#96

As he was almost done with his cigarette, Detective Oh began to prepare to leave. Detective Park quickly extinguished his cigarette and stood up awkwardly. Wolf 4 lit a second cigarette, watching them with a disapproving gaze.

“By the way, I called home, but no one picked up. Was Ki-beom out somewhere?”

Detective Oh suddenly asked Tae-heun, as if he was about to leave.

“Or maybe you went somewhere nice.”

He pointed at the space between Tae-heun’s neck and shoulder. It was the spot where the man had bitten him just a few dozen minutes ago. Without mentioning the text Tae-heun had sent earlier in the day, he pried into his private life. Wolf 4 smirked slyly.

“It’s none of your business who I was rolling around with, Detective Oh. But did you not see the SOS I sent this morning, or are you pretending not to have seen it?”

Tae-heun narrowed his eyes at Detective Oh, speaking informally. After taking a deep drag, he extinguished the ember with his fingertips.

“Oh.”

Only then did Detective Oh realize his mistake. He had no time to feel offended by Tae-heun’s informal speech. Wolf 4 raised an eyebrow, silently questioning Detective Oh.

“I’m sorry. I was in the sauna at that time.”

“You couldn’t have been in the sauna all day. Did you think my text was a joke?”

As Tae-heun pressed on, a look of embarrassment spread across Detective Oh’s face.

“Please let me know another emergency contact, just in case you might be in the sauna next time. I can’t work with someone who values bathing more than their life.”

“Oh, come on, Director. Why do you have to say it like that?”

Detective Oh tried to laugh it off as a joke. But Tae-heun did not smile.

Wolf 4, who had caught on to the situation, let out a hollow laugh.

“Everyone’s acting ridiculous. What are you all doing? You know that today’s ledger incident and Detective Oh’s work are both grounds for disciplinary action, right? I won’t let this slide.”

Wolf 4 threatened. The atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

Detective Oh, who was already on thin ice due to Detective Park’s incident, hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

“I’ll explain everything later. For now, let’s find the ledger.”

Detective Oh used the ledger as a shield. Both Wolf 4 and Tae-heun knew that this matter was more important, so they couldn’t press further.

Detective Park hurriedly left the room, as if fleeing. As Detective Oh was about to follow him out, Tae-heun stood up as well. Having heard everything he needed to, there was no reason for Tae-heun to stay in the room.

Wolf 4 grabbed Tae-heun.

“Director, where are you going? It would be better for both of us if you stayed. You need to check the ledger too.”

Wolf 4 still seemed unable to trust Tae-heun. Tae-heun had never trusted them either, so it was mutual. However, it was infuriating that they had brought someone else into this mess when they were the ones who had brought the bag and lost it.

“That’s right, Director. It’s a hundred times better for you to check the ledger than us. It will be more convenient when we contact you later.”

Tae-heun was about to say something when Detective Oh interrupted. Wolf 4 nodded vigorously, as if that was exactly what he wanted to say. It was unpleasant to watch.

“Then I’ll be off.”

Detective Oh quickly closed the door behind him.

Damn it. It looked like he was going to spend Sunday night with Wolf 4.

They hadn’t stayed in the motel room to build camaraderie, so they spent the time in silence. Eventually, Wolf 4 fell asleep first. Tae-heun didn’t want to lie down next to him, so he leaned against the wall.

The sound of the fan was loud. To match that noise, he mentally counted numbers that kept rising without any particular order. The man’s motel room number, his resident registration number, his home address, phone number. And the man’s body size. He imagined the man standing in a blue bikini like a Miss Korea contestant and smiled.

Then he recalled the man’s bank balance and debts. Kwon Il-taek’s bankruptcy was practically a certainty, so he needed to prevent the man’s bankruptcy before that happened. But there was no way for the man to win against Kwon Il-taek, who was scheming with a dedicated lawyer and tax accountant. There was no way to confront him.

Tae-heun tapped on a calculator. He needed to see the documents to be sure, but calculating based on what he had heard was frustrating. Still, he wracked his brain.

Then he fiddled with his lips, which had touched the man’s, and felt his face flush. He vividly remembered the sticky texture and smell of the man’s semen. Not to mention the semen he had sprinkled on the man’s soft brown skin. Feeling heat rising below, Tae-heun killed time like that.

