PLMT 15

Chapter: 15

“Sir… Prosecutor, that is…”

Eun-jae barely managed to part her trembling lips.

“Ah, did I go too far just now? Talking about the past made me remember that part,” Jin-hyuk said, brushing it off casually while looking at her intently, as if studying her reaction.

“Sorry. I thought it would be okay to talk since it’s just the two of us,” he added with a soft smile—but if she sensed no genuine sincerity in it, was it just her imagination?

Today, his gaze seemed lower, heavier than usual. Different from the gentle, well-mannered man she knew, it even created a sense of distance.

Eun-jae exhaled slowly, her breath stuck in her chest, and finally spoke.

“I… I still feel a bit about that incident…”

“Embarrassed? Hey, you don’t have to worry about that with me.”

…but since it was supposed to be a secret, couldn’t he just forget it now? Just as she was tentatively trying to start the conversation, the office door flung open.

“…!”

Seeing someone rush in, Eun-jae froze, feeling as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

Earlier, at the mansion “Do-un-jae” of Baek Wan-seop, chairman of Do-young Group, a monthly dinner for direct family members was in full swing.

Among them, Oh Hye-joo was the most proactive.

“Father, eat more while it’s warm. Eels are in season right now—they’re good for restoring your energy,” she said.

The once-critically ill Baek Wan-seop had miraculously gotten back on his feet recently, so Hye-joo was going all out in attending to him during the meal.

“Eels taste better grilled. Why make soup out of them?”

“Father, you still have difficulty digesting chewy foods, so that’s why.”

The silver-haired chairman slammed down his spoon.

Hye-joo, who had been flattering him earnestly, withdrew her smile.

…He’ll eat whatever is given. The old man, having narrowly survived, is getting increasingly irritable.

Muttering curses under her breath, Hye-joo raised her red lips gracefully once more.

“Father, shall I prepare some dessert for you? Would you like something sweet?”

“Stop fussing. Rest for a bit. You’re too pushy, that’s your problem,” he replied, scolding her for being overzealous.

Hye-joo gave her husband, vice chairman Baek Do-geon, a look. The silent message: behave nicely to please your father and maybe secure a bigger inheritance.

Do-geon, however, ignored her signal, silently continuing to eat.

‘Damn these Baeks.’

As she glared at her husband, her eyes met Baek Woo-kyung’s beside her. His normally stern mouth curved slightly at the corner—a clear smirk directed at her.

“Ugh, that smells fishy,” Baek Hae-na, her daughter, grimaced at the soup in front of the chairman.

Hye-joo quickly shifted the topic to change the atmosphere.

“By the way, Woo-kyung, I heard you have good news?”

She smoothly smiled, pretending to be a caring mother worried about her son’s dating life. Rumors about him meeting a woman at a hotel lounge had already spread.

“Can you tell me who it is? Who introduced you? I’m curious if she’s a good match,” she asked.

“No need. I was rejected,” he said.

“What? Our perfect son? That girl just kicked her luck away!”

Hye-joo sighed with sympathy, while Hae-na, poking at her food, pouted as if ready to throw a tantrum.

After formally concluding that a better match would come along, Hye-joo brought up the topic she actually wanted to discuss.

“Father, you know Hae-na had a matchmaking meeting recently, right? The girl’s all grown up now, it’s admirable, isn’t it?”

Recently, Hae-na had been matched with the youngest son of the prime minister. In reality, it was a way to manage troublesome members of both families.

Both had a history of scandalous behavior, and the plan was to send them abroad for study after marriage.

“Marriage? Oh dear… would I die first, or would that troublemaker get divorced first?”

“Oh, Father! Don’t speak so negatively. The doctor said if you just take care of yourself, you’ll live long,” Hye-joo scolded.

“Prosecutor Baek.”

Ignoring Hye-joo’s protests, the chairman stood with effort and looked for Woo-kyung.

“Come keep an old man company for a while.”

It was a subtle way of saying, “let’s play a game of Go.” Woo-kyung followed him quietly, leaving the dining room slowly.

“Shouldn’t be so pushy,” muttered Hye-joo.

Regardless of the chairman leaving, Baek Do-geon continued eating.

“Aren’t you going to try and get even 1 billion won?” she asked sharply.

“Still don’t understand my father? He’s not the type to give it just for flattery.”

