Chapter 55
What kind of disaster is this all of a sudden? In the icy atmosphere, Choi Seongsu’s awkwardly raised lips trembled.
A few hours ago, Taeju had just thrown him some person’s name and phone number and asked him to dig up their personal information. After finishing the work as quickly as possible, when he asked how to deliver it, Taeju said he’d drop by since it was around the office area, so he naturally thought Taeju would come alone.
But two people entered through the door. Choi Seongsu’s eyes widened as soon as he saw Jeonghyeok’s face standing next to Taeju. While Taeju visited this place once or twice a month, it was the first time Jeonghyeok had come here personally.
Choi Seongsu couldn’t fathom what business Boss Moon, who was famous for rarely showing his face anywhere, would have coming to a small detective agency that investigated debtors. He even felt anxious wondering if he had made some mistake.
Choi Seongsu made a clearing sound and stole glances at Taeju. Fortunately, the signal got through as Taeju also looked at Choi Seongsu.
‘What the hell is going on?’
When Choi Seongsu asked with his eyes, Taeju also answered with his eyes.
‘I don’t know either, damn it.’
Thinking he must have done something wrong, Choi Seongsu repeatedly clenched and unclenched his innocent fists.
“So.”
Jeonghyeok’s low voice suddenly rang out. Choi Seongsu quickly raised his head to look at Jeonghyeok.
“The adoptive parents divorced two years ago, the adoptive father immigrated to England with his mistress, and the adoptive mother he lived with died three months ago. Is that it?”
“Yes, yes. That’s right.”
“He got adopted from an orphanage only to become an orphan again.”
“That’s right. It really can’t help but be a tragic life, yes.”
A sharp gaze reached Choi Seongsu, who was nervously agreeing. Just shut up. When Taeju glared at him in warning, Choi Seongsu pouted his lips as if asking what he had done wrong.
“From Kim Minhyeon to Baek Minhyeon. Only the surname changed.”
“Yes. I saw that he was adopted at seventeen. Since he was too old, they probably didn’t bother changing his given name.”
“……”
Jeonghyeok briefly scanned the paper in his hand. And he thought.
The age difference between Yuwon and Kim Minhyeon was only one year. Considering Kim Minhyeon’s adoption timing, he had left the orphanage when Yuwon was eighteen. Not eight, but eighteen—an age more than old enough to form deep bonds.
Jeonghyeok looked at the attached ID photo of Kim Minhyeon. Although he had a youthful face, he didn’t have the purely gentle, protective instinct-inducing image like Yuwon. He looked moderately sturdy and appropriately fresh, just like a young man of that age.
“How’s the surveillance going?”
“Ah, we’ve been tailing him since the very day you mentioned it. I was planning to organize and show you everything in 3-day intervals.”
“Report daily.”
“Pardon? Daily?”
“No need to go through Taeju. Just contact me directly.”
Choi Seongsu glanced at Taeju’s expression and then nodded.
“Ah… Yes. Understood.”
As soon as he got an answer, Jeonghyeok stood up. Taeju followed suit, and Choi Seongsu also immediately stood up and walked faster than the two men to open the entrance door.
“Take care.”
When he bowed and greeted them, Jeonghyeok lightly patted Choi Seongsu’s shoulder. Only after the sound of their footsteps faded away did Choi Seongsu let out the breath he had been holding.
“Could have given me a heads up, really.”
He grumbled inaudibly and plopped down on the sofa, needlessly looking around where Jeonghyeok had been sitting. With the two men gone, he even had the illusion that the office interior looked more spacious.
***
The place Jeonghyeok and Taeju chose for a late lunch was a spicy seafood stew restaurant. It was an old establishment they occasionally visited, where an elderly grandmother ran the business sporadically.
In a large pot, shrimp, fish, abalone and such were layered full, with bean sprouts generously piled on top. After lighting the burner and waiting for a while, the red broth began to bubble vigorously.
Normally, Taeju would have been excited about eating seafood stew, but he had been stealthily watching Jeonghyeok’s mood since earlier.
“What.”
“Pardon?”
“Why have you been acting like a dog that needs to shit all day?”
“A dog? When did I ever…”
Jeonghyeok picked up the ladle and stirred the spicy stew while saying.
“I can tell just by watching your eyes roll around. Don’t suffer alone and just speak up.”
At Jeonghyeok’s words, Taeju straightened his back stiffly and moved his lips. Then, as if making up his mind, he said.
“That… the address of the guy you had investigated this time.”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t that your place, hyung-nim?”
