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Chapter: 10
Central District Prosecutor’s Office, Investigation Room.
The clean, minimalist space had nothing but a desk and four chairs.
“I never thought I’d see my student in a place like this,”
Professor Yoon Deok-jung said with a hint of humor from across the desk. But his pale face betrayed no trace of ease.
“And two of them, no less.”
Professor Yoon forced a smile as he looked at Woo-kyung and Eun-jae, sitting side by side.
“Eun-jae… no, I should call you Investigator now.”
“…….”
“Investigator Jeong Eun-jae. I regretted your dropping out, but it’s good that you entered the legal field this way at least.”
“Do you admit to everything you stated in the police investigation?”
Woo-kyung’s dry tone cut through Professor Yoon’s words, with not a shred of pity in it.
It would have been better if he had been angry or disappointed. But he treated his mentor like any ordinary suspect.
“Yes, that’s right. I stabbed him. That beastly man.”
Professor Yoon nodded and wiped his face with his handcuffed hands.
Not long ago, his daughter had taken her own life. Her note mentioned her lover’s infidelity and betrayal.
The professor tried to understand the man who caused the loss of his beloved daughter. So he went to talk, but upon seeing him with another woman, he decided to punish him himself.
“There’s nothing else to investigate. Everything’s been confessed, and the evidence submitted.”
“The on-site verification is scheduled for next week. Have you appointed a lawyer?”
The tense atmosphere never wavered throughout the investigation. His cold, detached demeanor made the air feel even heavier.
…So Eun-jae worried more about him.
Until now, Woo-kyung had approached suspects strategically, like a prosecutor.
In cases like the hidden camera incident, if the suspect acted recklessly, he would crush them with sheer charisma.
A few days ago, when an elderly woman collecting scrap was falsely accused of theft, he had shown a gentle, considerate side.
But today, his attitude was utterly neutral, almost dismissive.
‘Is this okay?’
It pained her to see someone she once revered as a professor treated as a suspect. She couldn’t imagine how he felt, witnessing the fall of someone he had respected and followed.
The emergency suspect investigation concluded quickly.
Professor Yoon had admitted to all charges and fully cooperated with the investigation.
“I have nothing further to confess. Just prosecute as you see fit, Prosecutor Baek Woo-kyung.”
With that, he stood calmly.
His slow walk, guided by the police, appeared pitiful.
“Damn it.”
Once the investigation room door shut, leaving only Woo-kyung and Eun-jae, he muttered curses under his breath.
Even someone of Yoon’s stature had shockingly fallen from grace. Sad stories were common, but what made him so uncomfortable wasn’t the crime itself—it was the sense of degradation.
He sighed in frustration. Eun-jae quietly spoke:
“Go down. The transport vehicle should be in B2.”
Woo-kyung froze, the hand that had been adjusting his tie halting mid-motion.
“Since the interrogation is over, I thought you might want to greet your former professor as a graduate, not just as a prosecutor.”
For a brief moment, his hard gaze wavered.
“Do I really have to escort a criminal as a prosecutor?”
“Then… maybe step out for a breath of fresh air? The weather’s nice.”
Eun-jae suggested lightly, gathering papers from the desk.
“I’ll head back to the office first. I brought your laptop too.”
Her small, polite nod carried the faintest smile. Seeing her walk off, taking even his belongings, he felt a bit stunned—like a little child had peeked into his mind.
…Under Eun-jae’s bouncing ponytail, the soft hairs at her nape caught his eye.
Madman. He laughed to himself.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he found himself admiring Eun-jae’s back. Shaking off the thought, he left.
He strode down the corridor, opened the emergency stairs, and quickly descended to the underground parking lot.
That evening, Seoul subway exit.
Eun-jae emerged and headed toward the distant lights of the Doyoung Hotel, carrying a paper bag.
“Hey! You damn idiot. You just take the dress she gave you again?”
She was on her way to return the dress Oh Hye-joo had sent her, after receiving a call earlier that day.
“That thing doesn’t even fit you! All chest, no sense!”
Because of a matchmaking meeting tonight, Baek Hae-na had insisted she bring the dress to the hotel, so she had come.
“It was pretty, though.”
She had only worn it once. The halter neck with a deep circular cut at the chest was a little too bold, but it suited her.
Still, it had to be returned to its owner.
“Lounge, right?”
The lounge was at the far end of the first floor. As she was led inside by an attendant, she looked around.
“……!”
Baek Hae-na wasn’t in sight, but a very familiar side profile appeared instead.
Under the luxurious lighting, his sharp nose and deep eye sockets stood out. Below thick, well-groomed eyebrows, dark eyes stared intently.
It was Woo-kyung.
He was sitting across from a woman, smiling gently.
