By Zephyria “That’s Jin Mu-hae’s letter, right?”
“Joo-oh is still Joo-oh.”
Gu-reum asserted that Cheong wouldn’t act rashly. I don’t think she’s wrong, but I can’t expect that a way of handling things that doesn’t cross the line will apply equally to everyone.
In the worst-case scenario, what more could Jin Mu-hae do in anger than kick Cheong’s guard? He must have some purpose in this, testing the waters appropriately; there’s no way he’d feel threatened and try to back out.
“Jin Mu-hae knows it all, yet he does this to me.”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. When did you sneak in the jerky?”
While the two were exchanging trivial words, the train arrived at the entrance of Sakdal. In the distance beyond the window, flashy goblin neon signs twinkled brightly.
Needless to say, that’s our destination. Since I sent a letter, there must be some guys waiting.
“Follow me.”
Just as I thought. As soon as we reached the entrance of the building, a strange man spoke to us familiarly.
The unfamiliar structure of the hallway that unfolded as soon as we got off Cheong’s private elevator on the upper floor.
It’s completely different from the shape I memorized before. Just as I expected, the path seemed to change fluidly.
The location of the room had also moved; following the guide, we arrived at an inner space. Instead of a window, a high-ceilinged wall decorated with blue silk was the first thing that caught my eye.
Silently, the door opened without a sound, and someone was sitting crookedly at the desk with their back to us. Artificially dyed bright blue hair, eyes half-closed as if bored.
Even if I stabbed one of his eyeballs, it was Cheong. The one who met Jin Mu-hae’s eyes bared his fangs and stretched the corners of his lips.
Vivid interest arose in his eyes above his languid face. He must have been informed of our location since we entered Sakdal, yet the detestable expression on his face was as if he was encountering an unexpected amusement…
“My goodness. You came after receiving the letter, Joo-oh!”
Cheong said casually, clasping his hands together like a moved person. I really wanted to punch that face.
Funnily enough, Joo-oh seemed to like that sight, glancing back and forth between Mu-hae and Cheong before giggling.
“Don’t laugh at weird things.”
“But you both have business with each other, yet you only look at me.”
Cheong’s smile deepened at the sharp remark. His face brightened as he jumped up from his seat.
“Since you’re here too, shall we prepare?”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a subordinate in neat attire came in, pulling a trolley from somewhere.
I thought it was strange that there was another dining table in the middle of the wide room, which didn’t suit the atmosphere of an office. As if waiting for this, all sorts of food were placed on the white tablecloth.
Steak with pomegranate seeds sprinkled on the sauce, a whole steamed fish the size of an arm that seemed to have been fried first. A thin soup with spices, and round buns with meat and vegetables inserted…
‘Oh, dear.’
I thought it would be like this, but it’s a more full-fledged feast than I expected. The sight of the steaming dishes made the back of my neck tingle.
Realizing this, I looked to the side and saw that his red eyes were already blankly unfocused. gulp. His Adam’s apple moved.
He doesn’t let it flow out on the outside, but right now, Joo-oh’s mouth must be experiencing a massive flood.
“Get to the point.”
Holding onto the guy who looked like he was about to run to the table, Mu-hae said in a stiff voice.
Was it because I gently wrapped around his wrist? The strong guy couldn’t bring himself to shake off my arm and fidgeted in my grasp.
“Let’s talk while eating slowly. It’s not an urgent matter.”
“If it’s not urgent, why did you call me out in half a day?”
“Confessions are originally done slowly, gauging the other person’s reaction. Is it because you have no dating experience… you don’t know anything.”
That’s ridiculous. I want to tell the impatient Joo-oh not to eat just anything, but unfortunately, there’s about eight servings in front of him.
The thought that there would be even more prepared portions than that suddenly overwhelmed Mu-hae with temptation.
If I let Joo-oh loose here, he could take care of his dinner as well as his late-night snack in one go.
It doesn’t seem like Cheong has played any strange tricks on the food, and the food itself is not to blame…
It’s about time I let him gorge on good food for once. Finally, when Mu-hae nodded, Joo-oh quickly approached the table.
He hurriedly sat down on the chair and moved a large chunk of meat onto his plate before the host could even tell him to.
He grinned and used the sharp steak knife to cut the steak, which was crispy on the outside, revealing the reddish flesh inside in an appetizing way.
“Mmm… um!”
Joo-oh put a large piece in his mouth, his cheeks bulging as he chewed diligently. Deep satisfaction filled his happily curved eyes.
It’s not like he doesn’t eat meat at home, but he’s so happy that I feel a little jealous. Well, he’s been eating Beast Meat or finely ground ‘fake meat’ every day, so putting livestock with texture in his mouth must be a different experience.
