The Prosecutor’s Office’s Proposal Chapter 96

The situation of being alone in a motel room, compounded by having to listen to the moans, was so embarrassing that I unnecessarily complained while putting the pillowcase back on that I had stripped off.

“This situation is too awkward.”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of doing anything while on the clock, so keep your professional and personal lives separate.”

It was a reaction that instantly painted me as someone who did have the intention.

“That’s not what I meant…. Never mind.”

I felt unfairly judged, but I gave up on clearing my name, thinking that arguing would only make the situation more awkward. Since I had to work hard while on duty, just as Prosecutor Joo said, I crawled on the floor to examine under the bed.

We scoured the narrow room, even opening the toilet lid in the bathroom to check every inch. Nothing turned up.

After we both took off our gloves, washed our dirty hands, and came out of the bathroom, I let out a sigh and lifted my gaze, noticing a protruding section on the ceiling.

“Prosecutor, do you think there might be a gap in between there?”

“Well…. Let me check.”

Prosecutor Joo pulled a chair over. Because he was so tall, when he stood on the chair, his head touched the ceiling even while he bent his neck. He peered into the space between the protrusion and the ceiling and inserted his finger.

“I can’t see anything, but there is indeed a gap.”

“I’ll shine the light.”

I pulled over another chair, stood beside him, and turned on the flashlight function on my phone. I shone the light, but the gap was so narrow that the beam didn’t reach it properly.

Prosecutor Joo squinted, glared at the dark crevice, and pulled a fountain pen from his breast pocket. Perhaps he had seen something, because when he pushed the pen into one spot and applied pressure, a small lump popped out from inside.

I was so surprised that I jolted my whole body, and just as I looked down at the floor, a strong grip latched onto my arm. The touch was full of concern, as if he were worried I might fall from the chair, so even though it hurt, I didn’t say a word. When our eyes met, a strange tension flowed, and his thick fingers slowly let me go.

I looked down again to check the item that had fallen. It was a small plastic bag filled with white powder. The kind Koryo-in Mr. Kim likely inserted into the ceiling before he came in.

After confirming the reality of the discovered item, I let out a short, light breath. Prosecutor Joo’s lips moved slowly.

“He hid the drugs here and then died.”

Proof had truly surfaced. This was the reason he had stopped by the motel. To hide the drugs.

“Why on earth would he….”

Prosecutor Joo quickly assessed the situation and deduced, “He must have been siphoning them off. There will be more. Is there a long stick?”

Looking around, he stepped down from the chair, opened the closet, and took out two hangers. Hotels usually have thick wooden hangers, but fortunately, the Yonggung Motel was equipped with the ordinary white hangers mainly used in homes and dry cleaners.

Prosecutor Joo, who had a strong grip, unfolded the wire of the hanger as easily as untangling a thread and handed it to me. Then he immediately made one for himself in the same way.

“How much do we have to pay for these hangers?”

“Who knows.”

“Officer Lee, you scan from the left. I’ll do it from the right.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s search while recording.”

“Understood.”

Meanwhile, the sex in the next room was still ongoing.

“Ah… ng! Ah!”

I didn’t want to be swayed by the increasingly loud moans, but my expression grew awkward every time I became conscious of them. Checking my own reflection in the vanity mirror, I tried hard to turn off the “advertising board” that had lit up on my face.

Prosecutor Joo and I searched the gaps in the ceiling while recording videos with our phones. We found as many as 15 bags filled with powder suspected to be drugs. We lined the drugs up on the bed, took photos, and placed all the items into evidence bags. The bags were transferred to my cross-body bag.

“Shall we have a drink after a long time? To celebrate.”

“Yes, that sounds great.”

We immediately left room 401 and returned the key at the counter. We told them about the broken hangers, but luckily the employee waved his hand, telling us not to worry about it.

During the walk to where the car was parked, Prosecutor Joo didn’t say much, but his eyes held an excitement unlike his usual self. Only after he got into the car did he lightly slap the steering wheel. The threads of the case he had been waiting so long for were finally beginning to unravel. Through these drugs, we would be able to find the link between Oh Jahyeon and Koryo-in Mr. Kim.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“Shall we have chicken?”

