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Chapter: 2
At Woo-gyeong’s single remark, the atmosphere in the interrogation room froze instantly.
Baek Woo-gyeong was that kind of man. A top predator by birth, he exuded a pressure that could dominate even the flow of air with just one sentence.
“Damn. Shit. That’s scary. He’s exactly like those prosecutors in movies.”
Even the suspect, who had been sitting arrogantly with his legs spread and bouncing, subtly pulled them together.
“Eh? Ahaha! I guess life in America suited you well, Prosecutor. That serious face—totally American style!”
But the middle-aged lawyer didn’t back down.
On the contrary, seeing how smoothly he approached Woo-gyeong, you could tell he was a seasoned veteran who had been through it all.
“Do you know what my nickname is?”
“Do I need to?”
“Ever heard of ‘The Prosecutor General of the Night’ or ‘The Backdoor Chief of Central District’?”
So what? Woo-gyeong answered with his eyes, crossing his legs and folding his arms, as if to say, Go on. Let’s hear it.
“Prosecutors get reassigned every two years, moving from district to district, right? But me? I’ve been coming in and out of Central District for twenty years! I’m the managing partner of Hwanggeumseong Law Firm. Hwang—”
“Get out.”
“Pardon?”
This time, even the unshakable lawyer was startled.
“I don’t repeat myself.”
“No, I’m a lawyer. Why—why would I leave?”
Woo-gyeong gestured toward the power-of-attorney document the suspect had submitted.
“…Only lawyers officially registered on the appointment form are allowed in the interrogation room.”
Eun-jae quickly added, realizing what he was getting at.
She didn’t want the situation to grow more hostile. And honestly, she also wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario where the interrogation dragged on longer.
Because that would mean sitting even longer within arm’s reach of Baek Woo-gyeong.
“Sir, you’re not listed as the appointed attorney. As the prosecutor said, you’ll need to step outside.”
Woo-gyeong’s dry gaze settled on her profile.
Tension surged, but Eun-jae spoke clearly and without trembling, sticking to protocol.
“What? I told you I’m the firm’s representative! The managing partner doesn’t have to be on the appointment form—it’s customary. You don’t know that?”
The lawyer looked around in disbelief, but no one was on his side.
Even the young lawyer he had brought with him was too intimidated to speak, only sweating nervously.
“This is ridiculous! Unbelievable!”
The lawyer, fuming with his hands on his hips, suddenly pointed at Eun-jae.
“Hey. You’re just an investigator, right? Why are you acting up when you’re not even a prosecutor?”
He started attacking Eun-jae’s position.
“……”
Eun-jae didn’t respond. Being looked down on as an investigator was nothing new.
But of all times, for this to happen in front of him… Embarrassment and bitterness washed over her.
“Come to think of it, you’re pretty cheeky. How dare a lowly investigator talk back to a lawyer! I’m way more—”
Bang!
A sudden crash cut him off.
Woo-gyeong stood up abruptly, his chair toppling over with a loud noise.
The lawyer froze mid-sentence.
“Get out. Now.”
“Uh, uh… I mean…”
“Don’t speak casually to my people. You pathetic excuse for a lawyer.”
The mountain-like man strode over and opened the door himself.
“And don’t you dare talk back to a prosecutor. Know your place.”
“Y-you…!”
All the abuse he had hurled at Eun-jae came right back at him. The lawyer’s face flushed bright red.
“I’m taking this straight to the deputy chief’s office! Baek Woo-gyeong! What, you’re the grandson of the Doyeong Group? So what! You’re just a regular prosecutor!”
Even as he packed his bag and headed out, he kept provoking Woo-gyeong. Of course, it didn’t affect him in the slightest.
Click.
The door closed, and the situation was over.
“Wow. That was thrilling. Prosecutor bro, you’ve got way too much swagger.”
Even the immature suspect babbled a few comments before quieting down.
“Let’s begin.”
Returning to his seat, Woo-gyeong opened his laptop again as if nothing had happened.
“Ah, yes! So, our client has been illegally engaging in—”
The young lawyer, thoroughly intimidated, started blurting out statements without being prompted.
Though the start had been rough, the interrogation moved along quickly.
Please. Let nothing else happen.
Relieved by the calmer atmosphere, Eun-jae focused on the investigation. She just wanted it over as soon as possible.
My people. My people. My…
She tried hard not to dwell on the words Woo-gyeong had spoken so casually earlier.
