By Zephyria 
It was a distance that usually took thirty minutes, but perhaps because it was past midnight, the roads were deserted. Thanks to that, Min-ho arrived at his destination in less than twenty minutes and quickly pressed the keypad.
As he flung the door open, the savory scent of pizza wafted out. It was an appetizing smell that made spit pool under his tongue. The inside of the house was fully lit, making it feel like midday, and an idol song was blasting from somewhere. Min-ho turned toward the sound.
Standing in front of the sink was Gyu-oh, in a strange outfit consisting of training pants and an apron over a bare torso. He was holding a packet of ramen in front of a pot of boiling water, as if about to cook.
“Hey.”
“Oh, you’re home early?”
He didn’t even pretend to be surprised. It was as if he had expected Min-ho to return. Min-ho lowered the volume of the loud music.
“You idiot. How could I not come back when some dark-skinned bastard is acting like a pervert in my house?”
“You said you had plans. I didn’t think I’d see you this soon.”
Throughout the conversation, the corners of Gyu-oh’s mouth remained curled up. He seemed amused by how Min-ho had been swayed by his prank.
Min-ho narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Gyu-oh’s attire. It was a far more hopeless sight than it had been in the photo. If the apron had been made of a slightly thinner material, it surely would have ripped. It was that tight on his body, and the pocket area, which had a faint pink tint, even had ‘LOVE’ written on it.
“……It was canceled. At least you’re wearing pants.”
“I was actually naked before, but it felt a bit weird being like that alone.”
“Don’t you think your current look is weird enough?”
“Why? Doesn’t it suit me in its own way?”
Gyu-oh shrugged and laughed. A sharp-looking face, menacing tattoos etched onto his exposed nape and forearms, and a body that had become firmer from recent workouts. Overall, he had a delinquent vibe, but his smile softened the sharpness slightly.
“You… you have a personality that just asks to be hit. You’d be fine if you just stayed quiet.”
“Really? Getting hit isn’t exactly my taste, though.”
The nonchalant retort drained all of Min-ho’s will to attack. Without answering, he aimlessly opened the pizza box. The untouched pizza was still steaming hot. Soon, a touch even hotter than the pizza reached his shoulder.
“Pizza first? Or me first?”
“……Are you crazy?”
When Min-ho glared at him with a deadpan expression, Gyu-oh pretended to laugh, his eyes curving deeply. His sweet, soft voice didn’t match his bizarre attire at all.
“Go wash up quickly. I’ll boil some for Hyung too.”
A large hand pushed Min-ho toward the bathroom.
“I’m good on that.”
“I don’t take no for an answer. This is a set, a set.”
Gyu-oh stubbornly insisted, eventually pushing Min-ho all the way to the bathroom door. He even followed up by saying he would set out a change of clothes and underwear.
“……He really thinks this is his house.”
As Min-ho walked away, Gyu-oh shouted one more time at the back of his head.
“Darling, I’ll make the ramen delicious for you!”
Slam—the bathroom door closed, and Gyu-oh’s low voice was completely cut off. Only then did Min-ho catch his breath and throw off his clothes. If things had gone according to the original plan, he would be facing the detective in a hotel right now, drinking wine and gauging the atmosphere for when to loosen a robe.
“This is more comfortable, after all.”
Though it was a bit chaotic, the time spent with Gyu-oh was far more relaxing. Besides, he hadn’t felt like having sex today anyway. As for sleep… he figured he’d leave the work to Won Gyu-oh tomorrow and take a long nap. Min-ho turned the shower lever and plunged his body into the cold water.
In the end, the two of them polished off three servings of spicy stir-fried noodles and a whole pizza. They drank beer as well; while Min-ho sipped from one can, Gyu-oh downed his as if it were water. After cracking open four or five cans in a row, he claimed it wasn’t enough and brought out the whiskey displayed on one side of the wall.
Then, they turned off all the lights, gathered in the living room, and put on a horror movie. Min-ho lay on the sofa, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. Whenever Gyu-oh, leaning back on the sofa, tilted his head to swallow the whiskey, Min-ho’s vision would blur. Because the surroundings were dark, the night felt as though the other man’s silhouette was exceptionally deep.
“…….”
Perhaps because it was so dark, his mind grew at ease, and his eyes began to slowly close and open. Just like when he took short naps under Gyu-oh’s supervision, drowsiness began to creep in. Strangely, he felt certain that he wouldn’t have any nightmares today.
* * *
“I heard someone keeps putting cafe tabs in my name?”
“Eh? Is there still a place that allows tabs in this stingy world?”
Whenever he stopped by the cafe on the first floor, it was Gyu-oh’s specialty to send the bill to the executive office. Mu-gyeong, who likely knew the culprit even without a formal report, curled his lip into a crooked smile.
“I know, right. Once we catch whatever crazy bastard is doing it, we’ll have to beat them down.”
Won Gyu-oh alone was enough to be overwhelming, but with another large man present, the office felt exceptionally crowded. If left as they were, the two would surely start bickering over trivial words again. Intending to nip it in the bud before it got more chaotic, Min-ho cut the conversation and abruptly intervened.
“Want to see the photos now?”
“Sure.”
Mu-gyeong, holding a glove in one hand and tapping the tip of his shoe, nodded. Min-ho quickly brought the photos and spread them out on the table. The photo on top was a sight to behold.
[The energy of the blessed land shall lead us to heaven]
Below the words written in bright red, several young men, showing clear signs of assault, were kneeling. In the corner of the photo, a man smoking a cigarette while holding a menacing club was partially visible. The fierce expression, the threatening posture, and the way they had been beaten—specifically avoiding areas where too much blood would spill… this was definitely the work of gangsters.
