#104

An awkward silence lingered. There was an unspoken pressure that seemed to urge him to leave. Detective Oh, who was perceptive, surely understood this. He exclaimed, “Oh my, this sweet rice drink is really delicious,” downing the remaining drink in one go before abruptly standing up.

“Why are you leaving already? Don’t you want to stay a bit longer?”

Jo Young-ae said something she didn’t really mean.

“Oh, I’ve been here for a while. I have to get to work too.”

As Detective Oh prepared to leave, Jo Young-ae, as if she had been waiting for this moment, brought up the sweet rice drink again.

“Wait a moment. I’ll pack some sweet rice drink for you.”

Saying this, she smiled sweetly at Tae-heun as well.

“Mother! I only need one bottle!”

Detective Oh shouted towards the kitchen, worried she might pack too much.

Jo Young-ae went back and forth to a small room next to the kitchen, bringing out six bottles of sweet rice drink. It seemed there was a freezer, as they were all frozen solid.

“Two bottles are for Daehong, and these four bottles are for you, Tae-heun.”

She carefully wrapped the plastic bottles in a bag and handed them to the two men.

“Oh, one bottle is enough.”

“One bottle feels too impersonal. Take two. Tae-heun, you got four bottles; is that okay? Should I get you more?”

“No, four bottles are more than enough, ma’am.”

Tae-heun accepted the bag of sweet rice drink with a bow. Detective Oh chuckled at the sight and mimicked a similar gesture. He acted playfully in front of his friend’s mother. Naturally, Jo Young-ae burst into laughter, not forgetting to give Detective Oh a playful slap on the back. The awkward atmosphere had transformed into one of intimacy.

Just as Jo Young-ae was about to see the two off in this cheerful mood.

“Oh, right. Ma’am, could you please give me the bill for Ki-beom? I almost forgot the most important thing because I was so distracted by your sweet rice drink.”

Tae-heun exaggeratedly said as if he had just remembered. Jo Young-ae’s face instantly hardened.

“Oh, that? Why would you need that, Tae-heun?”

She was indeed receiving the man’s mail at this house.

“I was supposed to pick it up at the end of last month, but it seems Ki-beom forgot.”

“Ah….”

He had guessed correctly, and this too hit the mark. Tae-heun, who had planned to say he was mistaken if the man had already taken it, felt a surge of confidence.

“Anyway, people can be so sharp with their work but are often weak when it comes to finances. They don’t realize that prolonged delays can lead to bad outcomes. Right, ma’am?”

As Tae-heun gossiped about the man, Jo Young-ae reluctantly agreed.

“…Yes, well. That’s true.”

“Wait a moment. Does Ki-beom receive his mail here?”

Detective Oh, who had been observing their conversation, frowned and asked Jo Young-ae.

“Uh? Uh-oh. He can be a bit scatterbrained. Just like the manager said, he often forgets to pay his utility bills.”

“Ugh, does he really leave that here? That guy has no shame.”

Detective Oh expressed his frustration as if it were his own issue.

“Oh, it’s not like that. I told him to do it. Remember a few years ago when he almost got his electricity cut off for not paying? It was summer, thank goodness; imagine if it had been winter. The house is already isolated, and how shocked would Ji-hye have been? So I told him to leave it to me.”

“Really? So you’ve been taking care of it for years?”

Jo Young-ae, who had been explaining herself earnestly, suddenly realized something.

“Oh, it’s not like I’m taking care of it. I just pass it on to Ki-beom when it comes along with our mail. It’s not a difficult task, and it gives me a chance to see Ki-beom’s face, which is nice.”

Jo Young-ae waved her hands dismissively as if it were no big deal, forcing a smile. Detective Oh still wore a discontented expression.

This was something Detective Oh didn’t know.

Tae-heun looked down at the man in front of him with curious eyes.

When he had called Kwon Il-taek yesterday, he had thought he was in the same boat as Kwon Il-taek, but it seemed he knew almost nothing about the man’s affairs, including financial matters. Yet, it didn’t seem like they were entirely unrelated either.

Detective Oh, who had started as a patrol officer in Hwangmu-eup, had now become a veteran detective in the violent crimes unit in Seoul. However, even after more than 15 years away from his hometown, he still wielded power in this area while handling Detective Park’s cases. While he might have had help from a friend in the precinct, that power likely didn’t stem solely from his job as a police officer. Tae-heun was genuinely curious about how deeply Detective Oh was entangled with this family.

