‘Looking at the schedule with personal details included, he seems to move around individually during the other times. I’m still figuring out the details. According to Seung-kwon oppa, the time he spends outside apart from company work is quite regular.’
Seung-kwon worked on the security team at Sebin Construction. Whenever he took time off from work, he enjoyed all kinds of sports like jiu-jitsu and boxing, so it was as if he had chosen a workplace that suited him. With Seung-kwon keeping an eye on Sa Gong-hyun, the information was reliable.
Sa Gong-hyun lived quite far from Jae-young’s new address. In a detached house in an area that was widely rumored to be a rich neighborhood.
He seemed to spend most of his personal time outside of work in that vicinity. Even when buying cigarettes, working out, or even walking his dog, he didn’t stray far from the neighborhood.
It would be unnatural to approach him during his early morning exercise time. Next, he considered finding a part-time job near his house but quickly abandoned the idea. That would be too artificial to be dismissed as coincidence. If coincidences were repeated too often, it would inevitably raise suspicion. That was why he had chosen a residence in a separate location in the first place.
So how should he approach him? Jae-young rubbed his cheek with his hand as he moved the mouse cursor.
He looked around the area near the house through satellite map street view. It was difficult to get a feel for it since he hadn’t actually frequented this neighborhood. Jae-young fell into contemplation, lightly biting his finger. There was nothing in his routine that overlapped with Sa Gong-hyun’s to fake a chance encounter.
Then there was only one method left. Jae-young immediately picked up his phone. Not his work phone, but his personal one.
Jae-young found a number that would have collected dust for a long time if the eleven-digit phone number had been a physical object. Without delay, he called immediately.
“Hello,” a deep voice was heard before the ringtone had repeated many times.
“Ju-seong hyung? It’s me, Jae-young.”
“Jae-young? Do Jae-young? Why are you calling me of all people?”
Ju-seong was a man who had become acquainted with Jae-young while hanging out with Seung-kwon. A Christian name meaning “the character of the Lord” or something. It was a name that didn’t suit Ju-seong at all. He was sitting there committing fraud with that name.
“Hyung, where did you say you were living now?”
Jae-young got up from his seat, spreading a fake smile all over his face. Actually, whether that name suited Ju-seong or not wasn’t of any concern to him.
Although Ju-seong was someone he didn’t want to see again due to their incompatible personalities, he could even share drinks with him for the sake of the job.
He quickly finished preparing and got into a taxi.
[Noona, are you still tracking Sa Gong-hyun’s car? Can you text me when he gets close to my GPS?]
He left a message for Ju-yeon and immediately deleted the trace. He put his phone in his pocket and quietly stared out the window.
Currently, it was the time when Sa Gong-hyun would be at the company. He would soon leave work, but if Jae-young could secure his position before that, it would be fortunate.
After getting off at the meeting place with Ju-seong, Jae-young checked the time. Since Ju-seong hadn’t arrived yet, he slowly looked around.
The route Sa Gong-hyun’s car would take when leaving work. Following this road, a slope appears on the left. Going up the hill and turning right would lead to the neighborhood where he lived.
A place where Sa Gong-hyun might see Jae-young by chance. The intersection where one had to wait for the left-turn signal seemed appropriate.
“Do Jae-young.”
Just then, Ju-seong’s voice was heard from behind.
“Hyung.”
Jae-young turned to Ju-seong with a bright smile.
Actually, there was quite an age difference between Jae-young and Ju-seong. He was much older than Seung-kwon, who was already 8 years older than Jae-young, but the reason Jae-young called him “hyung” was simple. He was told to call him hyung.
Ju-seong had been in this business for a long time and was quick-witted. He was also quite timid. So he needed to be handled carefully, steered properly. Only then, even in a potentially troublesome situation, would he be perceptive enough to play along.
Seung-kwon didn’t want to let others know they were working on a job. If they got caught, there was nothing they could do.
There was no need for an immediate explanation, but if they left a long trail, rumors would soon spread, and since they had invested this much money, they wouldn’t fight over the same bowl of rice.