“Look at how there’s no blood. Experience really doesn’t lie.”
Gyu-oh, glancing at the photo, showed his disgust. He stretched his lips wide in a grimace and pushed the photo away.
“When punching is the only thing they’ve eaten and done, they don’t do it clumsily.”
Min-ho, adding his opinion nonchalantly, picked one photo from the scattered pile. Since it had been taken by barely squeezing the camera under a broken window, the angle was awkward and deep shadows cast over the edges. Still, the interior scene was captured quite clearly.
Men and women were sitting together, folding small, palm-sized pieces of paper. On one side, someone was measuring powder with a small spoon, and next to them, a somewhat thick straw lay scattered. Notably, there were no people who looked like gangsters here.
“Only the believers are handling the packaging.”
“The pastor must be involved too.”
“Once we catch evidence of that, we’ll hand it all over to the police at once.”
With the current evidence, they could kick out the people illegally occupying the redevelopment zone, but so far, it only captured the images of gangsters and cult believers. It was important to entangle the pastor as well and deal with everyone in one fell swoop.
“Assault, drug distribution, sexual favors… these guys never do just one thing.”
The Seong-tak gangsters and the cult pastor were exploiting the faith of the believers. When something dangerous happened, they put the civilian believers in front as a barricade, and only stepped forward themselves when it came time to discuss compensation. After collecting as much money as they were satisfied with, they would abandon the believers here and flee. Perhaps because it was a pattern he had seen often in this line of work, the ending was clear.
“If they’ve gathered this much evidence in a few days, it means they’ve been doing shady shit as naturally as breathing.”
“Right.”
“Then I’ll stick with Gyu-oh today and visit that neighborhood. To kill time and try to catch the pastor’s tail.”
Among the three, Min-ho was the best at resolving things through conversation. Although Min-ho could become eccentric when things went wrong, he at least knew how to endure to a certain extent.
He only hoped that among the guys stationed there today, there wasn’t anyone he had slept with.
“Ah, those bastards might pick a fight with Min-ho Hyung too.”
Gyu-oh, leaning back on the sofa, ruffled his hair in irritation. He seemed to recall the memory of being held for an hour the first time they visited, listening to nothing but nonsense filled with inferiority complexes.
“Pick a fight?”
Mu-gyeong, who had only heard the results, twitched an eyebrow as if asking what that meant.
“I guess they find it annoying that Won Gyu-oh wears nice clothes and drives a nice car. They probably think he hit the jackpot after betraying Seong-tak.”
Min-ho explained on his behalf, and Gyu-oh nodded in agreement from the side. He added shamelessly that they were jealous even though he had intentionally worn training clothes and driven a modest car, and asked what he could do about the fact that he looked wealthy even in random clothes.
Since it was a repertoire he had heard so often he could practically memorize it, Min-ho didn’t particularly react, keeping his gaze on one side of the floor. However, Mu-gyeong showed agitation, his eyebrow twitching.
“What are they going to do if they find it annoying? Why did they grab a rotten rope in the first place?”
“Exactly. Who told them to align themselves with that side?”
Despite their constant bickering, Mu-gyeong also cared for Gyu-oh quite a bit. He couldn’t tolerate him being ignored or cursed at. He even let Gyu-oh play ‘CEO’ at his own cafe.
“Wear something even more expensive today. That watch you bought while throwing money around last time.”
“Crazy, I forgot about that. Also, I’m thinking of hitting the shop, what do you think?”
“Not bad.”
When they were like that, they really were in sync. That was probably why they had maintained their relationship without any major issues until now.
“Stop the nonsense and each go to your positions. Dismissed, hurry.”
Min-ho picked up the photos Gyu-oh had neatly stacked. Then, as if telling them to leave quickly, he tapped the feet of the two men sitting side by side. Mu-gyeong rose sluggishly, but Gyu-oh looked like he had no intention of leaving.
“Why? My spot is here.”
He even pointed down with his index finger to the seat he was occupying. Since he loved wandering around and enjoyed the thrill of entering a rival company as a spy, Gyu-oh didn’t really have his own office. He had been given one, but he neglected it so much that someone else was using it.
Mu-gyeong, who had been observing the stubbornly seated Gyu-oh with a strange expression, added a comment.
“You two live so close like this, you’re really going to develop feelings for each other.”
Min-ho, with a smirk, responded by raising his middle finger. Nevertheless, the playful voice followed again.
“Both of you are guys who go for looks, so it’s dangerous.”
Before Mu-gyeong gave them a chance to respond, he quickly exited the office.
Suddenly, a strange awkwardness flowed through the office. In the past, it was something he would have ignored. But since Mu-gyeong knew he was gay, it might sound uncomfortable to Gyu-oh. He stole a glance, but fortunately, Gyu-oh kept his eyes glued to his phone.
“……Anyway, he’s good at saying useless things.”
Muttering as if reciting a line awkwardly, Min-ho flopped into his chair. He tried to focus on work, but he kept having the illusion that Mu-gyeong’s voice was lingering in his ear.
‘You two live so close like this, you’re really going to develop feelings for each other.’
Even though I knew he was just joking, it kept bothering me. Now that we were linked, even as a joke, I knew I wouldn’t feel great about it. Biting my dry lower lip, I stole glances at Gyu-oh from time to time.
“…….”
He wasn’t the type to show it even if he were upset. If anything, he’d probably be worrying about me. I rubbed my lips, which had quickly turned red, with my fingertips. Feeling something damp, I checked and saw a bit of blood. I pulled out a tissue, pressed it firmly against my lip, and flipped through the documents. Perhaps seeing blood finally woke me up; only now did the words on the page start to make sense. I failed to notice the lingering, intense gaze watching me until the end.