The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 95

I stood up from my seat and stepped out without answering. Together with Prosecutor Joo, who was waiting, I moved to the interrogation room where we would conduct the polygraph test.

Inside, Han Sujin had already finished all the preparations and was waiting. As is typical for suspects facing a polygraph, Han Sujin looked extremely anxious and tense.

The test began with simple questions as usual. After asking a series of questions unrelated to the case, the forensics staff member showed Han Sujin the photo of the syringe without a word. Through the magic mirror, I could see the needle fluctuating wildly as soon as she saw the syringe. The needle traced deep curves even when she was shown the small empty bottle.

Prosecutor Joo remarked, “It seems she drew blood with a syringe, put it in an empty bottle, and transported it.”

“That appears to be the case.”

The needle showed no reaction to photos of various other small containers, gauze, tissues, handkerchiefs, or beverage bottles.

Now it was time to move on to the fruit photos. Prosecutor Joo and I stared alternately at the polygraph needle and Han Sujin’s face. First an apple, then an orange, a persimmon, a melon, a tangerine, a watermelon, and a mango…. Naturally, the needle traced a massive wave at the photo of the watermelon.

After confirming her reaction to the photo of the weapon, we finally exposed the faces of her family members: her husband, her older sister, her second daughter, and finally, her first son.

Because of the photos shown previously, the reaction naturally appeared only at the first child. The needle shook so violently that it felt like I could hear Han Sujin’s heartbeat from outside the room.

The forensics staff member, having organized all the photos, finally opened his mouth.

“Now, from here on, I will show you only the photos to which you showed a reaction.”

The syringe, the small empty bottle, the watermelon, the knife found at the grave, and the photo of the first son.

Seeing the five photos placed side-by-side, Han Sujin finally covered her face with her hands. That was the end of it. Han Sujin began her confession.

“I intended to die following my children.”

The forensics staff member asked, “Did your husband participate in the plan?”

“No. It has nothing to do with that human being. He spent all our money on stocks, hung out drinking with friends every day, and only roamed outside…. I had no intention of getting any more tangled up with a guy like that.”

“Then, what about Lee Hyun-su?”

“Hyun-su has nothing to do with it either. His house’s knives were very unique, and he was an ex-convict…. One day, such a horrible idea just popped into my head. At that moment, I thought, ‘This is it.’ Because it was easy to frame him. To Hyun-su and the kids… I’m so….”

“Ms. Han Sujin, you are aware that the children’s life insurance payout is 150 million won, right? You were designated as the beneficiary. Didn’t you think about the insurance money?”

“…I did.”

Han Sujin could not continue speaking.

The details of the crime were exactly as Prosecutor Joo and I had investigated. The knife was purchased at a hardware store three months prior to the crime. The reason it took three months was that she had to time it with the moment she could naturally enter Lee Hyun-su’s house and when her husband was away.

Han Sujin met her older sister in the prosecutor’s office and returned to the detention center.

I organized the confession details before quitting time, and Prosecutor Joo wrote up the opinion for indictment immediately. Just like that, another case was quickly wrapped up. Now, the record containing the truth would leave the prosecutor’s office and head to the courtroom.

At an hour when everyone else had left work, I stared fixedly at Prosecutor Joo, who was still finishing up paperwork while I had stopped working. The days leading up to spring had become noticeably longer. A tangerine-colored sunset, different from yesterday’s, spread across the wide window behind his back.

I had fortunately spent one season safely in the prosecutor’s office. Although I had received criticism from behind and had fallen out with several people, I had also received sweet recognition from Prosecutor Joo and Chief Song, a fellow investigator. Officer No had also treated me well.

I always do my job thoroughly. The conviction, made more solid through my colleagues in the same office, calmed my usually chaotic mind for the first time in a while.

Prosecutor Joo’s voice awakened me from my thoughts. Whether he had finished writing the indictment opinion, he shut down his computer, stood up, and spoke.

