Chapter : 5. A Temporary Measure
“Ah, this? Could I borrow some tissues?”
Dasol’s mouth fell open as she looked at Jihyeok’s outstretched palm. She even trembled slightly.
Thinking she looked startled, Jihyeok clenched his bleeding fist tightly to hide the wound. The sharp pain made him frown.
“P-Please come this way.”
After clearing her throat, Dasol led him inside.
Jihyeok followed her. Toward the back was a washing area for dogs.
Sshhhhh…
Water flowed from a faucet above a small waist-high bathtub.
“Wash your hand here.”
He placed his hand under the running water. The temperature was just right.
Jihyeok watched as his blood mixed with the water, spreading through the white tub like watercolor paint. The wound was smaller than he had expected, but the stinging pain still made his brow twitch.
As soon as he turned off the faucet, Dasol handed him a towel as if she had been waiting.
“Thank you.”
He dried his hand.
“Please sit here for a moment.”
“Here?”
“Yes. I’ll disinfect it and put some medicine on it.”
Speaking gently, Dasol opened a drawer and continued,
“The wound has split open, so it’ll start bleeding again with even a little movement. I’ll wrap it so it won’t bleed.”
Jihyeok simply stared at her.
Dasol had already brought over a first-aid kit and placed it beside him, looking up at him with her round eyes as if asking, Why are you still standing there? Why aren’t you sitting down?
Sit.
Stand.
Those were probably words she used all the time in a pet salon.
Though he thought she was being excessively kind, she had a point, so Jihyeok took a seat.
Giving off a faint floral fragrance, Dasol stepped closer and gently took his hand.
Her hands were soft.
He had never really thought of his own hands as particularly large, but in her small, pale hands, they looked almost giant-sized.
Jihyeok watched as Dasol sprayed disinfectant over the wound, picked up a cotton ball with tweezers, and carefully cleaned it.
The shadow of her long, thick eyelashes fell across her face.
She was remarkably beautiful.
Her face was so small it looked as though it could fit in one of his hands. Her well-defined nose, thin lips, and softly curved jawline blended together perfectly.
Her skin was smooth and fair.
So this is what people mean by skin like white jade, he thought.
While Jihyeok quietly studied her face, Dasol treated his wound with practiced skill.
It hardly hurt at all.
She was exceptionally good at it.
After wrapping layers of gauze around his palm, she said,
“All done. Keep your arm bent and raised just a little. That’ll help stop the bleeding.”
Jin Dasol looked extremely satisfied with her work.
The moment her hands left his, Jihyeok suddenly felt as though his own hand had grown cold.
“It was only a temporary measure, so you should still go to the hospital.”
“Have you learned how to do this before?”
Impressed by her skilled treatment, Jihyeok asked.
“A little… a long time ago.”
Touching the back of her neck, Dasol smiled awkwardly.
“I know you’re probably busy, but you should go right away. The wound has opened up, so I think it’ll need stitches. If you leave it like this, it’ll start bleeding again whenever you move your hand.”
“I understand.”
After leaving the grooming area, Jihyeok took out his phone to photograph the broken security door.
Before he knew it, Dasol had returned carrying a broom, peeking over curiously. A couple of police officers were waiting in front.
“Shouldn’t this stay as it is?”
“I’ll take a few pictures first, then I’ll clean it up.”
“It’s okay. I can clean it up. More importantly, you should get to the hospital.”
“I’ll leave as soon as I finish taking these. We need the records.”
Holding the phone with one hand, he heard Dasol call out.
“Um… Prosecutor… would you like me to take them for you?”
She looked up at Jihyeok, who silently gazed down at her.
Does he think I’m interfering with official business?
Feeling embarrassed, Dasol tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke hesitantly.
“Your hand is injured… And to fit everything into the frame, you’d have to hold the phone sideways. I thought that might be difficult.”
Bzzzz…
Jang Jihyeok’s phone vibrated.
After glancing at the screen, he said,
“Then… I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes! I’ll make sure everything fits in the pictures.”
Smiling quietly, Dasol quickly pulled her own phone out from her apron.
Click.
One photo from near the counter.
Another after stepping closer.
She even took close-up shots of the shattered debris.
It felt like she was photographing evidence in a movie.
She chuckled to herself.
It was practically the same as having the front door of her own business smashed, yet somehow it was exciting.
She also felt a small sense of pride in being able to help with a criminal investigation, even if only a little.
But more than anything…
It felt like being in a movie.
Actually doing something she’d only ever seen on the big screen gave her an unexpected thrill.
Click. Click.
She stepped outside and took several more pictures.
One photo captured the prosecutor talking on the phone while looking in her direction.
With such a handsome man standing there, it looked like a movie poster.
Changing positions and angles, Dasol poured genuine effort into every shot.
“Senior, are you okay?”
Just as she finished taking the pictures and came back inside, unfamiliar male voices called out from behind.
