#118

I returned to Room 401.

“It’s a problem when your body is too good.”

That was the problem with wearing a suit. Because of my outstanding physique, I looked good no matter what I wore. Even while complimenting myself, I focused to finish properly.

I couldn’t look too dressed up, so I grabbed my dress shirt and crumpled it. I sat down and stood up about ten times while wearing the pants, and naturally, the knees of the already worn-out suit pants stretched out and wrinkled.

Finally, I went to the bathroom and poured flour into my hair. I meticulously applied and shook it off my scalp and hair several times to make it look like gray hair, and finally, the traces of a young and handsome man disappeared. In the mirror stood a man who was neither old nor young, full of scars, and somehow weary.

Tae-heun checked himself from head to toe one last time before grabbing his jacket and leaving the motel.

Oh, right. Makgeolli.

Too lazy to go back to the motel, I stopped by a supermarket and bought Makgeolli again. While waiting for a taxi, I rinsed my mouth with Makgeolli. My appearance already screamed that I had been beaten, and holding a Makgeolli bottle made the taxi stop and then just leave. Confused, Tae-heun sent away three taxis before he was convinced it was because of the Makgeolli bottle. Before throwing away the more than half-full Makgeolli, I swallowed about two gulps and wiped my lips with the back of my hand. Blood smeared on the back of my hand.

Ouch. That fucking hurt. I belatedly made a fuss and chuckled like a madman.

A taxi stopped a moment later. Even without the Makgeolli bottle, the Driver seemed hesitant to pick up Tae-heun, but he reluctantly started after I opened the door and sat down. That’s how I headed to ‘Hanju Best Used Cars.’ Grateful for the ride, I gave the Driver a generous tip, and he drove off in a good mood.

The used car dealership, located 40 minutes from the town, was a small makeshift building in the middle of a desolate field. A somewhat insufficient number of used cars were lined up in front of the makeshift building.

I deliberately got off a little further away from the dealership and walked. As I got closer, the condition of the cars was terrible. They looked like scrap cars rather than used cars. Products in poor condition, such as rusted cars and flat tires, were openly displayed.

Tae-heun hunched his shoulders and walked quickly with a waddling gait. When I was about halfway across the open space, the door of the makeshift building opened, and a melody flowed out. It was that damn “Für Elise.” Following the loud melody, a the man walked out, short in height but quite large in build. A former detective or a gangster. His appearance and physique gave it away. The flashy arm cover on his right arm caught my eye.

The the man frowned at Tae-heun’s appearance. But that was it; he didn’t stop me from going inside.

“Ugh, it’s so hot.”

Tae-heun muttered this and sat down at the round table the man was guiding me to.

The building made of containers was a sweltering heat trap, as it directly received the heat and didn’t even have air conditioning. The fan was blowing hot air, and the employee, who looked like he was about to collapse, was constantly fanning himself.

“Miss Lee. What are you doing? We have a customer.”

The the man shouted in an annoyed voice, and the employee said, “Yes,” and stood up. She was probably the same employee who had answered Tae-heun’s call earlier.

“Kids these days are like that. They don’t work unless you tell them to. They’re trying to get a free ride on their salary.”

The the man clicked his tongue.

“Oh, my. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Kim Byung-chan. I’m the owner here.”

He said, handing over a business card with his left hand.

“Ah, yes. I’m Kim Min-soo.”

Tae-heun used one of the names of the Eagle Five Brothers. Kim Min-soo was the youngest of the Eagle Five Brothers, and his appearance was nothing like Tae-heun’s, but he had fair skin like Tae-heun. Because of that, his face and limbs were always red, as if he had been burned rather than tanned. His skin would also peel off.

Even if they met later, they wouldn’t be able to recognize each other anyway since they were both messed up from being beaten, but at least someone with a good eye would remember the skin color, so I borrowed his name.

The the man openly scanned Tae-heun. He even sniffed. Tae-heun deliberately looked around the office with a naive expression. The inside was so hot that I was thirsty even after sitting for a short while. When I gulped down the water and coffee that the employee brought, the boss said, “It’s very hot, isn’t it?” and started a conversation.

“Yes, it’s hot.”

Son of a bitch. If you know it’s hot, turn on the air conditioner.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and cursed inwardly.

“It must have been hard to find us? It’s a bit inconvenient to get here because it’s so remote.”

“Yes, it was.”

My pronunciation was slurred because my lips were severely swollen and the inside of my mouth was torn. I kept drooling, so I had to swallow my saliva with a ‘ssuup’ sound. I failed to control my strength when I self-harmed after a long time.

“It’s far from the bus stop too.”

“Yes.”

