#101

The child cheered at the sight of the beef. “Wow, wow.” He kept asking if we were going to eat all of this. As if he never got tired, he kept asking the same question, and when he got a yes, he exclaimed, “Oh yeah!” and ran around the floor.

“Can we really eat it all?”

“Of course. I bought the best part of Hanwoo just for our Ji-hye.”

In truth, it was bought for the man, but I mentioned the child to score some points. The man seemed very pleased, and his gaze towards Tae-heun became even more affectionate.

After sending the child off to wash up, the two stood side by side in front of the sink. Tae-heun washed the wrapping vegetables while the man chopped onions and garlic on the cutting board.

“It must have been really expensive; isn’t this a bit much?”

The man asked cautiously.

“We can afford this much.”

Tae-heun shouted.

“You’ve got a good girlfriend, Ki-beom. So go ahead and enjoy it. Since you’re at it, why not take off your pants more often too?”

He even threw in a cheeky joke. Instead of blushing, the man just chuckled lightly.

After finishing chopping an onion, the man hurriedly closed his eyes. His eyelids were tightly shut, and moisture gathered around his eyes. His long eyelashes, wet from the water, trembled slightly.

“Ki-beom, let me see. I told you I was chopping onions. Wait, I’ll wipe it for you.”

He quickly grabbed a towel and wiped the man’s tears, gently caressing around his eyes.

He leaned in close to the man.

“Now, open your eyes.”

The man slowly opened his eyes. His dark, wet pupils looked directly at Tae-heun.

Tae-heun barely restrained the desire to kiss the man. A kiss might be too much, but a peck should be fine. No way would Tae-heun be eavesdropping on the entire house; it was questionable whether the prosecution and police even had the budget and manpower for that.

How far was too far? He pondered internally. Just then, the child appeared.

“Father, I’m all washed up!”

He came running, not even drying his hair properly.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

The man snatched the towel from Tae-heun’s hand and dried the child’s hair. He meticulously dried the wet hair and wiped down the damp arms and legs. The child beamed with a big smile.

Tae-heun looked up at the ceiling. If he had installed a device, the old fluorescent light would have been perfect. It was right in the center and easy to hide. He thought about searching thoroughly on a day when the man wasn’t around.

“Uncle, what are you looking at?”

The child asked, looking up at the ceiling.

“I was wondering if it was time to change the fluorescent light.”

“It’s fine.”

“Yeah, it is fine.”

He said something trivial and reached out to pat the child’s head. The child quickly dodged. Then he stuck out his tongue. Tae-heun followed suit and stuck out his tongue too.

“Father, should we set the table on the floor?”

The child asked the man. But without waiting for an answer, he dashed to the floor, set up the table, and placed the utensils. The man looked down at the child with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had beef.”

He said, as if to explain to Tae-heun. He smiled awkwardly.

As far as Tae-heun could remember, the man had never cooked meat for him. The only meat dish he had made was a beef soup for Tae-heun. This meant that their living situation was not easy.

“That may be true, but even if he just boils ramen, he acts like that.”

Tae-heun said nonchalantly. What was the big deal about meat? There was no reason for the man to feel embarrassed.

In response to Tae-heun’s words, the man slowly said, “That’s true.”

“Even if he just boils ramen, he acts like that.”

The man echoed Tae-heun’s words softly. His face flushed as if he had heard something profound.

The man locked eyes with Tae-heun, looking at him with curiosity.

“How did you come up with that thought?”

He asked in a trembling voice.

“What do you mean?”

Tae-heun was puzzled about what the man was asking.

“That statement. Saying he acts like that even if he just boils ramen.”

“Isn’t it the truth?”

“…It is, but still.”

“What do you mean, still? Did you like that statement that much?”

“Yes!”

He answered cheerfully but then blushed.

“Ki-beom, you’re surprisingly bland.”

Tae-heun teased the man with a smile.

“Hurry up and eat the meat. Ji-hye will be waiting.”

He nudged the man and gestured towards the child.

“Yes. Right.”

The man smiled brightly.

So handsome.

Tae-heun admired him, watching his busy back as he moved around.

The man took out the burner and frying pan from the cupboard. While he set the table, Tae-heun gathered the meat and wrapping vegetables. They each scooped a bowl of rice and prepared various dipping sauces. The sesame oil used for the salt sauce smelled so savory that it made his mouth water.

While waiting for the frying pan to heat up, the child began to shake his legs impatiently.

“Okay, the meat is going on.”

Tae-heun declared grandly as he picked up a piece of meat with tongs. The child clasped his hands together as if in prayer. Playfully, he said, “Amen.” The man shook his head at the child and Tae-heun with an expression that said he couldn’t help it. Laughter filled the faces of the three. It was a perfect moment.

The uninvited guest had impeccable timing. Just as the meat touched the frying pan, before they could savor the sound, the front door swung open.

“Ji-hye, Uncle is here!”

It was Detective Oh.

He made a loud entrance with empty hands. Tae-heun frowned without realizing it. He knew he would show up soon, but why now of all times? He shuddered at the thought.

