CI 3.14

With peals of laughter, Director Oh Yu-na, displaying a practiced hostess’s demeanor, seated Won Hee-yeon and Son Yeo-il side-by-side in chairs before a large mirror. Simultaneously, the employees, who had been whispering amongst themselves while observing the situation, approached and draped gowns over Son Yeo-il and Won Hee-yeon.

“Both of you have such wonderful skin, we only need to apply a light base. And these eyebrows, the shape is absolutely perfect. Are they drawn on, or are they your natural eyebrows?”

The unfolding situation seemed strange. When the makeup artist pointed at his eyebrows and asked, Won Hee-yeon, looking disgusted, turned to Son Yeo-il.

“What in the world is going on? Are you telling me I have to put on makeup now?”

“I, I don’t know either…Yu-na. Why did you ask us to meet here today?”

At Son Yeo-il’s equally bewildered question, Oh Yu-na crossed her arms as if it were obvious and retorted.

“Well, it’s not like you’re blind. If you showed up looking exactly the same as always, Koo Dae-hyun would recognize Attorney Son right away. Besides, who wears a suit to a bar on the weekend? And Won Hee-yeon, well…you’re just too conspicuous.”

It was a valid point. Son Yeo-il had brought a mask to conceal his face, but he hadn’t considered his attire, arriving in his usual full suit, which was inappropriate for the occasion.

And Won Hee-yeon’s clothing was his usual style. Oh Yu-na couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but if Won Hee-yeon entered the bar in his current state, people would mistake him for a gangster coming to collect protection money and clear out almost at once.

“I’m going to give you both a completely different look from usual. Disguise is essential for any undercover operation. I’ve already asked the director here and a stylist I know to help with a few things.”

However, Oh Yu-na’s eyes held not only a determined will to succeed but also pure enjoyment. Just as Son Yeo-il was about to voice his suspicion that she was planning to play dress-up with him and Won Hee-yeon, Won Hee-yeon quietly raised his hand.

“Excuse me. If we’re going to disguise ourselves, I think we should put Attorney Son in a printed shirt. Something silky and flowing. What do you think?”

Son Yeo-il had expected him to be angry about being cornered like this, but instead, Won Hee-yeon seized the opportunity and made a self-serving request with a gleam in his eyes. Oh Yu-na’s expression turned even more serious as she scrutinized Son Yeo-il’s face and the jay pattern shirt Won Hee-yeon was wearing.

“Oh. Like the Ver*sace-style shirt you’re wearing now? That could work…”

“Exactly. Attorney Son may not look like it, but he’s a very manly man, so I think pink would be perfect.”

Without regard for Son Yeo-il’s opinion, Won Hee-yeon and Oh Yu-na reached an agreement, and Won Hee-yeon turned to the makeup artist standing before him with a satisfied expression on his face.

“Alright, now that all the important stuff is settled, you can do whatever you want with my face, paint it, burn it, whatever. Oh, do I need to wash my hair first?”

Having traded the fate of his face for the chance to dress Son Yeo-il in a ridiculous shirt, Won Hee-yeon obediently moved to the shampoo chair as directed by the staff. Meanwhile, Son Yeo-il, left alone, was now helplessly a victim of their dress-up game.

The hair salon staff told him to close his eyes, then open them, to lower his head, then lift his chin, repeatedly applying light makeup and trimming his hair.

During this time, Won Hee-yeon returned to the seat next to Son Yeo-il. He couldn’t turn his head because he had been ordered not to move, but based on the voices he heard, Won Hee-yeon seemed to have already adapted to the things that apparently went on in a hair salon.

He’s even making jokes?

To be precise, Won Hee-yeon had grumbled quietly about being forced to endure this indignity, and the staff had giggled in response, but to Son Yeo-il’s ears, the conversation sounded quite friendly.

Yongju was a small provincial city with a significantly aging population, and Son Yeo-il had never seen Won Hee-yeon talking to a strange woman of that age before. Something was bubbling inside him, but he had to swallow it down.