Detectives Oh and Park returned about five hours after they had left the room, around 4 AM. The sight of them carrying that heavy immigrant bag was something else. Before they even sat down, Detective Oh loudly recounted the events that had transpired.

But all they had done was retrace the steps of how Detective Park lost the bag. In other words, with the help of this madam, they had caught two thugs who had conspired with Rose after capturing her and had beaten them to a pulp at a nightclub.

Of course, it wasn’t just Detective Oh and Detective Park; they were accompanied by a police officer who was friends with Detective Oh and was off-duty. Fortunately, the thugs, blinded by money, hadn’t even looked at the ledger inside the bag.

“Those bastards were so drunk that it was harder to take them away. Their bodies were so heavy, ugh.”

Detective Oh shook his head as he pulled everything from the bag out onto the table.

Things had resolved themselves much more easily than expected. Although there had been some hard feelings due to this incident, it seemed it would end lightly as a mere happening.

“The money is a bit dirty, but I think we can find out where they spent it quickly.”

Saying this, he placed a bundle of cash and several crumpled old bills on the table.

“Director, please check the ledger first.”

At Wolf 4’s request, all three pairs of eyes turned to Tae-heun.

Tae-heun took his time organizing the documents by year and then lined them up by month. He also made sure nothing had been torn or taken. Although he couldn’t check every single page in detail, he nodded when he felt it was perfect enough.

Detectives Oh and Park silently cheered.

“Wait a moment. I brought a list too.”

Wolf 4 said he would double-check and rummaged through the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a piece of paper folded to the size of his palm and unfolded it.

“Let’s see.”

He deliberately wet his finger and compared the list with the ledger.

Detective Park was anxious, fearing he might miss even one. Wolf 4 was just checking the cover, dragging out the time. After a while, he let out a grunt and folded the paper again. Then he nodded, just like Tae-heun had done. With that one nod, Detective Park’s body jolted. His face was a mix of emotions.

“It seems we’ve found it properly.”

A smile finally spread across Wolf 4’s face.

“Let’s think of this as a blessing in disguise.”

Wolf 4, who had blamed Detective Park and suspected Tae-heun, spoke calmly. It was ridiculous that he was the only one acting all high and mighty.

“By the way, do you think those bastards will spill any information?”

Wolf 4 asked Detective Oh while examining the money.

“There’s absolutely no way. Their boss is a money-hungry bastard, and if he finds out they took the money without him, their lives will be in danger.”

Detective Oh was confident.

“What about Rose?”

Tae-heun interjected.

“Why do you care about Rose?”

Detective Oh asked back with a look that seemed to question the absurdity of the question.

“I’m asking if she has any backing. There must be a madam, right? I doubt you detectives spoke nicely to her, so I’m asking.”

Tae-heun said, covering his face.

The greatest fear for a woman was having her face ruined. It didn’t matter if they were ordinary people or working in the industry; it was the same for everyone. Detective Oh knew this well.

“Oh. That’s already been discussed with this madam, so you don’t need to worry.”

Of course. He indirectly expressed that they had laid hands on Rose’s face. It was Detective Oh’s so-called ‘territory.’ Even if he wasn’t a corrupt cop, he would at least have a friendly relationship with the thugs in this entertainment district. So he would be confident in easily finding and beating up the thugs and the women with owners.

“Hey, aren’t you all hungry? I’ve been starving since yesterday…”

Just as the conversation seemed to be wrapping up, Detective Park timidly spoke up.

“Bastard, that’s bragging. But hearing you say that, I am feeling a bit hungry too.”

Detective Oh laughed heartily.

“There’s a 24-hour soup restaurant nearby. Let’s go together. It’s quite good.”

Detective Oh invited Wolf 4 and Tae-heun to eat. Since Wolf 4 said, “Sure,” it created an atmosphere where Tae-heun had to follow along. Since they were leaving anyway, it wouldn’t be a problem to grab a meal. Leaving the ledger and money on the floor, they locked the door and exited together.

The strides of Wolf 4, Detective Oh, and Detective Park walking side by side were energetic. From behind, they looked like friendly seniors and juniors or colleagues. It was hard to believe they had been at each other’s throats just moments ago. Tae-heun scoffed inwardly. He regretted missing out on a night because of them.

The dawn began to brighten. Had the man woken up? He would wake up at exactly 4:30 AM, as if he had an alarm clock inside him. But he had drunk quite a bit and had climaxed several times after a long time, so he probably wouldn’t wake up early this time. He hoped so. He wished he would still be asleep when he left.

