Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: First Day at the Prosecutor's Office
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A few days later, Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office.
The Central District Prosecutors' Office was a towering building that easily surpassed ten stories, teeming with people and buzzing with frantic energy.
For Kang Hyun, the prosecutor's office was essentially his first real encounter—he'd only brushed past the courthouse last time. Now, the "Prosecutors' Office" logo loomed right in front of him.
"Phew... Have I finally taken one step forward?"
Yet he didn't feel intimidated or overwhelmed. Instead, a swell of pride and curiosity rose within him at the thought of working here.
"Third floor, huh."
He glanced at the directory sign reading "Public Prosecution Division 1," his face lighting up with a mix of slight trembling and eager anticipation.
Kang Hyun had watched Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min handle the trial proceedings—his logical arguments and procedural flow—and figured he wasn't the lead investigator who'd handled the case from the start.
Sure enough, he was a regular prosecutor in the Public Prosecution Division. That meant Kang Hyun could learn a ton by working alongside him.
"Public Prosecution Division handles maintaining indictments, trial execution, appeals, criminal compensation, pardons, sentence reductions, and rights restoration. Lots of miscellaneous tasks, I bet."
Thanks to the law codes swirling in his mind, Kang Hyun instantly grasped what kind of department it was.
Public prosecutors take assigned indicted cases and manage their "maintenance of public prosecution." They get exposure to a wide variety of cases, but they also deal with tricky public complaints and plenty of overtime.
"Well, that sounds fine by me."
As he stood before the staff entrance gate, a uniformed security guard stepped forward, eyeing him.
"Hello."
"How can I help you?"
"I'm Kang Hyun. I'm starting today as a student worker for the next two months."
"Ah, Mr. Kang!"
The guard clearly knew he was coming. The burly man rose from his seat, ducked into the office, and returned with an ID badge.
"Head to the third floor. Not the Records Management Division—keep going straight to Public Prosecution Division. Ask for Administrative Officer Lee Eun-hye there. Room 310 is the section chief's office, so don't go that way. Enter 305."
"Thank you."
Holding the ID badge emblazoned with his own name, Kang Hyun finally felt like he was truly "clocking in."
He followed the directions. Looking around, every sign on the walls, every sculpture, every person passing by felt fresh and new.
He swiped his ID to enter, rode the elevator, navigated through several automatic doors dividing the corridors, and finally arrived at the large office with the "Public Prosecution Division 1" sign.
"Whoa..."
The doors slid open, revealing a whole new world.
People dashing around clutching files, others barking into phones, some hauling carts loaded with thick stacks of paper while waving their arms emphatically in urgent conversations.
From the outside, Kang Hyun had pictured it as tidy, solemn, maybe a bit heavy. This was the polar opposite.
"It's chaos."
It brimmed with vitality from one angle, but looked insanely busy and rough from another.
Hard to grab anyone for directions, so Kang Hyun hung back for a while, observing the office until he spotted a seating chart on the wall in the corner.
"Clerk Kim Eun-hye."
Her desk was at the far end, so he bumped into a few people, apologizing as he went, before finally reaching her.
"Hello!"
"Oh! You scared me! Ah, the student worker?"
She'd been furiously typing on her computer when she spotted him. Whether from busyness or her natural style, she spoke at lightning speed, forcing Kang Hyun to nod faster than usual.
"Nice to meet you! There's a spot over there—have a seat for now!"
"Yes, ma'am."
His assigned desk was even more tucked away than hers, but at least it had a computer. Small mercies.
"She's swamped."
Feeling a bit awkward as he headed to his seat, he figured he'd probably just sit there all day.
But that assumption was dead wrong.
"...?"
Someone bolted up like lightning and shoved a stack of case files into his hands.
"Take this over there and copy from here to here!"
"Huh?"
"Hurry, hurry!"
"Got it!"
It didn't matter to them if it was his first day.
Flustered but unwilling to say "I can't" or "I don't know," Kang Hyun grabbed the files and headed off.
"Better to do it poorly than not at all."
He examined the bundle as he walked—bound at the top with metal clips. A standard case file, with the evidence records detached for trial. Not for external release, just an internal reference copy.
No precise directions, just "over there," but he reached the destination without issue.
"It's like a warzone..."
The corner with the row of copiers looked even busier than the rest.
