The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 56

After letting out a sigh, I returned the thimble to its place and walked back to my desk by the window.

That evening, I returned to the prosecutor’s office with the coffee, but through the gap in the door that had been left slightly ajar, I saw Prosecutor Joo Taeson’s profile. I could have just announced my presence and walked in, but instinctively, I stopped walking.

He picked up the thimble I had left on the desk and slipped it onto his finger. It was a thimble that was a bit loose on me, but as it sat on Prosecutor Joo’s finger, it was stretched taut.

I wondered why he was touching my thimble in front of his desk. Although he had generously overlooked my act of standing up to him earlier, perhaps he still wanted to find some way to harass me behind my back.

Both in my school days and at my uncle’s house, such things were common. People would intentionally break my belongings or take them away. Even though I knew I should remain composed even if Prosecutor Joo spat in my lunchbox, contrary to my resolve, cold sweat pricked up between my hairs like needle points.

He seemed to mutter something to himself before returning to his seat.

Why did he try on my thimble?

I tilted my head, waited a moment, and then entered with the coffee carrier. Prosecutor Joo’s face was surprisingly expressionless. It was to the point where I felt I could never discern Prosecutor Joo’s feelings or thoughts unless he allowed it. His clear-cut features, which seemed to lack even a single gap, looked as if they had no intention of leaking any emotion.

“Please, have some coffee.”

“Yeah.”

“Had you not eaten yet?”

“I’m about to.”

I took off my coat, returned to my seat, and opened my lunch box. Since we were alone, I wondered if it was a bit awkward to eat sitting separately, so I soon stood up with my lunch box. In situations like this, it’s uncomfortable for a superior to suggest it first, so the subordinate should act quickly and thoughtfully, but I was always terrible at such things. I pressed down my awkwardness and asked in a calm tone.

“Would you like to eat together in the inner office?”

“What for?”

I was momentarily stunned by his sharp response. I parted my lips with difficulty.

“Just…. If it’s uncomfortable, you can eat separately….”

“Come.”

“Yes.”

That second answer, telling me to eat together, must have been sincere.

Since the man was so cold, if I didn’t think the way that was most comfortable for me, I would feel like I was on his bad side, and it was hard to endure. Even though I was grateful that he was taking care of my dinner, seeing such cold behavior made my hair stand on end with the worry that I might be completely pushed out of the Prosecutor’s Office at this rate. Of course, Chief Song was good to me, but the atmosphere of the office depended entirely on Prosecutor Joo.

We sat facing each other in the inner office with the lunch boxes between us.

“I’ll eat well.”

“Are you staying at the staff residence this weekend, too?”

At the sudden question, I wondered if he was telling me to come in for Saturday work again, so I widened my eyes and looked up at him cautiously. Fortunately, it was before the spoon went between my lips, so I could answer right away.

“Should I come into work?”

“No. Get some rest for once this week.”

“Yes, Prosecutor. There’s nothing particularly urgent, but if you call, I’ll come right out.”

“Officer Lee, you should come out even if there isn’t anything urgent.”

“…That’s true.”

Before my lips could pout, I quickly pushed the food in. I’d made a mistake at the playground, so I had no choice. And he was my superior.

It was a little nerve-wracking to have a meal just the two of us, but we ate slowly over the course of 30 minutes and cleaned up together. I was wiping the table with a wet tissue when there was a knock from the outside. Prosecutor Joo opened the door and stepped out.

“Yes.”

“The Chief of the 1st Division is asking for the remaining Prosecutors to come in for a moment.”

I stood on my tiptoes and peeked over his broad shoulders to see the clerk for the Chief of the 1st Criminal Division. Prosecutor Joo answered that he understood, glanced back at me, and left the office.

I finished cleaning up by myself. Now, I had to find the contact information related to Oh Jahyeon among the phone numbers caught at the base station on the day the body was discarded.

“When will I get through all of this?”

CCTV and base station records were the most time-consuming and grueling tasks. I let out a light sigh and came out of the inner office, but the bright blue thimble sitting on Prosecutor Joo’s desk caught my eye. Recalling Prosecutor Joo’s profile as he tried on my thimble, I stepped closer.

