"You're in my jurisdiction, Prosecutor. You know what that means? You do as I f*cking say. 𝘕𝘰. 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘈𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥."
Being puked over was not the ideal welcome renowned Prosecutor of South Korea, Jeon Jungkook expected to receive from h...
Two sets of urgent footsteps neared the roadside convenience store: one, long and steady, the other following behind, heavy and labored.
"Are you —huff—sure you heard it right? This could be —puff— a false call. You know how some people do it just for attention—huff— Ah, seriously. Why do you walk so fast?"
"I have a feeling that tip was very legitimate, Prosecutor." The cool collected voice of her partner drifted by but he showed no signs of slowing down. Heiran urged her legs to move faster but it was impossible to catch up with the tall man. Briefly, she entertained the thought that he was doing it on purpose.
The bell on the door chimed at their entrance to the convenience store and she was hit by the faint smell of instant ramen and other utilities. The cashier by the counter was an aging woman in her late thirties, quite unusual, who seemed as if she were expecting them. It didn't take much to convince her that they were the prosecutors working in the Yeongsan murder case since she could apparently recognize the "handsome prosecutor from the TV" instantly. Delighted that she was offering what she considered crucial evidence to the Silent Wolf, the woman ushered them into the security room.
To be honest, Heiran still wasn't convinced about the tip the woman had phoned in, claiming to have seen the 'bastards' on the Wanted posters (they still hadn't taken them down) in her store on Aug 20. Of course, Heiran believed it was complete BS since the timing didn't match. Yo Dong Sik and Oh Geum Cheol should have been busy torturing the poor victims on that day to have stepped out anywhere. How could they be at some random convenience store, several hours from the crime site on the day of the murder? It didn't make sense.
Within a few minutes, a grainy pre-prepared CCTV footage was playing on the computer, proving all of Heiran's theories wrong. She gasped pointing a shaky finger at the man who was purchasing ropes at the counter on the footage. "Th-that's—"
"Oh Geum Cheol." Her partner finished for her. But Heiran's surprise was soon gone, "Well, it could've been Yo Dong Sik who committed the actual murder." She pointed out in hushed tones. Jungkook didn't respond, instead of turning to the aging Cashier who seemed pleased with herself. "Do you have the footage of the entrance parking area?"
A few enthusiastic taps later, footage of the parking area was pulled up by the cashier, showing a red car revving its engine for Geum Cheol, and inside, lying in wait evidently was Dong Sik.
Heiran paled as she watched the footage. It was clear from it that they were the very same defendants she was prosecuting that Thursday for the murder.
"You see the timestamp there?" Jungkook pointed at the corner where the exact time of the footage was displayed, the blue light of the screen illuminating his face eerily in the dark security room.
"Seven forty-five," Heiran whispered in response.
"Yes. The victims died between 6 and 8 pm but the murderers are right here." Jungkook pointed out as if he read her racing thoughts. "There's no way they could have possibly traveled back and forth because the location is too far away. It would take at least several hours to get back there which is why the timing doesn't match."
Heiran clenched her fingers, "D-does that mean..."
Jungkook's eyes flitted towards the cashier who was intently listening in from a distance, "Let's discuss the rest at the office."
It took several long agonizing minutes of Prosecutor Jeon getting bombarded with eager questions about the case along with inquiries of a possible reward for her find before he actually managed to make the cashier hand them the CCTV footage. Even after which she was reluctant to let them go since she had so many questions for the 'handsome prosecutor'. All the while Heiran was busy stewing her brain for a possible explanation.
When the prosecutors finally managed to free themselves and step out of the store, Heiran looked to her partner who had a grave look on his face as if he were onto something. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking since he hid it well.
"It looks like they didn't commit the crime." Heiran prompted, waiting for her partner who remained silent. She huffed as they strolled along the road. The laughter of some children playing at the nearby park drifted through the wind, "But it doesn't make sense. The evidence...they all point to them."
"Isn't it too perfect?" Her partner posed.
"Huh?"
"All of the evidence perfectly pointed out that they were the ones who committed the crime. Everything was found out fairly quickly. Even the murder weapons; were found in their own home. Who in their right mind would hide a murder weapon in their own house?"
Heiran caught on to what he was implying, eyes-wide, "That's true. And the motive too! They didn't mention one. Probably because they didn't have one! And they're insisting on pleading innocent—"
Heiran was momentarily interrupted as she accidentally bumped into a fair young woman with a teen girl by her side, "Ah, I'm sorry." The woman bowed in response before she left and Heiran resumed, "They are pleading innocent even when the evidence is stacked up against them. Usually, when the results are so obvious, defendants plead guilty to get a lesser sentence."
Prosecutor Jeon nodded his head seemingly on board with what she was saying. A midday breeze swept over the flower blooms that littered the path towards them. Heiran's blonde hair swayed in the wind and she tamed them with her hands as she looked at her partner.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked.
"There is someone else involved," Heiran muttered, sensing the migraine coming from a mile. She had everything prepared to close the case that Thursday and catch a break from the piles of paperwork she was yet to finish but it seems as if fate had other plans for her. She massaged her temples, wondering how she was going to proceed with the case when her eyes fell on something at a distance and she froze. Prosecutor Jeon came to stop wondering why his partner had suddenly halted, "Prosecutor Ahn?"
But Heiran remained still, her eyes wavering as they watched whatever she was seeing. Jungkook followed her gaze to a distance to find a young couple at the park bench. As he watched, the boy crouching down on the ground, put a bandaid on his girlfriend's injured feet prompting giggles from her. Jungkook frowned. "Prosecutor, is something the matter?"
Heiran drew a shuddering breath, "Ha... P-Prosecutor Jeon."
"Yes?" Jungkook asked, a little concerned at the way his partner was suddenly hyperventilating as she pinched the hem of his suit. "What is it?"
"Prosecutor, th-that's—"
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A/n: *inhales* *Smirks* You're going to like what's coming...
