The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 37

“Oh, really? Then were you at the official residence during the New Year’s holiday too, Chief?”

“Yes. I’ll make some tteokguk (rice cake soup) later and invite you over sometime.”

It was a warm proposal. I took my fingers—no longer hot—out of the water glass and took a spoonful of rice.

“Officer Lee, it’s a bit difficult to deal with the Prosecutor, isn’t it?”

At Chief Song’s question, I unnecessarily felt self-conscious and glanced around. It wasn’t a busy restaurant, so the tables were empty, and there wasn’t a single person who looked like a staff member from our branch. Only after checking thoroughly did I answer in a small voice.

“I don’t think there is a Prosecutor who is ‘comfortable’ to work with, so I’m fine.”

“I heard rumors that the Prosecutor was picky and assigned a lot of work before he came to the Danhyeon Branch Office, but I thought otherwise while working with him. But seeing you work, Officer Lee, it seems those rumors might be true.”

It was a situation where other people couldn’t possibly be unaware of my predicament. After all, I was the only one in the prosecutor’s office who was picked on all day and couldn’t even leave work on time. Yesterday, I was called into the inner office and scolded severely. I suddenly felt a bit hurt by Prosecutor Joo, but I answered nonchalantly to avoid showing it.

“I’m just still clumsy with the work. Won’t it get better once I get used to it?”

“Still, he gives you a lot of important cases these days, Officer Lee. It seems like he’s trying to teach you more because he thinks highly of you.”

Chief Song, who is kind about everything, imagined the most benevolent reason possible. But for me, I was just a person who had gotten on the wrong side of him by being Lee Gilyoung’s son, and who was being tested at every turn because of Prosecutor Joo’s secret agenda. The word “thinks highly of” was a misnomer. It was a difficult situation since I couldn’t tell Chief Song the truth.

Chief Song neatly swallowed a mouthful of bulgogi they had picked up and parted their lips.

“And it seems the Prosecutor had a really good feeling about you when you first started working together, Officer Lee. It looked like he personally asked Chief Tak to select you as his investigator.”

“Chief Tak?”

“Even though the Prosecutor is in the Criminal Division 1, he doesn’t have a good relationship with the Chief of Division 1, you know. It seems if there’s work he needs help with, he talks to Chief Tak. Chief Tak thinks of him like a son and cherishes him.”

As expected, Chief Song never knew how to speak ill of others, even behind their backs.

After finishing our meal, we bought coffee and headed back to the prosecutor’s office. Prosecutor Joo glared at me, and at Chief Song coming in with me, quite fiercely again. I could no longer be unaware that his gaze was always like that.

I had been scolded and criticized so much this week that I felt intimidated, but I tried to act all the more resilient on the outside. If the other party knows you’re scared, they tend to become even more ruthless.

After brushing my teeth and returning to my seat, I saw a message from Prosecutor Joo.

Did you have a nice lunch with Chief Song?

Yes, Prosecutor.

I sent a simple reply, but Prosecutor Joo checked it and said nothing further. Feeling unnecessarily nervous, I sent an additional message.

It was a home-style restaurant, but it was quite good. You should go next time.

How honored I would be.

I bit my lower lip and let go. Looking to the side, Prosecutor Joo, with his back to the window, was flipping through documents with his usual expressionless face. Since I didn’t know what kind of scolding he was starting up for today, I needlessly polished the interrogation record I had finished reviewing in the morning two more times.

However, the trouble did not start with Prosecutor Joo, but from inside a document envelope I opened right before leaving work. It was a case assigned today.

Because it was an exceptionally thin file compared to others, I chose it with the intention of looking at it quickly and going home early for once. The charge was also ‘drunk driving.’

In that document forwarded by the police with an opinion of non-indictment, I encountered the name of Oh Jahyeon again—the casino director and the ousted youngest daughter of the Osong Group.

Last Friday at 2:00 PM, Oh Jahyeon had been driving drunk and crashed her car into the glass wall of a cafe. Fortunately, there were no human casualties, but significant damage had occurred, yet it was forwarded with a non-indictment opinion. Because of a problem that arose during the alcohol testing process, a trial had become impossible.

I immediately called the Danhyeon Police Station.

