CH 3.5

After accepting the 500 won while smiling, Yeon Woojeong looked back at me.

“Wanna take a break? I’ll leave work on time.”

The place Yeon Woojeong pointed to was a small break room attached to the office. Inside the room seen from outside were a low sofa and table, coffee mixes and tea bags, and snacks were gathered together. I had nothing to do in the house anyway, so I meekly went inside.

As I sat on the sofa, the woman followed me inside. She put down papers and a pencil on the table. It was a puzzle with many numbers inputted in the blank boxes.

“Try this if you’re bored. This is fun.”

I’m sure people working in the prosecutors’ office don’t know what fun means. I only stared in silence and she said I could eat anything while pointing to the snacks.

Curiosity surged out of a sudden. Was it because he told them about me that these people didn’t ask or were curious about me? Or was it because this kind of thing often happened?

“What’s your name?”

“…… Kim Jiho.”

“Jiho? You have a beautiful name.”

I thought about not telling her, but I answered. Because I answered her, I also had the right to ask a question.

“Excuse me.”

“Mhm?”

“Does Prosecutor Yeon often bring in kids like me?”

“Erm….”

Kids like you? The woman muttered as she tilted her head.

“The kids Prosecutor Yeon brings in usually are suspects… So, isn’t it awkward to say he brings them in? Aren’t they different from you, Jiho?”

I see. I nodded and grabbed the pencil. I liked the texture of the pencil in my hand, so I clenched and unclenched my hand.

“Do you know how to solve this? Should I teach you?”

I felt uncomfortable with a friendly person I met for the first time. I felt like I should give back the same hospitality, but I didn’t want to do that. I shook my head.

“I know.”

“Really? Have fun, then.”

I looked at the paper after the woman left. It seemed like this was a puzzle where the same number couldn’t be placed in the same column and row. 

After noting down some numbers, I got up and took the snacks. I filled the empty boxes while eating the snacks. I concentrated better than I thought. This was good to kill time.

I was solving the puzzle, but I thought it was too quiet, so I raised my head. I saw Yeon Woojeong sitting in front of his table through the window. He was looking at the documents with an expressionless face, and he maintained that posture for a long time. He also tightened his tie, and it looked suffocating. Was it because I only saw him in loose clothes at home? Somehow, he looked unfamiliar.

The eyes looking at the documents were sharp. It made me come to realize that he was a prosecutor.

I stared at him like that, and Yeon Woojeong suddenly turned his head to look at me. My fingertips flinched as our eyes met, but I was glad he couldn’t see that. Both he and I didn’t avoid the gaze. I didn’t avoid his gaze because I thought he would immediately return to his documents, but if he went on like that, then I felt like losing if I turned my eyes first, so I obstinately fixed my gaze.

I wondered how long it went on. The time terribly felt long, and I felt like my surroundings blurred and only Yeon Woojeong I saw. Right then, Yeon Woojeong blinked his eyes and smiled. He looked just like a monster. A monster that was wagging its tail before attacking humans.

Eventually, he was the one to turn his eyes. It wasn’t about losing or winning, and despite the fact he was the one who avoided my gaze first, I felt like I was losing. 

I stared at Yeon Woojeong even though his eyes had already left me, and then I looked back at the puzzle. As I filled the boxes one by one, I had already completed the puzzle before I knew it.

While I was looking at the numbers, the one introduced as the administrator returned. She poured coffee into a cup, and then she sat in front of me while holding it.

“Done?”

As I slightly pushed the paper to her because it didn’t bother me even if she took a look, she pointed at a box with her finger.

“Here. There shouldn’t be the same number inside a box.”

Ah. I checked after hearing the correction and there was the same mistake in other places. Looking that it wasn’t only in one place, I lost the motivation to fix it. On the other hand, the desire to do it properly once more surged.

“Hard and fun, right?”

I lifted my head as I heard her words. The coffee scent tickled my nose. When I glanced beyond the window, Yeon Woojeong was still in his place looking at the documents.

“Don’t you feel bored?”

“Huh?”

“You’re just sitting there.”

“There’s no room to feel bored because there is a lot of work. Many people came and went in the morning.”

It was just like what she said. The three people sitting in this office kept looking at the documents, accepting a call, and tapping on the keyboard. Truthfully, I never expected that Yeon Woojeong would be so diligent as this.

Effort and Yeon Woojeong. Those were words that didn’t suit each other. However, Yeon Woojeong must be in that position by making that word his. It felt like he wasn’t a completely different person from me. Even though I had never made an effort just like him.

I also wanted to know Yeon Woojeong in the prosecutors’ office—not only Yeon Woojeong in the home. Is he also kind to the assailants dragged here, just like he is to me, who he picked from the street? How far is his kindness, and how broad is his generosity? It’s fine as long as his sympathy is not cheap.

“Have you two gotten closer? Making me jealous.”

I came out of the brown study. Yeon Woojeong was looking this way while leaning on the door frame. Unlike his words, there were no strong feelings like jealousy seen on the face with a subtle smile drawn. I felt like my guts were turned upside down whenever he said something like that. 

“Be careful, sir. As a person who once dreamed of becoming a teacher, I can monopolize the affection of children.”

“Ah, this is bad. I’m not popular with younger people.”

Yeon Woojeong showed the watch on his wrist in my direction.

“Time to go home.”

“Already?”

The woman clapped her hands as she got up, and Yeon Woojeong bobbed his head to me as if saying come on. The man introduced as the investigating officer was still in his seat, then he took off his glasses, massaged his eyes, and organized the documents.

“I’ll go first.”

“Yes, sir. Jiho, see you next time.”

I bowed once to the woman who greeted me affectionately and the man who greeted me through his eyes, then I followed Yeon Woojeong outside.

As soon as we left the prosecutors’ office by car, Yeon Woojeong let out a long sigh as he fumbled inside his suit.

“Just smoke.”

If he wants to smoke, then just go for it. As I spoke because it was strange to hold on like that, he took his hand out of his suit.

“I don’t smoke inside the car.”

“Why?”

“It smells bad.”

Come to think of it, I had never seen him smoking at the home. Was it for the same reason?

“Do you care about things like that?”

“This is not my car.”

This isn’t Yeon Woojeong’s? Then whose car is this? I was about to ask, but there was a buzz. It wasn’t mine, so it must be Yeon Woojeong’s.

He took his phone out of his pocket. After looking at the screen, Yeon Woojeong’s face seemed to be oddly brightened.

“Yes, Mr. Seo.”

Mr. Seo? 

“Yes. Of course, I have. Ah, right now?”

I sensed Yeon Woojeong glancing at me. I purposely didn’t look at him.

“It’s fine with me. Yes. Then, shall we?”

Who is it that makes his voice so excited? Who is Mr. Seo? He asked me to have dinner together, but looking at the flowing atmosphere, it seemed like I had to go home alone. The annoyance I had with someone I didn’t even see rose. I also got annoyed with Yeon Woojeong who would leave me.

The call soon ended, and Yeon Woojeong looked at me.

“How about we get a free dinner?”

“…… Up to you.”

It was funny to pretend to ask for my opinion even though it was notified anyway. I was uncomfortable with someone I didn’t know, but I wasn’t in a position where I could complain about that. And I also got curious about who was the one who made Yeon Woojeong respond like that.