If I, too, were to try on his thimble, would I be able to know what he was thinking while he stood there?

I checked to see if the office door was closed and strained my ears to see if there was any movement outside. The Prosecutor’s Office was silent. Feeling the beat of my pounding heart, I tried slipping his thimble onto my index finger. It was larger than mine. Even though it slipped around on my index finger, it was still loose when I moved it to my thumb.

I moved the thimble from finger to finger. I worried that if Prosecutor Joo returned early, he might notice my body heat lingering on the thimble, so I returned it to the desk.

I intended to turn my back and return to my seat. But I couldn’t. Unable to resist the force that was intensely pulling at my heart, I went to the front of Prosecutor Joo’s desk and picked up the thimble again.

I imagined those long fingers that wore this thimble all day and his profile as he looked down at the documents. At first, I only wanted to deduce what Prosecutor Joo was thinking while touching my thimble. But the one who was actually sprawled out, unable to move a muscle beneath the snare he had thrown up, was not him—it was me.

I recalled the moments when our emotions clashed violently and the sensation of our fingertips that had often become entangled in the office. A swarm of honeybees flew noisily inside my chest.

This time, I finally put the thimble down and returned to my seat. I placed my palms on my cheeks, where a warm heat was already lingering.

“With this, I can’t properly deduce anything.”

There was no way Prosecutor Joo felt the same way as me while touching my thimble. If he had, he would have treated me better and been much kinder.

I returned to my seat, turned the monitor back on, and fixed my gaze on the screen without a waver. I worked until 12:00 AM with Prosecutor Joo, who had returned from the Chief of the 1st Division’s office. By then, I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Though I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep once I actually lay in bed.

Prosecutor Joo was curious about the situation.

“You’ve been looking all day, did you find anything?”

“There is a burner phone ending in 1225. Its movements are suspicious.”

“1225. I’ll have to memorize it as Christmas.”

Listening to Prosecutor Joo, I, too, entered the burner phone number into my mind as ‘Christmas.’

“1225 is registered to a Russian, but that person is not currently in Korea. It was caught at the base station once on the night the Koryo-in’s body was discarded, and it was also caught near the inn. A week before the miner came to turn himself in. There’s no record of him calling the miner, but it’s suspicious.”

After chewing over my words, he answered.

“A burner phone caught in both places. It seems Officer Lee has found it correctly. Indeed, the police are good at investigations. Officer Lee always manages to see everything, even the materials I think you won’t be able to finish today.”

At the unfamiliar praise, a hot heat spread across my cheeks just as when I had secretly touched his thimble. I lowered my head slightly.

“Thank you.”

“But Russia popped up again. Russia.”

That point bothered me as well. Prosecutor Joo put down the deposition he had been reading and looked up at the ceiling.

“Ice pick, Koryo-in, Russian burner phone. Does Oh Jahyeon have any connection to Russia? You said ice picks or screwdrivers were weapons preferred in Russia, Officer Lee.”

“That is true, but Russia could also be a coincidence.”

“Are you saying that in earnest?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

“Then why on earth would you say something like that? Making me take back all my praise.”

Making me feel embarrassed, Prosecutor Joo even tilted his head before grabbing the mouse. Seeing the shut-down screen reflected in the rear window, I caught on and turned off my computer. Today finally came to an end. Only after midnight had passed and it had become the next day.

Prosecutor Joo stood up and grabbed his coat.

“Let’s go down together. I’ll give you a ride.”

“Thank you.”

Although we worked late nights almost every day, Prosecutor Joo always worked a bit longer than me before leaving, so this was my first time riding in his car to go home together.

It was a short distance, but I got into the car feeling grateful. Prosecutor Joo’s palm, as he turned the ignition, brushed against and grabbed my rounded shoulder. I recoiled, my body jumping. Prosecutor Joo furrowed his brow slightly.

“Put on your seatbelt.”

“Yes.”

“You still jump in surprise just from a little contact.”

“It’s just….”