By Zephyria 
“Oh my goodness, Prosecutor!”
As soon as she saw Chrissy, the assistant prosecutor beamed with joy and hugged him tightly before hurriedly pulling away.
“I’m sorry! Are you okay? You aren’t sick or anything, right?”
Seeing her pour out words urgently while scanning him with a worried gaze, Chrissy felt a mix of embarrassment and gratitude, and he gave her a soft smile.
“Yes, I’m fine. Please don’t worry; I’m perfectly alright.”
As if to prove it, he lifted one arm and flexed his muscle, and the assistant prosecutor immediately broke into a bright smile.
“What a relief. I was so worried.”
After letting out a long sigh, her eyes began to sparkle with curiosity.
“Now tell me, what happened during your vacation? You said you were taking time off because of a cold, but then you suddenly vanished for over a week. There were rumors that you were quitting, and things have been quite unsettled these past few days.”
“Just baseless rumors,” Chrissy dismissed simply.
“As you can see, I’ve returned to work in one piece. I’ll be getting busy again, so I’m counting on you.”
When he added that intentionally, she blinked and then nodded with a laugh.
“Yes, of course. Don’t worry, I didn’t believe those rumors at all anyway…”
Chattering as she used to, she pushed Chrissy into his office, immediately brewed some coffee, placed it on his desk, and added one last thing.
“I’m so glad to be working with you again, Prosecutor.”
When Chrissy returned the smile, the assistant prosecutor turned around with a satisfied expression and left the office. Once the door closed and he was finally alone, the smile vanished from Chrissy’s face, and the vitality in his eyes extinguished in an instant.
“Haaa.”
Sinking into his chair for the first time in a while, he leaned his head back against the headrest and thought about the tasks ahead. He couldn’t believe the fact that he had returned to his daily routine. He had clearly gone through a horrific experience, yet he was sitting here as if nothing had happened. Looking back, it felt like he had had a very unpleasant nightmare—despite the fact that those events had definitely happened in reality.
The place he woke up in this morning was Nathaniel’s house, and the car he arrived in belonged to him. Only after recalling how he had been dropped off in a remote area to avoid being seen and walked from there did Chrissy finally find it difficult to accept that all of this was a real experience. Of course, that was separate from actually feeling a sense of reality.
First, I should meet the Chief Prosecutor.
He sank into thought while sipping his coffee. Publicly, his purpose was to greet the Chief since his vacation had ended and to be assigned a new case, but inwardly, he wanted to gauge the Chief’s reaction. If the Chief knew about that gathering, wouldn’t he give off an unusual vibe?
At the very least, I can find out if he’s part of their clique.
“Where are you going?”
As he decided and stepped out of the office, the assistant prosecutor, who happened to be looking at her computer, looked up and asked.
“To see the Chief Prosecutor.”
Chrissy answered briefly and left the office, heading straight across the hallway toward the Chief’s room. The employees passing by tossed a word his way every time they saw him.
“Hello, Prosecutor Jin.”
“Wow, Chrissy. Long time no see. You look like you’ve lost some weight?”
“The weather today is…”
Walking down the long hallway, exchanging greetings and giving brief replies, was no different from before. It was an utterly ordinary, daily scene, but as he approached the Chief’s office, Chrissy’s heart began to fluctuate anxiously. Stopping in front of the door, he took a deep breath and knocked.
“Hello, I’ve come to see the Chief Prosecutor. Would that be alright?”
When he asked with a smile, the secretary said, “One moment,” and stepped inside. She returned shortly and pointed toward the inner door.
“Please, go in.”
“Thank you.”
After a light greeting, he opened the door, and the Chief Prosecutor, who had been sitting in his chair, stood up gladly.
“Oh, welcome. Did you have a good vacation?”
Faced with an attitude that was completely unchanged from before, Chrissy replied in a smooth tone.
“Yes, I rested well thanks to you. Thank you.”
Along with his greeting, he gave a beaming smile. As if nothing had happened.