Even the child and the man, who were inseparable from Detective Oh, froze for a moment at his sudden visit.

“Uncle!”

But the child was quicker than the man. He called out to Detective Oh in a loud voice and ran down to the yard. Then he hugged Detective Oh tightly.

“Oh my, our Ji-hye. You seem to have grown bigger.”

Detective Oh patted the child and then lifted him up. The child let out a delighted scream.

Thanks to the child’s exuberance, the man quickly regained his composure.

“Brother, welcome. We were just about to have dinner, and this is perfect.”

The man greeted him as warmly as he could.

“Uncle, we’re having beef!”

“Beef? Why beef all of a sudden?”

Detective Oh quickly came to the floor and inspected the meat first.

“It doesn’t look like American beef. Is it Hanwoo?”

As if he couldn’t believe the man would buy something like this, he asked Tae-heun. His lips, which were moist and purple, looked greedy.

“Yes! The uncle bought it!”

The child answered in his stead.

“I must be lucky to eat this.”

And just like that, Detective Oh squeezed himself into the spot facing the man.

“That’s my spot.”

“Is it?”

But Detective Oh only replied like that and had no intention of moving aside. Instead, he pushed Tae-heun’s bowl and spoon aside. Caught off guard by the unexpected loss of his spot, Tae-heun had no choice but to sit across from the child.

The light-footed man quickly got up and prepared a bowl of rice and spoon for Detective Oh.

There was a reason Detective Oh insisted on sitting in front of the man this time. He knew the man would be grilling the meat.

“Oh, don’t even get me started. Those bastards even rummaged through the cushion shop we visited, not to mention the piggy banks and the girls’ bras and panties. Maybe because they were working girls, but the panties smelled good.”

He had no filter even in front of the child.

“Thanks to that thorough search, we recovered everything except for three pieces. If we managed to recover 99% in half a day, that’s impressive, right? But those three pieces, oh, how they complained. That guy is just narrow-minded by nature.”

Earlier, he had been all sentimental, but now Detective Oh was badmouthing the wolves. He kept talking without pause while putting the still bloody beef into his mouth. He acted as if he had accomplished something great, having just cleaned up after his junior.

“Hanwoo is the best.”

He didn’t forget to add that.

“Why aren’t you eating? It’s incredibly delicious.”

He urged Tae-heun to try it, even though he was devouring it all himself. It wasn’t even sashimi, but he was eating it almost raw. Watching him eat so greedily made Tae-heun lose his appetite. He wanted to get up from the table immediately, but he couldn’t let the child go hungry.

While playing a game of wits with Detective Oh, Tae-heun placed some meat on the child’s rice. The child was so grateful that it made Tae-heun feel a bit guilty.

Still, the child managed to eat a few pieces of meat, while the man was too busy grilling meat to even take a breath. He was sweating profusely.

“Ki-beom, you should eat too.”

Tae-heun picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and brought it to the man’s mouth, but he just shook his head. The man said, “Director, please eat.” In front of Detective Oh, Tae-heun became ‘Director’ instead of ‘Tae-heun.’ It felt awful.

“Shall we have bibim-guksu for dessert?”

Detective Oh, who had just devoured a whole pound of beef, said this to the man, who was about to grill meat for the child. It was a question, but it was clear he wanted it served quickly.

“Are you not full?”

Tae-heun asked with a displeased expression. But Detective Oh, feeling good and having had some beer, didn’t care about anyone else’s feelings.

“There’s always room for dessert.”

He laughed heartily, patting his belly.

Tae-heun found it unbearable. Internally, he repeated ‘patience’ dozens of times.

While the man boiled the noodles, Tae-heun finished feeding the child. The child, who had been worried about his father not eating any meat, was now completely absorbed in the beef, busy putting the barely bloodied meat into his mouth like Detective Oh.

Unconsciously, Tae-heun said things like, “You’re eating well, our Ji-hye,” or “Make sure to chew it well,” as he diligently fed the child. By the time the small body had eaten over half a pound of beef and put down the chopsticks, the man brought out the bibim-guksu.

Detective Oh finished a bowl of noodles in just five bites and let out a loud burp.

Damn it. It was disgusting.

“Brother, would you like some coffee?”

“I’ve had enough coffee, so I’m not in the mood for it….”

He would eat whatever was given to him. Damn it.

Tae-heun had to try hard not to curse out loud. He just glared at the empty air.

“Then how about some Sikhye?”

“Oh, that sounds good. Give me Sikhye, and the Director…”

“I’m fine.”

Instead, the child chimed in, “Father, me too.”

The man and Tae-heun finished their meal without even tasting the meat.

Tae-heun didn’t eat because he lost his appetite due to Detective Oh, but the man had no time to eat because he was busy serving Detective Oh. Fortunately, there was enough meat left for the two of them to eat later. He thought he would eat after putting the child to bed.

Of course, there was a variable. If Detective Oh said he would stay the night, the man would gladly offer his room, and then there would be no chance for the two of them to eat the meat late at night.

Just try to stay over; I’ll smash your head with an axe.

He gritted his teeth.