The two days Jaeha had told Jung Kyungwoo about at that secluded pension had long passed. Since it had been a one-sided notification, he didn’t expect the other side to comply obediently. Still, it was taking too long.
‘Maybe I should have delayed processing the case a bit more.’
In preparation for the possibility that they might play dumb like this, he had separately copied the case materials onto three USB drives and distributed them. Furthermore, thanks to hairless Lee Byungdo’s reckless lower body, he had unexpectedly obtained a favorable card. That was also stored intact on those USB drives.
When it became not two days but two weeks, Jaeha was just considering whether he should contact Jung Kyungwoo first. That’s when he was suddenly summoned by Lee Byungdo.
“You, what did you do?”
“Pardon?”
As soon as they met face to face, Lee Byungdo interrogated Jaeha. If it weren’t for the prosecutor’s office, it would have been easy to mistake his cold attitude for an interrogation.
“What did I do?”
“You must have done something for a department transfer order to suddenly come down at this time.”
“I’m not sure. Nothing comes to mind.”
Without revealing where or how the personnel transfer would happen, Lee Byungdo tried to extract something from Jaeha without giving anything away. He seemed unaware that such an attitude actually provided the answer.
“Has a personnel transfer order been issued?”
“Don’t play dumb, you bastard. I just got contacted to send you to the Special Division. Tell me with your own mouth why I should send you.”
“I’m not sure. If you tell me not to go, I won’t go.”
“You’re going to act like that? What are you going to do if I really refuse?”
“Then I’ll avoid the annoying office move and continue doing my work.”
Lee Byungdo regarded Jaeha with suspicious eyes as he answered readily without hesitation.
“The Kim Gilsu case, you processed it as instructed?”
“I processed it according to the law. I investigated from various angles personally, but I simply made a non-prosecution decision. Of course, it doesn’t sit well with public sentiment, but legal officials can’t flip-flop based on emotions.”
“Ah, so you handled it by the book?”
Lee Byungdo wasn’t stupid enough to take the explanation at face value. That’s why he occupied the director’s position at the Central District Prosecutors’ Office, even if it was through rapid promotion.
“I shouldn’t have assigned it to you.”
Yet he was foolish enough to easily reveal his inner thoughts. Worried that his director position might be jeopardized if he handled a sensitive case, he had deliberately dumped it on Jaeha, who had no connections and was easy to dispose of.
Now Lee Byungdo seemed to regret Jaeha’s position change. More precisely, he must have been coveting the Special Division director position.
“Don’t go there acting all high and mighty only to fall flat. Keep your head down. That’s not a place where someone like you who’s only got decent looks can walk around with your head held high.”
“Yes. I’ll take that advice to heart.”
“Don’t forget that once a director, always a director.”
At those words, Jaeha nodded. Lee Byungdo gestured with his chin for Jaeha to leave.
The office move went smoothly. Section Chief Joo and the administrative officer borrowed a cart from somewhere and diligently transported documents and furniture from the 7th floor to the 13th floor.
While they were busy organizing the office, someone suddenly barged in. A man over forty, his confident attitude and expression made it clear at a glance that he was director-level.
“Who are you?”
“As of today, I’m Seo Jaeha, transferred from Criminal Division to Special Division.”
“Not you, the one behind you.”
Jaeha turned around. Naturally, there was no one there. Then the man snorted as if dumbfounded.
“Are you joking? Who’s your sponsor?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Cut the crap. I’ll have to cover your ass from now on, so spit it out. I need it for case assignments.”
“Ah, are you Director Baek Seungjong? I was going to come greet you right after organizing my office.”
“Forget the greetings. Quickly. Who?”
Baek Seungjong, who had waved off the formality, kept pressing. Known as ‘Director Baek,’ he was a special investigations specialist and famous for handling cases very cleverly.
The reason he was known as Director Baek wasn’t simply because of his surname. It also meant he took good care of everyone’s ‘baek’ (backing).
He was clever at his work, handling cases with complicated sponsor entanglements without making his superiors uncomfortable, processing them in a way that looked clean on the surface. He was a man with good sense.
“I’m not sure of the reason for the sudden department transfer myself, but when I was in Criminal Division, I handled the Kim Gilsu case.”
“Of course I know that. Anything else to say besides that?”
“No.”
At those words, Baek Seungjong looked Jaeha up and down with very sharp eyes. A satisfied look appeared on his face as he smiled with a twisted mouth.
“Not stupid. I can roughly guess your backing. Is that all?”
“I doubt there’s anything else, though I can’t know for sure.”
“Your answer is very evasive… I’m satisfied. But you can’t be so vague when investigating. You have to strike like a viper, sharply.”
“Yes.”
What era are vipers from? He was slightly surprised by the word choice reminiscent of a military training instructor from the Fifth Republic era, but maintained his poker face.
“And you don’t just walk a tightrope carelessly. Even the tightrope walker who walked the rope all his life eventually fell. The higher the rope, the more it hurts when you fall. Show your face here and there appropriately.”
“Tightrope walker?”
He asked back, not understanding what he meant. Then Baek Seungjong frowned as if dealing with an idiot.
“You don’t know the tightrope walker? The tightrope walker? That pretty one, what’s his name? The one with Yeonsangun?”
