CHAPTER 2
Brilliant sunlight poured outside the window, but inside the shop under dim lights, everything was silent.
There were only two people there.
On the table sat steaming soup snacks and a liquor bottle already half empty.
Bokyeong slammed down her soju glass and shot her a glare.
“Hey, no matter what, how could you go to a wedding looking like that?”
“You had mismatched shoes, and your clothes too… anyone could tell you looked strange.”
Lee Damju indifferently lifted her soju glass.
“So what was I supposed to do?”
“My boyfriend was getting married, so should I have gone in a dress?”
“Should I have brought flowers and congratulated him?”
“I should’ve grabbed him and beaten him up.”
Clack.
A short, refreshing sound rang out.
But the fingertips holding the glass were trembling slightly.
Whether it was because of the alcohol, or the emotions rising from deep in her chest, she could not tell.
Bokyeong stared at her for a moment, then silently refilled the glass.
“Drink.”
“Whether you cry or puke, you’ll feel better if you let it out with alcohol.”
Without replying, Lee Damju grabbed the glass and emptied it in one gulp.
As the bitter alcohol slid down her throat, a long-buried memory suddenly surfaced.
‘Jung Siho.’
Just thinking of his name made her heart sink heavily.
The years she spent with him felt short and long at the same time.
The days they ate cup noodles in a tiny goshiwon room.
The nights when he drunkenly collapsed and she carried him to bed.
“Just hold on a little longer, Damju.”
“When I become a prosecutor, I’ll really make you happy.”
“No, forget that.”
“Let’s get married right away.”
“The two of us.”
That bright voice as he spoke.
Lee Damju believed that promise.
That vow, and all the time they shared.
Even passing a wedding shop used to make her smile naturally.
But… the person standing in that wedding hall was not her.
Her eyes reddened with tears.
“…Bastard.”
“Hey.”
Bokyeong’s firm voice cut in.
“Forget him.”
“As time passes, everything fades.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“……”
“Maybe it turned out for the best.”
“If he cheated after marriage, only your family registry would’ve been dirtied.”
“Better now than later.”
Lee Damju lowered her head and laughed.
It was a bitter and somewhat empty laugh.
“That’s comforting, at least.”
“That’s not comfort.”
“It’s a fact.”
Bokyeong deliberately raised her voice.
Then she filled the glass again.
Lee Damju held the glass and looked outside the window.
The sunlight was dazzling.
Once, that light hurt like madness.
Now, it was simply bright.
The wounds of heartbreak also healed that way, faster than expected.
She was almost grateful he ended it so horribly.
So that not even lingering feelings remained.
And so, one year passed.
Just before lunch hour, the Civil Complaints Administration Department of Namcheon City Hall was flooded nonstop with ringing phones.
Namcheon was not a large city, so most daily complaints received by phone came here first before being classified and transferred to the relevant department.
Lee Damju sat before her monitor, receiver to her ear, smiling brightly.
“Yes, valued citizen, your apartment neighbor’s laundry line is crossing into your balcony?”
“I’ll pass it on to the proper department.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The moment she hung up, the phone rang again.
“Yes, this is Lee Damju of Namcheon City Hall Civil Complaints Administration.”
“Oh, there’s a dead cat on the road?”
“Yes, please tell me the location.”
“I’ll connect you to the environmental team right away.”
Lee Damju skillfully took notes and set the phone down.
That was when it happened.
Bang—!
The complaint office door burst open loudly.
A broad-built man in his early fifties stormed in clutching a crumpled notice.
“What the hell is this?!”
He waved the paper in the air and shouted.
“How long has my car even been parked there for them to issue this?!”
“Is this how you people work?!”
In an instant, the office air froze.
Nearby employees exchanged glances nervously.
Lee Damju looked away from her monitor and stood up.
“Hello, sir.”
“Could you please tell me what the issue is?”
“What issue?!”
“Can’t you see this?!”
He threw the notice down with a smack.
The paper rustled across the desk.
Lee Damju quickly picked it up and scanned the contents.
Address, time, reason for enforcement.
Everything clearly fell under a violation.
“Sir, that area is a no illegal parking zone.”
“If it exceeds ten minutes, it is automatically photographed and a notice is issued.”
