SU | Chapter 2.15

The woman asked as she finished dressing. Yoo Han dusted himself off and struggled to stand up. It was unclear whether it was his physical strength or mental strength that was lacking, but even a short run had left his legs excessively shaky. He recalled Ji Youngwon’s admonishment that he should drop dead, which had been spot-on.

“Phew… Yes. Sorry about that.”

The woman unexpectedly patted Yoo Han’s shoulder, dismissing his apology.

“What are you sorry for? I’m the one who imposed… Sorry for barging in like this. We almost messed everything up.”

Yeah, honestly, it almost did get completely ruined. He couldn’t bring himself to say it was okay. The woman seemed relieved by Yoo Han’s honest nod and chuckled lightly.

After taking a moment, Yoo Han fiddled with the ping-pong table and asked the woman,

“So… if you brought your car, maybe we could sit in there for now.”

“Ah, I didn’t bring my car. That jerk brought my car here… I had to take a taxi to get here.”

Indeed, even if she had a car, driving it here would have been like advertising to her enemies that she wanted to be caught. Yoo Han quickly regretted his question and clamped his mouth shut.

“But you didn’t come out from the detective agency alone, did you? Do you have someone else inside? Call them. I’m somewhat okay, but you look really cold.”

The woman seemed completely unaware that she had snatched Yoo Han’s hoodie to wear. Yoo Han, feeling awkward about taking back the kindness he offered, pulled out his phone from his pocket. It was showing five in the morning. Calling now might really get him beaten up…

Yoo Han hesitated before entering his contacts and pressing Gu Kangsan’s name. The dial tone began. Drrrr-drrrr. It kept ringing until an automated message indicated the call could not be completed.

“He must be sleeping. No answer.”

He felt it would be quicker to die of hypothermia than from being beaten. It was out of the question to knock on the door; the adulteress might wake up. Yoo Han’s lips turned increasingly blue. He reluctantly searched for Ji Youngwon’s number.

“Ah…”

However, Yoo Han soon stopped his frozen fingers. He had been at Speed Errand for a week and still didn’t have the Director’s number. Gu Kangsan, the manager, was the only person from Speed Errand listed in his phone.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the number…”

As Yoo Han habitually apologized, the woman waved her hand dismissively.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Sigh.”

Yoo Han shrugged his arms in agreement. They sat down on a discarded box inside the tent. Yoo Han wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry about the absurd situation. Sitting on the cold box, his body shivered.

Then the adulterer, having returned from the convenience store, appeared. He parked his car and disappeared into the cabin with a bag from the store. The woman memorized the sight of her shameless husband’s back. Her fists trembled.

“Seeing it with my own eyes feels so much dirtier. I should have just sat quietly and collected evidence.”

Yoo Han, finding no words to reply, fidgeted with the edge of the box. The woman, now seated at the end of the ping pong table, posed a troubling question.

“You’ve seen my sister, so you know, right? We look alike.”

“……”

“Ha… Doesn’t it seem strange? I’ve been thinking about it all the way here, and I don’t understand. Why her, of all people, who looks just like me, my own blood?”

As the woman said, the client and the mistress could have been mistaken for twins. Their faces, heights, body shapes, even their auras were similar. Not one feature was dissimilar, and their voices even sounded alike. The woman sighed deeply again after a long silence.

“I thought I’d grab those two by the hair and smash them to the ground until I got here.”

“……”

“But reality is different. Standing in front of that door, my mind went blank, my legs wouldn’t stop shaking… It’s like I’m the criminal, shrinking away, though they’re the guilty ones. I’ve never felt so miserable in my life.”

Her words trailed off into sobs again. Yoo Han silently watched her cry, not knowing how to respond.

From somewhere in the dawn, a small commotion stirred Ji Youngwon awake. His sleep was light, and he rubbed his forehead before getting up. Ji Youngwon immediately went outside the room. Unable to resist his chronic vigilance, he locked the front door and walked into the living room. Below the TV, Gu Kangsan sprawled out, snoring loudly.

“I should just plug his nostrils shut.”

Ji Youngwon missed the sound of someone desperately trying to turn the doorknob due to Gu Kangsan’s high-decibel snoring. He glanced towards the balcony, noticing something amiss. The spot next to Gu Kangsan, where Yoo Han should have been, was empty; the blanket was rolled up like a shed larval skin. Ji Youngwon looked out over the balcony. Empty tables and chairs and the fog-enshrouded forest were visible, but no signs of human presence.

“Hmm…”

Ji Youngwon stroked his chin, exhaling deeply. He didn’t think Yoo Han had run away; he knew instinctively that Yoo Han wasn’t capable of that, given his straightforward nature.

His eyes returned to the blanket cave. Yoo Han definitely had a problem, sneaking out without permission in a situation involving a client.

‘Sooner or later, I really might have to beat some sense into him.’

Just then, a loud vibration disturbed the silence. Ziiing-ziiing. Ji Youngwon approached the sleeping Gu Kangsan and bent down. He reached for the phone on the nightstand.

Bell Runner Yoo Han

Yoo Han’s name appeared on the screen. Ji Youngwon looked up towards the front door. Clearly, Yoo Han had gone out without permission and now couldn’t get back in, prompting the desperate call. The ringing stopped as the call went unanswered.

“Ha…”

Ji Youngwon held back a surge of irritation and threw the phone. It landed on Gu Kangsan’s massive belly.

“Kuh-uhng!”