“I was looking for a place to live and remembered you lived nearby.”
When Jae-young smiled innocently, Ju-seong laughed boisterously in response.
“Kid, are you short on income these days?”
“Hyung, if that were the case, how could I be looking at houses in this neighborhood?”
“I don’t think so. Let’s go for now. I’ll buy you a meal.”
Ju-seong turned around with a meaningful smile. Jae-young was about to show his middle finger behind Ju-seong’s back but grabbed his arm instead.
“Ah, not there.”
“Not there? Where then? Do you have somewhere specific in mind?”
Rather than answering Ju-seong’s question, Jae-young moved his feet. He followed Sa Gong-hyun’s route exactly and stopped at the intersection.
Where might his gaze stop, even by chance? Jae-young rolled his eyes busily, pondering.
“Where are you trying to go?”
At that moment, Jae-young whispered softly with a triumphant smile. He had found it.
“There.”
Jae-young’s fingertip pointed to a bar.
A place with a large glass window where the inside was clearly visible from outside, and where one wouldn’t feel uncomfortable even sitting for a long time. Indeed, places with alcohol always had good geographical elements.
#Strike While The Iron Is Hot
It had already been well over an hour since Jae-young clinked glasses with Ju-seong. The sun had long since set, and their faces had turned reddish.
Still, there was no text from Ju-yeon. At this rate, it seemed like the plan would be further delayed.
He needed to catch Sa Gong-hyun’s eye as soon as possible, and he needed to start dating him as soon as possible. As things stood now, Jae-young was just a passing connection to Sa Gong-hyun. Someone who would easily be forgotten.
Ju-seong, who had been continuously carrying on conversations in a husky voice, seemed quite happy. From “Do Jae-young, you bastard, this is really suspicious. You normally wouldn’t even look at places like this” to “You’re not the kind of kid who would ask me to buy you just soju.”
Yet, Ju-seong frequently tried to penetrate Jae-young’s intentions. Jae-young ate some corn that came as a basic side dish and smiled blandly.
“Should we go somewhere more expensive now?”
“Forget it, man. Why are you trying to empty someone’s pockets?”
Even when Jae-young tried to go along with him, Ju-seong ultimately continued his suspicions once or twice while drinking silently. Jae-young emptied his glass with a meaningless smile. Since the soju glass was small, it felt like he was just wasting his palate, so he eventually poured the alcohol into a water glass.
“Are you still working with Cha Seung-kwon these days?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
He wondered why Ju-seong wasn’t bringing that up. Jae-young responded casually and drank more alcohol.
Though they were comfortable with each other, Ju-seong always checked Seung-kwon. Isn’t it embarrassing to be jealous of a younger brother? Suddenly, his mouth tasted bitter, so he ate another piece of corn.
“When will you two split up?”
“Why would we split up?”
“Are you going to walk down the aisle side by side? Seong-won’s folks already think you two are together.”
“What are you talking about?”
Jae-young, who had been pouring alcohol with his forehead resting on his hand, suddenly wrinkled his face.
“Tell me honestly. Is there really something between you two?”
“Ah, are you trying to annoy me? You’re unnecessarily turning a normal person into a homo.”
“It’s because that bastard Cha Seung-kwon keeps protecting you. You might not be, but he might be. Looking at his behavior, it’s a bit suspicious.”
He was genuinely annoyed. His taste for alcohol diminished, and his mood was ruined. He couldn’t relate to the notion of being protected, and it seemed like he was just a piece of gossip for them to chew on when they were bored.
“That’s because hyung raised me. Enough, stop saying weird things and just drink.”
Jae-young picked up the water glass filled with alcohol, showing irritation. Ju-seong laughed ravenously.
“Hyung, don’t you ever think about changing that laugh?”
“What, man?”
Perhaps because he had been drinking heavily, his laughter, which sounded like phlegm bubbling, was particularly more annoying.
“So, why did you really come?”
“How many times do I have to say it? I told you I came to look for a place.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
