The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 38

Detective Ma’s voice was so loud that I could hear everything being said through the receiver. It was only then that I realized everything I had said during the call must have been audible to Prosecutor Joo as well.

“You forward a case with a non-indictment opinion without even drafting a single piece of evidence, and then instead of apologizing to my staff member, you yell at them? Are you asking us to ignore procedure and settle this through personal connections?”

— No, Prosecutor, it’s not that…

“If you treat a legitimate request this way, don’t you think I might start suspecting Detective Ma for no reason?”

Prosecutor Joo’s voice, cutting off the detective, was so harsh. Even I, who was frequently called into the inner office to be scolded, had never heard such a freezing tone.

And frankly speaking, I hadn’t expected Prosecutor Joo to go as far as to get angry and take my side. Seeing my superior protect me, a strange sensation I had never felt before welled up inside. It felt as if the area around my chest was aching and my throat was tightening. I swallowed a dry lump with difficulty.

“Where exactly did you perform the alcohol test?”

— We did it at the police station. You see, that…

Because Detective Ma’s voice had lost its edge and grown small, I couldn’t quite make out the details of what was said afterward. Once Detective Ma’s excuses, which had gone on for quite a while, finally seemed to end, Prosecutor Joo turned back to me while still holding the receiver. His blade-like gaze pierced through me, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Officer Lee, did the police have any additional data from a follow-up alcohol test or a blood test?”

“There was no follow-up alcohol test, but they did collect blood three days later. However, since it was three days later, the alcohol level came out as zero…”

Prosecutor Joo raised his palm to cut me off immediately. I took the hint and pressed my lips shut.

“When you realized there was a procedural violation, you should have performed a follow-up alcohol test or at least a blood test right then and there. Does it make sense to do it three days later? Every document you draft goes out with my name on it. Apologize to my staff member immediately and send over the evidentiary materials.”

Prosecutor Joo transferred the call back to my side and let out a long sigh. As I picked up the receiver, Detective Ma apologized with surprising compliance.

— I’m sorry, Investigator. I’ve been so busy lately that I was a bit hot-headed for a moment.

It seemed Prosecutor Joo was indeed a scary person.

“It’s alright, I understand you’re busy.”

— I’ll send the materials via email right away.

“Yes, thank you.”

After the call ended, the silence that settled over the office was heavy. Several notifications popped up on the office messenger. It was the group chat for the staff of Office 512, where Prosecutor Joo wasn’t present.

Chief Song sent a message saying, ‘We should probably leave work early today. The Prosecutor is in a bad mood, and we don’t want to get hit by the splash.’ Officer No replied, ‘Oh my, it seems the Prosecutor thinks very highly of Officer Lee. But our Prosecutor Joo is so handsome that even when he’s angry, it looks like he’s filming a movie.’ I found myself agreeing with the administrative assistant, and I nearly let out a laugh.

Prosecutor Joo was always impeccably polite to the administrative assistant, so it was natural that she only saw the good in him. It was just strange that I, who was scolded daily, still had my rose-colored glasses on. After all, my opinion that he was a good prosecutor remained unchanged.

It seems like the administrative assistant likes the Prosecutor the best.

I sent a moderate reply and went back to reviewing the Oh Jahyeon case, when a message arrived from Prosecutor Joo.

Are you laughing? I thought I saw you smile just now.

No, Prosecutor. I wasn’t smiling.

I had no choice but to make excuses, as I didn’t want to drag Officer No into this.

I thought you might have no self-respect, being able to laugh even after being treated like nothing by a detective.

It’s fine since it was resolved well. Thank you for taking my side.

Perhaps his mood softened at that reply, as Prosecutor Joo spoke to me directly instead of sending a message.

“Officer Lee, let me know when the detective sends the video. Let’s watch it together.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

It was closing time, but the order had been given. In the end, I reached the conclusion that I would have to wait for Detective Ma’s email instead of heading to my residence.

Who knew when Detective Ma would send it? I had no choice but to pick up another assignment file.

Chief Song and Officer No rose from their seats and looked at me with sympathetic expressions. Finally, the administrative assistant put on her coat and said one thing.