Law firm lawyers and staff waged their copy wars, making it hard to squeeze in. On the opposite side, some heated argument raged at top volume for all to hear.
Chaotic yet somehow organic—everyone powering through their tasks.
"Need to read the room."
He watched from behind as seasoned staff dismantled bundles and worked the machines, mentally rehearsing a few times. When his turn came, he dove in without hesitation and copied it flawlessly.
Whirr.
"Done?"
Half-convinced and half-doubtful, he rushed back to the familiar face and handed over the originals and copies. The man flashed a beaming grin.
"Quick work! Thanks! Next one's this!"
It seemed like the morning would fly by like this.
This time, he took two precarious bundles tied with multiple clips and ran.
No one cared if he walked or ran, but after a couple of round trips, Kang Hyun adapted to the vibe.
Mornings must be peak time for complaints from law firms, police, courts—explaining the frenzy. Once it eased, he'd seek out Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min for a proper greeting.
Whirr.
This file had shuttled between police, prosecutors, and court so many times that the top holes were irregular and the binding a mess, making copying a pain.
Tougher than before, but Kang Hyun finished in ten-odd minutes and sorted everything.
A high schooler who'd only ever held a pen for studying was now expertly operating copiers he'd never been taught and organizing multi-file case records. Astonishing.
So the lawyer's assistant waiting next in line cautiously asked.
"Excuse me, who's handling Settlement Division 33 here?"
"Ah, sorry. I'm new today, so I don't know."
"Oh... You must be from another division. Apologies, investigator sir."
"Huh? No, I'm not an investigator..."
"Whoa! Sorry, Prosecutor sir!"
As the assistant fled, Kang Hyun tilted his head, expression subtly amused, and tidied the files.
The copy battles raged on.
The first thirty minutes, even an hour, were straightforward once he got the hang of it—tolerable manual labor. But two, three hours in? Pure drudgery.
"Whoa, it's hot. This ain't easy."
Hands and feet aching, sweat beading on his forehead before he knew it.
The copiers, overheated from nonstop use, blasted hot air in his face.
Flipping endless paper made his fingerprints feel worn away, but Kang Hyun pushed on without rest, giving his all.
One volume down, another. Soon, he found his rhythm and got even smoother.
He sliced messy bindings with nearby blades, punched neat holes with awls, and rebound them perfectly.
"Nice job. Next!"
Eventually, they handed him a massive bundle of five or six volumes for full duplication. Grueling repetition, yet Kang Hyun bowed politely, accepted, and kept copying.
Was it recognition of his skills(?) from steadily knocking out missions? Now came a tougher assignment.
"Section chief! Need copies from page 65 to 128 of this record, with the suspect's personal info blacked out. You can handle that, right?"
"Understood."
Did doing well promote him to section chief on day one? From student worker Kang Hyun to instant "chief"—he accepted the file without protest.
"Suspect side. Fraud case."
He scanned the record first, distinguishing suspect and victim statements.
Then, matching the case details, he blacked out the suspect's and related parties' personal info one by one.
To avoid mistakes, he copied once, overlaid and erased the info, then copied again.
For most people, even distinguishing suspect from victim in a prosecutor/judge-friendly formatted file is tricky—they don't know where to look or start.
But Kang Hyun was different.
He knew exactly what to do, hands and eyes moving with precision.
Finally, he handed back the finished product.
"Let me see... Wow! Perfect."
The man, who'd dashed off immediately last time, paused to give him a once-over.
"Thanks! You meshed so well with us, the morning felt leisurely. Here's the last one. Great job."
Leisurely? Shocking, but his praise flooded Kang Hyun with pride.
First day at the prosecutors' office.
He'd navigated the hellish morning rush without a hitch—and even synced perfectly with the team.
"Thank you!"
Kang Hyun bowed deeply. The man waved it off with a grin.
"But... your face doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, but when did you start in Public Prosecution?"
Only now did he really look at Kang Hyun, tilting his head.
"Uh, well..."
Kang Hyun hesitated, unsure how to explain, when a familiar face emerged from the adjoining office—a man in a white dress shirt, scanning the room.
None other than Prosecutor Kim Jeong-min.
The office had calmed post-rush, so his voice carried clearly even to Kang Hyun in the corner.
"Has the student not shown up yet? Time's up, and still no sign. Anyone seen him?"