The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 89

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. From the moment we start working, this is the company.”

“…Yes.”

I couldn’t help but think he really didn’t need to act like such a superior. Not that I could get ahead of myself during sex, either. It was just that I was a bit less formal with my words.

The thought that he kissed me when we worked late at the office rose to my throat, but I barely managed to keep my lips shut. My gratitude for the heat packs flew far away on the wind like a kite with a broken string.

As I headed down to the underground parking lot with Prosecutor Joo, I called Han Sujin’s husband. He must have been awake, as he answered with a clear voice, immediately telling me that he didn’t know Han Sujin’s whereabouts.

“That’s not why I called. Could you possibly tell me the location of Han Sujin’s parents’ graves?”

— There is a grave at the Cheongosan Memorial Park… but why?

If it was Cheongosan Memorial Park, it was fortunately a cemetery located within Danhyeon City.

“It’s difficult to explain. Could you possibly send the more precise location of the grave within the park via message? And her parents’ names as well.”

— Yes, I’ll send it right away.

“I will contact you once we find Han Sujin.”

— …Um, Investigator.

I kept talking on the phone as I climbed into the passenger seat that Prosecutor Joo opened for me. Moisture laced the husband’s voice on the other end.

— It was the mother of the children, wasn’t it?

So he had noticed.

They were a couple whose relationship had soured to the point of divorce. He must have sensed something was off when such a wife said she would take the children to visit Lee Chaeha’s house, when she suggested they buy watermelon, and when the children died as soon as he left for a business trip in the provinces.

“I cannot disclose the status of the investigation.”

— …Yes, I understand.

As soon as I hung up, I entered the location into the navigation system and reported the information I’d just obtained to Prosecutor Joo.

“It’s the Cheongosan Cemetery.”

“I’ll need to stop by the Prosecutor’s Office to pick up some handcuffs.”

“I usually carry handcuffs with me. In the bag I always carry.”

Prosecutor Joo looked at me with a slightly surprised expression before slowly starting the car.

“You’re thorough. I like that.”

“Just in case. When I was a police officer, I once found a wanted person while walking down the street and arrested them by myself.”

“Is it possible to make an arrest alone with Officer Lee’s strength?”

“They were smaller than me.”

“The wanted person must have been a little kid.”

“That’s not it….”

“It’s not, right. Open the glove box.”

The glove box was packed full of heat packs. I hid the smile that was about to slip out and took several out to keep in my pockets. Just in case, I packed plenty—enough for Prosecutor Joo, too. No matter how much he claimed not to feel the cold, we had to stake out a mountain in winter, and since he’d come out wearing only a coat, he’d likely be freezing.

“Let’s park the car a bit of a distance away and hike up. If Han Sujin has already arrived at the gravesite, she might hear the sound of the car and run away.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

It was a wise decision. He was a prosecutor who understood investigation protocols well.

Before the navigation system could announce our arrival, we parked the car at the public parking lot at the foot of Cheongosan. After confirming the location of the grave and the parents’ names that Ahn Dong-jin, the husband, had sent, I headed toward the entrance of the memorial park with Prosecutor Joo.

It was past 2:00 AM, and my body trembled from the biting, icy wind. The path to the memorial park was neat, but the streetlights were brightly lit, so we couldn’t take that route. If Han Sujin happened to spot us, there was a risk she would flee, so we struggled to hike up along the dirt path inside.

Thanks to the faint streetlight glow extending from afar, we had a decent view, but just walking in the dark was grueling. I was out of breath in no time. Every time I slipped because I stepped on a tree branch incorrectly, Prosecutor Joo caught me firmly each time.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. So, do you always carry that bag because of the handcuffs, Officer Lee?”

I tapped the leather cross-body bag I was wearing and replied:

“Yes. It’s an import, so it’s light and good.”

“Must be a private purchase.”

“When you join the violent crimes unit, the senior you work with as a team usually gifts you handcuffs. These days, police-issued handcuffs are pretty good, but back then, they were too heavy and uncomfortable to use, so seniors often gifted foreign-made ones to their juniors. That custom still remains.”