Not far from Dongnamjang, there was a 24-hour hangover soup restaurant. It was an old and shabby place, similar to Dongnamjang. Customers were sitting at various tables, drinking or eating hangover soup. Detective Oh led them to the most secluded table. As Tae-heun moved, eyes followed him, but it didn’t last long. Before they could even sit down, Detective Oh ordered bean sprout soup without asking.

“But there are places that accept old bills. Can’t they tell the difference?”

Wolf 4 muttered to himself.

“Well, if it was spent in an entertainment establishment, it would be hard to tell. The lighting is dim. Besides, old bills aren’t even a different size from new ones.”

“That’s true.”

“And besides, they say real ones are mixed in too.”

Detectives Oh and Park took turns responding. Wolf 4 glanced at Tae-heun instead of answering the two detectives.

“It really is possible to find it quickly, right? If a report goes in, it will get complicated.”

“Oh, of course. I already got a text from my friend saying he found more than half of it.”

Saying this, Detective Oh held up his cellphone.

A satisfied smile spread across Wolf 4’s face. He crossed his arms and swayed his upper body back and forth. Detective Park, who had still been cautious, also looked a bit more relaxed.

A moment later, a hot stone pot was placed on the table. Everyone slurped it down without it being too hot. Tae-heun tasted the broth once and only pretended to pick up his spoon. It was quite tasty, and he thought it would be nice to bring the man here to eat together later. He kept glancing at the clock.

Wolf 4’s gaze also frequently lingered on Tae-heun’s wristwatch. Then, as if he had just remembered, he asked about the watch with a somewhat exaggerated expression.

“I heard that’s really expensive? They say it’s a limited edition, so no matter how much money you have, you can’t buy it, but you managed to get one, Director.”

He asked with a semblance of politeness, but his tone was almost mocking.

“I was lucky.”

Tae-heun replied nonchalantly. That way, the other party would think it was no big deal. The moment he started to blabber about the twists and turns he went through to buy this precious watch, he would become a target for someone.

“Actually, it’s not even that much of a limited edition. They say you can get it now if you really want to.”

It was a lie, but adding that made most people easily agree, thinking it was probably true. The uncomfortable gaze filled with jealousy faded to a level of mere envy.

“Well, these days, anyone and everyone is selling limited editions.”

Wolf 4 immediately chimed in.

Tae-heun pretended to agree wholeheartedly and set down his spoon. Following that, Detective Park and Detective Oh wiped their mouths with napkins, showing signs of fullness, and finally, Wolf 4 finished the meal by drinking the remaining soup from the earthenware pot. Since it wasn’t a company dinner, everyone just ate and got up.

Wolf 4’s phone rang. Upon seeing the caller’s name, he called out ‘Old Man’ to the three and stepped outside the restaurant. After Detective Oh settled the bill, he took the opportunity to speak to Tae-heun while Wolf 4 was absent.

“Director, I’ll go to Ki-beom’s house after I collect the rest of the money. Let’s talk about that text when the time comes.”

Earlier, he had said he would find the ledger first and explain everything, but now he was bringing up money. His tongue was long.

“That sounds good.”

Though he was reluctant, he had to hear the explanation anyway. Moreover, Tae-heun had something to ask as well. He needed to quickly put an end to the baseless rumors about himself. He couldn’t instill false hope in the townspeople, who were already struggling financially.

“The old man said to recover all the money and bring it back. I think I’ll go later.”

Wolf 4, who had been waiting at the restaurant door, said this to no one in particular. No one responded.

“Is it okay for me to go now?”

Tae-heun asked for permission, though it wasn’t in a particularly polite tone. Detective Oh squeezed his eyes shut and said to go ahead, while Wolf 4 made a sour face and replied, “Do as you wish.” Detective Park gave a slight bow.

The three, who had deliberately put cigarettes in their mouths in front of the restaurant, seemed to be watching Tae-heun’s back with intent. Tae-heun pretended to walk leisurely, but as soon as they disappeared from his sight, he began to run like a madman. Imagining a man who would be pleased to see his face filled him with energy.

The bean sprout soup was quite delicious.

Unfortunately, it seemed he would have to postpone the hangover soup for another time. He might run into Detective Oh’s group. That was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. He didn’t want to show the men, especially Wolf 4, what he was capable of.