“You’re here?”
As he walked into the office, Oh Suyeong greeted him with a long, heavy sigh. Looking to see what was wrong, Heesin found a mountain of newly assigned cases piled up on the desk. He flipped through them one by one before giving up, and draped his coat over the back of his chair.
“They’re saying to handle those first for the time being. The Kim Haeseong case gets pushed back.”
Hearing that, Baek Yeongmi grumbled.
“Pushed back — that’s just a polite way of saying drop it, isn’t it? The atmosphere is already leaning toward ruling it a suicide, so why are you stirring things up — that’s what they mean.”
“Seriously, why can’t you just play the game a little, do some sucking up. Is that really so hard?”
Oh Suyeong rubbed his palms together in a mock-flattering gesture as he scolded him. And this despite knowing full well that landing on the chief prosecutor’s bad side had nothing to do with a lack of flattery. Amid their complaints, Heesin stirred his coffee and smiled.
“Looks like I’ve really made an impression, doesn’t it.”
“That’s putting it mildly. Do you know how many ears were outside that day.”
“What can I do about it now? Go over there and bat my eyelashes?”
“It’s too late for that, too late. That train has left the station. Or you could just go over there and have it out with him properly.”
Heesin picked up his coffee cup and smiled — cool and sharp — so Oh Suyeong recoiled and immediately talked him out of it. He launched into a full lecture about how he’d better not even dream of such a thing, and how raising a hand against a superior within the strict hierarchy of the Prosecutors’ Office was simply unthinkable.
“I’m not that reckless. You know that.”
Just then, a knock came — and the door swung open. It was Park Taemin, a senior from his hometown. Unlike usual, he was carrying four cups of coffee. He handed out the paper cups, each printed with a franchise logo, one by one.
“What’s this?”
“Word’s been spreading all over the district office. I told you — why go and poke a viper? Have you got no sense of self-preservation? Dating a chaebol, so now everyone’s beneath you, is that it?”
“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“That obvious? I’m a little excited, I’ll admit. Every day’s been so dull lately, but thanks to you, things have been entertaining. Tell me just between us — you’ve got something going on, don’t you? You’ve got a real line to pull on, and that’s why you’ve got the nerve to act out?”
Honestly, what a petty man. Though Heesin wasn’t in any position to criticize — he was the same. What he actually wanted to criticize was Park Taemin’s loose mouth.
“I wish I did.”
“You little — at least pretend to deny it.”
“You’d call me out for pretending if I did.”
Park Taemin turned to Oh Suyeong.
“See that? Chief Inspector Oh. Is it any wonder I can’t be fond of him?”
Oh Suyeong laughed politely, and Kang Heesin found Park Taemin just as tiresome as ever.
“If you’re here to make small talk, please leave. As you can see, I’ve got a mountain of work. I’ll enjoy the coffee, though. Thank you.”
Instead of leaving, Park Taemin glanced out toward the hallway and stepped in closer to the desk. Then he lowered himself and dropped his voice to a murmur.
“The other day, I went to eat at Migung.”
“…Is that something to brag about?”
“Just listen, would you. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo and Section Chief Seo were having a meal in the next room. You know what I overheard?”
When there was no answer, Park Taemin continued.
“Choi Yuno is leaving the country next month. Going to be in New York for a while, apparently.”
Heesin’s eyes flashed like the edge of a blade.
“You’re sure?”
“Doesn’t that seem off? If he’s got nothing to hide, why the rush to leave? He’s tying your hands and buying himself time.”
Heesin pressed his lips together and sank into thought. Park Taemin gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“Let’s call it even with this.”
“Even for what?”
“For me talking behind your back.”
“So you have been.”
“I swear — nothing I said wasn’t true.”
After a moment’s thought, Heesin reached over and pulled the desk calendar toward him. If he leaves the country, the investigation falls apart. But even if I filed for an arrest warrant now, the odds of it going through were slim. Real evidence is what I need. Solid evidence that Choi Yuno is connected to the deaths of Kim Haeseong and Kim Juwon.
“I can practically hear the gears turning in your head from here.”
Good luck. I’m off. With that, Park Taemin left the prosecutor’s office.
After he disappeared, Oh Suyeong eyed the closed door with a skeptical look.
“Prosecutor Park — I can never quite figure him out.”
Heesin agreed with that. He’d known the man a long time, and there were still moments he found himself wondering what Park Taemin was really thinking. He was a man of two faces. He had a good side, and just as clearly a selfish, calculating one. Since Heesin shared those qualities, he wasn’t in a position to judge — but he had no desire to get too entangled with him either.
