Chapter 3: A Prosecutor’s Shadow

“What? A scar from being stabbed by a gangster?”

“To be precise, a drug offender.”

“……Your bluffing has really improved since I last saw you.”

A moment later, Hyeong-taek chuckled.

“You’re lying, right?”

“I’m serious.”

“You don’t have to act tough in front of me. What is this, the eighties? If what you’re saying is true, the government should bring back those forced labor camps. A prosecutor wouldn’t be enough.”

“If you don’t want to believe it, there’s nothing I can do.”

But it was quite strange.

Usually, when he talked about things like this, he would feel pain in the scar.

His body was reacting automatically.

Just as a person becomes depressed when they recall bad memories.

“Well, it’s not like you’re the type to bluff about something like this…… Wow. It must be hard being a prosecutor these days.”

“It depends on the person. Everyone has a different work style.”

“Then, are you close with that prosecutor?”

“Who?”

“Seo Yi-rae from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. She’s famous. Isn’t she in the same office as you?”

To think that name would come up here, too.

“Did you see her on the internet?”

“Yeah. She’s incredible. Celebrities, politicians, business tycoons—they say it’s all over for them once they get caught by her.”

She’s just a loose cannon.

The same breed as me.

‘Wait. Is that why she’s interested in me?’

They do say people are more attracted to those similar to themselves.

“By the way, why is Jin-gu taking so long?”

Come to think of it, it was strange. It had already been over an hour since Jin-gu left.

“His house was nearby, right?”

“Yeah. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to get there on foot.”

“Shall we go?”

We immediately stood up from our seats.

“Hey. Put your card away while I’m still being nice.”

“What?”

“How much money could a civil servant possibly have? This is on me.”

“I’m a prosecutor, you know. If I leave for a law firm right now, I could make way more.”

“So, do you make more than me right now?”

Well, no.

“I’m doing this because I’m grateful.”

“Hmm…….”

“In times like this, you just say, ‘Thanks for the meal, big brother,’ you punk.”

“Thanks for the meal, you punk.”

“Hey!”

“Let’s go, quickly.”

I immediately grabbed the door handle.

……Oh, right!

“We’re leaving, sir!”

“What! You’re leaving already?”

At my shout, a familiar face popped out from the back of the shop.

Even though he was nearly sixty, Mr. Wooyoung had muscles that would put any young man to shame.

He used to run the only butcher shop in the neighborhood when I was young, so I had known him for a long time.

“I’ll come by again!”

“Wait, wait. Seo-jun! I packed some meat here! Take it and eat it with your mother and father!”

“Goodbye!”

I hurried out of the shop.

Knowing Mr. Wooyoung’s personality, he would never accept any money for it.

“Jin-gu’s house is just inside that alley. Remember?”

Our pace quickened.

Even without an explanation, it was easy to tell.

A patrol car was already parked outside the alley.

“No. Look, I’m telling you to just wait a few days. Cows are intelligent animals; won’t it come back home when it gets hungry?”

“What if it gets hit by a car and dies?”

“In the first place, this isn’t theft. Finding a runaway cow isn’t exactly police business, either.”

“Look. I know you officers are working hard. But we have to check if the cow ran away or if someone stole it. Isn’t that the police’s job?”

Jin-gu was speaking passionately.

The older supervisor he was talking to had a rather troubled expression on his face.

‘I can pretty much guess what’s going on.’

Just then, a young patrolman standing nearby stepped forward in front of Jin-gu.

“Sir. We have a lot of work. You’re currently trying to use public power for personal purposes.”

“Wh-What?”

“To put it bluntly, how is this any different from someone calling a patrol car instead of a taxi because they’re drunk? If we can’t respond to a call where someone actually needs our help because of you, and that person gets hurt…… can you take responsibility for that?”

“Th-That…….”

Jin-gu couldn’t say anything more.

After all, what could he say to a police officer who spoke like that?

“Is that right?”

I lightly gestured to Hyeong-taek beside me and looked around the area.

‘……As expected, there are no CCTVs nearby.’

It was standard for there to be fewer CCTVs in the countryside compared to the city.

In the same vein.

‘That kind of complacent attitude from rural police is also the default.’

Sighing, I stepped forward.

“Excuse me.”

“?”

The three of them turned to look this way.

“Seo-jun!”

At the same time, Jin-gu’s face brightened as if he had seen a savior.

