The woman who’d splashed the water set down her cup and crossed her arms.
“Ha, it really is Kim Cheolsu.”
Water dripped from my head.
Getting splashed with water even here.
Watching the droplets fall to the floor, I lifted my head.
“…Excuse me, but who are you?”
“Who? Would you know if I said I’m Kim Hyunsoo’s daughter?”
“Kim Hyunsoo….”
As the woman said, hearing that name brought it back to me.
The person in front of me was the daughter of an executive on the Association’s side. I’d approached her on the Boss’s orders.
Honestly, I don’t remember much.
It had been going well, but the Boss suddenly told me to stop, so I did. It was around the time she’d insisted on marrying me against her family’s opposition. After I bolted, she’d probably suffered quite a bit of fallout.
From the current timeline it might not have been that many years ago, but from my perspective, it had been over ten years.
I don’t think we even met for a month. And she still remembers me?
As my silence dragged on, the woman’s face twisted sharply.
“You approached me because of my dad after all, didn’t you? You piece of trash.”
She was right.
“That’s not it.”
“No matter how much I dug, nothing turned up. Kim Cheolsu was probably a fake name too, wasn’t it? What’s your real name?”
While avoiding her gaze, I naturally calculated an escape route.
I’m screwed.
To think I’d run into her here of all places. I just wanted to pretend I didn’t know her and leave.
But I had a feeling this woman would chase me all the way to the hotel room if I tried that.
“Answer me. What exactly happened back then?”
“I’m sorry. At the time….”
I needed to find a way to convincingly cut off this woman’s lingering feelings without exposing my identity.
“…..”
“At the time, what?”
Nothing came to mind, so I just rolled my eyes. Her voice was getting louder. People’s attention was starting to gather.
Why was Jang Ijung taking so long? That kid claiming he went to the bathroom was definitely a lie. He was probably off in some corner talking to the Association Chairman on the phone.
Blaming Jang Ijung, who wasn’t even here, didn’t change reality.
While I was stalling vaguely, a familiar head of red hair caught my eye.
!
Yeom Hajae?
He seemed to spot me too, his eyes widening. Looking at his dumbfounded face, a good idea came to me.
“You’re not gay, are you?”
So Lulu’s words could come in handy after all. I strode over to Yeom Hajae.
“Are you trying to run away?!”
“Hyung?”
Yeom Hajae looked flustered too, but I brazenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. Returning to face the woman, I spoke.
“Actually, I’m gay.”
“!”
“!!”
I wrapped my arm around Yeom Hajae’s waist for all to see.
“Back then, I had no choice but to go through with the marriage arrangement because of my parents, but I realized it just wasn’t right for me, after all.”
“Y-you crazy….”
“I’m truly sorry for what happened to you.”
The trembling woman stepped closer and slapped me hard across the cheek.
“You scammer! Drop dead!”
“…..”
Then she pushed through the crowd that had gathered and ran off. The onlookers, realizing the situation had ended, glanced our way and dispersed.
I let out a sigh of relief.
This should mean she won’t come looking for me again. All things considered, it ended smoothly enough.
“Hyung….”
Belatedly, I released the arm I’d had around his waist. He’d stayed so still that I’d briefly forgotten I was holding onto an actual person.
“You must’ve been surprised. Sorry for the sudden intrusion.”
“No, I’m… more importantly, are you okay, hyung?”
Yeom Hajae was the one who seemed more anxious.
Why is he still calling me hyung, though?
“About what just happened….”
“Sorry if it upset you. Of course it was a lie. I just felt like if I didn’t do something like that, she’d keep following me.”
“Ah.”
Yeom Hajae shut his mouth tightly. He must have been curious about the circumstances, but he didn’t ask.
“…..”
“Gasp!”
Yeom Hajae, who had been silently watching me, suddenly widened his eyes.
“?”
“Y-you’re bleeding!”
At his fuss, I wiped my face and found blood on the back of my hand.
Must’ve gotten scratched by her nail when she hit me.
This was inconvenient, since I needed to use this face. I roughly pulled a tissue from the table and dabbed at the wound. Meanwhile, Yeom Hajae fumbled through his belongings and pulled something out.
“I have medicine and a band-aid, so let me treat it for now.”
“Thanks. You’re well prepared.”
He’s probably got a knife hidden under that jacket too.
“Still, just in case, please make sure to get it properly treated later.”
I had no real intention of doing so, but I agreed anyway, worried the conversation would drag on. I sat down in the chair and looked up, and his finger, coated in ointment, approached.
It was trembling like a vibrator.
Is it really okay for an investigator to have shaky hands like this?
While I was thinking these useless thoughts, Yeom Hajae carefully dabbed under my eye.
