ACJY C68

They killed time at the pub until 8 p.m., chattering about trivial things, when Detective Oh made a call somewhere and then gave a sly smile.

“Let’s go. The real fun starts now.”

“It’s the countryside. Do you think they’ll have any decent girls?”

Detective Park challenged.

“Hey, don’t look down on the countryside. It may not be Seoul, but there are plenty of pretty good girls here.”

Even without asking, it was obvious where they were headed.

For some reason, the youth association president came to mind. The old bachelor who was very interested in nightlife but didn’t have the guts to go to Seoul.

“Detective Oh-nim, are you close with Gicheol hyung-nim?”

Taeheun asked.

“Gicheol?”

Perhaps because it was such an abrupt question, Detective Oh didn’t seem to know who Taeheun was talking about. When he clarified, “The youth association president,” Detective Oh finally said, “Ah,” in understanding.

“You could say we’re close. He and I are the same age, so we went to the same schools all the way through high school.”

“Really? It’s hard to imagine.”

Detective Oh laughed at Taeheun’s words.

“He might not look like much now, but he had a rich-kid vibe back in high school.”

He added, Hard to believe, right?

“He had a fair number of girls following him around, too. He used to dress quite well.”

Since he still dressed well now, it wasn’t a completely unbelievable story.

“Then why didn’t he get married?”

As any man in the Republic of Korea would know, this was a country where marriage was possible even with considerable flaws. Only recently had a trend of avoiding bachelors from rural areas formed, but that wasn’t the case in the early 80s when Detective Oh was in his 20s. Moreover, a high school graduate with all his limbs intact could marry easily, regardless of his background.

“It’s because his standards are too high. Do you think he can get married when he’s always looking for girls as pretty as TV actresses? 20 years ago, his family had a fair bit of land and was well-off. They were probably the second-richest family in Dongjam-ri, after the chairman’s family. His grandfather also held a position of authority in the village, so he got a ton of matchmaking offers from all over. There were quite a few pretty girls among them. But that bastard was so picky. Phew.”

Detective Oh sounded exasperated.

“He’s probably regretting it immensely. Anyway, Chief, why didn’t you get married? Forget marriage, I’ve never even heard you had a girlfriend.”

Just when things were going well, the arrow turned toward Taeheun.

Taeheun gave an ambiguous smile. For him, who hadn’t once thought of marriage since he came of age, there was no topic as boring as marriage.

“I had plenty of girlfriends. Just no woman worth marrying.”

“Ha, this is the problem with handsome guys. Women flock to them so much that they lack any sense of desperation.”

Detective Park grumbled, joining the conversation. Detective Oh laughed loudly in agreement with his words.

“Actually, I find that if you’re too good-looking, women feel burdened, don’t they?”

Taeheun feigned modesty.

“You shouldn’t be too picky either, Chief. I doubt you’ll end up like Gicheol, but there’s a right time for everything. Donghee, you too, you punk, find a wife and get married quickly.”

“Hey, do I get married by myself? I need a woman for that.”

Detective Park whined.

“Chief, please teach this kid some dating skills. I’m telling you, he looks perfectly fine, but the moment he’s in front of a woman, he starts bleating like a goat and trembling. It’s so bad you’d think he has a stutter.”

“Is that so? He doesn’t seem like that at all.”

“Phew, don’t even get me started. The second he sees a skirt, he just…”

At this point, Detective Oh bleated “Maa” and trembled exaggeratedly. Detective Park didn’t refute his words, proving their truth. He just scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

It occurred to Taeheun that there wasn’t a single normal one among the three of them. One was suddenly smitten with a man of sturdy build, another was divorced and living alone, and the last one stuttered in front of women.

“Is this a gathering of flawed men? I’d like to excuse myself, but my conscience won’t let me.”

The three of them laughed out loud.

The men, self-proclaimed as flawed, swaggered toward the room salon.

“This place is pretty well-known in this area. The girls are so pretty that people come all the way from other towns. They’ve got good skills, too.”

Detective Oh said proudly.

“C’mon, no matter how well-known it is, a countryside room salon is a countryside room salon. Don’t get your hopes up too high, Chief.”

Detective Park was skeptical.

“This little shit, really. Then you go home, you punk. If it’s all the same, why are you tagging along?”

“Aigoo, getting pouty again. Did I say I didn’t want to go? When would I ever get to come to a place like this if not for you, hyung-nim? Right?”

Detective Park acted cute, grabbing Detective Oh’s arm.

“You disgusting bastard.”

Though he said this, Detective Oh didn’t shake off Detective Park’s arm.

Rabbit and Turtle.

Taeheun unknowingly recalled their code names and smiled softly.

The two detectives, one walking ahead of the other, disappeared into the basement. Taeheun followed them down the stairs.

It was unexpected to run into Kwon Yongjun. At a room salon, of all places. It was Detective Oh, not Taeheun, who recognized Kwon Yongjun first. He must have just arrived, as he was standing at the room salon entrance waiting to be guided by a waiter.

“Yongjun. What brings you here at this hour?”

Kwon Yongjun was with two other men who appeared to be his companions.

“Hello, hyung-nim.”

Kwon Yongjun greeted Detective Oh awkwardly, glancing at Taeheun.

“When did you come down?”

“Me? Last night. I came for some business.”

Detective Oh answered vaguely.

“Oh, you two know each other, right?”

