Chapter 02
At a single word from Woo-kyung, the atmosphere in the interrogation room froze instantly.
Baek Woo-kyung was that kind of man. A top predator from birth, he exuded an intimidating presence capable of controlling even the flow of air with just a word.
“Whoa… damn. Scary. Just like the prosecutors in the movies.”
Even the defendant, who had been nervously shaking his legs in a cocky posture, suddenly closed them slightly.
“Uh? Ah, haha! I guess the American lifestyle suits the prosecutor. That serious look is totally… American style!”
Yet the middle-aged lawyer didn’t back down.
Instead, he approached Woo-kyung with a swaying gait, giving off the seasoned determination of a veteran who had seen it all.
“Do you know what my nickname is?”
“Do I have to?”
“Have you ever heard of the ‘Night Prosecutor General’ or the ‘Backdoor Chief of the Central District Prosecutor’s Office’?”
So what? Woo-kyung answered with his eyes, crossing his legs and folding his arms—a clear “go ahead and talk” attitude.
“Prosecutors get transferred every two years, moving from one district to another, right? But me? I’ve been at the Central District Prosecutor’s Office for 20 years! I’m the chief lawyer at the Hwanggeumseong Law Firm. Hwang—”
“Leave.”
“Eh?”
This time, even the steadfast lawyer was caught off guard.
“I won’t say it twice.”
“I’m a lawyer! Why should I leave?”
Woo-kyung gestured toward the legal representation form the defendant had submitted, as if it were a nuisance.
“…If a lawyer is not officially registered on the form, they are, in principle, not allowed to accompany someone into the interrogation room.”
Eun-jae, realizing what Woo-kyung intended, quickly added:
She didn’t want the atmosphere to worsen. She also wanted to prevent the worst-case scenario—lengthening the interrogation. Sitting so close to Woo-kyung, practically within arm’s reach, would be a long, tense wait.
“You are not on the list of retained lawyers. So, as the prosecutor said, you must leave.”
Woo-kyung’s cold gaze locked on her side profile.
Tension surged, but Eun-jae spoke clearly, calmly, and according to protocol.
“I said I’m the head of the firm! It’s customary for the head lawyer to sit even if not listed. Don’t you know that?”
The lawyer looked around, bewildered, but no one was on his side. Even the young lawyer he had brought along was intimidated, sweating nervously.
“Seriously! Ridiculous. Argh!”
Hands on his hips, huffing, the lawyer suddenly pointed at Eun-jae.
“Hey! You’re just an investigator! Not even a prosecutor, so why are you getting involved?”
The lawyer began challenging Eun-jae based on her position.
“….”
Eun-jae didn’t respond. It wasn’t the first time she had been looked down on as an investigator.
But of all times, it had to happen when he was here. Embarrassment and frustration welled up.
“Come to think of it, you’re so insolent! How dare an investigator talk back to a lawyer! I—huh? I’m way more—”
Bang!
A sudden loud noise cut him off.
Woo-kyung stood up forcefully, sending his chair clattering across the floor.
The lawyer froze, mouth open mid-rant.
“Out. Now.”
“Uh, uh… but—”
“Don’t talk down to my people, lawyer scum.”
The towering man strode forward and opened the door himself.
“Don’t you dare defy a prosecutor. Insolent.”
“Th-…”
The verbal abuse he had aimed at Eun-jae ricocheted back onto him. The lawyer’s face flushed crimson.
“I’m going… straight to the deputy chief’s office? Prosecutor Baek Woo-kyung! What, the grandson of Do-young Group? Still just a rank-and-file prosecutor!”
Even as the lawyer hastily packed his bag and exited, he tried to irritate Woo-kyung. Of course, it had no effect.
Click. The door closed, and the situation was settled—for now.
“Wow… thrilling. Prosecutor Ham, your vibe is too much.”
Even the immature defendant muttered a few words before going silent.
“Let’s begin.”
Returning to his seat, Woo-kyung opened his laptop again, as if nothing had happened.
“Ah, yes! So, our client has been illegally—”
The young, highly focused lawyer began reciting his prepared statement without prompting.
Although the start had been rough, the investigation proceeded quickly.
‘Please. Nothing else should happen now.’
Eun-jae felt relieved at the calmer atmosphere and focused entirely on the interrogation, desperate to finish quickly.
My person. My person. My…
She tried not to dwell on the words Woo-kyung had casually said earlier.
However, Eun-jae’s wish to complete the interrogation quickly was not to be.