“Ah, here we go again.”

Grumbling, Hae-na grabbed her phone and got up.

“Behave properly! Stop with social media!”

Ignoring her mother, the now-adult daughter left the dining room.

Hye-joo sighed, closing her eyes. If she ever took control of Do-young Group, she swore she’d sweep away this whole damn household.

Baek Wan-seop’s Go skills were still impressive, defying the idea he had been critically ill.

Woo-kyung skillfully adjusted his pace and won the match just enough.

“I lost,” he said.

“Oh, dear.”

Placing the last black stone, Woo-kyung confidently removed the chairman’s white stones.

“Thanks for entertaining this old man.”

“My pleasure,” Woo-kyung replied.

“You sly one,” the chairman muttered, aware that Woo-kyung had let him win just barely.

“Will you continue as a prosecutor, whether in Korea or the U.S.?”

“Yes, sir.”

The chairman nodded calmly after taking a sip of water.

“Alright. Go ahead.”

He did not stop Woo-kyung any further.

Exhaling, Woo-kyung left the main building of Do-un-jae and lit a cigarette.

Somehow, being in the same space as Hye-joo always reeked of sordid, nauseating greed.

As he inhaled smoke, washing away the stench, his eyes fell on the garden and the darkened annex.

“….”

Seeing the annex, unwanted memories sprang up reflexively.

The child who had lived there…

The beautiful girl who had grown into his lover, Jung Eun-jae.

“Damn it.”

Here it comes again.

The sweet, bitter scent of vanilla mixed with alcohol brushed against his nose.

Woo-kyung inhaled sharply through the filter and wiped his dry face.

He lingered alone in the garden for a while.

As he turned a corner to leave the mansion…

“I told you not to contact me at this hour!”

Thinking he was alone, he heard a frantic, whispering voice.

“…I want to see you too, but contacting me like this is troublesome.”

It was Oh Hye-joo.

If she went out to the unlit garden just to take this call, it must be serious.

Woo-kyung stopped and listened carefully.

“The investigation? Are you afraid of it? …It’s nothing. I even got the best law firm to handle it, what’s the problem? It’ll be fine,” she said, a mix of quiet anger and careful reassurance.

“Trust me. Just dress nicely. Tomorrow, the reporters will take a lot of photos, so only focus on that, alright?”

It seemed the other party was scheduled for a prosecutor’s investigation tomorrow, with a lawyer present.

…No way.

Someone Woo-kyung knew was also scheduled for an investigation tomorrow and had traces of donations to Hye-joo’s foundation.

His jaw tensed as he inferred the situation.

Do Seung-jun and Oh Hye-joo—their relationship was highly suspicious.

“Tonight’s impossible. Ugh, why tonight?”

From Hye-joo’s side of the call, there was nothing else to gather—just messy, disgusting expressions of affection.

“…I want to be with you too, but there’s an annoying intruder here—”

Suddenly, she stopped mid-sentence and spun around.

“….”

Her sharp eyes scanned the empty garden before landing on the corner of the annex.

She walked quickly to the spot where Woo-kyung had been, sensing something amiss.

But Woo-kyung was faster. Having gained what he needed, he had already disappeared around another corner.

“…No, it’s fine. Talk to me,” Hye-joo muttered, returning to her spot as Woo-kyung fully left the garden.

Once in the driver’s seat of his car, he sat for a moment, thinking.

The Do Seung-jun case was extremely important. Knowing the man was involved with Hye-joo, he needed to focus properly.

Woo-kyung started the engine. He had to go to the prosecutor’s office to ensure tomorrow’s investigation was fully prepared.

Checking his messages before leaving, he glanced at the “Do Seung-jun Joint Investigation Team Chat.”

[I’m logging off now! Our strongest team, fighting!]
[Ah, I just left too ㅠㅠ Everyone left so quickly, I couldn’t even say goodbye…]

Scrolling past normal conversation, the last message caught his attention:

[So only the prosecutor and two investigators are working late in the office now?]
[Please don’t overwork yourselves. See you tomorrow!]

The thought of just two people staying in the office twisted something deep in his chest.

“Ha, damn it.”

Rubbing his stiff neck, Woo-kyung slammed the accelerator and turned sharply.

There was now a reason to return to the prosecutor’s office faster.