ACJY C66

Everything was perfect until Detective Oh woke up. After feeding the mutts and going inside, Taeheun found Detective Oh sitting in the spot he always sat in. Without lifting a finger, Detective Oh drank the water the man gave him. Even as the child set out the spoons and chopsticks and scooped the rice, his heavy ass showed no sign of getting up.

The man kowtowed to Detective Oh like a servant, anxious and fearful of getting on his bad side. There was no way to confirm if that was actually the case, but at least that’s how it looked to Taeheun. The number of side dishes had increased, too. There were plates of sausages and ham, which he had only ever seen in the child’s lunchbox. And so, he felt his stomach twist with envy again.

The only empty seat was next to Detective Oh, so he sat there.

“Is there no salted pollack roe?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. There is.”

The man hurriedly took the salted pollack roe out of the fridge and put it on a plate.

“I don’t know where Gibeom got it, but this pollack roe is amazing. You’ve tried it too, haven’t you, Chief?”

Detective Oh asked, smacking his lips.

The man grew flustered, glancing nervously at Taeheun.

“Of course. But I can’t really eat salted foods, so I just had a little taste.”

“Oh, what a shame. To think you can’t eat something this delicious.”

Detective Oh sounded genuinely sorry.

Taeheun could see the man’s relief.

“Mr. Gibeom, you should sit down too. You have to eat.”

How long are you going to stand there like that.

At Taeheun’s words, the man, who had been standing there blankly, finally took his seat.

Taeheun ate while looking at the child’s face instead of the man’s, whom he usually faced. Before the man had even picked up his spoon, Detective Oh downed a whole bowl of dried pollack soup. The man promptly got up and refilled the empty soup bowl to the brim.

Fuck. The bastard only thinks about his own damn mouth.

Cursing inwardly, he roughly picked up his spoon.

Slurp, slurp. Chomp, chomp. Detective Oh ate with gusto, making loud noises. When the child made sounds while eating, it didn’t bother him at all, but hearing them come from Detective Oh’s mouth was unpleasant. It turned his stomach. Once he started seeing him in a negative light, everything about the man was disagreeable and annoying. His appetite vanished. He would have put down his spoon long ago, but for the man’s sake, he pretended to eat with relish. He forced the rice down and finished his soup.

“Mr. Gibeom, the dishes.”

“Hyung-nim, would you like some coffee?”

The man cut Taeheun off.

“I’d love some.”

He was prevented from even helping to clear the table. The child quickly cleared the table and put water on the stove for Detective Oh.

“Prepare two cups so the Chief can have one, too.”

“I’m fine.”

Taeheun refused flatly.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to leave, Mr. Gibeom?”

“It’s okay. I have plenty of time.”

Even though his departure time was later than usual, the man didn’t complain. Neither did the child.

He had referred to Detective Oh as a hyung-nim to whom he was greatly indebted. Taeheun was curious what kind of great debt he owed to make him so restless. Had he saved the child’s life or something? If so, it would be perfectly understandable, but if not, he felt he would come to dislike Detective Oh even more.

“Mr. Gibeom, take this. Take my car.”

“It’s okay. I can just ride my bike.”

“What kind of place is this to be riding a bike? Take my car.”

The only bicycle the man had was a rusty one rotting away in the shed.

While Detective Oh was in the bathroom, he handed the Mercedes key to the man.

“It’s a spare key, so don’t return it. You keep it, Mr. Gibeom.”

“Thank you.”

The man was genuinely grateful. He accepted the key with both hands, even bowing his head. Had the words ‘thank you’ always sounded so unpleasant? He scowled.

“Am I a stranger to you? Why say ‘thank you’ with such formality? I’m going to get my feelings hurt.”

“No, it’s just that.”

“You can be thankful, but just say ‘thank you’ in your head. Unless I save your life, Mr. Gibeom, just keep thinking it to yourself.”

The man stood there awkwardly without answering. His expression was dark.

“Mr. Gibeom, you have a spare key for your truck, right?”

“Yes.”

“Give it to me. An exchange.”

He tossed the words out lightly.

The man immediately went into the master bedroom and handed him the truck key.

“Thank you.”

He returned the exact words the man had said.

“See? It sounds awkward, doesn’t it?”

“…A little.”

“And it doesn’t hurt your feelings?”

