SU | Chapter 2.16

The client faltered as Ji Youngwon discussed the money with a cold tone.

“Are you sure you got the evidence?”

Ji Youngwon leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“Do you have anything more conclusive than a video of them chewing each other out?”

With that pointed remark, the woman was shocked. It felt like a blow to the back of her head to hear the direct fact that her husband and sister-in-law had been intimate. However, she managed to hang onto her sanity, thanks in no small part to Ji Youngwon’s relentless words. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, she wasn’t sure.

“Mr. President, you sure talk pretty.”

The woman bit her lip, kicked her chair back, and stood up. The unpleasant screeching of the chair made Ji Youngwon call after her.

“Even if you leave, take off the clothes.”

“What?”

“That outfit. Isn’t that our staff’s?”

Ji Youngwon looked displeased as the woman had been casually wearing Yoo Han’s clothes, rubbing her face on the sleeve. Whether Yoo Han had given it to her or she had taken it, it irritated Ji Youngwon either way.

The woman glanced down at the clothes she was wearing and made a realization. Yoo Han cringed at the same time. Ji Youngwon, unbothered, continued.

“By the way, we have a divorce lawyer if you want to make legal use of the evidence you’ve gathered. It’s best to avoid criminal charges if you can.”

Caught off-guard by the sudden mention of fees, both the woman and Yoo Han widened their eyes.

“…Do I just contact you?”

The woman asked, to which Ji Youngwon smiled.

“Of course, there will be a commission fee.”

“How much is that?”

“Contact us, and we’ll inform you. We need to check the lawyer’s schedule too.”

He didn’t bother to add that whatever she was imagining, the price would be higher.

“As per the contract, there’s no additional charge per piece of evidence collected. So don’t hesitate about the commission fee; it will actually be to your benefit.”

His ability to present such an obvious statement as if he were doing a favor was indeed a skill. Yoo Han trembled as he tried to understand Ji Youngwon’s cryptic way of speaking.

The woman, biting her nails, reluctantly nodded. There was no sense in scrimping in a fight she had already started. Thinking about the alimony she could claw back, it seemed like a good investment.

Ji Youngwon let out a satisfied sigh at the woman’s positive response. He always welcomed the desperation of the clients who came to him. Ji Youngwon was a natural-born merchant who thrived on exploiting human emotions.

“Think it over and contact us. The four hundred fifty minus the deposit is due by tonight.”

“…Yes.”

“Now, please leave.”

With an unnervingly dismissive tone, Ji Youngwon issued his final remark. The woman’s eyes flickered in panic for a moment.

“Make sure you don’t get caught by the neighbors on your way out.”

She hadn’t expected to be dismissed so abruptly. The woman’s face flushed as she had been planning to hitch a ride back to Seoul. She hesitated for a moment before taking off Yoo Han’s hoodie. As she did, Yoo Han awkwardly stood up. It seemed as though she was ready to leave, shaking her head. She handed back the hoodie to Yoo Han and walked toward the entrance.

“Thank you.”

Her words caught Yoo Han off guard.

“Uh… are you okay?”

The woman, clumsily putting on her shoes, chuckled at Yoo Han’s flustered voice. Yoo Han fidgeted, not even at fault, yet his eyebrows arched and toes twitching.

“Your boss may be annoying, but he sure knows how to handle things.”

“Well… yeah, he’s good at that.”

“Thanks to him, I’ll be getting a hefty alimony. I’ll gather the money and bring it over soon.”

Yoo Han simply nodded, his mouth firmly shut. As the woman opened the door, a cold wind blew in. Yoo Han stood there, watching her back as she left. Just as she was about to close the door, she paused.

“Oh, and it was cold, so thanks for lending me your jacket. And for the advice earlier… it really helped me a lot. And thanks for all the hard work gathering the evidence.”

Yoo Han blinked, surprised by her unexpected gratitude.

“I’ll bring some tasty snacks to the office later as a thank you.”

Before he could respond, the door shut. Bang. The wind tossed Yoo Han’s hair lightly.

‘…it really helped me a lot.’

It was the first time someone had said he had been a strength to them. Yoo Han chewed over her words, feeling bewildered.

The fact that he had attached a GPS to a car and secretly filmed an intimate scene was something that had been weighing on his conscience. But hearing her thanks, he felt somewhat less guilty. To the clients, even such evidence was crucial and desperate, so all of it was just a necessary evil as Ji Youngwon had said.

