The Devil Judge [BL Version]

Chapter 38: A Desperate Clue

The next morning, a haze of confusion clouded Ga-on's memory, leaving him with fragments of the previous night. He couldn't quite recall the confession he had made during his confrontation with Yo-han. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he reached for his phone and dialed Soo-Hyun's number.

Soo-Hyun's voice on the other end was soothing and composed as she explained, "You were quite drunk last night, Ga-on. I put you to bed and left to give you some rest. Are you feeling better now?"

Gratitude filled Ga-on's voice as he replied, "Thank you, Soo-Hyun. I appreciate it."

After the call, Ga-on made his way to the courthouse, determined to resume his duties despite the lingering sense of unease.

As he sat in his office, lost in thought, Jin-joo, one of his colleagues, approached him with a curious expression. "Ga-On, is it true that Yo-Han manipulated the trials?" she inquired.

Ga-On, still grappling with the weight of his own revelation, remained silent for a moment. The truth was too complex, too multifaceted to convey in a single word. Instead, he decided to check on Yo-Han himself. Sneaking quietly to the door, he left it slightly ajar. 

In the confines of Yo-han's office, a palpable tension hung in the air as Sun-ah, always poised and determined, engaged in a conversation with the enigmatic judge. Her remark cut through the silence like a knife, "You're finally looking lonely, Yo-han."

He acknowledged her presence with a wry smile, recognizing the audacity it took for her to be there. "You're brave to come here," he conceded, "but you know me well enough to understand that I don't act irrationally based on emotions."

Sun-ah, undeterred, crouched beside his chair, her fingers lightly grazing his face. Her voice was soft, almost pleading, as she offered him one last chance to change his path, to choose the allure of the Blue House over the impending prison.

Yo-han's reaction was swift, batting her hand away with an exasperated sigh. He gazed at her with a mix of resignation and pity, as if he could see the futility of her efforts. "Sun-ah," he murmured, "you work so tirelessly for something that has always been unattainable to you."

Yo-han's words hung in the air, heavy with condescension and pity. "I feel sorry for you, Sun-ah."

Sun-ah's face crumpled at the declaration. The mixture of emotions swirling within her was too much to contain, and for a brief, intense moment, she raised a hand, fingers poised to deliver a resounding slap. But then, she stopped herself, the remnants of her composure preventing the act.

With a sudden burst of frustration, Sun-ah flipped over a lamp in a fit of anger on her way out of Yo-han's office. Her tears remained unshed as she marched down the hallway, her steps echoing the inner turmoil she couldn't escape.

Unbeknownst to them, Ga-On had been silently observing the entire encounter. As he watched Sun-ah walking towards the door, he felt a pang of guilt gnawing at him.