He was waiting for an answer, but the tactless Detective Oh came out of the bathroom. The man immediately turned his back on Taeheun and looked at Detective Oh.

“Hyung-nim, is there anything else you need?”

“Uh, no. Go on to work.”

“Yes.”

As if he had been waiting for Detective Oh’s permission, the man immediately called for the child.

“Uncle, I’m off to school.”

“Okay. Study hard.”

“Yes.”

The child answered politely.

“Oh, Uncle, are you leaving today?”

“Yeah.”

“You should stay a little longer.”

The child said something he didn’t mean. Unlike the man, it was a lie that wasn’t obvious, one that sounded sincere. The child was better than the man. Taeheun let out a faint smile.

“I’d like to, but I’m so busy. I’ll play with you and Jihye for longer next time.”

“Yes. Goodbye, then.”

“You bet.”

Detective Oh didn’t take out his wallet or search his pockets like the neighborhood folks. He just patted the child’s head. It was disgusting to see him not even offer a single 1,000-won bill. If only it had ended there, but no, Detective Oh was shameless to the very end.

“Gibeom, bring my car over during your lunch break. It’s in the village community center parking lot.”

He ordered him on an errand so brazenly while handing over the key. Even though the man had also left his truck there.

Taeheun, who was already irritated that he couldn’t leave with the man, felt his stomach churn at the sight of Detective Oh openly lording his authority over the man.

“Yes. I will, Hyung-nim. What about lunch?”

“I’ll figure it out, so don’t worry. Hurry up and go.”

“Yes.”

The man glanced back at Taeheun one last time.

“Ahjussi, I’m off to school.”

“Okay. Have a good day. Let’s have something delicious for dinner. Ahjussi will shake down Uncle Oh Daeho for some money.”

Taeheun winked at the child. The child grinned and took the man’s hand. The man gave a slight nod and left through the main gate.

“Dad, are we taking a private car?”

He heard the child ask.

I’m supposed to be there with them.

He pointlessly kicked at the dirt in the yard.

“Chief, shall we head up as well?”

Detective Oh sat on the wooden porch, putting on his sneakers.

“Let’s.”

He replied half-heartedly, dragging his beach sandals.

The path up to the house above felt longer than a thousand li. It was only when he reached the uphill slope of the alley that he regretted not leaving a little earlier. The man was driving and couldn’t possibly see him, but still, he should have at least waved at the back of the car.

Taeheun belatedly waved his hand toward the empty road.

✽✽✽

Detective Oh put water on in the electric kettle.

“The air is really nice.”

Detective Oh exclaimed, admiring the view with the back door left open.

“When I was young, I used to come play around here often. My close friends lived in this neighborhood. After my friends moved away one by one, my footsteps gradually faded.”

“Is that so?”

He responded perfunctorily.

“At the time I was in high school, and since there was only a middle school in town, most of us went to the city for school.”

What Taeheun was curious about was not Detective Oh’s past.

“According to Gicheol hyung-nim, something bad happened in Mr. Gibeom’s family.”

He subtly probed. Detective Oh frowned.

“That bastard really has a big mouth.”

He smacked his lips and then glossed over it.

“What else could a ‘bad thing’ be? Gibeom’s father left home, and his mother struggled to raise the kids alone, that’s all.”

He stopped himself from bringing up the man’s younger brother. It seemed the ‘bad thing’ was about the younger brother. Whether the young boy died from illness or an accident, it was clearly a tragic death. That was probably why everyone was reluctant to talk about it. Just like his own uncle who had died at a young age.

Taeheun drank his coffee with just hot water, while Detective Oh added creamer and sugar. A sweet scent, similar to instant coffee mix, filled the room.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you something.”

Detective Oh paused for a moment.

“I’m not sure if I should pass this on.”

“What is it?”

“Well, you see, Lee Seokdu has cut off support to your family home.”

Taeheun let out a short laugh.

“Is that all? That’s to be expected. Who do you think was the reason Lee Seokdu was giving them money in the first place?”

Unlike the composed Taeheun, Detective Oh looked quite serious.

“It seems he took away not only the financial support but also the apartment they were living in. They’ve literally been thrown out onto the street.”

So what?

He felt no sympathy, not a single thought.

“It belonged to my uncle anyway.”

“…Does it not bother you at all?”

“No.”

He asked the obvious.