“I heard the gist of it on my way here…… In other words, you’re refusing to accept a citizen’s report right now?”

“!”

The young patrolman flinched instantly.

“It’s not that we’re refusing the report, it’s just that…….”

“You mentioned the issue of responsibility earlier. If this is later revealed to be a theft, will you, the officer over there, take responsibility?”

“…….”

As expected, there was no answer.

“As I was listening, your rhetoric seemed quite cunning. As if the act of calling 112 itself is some kind of crime.”

“Th-That’s not it. It’s just that there are people who abuse it like this…….”

“And you’re using that as an excuse to drag your feet indefinitely?”

“No, what do you take us for……!”

“Most importantly.”

I pointed around with my finger.

“It’s obvious this looks like it’ll end up as an unsolved case. And if the number of unsolved cases increases, it’ll negatively impact your performance records. Isn’t that why you’re trying not to accept the report right now?”

“……!”

Silence followed once again.

Instead of the young patrolman, who was now just gaping, the older supervisor quickly stepped forward.

“Now, sir. This young fellow hasn’t been here long, so he’s still quite inexperienced. If his words or actions were unpleasant, I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

This older supervisor was the same.

The type to just stand by with his hands behind his back on the scene.

Only stepping forward reluctantly now that things seemed like they were going to get troublesome.

“If you really don’t want to turn this into a case, you should at least pretend to look for it. Even if there are no CCTVs at the scene, you should at least comb through the surrounding CCTVs. Isn’t this clearly a dereliction of duty?”

“No, I’ve listened long enough! Dereliction of duty? Just how much do you think you know about the law!”

It wasn’t me, but Hyeong-taek who answered the fuming young patrolman.

“This guy is a prosecutor.”

“……What did you just say?”

“He’s a prosecutor for the Republic of Korea.”

“…….”

The young patrolman, who had a stupid look on his face for a moment, soon turned pale.

‘……There’s no need to explain specifically, right?’

It wasn’t entirely wrong.

My resignation hadn’t been processed yet, and I was currently on annual leave.

“I know you’re working hard, but I’m asking for a favor.”

I turned around just like that.

Into my ears, I heard the voice of the young patrolman, which had become much more cautious.

“Um…… A-Are you really a prosecutor?”

“…….”

I only glanced back slightly.

“Would my status have a special impact on the follow-up actions of you officers?”

“…….”

Leaving the speechless patrolman behind, the older supervisor stepped forward again.

“O-Of course not. We would perform a proper sobriety test even if the other person was the President.”

“Yes, I see.”

“Ahem. For now, we’ll do our best to look for it. And the victim? We need a statement to process the report. Could you cooperate for a moment……?”

Jin-gu quickly stepped forward.

“Ah, yes. What should I do?”

Hyeong-taek, who was beside me, held back a burst of laughter.

Of course, I knew why he was reacting like this.

From some point on, Jin-gu’s trapezius muscles had been bulging excessively.

“You saw that, right?”

Just as I thought.

After telling Jin-gu to take his time with his business, Hyeong-taek burst into laughter as soon as we left the alley.

“Ah, that was refreshing. Jin-gu looked like he had just downed a whole bowl of soda.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Hehe. He might not say it, but he’s probably incredibly proud of you deep down.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m not exaggerating. Having a smart friend really does make things convenient, doesn’t it?”

Hyeong-taek slung his arm around my shoulder.

“In that sense, my friend. Shall the two of us go for a second round?”

“Next time. Let’s eat with Jin-gu.”

“You rascal. Loyal as ever.”

Hyeong-taek let go of me without any lingering regret.

“I’ll set a date and contact you again soon.”

“Sure.”

“Seo-jun.”

“……?”

Looking back, Hyeong-taek was grinning, showing his teeth.

“I’m really glad you’re back. I mean it.”

“…….”

Immediately after, I gave a small smile and waved my hand.

I feel the same way.

Grumble.

“……Maybe it’s because I didn’t get to eat properly while waiting for Jin-gu.”

Once I actually got home, my stomach started clamoring for food.

10:00 PM.

My parents had already gone to bed.

The two of them always went to sleep early and woke up at the crack of dawn.

“Then, shall I show off my skills for the first time in a while?”

Just then, the young radish kimchi noodles my mother made yesterday came to mind.

Of course, I could manage that much.

I had nearly ten years of experience living on my own.

“Instead of ordinary young radish noodles, let’s make mixed young radish noodles.”

Whoosh!

