#116

“Hey, Ki-beom. Should we… um, take a… con…dom… with us?”

Tae-heun asked very carefully. This time, he looked around, checking if anyone was listening nearby. Only the man and Tae-heun were in front of the community center.

“It’s not like I brought them with that in mind, but I packed a few when I came down here from Seoul. You know, since we’re a bit bigger in size.”

He was about to say my thing was big, but changed it to we. He rambled on with excuses.

Man’s face turned red in an instant. The colorful face became even more flushed.

“Ah…”

man stopped walking. He seemed unsure of what to do and clutched his jacket.

“Just in case, I’ll pack one as a spare.”

man didn’t answer.

“Huh? Should I pack it?”

Growing impatient, he asked again. the man still didn’t reply, and Tae-heun could see the strength in his hand gripping the jacket.

Does he not want to? Did I get ahead of myself?

Still, can’t we even talk about this much between us?

Tae-heun waited for Man’s lips to part, but the closed lips showed no sign of opening.

“If Ki-beom doesn’t want to, I’ll leave it behind.”

He said something he didn’t mean.

“Should I pack it?”

He asked one more time, still feeling regretful. In truth, even if he secretly packed it, the man wasn’t the type to say anything to Tae-heun. But Tae-heun really wanted to get Man’s permission. He wanted it to be that the man wanted it too, not just him being eager.

“…Yes.”

His voice was so small it was almost a moan, but the man had given his permission nonetheless. Tae-heun was so happy that he jumped up and down on the spot, just like the man had done earlier. He bit his lip to hold back the cheers that were about to burst out and tried not to show how happy he was. He swallowed a groan.

The two awkwardly headed to the parking lot.

Man, who had changed into the work clothes he had brought in the Benz, went back to the watermelon field, and Tae-heun went to the town center in the same clothes.

He took off his jacket and tie, threw them in his car, and walked to Happy Bakery. He wanted a cold coffee. The reason he went to the bakery wasn’t just because it was the place where he had shown the man an embarrassing side of himself, but also because it was their unofficial first date spot.

On the way, he called Detective Oh. He didn’t answer. Did he go to the sauna again? Tae-heun smiled wryly and shoved his phone into his pocket. No matter how urgent the matter, he was supposed to answer Tae-heun’s calls without fail. He seemed to have forgotten the promise he made last time. He didn’t like it at all.

As he entered the bakery, the round-faced owner greeted him kindly. She remembered Tae-heun, saying, “That handsome customer from before.” Even though he only bought coffee, she gave him a red bean bun as a service.

Tae-heun sucked on the black liquid with a straw and took a stroll around the town center. Then he went into the Nonghyup. There was a public phone near the ATM. He immediately paged the Helper and went inside the Nonghyup to enjoy the air conditioning while finishing his coffee. It was a vacation in itself.

His cell phone vibrated. It was Detective Oh.

Oh, I’m sorry. I was in a meeting.

His rough breathing was transmitted clearly through the receiver, as if he had been running. Tae-heun wondered if he deliberately left the phone behind, even though it was made to be carried around. Well, it was Detective Oh’s business.

“Nam Ji-hoon.”

Tae-heun blurted out the name.

Huh? Namdaemun?

Detective Oh said something nonsensical. Tae-heun burst out laughing. He was such an amusing guy. That’s why he couldn’t hate him.

“Not Namdaemun, Nam Ji-hoon. N.A.M. J.I.H.O.O.N.”

People inside the bank were staring at him. Regardless, Tae-heun continued the call.

Nam Ji-hoon? Ah. That guy? What about him?

“That bastard is the one who threw the rose, right?”

The other side of the receiver was silent.

Just a moment.

He could hear the sound of someone leaving. It seemed he hadn’t left, but rather entered somewhere. The surroundings were quiet.

What are you trying to say?

“I heard you had a good talk with Rose’s uncle?”

I did.

“But Nam Ji-hoon’s story is different, right? That bastard came to my house.”

Huh?

“Nam Ji-hoon, he paid a visit to the Blue Roof himself. He came secretly and even slept there for a night.”

Tae-heun rebuked in a low voice.

He heard a ‘shit’ from the other side of the receiver.

“Was there a deal made with Nam Ji-hoon or not?”

No, that’s…

“So there wasn’t.”

It’s not that, Ji-hoon is a complete newbie. He’s just starting out, so that’s why I…

“What’s the difference between a newbie and an experienced person in that kind of work?”

Tae-heun cut off Detective Oh’s lame excuse.

“Why are you going around looking for the wrong people instead of the person in charge? Thanks to you, I’ve got a fly buzzing around me.”

…….

“If there’s a smell, it won’t end with just one fly. You know that better than anyone, Detective.”

I’m sorry. I was short-sighted.

Detective Oh apologized in a somber voice.

Tae-heun hated this kind of thing.

He was the one who got angry, but Tae-heun scratched his eyebrow, feeling uncomfortable for no reason.