“It seems you’ve been quite busy, ma’am. Ki-beom forgot, and you almost forgot too.”

Tae-heun interjected playfully.

Jo Young-ae glared at him, seemingly displeased with his comment.

“Mother, please don’t accept things like this anymore. Ji-hye is grown up now. If her father forgets, she’ll take care of it herself. She’s very smart.”

Detective Oh, oblivious to the situation, chimed in.

“Right. Well, let’s discuss it a bit.”

“Oh, don’t discuss it. Just tell him to receive it at his own house from now on. If he has any conscience, he’ll agree. Honestly, both you and the chairman are too soft-hearted; it’s a problem!”

The more Detective Oh pushed, the darker Jo Young-ae’s expression became. While he was genuinely trying to help her, she surely didn’t appreciate his meddling.

“Oh, fine. You said you have to get to work, right? You’ll be late, so hurry up and go.”

She pushed Detective Oh’s back as if to shoo him away.

“Ma’am, what about the mail?”

“Oh my. I almost forgot again. I’ve been like this lately.”

Jo Young-ae hurriedly moved towards the inner room.

“Ma’am, there are other bills besides the utilities, right?”

Tae-heun shouted from behind. Jo Young-ae turned around sharply.

“Please give me those too. I don’t think Ki-beom will have time to come by later.”

As Tae-heun added this, she reluctantly replied, “…Alright,” and disappeared into the inner room.

“Ugh, that Ki-beom. I really need to say something to him.”

Detective Oh grumbled.

“No, there’s someone else who should be asked to receive it. What on earth is he thinking?”

He muttered loudly, showing displeasure as if a servant had made an unreasonable request to the master.

What does that man think of men?

It didn’t feel like the simple disdain or exclusion that young men often showed. He disliked them. Yes, Detective Oh disliked men. For him to trust Tae-heun enough to leave him in his care, he should have had a fair amount of faith, yet his words and actions were closer to distrust than trust. He entrusted someone important to a person he didn’t trust. Why? The situation was peculiar.

The more he learned, the more it felt like a riddle. The relationship between the man and Detective Oh, and the dynamics of this household were all mysteries.

Tae-heun was itching to unravel the secrets.

A considerable amount of time passed, and Jo Young-ae still hadn’t come out. He wondered if she was making a phone call somewhere. Surely, she wouldn’t be calling the man. Just in case, he thought of excuses.

Detective Oh kept glancing at his watch.

“If you’re busy, you can go ahead.”

“No, I have plenty of time. But it’s taking quite a while.”

“Indeed. It hasn’t been long since we were here.”

Tae-heun deliberately chimed in.

The two stood there blankly, staring at the inner room.

How long had they been standing like that?

Jo Young-ae emerged from the room holding a yellow envelope. Her once gentle face now looked strained as she forced a smile.

“Well then, be careful on your way.”

Without a word, Jo Young-ae handed the envelope to Tae-heun and ushered the two men out.

As Detective Oh stepped out of the house, he tilted his head in confusion.

“Is something wrong with the ma’am?”

He said something completely off the mark.

Tae-heun chuckled softly as he tucked the rather thick envelope under his arm.

The two men got into the car, each holding a bag of sweet rice drink.

“Thanks to the manager, we got the sweet rice drink, so it’s a good harvest.”

Detective Oh, who had been frowning over the man’s affairs just moments ago, smiled with a friendly face.

“Please behave yourself. There isn’t much time left. Understood?”

After dropping Tae-heun off in front of the village hall, Detective Oh left for Seoul, giving him advice akin to that of an accomplice.

After placing the sweet rice drink in the freezer of the youth association office, Tae-heun called a taxi and headed into town. In the taxi, he pondered over a secret place where he could spend time alone, one that could help him unravel the various mysteries surrounding himself and the man.

A motel. That was the first place that came to mind. The very place where he had spent his first night with the man, Room 501 of the Lucky Motel. Coincidentally, it was also the room closest to the emergency exit.

Fortunately, the room was available. He immediately settled the payment for two weeks and received the key. He then contacted his accomplice to book Room 401 in the same motel as a secondary room. It was risky to have only one hideout. Renting two rooms under the same name was equally dangerous. The accomplice replied that he would come by tomorrow. Thus, Tae-heun had a new hideout.

In less than 30 minutes, Room 501 was filled with cigarette smoke. Various bills and reminders stamped with red ink were scattered haphazardly on the bed alongside the yellow envelope.