“Hello, Detective Ma. This is Investigator Lee Chaeha from Criminal Division 1 of the Danhyeon Branch Office. Have you been well? Yes…. It’s nothing, I’m just calling regarding the Oh Jahyeon drunk driving case forwarded today.”

As soon as the name ‘Oh Jahyeon’ appeared, a gaze as sharp as a blade flew toward me. I lifted my head to identify the owner of the gaze. It was, of course, Prosecutor Joo Taeson. Chief Song and Officer No were hunched over, preoccupied with their assigned tasks.

His always-sharp gaze felt unusually more piercing. His long fingers had completely shoved the document he was looking at into the corner of his desk. I wondered if I should have discussed it with him before calling the police, but since it was a case forwarded with a non-indictment opinion, I thought I could resolve it on my end.

The detective on the other end of the line was clearly uncomfortable with my contact. It was that same detective I had encountered at the hospital on the day of the Koryoin Mr. Kim’s autopsy—the person Prosecutor Joo had said he didn’t trust.

“I’ve read through all the materials, and it says we can’t indict because there was a procedural violation during Ms. Oh Jahyeon’s alcohol test.”

— Yes, the traffic division staff member forgot to have Ms. Oh Jahyeon rinse her mouth before blowing into the tester. A test without rinsing the mouth is a procedural violation, so it can’t be used as evidence even if it goes to trial. That’s why we forwarded it with a non-indictment opinion. Do you think this is our first time handling a drunk driving case?

It was a procedural violation, so an apology would have been appropriate, but Detective Ma was overly confident.

“I know about the ruling where a case was dismissed because the rinsing procedure was skipped. I also think it’s natural that you forwarded it with a non-indictment opinion because there was a procedural violation. However, I’m calling because the situational evidence for Ms. Oh Jahyeon’s alcohol test is missing.”

— What evidence?

“If it was tested in the car, we need the dashcam; if it was at the police station, we need the CCTV; if it was at the hospital, we at least need a witness statement. I have to confirm the procedural violation at the time to process the case myself…”

— What? You want video evidence? Are you saying we lied about rinsing their mouth when we didn’t? If we missed it, we missed it—why are you calling over something like that when I’m busy? It’s not even a violent crime.

Detective Ma’s reaction was hypersensitive. Of course, another investigator might have just received the police report and dismissed it as ‘no suspicion.’

However, I am quite meticulous in my investigations, and even if I let it slide, Prosecutor Joo would never just stand by. I would have been torn apart for not requesting evidence from the police.

“No. It’s not that I suspect the police; I have to review all the evidence. I have to confirm the fact that there was a procedural violation so I can submit the documents to the Prosecutor with an opinion of ‘no suspicion.’”

— Which prosecutor’s office is this?

“It’s Prosecutor Joo Taeson’s office. But the issue isn’t which prosecutor it is…”

In the middle of my sentence, there was a sound like Prosecutor Joo clenching his fist and tapping his knuckles against the desk—thud, thud. Only after hearing that sound did I look at him again. His gaze had been on me from the start of the call without shifting once. As soon as we made eye contact, he flicked his finger and notified me immediately.

“Hand the phone to me.”

“Pardon? Yes. One moment, Detective. I’ll put Prosecutor Joo Taeson on.”

I transferred the call, and he immediately picked up the receiver. I quietly hung up.

Looking across, Officer No and Chief Song, sensing that the atmosphere was unusual, had lifted their heads with their eyes wide round. They had faces like startled deer. That was understandable, as the expression of Prosecutor Joo—who always maintained an emotionless face even when scolding me or interrogating a suspect—had transformed into something terrifyingly savage.

Prosecutor Joo sat with the receiver to his ear and turned his chair toward the window. It seemed he didn’t want to show his face to the family in the office.

I was curious. Was his face distorted differently than usual?

“Detective Ma, did my staff member make an unreasonable request?”

Even though I couldn’t see his expression, the voice flowing out was colder than the dawn wind.

— No, Prosecutor, it’s not that. We said there was a procedural mistake, isn’t it too much to demand video on top of that? Do you think we lied? What are we supposed to do if the same investigative agency doesn’t trust each other?