I shifted my gaze from his finger to his face. Our eyes met immediately.
His finger slipped and poked my eyeball.
“Ugh.”
“S-sorry.”
He hurriedly finished up by applying the band-aid and quickly pulled away.
“…..”
“…..”
With just the two of us left, I recalled the incident at the Association. Judging by the fact that he called me hyung, it seemed Yeom Hajae remembered that day too.
At the time, I’d clearly been an intruder. Yeom Hajae must have realized that as well. But I didn’t sense any hostility from him.
Was he not suspicious of me?
No, maybe he’s already reported it and is just stalling for time….
Either way, I couldn’t read his true intentions in this state.
Hoping to glean some information, I forced myself to break the silence.
“Are you here on vacation?”
Yeom Hajae was wearing a black jacket and jeans. A casual outfit, unlike his usual attire.
He didn’t seem like the type to be casually on vacation, though.
As expected, he shook his head.
“No. I came here for work.”
“…..”
“Don’t worry, I’m alone.”
Was my eye-rolling that obvious? I gave an awkward laugh.
“Again, sorry about earlier.”
“It’s really fine. Instead, could you do me one favor?”
“Yes?”
“Well….”
After a long hesitation, Yeom Hajae finally spoke.
“Could you give me your phone number….”
“Sure. That’s nothing.”
“!”
I’d thought he was about to ask for something difficult. It was a burner phone anyway. I wrote the number on a tissue and handed it over.
Carefully taking the crumpled tissue, Yeom Hajae’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
“Thank you. For trusting me…. I’ll do my best for you, hyung.”
“Huh? Yeah….”
What’s he talking about?
I couldn’t figure out why he was acting so familiar with me. From Yeom Hajae’s perspective, I should fall into the category of a criminal.
And….
I wasn’t exactly in a position to act high and mighty either, having sneaked in myself, but Yeom Hajae — who’d cried like a baby in front of me before and was now acting completely normal — was no ordinary person either.
“Ah, I’ll head out now.”
Yeom Hajae, who had kept staring at me in a way that made me uncomfortable, suddenly stood up.
“You’re waiting for your companion, right?”
“Yes. Seems to be taking a while.”
Yeom Hajae’s eyes scanned the table.
The table was a mess.
The leftover dessert Jang Ijung hadn’t finished, the shopping bag with the gift box, even the paper cup with a red lipstick-like mark from strawberry jam.
“You should be more careful about which women you meet….”
“…?”
I frowned, not understanding what he meant. Realizing he’d overstepped, Yeom Hajae looked startled.
“Ah! S-sorry. Please make sure to answer when I call.”
He kept glancing back and waving even as he left.
What an unsettling guy.
I watched his retreating figure from my seat when familiar footsteps approached from the side.
“Did you take care of your business?”
“Yeah.”
He sure came out fast for someone who’d been doing something in the bathroom.
Did you contact the Association Chairman?
I held back the urge to press him and stood up from my seat.
“…Let’s head back.”
“Still haven’t finished eating.”
“We’ll get it packed to go.”
“…Are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing.”
Was Korea always this small? Now I can’t even move around freely without worrying about running into someone.
Jang Ijung and I returned to the room. Jang Ijung hugged the bread bag and rolled around on the soft bed.
After spending some relaxed time, evening came quickly. The sun was already setting.
Guess it’s about time to go.
I got up from the sofa.
First, I headed to the vanity and rubbed wax onto my hands. While fixing my hair, my eyes met my reflection’s in the mirror.
“Going somewhere?”
His dull eyes held only innocent curiosity.
Seeing that, even though I’d already prepared an excuse, a different thought crossed my mind. Should I just brush it off? It seemed like it might work….
Knock knock knock knock.
While I was hesitating for a moment, someone knocked on the door.
Four knocks. The signal to come out.
“It looks like Ijung will have to eat dinner alone tonight.”
“Hm? Why?”
Jang Ijung tilted his head.
If I disappeared for a long stretch, I’d be suspected anyway. And it’d be strange to hide the fact that I work from someone on my side. I turned on the hair dryer.
“It’s time to work.”
“…Didn’t you say it was a vacation?”
That was just something I said. As if I’d be crazy enough to bring a spy along.
Knock knock knock knock.
Quite impatient, aren’t they.
“I’ll go alone. They’re people I know. And….”
I had an excuse ready too.
I put down the hair dryer and picked up the shopping bag sitting on the vanity. It was the item I’d bought earlier.
Holding the box, I sat on the edge of the bed where Jang Ijung was lying. Jang Ijung looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
Outside the window, the sunset was falling. Watching his blank face bathed in red light, I smiled.
“This is a present. Happy birthday.”