“I didn’t call to get an apology. We need to get rid of that bastard.”

Of course, of course.

“This time, do it properly. Don’t just gloss over it.”

Yes, I will.

“If that bastard shows up in front of me one more time, then I’ll step in.”

Tae-heun threatened.

That will never happen. I’ll take care of it right away.

Detective Oh begged Tae-heun to stay put and vowed to handle it himself several times. He ended the call, saying he would contact him soon.

While he was on the phone, a promotional text message came in. Among the crude adult ad texts, there was a number. Tae-heun lingered at the Nonghyup for another five minutes before heading to Haengun Motel.

This time, he first went to room 401 and made a call with the motel phone.

You’ve been calling a lot lately.

The Helper quipped in a welcoming voice.

“This is how I get to hear your voice. Honestly, my voice is pretty good.”

Tae-heun greeted him in the same tone and then got to the point.

“How did it go with that contract?”

The answer came from the other side of the receiver as if he had been waiting for it.

It’s not a double contract or a scam.

“What does that mean?”

It’s a normal contract. Without flaws.

He naturally assumed it would be a double contract. He naturally assumed it was a scam.

Of course, from the victim’s point of view, it’s practically a scam, but there’s no legal problem.

According to the Helper, Kwon Il-taek had rewritten the lease agreements for a total of 150,000 pyeong for thirteen households, including Man, before selling off all of his land. Among the households that had newly signed lease agreements with Kwon Il-taek were not only Man, but also Village Chief Choi Chun-sam and Youth Association President Choi Gi-cheol.

All thirteen households took out agricultural loans from Nonghyup with the lease agreements. They all maxed out the amount they could get. Up to that point, it’s natural. Everyone does that in rural areas. But the real problem is that the money wasn’t used for farming. It all went into the business investments of Kwon Il-taek’s sons, Kwon Yong-gi and Kwon Yong-jae.

It was a normal investment. Whether they used the borrowed money to pay off debts, for farming, or for investments, it was up to the person with the money, so it wasn’t illegal at all.

“Shit. This sucks.”

Tae-heun roughly swept back his bangs.

It does suck. A man who’s supposed to be a pillar of the village is exploiting people’s trust.

The Helper also sighed.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more victims. Kwon Il-taek renewed the lease agreements with a vengeance.

“I’m going crazy.”

A legal lease agreement, a voluntary investment. And even a legal sales contract. All of this happened just three months ago. The villagers had simply reinvested in the business he recommended, with the sole desire to get their investment back.

In this situation, a lawsuit to invalidate the contract was completely impossible, and the only answer was to terminate the contract. But the problem was the borrowed money. If they terminated the contract, they would have to return the money to the bank, but they had already spent it all, so they couldn’t even if they wanted to. In a word, they had been thoroughly scammed. They had been betrayed by the very person they trusted.

There was only one way to save Man.

“Buy that land.”

Tae-heun blurted out.

What land?

“The land that Yoon Ki-beom contracted for.”

You’re crazy. Didn’t you hear what I said? It’s all tied up like a string of sausages!

The Helper shouted.

“I know. 150,000 pyeong.”

Why do you need 150,000 pyeong of farmland? Let’s say you buy it. What are you going to use it for? Are you going to farm it, or what?

“Yeah. I’m going to farm it. So please buy it if possible. No, you have to buy it. I have to raise ducks next year.”

Ducks what? Is this guy crazy?

The Helper even called him crazy. But Tae-heun was serious. It was the land that the man had been longing for so much. A land of opportunity where he wouldn’t have to work like a servant in someone else’s house. He didn’t want him to collapse before he even had a chance to spread his wings. He had to prevent him from having his wings clipped by someone he trusted, like he had.

“Buy it. No matter what.”

Is this the time to be whining? Get a grip, Lee Seon-jae! You came back from the dead. To be honest, you could really die if you get involved in this kind of useless thing.

“I know. If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well die a land tycoon.”

This bastard, is that something to say?

“I’m serious. I really want that land, no, I have to have it, so please look into it properly. You can think of it as my will.”

No sooner had Tae-heun finished speaking than he heard a scream close to a shriek, “Hey! Is that something to say?” The Helper was breathing heavily.

“And I’ve got a fly buzzing around me. Nam Ji-hoon, born in 1969. He’s from here. He’s Kwon Yong-joon’s middle school classmate.”

Tae-heun didn’t care and just said what he wanted to say.

Who?

“You heard me.”

Are you really going to do this?

“Find out what kind of guy he is. Turtle was supposed to find out, but I don’t trust him.”

Seon-jae.

“I’m sorry. I keep asking you for favors.”

Lee Seon-jae!

He hung up the phone.

In less than a minute, a page arrived. A different number, a different number. But Tae-heun didn’t make a call. A barrage of nagging was bound to come anyway. He decided to give time to the Helper, who always said that time was the best medicine.