It was even more confusing. Why was he suddenly talking about Yeonsangun? When Jaeha couldn’t hide his bewilderment, the administrative officer stepped in, unable to watch any longer.
“It’s a movie. The King and the Clown. The tightrope-walking clown from that.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
When he nodded after hearing the administrative officer’s explanation, Baek Seungjong clicked his tongue.
“A典型的 study nerd. Watch some movies too.”
“Yes.”
“You answer well. After organizing your office, come to the staff cafeteria at lunch. You need to get acquainted with the sunbaes in our department.”
“Understood.”
“Then, good work.”
Baek Seungjong disappeared in a flash, just as suddenly as he had appeared, without giving Section Chief Joo and the administrative officer time to bow.
“They say Director Baek is intense.”
“It’s the Special Division. Unlike processing cases transferred from the police, we handle investigation cases that the prosecution investigates on its own, so it has to be intense. Investigation cases are mostly sensitive, you know.”
“We’d better brace ourselves too. One typo and we could be in trouble.”
“Right.”
Looking at them, Jaeha chimed in.
“You’ve done well so far, so you’ll do well going forward.”
“Thank you, Prosecutor.”
Section Chief Joo and the administrative officer nodded and hurried to organize the office.
At lunch in the staff cafeteria, he got acquainted with the Special Division sunbaes and exchanged greetings. While Jaeha was drinking water, one sunbae who was stirring his instant coffee tapped his arm.
“You look decent on the outside. Got a girlfriend?”
“Not yet.”
“The matchmakers leave you alone?”
“Somehow. Until now… that’s how it’s been.”
Even before his appointment, the so-called ‘matchmakers’ had been incredibly annoying. High-ranking legal officials who had failed to make their children into legal professionals frequently used their daughters as weapons to scout son-in-law candidates. People desperate to maintain power in any way possible wouldn’t leave young legal officials like Jaeha alone.
Jaeha had little interest in that direction. Living while propping someone else up was stressful in itself. Especially uncomfortable relationships like father-in-law and son-in-law.
“Your standards must be high.”
“Are you a romantic? Try living like that for five years, no, three years. Love and affection all become useless.”
The sunbaes clicked their tongues, saying he didn’t know the world yet. But Jaeha just smiled awkwardly.
“I’ve never really thought about it.”
“You’re not impotent, are you?”
“Not at all. I had a girlfriend in college.”
When they questioned his masculinity, Jaeha shook his head in denial. One sunbae’s gaze dropped downward.
“Well, you don’t look like you have a problem.”
“That’s sexual harassment.”
“Then arrest me as a criminal caught in the act.”
Then Baek Seungjong slurped his instant coffee in a paper cup and said,
“Cut it out. That guy’s backing is like a steel chain. You’ll get crushed if you get into a pointless backing fight.”
“But they say he’s no pushover either?”
“That one’s too impressive. Not all backing is the same backing, you know. He’s a rookie.”
Baek Seungjong looked at Jaeha and grinned.
“We got one good-looking person in our Special Division, so don’t get fired quickly. Hang in there for a long time.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
“I like that your answer is straightforward.”
The director tapped Jaeha’s back and walked off. The sunbaes also raised their hands to Jaeha.
“Ask if there’s anything you don’t know.”
“Don’t ask me. I have a headache just from my own work.”
“You bastard, is that something a sunbae should say?”
The sunbaes seemed close to each other, bickering amongst themselves as they went up to the office. Jaeha felt at ease with the good atmosphere.
However, that was only for a moment. When he actually arrived at the office, Section Chief Joo and the administrative officer greeted Jaeha with teary faces.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look at this.”
There was a mountain of documents in the office.
“What is all this?”
“Staff members brought them earlier. They said to process them quickly.”
“Hah.”
Jaeha put down his water bottle and sighed. After taking off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack, he sat down, and Section Chief Joo and the administrative officer continued carrying piles of documents.
“Is this the answer?”
“No. This is the first batch they sent, and they said they’ll send more later.”
“Impressive.”
Looking at the documents, Jaeha briefly wondered if transferring to the Special Division had really been a good decision. But since it was already done, there was no going back.
Even after sending the staff home, Jaeha was buried in documents. When he glanced at the clock, it was well past dinner time. He was hungry, but too lazy to go buy something to eat right away. He was just wondering whether to go home and look at the rest when—
Ddrrrring. The phone rang.
“Yes, this is Prosecutor Seo Jaeha from Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”
-Hey, what are you doing?
It was Gu Daeyoung.
“What do you mean what am I doing? Working.”
-Come out. I’m at a gopchang place. Let’s have a glass of soju.
He hesitated for a moment. But he didn’t want to die just working, and he still had business left with Gu Daeyoung.
When he entered the gopchang restaurant thick with acrid smoke, Daeyoung raised his hand and called Jaeha over. The good-natured owner brought new utensils and soju glasses.
“You moved to the 13th floor, right? Special Division?”
Daeyoung started the conversation while filling Jaeha’s glass.
“How did you know?”
“I have ears too, man.”
It was unexpected since he thought that a third-rate newspaper wouldn’t have a reporter assigned to the prosecutor’s office. Sensing the question in Jaeha’s reaction, Daeyoung added with a grin, ‘I heard it from a reporter I know.’
