PLMT 8

Chapter: 8

“Um… Prosecutor…! Watch your words.”

Eunjae’s jaw slightly dropped at his blunt phrasing.

The more startled she looked, the lower Wookyung lowered his posture, closing the distance between them.

“Why are you letting those worthless idiots push you around?”

“Well… at the time, anyone… if just one person was sacrificed briefly, everyone else would be comfortable.”

“Sacrifice? Who told you to sacrifice yourself?”

Damn it. Wookyung’s Adam’s apple throbbed threateningly as he ground out a curse.

“I’m your superior. Sacrifices, responsibility—those are mine to bear.”

“……”

“Do only what you have to do. Your work, your career. Take care of that properly.”

The cutting words that should have come earlier finally reached Eunjae now.

Still… for some reason, his anger didn’t scare her this time.

‘Am I just a servant for the prosecutor?’

‘I asked because he was making me do duties even I hadn’t done before.’

She remembered the time he publicly took her side.

“Is picking up someone else’s discarded cigarette butts what an investigator is supposed to do?”

As he pressed on, forcing his anger down, memories suddenly flashed through Eunjae’s mind.

When she was in elementary school, the daughter of a household employee living in the annex sometimes had to help with chores while watching the adults’ moods.

Mostly, she would play in the garden, but if she saw something to clean up, she would rush over and tidy it.

At her level, the most she could do was pick up the trash others had thrown away.

One day, while searching for trash, Eunjae found a cigarette butt someone had discarded.

She picked it up to throw it away, without thinking much of it.

“Hey.”

Wearing his school uniform, Wookyung happened to pass by and saw her.

The handsome older brother from the main building.

Seeing the older brother she liked, young Eunjae’s cheeks flushed bright red.

To her eyes, Baek Wookyung was far more impressive than the idols or actors her friends liked.

But the handsome older brother immediately scolded her for picking up the cigarette butt.

“You tiny thing. Why are you touching that?”

“Uh… I’m sorry…”

He took the cigarette butt from her hands.

“If you keep doing other people’s work for them, one day it’ll just be expected that you do it.”

“……?”

“Stop doing unnecessary things. Take care of your own plate. Leave the real work to the adults who should be doing it.”

It felt strange. Other adults had always been pleased when she helped clean.

Tilting her head in confusion, Eunjae quickly shook her hand and added,

“But I didn’t smoke this! Really. You’ll believe me, right?”

She didn’t want him to misunderstand.

He let out a small, incredulous laugh, and a dimple appeared on his right cheek.

It was the first time she noticed a man could have dimples.

…Recalling the past, the tension in Eunjae’s eyes melted away.

As her naturally round eyes softened, Wookyung’s brows slightly furrowed.

A brief silence passed. His gaze lingered on her plump lips, small nose, and fair skin, settling on her soft brown eyes.

“Take care of your own plate. Don’t let others manipulate you.”

As he spoke, he brought up a piece of their shared past.

It seemed that she wasn’t the only one recalling it.

Eunjae nodded with a faint smile.

“Yes. I won’t let myself be forced into unfair tasks anymore.”

“……”

“As Prosecutor Baek Wookyung’s investigator, I will do my job properly from now on.”

In his sharp eyes, only Jung Eunjae remained.

“And earlier, in the meeting room… thank you.”

Honestly, she was worried about him standing up to the deputy, but at the same time, she was glad he seemed to recognize her frustrations.

It was also refreshing to finally speak out against someone who bullied others with authority.

“I really wanted to say that.”

Her eyes gently closed, and her lips curved into a soft smile.

Fully aware that she was smiling brightly for the first time since reuniting with him, Eunjae allowed herself to grin.

…Even though she didn’t feel she deserved it.

But still. Even if it was shameless, just this once, maybe it was okay.

Hiding the residual feelings she didn’t fully understand, Eunjae smiled even more brightly.

“You’re so cheeky.”

Finally, he softened in response.

“Well… I’ll be going now.”

Eunjae gave a calm farewell and left the room.

“Phew.”

As soon as the door closed with a thud, the breath she had been holding burst out.