Gu Kangsan grunted like a pig being butchered and scratched his belly. The phone rolled off to his side.

Ji Youngwon grabbed a jacket from the dining table and headed outside. But as he stepped out, he hesitated; the target’s car was gone. His eyes narrowed instantly. Far away, two dogs spotted Ji Youngwon and barked loudly. Woof, woof!

He turned his gaze. Inside the green tent, faint silhouettes of two people moved. Ji Youngwon slowly approached, making sure not to be seen. He circled to the back of the tent and peeked through a gap in the green tarpaulin. Yoo Han and a woman were sitting demurely on a collapsing box.

“Ha.”

What are they doing? Ji Youngwon frowned as if he had seen something distasteful. He watched the woman talking to Yoo Han. He thought she was the mistress, but upon closer inspection, her face was different. Ji Youngwon straightened up after cross-checking the client’s photo in his phone.

‘Couldn’t stand it and ran out here.’

Ji Youngwon rubbed his face wearily. Clients showing up at infidelity cases were not uncommon, often introducing unpredictable risks.

Ji Youngwon paused as he was about to enter the tent, hearing the sound of tires on the dirt. The adulterer got out of the car holding a convenience store bag and quickly returned to the cabin. The two inside the tent stiffened. The adulterer disappeared inside quickly.

The woman muttered a few words to Yoo Han, then began sobbing again, shrugging her shoulders. Yoo Han awkwardly stood by, fidgeting with his hands.

“Why her, of all people? Why, why…”

The woman collapsed to the ground, releasing her final sobs. As annoyance flickered across Ji Youngwon’s face, Yoo Han unexpectedly spoke up. Ji Youngwon stopped turning away and cocked his head, watching Yoo Han’s babbling mouth.

“Don’t cry. The more a family is involved in bad things, the easier it is to get hurt and become unhappy… But having mixed blood doesn’t make it a big issue. What matters is how much meaning I give to that blood… It’s the same with a spouse, too.”

His words were surprisingly bold for someone scrambling to find his mother’s worthless heirloom. It wasn’t typical advice from Yoo Han. Blood mixing is not a problem… Ji Youngwon quietly flickered his eyebrows, struck by the fresh insight that pierced his thoughts.

The woman, who had been burying her face in her knees, looked up curiously. Yoo Han met her gaze and continued.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? With family, it’s always more about questions than understanding. ‘Why did they do this to me? We’re family… I’m tied to you by blood, what did I do to deserve this?’”

Ji Youngwon intuitively knew Yoo Han was speaking from personal experience.

“Really, it’s all meaningless. We weren’t born strangers, but ultimately, family is just another person. So, the pain I feel isn’t because of the family member themselves… it’s more likely because I’ve placed too much importance on that familial connection.”

The woman had stopped crying. She stared blankly at Yoo Han.

“You talk like you’ve been through it.”

“…”

“Sigh… So, you’re saying it’s easier to blame myself than my family?”

Yoo Han suddenly felt embarrassed as if he had just launched into an unwarranted sermon. He scratched his head as he replied.

“Uh… no. I meant that to protect myself, I shouldn’t place too much importance on relationships. It’s okay to hold grudges if you feel like it. Just leave out the part where you question why it had to be family….”

After saying his piece, Yoo Han awkwardly fidgeted. The woman didn’t respond.

“I’m sorry. That was out of line.”

“…No, I appreciate the advice. It really snapped me out of feeling miserable.”

As the woman staggered to her feet, Yoo Han reached out to help her up. Just then, the poorly secured tent flap swung open. Startled, Yoo Han instinctively pushed the woman’s arm forward as a shield. The woman, equally taken aback, alternated her gaze between her awkwardly bent arm and the man who had barged into the tent.

“Are you done playing around?”

“Uh, Director.”

Uh… I mean, it wasn’t a game…. Yoo Han let go of the woman’s arm and stuttered with a frozen expression.

“She’s a client who showed up suddenly in the early morning….”

The early dawn’s silent chaos came to an end. Ji Youngwon, the director, didn’t even need to listen as he gave a slight nod, signaling them to follow him without further discussion.

Gu Kangsan looked at the client who had burst in so early and at Yoo Han, who was sniffling, and shook his head.

“Kid, what’s all this first thing in the morning?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure the Director told you not to go off on your own.”

Yoo Han really had stepped out with the intention of petting a white dog, so he had nothing to say even if he had a hundred mouths.

The woman, still fiddling with the drawstrings of Yoo Han’s hoodie she was wearing, sighed.

“He did nothing wrong. In fact, thanks to him coming out, I wasn’t caught.”

As she defended Yoo Han, Gu Kangsan’s expression turned stern.

“It’s better if you keep quiet. If this messes up, you’re just losing money.”

The woman, now out of arguments, put on a sullen face. Just then, Ji Youngwon, now dressed in his outdoor clothes, sat next to Gu Kangsan. His presence made Yoo Han’s mouth go dry. Ji Youngwon brushed back his hair that had fallen over his eyes. His gaze at the woman was chilling.

“We’ll conclude your request here.”

“…What? I thought you were going to handle it for a week?”

“That was if we hadn’t found any evidence.”

His authoritative tone as he tapped the table was unsettling. Yoo Han felt the chilly air and shivered.

“Including five hundred for the night’s effort, and subtracting the two hundred fifty advance you already paid, you owe a total of four hundred fifty in cash by tonight.”

“But….”