“That’s right.”
Taeju was speechless at the nonchalant answer.
“Ah… then are you currently living with Kim Yuwon-ssi?”
“Yes.”
“What about sister-in-law? Is she temporarily away somewhere?”
His hyung-nim had definitely been living with his sister-in-law for months. For a strange man to butt into a house where a man and woman lived together, what could be the reason? No, who is this Kim Yuwon guy to be at hyung-nim’s place in the first place? His doubts wouldn’t go away.
However, Taeju’s doubts were resolved immediately.
“He’s your sister-in-law.”
“Pardon?”
“The sister-in-law you were so curious about. That’s Kim Yuwon.”
Taeju blinked like an idiot. The words he just heard didn’t register in his brain. Which was understandable, since Kim Yuwon’s gender on the memo was clearly male.
“Uh, that person was definitely a man… though…”
“Why? You don’t want to serve a male sister-in-law?”
Could he be joking? He momentarily thought so, but it wasn’t an atmosphere for petty jokes. He could tell that much just from Jeonghyeok’s expression.
Taeju waved his hands frantically and stammered.
“No, no. That’s not what I meant. It was just so unexpected that I was surprised…”
And at that moment, a memory flashed through Taeju’s mind as he shook his head.
The rare phone call from hyung-nim looking for fever reducers. Hyung-nim giving fever medicine to someone lying in bed. The youthful man’s face visible beyond the door.
“Don’t tell me…”
No way. That can’t be. But some intuition kicked in.
“By any chance, did that person… ever spill food on your coat before?”
“He did.”
“Did he also come to the office asking to borrow 500,000 won?”
Come to think of it, he had come all the way to the office with such an absurd excuse. He remembered Yuwon from that time, standing firmly in front of him wanting to borrow a mere 500,000 won. When he let out a small chuckle, Taeju’s face gradually turned to horror.
“Then, then the person you gave fever medicine to, that person! Is it him?!”
“Shit, lower your voice.”
“You’re not teasing me, right? Really, you’re serious?”
How could it not be serious? If anything, it had become too serious and that was the problem.
“Yeah. So stop asking already.”
Jeonghyeok picked up the ladle and served the seafood stew. Normally Taeju would have jumped up saying he’d do it, but now he was dazed and busy muttering to himself.
“Then when you asked about gifts last time, and when you said you were moving somewhere else, all of that…”
“Hey, stop babbling and eat.”
“Wow, the one preparing elaborate dinners every evening is a twenty-two-year-old boy…”
Jeonghyeok, who had been placing the served seafood stew in front of Taeju, immediately frowned.
“What? How do you know about that?”
“You contact him every evening about what to eat for dinner.”
“So how do you know that? Do you peek at my phone?”
“As if I would! I can see it all even if I don’t want to. You smile all cheerfully while texting.”
“When did I ever.”
At Jeonghyeok’s shameless retort, Taeju opened his eyes wide as if dumbfounded.
“Hyung-nim, you smile every time you contact that person.”
“……”
“You didn’t used to, but now you even make phone calls in front of me. Your expression is so bright then. I’ve never seen you smile so radiantly before.”
Is this really the hyung-nim I knew, or did he switch souls with someone else like in movies or dramas? Jeonghyeok’s recent behavior was so different from what Taeju originally knew that all sorts of thoughts came to mind.
He had never done such things before, but for the first time he casually mentioned dating, and seriously pondered what gifts would be good. He was even willing to give up work he had built up over a long time and start fresh somewhere new. Jeonghyeok was that sincere about his partner.
“…If that’s how you felt, then I guess that’s how it is.”
This kind of answer was the same. It was unfamiliar to see Jeonghyeok honestly acknowledging his affection. To Taeju, who was frozen in a daze, Jeonghyeok nagged while picking up his spoon.
“Hurry up and eat. It’s all getting cold.”
“…Yes.”
Taeju picked up his spoon following Jeonghyeok. After taking a sip of the spicy broth, he also took a big spoonful of rice from the bowl that came with it. As the hot food went down, his hunger gradually subsided. By the time he had finished all the seafood stew Jeonghyeok had served him, one fundamental question arose in Taeju’s mind.
Why did hyung-nim put surveillance on a lover he liked so much? What did he want to confirm about a lover who had no job, stayed home, and diligently prepared dinner?
Taeju was about to speak unconsciously, then shut his mouth tight. He could sense it. This was a matter that shouldn’t be brought up unnecessarily.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
