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Chapter 27
“Prosecutor! Are you coming back from Insan Police Station?”
“Yes. The case has officially been assigned to me, and I’ve also been ordered to conduct the investigation personally, so there’s no reason to delay any longer.”
“I figured something was going on from the atmosphere around the prosecution office. Ah, let me take that. I’ll help carry it.”
“Thank you.”
Section Chief Im hurried over to Won, who was unloading boxes from the car, and quickly took one from him.
The box was heavier than expected, and he let out a groan as he lifted it. His eyes landed on the words written across the top:
For some reason, his chest tightened, and he forced himself to joke.
“Still, for all their complaints every time we visited the station about how difficult the investigation was, I guess they actually did a fair amount of work. I didn’t expect there to be two whole boxes.”
“I’ll have to compare it with the materials I already have first, but there’s no guarantee how much of this will actually be useful.”
“……”
“I suspect just sorting through the information is going to take quite a while.”
Im quietly glanced at Won as he spoke in a calm, detached tone.
Watching him pretend to be fine made Im’s chest ache.
Han Yeoreum had once been the person Won loved most—perhaps still did.
What must it feel like to investigate the death of someone like that with his own hands?
Trying to lighten the mood, Im deliberately joked again.
“At this rate, starting today, I’ll probably be seeing your face more often than my wife’s, Prosecutor.”
“…You always end up suffering because of me, Chief.”
“Please don’t say that. Prosecutor Han was someone I’m grateful to as well.”
Won, who had been carrying the box toward the elevator with him, stopped walking.
His expression clearly asked, What do you mean?
Im gave an awkward smile.
He walked a few more steps as if trying to change the subject, but eventually stopped and turned back toward Won.
Seeing the concern on Won’s face, Im smiled playfully and continued.
“People who didn’t know her used to say Prosecutor Han was cold, emotionless… some even called her cra— well, things like that. But in reality, she was warm-hearted and a genuinely good person. Sharp, too.”
Won silently laughed, apparently understanding the word Im had stopped himself from saying.
Im pressed the elevator button and continued.
“Actually, around this time last year, something happened in my family. My child had a heart condition and was hospitalized for nearly three months.”
“What? Why are you only telling me this now—!”
“What else could I do?”
Won raised his voice, guilt flashing across his face as he realized he’d been completely unaware of Im’s struggles despite working beside him every day. But he fell silent again when Im simply smiled as if to say it was fine.
At that moment, Won felt as though he’d finally realized how little attention he’d paid to the people around him.
“To be honest, weren’t we insanely busy last year? We barely slept while trying to catch those fraudsters using fake license plates.”
“Still, if you had told me, I would’ve done something somehow…”
“Exactly. That’s why I couldn’t tell you. I knew you’d worry even more than I did.”
Im smiled knowingly at Won’s guilty expression.
The elevator arrived at the underground parking level. They stepped inside, and Im pressed the button for the fifth floor where Won’s office was located.
His voice lowered as the memory resurfaced.
“My child was sick, I had no money, and did I have any time? My wife was exhausted from taking care of our child alone, and every time she called, I just yelled at her.”
“……”
“And the person who witnessed that pathetic side of me… was Prosecutor Han.”
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Im stepped out silently and pointed toward the break room at the end of the hallway.
“I still remember it vividly. That was the place where Prosecutor Han lent me money after overhearing my phone call.”
“Chief Im…”
“She told me she didn’t have a family to support or anything she particularly needed money for, so I should use it as long as necessary and repay her after my child recovered. But how could I possibly accept that?”
“……”
“I firmly refused, and then she asked me whether my pride was worth more than my child’s life. She even said she’d lend me enough to cover my pride too.”
“……”
“It felt like I’d been smacked in the back of the head by someone over ten years younger than me.”
“……”
“I realized how pathetic I’d been…”
Emotion welled up inside him, and Im bit his lip hard.
After clearing his throat and wiping at his nose, he stopped in front of Won’s closed office door and turned back toward him.
“I think that’s why people kept gathering around Prosecutor Han even while calling her strange or obsessive.”
“……”
“Because deep down, everyone knew she was warmer than anyone else.”
“……”
“And that’s why I don’t want this case to remain unsolved either.”
“……”
“I paid back the money not long after, but I’ve carried that debt in my heart ever since.”
Im smiled at Won, whose eyes now looked steadier than before.
Tilting his head slightly, he gestured toward the office. Won strode over to stand beside him.
“So no matter what happens, we’re solving this case.”
“……”
“For the pride of Criminal Division Two—and to clear Prosecutor Han’s name.”
“Of course.”
Relieved by the lighter expression on Won’s face, Im opened the office door.
As he stepped inside, determination had already settled in his own eyes as well.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hm?”
“He’s normally not like that. I don’t know why he’s acting that way today.”
