Ju-yeon’s voice came from across the table. Only his eyes moved upward. When Ju-yeon gestured with her chin toward outside the cafĂ©, this time his head turned.
It was Sa Gong-hyun. Jae-young, who had been looking at Gong-hyun in his black suit with indifference, suddenly contorted his face.
Gong-hyun had an even better physique than in the photos. He wasn’t just taller than expected – he was incredibly tall. He was clearly a head taller than those passing by him. His shoulders were broad, and his limbs were long.
His good skeletal structure must have been innate, as all the men passing around him looked diminutive in comparison. Even wrapped in a suit, the muscles all over his body couldn’t be hidden.
Jae-young sucked on his café mocha one more time with discontent.
He rolled his eyes to check the time. It was exactly 4:00 PM, without a second’s deviation.
“He really is punctual.”
Sa Gong-hyun was like a machine that executed his schedule exactly on time.
Why was his previously fine backside starting to hurt at the sight of that face? There was no time to figure it out. He could only grumble inwardly, unable to show it in front of Ju-yeon.
Jae-young took off the hat he had been wearing and fixed his hair. He got up and nudged Ju-yeon, who was still watching Gong-hyun.
“Noona.”
Ju-yeon turned her head to meet Jae-young’s gaze.
“Do I look okay right now?”
“You look fine, but are you going in already?”
“Just to get a taste and make myself known.”
Originally, they had taken seats to observe Gong-hyun who had business nearby while they were out shopping. Before formally beginning the job, they judged it would be fine to be seen by him once. Fortunately, the timing was good as he was wearing his newly purchased clothes.
Jae-young left the café with a refreshing smile.
‘Unless it’s something important, they say he doesn’t even use a chauffeur. So it’ll be easier to approach him. Of course, assuming Sa Gong-hyun doesn’t ignore you.’
Suddenly, Seung-kwon’s voice came to mind. He took quick steps toward Gong-hyun, who was standing with a cigarette between his lips. Then he grabbed Gong-hyun’s arm firmly, which was tucked into his pants pocket.
“Hyung! Why are you so late? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”
He clung to Gong-hyun without hesitation, smiling innocently. Suddenly grabbed by a stranger, Gong-hyun would turn to check Jae-young’s face.
“…Oh.”
When their eyes met, Jae-young planned to look dumbfounded. Just like now.
Gong-hyun tilted his head slightly. Jae-young gradually released the arm he had grabbed firmly. Although he loosened his grip, he didn’t let go of the collar completely.
He remained silent for a moment with a face full of bewilderment. Gong-hyun, who had been looking down at Jae-young with a cold gaze, finally took his hand out of his pocket.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I thought you were someone I knew…”
Belatedly, he let go of the sleeve and took a step back. Standing awkwardly in the ensuing silence, Jae-young apologized again.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
The first taste was bland. Just as he judged it might be difficult to continue tasting, Gong-hyun’s expression softened into a smile. He didn’t smile broadly, but it was a somewhat kind smile.
Jae-young walked past Sa Gong-hyun with an awkward smile. Three steps, four steps. Before he could take a fifth step, he turned back around.
At that moment, he spotted Ju-yeon approaching the car. As she bent down, her figure vanished completely. She was likely trying to attach a tracking device to the car.
Jae-young approached Sa Gong-hyun, who kept his gaze fixed on him even after he had walked past. He rummaged in his pocket. Wallet, and a hard candy tucked in the corner.
Jae-young took out the hard candy he had kept from the restaurant where he had lunch. As he pulled his hand out of his pocket, the corner of his eye twitched reflexively.
“Ah, my wallet…”
Though he wasn’t nervous, he managed to drop his wallet while taking out the candy. I haven’t even replaced my wallet yet. Jae-young quickly reached out, but unfortunately, Sa Gong-hyun picked it up first.
“…Do Jae-young.”