Still, he’d gotten an important piece of information. If Choi Yuno’s departure was real, he had to find a way to stop it. But first — the mountain of documents piled in front of him. He breathed out a sigh and was just about to take a sip of Park Taemin’s coffee when his phone buzzed.
— Can we meet this weekend?
Instead of replying, he turned Im Gyeong over in his mind. No — calculated was probably the more accurate word. Whether to turn his back on him entirely, or to keep up a surface-level association and take what advantages there were. Objectively speaking, Im Gyeong’s background alone was a remarkably attractive set of conditions.
Setting aside his maternal grandfather — there was his father, one of the most prominent businessmen in the country. And his mother was a well-known investor. She’d started with real estate and was now reportedly a major shareholder in a private equity fund — one boasting assets on the order of a trillion yen, making its presence felt in the mergers and acquisitions market. Several mid-sized Korean companies had reportedly been absorbed into it.
Im Gyeong himself, on the other hand, was a near blank. The only thing that had ever surfaced publicly was footage from his modeling days a decade ago.
— There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to. Someone who could be of help to you.
Someone who might be of help — that was enough to stop him from cutting it off cleanly.
He sent back a message asking for the place and time, and a reply came quickly.
— I’ll send a driver to your place.
How does he know where I live? He started to refuse, then let it go. If Im Gyeong put his mind to it, he could probably find out anything. He’d tracked down the men who abducted Kim Jungu, and uncovered that Yun Sena was behind it. All of that in less than a week. With that kind of capability, he’d already have a full picture of who Heesin was. Knowing where he lived wasn’t strange at all.
“God, this is irritating…”
He muttered to himself and turned his focus back to work. Thimble on, he flipped through documents, and placed several calls requesting appearances. One person picked up and immediately demanded to know if it was a scam call, then hung up. It happened often enough that he was used to it by now.
He burned through the morning that way, working through the assigned cases in a rush, and before long it was lunchtime. Baek Yeongmi headed out to eat with some close colleagues, while Kang Heesin went to the staff canteen with Oh Suyeong. Before they even got close to the cafeteria, Oh Suyeong was already grumbling.
“Ugh, that smell. Doenjang jjigae again.”
And just as he said — lunch was doenjang jjigae, along with sausage and seasoned vegetable side dishes. After getting their trays and sitting down, Heesin had barely lifted his spoon when Oh Suyeong’s phone rang. The call ended quickly, and Oh Suyeong glanced around before lowering his voice.
“I found him.”
“…?”
“You know — Choi Yuno’s driver’s son. From high school.”
He set his spoon down mid-bite. Then he scanned the area around them. This was a place full of listening ears, where rumors spread in an instant. A place where you never knew when something you’d said might circle back to burn you.
“Apparently he went abroad, but it seems he came back a few years ago. He changed his name — he’s in Busan now. I’ll go meet him.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“You sure? Go to Busan, get some soju and raw fish?”
“Sounds good.”
Just then, some of the senior prosecutors walked past and glanced over at them. The look Jo Cheolwoong was shooting their way was pointed enough that everyone around could feel it. Once they’d passed out of sight, Oh Suyeong let out a relieved breath and shook his head.
“Honestly, so petty. There’s a saying that even a dog doesn’t get bothered while it’s eating. This isn’t bullying some high schoolers.”
“What am I supposed to do? Go over there and throw the first punch?”
“Look at the man’s build. Think you’d win? There’s a reason boxing has weight classes.”
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo did indeed stand close to 190 centimeters, and while his stomach protruded, his frame was solid. He’d once said that if he hadn’t become a prosecutor, he would’ve become a thug — and looking at him, it wasn’t hard to believe.
“Come on, Chief Inspector, I’m almost hurt hearing that. Fighting isn’t about strength. It’s about nerve.”
He puffed himself up on purpose, and a few of the female staff glanced over as they passed.
Watching them whisper among themselves, Oh Suyeong laughed.
“I don’t know about fighting, but on looks — you win, hands down. Across every district office in the country, no one comes close.”
“I’ll accept that.”
He played it off smoothly and lifted his spoon. Outwardly he was smiling, but his mind was churning without rest. Oh Suyeong must have been the same — he kept pulling out his phone and searching for something. Oh — on closer look, he was hunting for a good restaurant. Heesin’s trust wavered for a second, but since he’d been thinking might as well get a decent meal while we’re there himself, he ultimately let it go without a word.