***
However, Eun-jae’s wish to finish the interrogation smoothly and quickly was not granted.
This time, the problem was the immature suspect.
“……!”
Tap.
With a faint sound, something brushed against her toes under the table.
Eun-jae instinctively looked at the suspect sitting across from her.
“When does this even end?”
Yawning widely, the suspect twisted his body toward her.
Then his foot touched hers again—twice.
…Was it just her imagination, or did it feel intentional?
A sex offender with dull eyes staring at her while touching her leg was deeply unpleasant.
Eun-jae straightened up and pulled her legs closer to her chair.
“Ugh, this is boring. So boring.”
Pretending to stretch, he slid his leg down deliberately.
At the same time, a slow, deliberate brush traced from her ankle up her shin.
“Ah…”
A chill ran down her spine. She almost screamed.
But she couldn’t show agitation during an interrogation. She forced herself to remain expressionless.
“What are you doing.”
It was time to hand Woo-gyeong the evidence list.
Not getting what he wanted, he flicked his empty hand and glanced at her.
“Here’s the evidence list.”
She quickly handed over the file, but it wasn’t the one he needed.
“I’m sorry, Prosecutor. I’ll give you the correct one.”
The flow of questioning was briefly interrupted.
And in that moment—tap—that disgusting sensation touched the top of her foot again.
“Haah… Why don’t we just wrap this up? The lawyer admitted everything anyway.”
The suspect leaned back lazily, openly playing footsie. She really felt like crying.
…Should she just shout at him to stop?
What kind of backlash would that cause?
As she hesitated—
“Get out.”
A dry command fell.
Eun-jae doubted her ears.
“Yes?”
“I said get out.”
When she met Woo-gyeong’s pitch-black eyes, her mind went blank.
A prosecutor was suddenly telling an investigator to leave the interrogation room.
“Is there… some problem?”
She asked as politely as possible, but Woo-gyeong crushed even that.
“Investigator Jeong Eun-jae is a distraction.”
“……”
She was even more confused. What had she done wrong?
Was it because of that one small mistake earlier?
It felt unfair. She had endured the suspect’s disgusting behavior just to finish this interrogation properly.
But here, where the prosecutor held absolute authority, none of that mattered.
“Yes, Prosecutor. I’ll step out.”
Without protest, Eun-jae gathered her documents and stood. On trembling legs, she walked straight out of the room.
“Huh? Pretty noona, where you going? Did you two fight? Is it okay for teammates to fight? Huh?”
She didn’t hear the suspect’s taunts.
All she could see through the closing door was the cold, indifferent face of the man inside—and she hated it.
***
The story of Prosecutor Baek Woo-gyeong’s intense first interrogation spread through the district office for days.
It seemed the expelled law firm head had been talking nonstop.
“He even kicked out Attorney Hwang. He’s really something. That felt good just hearing it.”
Even Park Mi-jeong, Eun-jae’s fellow investigator, brought it up in the elevator.
“You must feel secure, Eun-jae.”
“Why?”
“What kind of prosecutor stands up for investigators? I’ve never heard of one. He’s seriously amazing.”
She didn’t bother correcting her that he’d kicked her out too.
“With a prosecutor like that, work must be great. Your team is super hot right now.”
“Is that so.”
…Right. I should just mind my own work.
She got hung up on that stupid “my people” comment, made a mistake, and couldn’t even protest being harassed by a pervert.
“Rich, handsome, and with a perfect personality. That’s better welfare than a conglomerate. I feel deprived.”
Her friend kept praising him.
Meanwhile, Eun-jae had already applied for a transfer to get away from Baek Woo-gyeong.
She wanted to take a leave—or even quit—but reality wouldn’t allow it.
So she settled for a transfer instead. She didn’t know how long it would take.
“Hey, next time your oppa is around, call me. I want to see him.”
“Op… oppa?”
“If he’s handsome, he’s oppa!”
Her friend chirped away cluelessly.
“Ahhh, thanks to Oppa Baek Woo-gyeong, Central District feels so safe.”
“I’m going crazy.”
A sigh escaped her. And to make it worse, she herself had called him “oppa” before.
Clenching down on her frustration, Eun-jae stared at the elevator numbers.
They reached the fifth floor, where the evidence storage room was.
Ding. The doors were about to open when—
“Huh? What? Why is it doing this?”
With a loud clunk, the elevator stopped.
