#21

The man carefully dried his wet body with a towel. He didn’t care whether Tae-heun was watching or not.

“Is there time to go to town?”

Tae-heun asked as he slipped his feet into his beach sandals.

“No. That seems a bit difficult.”

“I figured as much. I saw a place selling duck soup last time; do you want to go there?”

“…Yes.”

Whether it was because he had gotten used to Tae-heun or because there was a master present, the dogs in the yard remained indifferent even when they saw Tae-heun. They should have acted like this from the start; why did they jump up on the porch earlier and scare him?

The man stood in front of the faucet in an ambiguous posture, neither washing nor not washing his body.

Tae-heun walked ahead to the gate.

“Let’s go. We’re taking Ki-beom’s truck, right?”

“Yes.”

Only then did the man follow Tae-heun.

The sun was unbearably hot. Even after just a short walk, sweat trickled down his back. He wondered if the man, exposed to the sun without clothes, felt anything at all.

“Don’t you get sunburned walking around like that?”

He hadn’t meant to hint that the man should put on clothes, but it seemed he misunderstood. Instead of answering, the man slipped his arms into the black T-shirt he was holding and pulled it over his head in one motion. His well-defined chest muscles and ribs moved fluidly. What he thought was a thick waist appeared quite slender when he raised his arms. Sweat droplets fell on his brown skin.

“I just turn red. I’ve never tanned like Ki-beom. I just get bright red and then my skin peels off, which feels just like a snake shedding its skin. It stings so much.”

Tae-heun pointed to his own face as if to justify himself.

“…Yes.”

The man didn’t even look at Tae-heun as he settled into the driver’s seat.

“What is this, not even talking to myself?”

Tae-heun grumbled as he got into the passenger seat.

The truck rattled along the narrow country road. The air conditioning was on, but it was hardly refreshing. He picked up one of the paper fans scattered on the dashboard and waved it, then offered it to the man. The tips of the man’s ears turned red. Finding it amusing, Tae-heun diligently fanned him without being asked.

The man seemed to be blushing all the way to the duck soup restaurant. The redness that started at the tips of his ears traveled down his neck and around his collar. It was likely that it had reached his chest as well.

Perhaps the embarrassment was contagious, as Tae-heun felt heat rising in his own ears and neck. Even though no one had asked, he made an effort to explain, “Maybe it’s just hot; I’m feeling warm.”

The duck soup restaurant was packed with large groups of customers.

“Looking at Koreans, they really put their lives on the line for food. You can eat anywhere, so why come crawling to this remote village?”

Tae-heun grumbled and shouted towards the inside, “Two here!”

The restaurant didn’t have separate tables; they sat on the floor with a table spread out. The counter was hastily set up with a desk right in front of the floor. Next to the counter was an old-fashioned orange public phone.

The staff at the soup restaurant skillfully prepared a two-person serving for Tae-heun and the man. As soon as they sat down, side dishes were brought out on a silver platter. The side dishes consisted of radish kimchi, regular kimchi, chili peppers, and soybean paste. Salt and pepper shakers were taken from the tables of the people sitting next to them. Soon, two steaming hot stone pots were placed in front of Tae-heun and the man.

After sprinkling salt and pepper, the man stirred the broth and tasted it with a spoon. It seemed to be perfectly seasoned, as he reached into the bubbling pot without hesitation.

“No, Ki-beom. Your hands.”

Before Tae-heun could stop him, the man casually grabbed a piece of duck meat with his hands and tore it apart. A substantial leg was in the man’s hand. It disappeared into his mouth just like that.

Normally, he would have been disgusted, but he found himself salivating. Even though he had been sitting all morning, he was hungry. It was a rare occurrence.

When he was Lee Seon-jae, he was someone who had no greed for food. “He has a small appetite” was one of the typical phrases used to describe Lee Seon-jae. But since becoming Kim Tae-heun, his appetite had surged unexpectedly. Was it because of the name? Or perhaps his uncle had starved to death? Lost in such useless thoughts, Tae-heun also picked up a piece of duck meat with his hands. It was hot, but he pretended it wasn’t.

The meat was tender, and even without salt or pepper, it was just right for his taste.

“This place is delicious. It’s worth coming here, right?”

Tae-heun said as he tore into the leg meat.

“Do they raise the ducks here? How can it be so chewy?”

“There’s a duck farm behind.”

“Oh. So that’s why it’s so tasty. It’s definitely different.”

Tae-heun marveled. The broth was so rich and light that he kept spooning it into his mouth while sweating profusely.

“Ji-hye’s father. What brings you here at this hour? Isn’t today the day to harvest melons at the Jo’s?”

