SU | Chapter 1.9

It seemed not the first time Ji Youngwon had to correct Gu Kangsan’s pronunciation, and his correction came naturally. The tense, heavy atmosphere relaxed a bit, and Yoo Han’s facial muscles loosened. The word “gently” somehow struck him as funny, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Suddenly, Ji Youngwon leaned in and stared at Yoo Han, who was lost in thought.

“You don’t actually lack brains, do you?”

It was a quiet murmur, meant only for Yoo Han to hear. Startled, Yoo Han blinked and tried to avoid Ji Youngwon’s penetrating gaze.

“Ah, kid. You’re so flimsy, can you even act like a man?”

“Bell runner should have thick skin.”

“Where did this guy come from?”

“Is this kid even old enough to be here? Has he ever even been with a girl?”

Questions and comments flew from all directions. Ji Youngwon, having seemingly finished his role, strolled towards the window, hands in pockets. Dusty potted plants lay beneath the blacked-out windows, their soil dry and cracked.

Yoo Han glanced nervously at Ji Youngwon, whose back was turned as he looked at the plants. Being among strangers, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to Ji Youngwon. It felt like a child who had lost his mother’s hand in an amusement park; his heart fluttered with anxiety.

Then Gu Kangsan tapped Yoo Han’s back to quiet the commotion.

“Yoo Han. Just introduce yourself briefly.”

“Ah, yes… Hello, my name is Yoo Han. I’m twenty-one. I’m not sure how much help I can be, but I’ll do my best. Please look after me.”

Receiving the burly men’s stares made his body and voice shrink. His soft, tentative voice caused some of them to shiver in disgust.

“Ugh, fuck. Listen to him. It’s so cringe.”

“Twenty-one? Isn’t that too young?”

The room buzzed with noise. Gu Kangsan waved his arms to calm them down. All the while, Ji Youngwon’s gaze remained on the dry potted plants.

“Now that the kid has introduced himself, it’s your turn.”

Gu Kangsan gestured, and they began their introductions in order.

“Hi. Names are too hard to remember, so just call me hyung. I’m in charge of personal affairs, mostly specializing in affairs of infidelity. The guy next to me handles the rough stuff.”

The man with an ox tattoo laughed, pointing at a man with a tiger tattoo, who raised his hand as if to hit him and then laughed.

“Look at this asshole introducing himself.”

“Stop messing around and greet properly, you guys.”

“Yep!”

Yoo Han desperately clung to his sanity as he tried to memorize their faces and roles.

“I handle election affairs. Things like agricultural cooperative chairmen, board chairmen. Next to me, this guy’s into second-tier finance.”

“Hey. Nice to meet you. I deal with insurance fraud and medical accident investigations.”

“I specialize in personal security. I do stuff like looking after weak kids like you if they get beaten up, and I catch stalkers.”

“Catching stalkers, yeah right, more like catching attitudes. Ha!”

“Fuck you, you damn queer.”

Whether it was introductions or chit-chat, the conversation seemed endless. Yoo Han awkwardly smiled and nodded as they continued. Finally, with the snake and monkey teams of the debt collection division introduced, the greetings concluded.

“It’s called specialization, but really, it’s an unspoken rule here to tackle assignments as they come in. Except for the permanent team, personnel shifts are pretty fluid.”

Gu Kangsan added that explanation. Yoo Han nodded vigorously, having memorized about six specialized teams. Gu Kangsan patted his shoulder as if to say good job.

“Director. Shall we wrap up the meeting? I’ll send out the schedules for the rest, excluding the permanent team.”

“Do that.”

The men, except for the two permanent team members, moved efficiently. Yoo Han blankly watched as they quickly dispersed.

“Gu Kangsan.”

Ji Youngwon slowly walked forward with a sound of his shoes.

“Let’s go have breakfast. If Kangmin is at work, call him to the restaurant.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As Ji Youngwon glanced briefly at Yoo Han and then disappeared outside, Gu Kangsan sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead.

“Kid. Was there any trouble yesterday?”

Yoo Han’s eyes moistened with nervousness.

