The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 91

“Ms. Han Sujin, I am arresting you on charges of child murder. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say from this point on may be used against you in court. You have the right to appoint legal counsel, and you may request a warrant validity review from the court.”

His eyes, having just finished reading the Miranda rights, shifted immediately toward me. I brushed the dirt off my padded jacket and straightened my knees, which were trembling with effort. I suspected I had bruised my back and legs when I fell.

“Investigator Lee Chaeha, are you alright?”

“Yes, I am alright.”

“Let’s head down for now.”

I took hold of Han Sujin’s elbow, standing side-by-side with Prosecutor Joo. Han Sujin began to cry out loud now.

The morning sky over Haneul was brightening rapidly. After pushing Han Sujin into the backseat of the car and fastening her seatbelt, we stood outside for a moment to catch our ragged breath. Only then did Prosecutor Joo, catching a proper glimpse of my appearance, start in surprise and gently touch the area around my cheek with his fingertips.

“‘Alright,’ you say. You’ve got scratches on your face. Why did you throw yourself like that? You could have just followed and caught her once she lost steam.”

He sighed softly and wrapped an arm gently around one of my shoulders.

“Well done. That was a good decision.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks to having an excellent investigator, we made the arrest safely. It’s all thanks to Officer Lee figuring out the oxygen tank.”

…There are times like these when I’m glad that Joo Taeson is my superior.

So glad that I almost want to cry.

His thick fingers caressed my rounded shoulder blade for a long while before falling away. He opened the passenger door and took out wet wipes from the glove box.

My cheek stung where the wet wipes passed over it. It seemed I had been scratched in several places by tree branches.

“Mr. Lee Chaeha, the only thing you have going for you is your face, so don’t get hurt.”

“What good is a face when it comes to investigations? It’s a face that doesn’t help at all.”

“I’m sure it’s being quite helpful to Mr. Lee Chaeha right now. Didn’t you feel it?”

It felt awkward to be called Mr. Lee Chaeha. I wondered if he had changed how he addressed me just because we had slept together twice. In any case, because he was saying something strange, I tilted my head slightly.

“…I don’t know. How is it helpful?”

Prosecutor Joo, who had been saying cryptic things all along, suddenly let out a heavy sigh.

“Because you’re so oblivious, it feels like I’ll be the one who ends up losing out in this relationship.”

“What does that mean….”

“Stop talking and get in. I’ll have Han Sujin detained at the district prosecutor’s office detention center, and I’ll send Officer Lee to the hospital.”

“Why go to the hospital for some scratches? I just need to apply some ointment.”

“Then apply at least the ointment and go home and sleep.”

“I’m fine. I have insomnia, so I’ve often worked after pulling all-nighters. You aren’t going to use your annual leave either, Prosecutor.”

“I’m not going to use mine, but Officer Lee, you should use yours.”

“But we have to interrogate Han Sujin….”

“That wasn’t a request, it was an order. Do as you’re told. Did you forget already?”

“…I understand.”

I knew he meant well, but a sense of dissatisfaction bubbled up over my stinging cheek. We got into the car together.

Han Sujin didn’t say a word the entire way to the Danhyeon District Prosecutors’ Office. We took her to the prosecutor’s office, showed her the arrest warrant that had been issued yesterday, and then took her to the detention center.

Between the overnight stakeout and rolling around on the dirt ground, I was a complete mess. I was in such a disheveled state that I probably should have taken leave even without his instruction. As it turned out, I had a couple of leaves stuck in my hair, which I hadn’t realized because Prosecutor Joo hadn’t told me.

“Prosecutor, please tell me these things sooner.”

“Why? It suits you well.”

The expression on my counterpart’s face was sly as he replied. I looked into a small mirror hanging in the prosecutor’s office, pulled out the leaves, and threw them in the trash. Prosecutor Joo, who had been on the stakeout with me, looked perfectly fine, so I felt a slight sense of betrayal.

“Prosecutor, you should take leave and rest, too. You must be tired.”

“I won’t work overtime.”

“Then will you be interrogating Han Sujin with Chief Song? Without me?”

“Yes.”

“If she confesses, please let me know. And if the weapon is found in the oxygen tank, that too….”

“I got it, so stop nagging and go.”