At Detective Oh’s words, Taeheun spoke first, saying, “Hyung-nim, have you been well?” as he greeted Kwon Yongjun. With a reluctant expression, Kwon Yongjun replied that he had.

He hadn’t seen him once in the village since that incident, so he had been wondering how he was doing. There were still bruises on Kwon Yongjun’s face, but they didn’t look severe enough to make one frown. To a stranger, they would look trivial, like bruises you’d get from bumping into something. He smiled, thinking that even while he had lost his senses, he must have avoided hitting the visible parts. He didn’t feel sorry at all.

“Hey, Nam Jihun. Jo Museong. Aren’t you guys going to say hello?”

Detective Oh acknowledged Kwon Yongjun’s companions as well. The two hurriedly bowed their heads and forced a smile.

After a light greeting to the tall, skinny man, Detective Oh’s gaze moved to the other one. The man of medium height with a fairly good build, who had a pleasant face, was dressed up just like Kwon Yongjun. He looked like a countryside loafer, but his aura was distinctly different from the other two. He exuded a dangerous vibe, the kind you feel from violent people.

“Jihun, when did you get out of prison?”

Taeheun’s intuition was spot on.

“Three months ago.”

Even though the word ‘prison’ was mentioned in front of people he was meeting for the first time, Nam Jihun was unfazed. Furthermore, he smiled brightly and openly scanned Taeheun from head to toe. A strange glint shone in his eyes.

Taeheun knew this type of person well. On a superficial level, they seem gentle and easy to talk to, but the more you know them, the more inscrutable they become. Not to mention being a pervert, he was the troublesome type to get involved with, with a strange stubborn streak.

“Let’s have a drink sometime later.”

“Yes. Well then, please enjoy your intimate time.”

Nam Jihun bowed a full 90 degrees in a respectful greeting. The bastard acted like a gangster when he wasn’t one. Taeheun raised one corner of his mouth in a scornful smirk.

“By the way, you guys have been sticking together since middle school. Don’t you ever get sick of it?”

“We grow more fond of each other the more we see each other.”

“Oh, listen to you. Anyway, have fun. Behave yourselves, you hear?”

“Yep.”

The waiter, who had been waiting for the conversation to end, quickly guided Kwon Yongjun’s group to a room.

“Hyung-nim, let’s have a drink sometime. I have something to apologize for personally, too.”

Taeheun shouted loudly at the back of Kwon Yongjun’s head. Kwon Yongjun turned around. As if he hadn’t expected Taeheun to say such a thing, his eyes widened before he nodded. Nam Jihun’s persistent gaze followed him. Taeheun winked at him and turned away.

It was obvious that the bastard named Nam Jihun had the same tastes as Kwon Yongjun. In other words, he was a cock-lover. He didn’t want to know nor did he care if they had slept together or whatever else, but he hoped that at the very least, they hadn’t tried anything funny with Yoon Gibeom. Otherwise, he would have to kill them himself.

“President Oh? Shall we go in now?”

A woman in her late 30s wearing high heels, who must have come out at some point, linked her arm with Detective Oh’s. Her voice was overflowing with cuteness. Detective Park, who had become intimidated in the meantime, trailed behind the two like a boy who had been scolded. Taeheun glanced for a moment at the room Kwon Yongjun’s group had entered before making his way to his own group’s room.

The interior of the room salon was so identical to others it made one wonder if it was written in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea that they couldn’t operate unless designed this way. Meaning, whether it was a top-tier place in Seoul or one in a countryside town, they were all similar. It was boring.

Before Taeheun could even sit down, Detective Park stopped Detective Oh, who was about to call for the girls.

“Hyung-nim, please call them after I’ve had a few drinks. Please.”

The way he begged was comical. The woman sitting snugly next to Detective Oh smiled brightly at Detective Park and said, “How cute.” Even under the red lighting, it was clear that Detective Park was flustered.

“What should we do?”

Detective Oh asked Taeheun.

“It’s still early, let’s have a drink and then call them.”

When Taeheun took his side, Detective Park was extremely grateful. The woman stared intently at Taeheun with a curious gaze.

“Madam Lee, stop staring at our Chief. His face is going to wear out.”

Detective Oh chided the woman with a hearty laugh.

“Aww, President, come on. Where else do I get to see such a handsome oppa? I have to feast my eyes while I can. Right?”

The madam winked at Taeheun. It wasn’t unpleasant, so Taeheun winked back. The woman smiled, showing her teeth.

“Madam Lee, you can step out for a bit too.”

“Me too? Aww, why?”

The woman acted cute.

“Miyoung, you know I don’t like to repeat myself.”

Detective Oh said in a ridiculously stern voice. The woman, who was the madam of the room salon and named Miyoung, made a pouting face and reluctantly got up from her seat.

“See you later, handsome oppa.”

She said her goodbyes to Taeheun and disappeared.

Soon, a waiter came in and set the table. As if they had been waiting for the three of them to be alone, Detective Park began making poktanju (bomb shots). For a man who supposedly turned into a goat in front of women, his skill in mixing drinks was extraordinary. Detective Oh let out a cheer, and thanks to him, Taeheun had fun too.

Like that, they drank a mix of bomb shots, whiskey, and beer, spouting all sorts of dirty jokes and babbling trivial pleasantries. It was quite fun even with just the three of them, and they lost track of time. If the madam hadn’t come in and broached the subject with, “So, about the girls,” they would have likely played like that all night.