A man in a suit approached Jihyeok, while the two police officers walked over to Dasol to ask her several questions.
“You sure took your time.”
“We were cleaning up the other scene. There was another guy who escaped besides that one.”
“And the one who ran?”
“Two detectives and I chased him down and caught him. As expected, Senior, your judo skills are incredible. If we’d let that bastard get away, it would’ve been a real headache. I really respect you, Senior.”
Dasol’s attention shifted to the two men.
Judging by the way he addressed him as “Senior,” bowed deeply, and spoke so respectfully, he was probably Prosecutor Jang Jihyeok’s junior.
After finishing her conversation with the police, Dasol turned around.
Jihyeok held out a business card.
“Please send the photos you took to this number.”
“Yes. I’ll send them right away.”
Accepting the card, Dasol met his eyes as she answered.
But for some reason, Jihyeok simply looked down at her in silence.
He was so tall that she had to tilt her head back just to meet his gaze, and his solid build and natural aura made her instinctively look away.
Perhaps noticing her discomfort, Jihyeok raised his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat.
“As for the damaged security door, just send me the receipt. I’ll reimburse you immediately.”
“Thank you.”
Buying a new door would certainly be a hassle, but despite how slightly frightening the whole situation had been, it had also been strangely exciting.
So Dasol simply smiled brightly.
“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“It’s alright. You were doing something good. Actually… I’ve been feeling bad about what happened yesterday…”
“It’s fine. Then.”
Giving her a polite nod, he left.
Just like before, his concise way of speaking and impeccable manners somehow felt cold.
Are all prosecutors like that?
Probably not.
Still, Jang Jihyeok seemed perfectly suited to what Dasol imagined a prosecutor should be.
A man who wouldn’t bleed even if you stabbed him.
If your job is to fight criminals with your brain, I suppose you have to be like that.
Though today he fought with his body.
He seems like the kind of person who’s exhausting to deal with.
Holding her phone, Dasol dialed his number and sent him all the photos she had taken.
She started trying to choose only the best ones, then gave up.
They might all be useful.
So she sent every single one.
Jihyeok returned to the Prosecutors’ Office after getting stitches at the hospital.
The injury wasn’t serious.
He had needed about twelve stitches.
The doctor had been impressed after seeing the emergency treatment.
“Whoever treated this did an excellent job. The wound stayed clean, and the first aid was remarkably well done.”
Remembering those words, Jihyeok looked down at the bandages wrapped around his left hand before transferring the photos Dasol had sent onto his computer.
There were quite a lot of them.
Just then, Assistant Prosecutor Park Suho, who had accompanied him to the scene earlier, entered the office.
“Senior, we just finished taking the first victim’s statement.”
“Nothing unusual?”
As Jihyeok scrolled through the folder’s preview window, Suho spoke.
“No. But… why did you take so many pictures?”
Before he knew it, Suho had moved beside him and was looking at the monitor as well.
Without answering, Jihyeok opened one of the photos.
As he flipped to the next one, Suho let out an impressed whistle.
“This is from the pet grooming shop incident earlier, right? Wow… There are shots from all kinds of angles. You didn’t take these yourself, did you?”
“No.”
“The owner must’ve taken them for you. That beautiful owner… Was she worried you wouldn’t pay for the repairs or something?”
Suho joked playfully.
Jihyeok fixed him with a sharp stare.
“Uh… I mean… Normally you’d only need a few photos, but she took this many. Look at this close-up.”
“Prosecutor Park.”
“Y-Yes, Senior!”
Reading the warning in Jihyeok’s eyes, Suho instantly dropped his teasing expression and straightened up.
“Don’t you notice anything?”
Caught off guard, Suho hesitated.
Jihyeok urged him on with his eyes.
“Well… she has a good eye for photography?”
Hearing the serious expression paired with such a ridiculous answer, Jihyeok let out a long sigh of frustration.
“If a civilian puts this much effort into helping us, the least you do is thank them.”
“Yes, Senior. I’ll remember that.”
“You can go.”
After giving him an exaggerated salute, Suho left.
Jihyeok turned back to the photos on the monitor.
He could tell just how much effort that woman had put into taking them.
There were plenty of people who treated someone else’s problems carelessly.
After all, her own business had been damaged.
She would’ve been justified in getting angry.
Many people would’ve pointed fingers and shouted at the police or detectives.
But the woman named Dasol had remained calm and kind.
She had even volunteered to take the photos herself.
With a completely sincere expression.
He could still hear the rapid shutter sounds overlapping because she had taken so many pictures in succession.
As he continued flipping through the images, Jihyeok suddenly let out a short laugh.
It had been…
A rather unusual experience.
Jin Dasol…
He lowered his gaze to his throbbing left hand.
It was the same place her hands had touched.
For some reason…
It felt as though the pain would linger for quite a while.
