should have drawn it clearly!”

It was a frustrating reaction, but it was essentially half an admission of guilt.

In the end, I managed to persuade the man and obtained a statement that he had invaded the lane and committed road rage. Since it was the first record I would be showing Prosecutor Joo, I wrote down the conversation content meticulously and had him provide a thumbprint confirmation according to the procedure.

“Oh, man. I was wrong. Chief, I just lost my temper for a moment.”

People think all investigators working in the prosecutor’s office are chiefs. Of course, most of them are.

“I am not a chief, I am an officer. Don’t talk to me; apologize sincerely to the victim. Listen to the conditions again and try to reach a settlement. It’s better to avoid a trial.”

I admonished Mr. Choi.

“…I will contact the victim through my lawyer today. I will definitely settle, so please wait just a little.”

Mr. Choi even feigned sobbing, but he failed to squeeze out any actual tears. The man who had been so confident when he first arrived left the prosecutor’s office with his head hung low.

I had been worried because I heard he caused a scene at the police station, but it ended peacefully, unexpectedly. I’ve heard that most criminals who are lawless in front of the police become model students at the prosecutor’s office. Even if they are being questioned by an investigator, a prosecutor is sitting at the desk right next to them. In a way, Prosecutor Joo was a quite reliable backing for me.

I was refining the statement one more time when the messenger blinked. It was a message from Prosecutor Joo and Chief Song. Chief Song’s reaction was, ‘As expected of someone with experience, you’re doing well,’ and Prosecutor Joo said something like, ‘You’re quite kind to the perpetrator.’

I suppressed the twisted impulse to send a message saying, ‘Because I’m Lee Gilyoung’s son,’ and shared the suspect interrogation record on the work program before replying politely.

I think the victim’s statement received by the police is sufficient. The victim also finds it troublesome to attend. I will mediate so that the settlement is finalized within a week and report back to you.

Prosecutor Joo sent a reply five minutes later.

The statement isn’t bad, 2 typos found, the spacing is disastrous. What is the next case you’re working on?

I will do the theft case assigned today. I will fix the typos and spacing. I am sorry.

When I opened the file that Prosecutor Joo sent back, red corrections were rampant. There were many points such as ‘add subject,’ ‘revise awkward sentences,’ ‘typo,’ and ‘spacing,’ but I realized it was a problem I should have done well on from the start, so I didn’t feel any particular complaint. It seemed that documents needed to be refined more meticulously in form than at the police station. Or perhaps Prosecutor Joo Taeson was just exceptionally detail-oriented.

Since the prosecutor’s seal was also needed on the statement, I corrected it, sent it back, and after adding the remark, ‘I will be more meticulous next time,’ I sent a belated reply to Chief Song Haneul.

Thank you, Chief^^ If there is anything difficult, I will ask you right away.

Kind words go and come; that is how it works.

The next case was the theft, and fortunately, the file was thin. Since the theft suspect was not under arrest, I called the suspect and set an attendance date for when he would come to the office. Theft cases don’t carry heavy sentences, so most criminals are cooperative and confess easily.

Reading the transferred materials, I meticulously prepared a list of questions to confirm with the suspect. The suspect had 23 prior theft convictions and had been in and out of juvenile detention centers since the age of 16. Ex-convicts call prison “school,” and if you add up all the time the suspect served, it would be enough time for someone to finish elementary, middle, high school, and even earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree. He was someone with a very long “educational background.”

“These days, even someone like this gets transferred without detention.”

I muttered very quietly, but Prosecutor Joo, who was sitting diagonally, heard me. He ignored the murder case witness sitting in front of him, leaned back in his chair, and looked at me. When our eyes met, I involuntarily felt a bit nervous and curled my fingers.

“Who?”

“It’s a theft suspect, but he has 23 prior convictions.”