“Jin Mu-hae, eat quickly too.”
Joo-oh whispered with a serious look. His face is so earnest that the meat he tasted must be quite to his liking.
Cheong slowly walked over and sat near him, and Jin Mu-hae also raised one eyebrow and took a seat right next to Joo-oh.
I don’t know what’s so funny, but the face of the guy who’s raising the corners of his lips is still unpleasant to look at, even after seeing it again.
“You know what? Among the guys who rolled into Sakdal, there are some who used to live in Central. There are also many from formal residential areas. Thanks to that, surprisingly, the talent pool is diverse. They’re all junkies and gamblers, though…”
Chewing and swallowing a bite of fresh greens, Cheong opened his mouth with a grin.
He’s talking about the West Wind right now. He’s subtly hinting at how he got this information.
“You weren’t just eavesdropping on mercenaries’ chatter.”
“Eavesdropping? I always buy information with fair compensation. Someone else picked up what was dropped.”
“Even so, you’re still a fence. The higher-ups won’t like it if you know too much.”
It hasn’t been long since I became accustomed to using indirect language. If Cheong just showed off his intelligence, Mu-hae warned that getting involved in the Return flight’s affairs would not end well.
Seeing his smile deepen, he seems to have understood correctly. The expression on his face, as if he was watching a game, was unpleasant.
“I heard you’ve become a hero of Goryeo City. As the saying goes, the position makes the person; you seem to be getting further and further away from this world.”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that? I just said that it’s good because it’s easier to communicate. A little different from last time.”
Cheong scooped up a lot of soft fish and moved it onto Joo-oh’s plate. The guy who had devoured a steak in the blink of an eye met his eyes.
“Looks delicious.”
“Right? It’s one of my favorite foods.”
At the gesture to eat quickly, Joo-oh quickly picked up a fork and put the pure white fish in his mouth. The low exclamation was so pleasant to hear that the tense atmosphere softened a little.
Regardless of whether others were arguing or not, Joo-oh thoroughly enjoyed the unfamiliar food. As I always think, he seems to be a human being without a sense of crisis.
“What do you want to say?”
“It’s nothing much. I don’t go down and spin the slots myself, but I’m actually quite skilled at gambling. Among them, the best thing I can do is bet money. To put it a little more elegantly, it would be investment, I guess.”
“So you’re going to invest in this side.”
“I also want to have fun. I’ve been doing the same thing for too long, so I’m a little lacking in stimulation.”
“Ah!”
Only after Cheong took a sip of the drink did Joo-oh’s brow furrow slightly.
Taking a sip and giving it back seems to be an action aimed at Mu-hae.
It means that he didn’t put anything strange in it, so eat with confidence. Unfortunately, I already knew that. Jin Mu-hae just doesn’t feel like eating in this situation.
“I don’t like pretending to be sophisticated with the head of the pleasure district.”
“You’re already running out of patience after only a few words. Well, the mercenary contract should be as clear as possible.”
snap. Cheong snapped his fingers in a pretentious manner, and as if waiting for it, someone brought a paper document.
He glanced over it formally and then turned his eyes slightly to continue speaking.
“There must be someone looking for you, right? You probably won’t be able to get a proper clue using ordinary methods.”
Without knowing what Cheong knows, I have no intention of showing my hand first. Mu-hae stared at him with a blank face, but Joo-oh, who doesn’t know anything about the tense atmosphere, suddenly fed him a bite of the food he was eating.
“You eat it.”
“The fish isn’t tough and it’s delicious.”
“……”
“I’ll take it home.”
“Eat it all now.”
“I want to eat it tomorrow too.”
Seeing his blinking red eyes, his mouth eventually opened.
When Cheong put food on his plate, Joo-oh intermittently carried it to Mu-hae’s mouth.
The blue-haired guy’s lips repeatedly twitched, as if he was interested in the strange eating method.
Damn it. I’ve accepted it a few times because it’s admirable and funny that the ogre is giving up food. Doing this in front of an unpleasant person doesn’t make me look good.
Eventually, after gesturing that he didn’t need to give me any more, Joo-oh’s forced feeding ended. Cheong, who had found a new amusement, took out a glass rod from his pocket and sucked on it.
“You can eat it tomorrow.”
The guy chuckled, exhaling white smoke through his teeth.
“You know, Jin Mu-hae will be too busy working tomorrow to leave you here.”
Mu-hae raised his eyebrows at the unexpected words. Joo-oh also stopped chewing diligently and turned to look at Cheong like a machine.
“What kind of dogshit are you going to say again?”
thud. The document that Cheong was holding fell next to the empty plate that hadn’t been touched.
A document printed on paper to avoid leaving traces, to be incinerated after use. Coordinates in numbers and unfamiliar names were written along with brief information.