This time, the problem was the childish defendant.
“…!”
Tap.
A subtle sound came from under the table—someone had touched her foot.
Eun-jae instinctively looked at the defendant sitting across from her.
“When will this end?”
Yawning lazily, the defendant twisted his body toward her.
Then, twice, his foot touched Eun-jae.
…Was it intentional, or just her imagination?
The lecherous criminal’s murky gaze and the contact of his foot were unpleasant.
Eun-jae sat upright, moving away. She pulled her legs close to her chair.
“Ugh… boring. So boring.”
He moved as if stretching downward, but she clearly felt a brushing sensation from ankle to shin.
“Ah…”
Goosebumps ran along her back. She nearly screamed.
But showing surprise during an interrogation was unacceptable. Eun-jae maintained a neutral expression, pretending nothing had happened.
“What are you doing?”
It was time to hand the evidence list to Woo-kyung.
Receiving the wrong file, he gestured empty-handed, glancing at Eun-jae.
“Here’s the evidence list.”
Eun-jae quickly handed the folder—but it wasn’t the correct file.
“Sorry, Prosecutor. I’ll give it again.”
The correct file was handed over, slightly interrupting the flow of questioning.
Meanwhile, the disgusting brushing sensation continued.
“Haah… let’s just end this here. The lawyer admitted everything anyway.”
The mocking defendant sat in a posture ready to flop down, openly playing footsie. Eun-jae wanted to cry.
…Should she have yelled for him to stop?
What consequences would follow? She hesitated.
“Out.”
A dry command.
Eun-jae couldn’t believe her ears.
“Excuse me?”
“Out.”
Seeing Woo-kyung’s dark eyes fix on her, she snapped to attention.
The prosecutor was unexpectedly ordering the investigator to leave the interrogation room.
“Is there… a problem?”
She asked politely, trying to understand, but Woo-kyung crushed even that.
“Investigator Jeong Eun-jae is annoying me.”
“….”
Even more shocking. Why now? Could it be because of a minor mistake just moments ago?
She felt wronged. She had endured the defendant’s provocations and tried to carry the interrogation smoothly.
But in the prosecutor’s domain, such context didn’t matter.
“Yes, Prosecutor. I’ll leave first.”
Eun-jae gathered her documents and stood without hesitation, walking straight with trembling legs out of the interrogation room.
“Hey? Pretty lady, where are you going? Did you two fight? Can you fight even if you’re on the same side?”
She didn’t even hear the defendant’s teasing. All she saw was the cold, indifferent face of the man as the door closed.
Prosecutor Baek Woo-kyung’s first intense interrogation story kept the district prosecutor’s office abuzz for days.
Apparently, the lawyer he had ejected had decided to spread the story deliberately.
“Even kicked out Lawyer Hwang. What a character. Feels great.”
Park Mi-jung, Eun-jae’s fellow investigator, mentioned Woo-kyung in the elevator.
“Eun-jae, you must feel secure, huh?”
“Why?”
“A prosecutor who sides with an investigator? Never heard of such a thing. Totally cool.”
She didn’t correct her friend, even though the ‘cool’ prosecutor had also kicked her out in the end.
“Having a prosecutor like that makes work enjoyable. Your team is hot right now.”
“Is that so.”
…Exactly. I should just focus on my job.
Fixating on the word “my person” earlier had caused mistakes, and she had endured the pervert’s antics without being able to retort.
“A rich, perfect-looking guy with perfect character? Benefits like a major corporation? I feel so relatively deprived.”
Her friends continued praising him extravagantly.
Eun-jae, in fact, had applied for a departmental transfer to get away from Woo-kyung.
She wanted to take leave or resign immediately but couldn’t due to practical constraints.
So a transfer, even as a compromise, was the next best option. How quickly it would happen was uncertain.
“Next time your oppa is around, call me. I want to watch.”
“Oppa?”
“If he’s handsome, he’s an oppa!”
Her friend babbled on, oblivious to her burning frustration.
“Ah… thanks to Oppa Baek Woo-kyung, the whole Central District Prosecutor’s Office feels secure.”
“I’m losing it.”
She sighed. She had even called him “oppa” herself.
Suppressing her frustration, Eun-jae stared at the elevator’s floor buttons.
They arrived at the 5th floor, where the evidence storage was located. Ding—the door opened, and she waited.
“Uh? What’s happening all of a sudden?”
The elevator jolted and stopped with a clatter.
