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Chapter: 11
The two men and women, dressed neatly, exuded an atmosphere that was both awkward and polite.
It was reminiscent of the subtle tension that arises when a man and woman are sizing each other up.
The woman sitting across from Woo Kyung had a clear and calm beauty.
As she spoke, Woo Kyung lightly nodded, focusing on her words.
His usually sharp, blade-like eyes seemed softer now, and the half-down styling of his neatly swept bangs added to his gentle aura.
As far as Eunjae knew, Prosecutor Baek Woo Kyung had no work-related schedule for tonight.
A weekday evening, meeting a woman formally in a hotel lounge—regardless of the exact circumstances, this woman seemed personally important to Woo Kyung.
“So… what’s that got to do with me?”
Eunjae suddenly realized she was staring too intently into her ex’s private life.
It wasn’t like she was still jealous or harboring lingering feelings.
Quickly withdrawing her gaze, she turned away, but the pounding of her heart felt intrusive.
Just as she tried to move forward while hiding her discomfort:
“Hey, you.”
Baek Hae-na appeared behind her, her heels clicking boldly as she strode into the lounge.
“If you’re coming, at least call first.”
A sharp mix of strong perfume and cigarette smoke emanated from her as she approached.
“I was going to call.”
“Bullshit. You were spacing out the whole time.”
Baek Hae-na set her bag down on the table right in front of her—right next to Woo Kyung, of all places.
…Better just give her the clothes and disappear, Eunjae thought, offering the paper bag she had brought.
“Here, a dress.”
But Hae-na didn’t care about the bag’s contents. Instead, she studied Eunjae’s face intently.
“Hey, did you get some procedure done? Laser? No… hmm… filler in your nose?”
Frowning at Eunjae’s delicate features, she squinted, while Eunjae brushed her lightly made-up face.
“No, nothing. Just check the dress already.”
“Trying to fool anyone with sharp eyes! Everyone can tell when you don’t want to give hospital info.”
Hae-na suddenly glanced past Eunjae toward something behind her and tilted her head.
“Huh? Isn’t that Baek Woo Kyung?”
“….”
“Yeah! That unlucky bastard, Baek Woo Kyung.”
Hae-na hated her own accomplished and perfect half-brother intensely.
She criticized him endlessly behind his back: “He lives boringly with that face and physique. The women who meet him are so unfortunate,” and so on.
Of course, in front of him, she’d shrink and not manage a single word.
“Ah, a blind date, huh? Look at the tension… they’re teasing each other, sizing each other up.”
“What?”
Eunjae asked, almost instinctively.
“If it was a formal introduction through family, the conversation would’ve come up at home already. But it didn’t, so it must be a blind date from an acquaintance. Ah, why is it happening in the same place as me?”
Could it really be…?
Only then did Eunjae glance around at the other tables.
Most of the couples there seemed slightly tense, sizing each other up. She recalled that the Doyoung Hotel lounge was known as a place for blind dates.
“So that bastard suddenly came back to Korea just to meet a woman.”
A plausible guess. The chairman’s health was poor, and he was of marriageable age.
Maybe he truly came back to Korea for marriage and succession, just like heirs of other chaebols.
…He will become another woman’s husband.
Just imagining that left a scar on Eunjae’s chest. Her solar plexus throbbed.
She had occasionally imagined it even when they were dating.
Because of the huge gap between them, perhaps… she might not be able to be with him until the end.
But that was only a normal kind of anxiety for lovers. There had also been moments when she felt excitement imagining a future together.
Facing the sad reality she had only imagined was something entirely different.
Eunjae clenched her cold hands. If she stayed any longer, she felt tears might come.
It was already over between them, so why…?
Even she couldn’t understand herself. In any case, leaving before feeling more pitiful was the right choice.
“I’ll be going now.”
Her business with Baek Hae-na was done, so she turned to leave.
“Oh, right, my dress.”
Only then did Hae-na pull the dress from the paper bag, inspecting it carelessly.
“Hmph. Still looks bad. You wear it.”
“…What?”