“I got caught washing up in the restroom, but I didn’t say anything about Manager Kangsan. Even when they kept pressing, I said he had nothing to do with it. And I got permission to stay here.”

“…Alright. Got it.”

Nodding as if he understood, Gu Kangsan pulled out his phone to call Executive Director Kangmin. As Yoo Han continued to stand there dumbly, Gu Kangsan turned back and gestured.

“Hurry up and come along.”

“Can I come too?”

“What, you want to stay here?”

Yoo Han slowly turned his head to look at the snake and monkey lounging on the sofa. Just the thought of staying in the same space with these strangers was already draining.

“Are those guys going to eat…?”

“They’ve already eaten.”

His stomach rumbled loudly. The last thing he had eaten was the sandwich Gu Kangsan gave him yesterday.

“If you’re not going to eat, then don’t.”

“No, no, I’ll go.”

“Hurry up.”

“Thank you!”

If I’d known I’d feel this awkward, I would’ve chosen to starve instead of shouting thanks. Yoo Han followed Gu Kangsan to a Korean restaurant located right next to the building. As soon as he sat near the entrance, his eyes met Ji Youngwon’s, and he had to exchange uncomfortable glances with Gu Kangsan’s twin brother, Gu Kangmin, the executive director.

Yoo Han gulped down cold water from his cup with a nearly dead expression on his face. Sitting across, Ji Youngwon looked at him with a gaze that was hard to tell whether it was observational or contemptuous.

“Since when did you start joining breakfasts like you belong here?”

Yoo Han, trying to be subtle, made Ji Youngwon tease him for fun. As expected, his round eyes couldn’t find their footing and shook aimlessly.

As Yoo Han hesitated, Gu Kangmin, who was sitting in front of Gu Kangsan, asked him a question.

“How do you think he’ll do, brother?”

Whether it was just his natural look or a complete lack of goodwill, Gu Kangmin’s gaze at Yoo Han was less than pleased—a strangely wary look. Yoo Han was intimidated by the dual scrutiny but somehow managed to open his mouth.

“Yes… I’ll do well since I’ve been hired.”

Hired, huh? An inappropriate choice of words made the executive raise his eyebrows.

“Really, Yoo Han?”

“Yes.”

“You may have followed us here for breakfast without knowing your place, but from now on, try to know when to fit in and when to back off.”

Yoo Han’s eyes immediately welled up at the unexpectedly cold remark. But Gu Kangmin didn’t care. To him, an unexpected bell runner showing up was anything but welcome. It was supposed to be a casual talk, but it was the only time he could report progress and seek light advice from the director.

“I’m sorry. But… I need to eat to live, and I’m part of the hired family here…”

Yoo Han spoke timidly with hurt eyes, which furrowed Gu Kangmin’s forehead. Ji Youngwon, the director, couldn’t help but let out a laugh hearing this.

“Yoo Han, please choose your words carefully. You keep saying ‘hired,’ but we don’t recall formally hiring you. Using you as a bell runner is just a temporary measure.”

“…Yes.”

Yoo Han bowed his head, feeling unwelcome at the meal, but he had to eat since he was there.

Meanwhile, Gu Kangsan quickly set his utensils, unperturbed. His brother’s touchy and sensitive nature wasn’t unknown to him, and the director, although heartless at times, never let his people starve. Only Yoo Han, who hadn’t fully understood the two yet, felt incredibly dry.

Before they sat for long, the food was served. Apparently, they were regulars here as no ordering was necessary.

“Enjoy your meal, oppas.”

An older lady with a charming greeting laid out Yoo Han’s bowl of rice and utensils neatly. Wondering if he was really allowed to eat, Yoo Han cautiously peeked, prompting Ji Youngwon to tap his rice bowl with chopsticks twice.

“Stop rolling your eyes and just eat.”

Damn. Even when speaking… Yoo Han grumbled internally and bowed his head. Following the order, he scooped up freshly cooked steaming white rice. The sweet grains wrapped around his tongue, and he began picking at the side dishes voraciously. After Kim Minjae disappeared, he had been sustaining himself on ramen and junk food, so proper Korean food had been a rarity.

