The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 78

I followed Prosecutor Joo to the cinema without even checking what movie we were seeing, only to find that I had to watch [Stowaway] again—a film I had already seen with Chief Song. As soon as the movie started and I saw the familiar opening, I was so flustered that I dropped a piece of popcorn I had picked up. Bewildered, I whispered into Prosecutor Joo’s ear.

“Prosecutor… I told you I’d already seen this….”

“I remember. Just because Officer Lee has seen it, does that mean I have to skip a ten-million-viewer movie?”

“That’s not it, but….”

I couldn’t understand the mentality behind making me watch a movie I’d already told him I’d seen with Chief Song. The other movie currently hitting the box office had rave reviews, too.

I naturally assumed we would watch a different one; I didn’t think Prosecutor Joo would make me watch a movie he had already seen again.

I let out a small, secret sigh, but I resolved myself that it didn’t matter since it was a good movie. Besides, I didn’t think I’d be able to focus on the film with Prosecutor Joo sitting right next to me.

Every time I let out a laugh throughout the movie, I could feel his gaze flickering toward me. Each time, I looked back at Prosecutor Joo, but we were always off by half a beat. Because he would turn his head away immediately, we never managed to make eye contact. The light pouring from the screen flowed along the bridge of his straight nose, casting various shadows across his handsome face.

I stared at that face intently more than once. And after hesitating several times, it wasn’t until the middle of the movie that I rested my palm on the back of his hand, which was resting on the armrest. Just for a moment.

Thinking it might be too burdensome for a sex partner, I pulled my hand back. But Prosecutor Joo grabbed my hand, which was trying to slip away, firmly. He laced his thick fingers between mine, interlocking our palms, and restrained my hand so it couldn’t run away.

From then on, I couldn’t properly watch the movie because I could hear my own heartbeat louder than the film’s sound. I couldn’t appreciate anything—it was fortunate that it wasn’t a movie I was seeing for the first time. I was even more embarrassed because my palms were sweating.

I tried to slip my hand out of Prosecutor Joo’s grasp several times, but he didn’t let go, as if the sweat-dampened hand didn’t bother him at all. It wasn’t until the ending credits began to roll and the theater lights came on that I was finally released.

“I didn’t know you laughed so easily, Officer Lee.”

That was Prosecutor Joo’s impression after watching the movie. I acted as if I were calm, as if I had never trembled in front of him, and I nodded readily as I rose from my seat.

“It was a fun movie.”

“Did you laugh a lot when you saw it with Chief Song, too?”

“I laughed more then because it was my first time seeing it.”

He tilted his head at an angle.

“Do you two meet often?”

“No. That was the only time we met outside of the office. I’m very grateful to Chief Song these days. It’s my first time getting along comfortably with a colleague, whether at work or school.”

He muttered blankly.

“…I can’t even say anything to that.”

“Yes?”

“Forget it. You don’t understand sarcasm well anyway. It’s not even fun to tease you.”

We went down to the empty parking lot, as it was late at night. Prosecutor Joo opened the car door for me.

Not fun to tease? After all the years I’ve lived being teased? I climbed into the passenger seat and belatedly denied his words.

“I’m actually quite good at understanding sarcasm.”

“I don’t think so.”

“…”

“Anyway, if you’re happy because of Chief Song, that’s enough. I’m happy too.”

He seemed to be using sarcasm just now, too.

I puffed out my lips, wondering why he was acting this way for no reason, then pulled them back in and fastened my seatbelt. After making me watch a movie I’d already seen, of all things.

Joo Taeson is certainly mean-spirited only when it comes to me. Suddenly, a rumor came to mind that he only changed his working style after coming to the Danhyeon Branch Office, and that before that, he had made his investigators’ lives difficult. Perhaps the side he shows me is actually closer to the real Prosecutor Joo’s style. Assuming that, it makes sense that the investigators got sick from the difficulty of working with him. Who could endure that personality?

Prosecutor Joo drove me to the front of my residence. He touched my cheek—where I had bowed my head to greet him—and then let go. I heard the same greeting as always.

“Sleep well, Officer Lee.”

“Yes, you too, Prosecutor. Drive safely.”

I greeted him again and got out. I stood there blankly, meaning to watch Prosecutor Joo leave, but the passenger window rolled down. He leaned his body toward the passenger seat and looked up at me.

“You go up first.”

“I was just going to watch you leave….”

“Let me watch Officer Lee’s back today.”

Strangely enough, it sounded just like a request. There’s no way the almighty Prosecutor Joo would do that.

My cheeks, where he had touched and let go moments ago, burned with an irrepressible heat. The cold winter night air, which had felt so crisp, vanished as if it had never existed in this world, and in an instant, my whole body grew feverishly hot. To the point where I wondered if it was okay to feel this way.

I didn’t know I was the type of person whose face flushed and whose hands sweated at all hours of the day. In the past, I just thought that only happened when I was being bullied.

Wanting to hide my face, wanting to hide myself as if I were the only one nursing romantic feelings, I bowed my head quickly.

“Then I’ll go in first.”

“Alright.”

I scrambled and hid inside the villa as if running away. The sensor light illuminated me for a moment and then disappeared. As I climbed the dark villa stairs, which had no elevator, the sensor light on the second floor didn’t turn on, as if it were broken.

I hesitated, approached the wall, stood on tiptoe in the darkness, and looked out beyond the small window. Prosecutor Joo’s Mercedes was still standing there. I waited on the second floor a little longer, hoping he would leave, but the Mercedes strangely wouldn’t budge.

He and I are investigation experts. It suddenly occurred to me that he might be waiting for the third-floor sensor light to turn on. When performing stakeouts or watching CCTV, we identify a suspect’s movement path by the reaction of the sensor lights.

I went straight up to the third floor. The sensor light above my head turned on and then disappeared. I ran into my house and opened the balcony door. Leaning half my body out and craning my neck to the side, I could just barely see the Mercedes beginning to move at last beyond the protruding outer wall.

As expected, it seemed he had been watching the sensor light.

It was far, and it was a blind spot, but I waved my hand slightly toward the departing car. I could only do such a thing because I thought there was no way Prosecutor Joo could see.

I had been waving goodbye to myself for a long time when the Mercedes, which had been exiting the alley, came to a stop. Then, an arm poked out of the driver’s side window. Prosecutor Joo waved back. His large hand signaled a few times and then quickly disappeared, and the car’s brake lights turned off.

I was caught. Embarrassed, I lowered my arm and quickly ran into my room, but my phone rang immediately.

Plainly. See you tomorrow.

I was relieved by the text that didn’t criticize me much.

Yes, Prosecutor. Have sweet dreams.

I pressed my forehead against the phone screen in embarrassment before pulling it away, but my mood felt light. It was definitely different from any other overtime shift. In the past, when I finished work and came home, I would have no feelings left to ruminate on other than loneliness, so I’d sometimes even want to go back to work. But today, I was left with a variety of emotions. At the very least, it was enough to keep me from feeling lonely until tomorrow morning.

I took off my coat, which was imbued with the scent of winter, hung it up, and touched my lips. The fingertips touching them were frozen like snowflakes. My fingers, unlike Prosecutor Joo’s, were cold; they couldn’t replace his body temperature.

I went out for field work with Prosecutor Joo in the afternoon. The five hardware stores we chose to visit after discussion were located near Lee Hyunsu’s house and the home of the couple, Han Sujin and Ahn Dongjin. Since it is a city where many people engage in farming or operate small factories, there were hardware stores everywhere.