One of the customers greeted the man.

“I just finished work. I have a lunch appointment.”

At the man’s words, the old man looked at Tae-heun.

“Oh. You’re the one who came from Seoul?”

“Yes.”

“You’re quite handsome; the rumors were true. They say you used to be an actor. Is that right?”

The old man asked Tae-heun.

“Did the rumors spread that far? I’m not an actor, but I was briefly involved in the entertainment industry.”

Tae-heun casually lied, matching the old man’s rhythm. After exchanging a few more words, the old man returned to his seat.

“Ji-hye’s father. This is chicken gizzard sent from that table. They said to have it as a palate cleanser.”

In an instant, a hand reached out to the plate and disappeared.

Curious about which table it was, he turned around to see an old man with a face flushed from day drinking waving his hand. The man bowed his head in acknowledgment.

“Do you know him?”

“Yes. He’s the distant cousin of Mr. Jeong from the front village.”

It was a small town where he knew not only distant relatives but also the distant cousin of a complete stranger.

“By the way, they’re serving chicken gizzards at a duck restaurant.”

“They raise chickens too.”

The man replied nonchalantly as he popped a gizzard into his mouth.

With the old man as a starting point, a chaotic meal continued. Many old men approached the man to chat or greet him. After exchanging pleasantries, they each threw in a word about their own affairs. It became clear why the man’s schedule was so packed.

While the old men spoke to the man, their gazes were fixed on Tae-heun, repeatedly assessing his background before moving on.

Whatever the village chief had said, most of them understood Tae-heun to be someone preparing to be an actor. Some even thought he was a writer, while others mistook him for a wealthy young man who roamed around looking at land with his parents’ money. Since they were people he would never see again, he responded to them with lies. The man, knowing that Tae-heun was lying, didn’t correct or interrupt him.

Just as they were finishing their meal, Tae-heun’s phone vibrated. Having completely forgotten about his phone due to the poor signal, he was startled without realizing it. He took out his black phone from his back pocket and opened the folder. The man watched him closely.

It was Detective Oh.

Is it a good time to talk?

“Yes. Just a moment.”

Tae-heun asked for the man’s understanding and stepped outside with his phone. A few waiting customers glanced at the restaurant, wondering if a seat had opened up when they saw Tae-heun coming out.

Were you aware of the Pangyo fraud case?

Without any pleasantries typical of Detective Oh, he jumped straight to the point.

“Yes. And?”

He adjusted his grip on the phone. He could hear a sigh from the other end.

It turns out that the chief of the Gyeonggi Police’s in-laws were involved. To be precise, it’s the pastor’s brother-in-law.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

He couldn’t understand why Detective Oh was so agitated. This was a fraud committed by Lee Hyun-joon against his own father. The biggest victim was none other than Ilgwang Financial. Even if the chief of the Gyeonggi Police was involved, he would be a perpetrator, not a victim.

How much do you know?

“I know that Lee Hyun-joon lied about being defrauded and pocketed 3 billion won. Thanks to my uncle turning a blind eye, it didn’t show up in our accounting books. It seems they handled it as quietly as possible.”

This had happened while Lee Seon-jae was busy managing the VIPs’ accounts. With the help of the advisory lawyer, tax accountant, and accountants responsible for Ilgwang’s financial management, his uncle had manipulated the books. He could have found out if he wanted to, but at the time, his uncle was being so secretive, and he himself had already accepted that he would die soon, so he didn’t pay much attention.

The total amount of damage is a staggering 10 billion won. There are several other victims besides Ilgwang, including the chief of the Gyeonggi Police’s in-laws. That person’s loss is said to be 2 billion won, 2 billion.

Detective Oh sighed.

You really don’t know much, do you? You haven’t been involved at all, have you?

“Yes.”

You haven’t given any advice or anything like that?

This time, Tae-heun sighed.

“Detective Oh, what exactly is the reason you’re telling me this?”

The atmosphere felt tense, but he couldn’t understand why this was related to Lee Hyun-joon’s fraud and him. Detective Oh paused for a moment, then calmed his excitement and spoke in a steady voice.

The chief of the Gyeonggi Police is a childhood friend of the Seoul Police chief. They’re like blood brothers. According to rumors going around, they’re so close that they would sacrifice their lives for each other. It seems that the chief of the Gyeonggi Police personally asked the Seoul Police chief about this matter. He wanted them to catch those bastards. Even if they can’t recover the money, he wants all the related parties to be put behind bars.

As Detective Oh spoke, Tae-heun walked as far away from the restaurant as possible. A vast rice field spread out before him. It was all green. He put a cigarette in his mouth.