“The staff member processed it based on those records.”
“There were other cars parked there too, so why only mine?!”
“Huh?!”
His voice kept rising louder.
But Lee Damju did not so much as twitch an eyebrow.
“I’ll file that concern and pass it to the Parking Management Team.”
“If there were vehicles in the same area that were missed, you may file an objection.”
“An objection?”
“I’ll prepare the paperwork for you right now.”
“Please just write your name and contact number here.”
Lee Damju calmly pulled forms from the printer.
“If you file it now, it will be sent to the responsible team today.”
“You’ll receive the result by text message.”
Lee Damju handled the troublesome complainant with perfect composure.
The man glared at her for a while, then stormed out slamming the door while clutching his crumpled notice.
Only an odd silence remained.
Countless difficult complainants had come before, but Lee Damju was always calm.
Perhaps that was why troublesome complaints had naturally become her responsibility.
At that moment, the two female employees beside her whispered at the same time.
“Wow… her mental strength is insane.”
“How does she do that?”
“That’s why she’s Namcheon City Hall’s crazy fixer.”
Once the difficult complainant left, Lee Damju answered another phone call as if nothing had happened.
“Yes, valued citizen.”
“Oh, garbage collection has been delayed?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll report it and confirm with the responsible department immediately.”
The same smile even amid a flood of complaints.
Number one in citizen satisfaction.
Maybe it was only natural.
It was a weekend morning.
Soft sunlight filtered through the window.
Lee Damju, toast in her mouth, scrolled through the complaint board on City Hall’s homepage.
The screen was filled endlessly with posts like ‘Road Damage Report,’ ‘Neighbor Noise Complaint,’ and ‘Illegal Trash Dumping Tip-Off.’
Hajin came out of the room and looked at her with confusion.
“For once you’re home today?”
“It’s the weekend, so aren’t you going out to complaint sites?”
“I am.”
“After I finish this.”
Lee Damju waved the toast.
“Wow, being nosy is seriously a disease.”
“It’s not nosiness.”
“It’s passion.”
Hajin flopped onto the sofa and snorted while putting on socks.
“Just rest on weekends.”
“Or clean the house.”
“This place is a mess, so why do you keep going around solving complaints?”
“You can do that yourself.”
“You’re only kind to other people.”
“Do you think number one citizen satisfaction happens for no reason?”
“I admit that, but you go too far.”
“You’re not number one citizen satisfaction or a diligent civil servant.”
“You’re like a kind crazy person.”
“The kind part is right, but leave out the crazy.”
Lee Damju replied calmly.
Hajin shook her head and soon grabbed her bag to leave.
“Anyway, treasure of Namcheon City Hall, I shall now depart for my part-time job.”
“Bring me an iced vanilla latte when you get off work.”
“Make it sweet, with lots of syrup.”
“Ha, I guess you left your conscience at City Hall too.”
Hajin grumbled as she shut the front door behind her.
Once the door closed, the living room quickly became quiet.
Lee Damju put the last piece of toast in her mouth and stood up.
“Now that I’m done eating, should I get ready to go out?”
There was a time when she spent every weekend on dates with Jung Siho.
Back then, he used to complain and tell her to stop working so much.
Now even those nagging words were gone.
Only time remained.
So Lee Damju threw herself into work.
To others it might look like meddling, but for her, it was how she endured.
The moment she picked up the remote to turn off the TV, a news caption caught her eye.
[Body of a woman in her 30s found in the mountain near Dongrae-dong, Namcheon City.]
Lee Damju’s hand froze.
Police vehicles and yellow control tape flashed across the screen.
[At around 11 PM yesterday, the body of a woman believed to be in her 30s was discovered in a mountain near Dongrae-dong, Namcheon City.]
[Police have sealed off the area and deployed the National Forensic Service investigation team to examine the scene….]
Unable to look away, Lee Damju stared at the screen.
“A murder case… in Namcheon City.”
A low murmur escaped her lips.
It was the first time such news had happened in this city.
Her first thought was that complaints would flood in, but before that, somewhere deep in her chest, an odd tension rose.
As if a crack had formed in her familiar daily life, a strange presence seeped in.