Gu Kangmin stopped mid-bite and pushed up his rimless glasses, watching Yoo Han. He looked too naive for the bell runner role, making him wonder if he could handle it without issue.

“You’ll get indigestion.”

Gu Kangmin reflexively poured water into Yoo Han’s empty cup. Despite the high-pressure environment, his action didn’t seem kind. Yoo Han flinched and set his spoon down as he muttered thanks.

“Shut up, damn it.”

Ji Youngwon scolded, and Yoo Han immediately shut his mouth, chewing his food thoroughly. Although being scolded wasn’t pleasant, Youngwon was not known to curse without reason. Even upon reflection, his words always held truth, which meant the harsh scolding didn’t hit Yoo Han as hard. Of course, it still soured his mood and made his eyebrows droop.

Once his hunger was somewhat managed, Yoo Han looked around leisurely. The restaurant was more of a diner than a fancy Korean cuisine place, with an old menu on the wall showing at least twenty dishes, all reasonably priced. This was a regular spot for the detective agency family.

Pretending to drink, Yoo Han turned his gaze towards Ji Youngwon’s chest. Despite not wearing a tie, the director, dressed in a formal suit from head to toe, seemed out of place in the old setting. Remembering how Ji Youngwon fretted over electricity bills even for a button, it made perfect sense. Clearly, the man before him cared little about appearances and was all about money.

‘So, can I tack my meal expenses onto Speed Errand from now on…?’

Lost in thought, Yoo Han turned his head as he felt someone watching him. It was Gu Kangmin, who looked a lot like Gu Kangsan but had a more intellectual air with his glasses, sizing him up.

“When do you plan to start him working?”

Gu Kangmin wiped his mouth with a napkin as he asked Ji Youngwon. Gu Kangsan, who had finished his side dishes, answered instead.

“Director, remember the client who came last time? The one who pushed twenty million won at us. I got a call on the way here. He’s made up his mind and wants it done today.”

“Then use him from today. No point in waiting.”

Ji Youngwon nonchalantly brushed back his fallen hair.

Yoo Han felt slighted by the director’s tone, treating him like an object.

“But still… I haven’t been told what a bell runner is yet.”

After clearing his meal, Yoo Han asked while clutching his full stomach. Ji Youngwon casually spun his water cup before speaking.

“I thought you got along well enough with Gu Kangsan to have heard it from him, no?”

Yoo Han coughed awkwardly at the vague question.

“Ah… not really.”

Even Gu Kangsan, who had finished eating earlier, averted his eyes while fiddling with his fish cake.

“Boring as hell.”

Ji Youngwon leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. As predictable or unpredictable as it might be, Yoo Han consistently drew the director’s attention. Just then, the quick-witted executive chimed in.

“A bell runner is slang used in companies like ours. You might understand it faster as ‘bait.’”

“…Bait?”

A sudden worry flooded Yoo Han as he rubbed his neck uneasily.

“There’s no need to feel pressured. All you need to do is approach the target naturally and hand them over to our people.”

“The target?”

Gu Kangmin, amused by Yoo Han’s continuous questioning, pushed up his glasses with the back of his hand.

“People like debtors, for example.”

“Ah…”

“We plan to use your face, Yoo Han. With your kind of look, even I would open my door without suspicion.”

…My kind of look. Yoo Han wasn’t naïve enough not to understand the implication. Now grasping the meaning of being a bell runner, Yoo Han slowly nodded his head. While the job wasn’t difficult, being used as bait to lure people wasn’t a light burden.

“I’ll be with you, so no need to be scared.”

Ji Youngwon met his eyes, reassuring him unexpectedly. Yoo Han’s lips parted.

“Really? Are you not busy?”

“Have to see if the breakfast you ate today was worth it.”

…Of course. Why else would he offer help? Without any room for expectation, Yoo Han sighed silently.

As Ji Youngwon rose from his seat, both the manager and the executive stood up too. Gu Kangmin, leading the way out, glanced back at Yoo Han, who was clumsily following. His gaze was unreadable.