Tae-heun thought of the man and answered in monosyllables.

“But which village are you from?”

The the man asked, narrowing his big, double-lidded eyes. He looked familiar. No, I had definitely seen him.

Where had I seen him?

“Dongjam-ri.”

“Ah. Dongjam-ri?”

“Through, an introduction.”

“Oh, a valued customer has arrived.”

The Man’s expression changed drastically at the mention of an introduction. He smiled brightly and made a fuss.

“Hey, Miss Lee! Bring out a Bacchus for here too. And one for me.”

The employee said “Yes” again and pushed back her chair. She went to the refrigerator and took out two Bacchus bottles, placing them on the table. The boss opened one of them and handed it to Tae-heun.

“Did you come from a funeral home? I heard someone died there a few days ago anyway.”

He spoke in a light tone, as if a rat had died, not a person.

“Ah, yes.”

“They say if you drink pesticide, your internal organs all melt. Why did they have to drink something like that to die?”

The the man drank the Bacchus with an expression that was hard to tell whether he was feeling sorry or looking down on them. “Ah,” he exclaimed, putting down the empty bottle.

“Is Dae-ho doing well? I haven’t been able to reach that bastard lately. If he has the mind to send me customers, he should at least give me a call. Anyway, I guess I’m not a detective anymore.”

Kim Byung-chan subtly revealed that he was a former detective, puffing up his chest. He seemed proud of his past.

However, Tae-heun’s eyes sparkled at the unexpected name that came out of the Man’s mouth. It was Oh Dae-ho again. If I chased the Man, Oh Dae-ho followed.

“I was in the same precinct as Dae-ho when I worked in Seoul. You have no idea how many bad guys that bastard and I caught together. We even received commendations several times.”

Kim Byung-chan spat as he got heated up about a story that no one had asked him about. He said he had caught countless gangsters, openly emphasizing that he was a different kind of person from them.

Former Detective Kim Byung-chan. And current Detective Oh Dae-ho.

Kim Byung-chan and Oh Dae-ho. Kim Byung-chan, Kim. Byung. Chan.

Right. Gi-ttong-chan.

The the man with the nickname given to him for beating suspects sensationally.

No wonder he looked familiar; he was the same bastard I had met at the police station 11 years ago. He was a detective in the same violent crimes unit as Detective Oh and the one who had fucking beaten Tae-heun.

Unlike Detective Oh, whose body shape had hardly changed except for his receding hairline, Kim Byung-chan looked noticeably different. He had gained a lot of weight, and his face, which looked like he was addicted to entertainment, was overflowing with greasy shine.

“Ah, yes. He’s doing well.”

“Did that guy come to the funeral home too?”

“No. He must be busy; he didn’t come this time.”

“Yeah. If he had, he would have stopped by to see me.”

He said it with conviction.

I never dreamed I would meet Kim Byung-chan again. It was as surprising as when Detective Oh had come to find me.

Kim Byung-chan had watched Tae-heun leave the police station with Uncle, vowing, “Someday, I’ll catch you and throw you in jail.” Detective Oh was with him. Were they close? I couldn’t know that far. I just knew that he was a rookie detective who hadn’t been in the violent crimes unit for long.

His eyes were particularly large, making his impression clear, but now even his eyeballs had turned yellow. I couldn’t find any of the passion and spirit of the young detective who had been so eager to catch murderers with those big eyes. There was even a burn mark on the back of his right hand that hadn’t been there at the time. I could see why he was wearing an arm cover only on his right arm.

Kim Byung-chan didn’t recognize Tae-heun at all. It couldn’t be helped since my face was in this state, but back then, I was only twenty years old. I was also skinny and pretty enough to rival any actress. Even if my face wasn’t a mess, it wouldn’t be easy to recall that time from the current Tae-heun.

Good thing I disguised myself with my fists, I thought, admiring my foresight and gulping down the Bacchus.

“So, what are you looking for?”

“Ah, a truck. A Porter.”

“Right. A Porter. I asked a pointless question, didn’t I?”

He acted friendly.

“Would you like to go take a look?”

His tone was more gentle than before.

Kim Byung-chan, who had left the office with Tae-heun, wasn’t very proactive in introducing the cars. He just said, “Take a look around,” and didn’t follow me. Instead, he stood in the shade under the building and smoked a cigarette.

I could feel him watching me closely from afar. Even if he was past his prime and no longer at crime scenes, Kim Byung-chan would still have the senses of a detective. Tae-heun was careful in his actions.

Not all farmers are naive, and not all who farm are foolish. They may be somewhat ignorant of the ways of the world, but they are not idiots. Tae-heun thought of the man and tried to appear naive but not foolish.