SDMT 08

Chapter 08

“Hey, Inspector…! Watch your expressions,” Eun-jae said, slightly taken aback by the bluntness of the words.

The more Eun-jae reacted that way, the more Wookyung lowered his posture and stepped closer.

“Why are you letting those pathetic guys walk all over you?” he asked.

“Well, at that time, anyone… if one person sacrifices for a while, everyone else can live comfortably,” Eun-jae replied.

“Sacrifice? Who told you to sacrifice?” Wookyung’s voice was sharp, his neck muscles bulging ominously as he spoke with anger.

“I’m the superior here. The sacrifice and responsibility are mine,” he continued.

“…”

“Just do your job. Your duties, your career. Take care of those,” he ordered.

The sharp remarks that had been held back until now finally landed on Eun-jae.

Yet, for some reason… this time, his anger didn’t feel intimidating.

‘Is the investigator supposed to be the prosecutor’s servant?’

‘I was only asking because I was asked to do something I’ve never done myself.’

Seeing him publicly stand by her earlier, Eun-jae remembered it well.

“Is picking up cigarette butts someone’s job as an investigator?”

The added words, filled with restrained anger, triggered a memory in Eun-jae’s mind.

Back in elementary school, the daughter of a servant who lived in a separate annex had to help with chores while carefully watching the adults.

Mostly, she would play in the garden, then quickly run over to tidy up when she saw something that needed cleaning.

At her level, the only thing she could do was pick up trash that the adults had discarded.

One day, while she was searching for any trash to pick up, Eun-jae found a discarded cigarette butt.

Without thinking, she picked it up to throw it away when—

“Hey.”

It was Wookyung, in his school uniform, passing by and noticing her.

The handsome older brother who lived in the main building.

When Eun-jae saw her favorite older brother, her cheeks flushed red.

In her eyes, Wookyung was far more impressive than the idols or celebrities that her friends liked.

But then, the handsome older brother got angry at her for picking up the cigarette butt.

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

“U-uh… sorry…”

He took the cigarette butt from her hand.

“By doing the work of others one by one, it’ll eventually become your job.”

“…?”

“Stop doing unnecessary things. Focus on your own business. Leave things like that for the adults who really need to do them.”

It was strange. Other adults would appreciate it if she helped with cleaning.

Confused, Eun-jae quickly waved her hand and added.

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

Just in case he misunderstood, she felt the need to explain.

Wookyung smiled slightly, as if amused by her innocent reaction, and a dimple appeared on his right cheek.

It was the first time Eun-jae realized that even men could have dimples.

…As she recalled this memory, a sense of tension melted from around her eyes.

Her rounded, gentle eyes returned to their original softness, and Wookyung’s brow furrowed slightly.

A brief silence hung between them. His eyes, which had been wandering around Eun-jae’s full lips, small nostrils, and fair skin, finally fixed on her soft, dark brown eyes.

“Take care of your own business. Don’t let others control you.”

He spoke softly, his words digging into an old memory they both knew too well.

Eun-jae smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yes, I won’t let anything unjust happen again.”

“…”

“As a prosecutor under Baek Wookyung, I will do it properly and diligently from now on.”

His sharp, elongated eyes held nothing but Eun-jae, as if she were the only thing in his world.

“And, thank you for what you did in the conference room earlier.”

Truth be told, she was worried about him clashing with the deputy chief, but at the same time, she was glad that he understood her frustration.

It was refreshing to see someone speak their mind to an authority figure who tried to oppress others.

“That’s something I wanted to say to you.”

Her eyes softened, and her lips curved into a gentle smile.

As she smiled, Eun-jae couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy. It was probably the first time she had smiled like that at him since their reunion.

…Although she didn’t really deserve it.

But still. Even though it was an impudent thing to do.

Maybe just this once, it wouldn’t be so bad?

Hiding the lingering feelings she didn’t even understand, Eun-jae smiled brighter.

“You’re so cheeky.”

In the end, he seemed to soften as well.

“Well… I’ll leave now.”

Eun-jae calmly nodded and left the room.

“Phew.”

The moment she closed the door behind her, a breath she’d been holding back was released in one rush.

Her heart had been pounding fast ever since the meeting, and it wasn’t calming down easily.