I started by boiling a large bowl’s worth of noodles.

Sploosh!

I rinsed the boiled noodles thoroughly in cold water and shook off the moisture expertly.

“Good, good.”

Through the slightly open door, I could hear the chirping of crickets.

Using the sounds of nature as my background music instead of actual music, I took out a large batch of the young radish kimchi my mother had made herself.

Crunch! Crunch!

As I was cutting them into bite-sized pieces.

Swish! Swish!

Was it curiosity?

Before I knew it, snowflakes had gathered together in small groups and begun to watch what I was doing.

Some of them even hopped around on top of the noodles I had taken out, as if telling them to get even colder.

“I’m glad I’m not lonely, you guys.”

Crunch!

I took out a piece of young radish kimchi and tasted it first.

“Whoa!”

An exclamation escaped my lips immediately.

The stems weren’t mushy, and they had a solid, crisp crunch inside.

“Add a spoonful of homemade soybean paste here.”

Chili powder, plum extract, perilla oil, and even toasted sesame seeds.

I adjusted the mixing sauce so it wasn’t too spicy or too sweet, but had a taste that perfectly clung to the tip of my tongue.

“Finally, put a handful of young radish on top of the noodles.”

With this…… Baek Seo-jun’s signature mixed young radish noodles are complete!

“Ah, my mouth is watering…….”

I quickly sat down.

Now, finally, it was the long-awaited mealtime…….

Honk!

“……?”

I froze in place, still holding my chopsticks.

“……Did I hear that wrong?”

Honk, honk!

No.

I didn’t hear it wrong.

“What is it?”

I immediately ran out of the house.

“There shouldn’t be any guests coming at this late hour…….”

Moreover, this wasn’t Seoul, but the countryside.

I naturally thought it would be a guest for my parents, but…….

“Senior!”

“!”

That expectation was way off the mark.

“Seo, Seo Yi-rae?”

“Wow! You really were here! It’s so good to see you in a place like this!”

Seo Yi-rae was grinning in front of the gate.

“How are your feet? Are they okay?”

“……My feet? Suddenly?”

“They say if you make a woman cry and run away, you won’t make it three miles before your feet get sore.”

“But why are you speaking so informally all of a sudden?”

“What does it matter? You’re not my direct superior at the district office anymore. You said you were going to quit, didn’t you?”

Oh, boy.

“How did you find out about this place and come here?”

“Don’t underestimate the information power of a current prosecutor!”

“……Do you even realize that’s a crime?”

“Hehe…… Give me a break.”

” I’m going to report you.”

When I made a motion as if reaching into my pocket.

“No! Do you think I wanted to do this? You should at least pick up your phone! It’s been days, and you haven’t even checked your texts or messages, let alone answered my calls. How could I not be worried!”

Ah.

Come to think of it, I had stuffed my phone into a drawer as soon as I arrived.

Just in case the office tried to bother me.

“……Did the higher-ups send you by any chance?”

“That’s really too much. Do I really look like that kind of person to you?”

Well.

It’s not like Seo Yi-rae was that disloyal.

“I was worried, and there’s someone looking for you desperately. So I thought about it a lot before coming here.”

“Someone looking for me……?”

The mystery was quickly solved.

Click.

That was because the passenger door opened just in time.

“Huh!?”

This time, even I was genuinely surprised.

The person who stepped out was quite unexpected.

“Ms. Shin Hye-seo?”

“Ah, hello, Prosecutor.”

Shin Hye-seo bowed her head repeatedly with an expression that said she didn’t know what to do.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your vacation…….”

“That…… No, it’s fine. Shall we head inside first? It’s a bit awkward to stand here and talk.”

I started feeling self-conscious for no reason. What if a neighbor saw this?

“Yay!”

As if she had been waiting for those words, Seo Yi-rae immediately ran over.

“Oh, by the way, Senior.”

“First of all, my parents are sleeping, so could you lower your voice?”

“Oops.”

For once, even this wild one raised both hands to cover her mouth.

“……Hmph?”

“That’s too low. I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

In an instant, the scent of shampoo wafted past the tip of my nose.

“You know.”

It was because Seo Yi-rae, who had suddenly approached, stood on her tiptoes and whispered into my ear.

“I’m really sorry, but can you let us stay at your house tonight?”

“……What?”

At my question, Seo Yi-rae took a step back and laughed awkwardly.

“Well…… as you can see, our arrival was much later than planned.”