“Clean it up. Right in front of me.”
Watching the dress drop on the table, Eunjae didn’t even feel anger. She looked at the crumpled dress with a hollow expression.
“Who else would get to wear clothes made by Italian artisans if not you?”
Hae-na, pretending generosity, picked up her phone without a second thought, signaling Eunjae to disappear.
Fine. Since she had come this far, she might as well take the dress.
Silently, Eunjae placed the dress back into the paper bag and turned away.
She deliberately avoided looking toward the table where someone was sitting and hurried across the marble floor.
The next day.
Having slept none, Eunjae woke up early and prepared for work.
“Today, I have to go to HR.”
She couldn’t just wait idly for her transfer request to be approved. It was strange that there had been no response until now.
“I want to move as soon as possible.”
From now on, she resolved to actively distance herself from Woo Kyung’s territory.
“….”
As she stepped out the door, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Even when she tried to lift the drooping corners of her mouth, it didn’t improve her mood.
Yes, she still had lingering feelings for Woo Kyung. No wonder it felt like the sky was collapsing.
It was the conclusion she reached after tossing and turning all night.
Shamelessly, she was still attached to him…
To shake off these feelings, she needed to change her daily environment, away from seeing him every day.
“This ends now.”
A man who could even go on blind dates without hesitation.
Eunjae chided herself several times and stepped out.
However, at HR, another obstacle awaited.
“Excuse me? You’ve already approved this?”
The HR manager had already approved Eunjae’s transfer request.
“Yes, that’s right. Let’s see… you’re Investigator Jung Eunjae, right?”
The HR manager clicked the mouse with a hint of annoyance.
“Yes, we approved it. It seems the supervising prosecutor rejected it.”
So Woo Kyung blocked her transfer?
Eunjae’s round eyes widened further.
“Sir, isn’t HR supposed to handle investigator transfers?”
“It’s changed recently. The direct supervising prosecutor must approve.”
Oh no.
“Just ask Prosecutor Baek to approve it. We have no way.”
“Ah…”
The HR manager clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. Eunjae turned away bitterly after the conversation.
“How do I even get approval?”
Her steps back to her desk felt heavy.
Before that, she was curious why Woo Kyung opposed her transfer. He must find working with her inconvenient as well.
“Not easy.”
Sooner or later, she would have to make the awkward request to Woo Kyung.
A shallow sigh escaped her lips.
A few days later.
The trial for the “Attempted Murder of a Law School Professor” had concluded.
As spectators murmured and exited the courtroom, Woo Kyung at the prosecutor’s seat collected the scattered documents.
“Wow! Congratulations, Prosecutor. Total victory.”
Assistant Manager Kim quietly congratulated him, giving a thumbs-up while helping organize the papers.
“You asked for 20 years, and the sentence came through with not even a year reduced. Amazing.”
Even the judges were reportedly impressed by his arguments, Kim said, praising him highly.
“….”
But Woo Kyung left the courtroom with his briefcase, saying nothing.
Professor Yoon’s attempted murder trial had ended. The indictment was flawless, and his sentencing was relentless.
The defense accepted the verdict without appeal. A perfect victory as a prosecutor.
Yet, no matter how guilty, personally seeing a respected mentor’s old age ruined behind bars couldn’t be satisfying.
Damn it.
Grumbling, he removed his robe and loosened his tight tie, feeling filthy, as if plunged into the mud.
“Sir, aren’t you going to brief the press?”
Assistant Manager Kim, waiting near the court entrance, asked.
“No.”
With a brief response, Woo Kyung pushed through the reporters and walked away.
“Ah, the Deputy Chief will scold you… oh dear…”
But Kim wondered, why would he be so upset despite winning the case?
He quickly regained composure and ran to catch up with Woo Kyung.
Knock knock.
Eunjae knocked on Woo Kyung’s office door and waited briefly. No response came.
She had intended to discuss her transfer, as well as the Professor Yoon trial…
‘Strange. The light’s on, but he’s not inside?’
Cautiously opening the door, she stepped inside.
“…!”