Haa…Don’t worry about it. We decided to have a mature relationship.

Moreover, Son Yeo-il had been stern when Won Hee-yeon was jealous because of Oh Yu-na, so it would be too embarrassing for him to get angry in this type of situation.

While he struggled to suppress his sour expression, the hair styling and simple makeup were completed, and Son Yeo-il was led by the staff to the dressing room to change his clothes.

Wow, what is this shirt? It looks like it came straight out of Hee-yeon’s closet.

The pink silk shirt with a designer label was covered in a chaotic pattern of paisley and chains.

Son Yeo-il hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could really pull off such an outrageous outfit, but he reminded himself that this was part of the job and slipped into the shirt and wide-legged slacks.

No matter how he looked at it, he felt awkward, as if he were wearing someone else’s clothes, but since Son Yeo-il would never voluntarily wear something like this, the disguise would certainly be effective.

As he cautiously emerged from the dressing room, he saw Won Hee-yeon standing in front of the mirror, having also changed his clothes. At that moment, Son Yeo-il couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Wow.

Just as Oh Yu-na had promised, Won Hee-yeon looked completely different from anything Son Yeo-il had ever seen before. His hair, which he usually kept neatly slicked back with pomade, was styled to fall naturally back, and he was wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt and ripped jeans.

It was hard to believe that the clothes had been hastily procured, as the fit was perfect from head to toe. Son Yeo-il couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized, at the front of Won Hee-yeon’s t-shirt, which was slightly taut across his chest due to his muscles.

“Ah, perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

“Does the tattoo on my arm stand out too much? Should I try on a jacket?”

“Oh my, the jacket looks great too. Absolutely perfect.”

“Do you realize you’re repeating yourself? But it does look good, right?”

Won Hee-yeon, surrounded by chattering women, was putting on and taking off a blouson jacket with an expression of utter annoyance. Then, he suddenly turned his head, spotted Son Yeo-il, and clapped enthusiastically as he approached.

“Look at this! My goodness, the clothes have found their owner. It’s incredible, truly!”

Won Hee-yeon, leaving the bewildered Son Yeo-il standing in the middle, spun around him, admiring the front and back of Son Yeo-il in the printed shirt. Then, he turned to the stylist, Oh Yu-na’s acquaintance, and asked.

“Teacher, I want to buy this entire outfit that Attorney Son is wearing. How much would it cost me?”

“Excuse me? You’re quite the comedian, aren’t you? Hahaha.”

“No, I’m serious. How much is it?”

Won Hee-yeon, the self-proclaimed “man with nothing but money,” was completely serious. However, the staff seemed to think even his expression was a joke and burst into laughter.

The hair salon staff, having chosen Son Yeo-il as their next target, swarmed around him, fussing over his appearance and showering him with effusive praise, saying he looked like an idol and that he still exuded elegance even in such flamboyant clothes.

Son Yeo-il was mortified, but Won Hee-yeon simply nodded in agreement, as if everything they were saying was true. Then, the stylist asked, “How about this?” and placed a pair of clear glasses on Son Yeo-il’s face. Won Hee-yeon’s eyes widened, and he stepped forward.

“Wow. This teacher knows what they are doing. Oh my. What should I do with this? Attorney Son, stay right there.”

Won Hee-yeon positioned Son Yeo-il, wearing the glasses, under the lights and began snapping photos with his phone. Son Yeo-il, already feeling awkward in someone else’s clothes, couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, no matter how much praise he received.

“Does it look strange? Does it stand out too much?”

“Of course, it does. It stands out because you’re beautiful.”

“Do I look okay to you, Hee-yeon?”

“Oh my, what are you talking about? It’s not just okay, it’s like an angel descended into the salon.”

Son Yeo-il’s cheeks, which had been flushed since he saw Won Hee-yeon in the white t-shirt, finally turned as red as tomatoes. He covered his burning cheeks with his hands and whispered through his fingers.

