Chapter : 10. Don’t Even Get Involved
“I’m hungry.”
“Okay, okay.”
“When is that Shawn—or Shoal, or whatever—you mentioned coming?”
“Shawn! The main act is… um… twelve… at midnight.”
“Hey!”
“I’ll pay for everything. Just fill your stomach with beer for now. Hmm? It’ll be midnight before you know it once we’re dancing. Come on, let’s dance. Yooho!”
Yumi grabbed Dasol by the hand and dragged her onto the dance floor.
Dasol stood awkwardly, glancing around at her surroundings.
“Hey, pretty noona. Want to have some fun together?”
A man’s voice suddenly whispered near her ear, making Dasol flinch.
His attempt to stand so close already made her uncomfortable, but the word pretty caused her expression to stiffen.
“No.”
She answered as firmly as if she were cutting through a tangled clump of dog fur.
The man tried flirting a few more times before quickly moving on to another woman nearby.
Before she even had time to watch him leave, another man’s voice reached her.
“Are you an aspiring celebrity? No… You’re prettier than an actress.”
“Pretty miss, want to hang out with me?”
“Wow! You’re really beautiful. How many people did you come with?”
In the end, Dasol retreated from the dance floor before even three minutes had passed.
Yumi followed her back, chugging her beer as if it were water before speaking.
“They all keep calling you pretty… I know you hate hearing that, but they have eyes too.”
Seeing Dasol’s frozen expression beneath the flashing lights, Yumi shook her head.
“This is the kind of place where calling someone pretty is the standard pickup line. They just met you—what else are they supposed to say? Don’t let it bother you.”
Her aversion to being called pretty…
It was a chronic wound her mother had left her with.
Knowing that better than anyone, Yumi tried to comfort her.
“I know. But hearing it over and over is annoying. Even if it’s the first thing they can think of, still…”
“Dasol, you’re going to hear that until the moment you leave this club. So let it go in one ear and out the other. Okay? Hmm?”
Sigh…
“Fine. I’ll stay here for a bit. You go dance. You love dancing.”
“Okay!”
After firing a finger-gun of love at Dasol, Yumi returned to the dance floor.
Even during that short walk, she swayed her hips and shoulders so enthusiastically that it was impossible to tell whether she was walking or dancing her way forward.
Watching the cheerful Yumi, Dasol took a sip from her beer bottle.
Unfortunately, quietly watching wasn’t an option.
Men kept approaching one after another.
“I lost a game. Could you buy me just one drink?”
It was an obvious excuse, but at least it was better than the others.
Dasol simply repeated the same line like a parrot.
“I came with my boyfriend.”
After rejecting countless advances until her mouth hurt, her irritation finally reached its limit, and she headed for the restroom.
Phew.
The restroom was the only peaceful place in the club.
She was walking back through the long hallway lined with private rooms, preparing to return to the chaotic dance floor.
At that moment, the door to one of the rooms opened.
A tall man in a black suit stepped out.
His broad shoulders and perfectly tailored figure beneath the suit naturally caught her eye.
Then he suddenly turned around.
It was Jang Jihyeok.
“Huh? Prosecut—!”
Jihyeok quickly covered her mouth and pulled her into the room.
Startled, Dasol shoved him away and whispered angrily,
“What are you doing?!”
“I’m sorry. People can’t find out I’m a prosecutor right now.”
As he spoke, Jihyeok casually straightened the unbuttoned front of his suit jacket.
Unlike his usual appearance, he wasn’t wearing a tie today.
Instead, he had on a black dress shirt beneath the suit, looking every bit like a professional model.
The dim lighting cast shadows across his sculpted face like a work of art, while the three undone buttons at his collar gave him an unmistakably wild charm.
People can’t know I’m a prosecutor right now?
Those words immediately made Dasol think of undercover operations, stakeouts, and organized crime busts.
A prosecutor… in a nightclub.
Isn’t this exactly what it looks like?
“Is this… that?”
“That what?”
“An undercover investigation.”
Although the room was empty, Dasol still cupped her hand over her mouth and whispered as quietly as possible.
The loud music filtering in from outside made it difficult to hear.
Jihyeok frowned slightly.
“What did you say?”
“An undercover investigation. Undercover.”
Feeling frustrated, Dasol leaned closer, almost hugging him as she repeated herself.
Only then did he understand.
He hesitated for a moment before slipping both hands into his pockets.
“It’s not an undercover operation. But regardless, no one can know a prosecutor is here. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
“Of course! Absolutely!”
Dasol’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Something genuinely exciting had happened in an otherwise boring night at the club, and the corners of her mouth naturally curled upward.
“Senior, what do we do?”
The door suddenly burst open as a man hurried inside.
When Dasol looked at him, she found his face familiar.
