By Zephyria 
* * *
“Goodness, Prosecutor. Look at you.”
The assistant prosecutor asked in surprise the moment she saw my face. It was a perfectly natural reaction. I had spent the entire night groaning in a fever and had barely managed to make it to work on time. My hair was a mess, sticking out in every direction; my suit was wrinkled; I hadn’t even managed to put on a tie, and three buttons of my white shirt were left open. While I went into the office to fish out the tie I’d shoved haphazardly into my briefcase and straightened myself up, the assistant prosecutor brought over some coffee and set it on the table.
“You look terrible. Shouldn’t you have rested more?”
I simply gave a sheepish smile at her worried question. Divine punishment. The same words kept circling in my head. There were many reasons for this punishment. The sin of lying about being sick to take a break from work when there was no special reason; the sin of giving up on myself and fooling around with just anyone; and the sin that, of all people, that partner happened to be that bastard Nathaniel Miller…
The more I counted them one by one, the more my self-loathing grew, so I stopped. Instead, I drank three cups of the herbal tea the assistant prosecutor had specially brewed for me before starting work, but the disaster didn’t end there. The corners of my lips were torn, and every time I opened my mouth, the wound stung, causing an involuntary moan to escape. Despite applying ointment, it felt like I’d be suffering for at least a few days. While I was fuming with frustration, my fever showed no sign of breaking, and my body kept sagging with exhaustion.
“I think it would be better if you drank herbal tea.”
Perhaps my appearance was truly that pitiful, as she took away the coffee cup—which I hadn’t even half-finished—and returned with herbal tea.
“I’ve organized the messages that came in yesterday.”
Watching her set down a handwritten note after the herbal tea, I swallowed the hot tea down my throat instead of answering and let out a long sigh of relief. Blinking my hot, heavy eyelids, I stared blankly down at the note before suddenly freezing.
“Did that dog… no, did Miller call?”
At my question, she opened her mouth as if she had suddenly remembered.
“Yes, that’s right. There was a call from Mr. Miller. Nathaniel Miller, the lawyer.”
That name forced its way into my mind, which had been dulled by the fever. As I looked at her with a furrowed brow, the assistant prosecutor briefly explained the situation.
“I told him you were on leave due to a cold, and he just said he understood and hung up. There wasn’t any other particular message.”
I spoke a beat late.
“A cold… so you’re saying you told him I was resting because I was sick?”
“Yes, that’s right. …Should I have said something else?”
To the assistant prosecutor, who added the last part with uncertainty, I slowly shook my head.
“No, I was just confirming. I understand. That’s everything, right?”
“Yes, I’ve written the purpose of the calls next to the names.”
“Understood.”
As I gave a simple nod, she seemed to subtly gauge my mood before quickly leaving the office. Once I was alone and the sound of the door closing faded, I finally let out a bitter sigh.
You told him I was resting because I was sick? Then you’re saying he bought champagne after hearing I had fallen ill?
The more I thought about it, the more absurd it felt. It was almost as if he knew I was faking it. Even though there was no way that could be the case.
If so, did that man simply not care whether I was sick or not, or did he come specifically to mock me?
My thoughts continued to spiral, but I couldn’t find an answer. I wasn’t in a condition to waste energy on such things. I downed the herbal tea in one go and gripped the documents. Either way, I was being punished enough. So, there was no longer any need to pay attention to it. I tried to clear my mind and focus on my work. However, once I realized I had been reading the same line more than five times, I finally collapsed onto the desk with a pained groan.
By the afternoon, my condition had hit rock bottom to the point where letters wouldn’t even enter my eyes. Eventually, the assistant prosecutor, unable to watch any longer, brought me warm water instead of herbal tea and said,
“I really think it’s better if you rest more, Prosecutor. Forcing yourself to be here isn’t going to cure your illness, nor is it going to solve the case. If anything, you’re just wasting time like this, and your health will only get worse.”
She was right. Overworking myself like this would only prolong the illness. I moistened my dry mouth with the warm water and let out a sigh.
“I should leave work early today. I’ll head out first; I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Don’t overdo it tomorrow either; check your condition before coming in.”
Leaving her pitying words behind, I left the office. I didn’t remember exactly how I got home after that. I remember staggering to the subway station and boarding the train, but I think I fell asleep the moment I sat down. Fortunately, I woke up without missing my stop, but I walked home half-asleep after that. I was truly lucky that I didn’t encounter any robbers or pickpockets in the process. After mistakenly pressing the keypad three times before finally passing through the entrance, I checked my phone and thin wallet, which were still in my coat pocket, and marveled briefly at my luck.
Now, now, don’t think about anything else.
The emergency medicine left in the house had already expired three months ago. Lacking the energy to go buy new ones, I simply swallowed the medicine with water from the sink. My cramped apartment felt unusually large. Staggering, I barely reached the bed, stripped off my coat and suit jacket all at once, threw them haphazardly on the floor, and collapsed onto the mattress. Closing my eyes, I felt a bit better. I was glad I followed the assistant prosecutor’s advice. Huuu, I let out a long breath and tried to sleep. I’ll feel better after a nap… or so I thought.
A ringing signal sounded faintly from afar. My eyebrows twitched instinctively, but my body wouldn’t move. I was still lying in bed, intoxicated by fever, when the signal sounded again. This time, it rang louder and more clearly. It was only upon hearing the sound for the third time that I realized it was the doorbell.
Who on earth…
There was absolutely no one who would visit me. A solicitor? The building manager? Whoever it was, I was in no state to deal with them. If I just ignored it, they would eventually give up and leave. But that was merely my own delusion.
“Dammit!”
When the doorbell—I don’t know how many times it had rung—finally jolted me fully awake, I ended up spitting out a harsh curse. What kind of crazy person keeps ringing the bell of an empty house so persistently? Do they not even consider the possibility that there’s no one inside? What kind of insults should I pour upon this person, who is clearly either delusional or insane? Grinding my teeth, I strode toward the entrance. I staggered heavily a couple of times due to the fever and dizziness, but I steadied myself. Fueled by nothing but rage, I reached the front door without falling. Even as I gripped the door handle tightly, the bell continued to ring through the house. Unable to endure any longer, I flung the door open with a shout.
“Fuck, get lost, you piece of shit!”
I roared with a voice as fierce as a lion’s.
…Or so I thought, but my voice was miserably hoarse and cracked, possessing no dignity whatsoever. I was inwardly shocked by the sound, which buzzed like a mosquito mixed with my heavy breathing, but there was something even more shocking. The man who had been ringing the bell looked down at me. His hand was still resting on the bell. The incessant ringing faded into the background like a distant echo. The man fixed his gaze on my face, then stretched his lips into his characteristic thin smile.
“Hello, Prosecutor.”
Nathaniel Miller’s low voice blended with the sound of the bell. To me, who could only blink blankly, he added calmly,
“You look wonderful today as well.”
With those words, he took his hand off the bell. The ringing, which had felt as if it would last forever, also vanished. An awkward silence settled between the man and me.