The black sedan was parked in the same spot as it had been in the morning. Having left work exactly on time, Chrissy hesitated for a moment before moving forward. The bodyguard waiting by the car opened the rear door with perfect timing.
“Thank you.”
After greeting the bodyguard before entering, he stepped into the car. As expected, a man with neatly combed platinum blonde hair was waiting for him, leaning back leisurely in the seat.
“Welcome back.”
Chrissy didn’t respond to the incongruous welcome and silently fastened his seatbelt. He only spoke after the car had started moving.
“Did you find out anything?”
At Chrissy’s question, Nathaniel spoke in his usual quiet and slow manner.
“I’m working on it.”
When Chrissy glanced sideways, Nathaniel added with a thin smile.
“I mean it. I’ll try to get some good news by tomorrow.”
Chrissy stared at him blankly before speaking.
“The Chief Prosecutor didn’t seem particularly suspicious.”
Unexpectedly, Nathaniel stopped his gaze as if surprised.
“…What?”
To the question that came a beat late, Chrissy answered while still maintaining eye contact.
“I said I couldn’t find anything special about the Chief. It seems not everyone who attended that gathering is involved in it.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed as he agreed in a tone slower than usual.
“I didn’t think you would tell me this.”
Sensing a hint of amusement, Chrissy replied bluntly.
“Information should be exchanged. That way, if I’ve misjudged something, you can correct me, right? Of course, only within the scope of what you know.”
At the gaze that seemed to ask Right?, the corners of Nathaniel’s mouth loosened. With a face clearly wearing a smile, he stared at Chrissy and spoke.
“Yes, that’s right. Void has nothing to do with that matter.”
Upon receiving confirmation, a sigh of relief escaped naturally. Seeing Chrissy’s expression soften, Nathaniel continued.
“I know roughly who is on the list. That disgusting gathering will be over soon.”
Then what on earth is he waiting for?
Chrissy wanted to ask, but he missed the timing because Nathaniel spoke first.
“You’re holding up better than I thought. I’m glad it seems nothing happened.”
At these unexpected words, Chrissy paused and turned his eyes back to him. Nathaniel’s profile as he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth was exactly as he knew it, yet for some reason, it felt unfamiliar.
It was likely because he could never have imagined this man saying such things.
After lighting the cigarette and exhaling a long stream of smoke, Nathaniel glanced sideways. When his eyes met Chrissy’s, who had been watching him until then, he took the cigarette out of his mouth and asked.
“Want one?”
A forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced. Simultaneously, he felt a searing pain, as if one eye were burning. Of course, he knew well that it wasn’t actually happening. Staring straight at Nathaniel without averting his gaze, Chrissy reached out. He naturally took the cigarette hanging from Nathaniel’s fingers and put it in his mouth, inhaling the smoke provocatively. After seeing the long grey cloud he exhaled, Nathaniel let out a short, laugh-like sigh. Shaking his head at the fact that the cigarette he had just lit was absurdly stolen, he reached for the case, opened it, and put a new cigarette in his mouth.
Watching Nathaniel light a new one, Chrissy slowly inhaled the smoke. He was right. He had truly spent a day no different from any other. Even with the Chief Prosecutor before him, he didn’t feel fear, nor did he vomit.
It’s no big deal.
Chrissy thought so as he flicked the ash. Yes, there was nothing to be surprised about. It felt almost futile that he had been so nervous. He just had to live as he did before. It was simply that he had one more unpleasant experience to his name.
“What’s for dinner?”
When he spoke with a much lighter heart, Nathaniel asked in an equally nonchalant tone.
“I don’t know, what do you want to eat?”
After taking one more drag of smoke, Chrissy replied.
“Anything is fine. But I can’t eat as much as I did yesterday.”
Nathaniel only laughed silently. And unexpectedly, time flowed peacefully; Chrissy had dinner with him, finished showering, and went to bed. The problem was that he let his guard down, believing there was absolutely nothing wrong with him.