Chapter Text
Prosecutor Hwang Si-mok
“Is there a chance you won’t be okay?”
Prosecutor Hwang Si-mok looked at the woman in front of him. They were parting ways, and something differed from the last time they did this. Even though Senior Inspector Han Yeo-jin looked the same as she did three years ago. The hair cut had thrown him off the moment she walked in and he hadn’t been able to look away since. It took him back to their first meeting, to the moment she became a part of his life. It left him speechless.
He had noticed that she often had the power to shut him up–leaving him surprised and confused. In the very initial meetings of their first case, she had tagged along relentlessly and he found her sitting in his car one day, uninvited, as if she belonged there. And he was so taken aback that he just let it happen. How far they had come.
Tonight, she seemed tired, and he knew it had not been easy for her. He understood how strongly she believed in her job and how hard she tried to do the right thing. Something didn’t seem right about leaving her like this. But he couldn’t name what he was experiencing. Was this worry that Assistant Chief Kim had told him about?
He wasn’t sure what to do, so he just asked as they raised their glasses of soju for a toast, “Is there a chance you won’t be okay?”
Ms. Han hesitated for a non-existent second and then cheerily shook her head and gulped her drink. And Si-mok knew her too well to protest this answer.
The food arrived, and she dived right into it, chattering away. But for once Si-mok wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying or the food on the table, even though Ms. Han had ordered the cabbages just for him.
The realization that he won’t be working with her again and didn’t know when they would meet next dawned on him. And he felt a physical sensation that he wasn’t familiar with–a tightening of his chest, like a knot in his heart. He had a healthy heart, this must be something else.
So he sat there looking at her kind face in the warm light of the restaurant, trying to understand.
Senior Inspector Han Yeo-jin
“Is there a chance you won’t be okay?”
Prosecutor Hwang’s words echoed in her mind as Yeo-jin opened the door to her apartment and walked in.
They had met for a quick meal where he told her he was moving to Gangwon Province. Now that the council was disbanded, he was no longer needed in Seoul. She also suspected that no one wanted to keep him close to the Supreme Prosecutor’s office to ruffle any more feathers.
When she learnt that he was leaving as soon as the upcoming weekend, a wave of sadness had overwhelmed her. It had taken all her willpower to not let the tears show.
It had been a long week of disillusionment. She still hadn’t come to terms that her mentor and boss, Director Choi Bit, had compromised her own career and almost dragged her with it. She never thought Director Bit would ever make that kind of lapse of judgement–but ambition and politics had blinded her.
How could she have been so wrong about trusting someone? And why did doing the right thing come with such a heavy price? Where will she find the pride in her work anymore? The more you looked for the truth, the dirtier it got. If it wasn’t for Prosecutor Hwang and her old team at the Yongsan Station, she would have entirely lost faith in what she did.
But now he was leaving. So when Prosecutor Hwang looked at her inquiringly and asked her that question, she had lied. It was not something she wanted to talk about when he was just about to leave town. After his tinnitus-like attack on the day of the council meeting, she didn’t want to give him any more reasons to stress.
He had seen right through her of course; it had become something of a habit with him recently. His deep direct looks had been unnerving initially, but her own preoccupied mind had trained to ignore them. Even tonight, she could feel his warm eyes on her and she knew that if she made eye-contact she would unravel. So she put on her fakest, bravest face and started talking about the shrimp.
It was an odd meal where they talked about his move to Wonju, Prosecutor’s Seo’s recovery and the food. Lots of commentary about the food. They talked about everything, and yet nothing. With a hurried goodbye and no promises of keeping in touch, they both parted ways.
It’s only in the darkness of her apartment she felt the loneliness creeping in. She didn’t know where she belonged anymore. She had failed herself and she felt ashamed. She wished Prosecutor Hwang could stay a few weeks longer. She didn’t know how he could help, but she had realized that if it weren’t for his gentle prodding and silent support, she might have gone under. Just having him around might help her find her moorings.
Maybe she should just call him and confess that she isn’t okay - it’s not a bad thing to show weakness to a friend right. They were friends, right? She picked up her phone and scrolled down the contact to his name. Her fingers hesitated over the screen, and then she threw the phone away.
And then she cried one final time that day. She was going to be okay, but not just yet.