SU | Chapter 2.12

Excluding sexual intercourse, one of the strongest pieces of evidence that could indirectly prove infidelity was a confession file from the mistress—acknowledging that the other party had a family, including the illicit man.

“Yeah. It’s a term we people often use. It means forbidden love… I’m currently in a very painful love affair.”

Thanks to the woman spilling the beans before Ji Youngwon even had to bait her, he secured solid material evidence within minutes of arriving. Even if the evidence was obtained illegally, it could still be cited in civil lawsuits. The client—already furious—would only have to deal with the criminal penalties.

Most requests that came to the family division were handled this way.

“Have a drink.”

It seemed I had made a pretty good choice with my bell-ringing—strangely enough, all my targets were unnecessarily fixated on Yoohan.

Ji Youngwon looked at Yoohan’s mask, which, surprisingly, had its uses. With great satisfaction, he raised his glass. The thought that it was useful made me want to keep using it for a while longer. The fact that Yoohan piqued my interest? That was just a secondary issue.

Startled, Yoohan accepted the drink with a dazed expression and took a sip. The lukewarm beer slid down his throat with a weak fizz. He frowned slightly and glanced toward the next table.

The woman who had been happily devouring meat earlier was now waving her hand. Yoohan, caught off guard, awkwardly raised his own in response.

Gu Kangsan, still wearing his work gloves as he grilled the meat, glanced back and forth between the director and Yoohan. Before long, the plate was piled high with sizzling cuts.

Yoohan quickly prepared a wrap and held it up to Gu Kangsan’s mouth.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Huh?”

A tiny hand firmly held the wrap and tapped at his mouth. Startled, Gu Kangsan opened his mouth, and Yoohan beamed at him.

“How is it?”

“Uh… it’s good. You eat it.”

As Gu Kangsan waved his hand, insisting that Yoohan should eat, Yoohan returned to his seat. Ji Youngwon, who had been watching the whole scene, let out a small laugh.

“Should I wrap some for you too, Director?”

Yoohan suddenly realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth with a sheepish expression. Just then, the mistress was glancing over at the awkward trio of men.

“Oh, no. Should I wrap some for you too, hyung?”

The awkward term made Ji Youngwon frown. A reflexive curse slipped out due to the ticklish feeling in his side.

“Shut up….”

Yoohan immediately shut his mouth and focused on his meal. Sometimes, after a long day at the construction site, he would sneak in among the older men to snag some pork belly—but this was on a whole different level.

Even though it was the same charcoal fire, how could the taste be so different? He had no idea that the charm of travel lay in the way flavors were shaped by the atmosphere. For Yoohan, food had always been about survival, not preference.

As Yoohan mindlessly devoured the meat, unable to hide his happy smile, the illicit couple’s meal came to an end.

Ji Youngwon adjusted his chair, turning his back to them. He gauged the distance between himself and Gu Kangsan before beckoning Yoohan over.

Hurriedly finishing his last piece, Yoohan rushed to Ji Youngwon’s side.

“What, what is it?”

Yoohan asked quietly, rolling his eyes. Ji Youngwon tossed his phone to Gu Kangsan as if ordering him to do something.

“Take a picture.”

In an instant, Ji Youngwon pulled Yoohan’s shoulder. Yoohan’s upper body leaned toward Ji Youngwon, and the two men were captured in the same camera frame.

“Why are we doing this all of a sudden…?”

As Yoohan asked in confusion, Ji Youngwon tightened his grip on his shoulder.

“Shut up and just pretend to take a picture.”

Pretend to take a picture?

Yoohan glanced at the phone in Gu Kangsan’s hand. The angle of his halfhearted shots was gradually rising. Ah. Evidence photos of the illicit couple… Only then did Yoohan grasp the purpose of the shoot and relax his tense body.

The scent of Ji Youngwon, which had lingered faintly earlier, suddenly filled his senses again. The moment he registered it, his right shoulder became acutely sensitive. The lingering warmth of that firm grip sent a cold sweat down his back. Even through the thin fabric of his hoodie, the heat was unmistakable.

And then—there was Ji Youngwon’s chest, pressing against his left shoulder…

Ah, why is this happening?

Yoohan tried to regain his composure, tightening his legs in a squat position.

Ji Youngwon glanced back at him. The sweet scent of youth radiated from Yoohan’s tense body—reminiscent of grapes just beginning to ripen. The scent was oddly familiar…

“All done.”

Gu Kangsan confirmed that the couple had completely entered the room and handed the phone to Ji Youngwon. As the warmth that had been gripping his shoulder vanished, Yoohan plopped down onto the floor. Having held such an awkward position for too long, his legs trembled from the strain.

“You’re such a weakling.”

Ji Youngwon clicked his tongue as he checked the photos. There were clear shots of the mistress and her lover—happily clearing the dishes, the lover brushing the mistress’s disheveled hair, and the mistress closely following him inside. Everything had been captured in vivid detail.

“This should be enough.”

As Ji Youngwon paused to review the photos for a mid-report to the client, his hand suddenly froze.

Among them were three unexpected shots—photos of himself and Yoohan.

“Unnecessary.”

Ji Youngwon muttered to himself. In the photos, Yoohan was staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth tightly shut, and his hands gripping his knees to keep from falling. Even his dilated pupils were captured in vivid detail. Ji Youngwon’s expression turned unreadable as he gazed at the images.

He soon selected the three photos taken with Yoohan. Just as his thumb hovered over the delete button, Yoohan called out to him.

“Director. If you’re done, should I clear the dishes?”

Ji Youngwon, nodding absentmindedly, turned his gaze back to the screen. The photos of himself and Yoohan still filled the display.