She narrowed her eyes, searching her memory.
He was the junior prosecutor who had briefly appeared after Jihyeok arrested the drug offender at her salon.
“What is it?”
“Huh? When did you recruit her?”
The junior prosecutor brightened the moment he saw Dasol.
“Recruit her?”
“I knew it. Since you already knew each other, you’ve kept asking for her help. Hello. I’m Prosecutor Park Suho.”
“I told you not to say ‘prosecutor.’”
“Ah… Sorry.”
Jihyeok scolded him seriously, and Park Suho immediately bowed his head.
Just from the atmosphere, Dasol could tell that something important was happening.
And that something had gone wrong.
Because of that, she completely missed the chance to greet him and simply stood there blankly.
“What do you mean, recruit her?”
Jihyeok asked in a low voice, folding his arms.
“Isn’t she replacing Detective Jo?”
“Speak clearly.”
“The female detective who was supposed to enter the room. She had to leave as soon as she went in.”
“Why? Kim Dojung hasn’t even arrived yet.”
“She got rejected.”
“Rejected?”
Jihyeok frowned.
“You know Brian? That bastard said she wasn’t his type.”
“Hah… Seriously…”
Looking genuinely troubled, Jihyeok rubbed his sharp jawline.
“How long ago did she leave?”
“Huh? Um… About… ten minutes ago…”
Judging by Park Suho’s hesitant answer, he clearly knew he’d made a mistake.
“Ten minutes? Why are you only reporting it now?”
“Ah… well… um… Sorry, Senior. I… I went to the restroom for a moment…”
“Ha…”
Jihyeok let out an exasperated sigh.
“I told you not to lose focus.”
“S-Sorry.”
“We’ll deal with that later.”
Apparently nursing a headache, Jihyeok pressed his fingers against his temple.
Park Suho cautiously read the room.
“I thought the club owner was helping because of what happened last time. But… her clothes are a little…”
Following his gaze, Dasol looked down at herself.
She was wearing a white blouse and a beige flared skirt that reached just below her knees.
They were functional clothes she’d bought because dog hair didn’t cling to them easily.
Since Yumi had dragged her here straight after work, she hadn’t had the chance to change.
Granted, the outfit looked more suitable for a traditional teahouse than a nightclub.
Still…
At least she was wearing heels.
Dasol almost said that aloud before deciding against it.
“We ran into each other by coincidence.”
“Senior, since things turned out this way, why don’t we ask her for help?”
Help?
Dasol’s ears perked up.
From what she’d overheard, Jihyeok claimed this wasn’t an undercover operation.
But her instincts told her otherwise.
I’ve watched enough movies to know.
It felt as though one of those movies was unfolding right before her eyes.
She clasped her hands together and listened intently.
On the other hand, Jihyeok’s gaze toward his junior became sharp.
“Are you serious? She’s a civilian. There are legal responsibilities and safety concerns.”
“Senior, it’s an emergency. We can deal with the paperwork afterward. She only has to stand with one group for a little while, then press the button once Kim Dojung arrives.”
“No.”
Even as Park Suho pleaded with him, Jihyeok remained coldly firm.
“But there’s already a detective inside Brian’s group. She won’t be in any danger.”
“We don’t know enough about that detective.”
“Then what are we supposed to do? Kim Dojung will be here any minute. He’s extremely cautious. Once he enters the room, nobody else can go inside.”
Dasol suddenly recalled the movie The Outlaws.
There had been a scene where a party was being held in a nightclub’s private room.
Five or six women stood together dancing on one side while the men sat around the table plotting something.
The women simply danced, screamed, and ran away when everything erupted.
If that was all…
Then, just as Park Suho said, it didn’t sound especially dangerous.
Of course, that was only a movie.
Still, there were detectives inside.
And according to what she’d overheard, even more detectives were waiting outside.
Dasol turned toward the entrance at the end of the hallway.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The heavy music echoed all the way down the corridor.
If she went back out there now, she’d only end up being harassed again by those parrots who knew no words except You’re pretty.
“Um… How can I help?”
“Don’t even get involved.”
Jihyeok’s reply was as blunt and emotionless as ever.
Dasol felt slightly embarrassed, but she refused to back down.
“No. If there’s something I can do…”
“Jin Dasol. This isn’t a game. It’s not some kind of field trip.”
Jihyeok’s gaze turned stern.
“I know that, Prosecutor Jang Jihyeok. But you need help, and you just said it isn’t dangerous.”
Dasol answered with quiet determination.
Jihyeok looked down at her with a slight tilt of his head.
“This isn’t a movie.”
His words struck the center of the target.
And they hurt.
Because she genuinely wanted to help.
“Ordinary citizens help catch criminals sometimes, don’t they? I can do it. I really want to help you.”
