By Zephyria 
Choi Won-joon stared at his face in the mirror for a long time, then washed his face with cold water and went outside, carelessly tossing the towel into the laundry basket. He looked around the house, the events that had transpired flashing through his mind like a film, and curses kept popping out of his mouth. He instinctively reached for a cigarette, but there was no way he would have one.
Forgotten memories returned, and the idiotic things he had done came to mind one by one. He didn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. Because he wasn’t the kind of person to feel such things in the first place. He just kept laughing because it was so absurd.
He rummaged through the refrigerator and found a beer, opened it, drank it, and looked around the house. The homeowner had gone to work, and the guy who had been taking care of him had disappeared, saying he had an appointment. How much time had passed? He looked for a landline phone, but couldn’t find one.
Won-joon, holding the beer, went to the bedroom and looked to see if there were any clothes he could wear, then found a photo on the desk. Won-joon’s eyes narrowed as he picked up the photo. It was a family photo in the frame, and everyone except the person he presumed to be his mother was wearing a police uniform. Come to think of it, the Hyung who had come to the house had said he was a prosecutor.
Won-joon put the frame back in its place with an amused expression.
“I walked right into the tiger’s den?”
He threw the empty beer can in the trash and looked around the house more closely. It felt quite different from how he had seen it from a child’s perspective. He looked at the photo albums on the bookshelf and found childhood photos of the homeowner, Kim Lee-eum.
Fair skin, neat features, jet-black eyes and hair. And even the dimples that appeared when he smiled. He didn’t look much different from his current face. He had long hair when he was in kindergarten, and just by looking at him, it was hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl.
As he put the photo album back in its place, he heard someone coming in from outside. He sauntered out and saw Roh Seon-gyu, who had gone to meet his girlfriend, returning. But he wasn’t alone.
“Did Young-shik have fun? Weren’t you scared all alone?”
When he tried to touch his cheek, he grabbed his hand, and Seon-gyu flinched. Won-joon smiled, raising the corner of his mouth slightly.
“Hyung. I don’t like people touching my face.”
Seon-gyu looked embarrassed and said, “Really?” Then he laughed, “Haha, I used to be like that when I was young.” As if he didn’t want to be caught being intimidated, Seon-gyu nudged Won-joon’s shoulder and went to his girlfriend. While the two were talking, his girlfriend’s gaze kept turning to Won-joon.
“Did he really lose his memory?”
“I told you, he hurt his head and went crazy. Lee-eum is trying to find his family, but it doesn’t seem easy.”
“How could someone so handsome end up like that….”
“If he has a family, they’ll contact us.”
“What if he never comes back like that?”
“Hey, Darling. Why are you saying such scary things? Kim Lee-eum can’t even date, are you saying he should grow old and die as a bachelor ghost?”
“Well, I guess that’s true.”
They thought they were lowering their voices, but Won-joon could hear everything. As Won-joon turned around, he spotted a cigarette sticking out of the pocket of Seon-gyu’s discarded jacket. While the two were rummaging through the refrigerator, wondering whether or not to cook, Won-joon took the cigarette and put it in his pocket. He was about to go inside when Seon-gyu called him from behind.
“Young-shik, where are you going?”
“I’m sleepy. I’m going in to sleep.”
“Are you?”
His mouth widened, thinking he had bought himself some dating time. Won-joon nonchalantly went into Lee-eum’s room and locked the door. Then he went out to the veranda, took out the cigarette he had just stolen, and put it in his mouth.
He lit it and took a deep breath, the scenery spread out before him as he was on a high floor. Smoke scattered in the air, and Won-joon’s gaze was directed far away, toward the opposite side of the city center.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Director Park Chang-shik submitted his resignation two weeks ago, and we have no news of him since then.”
The man wore glasses and had very sharp eyes. When Lee-eum asked if he needed anything else, he showed the man a photo of the victim. “Do you know this person?” The man’s eyes did not waver, and his tone was firm and polite.
“I don’t think so. I’ve never seen him before. What’s this about?”
“Are there any people in the company who were close to Director Park?”