“T-Thank you. Actually, I think Hee-yeon looks more like an idol.”

Despite everything, Son Yeo-il was a rather aloof and composed person, and he knew in his head that the probability of Won Hee-yeon, who was 36 years old, debuting as an idol was much lower than him, who started his studies as a mature student and going to law school at Korea University.

However, due to the power of infatuation, Son Yeo-il’s heart was overflowing, and he sincerely believed that he could place his boyfriend among the top idols without any sense of incongruity.

As the two men stood facing each other, scratching the backs of their heads, Oh Yu-na, who had heard the entire conversation, plugged her ears as if already tired of their lovey-dovey behavior and said.

“Ugh, yes, that’s enough. Shall we get going now?”

There was still some time left until the appointed meeting time that Koo Dae-hyun and his chat partner had set, but Won Hee-yeon and Son Yeo-il decided to lie low inside the bar in advance. It seemed better to blend in naturally with the crowd, and they also thought they might be able to glean information about Koo Dae-hyun from the regulars there.

Fortunately, the name ‘Sixnine’ was written in letters, not numbers. Beneath the glittering sign of the gay bar, the two men made a final check of their plan.

“Once we’re inside, we should act like we don’t know each other. Even with the disguises, Koo Dae-hyun might recognize us if we stick together.”

“But what if some wolves try to hit on my baby?”

‘That’s more of a concern for Hee-yeon,’ Son Yeo-il almost retorted sharply. Perhaps it was because they were near a gay bar, but several men had been glancing at them since earlier.

Unaware that Won Hee-yeon was thinking the exact opposite, Son Yeo-il believed that all the men were looking at Won Hee-yeon, not him.

He was about to get worked up again, but Son Yeo-il repeated his key phrases, ‘cool relationship’ and ‘mature relationship,’ in his mind and barely managed to reply calmly.

“That won’t happen. We’re just going to get the evidence and leave anyway. If a dangerous situation arises, I’ll call Hee-yeon. We’ll keep sharing updates via messenger.”

He thought Won Hee-yeon was listening intently because he was staring without moving, but as soon as Son Yeo-il finished speaking, Won Hee-yeon was quick to get flirty.

“Oh my, my baby is already sexy, but wearing this and those glasses just melts Won Hee-yeon’s heart. Say, would you mind wearing this outfit when we’re alone later?”

There was a strange nuance in the fingertips that gently stroked Son Yeo-il’s hair. Son Yeo-il had booked a rather nice hotel not far from the bar today.

The official plan was to stay at the hotel for one night, have a luxurious meal at a nearby restaurant tomorrow, and return to Yongju at a leisurely pace, but both of them secretly thought that even checking out on time would be impossible.

In this outfit? With Hee-yeon too?

The thought of being alone with Won Hee-yeon in his current state made him swallow hard. Son Yeo-il tried not to make too lecherous an expression as he stammered.

“Uh, hmm, um, but it’s borrowed clothes…Would that be okay?”

He didn’t add, ‘because they might get torn or torn off,’ as it might unnecessarily provoke Won Hee-yeon. However, Won Hee-yeon was a man of thorough preparation, even going so far as to put a waterproof pad on the bed in anticipation of his boyfriend’s visit.

“Oh my, did you think I was joking when I said I’d buy this whole outfit? I already sent the money to the stylist earlier, so don’t worry about it.”

Ah, so you did buy it. Then it’s okay if it gets torn or torn off! Son Yeo-il thought, but he kept the thought to himself, as it would be too provocative in this situation, and simply nodded silently.

With a determined resolve to quickly finish the operation and go to the hotel, Won Hee-yeon and Son Yeo-il entered the building one after the other.

The bar, located in the basement, required walking down a long corridor even after descending the stairs. Feeling slightly nervous, Son Yeo-il was walking through the dimly lit corridor when he spotted two men in a corner engaging in some very intimate skinship and was inwardly startled.

Wow, what is that? So that’s why Hee-yeon immediately said he’d come with me as soon as I mentioned going here.