Yoo Han was starting to physically feel the contradictions of dabbling between legal and illegal matters. He sighed deeply, a sense of pride swelling within him.

Yoo Han straightened up to fight off sleepiness, staring out the window.

“Hey, rat.”

Ji Youngwon suddenly called out to Yoo Han. The Director’s tone was quite low. Intuitively, Yoo Han could tell that his mood wasn’t good.

“…Yes?”

Yoo Han responded without even turning his head, prompting a tsk from Ji Youngwon in the back seat. The car soon started, and as they drove along the winding forest road, Yoo Han’s seat kept bouncing.

“I’ve told you several times not to act alone without my permission.”

“……”

“It looks like you might need a scolding today.”

Yoo Han’s hands clenched in anxiety on his lap, and slowly, his head turned towards Ji Youngwon. Ji Youngwon was leaning on the window with his arm, resting his chin on his hand while looking at Yoo Han.

“I really will be more careful next time.”

“Keep it down.”

Ji Youngwon’s voice grew even lower.

“Just running your mouth.”

Remembering Yoo Han’s face, which was always sweetly smiling at clients and even Gu Kangsan, Ji Youngwon felt his irritation rise again.

“…I’ll definitely get permission in the future. Can’t you just let this one slide?”

“Why should I let it slide?”

In a moment of desperation, Yoo Han played his trump card.

“It’s only the second request from her, and, um, the client said she was really grateful for my help, and she even mentioned bringing snacks…”

Ji Youngwon furrowed his brow at the unexpected mention of snacks. Seeing no strong reaction from the Director, Yoo Han, feeling a bit more confident, started to babble like a child whose speech had just started to flow. Ji Youngwon, feeling it unworthy of a response, leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, as if to see how far Yoo Han would go.

Yoo Han eventually began vividly describing the events he and the client had experienced that morning. From the sudden appearance of the cheating husband to the dogs barking uproariously, and even the episode where they had to take shelter from the cold inside the tent. Yoo Han kept talking excitedly, ignoring Gu Kangsan’s coughs of disapproval. It wasn’t until Ji Youngwon gave the seat a fierce kick that Yoo Han finally clammed up.

Back at the office, Ji Youngwon headed straight to the fourth floor. Even a day’s absence meant a pile-up of confirmations waiting for him, so he had to move swiftly.

“You’re back.”

As Gu Kangsan placed some documents on Ji Youngwon’s desk, he began briefing on the backlog. Ji Youngwon leaned back in his chair, appearing languid.

“Company A has given us a request similar to the last one.”

“A leak of confidential information? Or embezzlement of public funds?”

“Looks like it’s both.”

“That’s serious. They should be looking for a ritual, not a detective agency.”

“This is already the third request, and they seem to want to negotiate the price.”

“Want it lowered?”

“Yes. Well, they did mention they’re regular clients.”

“Shitty employee management, and now they’re haggling with us.”

Ji Youngwon waved his hand dismissively, indicating he was done with the conversation. Seeing that the Director was not in a great mood, Gu Kangsan decided to withdraw. As Gu Kangsan was about to leave, Ji Youngwon tapped the desk twice as if knocking.

“Kang Mina.”

Gu Kangsan turned back, pushing up his glasses.

“Yes, Director.”

“About what you reported over the phone yesterday.”

After a moment of reflection, Gu Kangsan nodded, recalling Yoo Han.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Where did you hear that Kim Minjae and Yoo Han had a thing?”

“Ah. That part came from the manager of the manpower office Yoo Han frequents. I also confirmed it through workers who had been on the construction site with them.”

Gu Kangsan tilted his head, puzzled by Ji Youngwon’s sudden interest in Yoo Han’s affairs.

“Is there something bothering you?”

Something bothering him. Of course, there was. Since returning to the office, Ji Youngwon had been deeply annoyed and disillusioned with how his body had reacted to Yoo Han. He hadn’t anticipated that his interest would be piqued in such a direction, especially towards a man, and a younger one at that, with more than a decade’s difference.

“Forget it. You can go.”

“Yes.”

“Ah. Later, contact Kangsan and tell him to start checking on Kim Minjae’s whereabouts.”

“Understood.”

Gu Kangsan bowed slightly and returned to his seat. Ji Youngwon, cracking his neck side to side, covered his tired eyes with his hands.

To Ji Youngwon, Yoo Han was like a sticky gum he had accidentally stepped on while walking. Even if he tried to scrape off the unexpectedly attached gum, the peculiar stickiness that remained was hard to ignore.