“He was friendly with everyone, but I don’t think he was particularly close to anyone.”
“What about his secretary?”
“He’s on a business trip and is overseas.”
“When is he coming back?”
“I’m not sure.”
He answered every question, but he didn’t say anything that was actually needed. The man checked his watch several times. He seemed to want him to leave because he was busy, so Lee-eum packed his notebook and got up from his seat.
“I understand. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“You’re welcome. Please be careful on your way out.”
After a polite greeting, the man crossed the lobby and disappeared toward the elevator. The man, Director Lee, wore glasses, and the glint in his eyes behind the glass was unusual. In addition, his body was lean and without any excess fat, and he seemed to have no weaknesses.
Nam-soo, who was next to him, took a sip of the remaining coffee and looked around the lobby.
“I thought the employees would all look like gangsters, but it’s surprising.”
“No matter how it started, it’s now a respectable company in our country.”
“Should we dig deeper?”
“Let’s stop here for today. I have to go home early.”
“What happened to that person? Young-shik?”
“I haven’t heard from him separately. He’s still the same.”
“Sunbae must be uncomfortable. How about sending him to a facility for a while?”
It wasn’t that Lee-eum hadn’t thought about it. He couldn’t keep asking Seon-gyu for favors forever. But when he thought of the way he had grabbed his sleeve and stared at him, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Damn it, he’s not even a kid, what am I doing?
The two left Sehwa Construction, dropped Nam-soo off in the middle, and Lee-eum headed home. He organized the case in his head all the way. He suspected that the victim’s death was related to a person called a director at Sehwa Construction.
People say that a detective should move with evidence, not with gut feeling, but when you’re working, that gut feeling is often right.
In the meantime, a message arrived.
【Mom said she’s sick, so I’m leaving early. Young-shik is sound asleep.】
After replying with a thank you, he arrived home and hurried upstairs. Even though he knew he wasn’t a child, he was worried that he might wake up and be scared. Even he thought it was absurd, so he opened the door and went inside, but the house was quiet.
He went to the bedroom, but the lights were off and Young-shik was lying in bed asleep. Something was strange. His posture was subtly different from usual. He put the back of his hand on his forehead because he looked uncomfortable, but the moment he tried to fix it, a large hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. Young-shik slowly opened his eyes. His eyes shone like a beast in the darkness, and Lee-eum was flustered and gaped.
“Y-Young-shik. It’s me. Let go of my hand….”
He released his strength, but his wrist throbbed. He was more sensitive and agile than usual. It was threatening for a moment. Young-shik nonchalantly sat up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I didn’t know you were here, Mister.”
“Sorry for waking you up while you were sleeping. You looked uncomfortable, so I unconsciously….”
He smiled awkwardly, and Young-shik looked at Lee-eum’s hand.
“Is your wrist okay?”
He was about to say that it was okay, but he smelled a faint scent of cigarettes. Sniff, sniff, he brought it closer and inhaled. Why does he smell like cigarettes? Then Young-shik asked with an innocent expression.
“Why? Mister?”
“You smell like cigarettes….”
“Seon-gyu Hyung smoked earlier and hugged me.”
“He hugged you?”
“Yes, really tight.”
Lee-eum cursed Seon-gyu as a madman in his mind. Seon-gyu wasn’t the kind of person who was so affectionate that he would hug a guy much bigger than him, so he must really think Young-shik is a child.
Lee-eum laid Young-shik back down and got out of bed. He said good night and turned around, but strangely, goosebumps rose on the back of his neck. He turned around abruptly and saw Young-shik staring at him.
“Why…. Do you have something to say?”
“Aren’t you going to sleep with me?”
“…….”
“I’m scared when you’re not here.”
He would have been terrified if it were any other time, but why did it feel like he was smiling today? He says he’s scared, but why isn’t his voice shaking at all? Is it because he’s comfortable with me now? While he was looking at him in confusion, the phone rang.
It was Nam-soo’s call, so he went outside and closed the door. He looked at his wrist, which had been grabbed while he was talking on the phone, and saw that there was a red handprint left from how hard he had been grabbed.