Fuck, I’m screwed. He had somehow read Jae-young’s name from the opened wallet. A low laugh-like sound was heard, and at that moment, Jae-young wished he could burn the wallet that had come into his view.
Meanwhile, Ju-yeon, having finished her task, left the spot.
“…Thank you.”
He tightly gripped the candy in his hand before accepting the wallet. Jae-young smiled awkwardly, contemplating whether to turn around, but instead placed the hard candy in Sa Gong-hyun’s hand.
“I think I mistook you for someone I was waiting for because your back looked so similar. I’m really sorry, but… this candy is all I can offer you.”
Sa Gong-hyun looked down at the hard candy placed in his hand without saying anything. His deep brown eyes rose again and met Jae-young’s.
Jae-young smiled faintly and tilted his head slightly.
*Bzzt-*
Just then, the phone in his coat pocket vibrated.
He turned around and took out his phone. It was Ju-yeon. He moved forward as he answered the call.
“Hyung, where are you? I’m in front of XX Bank right now, and we were supposed to meet here, right?”
He pretended to scan the surroundings, accidentally making eye contact with Sa Gong-hyun, and exchanged an awkward nod.
“Do Jae-young, did you drop your wallet on purpose?”
“Of course not. I’ve been waiting around here thinking this was the place. Where are you exactly? I’ll come to you.”
He felt eyes burning into his back until the moment he turned his head and walked away. Jae-young naturally rounded the corner of the building.
“I saw you diverting his attention so I could plant the device.”
“I saw. Noona, please grab my stuff. I think we need to change the plan.”
His clear expression instantly twisted. Ah, this is infuriating. Why did I have to drop my wallet there of all places? There had been a disruption in a situation where he should have entered under an alias.
“Where should we meet?”
“Not around here. I’m heading down to the underground shopping center now.”
“Then let’s meet at your place. Oppa Seung-kwon is already at your house, he says.”
“Why does that hyung keep coming over without saying anything?”
Jae-young scanned behind him habitually as he stepped onto the underground shopping center stairs. You damned wallet. He took out a card from the wallet he had received from Sa Gong-hyun and held it against the turnstile.
“Oppa Seung-kwon likes you a bit.”
“What…? Anyway, got it. I’ll go straight home.”
Jae-young, who was about to reply in an irritated tone, closed his mouth. After ending the call, he headed straight to a convenience store located in the underground shopping center.
Feeling like he couldn’t bear it sober, he bought a can of beer and emptied it in one go.
Upon arriving home, Jae-young immediately opened a bottle of soju. When in a foul mood, nothing beat soju that could be drunk carelessly rather than expensive liquor.
“I heard you exposed your name.”
Jae-young, who was drinking soju straight from the bottle, turned around. It seemed Ju-yeon had already informed Seung-kwon about the recent accident. Without responding, he walked past Seung-kwon and took a seat on the sofa.
“Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Eat something.”
“Manager Nam.”
He sat cross-legged, leaning back and drinking soju. *Ding-dong.* As he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling, the doorbell rang. It was certainly Ju-yeon.
Jae-young, the homeowner, remained seated, while Seung-kwon, who had almost thrown down a bag of nuts from the dining room onto the table, walked toward the front door.
Jae-young reached out and picked up the bag of nuts. He tore the bag open with his teeth and selected coffee-coated peanuts to eat.
“Jae-young, did Sa Gong-hyun see your address and ID number too?”
“Don’t know. Even if he did see, it would only be my name and the first few digits. Is that even possible? It’s not like he looked at it long enough to see my name without missing a syllable.”
Ju-yeon, who had opened the laptop she brought, typed on the keyboard. Seung-kwon, who had somehow come to the seat next to him, snatched the soju bottle from Jae-young’s hand.
“Give it back. I need to drink because I’m pissed off.”
“You said you drank beer on the way. Stop drinking and eat some peanuts.”
“Is beer even alcohol?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
