IAOSL 20

Chapter 20

“I want to work.”

“What?”

“I said I want to work now.”

Taewook, who had been picking up side dishes with his chopsticks, frowned at the sudden statement and looked at Gyeoul.

A moment ago, she had seemed focused on eating, but now she had already set down her spoon and was staring straight at him.

Taewook’s brows twitched as his gaze landed on her rice bowl, which was still less than half empty.

“My body’s mostly recovered now, and moving around isn’t really difficult anymore.”

“……”

“I don’t think it makes sense to keep hiding at home just because I’m scared of reporters when I didn’t even commit a crime.”

“So you want to start working?”

“Well, I’m an actor, so maybe no one will call me right away… but I thought it’d be nice to at least practice acting while I wait.”

“……”

“Just lying around doing nothing all day is driving me crazy.”

As if she had been dissatisfied with being stuck inside the house the whole time, Gyeoul puffed out her cheeks.

Her pale cheeks looked soft enough to squish, like rice cakes.

Taewook quietly watched her expression before a small laugh escaped him.

The way she grumbled and complained made her look like a chick throwing a tantrum.

“Alright. Then do that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Apparently she hadn’t expected him to agree so easily, because Gyeoul immediately broke into a bright smile.

Her delighted expression looked so childlike that a faint smile formed on Taewook’s lips as well.

But only for a moment.

The scraping sound of a chair echoed as Gyeoul stood from her seat, and Taewook frowned.

“Your food.”

“Huh?”

“You can work if you want, but in exchange, you finish one full bowl of rice every meal.”

“……”

“If you don’t like it, then stay locked up in the house.”

Gyeoul’s face crumpled in displeasure at his words.

She stood there glaring at him while Taewook merely shrugged, and with an annoyed huff, she dropped back into her seat.

“What am I, a child?”

“Dr. Min told me to make sure you’re eating properly.”

At that, Gyeoul reluctantly picked up her spoon again.

Even while mumbling complaints under her breath, she obediently stuffed food into her mouth.

Watching her do that, a satisfied smile spread across Taewook’s face.

“Oh, and the guy who used to manage you quit. So until we hire someone new, you’ll commute with me.”

“Fine.”

Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm, clearly because she was still annoyed about being forced to finish her food.

Normally, that challenging attitude should have irritated him.

But strangely enough, Taewook realized he didn’t dislike it at all.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, even to himself.

“This… what is all this?”

“Thank you.”

Three large document boxes were delivered to Won’s office early that morning.

Staring at the sudden mountain of work, Chief Im approached the boxes with an uneasy look.

After thanking the delivery driver, Won turned toward him.

“‘Sihyeon Station Random Murder Case,’ ‘Jangjinpa Gang Fight Incident,’ ‘Johyeong-dong Serial Murder Case’… What are all these?”

“You were right, Chief Im.”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by Won’s sudden remark, Chief Im tilted his head in confusion.

Won looked down at the boxes before continuing.

“Like you suggested, I went to see CEO Joo last Saturday.”

“CEO Joo… You don’t mean Joo Taewook?”

“Yes. The timing happened to work out, so I also got to meet Han Gyeoul there.”

“R-Really?”

At Won’s nod and smile, Chief Im’s face flushed with excitement, as though he’d expected this all along.

“See? Heaven rewards hard work! You actually met Han Gyeoul! Then… did she send these?”

“Yes. She said these were cases Yeoreum had mentioned before—cases that never ended properly.”

“Then maybe looking through these will help us identify the culprit!”

Chief Im practically lit up as he spoke, and Won nodded again.

Looking at the older man’s face, which seemed just as exhausted as his own, Won lowered his head slightly.

“Thank you. I’m learning a lot from you again.”

Embarrassed by the gratitude, Chief Im rubbed the space beneath his nose awkwardly.

Things had gone far better than expected, and perhaps feeling awkward about it, he cleared his throat before picking up one of the files from the box.

“Just from a quick glance, these are organized really well. As expected of Prosecutor Han—always incredibly thorough.”

Flipping through the pages, Chief Im felt motivation surge through him at the thought that this stagnant case might finally begin moving again.

Cradling one of the boxes in his arms, he headed back to his desk.

“Then I’ll see if I can find anything unusual in these cases.”

