#68

Sitting in the pub until 8 o’clock, wasting time with trivial conversations, Detective Oh made a call somewhere and then flashed a sly smile.

“Let’s go out. The real deal starts now.”

“It’s the countryside, do you think there are any decent people around?”

Detective Park interjected.

“Hey, don’t underestimate the countryside. There are quite a few good folks, even if they can’t compare to Seoul.”

It was obvious where they were headed, even without asking.

Suddenly, I thought of the youth association president. A man who was very interested in entertainment but was too scared to venture into Seoul, a confirmed bachelor.

“Detective Oh, are you close with Brother Ki-cheol?”

Ta-heun asked.

“Ki-cheol?”

Detective Oh seemed to not understand who Ta-heun was referring to, perhaps due to the unexpected question. When I clarified that it was the youth association president, he finally acknowledged it with an “Ah.”

“I can say we’re close. We’re the same age and went to the same school all the way through high school.”

“Really? I can’t imagine that.”

Detective Oh laughed at Ta-heun’s words.

“That guy may not be much now, but he was quite the catch back in high school.”

You don’t believe it? he asked.

“He had quite a few girls following him. He dressed pretty well, you know.”

Since he still dressed well, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.

“But why hasn’t he gotten married?”

As any man in South Korea would know, even with some flaws, marriage was possible in this country. Although a trend against marrying rural bachelors had recently formed, it wasn’t the case in the early 80s when Detective Oh was in his 20s. Moreover, a healthy high school graduate could easily get married regardless of background.

“He’s just too picky. How can he get married when he only looks for pretty girls like celebrities? Twenty years ago, his family was quite well-off. They were probably the second richest in Dongjam-ri after the president’s family. His grandfather was a big shot in the village, so there were tons of marriage proposals coming in. There were quite a few pretty girls too. But that guy was so picky. Ugh.”

Detective Oh expressed his frustration.

“That guy must be regretting it a lot now. By the way, why haven’t you gotten married, Chief? I’ve never heard you have a girlfriend.”

The conversation turned back to Ta-heun.

Ta-heun smiled ambiguously. Since he had never thought about marriage after growing up, there was no topic more boring than that.

“I’ve had plenty of girlfriends. It’s just that there hasn’t been a woman worth marrying.”

“Ha, this is why good-looking people have problems. Women cling to them so much that they lose their desperation.”

Detective Park chimed in, grumbling. Detective Oh laughed heartily in agreement.

“Actually, if you’re too good-looking, women tend to feel burdened, you know?”

Ta-heun feigned humility.

“Chief, don’t be too picky. You may not look like Ki-cheol, but there’s a time for everything. Dong-hee, you too, man, find a bride cheaply and get married.”

“Hey, am I the only one who has to get married? There has to be a woman first.”

Detective Park grumbled.

“Chief, please teach this guy some dating skills. I mean, he looks fine, but when he’s in front of a woman, he turns into a goat, trembling all over. You’d think he stutters.”

“Really? He doesn’t seem like that at all to me.”

“Oh, don’t even mention it. Just seeing a skirt makes him all jittery.”

At this point, Detective Oh exaggeratedly shivered. Detective Park didn’t refute his words, merely scratching his head awkwardly.

I thought none of the three were normal. One was suddenly infatuated with a towering man, another was living alone after a divorce, and the last one stuttered in front of women.

“Is this a gathering of flawed men? I want to back out, but I can’t in good conscience.”

The three laughed loudly.

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

“This is a room salon that’s somewhat recognized around here. The kids are decent enough to come all the way from other towns. Their skills are good too.”

Detective Oh said proudly.

“Eh, even if it’s recognized, a countryside room salon is still just that. Chief, don’t get your hopes up too high.”

Detective Park was skeptical.

“This guy is something else. Then you go home, man. What are you following us for?”

“Oh come on, don’t be like that. Who said I didn’t want to come? If it weren’t for you, I’d never get to see a place like this. Right?”

Detective Park pouted, clinging to Detective Oh’s arm.

“You disgusting bastard.”

Even as he said that, Detective Oh didn’t shake off Detective Park’s arm.

The rabbit and the turtle.

Ta-heun found himself smiling subtly as he unconsciously recalled the code names of the two.

The two detectives, who had been alternating between leading and following, disappeared into the basement. Ta-heun followed them down the stairs.

It was unexpected to run into Kwon Yong-jun. And in a room salon, no less. It was Detective Oh who recognized Kwon Yong-jun first, not Ta-heun. He was standing at the entrance of the room salon, seemingly just arrived, waiting for the waiter’s guidance.

“Yong-jun, what brings you here at this hour?”

Kwon Yong-jun was with two men who seemed to be his companions.

“Hello, hyung.”

Kwon Yong-jun glanced at Ta-heun and awkwardly greeted Detective Oh.

“When did you come down?”

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

Detective Oh mumbled vaguely.

“By the way, you two know each other, right?”