“Prosecutor, aren’t you making Officer Lee work too much overtime? At this rate, when will he ever get married? He needs to get home early to go on dates.”

“Officer Lee, do you have a lover?”

Prosecutor Joo asked as if the thought had just suddenly occurred to him.

After hearing that question, I was suddenly curious myself. Whether Prosecutor Joo had a lover. I had heard through rumors in the prosecutor’s office that he didn’t, but whether that was actually true was an unknown.

“No.”

“Do you have any plans to get married?”

“No, not yet…”

As I answered in quick succession, Prosecutor Joo smiled at the administrative assistant. It was a gentle expression he rarely showed me—the face that Officer No had all to herself in our office.

That was why the nonsensical modifier of having a ‘kind and warm personality’ followed the name Joo Taeson. The source of the groundless rumors floating around the Danhyeon Branch Office was none other than administrative assistant No Seonhui.

“He said he doesn’t have one, so don’t worry and go home, assistant.”

“It’s more worrying that he doesn’t have one. At least feed him properly before making him work, Prosecutor. I’m heading out.”

“I’ll head out as well, Prosecutor. See you tomorrow.”

As soon as Officer No and Chief Song greeted him and the door closed, Prosecutor Joo said abruptly.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to go later, either.”

“…It’s fine. I have no intention of marrying. Like you said, Prosecutor, my background isn’t good, either.”

“I felt the same way at first, but now that I look at it, I think I won’t be able to go because my personality is weird. The way you act stiff and sarcastic.”

Of course, I had intended to be a little sarcastic, but for him to realize it and point it out immediately. The gratitude I felt for him protecting me from Detective Ma vanished as quickly as a snowflake on a palm. I had been moved for nothing.

Let’s endure it, I told myself, regaining my composure. I reminded myself once again that if you gathered only those who could read the scarlet letter on my chest, Prosecutor Joo would be considered among the better sorts.

I was refreshing my inbox every now and then while looking at investigation materials, wondering if I could leave before eight, when Detective Ma’s email finally arrived.

“Prosecutor, the video is here.”

“I’m coming.”

The shadow that rose and approached stood over the desk. As he walked over, the edge of his swaying tie brushed shallowly against my cheek. It felt like I’d been burned, so I touched my cheek once for no reason before playing the video.

The first screen showed an intoxicated Oh Jahyeon entering the police station, supported by a police officer. The officer conducting the alcohol test placed the water they had bothered to bring on the desk and told Oh Jahyeon to blow into the tester. A light sigh escaped me.

“It really does look like they left it out on purpose.”

“They say there are many people taking money in the casino business.”

We watched Oh Jahyeon’s behavior in silence.

“…But Officer Lee, is she really drunk?”

Because Prosecutor Joo leaned his body closer to the monitor, his tie brushed against my cheek again. It was only after I caressed the skin where the tie had touched with my palm that I could barely react.

“…I suppose so. It is strange.”

After blowing into the tester, Oh Jahyeon climbed up onto the police station desk like someone in a good mood. With her elegant appearance and being in her 50s, her behavior looked even stranger. She shouted and stomped around in excitement, then jumped down as if trying to fly away. She was unequivocally a person who had lost her mind.

Prosecutor Joo gripped my shoulder tightly. It felt as if hot air was pouring over my shoulder, where I had flinched. Why does my body temperature rise so high whenever Prosecutor Joo makes contact? As I lifted my head, feeling a sensation of warmth spreading to my fingertips, I saw his handsome mouth slowly widening.

“Officer Lee. Oh Jahyeon—don’t you think she’s on drugs?”

“Ah…”

Now that he mentioned it, she was. As I let out a soft moan, Prosecutor Joo’s eyes moved to my lips this time.

For some reason, I felt a sudden urge to raise my hand and cover my lips. It was a gaze that made me feel that way. Perhaps it was all just my imagination.

Suppressing the impulse to cover my lips with my palm, I gave the answer I had been about to say.

“That really does seem to be the case. It looks like her fingers are convulsing, too.”

“I’ll have to get my hands on that blood.”