“Yes. I’m counting on you.”

Won had just sat down and opened a file when Ji-eun suddenly burst into the office, panting.

“What’s wrong, Ms. Jieun?”

“P-Prosecutor! Um… you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

Flustered, Ji-eun quickly stepped aside near the doorway.

A familiar woman entered the office wearing dark sunglasses.

Won immediately rose from his seat.

“Hello, Prosecutor.”

Slowly removing her sunglasses as she greeted him—

It was Arin.

Just days ago, she had seemed uncomfortable around him.

Why she had suddenly come all the way here, he had no idea.

“Is something warm alright with you?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Thank you.”

Won placed a cup of citron tea in front of Arin before sitting across from her.

There was certainly tea back in the office, but the reason they’d come all the way to a nearby café was because of Chief Im and Ji-eun.

The moment Chief Im saw Arin arrive, he immediately insisted that such an important guest couldn’t possibly be treated properly because they had conveniently run out of drinks, then practically shoved Won out the door.

Ji-eun, who had been making coffee for Arin, looked visibly flustered as she glanced nervously at Chief Im.

At his frantic signaling, Ji-eun suddenly raised her voice.

‘Ah, t-this is for me to drink!’

‘Pardon?’

‘I’m really sleepy, so I was trying to make it extra strong. S-so there’s no coffee left for Ms. Arin. Haha…’

‘Then maybe some barley tea…’

‘Ah, that’s for me too. The weather’s cold lately, and my throat’s been scratchy! Ahem!’

Watching Ji-eun dump all five remaining packets of black coffee into a paper cup while Chief Im stuffed four tea bags into another, Won couldn’t help but sigh.

The two of them were so painfully awkward with their fake smiles and darting eyes that it was obvious they were scheming something.

Still, it wasn’t the sort of thing he could openly question right there.

And that was how he ended up at a café near the prosecutor’s office with Arin.

“I’m sorry for troubling you.”

Since Arin had witnessed that entire bizarre situation, Won apologized awkwardly.

Arin simply smiled gently.

“No. Actually… I was grateful.”

“Excuse me?”

Won looked at her, unable to understand what she meant, but Arin didn’t seem willing to elaborate.

Left with no choice, Won rubbed the back of his neck and took a sip of his café latte.

The warm, nutty coffee slowly thawed the cold lingering in his body from the walk.

Glancing at Arin across from him, he noticed she seemed deep in thought, her lips tightly pressed together.

“Um… is something bothering you?”

At his careful question, Arin lifted her gaze from the citron tea and looked at him.

Their eyes met, and Won smiled awkwardly.

After a moment, Arin seemed to steel herself and finally spoke.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Ah… yes. Go ahead.”

Her hands, resting on her lap, tightened nervously.

Won quietly set down his cup.

“I heard that you used to date Prosecutor Han… the one who passed away recently.”

Words he never expected to hear from Arin’s mouth.

Startled, Won’s eyes shifted uncertainly.

Arin gently rubbed her clasped hands together before lifting her head.

“I know you cared about Prosecutor Han a lot.”

“……”

“Could you… tell me why you broke up with her?”

It was a cautious question, but it was also deeply personal.

Won glanced at Arin, who continued meeting his gaze steadily, before letting out a shallow sigh.

“That’s a very personal question.”

“……”

“And honestly, I don’t think we’re close enough to talk about something like that.”

He thought he was fine, but the moment Arin brought up Yeoreum, his expression stiffened without him realizing it.

Hearing someone speak about Yeoreum—

Talking about his feelings for her—

Neither of those things had become easy yet.

How much more time would he need before he could do that without difficulty?

Even he didn’t know.

The uncertainty left a bitter smile on his lips.

“I know.”

Despite his quiet refusal, Arin showed no signs of backing down.

She looked directly into his eyes.

There was even a kind of determination in her expression.

Won’s own face hardened slightly as he asked,

“Why?”

“……”

“I think I need to know why you’re asking before I can answer.”

“Because I like you.”

“…What?”

“I’m saying that I like you, Prosecutor.”

The words landed abruptly.

Won stared at Arin blankly, unable to believe what he’d just heard.

Meanwhile, Arin calmly met his gaze, as though the confession she’d just made was the most natural thing in the world.

At that moment, Won truly felt that he had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.