Chapter – 60
Indifferent and Painful Days
Late in the afternoon, Young-hoon left the prosecutor’s office and trudged down the hallway.
Rubbing his rough jaw, he remembered that he’d forgotten to shave that morning. He let out a deep sigh and shrugged his shoulders.
“Whoa.”
A startled voice rang out as he collided with someone coming from the opposite direction. He himself was fine, but the other person staggered for a moment. Only then did he realize he’d been walking with his eyes on the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
Young-hoon lifted his head. Standing before him was Oh Dong-jin, the deputy chief prosecutor—his direct superior—slowly rubbing the back of his neck. True to his reputation for having a vicious temper, his eyes flared with anger in an instant.
Young-hoon tilted his head indifferently.
Fortunately, Dong-jin flicked his hand through the air in a gesture that suggested it was fine. Just as he was about to pass by, Dong-jin’s eyes narrowed to slits, as if something had occurred to him.
“Oh, right. How’s the coin investigation coming along? You’ve finished taking statements from the victims, right? And that real-estate fraud—when are you submitting the warrant request report?”
Faced with the barrage of questions, Young-hoon replied without emotion.
“We’ve secured some of the statements. I’m organizing them. We still need to verify the flow of funds. As for the warrant request…”
“……”
“We’ll do it.”
Dong-jin’s brow creased sharply. He looked ready to slap his insolent junior across the face at any moment. But since this was a subordinate who had never disappointed him before, he forced himself to swallow his anger.
“You should’ve wrapped up the statements by now. Didn’t you see the victims protesting outside with placards? And what’s with ‘we’ll do it’? That doesn’t sound like you. Have you checked it or not? And hey.”
Twisting his tie, he exhaled sharply. The words that followed were laced with irritation.
“I’ve been holding back because you’ve been busy preparing for your chaebol wedding, you know?”
As he went on, his voice grew increasingly heated. Yet even standing before his furious superior, Young-hoon didn’t move an inch, his eyes lowered.
“And now, when did you turn into some screw-loose bastard? Huh, Prosecutor Cha. ‘We’ll do it’?”
“I’m sorry.”
Young-hoon muttered his second apology. His flat tone carried no real remorse. It was no surprise that Dong-jin’s face flushed red.
“That’s incredibly insincere, don’t you think?”
Everything his superior said was right. He had every reason to be angry. Young-hoon vaguely recalled organizing the statements, but his memory was hazy. Normally, the investigation details would have flowed out of him like a machine, but now everything was tangled in his head.
He slowly rubbed his lips with his thumb. Just as a faint scoff escaped him—
“Oh? You’re laughing?”
At the same time, Dong-jin gave his shoulder a light punch. It might’ve looked like a friendly gesture, but there was real force behind it. Young-hoon’s body rocked back before settling again. He tilted his head and smiled crookedly.
“Well, would you look at that?”
Another punch. Harder this time. His shoulder twisted back even more. Lowering his bloodshot eyes, Young-hoon muttered under his breath.
Fuck.
“This bastard.”
Dong-jin puffed himself up and lunged forward, grabbing for Young-hoon’s collar.
That was when a hurried voice rang out from somewhere, cutting between the two of them.
“Prosecutor Cha, didn’t you say you’d submit the warrant report right away? You forgot, didn’t you?”
It was Park Han-mu.
Young-hoon dropped his head sharply and let out a breath through his nose. Not wanting to waste Han-mu’s attempt to protect him, he stayed silent.
“You clearly said earlier you’d report it by tomorrow. Did you forget? Seriously. I guess even Prosecutor Cha makes mistakes sometimes.”
Ahem. Dong-jin released his grip and adjusted his tie. Thanks to Han-mu’s well-timed interruption, he could retreat while saving face.
“Fine. I’m heading out anyway. Bring me the report tomorrow morning. Got it?”
When Young-hoon stood there like a statue without lifting his head, Dong-jin brushed past him, flicking his hand dismissively.
Staring at Young-hoon’s broad, silent back, he muttered, “Arrogant little shit.” Soon, he walked off awkwardly down the hall.