I apologized first because I felt too awkward to meet Jihoon’s eyes.
Jihoon burst into laughter at my expression before scratching the back of his head.
“Actually… I think I know why.”
“Huh?”
“I think CEO Joo might’ve seen that scene earlier.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was waiting in the lobby for you, and someone said they were my fan.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They gave me a coffee, but I threw it away in the lobby trash can.”
“…What?”
His calm explanation left me blinking in confusion.
How was I supposed to react to hearing that he’d thrown away a coffee given to him by a fan?
Thankfully, Jihoon noticed my discomfort and awkwardly continued.
“That’s… you remember what happened to me a few years ago, right?”
“A few years ago?”
“When I was filming that drama, I ended up in the emergency room after drinking something a fan gave me.”
“Ah… right. I remember.”
At his careful explanation, the incident finally came back to me.
It had been a pretty major scandal.
At the time, Jihoon had just started gaining recognition through a supporting role in a weekend drama on a major network, and that incident had suddenly thrust him into public attention.
Not in a good way.
It made me realize that my sister and I weren’t the only ones whose names had become known because of terrible circumstances.
Slowly, I nodded, finally understanding why Jihoon couldn’t bring himself to drink anything given to him by a stranger.
“I guess if enough time passes, people think you should be over it. I even went to therapy because of that incident, and I thought I’d gotten much better… but maybe not. I still can’t drink things given to me by people I don’t know.”
“…That makes sense. It was serious back then.”
“Still, if you don’t know the whole story, it definitely looks bad. Honestly, if I were in CEO Joo’s position, I probably wouldn’t have liked what I saw either.”
Jihoon smiled faintly, but there was bitterness behind it.
Then he looked at me.
“I think maybe he just didn’t like me very much after seeing that.”
Seeing him smile so bitterly only made me feel worse.
Why was Taewook misunderstanding someone like him?
A deep sigh escaped me.
Jihoon quickly grinned again, teasingly this time.
“Well… or maybe it’s because I’m your boyfriend.”
“…Boyfriend?”
“We’ve been friends for over twenty years. And we’re opposite sexes. It’d make sense if the CEO felt bothered by that.”
“Ah… opposite-sex friend…”
Only after hearing him elaborate did I realize I’d misunderstood something completely, and I laughed awkwardly.
What exactly had I been imagining?
Pretending to smooth my eyebrows, I carefully studied Jihoon’s face across from me.
A friend of over twenty years.
Practically my sister’s only real friend.
If it was him… maybe he knew about my sister’s stalker.
After seeing the text message from the stalker yesterday and watching the news, a thought had started forming in my mind.
Maybe this case had never been targeting me in the first place.
Maybe the real target had always been my sister.
And because I died instead of her, perhaps that was why the culprit had been so difficult to catch all this time.
If the stalker’s true target had been my sister, then the investigation needed to start over completely.
Centered around her life, not mine.
And once I reached that conclusion, the first person who came to mind was Jihoon.
Maybe he knew something about the stalker who was now the prime suspect.
Or at the very least, maybe he knew my sister had been stalked.
Taewook still hadn’t returned after stepping out to make a phone call.
I cautiously glanced at Jihoon before finally speaking.
“Um… there’s something I want to ask you. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Ask me.”
Jihoon nodded with a smile.
I swallowed hard.
Maybe this time… we could finally catch that bastard.
“Ah, why isn’t she answering?!”
Taewook paced anxiously in front of the CEO’s office.
He’d already called several times, but no one was answering.
The phone was still ringing, so it wasn’t turned off…
Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced through the blinds, spotting Gyeoul smiling brightly inside.
No, this won’t work.
The atmosphere between the two looked far too good.
Just as Taewook was about to irritably hang up the phone, a man’s weak voice finally came through.
“H-hello…?”
“Isn’t this Kim Arin’s phone?”
“Ah, y-yes, it is, but my sister can’t answer right now— Hrk!”
A woman’s sharp scream rang out from the other side of the phone.
Muttering What do I do? What do I do?, the man seemed flustered before hurriedly speaking again.
“I-I’m sorry, but I think I need to go inside right now. I’ll let my sister know someone called. May I ask who this is?”
“Joo Taewook.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Joo Taewook. CEO of JT Entertainment. Is it really difficult for Kim Arin to spare me just five minutes?”
The man fell silent in shock after hearing his identity.
Taewook frowned impatiently during the long pause, but then the man’s voice returned—firmer this time.
“I’m Jang Jinsu, Arin noona’s manager. I’ll put our CEO on the phone instead.”
“What are you talki—”
“Please… I’m begging you to speak carefully with him, CEO Joo.”
Taewook placed a hand on his hip, baffled by Jinsu’s strange plea.
He had absolutely no idea what kind of situation he’d just stepped into.