“Chicken? You can choose something better.”

“I just like chicken. It’s too much for me to eat a whole one by myself, so I can’t eat it often even if I want to.”

“You can’t finish one whole chicken?”

“Yes.”

Prosecutor Joo sounded as if he couldn’t understand, but he soon said he understood.

The venue for our private company dinner was decided to be Prosecutor Joo’s apartment. He ordered two whole chickens. Half a chicken would have been enough for me, and I couldn’t eat much food if I drank because I’d get full, but since my superior wanted to order two, there was no way to stop him.

The type of alcohol Prosecutor Joo chose without incorporating my opinion was somaek (soju mixed with beer). He even decided the ratio. I was ordered to mix it at a 1-to-1 ratio because we had no time and had to get drunk quickly.

Although the atmosphere at the Prosecution Service had improved a lot, many prosecutors still enjoyed the barbaric culture of company dinners, and Prosecutor Joo, who had passed the bar exam early, was no exception in this regard. We filled our long glasses with the drink and toasted.

I gulped down the alcohol and quickly used a fork to stab a piece of boneless chicken and bit into it. I couldn’t afford to become a drunkard by pouring alcohol into an empty stomach again.

He struck up a conversation with me, looking pleased for the first time in a while.

“Tomorrow, let’s go to the National Forensic Service for an emergency request for drug analysis. If the drugs found in Oh Jahyeon’s system match the drugs found today, we must apply for an arrest warrant immediately.”

“Do you think the warrant will be granted?”

“It’s possible, since the fact that she used drugs is already enough. We have to arrest Oh Jahyeon first to be able to ask her anything.”

“If the amount of drugs Koryo-in Mr. Kim took was less than promised, Oh Jahyeon would have been very angry.”

“That’s why we have to consider the possibility that Oh Jahyeon killed Koryo-in Mr. Kim….”

Prosecutor Joo trailed off, and I knew exactly why.

“But it’s so clear that he died because the bag of drugs burst in his stomach. Pieces of plastic were found as well.”

“That’s what’s strange. Logically, it makes sense to view it as Oh Jahyeon killing him out of anger.”

“Did she force him to open his mouth and swallow the bag whole?”

“If that were the case, there would have been bruising around his lips.”

“Koryo-in Mr. Kim’s face was clean. So was his body.”

“That’s true. Except for the single needle mark left on his neck.”

He had such detailed memory. I had already forgotten about that.

He emptied his glass in one go. Being the youngest, I routinely picked up the bottle and poured alcohol to suit his taste. Prosecutor Joo drank another half glass without his complexion changing in the slightest. Unlike me, the “advertising board” on Prosecutor Joo’s face was completely turned off, making it difficult to even guess if he was feeling the alcohol.

“Did the son of that miner who confessed get reinstated at the casino?”

“Not yet. It seems there won’t be any movement until the trial starts.”

Prosecutor Joo glanced at my glass, which was about half full, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Officer Lee, what are you doing not drinking? Keep pace with me.”

“…Yes.”

“Just a few months ago, you were keeping pace with me, but you’ve gotten lazy.”

As expected of a prosecutor, his way of thinking was truly high-class.

I immediately downed the remaining alcohol in one go. The glass wasn’t small, and I worried that if this continued, I wouldn’t be able to go home and would collapse at Prosecutor Joo’s place again. Since tomorrow was Saturday, it actually didn’t matter if that happened.

As I tilted the empty glass toward Prosecutor Joo, he filled it back up for me. Cruelly, the ratio of soju was slightly over half.

“Are we still on duty? If so, I will work hard to drink at your speed, Prosecutor.”

“Are you trying to distinguish between personal and professional now?”

“…If I were really good at distinguishing between the two, I wouldn’t have sought you out, Prosecutor.”

At my retort, Prosecutor Joo chuckled and rubbed his face with his palm. His fingers were smooth, but his palms had calluses, and his skin was quite firm. As his hand rubbed against his face, the area around his cheeks flushed slightly red before quickly returning to its original color. It was a color rarely seen on Joo Taeson’s face.

“Do you know how you look to the other person when you retort like that, Officer Lee?”

“…If I looked impudent, I apologize. That wasn’t my intention….”