Only then did Han-mu let out the sigh he’d been holding.
“What’s going on with you? Is wedding prep really that exhausting?”
“Yeah.”
Young-hoon apologized. Han-mu peppered him with questions, but Young-hoon only laughed vaguely and said they’d talk tomorrow. Then he continued on his way.
He headed to the parking lot, climbed into the silent car, and turned the steering wheel.
After turning on the lights in his dark house, he sat at the dining table. The meal the housekeeper had prepared was long past mealtime and had lost all its sheen.
He poured rice into the cold dried-pollack soup and swallowed the food in silence.
He showered. Thought about watching a movie, but it was already close to midnight, so he gave up.
Another day, just like this, gone.
Maybe I should’ve just taken a punch. Would that have snapped me out of it?
Thinking that, Young-hoon closed his eyes indifferently.
Somehow, it felt like tonight would be another sleepless one.
* * *
A few days later.
“No, that’s not it. The face I saw wasn’t like this at all.”
Park Han-mu’s flustered voice echoed loudly.
Was I the only one who knew how terrible the soundproofing was here? Reading documents in the room next door, Young-hoon closed his eyes in irritation.
“Photos and real life can be different, you know. Investigator Park, you’re taking this way too seriously. If the prosecutor hears you, he might feel hurt.”
Kim Aram, the administrative assistant, at least had the sense to lower her voice.
“No, seriously. No matter how you look at it, it’s weird. It’s a completely different person.”
“Just how different can she be in person?”
This time, Officer Lee Jung-woo sidled over and joined in.
The three of them gathered around Aram’s desk, staring intently at the monitor. With her wedding approaching, Mi-jeong—soon to become a member of the Seo-gyeong family—had become a hot topic. The SNS post featuring her photo was flooded with comments, rivaling those of a celebrity.
“I mean, both faces stand out, sure. But… why does it feel like they’re not the same person at all?”
“Let’s stop. Wouldn’t it be awkward if the prosecutor found out? It’s not like there are two brides. Maybe you’re just mistaken.”
Jung-woo waved his hand cautiously, trying to calm him down.
Damn it. Young-hoon pressed his fingers between his brows. Forced to overhear the conversation, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.
“That’s it!”
Han-mu shouted triumphantly. Young-hoon’s eyes narrowed like razor blades. The most ridiculous part was how he himself was holding his breath, desperate not to miss a word.
“Everyone, this is what it is.”
“What is?”
“…It’s a scam.”
“What?”
“A retouching scam!”
Han-mu cried out.
“Seriously, how much Photoshop did they use? If even I—with my keen eye—couldn’t tell, doesn’t that count as fraud? Retouching fraud! And these days everyone adds ‘scammer’ to things, right? So that makes her a retouching scammer. Then what—beauty scammer?”
Drunk on his own wordplay, he burst into raucous laughter.
Young-hoon’s face went cold, like someone who’d lost his appetite. He slammed the documents he was holding onto the desk.
“Doesn’t the photo look exactly like a rich family’s only daughter? I kind of like that money-scented vibe. Like she’d have hundreds of luxury items in her walk-in closet. I’m jealous.”
Aram raised her voice to compete. That’s enough. Young-hoon tugged at his tie and twisted his neck.
“Exactly. In the photo, she’s like a flashy peacock screaming ‘Look at me!’ feathers flying everywhere. But in real life? More like… a deer by a calm lakeside, carrying an eco-bag, quietly drinking water?”
“Why an eco-bag?”
“Because that’s what she was carrying the day I saw her.”
Ah, seriously. What is this? The other two erupted in dramatic groans and complaints.
You’re having fun, aren’t you. Swearing under his breath, Young-hoon strode toward the door, his long legs carrying him in a few quick steps. He flung the door wide open, deliberately.
As his large frame blocked the doorway, a sharp silence fell over the office. The three of them froze like statues, only their eyes darting around.
Young-hoon’s irritated gaze shifted to Aram’s monitor.
[Who Is Park Mi-jeong, Soon to Enter the Seo-gyeong Family?]
His eyes went cold as they landed on the headline. Aram cautiously shut off the screen.