Instead of pressing delete, he chose to go back.

Without hesitation, Ji Youngwon handed the phone to Gu Kangsan.

“Send the photos to the client, and leave a list of the pension’s location and the items for evidence collection.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Hey, you little fox.”

Yoohan, who was tidying up Ji Youngwon’s dishes, looked up. He had been called a rat all this time, and now he was being called a little fox…. It seemed like he could call him whatever he wanted. Yoohan let out a quiet sigh.

“Once you’re done cleaning, go fill the bathtub.”

He had come to ring the bell, not to play the role of a servant. If he were to complain, it was clear he would be starving from breakfast the next morning.

“Isn’t it dangerous to take a half-body bath after drinking?”

“Shut up.”

Yoohan couldn’t find a rebuttal to Ji Youngwon’s cynical one-liner and lowered his gaze.

“Yes….”

Reluctantly responding, he pouted. Ji Youngwon pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket and stood up. Leaning against the railing, he took in the view of the mountains and streams cloaked in darkness. A faint scent of cigarettes drifted in the cold wind, prompting Yoohan to hurry away.

As he entered the bathroom, the first thing he noticed was a wide, square-shaped wooden hot tub. It looked more like a hinoki bath than a regular tub. Kneeling on the smooth ceramic tiles, Yoohan tested the temperature of the rising water.

‘Once the Director finishes his bath, should I sneak in at dawn…?’

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had soaked in warm water. The most he had done was splash water from the building’s sink onto his body—an unsatisfying attempt at washing up. As steam began to rise from the surface, the heaviness in his body settled in. With the tension of recent events and the fullness from the meat, his eyelids drooped.

Drowsiness overtook him, lulled by the gentle sound of water filling the tub. But then—click—the sound of the bathroom door opening jolted him awake.

“Are you trying to lock me in?”

At the teasing tone, Yoohan jumped up from his spot. Ji Youngwon quickly approached and checked the water level, which was about to overflow, and turned the lever to stop it.

“That’s really hot….”

Ji Youngwon pushed Yoohan’s head away with a look of disbelief. Even though he didn’t put much strength into it, it felt oddly unpleasant. Yoohan, sulking, fiddled with his wet sleeves.

“It needs to be this hot to get rid of the dirt properly.”

“Shut your mouth.”

Ji Youngwon, having just washed his face, gestured for him to leave. As Yoohan moved away, he couldn’t help but glance back.

Ji Youngwon had thrown off his black turtleneck in one swift motion, revealing a surprisingly muscular back. But what caught Yoohan’s attention even more were the faint lines etched into his skin—upon closer inspection, they weren’t tattoos but scars from cuts.

Just then, Ji Youngwon suddenly turned, meeting Yoohan’s lingering gaze. Startled, Yoohan quickly averted his eyes. As he stepped out and closed the door behind him, the fresh, humidity-free air hit his face like a splash of cold water, waking him up completely.

Gu Kangsan, who was sitting in a massage chair, turned to look at Yoohan.

“What took you so long to come out?”

“Ah… I filled the bathtub.”

“Did you at least take a shower? Your face is all red.”

“No. Oh, it was hot water, so it was steamy inside.”

“Well, the director doesn’t really like hot water….”

Yoohan felt despair at the thought of how he was imagining Ji Youngwon’s strong back muscles while they were talking. How did he get all those scars…? No, why was he even curious about this? As he nervously scratched his head, Yoohan shook off his wet sleeves.

“Manager, do you have any spare clothes?”

“Spare clothes?”

Now that he thought about it, Gu Kangsan had already changed into comfortable clothes, and there was a set of black training clothes, presumably belonging to Ji Youngwon, lying in front of the bathroom.

“I think there are a few in the car.”

Since unexpected situations could arise, the trunk of the car was always stocked with spare clothes along with tools.

“I wonder if there’s a size that fits you?”

Yoohan slipped on the long-sleeved T-shirt that Gu Kangsan handed him. The size was so large that one shoulder was completely exposed, and the length was so long that it came down to just above his thighs.

“Seeing you like this, it’s clear you haven’t eaten well. You don’t have a dress, do you?”

Gu Kangsan sighed, looking disappointed. Yoohan, who couldn’t bring himself to take off his jeans, scratched his head in embarrassment.

“Is this the only outfit you have?”

“That’s the smallest size I have.”

Gu Kangsan yawned widely and checked the time.

“The bedroom is for the director, so go get some blankets. There are blankets in the bedroom closet.”

“Yes!”

Yoohan felt a thrill at the thought of finally lying on a blanket after so long. He dashed to the bedroom and flung the door open—only to lock eyes with Ji Youngwon, who was sitting on the bed, absently fiddling with his phone after finishing his half-body bath.

His still-damp hair made him look several times younger than usual. The white towel draped around his neck oddly complemented his relaxed demeanor.

Suppressing the urge to smile, Yoohan approached the closet.

“What are you doing?”

Ji Youngwon asked, glancing at him sideways without taking his eyes off his phone.

“The manager told me to bring some blankets….”

“Don’t think too much. We need to take pictures of the action.”

“N-no, that was just a joke, right?”

Yoohan frowned as he hugged a flowery blanket that was too tacky. The blanket slipped down, causing the oversized T-shirt to pull down endlessly from his shoulders.

Ji Youngwon quickly replied to a message that had come in from Executive Director Gu and tossed his phone onto the bed.

“A joke?”

The cold look in Ji Youngwon’s eyes as he stared at Yoohan was chilling. Realizing his slip of the tongue, Yoohan quickly apologized.

“…I’m sorry.”