“You said you couldn’t adapt, but it seems you did receive gifts.”

“Yes, I didn’t have a bad time working with that senior. They were transferred somewhere else quickly, and it was hard after that. How about you, Prosecutor?”

“What about me?”

“How were things before you came to the Danhyeon Branch Office? I feel like I’m always the one talking about myself.”

“Is there anything particular to talk about? I’ve always been doing well.”

“For someone who says that, I’ve heard plenty of rumors.”

“About me ruining an investigator? That much is true.”

“Why did you suddenly change your style?”

“Because now, I only need to torment one person.”

This time, using the darkness as a shield, I pushed my lips out as far as I could, then pulled them back.

“Anyway, Investigator Lee Chaeha, build up some stamina. Why are you gasping for breath like this?”

Prosecutor Joo lightly covered my lips with his palm before pulling away. As soon as his hand retreated, the white steam that had been trapped inside spread toward the pitch-black mountain path.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t get out of breath while hiking at night?”

“That’s why you always pass out early in bed, saying you can’t do it.”

It’s not that my stamina is weak in bed; it’s just that Prosecutor Joo is relentless. He never gets tired.

“Prosecutor, why are you bringing that up while we’re on duty? We’re at work.”

When I shot back a sharp remark without backing down, he had nothing to say, and there was no response.

We arrived near the gravesite of Han Sujin’s parents. We didn’t immediately reveal ourselves; instead, we hid behind a tree and quietly observed the surroundings, but since it was dawn, not a single small shadow could be seen.

The Cheongosan Family Park was an old-fashioned cemetery. These days, many people house urns inside charnel houses or burial mounds, but this was a large grave in the shape of a barrow where an elongated coffin was actually buried. While I was observing the area calmly, one thought popped into my head.

“Prosecutor, do you think Han Sujin might have buried it here?”

“What?”

“The murder weapon.”

Our gazes met, piercing through the cold air.

“It’s a possibility.”

“It’s certain she didn’t bury it in her front yard, and there was no trash disposed of after the incident, either. The area around the graves is perfect for destroying evidence. It’s deserted unless it’s around the holidays.”

“Let’s look through it quickly.”

“What if Han Sujin spots us while coming up?”

“Just taking a quick look at the surface of the ground is enough.”

We walked around the two burial mounds, checking to see if there were any signs that the ground had been dug up recently. If it were summer, the lush grass would have made the signs of digging stand out vividly, but it was winter, so the faded grass had lost its vitality and lay limply on the ground.

It was eerie to be walking around the graves at dawn. The sweat that had broken out while hiking up the mountain path had all dried up. I tore open several of the heat packs I’d brought. I tried busily to shake off the cold by sticking them inside my padded jacket and putting them in my pockets, but the wind cutting through the trees was so biting that my body wouldn’t warm up easily.

Within a short time, we narrowed down three likely candidates where the weapon might have been buried. Even with dried grass, there were subtle differences in areas that had been touched by human hands. We decided to do the digging once it became certain that Han Sujin wouldn’t show up.

Prosecutor Joo looked around and pointed to an old shed near the burial site.

“Let’s go in there. To avoid the cold and to keep watch without Han Sujin noticing.”

“Yes, that’s good.”

“There’s nothing more thankless than a stakeout. Even if you succeed in the end, most of the time is just failure.”

“That’s true. You don’t have to go through the trouble of a stakeout, Prosecutor….”

“It’s fine. I won’t be satisfied unless it passes through my own hands.”

Shivering and stomping my feet against the cold, I entered the shed with Prosecutor Joo.

Inside, cleaning tools and grass-cutting equipment were piled up in a cluttered mess. The layers of odds and ends formed a tower.

The door creaked loudly, struggling to close as if the hinges were rusted. Because there was a slight gap in the door, it was easy to observe the situation outside, but it had the disadvantage of allowing the wind to flow in despite being indoors.