“If he has 23 prior convictions, write an arrest warrant application and send it to me. Once the warrant is issued and the suspect appears, put him directly into the detention center. Don’t send him back. He’ll flee if you do.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

I thought he wouldn’t have heard since he was in conversation with a witness, but Prosecutor Joo was quite sharp-eared. I decided that from now on, it would be better to just ask directly instead of muttering. I looked at the one the predecessor had written and followed it similarly, and perhaps it wasn’t bad, as Prosecutor Joo moved on without saying anything else.

The first day in the prosecutor’s office passed quickly and busily. Since everyone was frantically handling the piled-up documents, I was caught up in the fervor and reviewed materials without a moment to rest. It was actually a relief to be busy working.

The day ended without me having been able to properly lift my backside from my chair, and finally, the office reached quitting time. Chief Song and Officer No prepared to leave as soon as it hit 6:00, but Prosecutor Joo showed no signs of getting up from his seat.

The officer, who was already wearing her coat, shook Prosecutor Joo, whose eyes were fixed on the materials, with a cheerful voice.

“Prosecutor! Let’s stop for today and head home. Aren’t we going to have a welcome dinner for the new employee? It’s Thursday, so it’s perfect.”

“Ah, we should.”

Prosecutor Joo reacted as if he hadn’t been thinking about it at all. His thick-knuckled fingers pulled off the bright blue thimble he had been wearing on his left thumb. I stared quietly at the thimble placed on his desk. Then, I was startled when I met eyes directly with him as he looked up. It felt exactly like I had been caught sneaking a peek.

“Officer Lee, is there anything you want to eat?”

“Well. It’s not really for me, the youngest, to decide….”

“Then I’ll have to get a recommendation from the officer. Officer, please recommend a place for the dinner.”

“Since we’re welcoming a new employee, you should treat us to Hanwoo beef, Prosecutor. Let’s go to the restaurant in front. What do you think, Chief Song?”

“I think beef is a given.”

Chief Song chimed in slyly, and Prosecutor Joo agreed readily.

“Then let’s go eat Hanwoo. Is that okay with you, Officer Lee Chaeha?”

“Yes, Prosecutor. That sounds great.”

Prosecutor Joo Taeson put on the long winter coat that had been hanging on the coat rack. He was tall, so the black long coat that reached his knees suited him very well.

We all left the office together. Amidst the people talking about what happened during the day, I was still an outsider who had just joined. Walking to the restaurant, I looked up at the already darkened winter sky alone.

The restaurant, with the trade name ‘Hanwoo Pride,’ was shabby and small. On the glass door with a wooden lattice, menus like salsichasal (beef brisket), assorted Hanwoo, and yukhoe (beef tartare) were written in red stickers. Round chairs without backrests were placed at a few drum-can tables. It was said to be a popular spot where other prosecutor’s offices often went for staff dinners.

I, being the youngest, tried to grill the meat, but Chief Song was the type who took pride in his meat-grilling skills. He said he had never passed the tongs to anyone else before. My heart felt at ease. I wasn’t good at grilling meat, and I was a clumsy person in social settings.

We clinked our glasses and drank alcohol along with the slightly rare beef.

The people in the office, except for me, were very good at drinking. Swept up in the atmosphere, I drank faster than usual, pushing myself. Officer No had already filled my soju glass for the fourth time and asked in a friendly manner.

“My kids are all grown up now; one is a senior in high school and the other is a freshman. Are you married, Officer Lee Chaeha?”

“No. I am single.”

“Oh my. Room 512 is a bachelor’s den. Prosecutor Joo isn’t married, Chief Song is a bachelor, and now even Officer Lee is. Chief Song might be one thing, but Prosecutor Joo seems to have high standards. There are more than one or two people who say they like him.”

“Why do you say ‘Chief Song might be one thing’?”

Chief Song Haneul protested. Surprisingly, Prosecutor Joo Taeson smiled slightly and gestured at me with his chin.

I flinched at the relaxed expression I had never seen before. Now I finally understood. Prosecutor Joo Taeson had been cold only to me from the start. I had wondered, but it was just as I thought.