“Officer Lee, let’s go to that motel today.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

“If we don’t find a clue at the motel this time, I’ll have no choice but to indict Oh Jahyeon solely on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. If we can’t get anything here, there’s no way to link her to Koryo-in Mr. Kim anymore. Since I can’t just wait for another crime to occur, I hope something comes up today.”

Before my superior could order me, I took care of the evidence bags, fingerprint kit, and gloves, and answered.

“There must be a clear reason why Koryo-in Mr. Kim went out of his way to visit a motel on the opposite side of the casino in a city like Danhyeon, where he wasn’t familiar.”

“Have you ever told anyone about this fact?”

“I have not.”

“Do you think Oh Jahyeon might have assigned someone to tail us?”

I was somewhat surprised by his question.

“No way. The Koryo-in Mr. Kim case has been officially closed and processed as finished….”

“There is definitely a mole among the staff at the Danhyeon District Office or the police station who is leaking information to Oh Jahyeon.”

I knew Prosecutor Joo was suspicious, but it was hard to believe that Oh Jahyeon would have had a prosecutor tailed. I assumed she would think the case was closed.

However, since suspicion is as easily transmitted as a contagious disease, unease began to sprout in my heart as well.

“Then what should we do?”

“We’ll have to watch for a tailing vehicle as we take a quiet route.”

“Yes, Prosecutor.”

I got into the car, feeling a bit tense.

Prosecutor Joo drove me away from the Danhyeon District Office. He kept checking the rear-view mirror while taking a circuitous route to the hardware store.

“Is there a car following us?”

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem so.”

His voice was calm, but he was extremely cautious until the very end. We parked far from the destination and moved to the Yonggung Motel on foot.

Since we had already paid for the stay, we simply walked past the counter with Prosecutor Joo. I pressed the elevator button to go to the 4th floor, but suddenly an employee ran toward us.

“Uh, two men cannot check into one room.”

The employee looked between us both, sounding troubled.

My face heated up for no reason. Because we really were that kind of relationship.

In place of me, who was flapping my lips like a goldfish out of water, Prosecutor Joo took out his ID with an expressionless face and held it out.

“We are looking around the room where the suspect stayed; we request your cooperation. The investigator has already rented the room. You must have met yesterday, do you remember?”

The employee’s eyes turned toward me.

“Ah…, I remember now. Yes, if that’s the case, it’s fine. No troublesome things will happen, right?”

“There won’t be.”

As soon as we got into the elevator, Prosecutor Joo poked the tip of my nose with his index finger.

“Don’t make it obvious.”

“…What did I make obvious?”

“Officer Lee, your face is a traffic light and a billboard.”

When I remained silent, this time his index finger pushed against my lips.

“You’re twitching because you want to pout your lips again.”

Since he was right, I couldn’t answer this time either.

The elevator stopped with a chime. I took the key from my pocket and opened the door to room 401. At first glance, the interior looked tidy, but looking closer, it was a neighborhood inn, so it didn’t seem they cleaned thoroughly. If I were a guest, I would have felt unpleasant, but for people who needed to find evidence, it was a good thing.

Prosecutor Joo and I began to search the room slowly from the inside, not knowing what we were looking for. We opened every lid and drawer, and since we didn’t know if someone had taped something down, we felt around in places unseen. The gloves I wore relieved a hint of discomfort.

Prosecutor Joo shone his phone flashlight into the drawers and wall gaps, then stood up in frustration.

“The sanitation is filthy.”

“That’s usually how neighborhood businesses are. Even so, it seems cleaner than other lodging establishments in Danhyeon City.”

The motel had only undergone remodeling; the building was old, so the soundproofing wasn’t good. It was then that the moans of a couple having sex in the next room started to be heard as explicitly as if it were happening in our own room.

“Ah, ah! Ah….”

The sound of the bed creaking violently was a bonus. I didn’t want to be a walking traffic light, but the red light turned on on my cheeks again.

Listening to the live moans of another couple, with no one else but Prosecutor Joo, was extremely uncomfortable. It would have been less awkward if it were at least Chief Song.