Her heart had been racing since the meeting, pounding fast, refusing to calm.

Breathless, with a tickling sensation in her chest—uncomfortable yet familiar pain returned.

But this far—this was the line where she could maintain composure.

Anything more would be greed.

Brushing her chest, Eunjae returned to her seat.

Having finished the troublesome tasks that had bothered her all afternoon, it was now time to do her job properly.

“Eunjae! Did you come for coffee?”

On her way to work, trying to shake off her morning grogginess, she ran into her colleague, Park Mijeong.

“You’re going to have an iced latte, right? Our colleague who gets shielded by a handsome older brother?”

“Stop teasing me.”

The incident where Wookyung openly confronted the deputy made the prosecutor’s office buzz.

Since that day, Mijeong teased Eunjae whenever they met.

“Honestly, it was so satisfying. Pointing out his smoking in front of the deputy was amazing.”

While waiting for her order, Mijeong chattered away.

“Plus, since I joined this field, I’ve never seen a prosecutor take an investigator’s side. Not. Even. One.”

“It wasn’t taking sides, just…”

“This is basically a confession of love! Saying ‘She’s my investigator’ in front of the deputy and the old-timers is basically like saying ‘She’s my girl’!”

“You must be crazy.”

As Eunjae tried to calm her unnecessarily excited colleague, her coffee arrived. She quickly left the shop, trying to hide her embarrassment.

By the time she indulged in Mijeong’s praise of Wookyung, she had already reached the main gate of the central prosecutor’s office.

…Today, I need to meet the HR chief and ask about the status of my transfer request.

As she walked, her phone buzzed.

Seeing the caller, Eunjae gestured to Mijeong to go ahead.

“Is it your older brother? Asking if your investigator got to work okay?”

“No. Stop joking around.”

Finally losing her teasing friend, Eunjae looked around and headed toward a quiet corner of the parking lot.

• Eunjae, have you been well?

A warm, clear voice pressed gently on her conscience.

“…It’s been a while. Greetings, Chairman.”

• So, why has it been so long?

The director of the Doyoung Welfare Foundation, and Wookyung’s stepmother.

Oh Hyeju’s lively voice landed on her chest like a heavy stone.

• Are you on your way to work? Where are you now?

“I’m almost at the prosecutor’s office.”

• Oh? Got time? I had a breakfast meeting nearby. Thought I’d stop by and see your pretty face.

Nearby? Eunjae instinctively glanced around.

• When I call, come out to the main gate. Got it? Won’t take much time.

She was flustered. But the other party ended the call without giving her a chance to refuse.

Since becoming independent from the Doyoung family, meeting Oh Hyeju had always been awkward.

And now, after reuniting with Wookyung, it stirred even more inexplicable guilt.

But Eunjae had no reason to refuse meeting Hyeju.

Swallowing her complicated feelings, she headed toward the main gate.

“Here, this is the Yoonkwang essence. And this is hyaluronic cream. I also packed a sheet mask.”

Hyeju brought a lot as if a mother were visiting her daughter.

“Is it okay to give me so much?”

Cosmetics, fruit, clothes—all items that a casual visitor wouldn’t normally bring.

“Of course. I couldn’t come to see Eunjae empty-handed.”

Wearing a bright sky-blue pant suit, Hyeju smiled brightly, her face even more radiant than usual.

“Is the investigator job manageable? It must be tough dealing with prosecutors.”

“It’s still fun. Thanks to you.”

“How is it? The central prosecutor’s office is key, right? Does it help your career?”

Hyeju was very interested in Eunjae’s well-being and recent news—but never asked about her mother.

…Thankfully, Hyeju overlooked even the terrible things her mother had done.

Perhaps they were too trivial to deal with, or maybe it was compassion and pity.

Either way, Hyeju’s generosity covered her mother’s sins.

She treated Eunjae separately, maintaining a good relationship—an impressively mature act.

Eunjae felt she would be grateful to Hyeju for life, seeing her as a benefactor.

“Eunjae… I actually came because I was worried after hearing some news.”

A shadow fell across her beautiful face.

“So, I heard Wookyung is your direct superior now?”