Her breathing was heavy, and there was a familiar, unsettling pain in her chest.

But it was fine. This much felt like enough to stay neutral and be responsible.

Any more would be pure greed.

Sighing, Eun-jae returned to her seat.

Now that the awkward task from the afternoon was done, it was time to get back to being serious and doing her job properly.

“Hey Eun-jae! Came for some coffee?”

On her way to work, Eun-jae ran into her colleague, Park Mi-jeong, who was buying coffee to shake off her sleepiness.

“Your handsome older brother openly shields our colleague! You must be getting an iced latte today, right?”

“Stop teasing me.”

The incident where Wookyung had clashed with the deputy chief had caused quite a stir at the district prosecutor’s office.

Since then, Mi-jeong had been teasing Eun-jae whenever she saw her.

“Honestly, that was so refreshing! The way you openly pointed out the smoking issue to the deputy chief, that was the best.”

While waiting for Eun-jae’s order, Mi-jeong kept talking.

“Also, I’ve never seen a prosecutor stand up for an investigator like that in this industry. Not once!”

“It wasn’t really standing up for me, just…”

“It was basically a love confession! Saying ‘This is my investigator’ in front of the deputy chief and all the old-timers? That’s the same as saying ‘This is my woman!'”

“Are you crazy?”

Trying to calm her overly excited friend, Eun-jae finally got her coffee and hurriedly left the store.

As she listened to Mi-jeong’s praise of Wookyung, they soon arrived at the main gate of the prosecutor’s office.

…Today, she was planning to ask the personnel manager about her request for a transfer.

Determined to do so, she walked toward the entrance when her phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Eun-jae gestured to Mi-jeong to go ahead and let her take the call.

“Is your brother calling? Did he ask if my investigator made it to work?”

“No, stop joking.”

Brushing off her teasing friend, Eun-jae stepped away and walked toward a quiet corner of the parking lot.

-Eun-jae, how have you been?

A warm and clear voice pressed down on her conscience.

“…It’s been a while. Hello, Director.”

-Why has it been so long?

The voice of Oh Hye-joo, the director of the Do-Young Welfare Foundation and Wookyung’s stepmother, filled her ears.

-You on your way to work? Where are you?

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

-Oh really? Do you have time? I had a breakfast meeting nearby, and I thought I’d drop by to see your pretty face.

Surprised that she was so close, Eun-jae glanced around without thinking.

-Just come to the front gate. It won’t take long.

The abrupt invitation left her no chance to refuse as the call ended.

Since her independence from the Do-Young family, meeting with Oh Hye-joo had always been awkward.

Especially now, after reuniting with Wookyung, she felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

But, there was no reason to refuse Oh Hye-joo.

Suppressing her complicated feelings, Eun-jae walked toward the front gate.

“Here’s some essence with brightening properties, and this is hyaluronic acid cream. Don’t forget the mask pack either.”

Oh Hye-joo had come bearing gifts as if she were Eun-jae’s real mother.

“Is this all okay to give me?”

Cosmetics, fruit, even clothes. These were definitely not the kind of things you’d just bring by chance.

“Of course. I couldn’t come empty-handed when I was visiting Eun-jae.”

Oh Hye-joo smiled brightly in her sky-blue suit, her usual flawless smile even more radiant today.

“How’s the investigator job? I bet it’s tough dealing with all the prosecutors.”

“It’s still fun, thanks to you.”

“How’s the district prosecutor’s office? It’s the heart of the prosecutor’s office. Is it helping with your career?”

Oh Hye-joo seemed very interested in Eun-jae’s current situation, but never once asked about her mother’s well-being.

…Gratefully, Oh Hye-joo had let go of the wrongs her mother had committed.

Perhaps it was because her mother wasn’t worth the trouble of addressing. Or maybe it was sympathy.

Either way, Oh Hye-joo had shown mercy and kept her mother’s wrongs under wraps.

Even more, she treated Eun-jae separately, maintaining a good relationship with her.

For that, Eun-jae would forever be grateful and would always consider her a benefactor.

“Eun-jae, I… actually came because I was worried after hearing the news.”

A shadow crossed Oh Hye-joo’s pretty face.

“I heard Wookyung became your direct superior?”