“They’re the parents who sold me to Lee Seokdu. There’s no way I’d have any particular feelings for them. Besides, after living off their sold son for 20 years, you think they haven’t saved any money? Whose money do you think bought the apartment my brother is living in?”

“Is that so.”

Detective Oh didn’t seem to understand.

He probably thought that since they had lived in the same house until he became an adult, there must have been some kind of family affection. If that had been the case, his life would have turned out a little differently. If his parents, who had sent their child for adoption to a relative for money, had nonetheless raised him with tender affection, Taeheun—no, Lee Seonjae—would not have grown up to be so cold-hearted. Perhaps he would have built a respectable family at an early age, had a child or two, and become the head of a happy household.

But that didn’t happen. Despite having biological parents and siblings, he was not loved. They saw Lee Seonjae as money. While living under the same roof, they treated their son, their younger brother, their older brother, like a stranger. He had never even once thrown a proper tantrum. Since they wouldn’t have accepted it anyway, the young Seonjae learned to give up. To Lee Seonjae, family was just a burden. A burden as heavy as a rock.

There was a brief silence, but it wasn’t long. Detective Oh quickly changed the subject and lightened the mood. The two killed time by making small talk.

A faint breeze drifted in through the open door. It felt a little cooler here than at the man’s house. He figured it was because no one lived here. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the wind.

The man would be working by now. He pictured him, picking fruit and handling farm tools with his bare hands. Whether in a greenhouse or a field, the day would be hot and arduous. The man wouldn’t show any sign of hardship, just mindlessly wiping away his sweat with the towel around his neck.

I miss him.

Taeheun thought only of the man.

At 8 a.m. sharp, Detective Oh made a call. Familiar voices greeted them through the speakerphone. Hearing their energetic voices paradoxically made his own mood sink. It was because the end was truly in sight.

Before his ‘death,’ Lee Seonjae, along with Detective Oh’s group, had painstakingly laid the groundwork for the big picture. Since then, each had been diligently filling in that groundwork in their respective areas, using various colors and techniques.

And so, the picture they had spent over a year working on was now on the verge of completion. Whether it would be a masterpiece or a flop would only be known once it was revealed to the public, but their consensus was that it would at least be a decent hit.

Taeheun thought so too. Even if the target of what they considered a ‘decent hit’ was different from his own.

Detective Oh, having done this once before in Seoul recently, skillfully played the role of Taeheun’s assistant. He also acted as the mood-maker, cracking well-timed jokes to prevent the atmosphere from getting too heavy. He was back to being the Detective Oh Daeho he used to know.

Taeheun guessed that Detective Oh had acted so obnoxiously because he knew the man too well. After all, people tend to reveal their true colors to those they are close to, like family or friends.

Unlike the serious atmosphere in Seoul, laughter constantly bloomed. As they were wrapping up their work, everyone became excited, saying they would finally get a proper summer vacation this year.

— My kids are already clamoring to go to the beach as soon as vacation starts. I’m thinking of going to Haeundae this time.

Wolf 1 said.

“When does summer vacation start for kids these days?”

Taeheun asked. Wolf 2, wondering why someone without kids was curious about such things, laughed. Who was Wolf 2 again? It was hazy.

Except for the heads of each department, the rest had been assigned numbers randomly, so Wolf 2 could be a prosecutor or an investigator. In any case, the prosecution was Wolf, the police (excluding Rabbit and Turtle) were Fox, and the National Tax Service was Lion. The two outside personnel were Bear. These names had also been chosen by drawing lots. When he was first offered the job, Taeheun hadn’t found them very trustworthy because of the childish code names. Including the fact that they called him VIP.

— Our kids’ vacation starts on July 21st.

The answer came from Lion 3. She was the only woman, an expert on tax law and extremely meticulous. The kind of thorough person that those dick-wielding bastards would call persnickety.

The 21st. Taeheun tried to gauge if he could go to Daecheon Beach. His new ID card would be ready next week, and his passport a few weeks after that. Couldn’t he just book a flight to Canada for August? If they went to Daecheon as soon as vacation started, they could probably have a good week of fun. Or maybe they could try Haeundae, like Wolf 1. Had the man and the child ever been to the southern provinces?

“Well then, let’s meet again next time.”

These men, civil servants to the bone, ended the meeting just in time for lunch.