Prosecutor Joo took disinfectant, ointment, bandages, and band-aids out of the first-aid kit in the office and put them into an evidence bag.

“I’d like to apply the ointment for you, but it would be better for you to wash up first. Since there’s dirt in the wounds.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll bring Officer Lee’s coat in the evening. I won’t contact you until then, so get some sleep.”

“Understood.”

I accepted the evidence bag Prosecutor Joo had prepared with gratitude.

“…I’d like to drop you off, but since people are watching, I can’t help it. Get home safely.”

Prosecutor Joo checked on me over and over, as if he were truly worried. He said we were just sex partners, that he didn’t want to be affectionate with me… and yet he kept making me hopeful. However, since the disappointment following that had also repeated itself, I didn’t harbor excessive delusions.

I gulped with difficulty, bowed my head, and stepped out. I must have been tired, because my footsteps toward the elevator felt as heavy as lead. I straightened my unsightly appearance in the mirror one more time and was trudging toward the exit to leave the district office when I felt a cool sensation on the back of my neck.

I stopped walking and looked up at the cold, square building behind me. Someone was standing by the window of the prosecutor’s office just above room 512. It seemed to be the room 612 prosecutor’s office. Was it an investigator, or a prosecutor?

I couldn’t tell who it was because the office lights were off, and the face submerged in darkness was not clearly visible. However, for some reason, I was certain of one thing: that shadow was looking down at the ground-level parking lot where I stood. It was a simple intuition.

I stared blankly at the dark figure who wouldn’t turn away from the window, then turned my toes back toward the entrance of the district office. I must be on edge because I pulled an all-nighter.

It wasn’t until I arrived at my residence that I realized my padded jacket had also contributed to the heaviness of my body. It was a size larger than my frame, and since I had torn open and stuck on several heat packs for the overnight stakeout, it was quite heavy. Once I took off my clothes, my body felt as light as if I had put down an A-frame carrier piled high with wood.

I washed up in hot water and meticulously applied the ointment.

To be honest, I needed to apply more to the inside of my forearm where Prosecutor Joo had bitten me than to my face, which had been scratched by tree branches.

The sound of my phone woke me from my deep sleep. The loud ringing made me think it was a message from Prosecutor Joo, so I answered without thinking.

“Hello.”

— Chaeha, it’s your aunt.

The unwelcome voice shook me out of my sleep. I jumped up and sat on the bed.

Shouldn’t she leave me alone by now? Even after I begged her to last time.

Anger surged to my throat, but as always, I pressed it down and opened my lips with effort.

“Aunt, why did you call? I told you now…”

— No, that’s not it. The Danhyeon District Prosecutors’ Office came to investigate your uncle’s company. They just confiscated everything. Chaeha, what are we going to do?

“What do you mean… Why is my uncle being investigated? You must have been told the reason.”

— We launder the clothes of the staff coming out of the casino, as well as hotel towels and bedding. There are several other businesses, too. The Investigator said your uncle’s laundry service gave bribes to the client companies…

I cut off my aunt’s words and asked.

“Did you give them?”

— …

My aunt was silent and did not answer. I swallowed the sigh that was about to escape and asked again.

“What do they say the other charges are?”

— Tax evasion, embezzlement, and…

“Did you do it?”

— …

My aunt avoided answering the second question as well. My brain, sluggish from sleep, struggled to turn and sounded an alarm in my head. I combed through my hair and spoke honestly, just as I had to Baek Youngjun.

“Comply with the investigation faithfully. Appoint a lawyer. There is nothing I can do to help. I’m not a prosecutor, just an investigator. Even if I were a prosecutor, as a junior prosecutor, I cannot interfere in another prosecutor’s case.”

— Chaeha, but if it happens to be a case in the prosecutor’s office where you work…

“If it is a case from our office, I am an interested party, so I must be excluded from the investigation.”

— Why are you being so cold? You were like that last time, too. I’m truly hurt. I still tried to be good to you while raising you.

My stomach churned. My aunt hadn’t been good to me; she had simply been negligent. Whether I was being beaten by my uncle, receiving discipline because my expression was displeasing, or handing over money I’d earned from part-time jobs, she was always watching from behind. Everyone living in that house benefited from my suffering.