At Detective Oh’s words, Ta-heun greeted Kwon Yong-jun first, saying, “Hyung, how have you been?” Kwon Yong-jun responded with a somewhat reluctant expression.

Since that incident, they hadn’t met even once in the village, so I was curious about how he had been. Kwon Yong-jun still had bruises on his face, but they didn’t look severe enough to make him frown. To an outsider, it would seem like a bruise from bumping into something. I thought he must have avoided hitting visible areas even in a state of rage and smiled. I didn’t feel sorry at all.

“Hey, Nam Ji-hoon. Jo Mu-seong, aren’t you going to greet him?”

Detective Oh acknowledged Kwon Yong-jun’s companions. They hurriedly bowed their heads and forced smiles.

Detective Oh’s gaze shifted from a tall, skinny man to the other one. The other man, of medium height and decent build, had a vibe that was quite different from the other two. He looked like a country slacker but exuded a dangerous aura typical of violent individuals.

“Ji-hoon, when did you get out?”

Ta-heun’s intuition was spot on.

“Three months ago.”

Even though he heard the word “released” in front of strangers, Nam Ji-hoon didn’t seem to care. Moreover, he smiled broadly and openly scanned Ta-heun. There was a strange glint in his eyes.

Ta-heun knew well about this type. They might seem decent and easy to talk to at first, but the more you got to know them, the more unpredictable they became. Not to mention they were perverted, and they had a strange stubbornness that made them troublesome to deal with.

“Let’s grab a drink later.”

“Sure. Have a good time.”

Nam Ji-hoon bowed at a 90-degree angle, greeting with exaggerated politeness. A guy who wasn’t even a radish pretended to be one. Ta-heun raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“But you guys have been hanging out since middle school. Aren’t you tired of it?”

“The more I see them, the more I get attached, why?”

“Come on, if you can’t even say that. Anyway, have fun. Be polite, got it?”

“Yes.”

The waiter, who had been waiting for the conversation to end, quickly led Kwon Yong-jun’s group to a room.

“Hyung, let’s have a drink sometime. I have some personal apologies to make.”

Ta-heun shouted loudly at Kwon Yong-jun’s back. Kwon Yong-jun turned around. His eyes widened in surprise, as if he didn’t expect Ta-heun to say that, but he soon nodded. Nam Ji-hoon’s persistent gaze followed. Ta-heun winked at him and turned away.

It was obvious that Nam Ji-hoon shared the same tastes as Kwon Yong-jun. In other words, he was a guy who loved cock. I didn’t care whether they were hooking up or having a fight, but I at least hoped they hadn’t done anything suspicious to Yoon Ki-beom. Otherwise, I would kill them.

“Oh, Manager Oh? Shall we go in too?”

A woman in her late 30s wearing high heels, who had been outside, linked her arm with Detective Oh’s. Her voice was overflowing with charm. Detective Park, who had shrunk back, followed the two like a boy who had just been scolded. Ta-heun briefly glanced at the room where Kwon Yong-jun’s group had entered before moving toward the room where his group was.

It felt like the interior of the room salon was so uniform that it could have been written in the South Korean Constitution that it couldn’t operate otherwise. Whether it was a top-notch place in Seoul or one in a rural town, they all looked the same. It was tiresome.

Before Ta-heun could even sit down, Detective Park stopped Detective Oh from calling the girls.

“Hyung, please call me when you’ve had a few drinks. Please.”

His pleading expression was amusing. The woman sitting closely next to Detective Oh smiled brightly at Detective Park, saying, “How cute.” Even under the red lights, it was clear that Detective Park was flustered.

“What should we do?”

Detective Oh asked Ta-heun.

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

When Ta-heun sided with Detective Park, he was very grateful. The woman looked at Ta-heun with curious eyes.

“Hey, Madam, stop staring at our manager. His face will wear out.”

Detective Oh teased the woman, laughing heartily.

“Oh, come on, boss. Where else can I see such a handsome oppa? I should enjoy the view while I can, right?”

The madam winked at Ta-heun. Not minding it, Ta-heun winked back. The woman smiled, showing her teeth.

“Hey, Madam, you should go out too.”

“Me? Why?”

The woman acted coy.

“Mi-young, you know I don’t like repeating myself.”

Detective Oh said sternly. The madam, named Mi-young, pouted and reluctantly got up.

“See you again, handsome oppa.”

She waved goodbye to Ta-heun as she left.

Soon, the waiter came in and set the table. With just the three of them left, Detective Park quickly prepared a bomb shot. For a guy who turned into a goat in front of women, his skill in making drinks was impressive. Detective Oh cheered, and Ta-heun enjoyed it too.

They mixed bomb shots with whiskey and beer, chatting about all sorts of lewd topics and making silly jokes. The three of them had a pretty good time, losing track of time. If the madam hadn’t come in and asked, “What about the girls?” they would have probably kept partying all night.