SU | Chapter 3.10

Yoo Han could not continue as the unstable man slammed his fists down on the desk. Startled, Yoo Han covered his mouth with trembling hands. The man, looking ready to collapse, seemed to possess an uncanny strength as he continued to pound on the desk. His fists remained clenched as his body shook. Yoo Han, terrified by the clearly unstable man, rummaged through his pockets.

“Haven’t seen you before. What’s your name?”

A chill ran down Yoo Han’s spine. The harsh, metallic voice was gone, replaced by a calm, deep tone as if another person were inside the man. Yoo Han desperately searched his phone contacts.

“Why do you ask for my name…”

As Yoo Han touched Gu Kangsan’s number, his hand trembled like a leaf. Fortunately, the man merely stood by the desk, not coming any closer.

“Sorry for startling you. It’s not usually my personality. Hmph.”

The man, appearing to be in his late forties, frantically wiped sweat from his forehead. His hair was disproportionately white compared to his face, heavy with grey.

Yoo Han brought the phone to his ear as the man wiping his forehead glinted menacingly.

“Who are you calling now?”

“……”

Unable to respond due to the tension, Yoo Han clenched his jaw tightly. The man took a deep breath.

“Just need to ask you something, can you focus on me for a moment?”

Gu Kangsan did not pick up the call. Yoo Han, phone still at his ear, swallowed hard.

“Got any glue?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Your employees here.”

Glue? Confused by the man’s sudden question, Yoo Han blinked. The man, realizing Yoo Han did not understand the slang for methamphetamine, asked again.

“Hmph. Not expecting a stash… If you have even a reflection, sell it to me. If not, I’ll take meat.”

The man continued to use slang, sniffling continuously.

“Just asking. Don’t be scared. Hmph. The Director usually snags smart guys, so I got a bit desperate.”

“I’m sorry, but sir, I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Yoo Han pleaded, shaking his head. He couldn’t predict what this bizarre man might do next, his heart rising to his throat.

“Sir? Did you just say ‘sir’?”

The man bared his yellow teeth.

“You know me, right? Heard about President Baek, haven’t you? Hmm?”

The term “sir” was merely a polite habit Yoo Han used with older clients, but the man fixated on it, pressing Yoo Han relentlessly. Yoo Han felt like crying; dealing with this mad man made him want to break down.

“The Director’s broker doesn’t seem like a fool, huh? Hmph. But this feels different. Everything I seek turns out to be apricots. Hard for me. Call me if you know something. Here’s my card? I’ll pay well. I fucking need that drug.”

As the man rummaged through his pockets and handed out a white business card, the open office door revealed familiar faces.

“Manager Kangsan.”

Yoo Han almost cried with relief. It was Gu Kangsan and the Zodiac brothers. The phone in Yoo Han’s tightly clenched hand relaxed. As Gu Kangsan casually walked in, he made a curious noise.

“Oh? Isn’t that President Baek?”

President Baek, the mad man, wiped his sweaty forehead and smiled awkwardly.

“Oh, what brings you here without calling?”

Gu Kangsan looked perplexedly at Yoo Han stuck to the wall and President Baek moving toward the sofa. Yoo Han, wiping sweat from his brow, dashed towards where the Zodiac brothers stood.

Gu Kangsan motioned for everyone to leave, pulling Yoo Han along as they shut the door.

Startled by the arrival of an unexpected visitor, Yoo Han quickly shook off his fear and splashed around as if nothing had happened. Dragons and tigers roamed across his shoulders and back in the form of noisy tattoos, yet Yoo Han was no longer afraid of the older brothers.

“Ah, kiddo. I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t come.”

“Doesn’t Yoo Han kind of resemble the youngest at our house? Just about the right age to be utterly adorable.”

They even slapped Yoo Han’s pale back and buttocks, marveling at how soft his skin was, but Yoo Han, with some newfound bravery, would retaliate by splashing water from a basin at the older brothers. Like a puppy off its leash in the bathhouse, Yoo Han ran around until Gu Kangsan’s kindness led to his back being scrubbed red by the masseur.

After the bath, Yoo Han stepped outside and bit into a banana milk, a purchase made by the snake. It had been a truly satisfying outing.

“Excuse me, manager.”

In the Starrex van on the way back, Yoo Han cautiously called out to Gu Kangsan. Yawning heavily from fatigue, Gu Kangsan responded indifferently. Why.

“Has Director Ji left work yet?”

By then, the view outside the car window had turned into a dark cityscape. Gu Kangsan squinted his eyes as he replied.

“Why do you ask?”

“I have some cookies that need to be delivered today since they expire… I really want to give them to him.”

Yoo Han’s voice faded into a whisper. Gu Kangsan knew well that the cookies were just an excuse. It seems this young one has fallen for the director.

“…Forget it. He has dinner plans tonight, so he’ll be late.”

Disappointment washed over Yoo Han as he pouted his lips. He nodded in acknowledgment and turned his gaze back out of the window.

It had been a week since the painful night when he last saw Director Ji. Yoo Han thought he had been coping well, but today, he felt like throwing a tantrum. He was frustrated at being unable to convey his thanks or deliver the cookies properly. Just then, the dragon sitting in the backseat whistled.

“Executive Director Gu said that Director Ji and President Sung have a drinking appointment tonight. Isn’t that the dinner meeting?”

Gu Kangsan hissed not to talk nonsense. The dragon, unfazed, continued to babble.

“President Sung is quite the character too. Who knows, maybe he’s slipping something into Director Ji’s drink. You should warn him.”

The name President Sung popped up unexpectedly, causing Yoo Han to blink. Drugs in a drink. It definitely referred to narcotics.

Yoo Han suddenly remembered President Sung’s pretty, model-like figure and tired eyes as he chewed on white pills from a tin case.

“Manager.”

Gu Kangsan turned his head urgently at Yoo Han’s call.

“Could President Sung possibly be… doing drugs?”

“What?”

Gu Kangsan asked in shock.

“Who said that? Did President Baek who came earlier say that? No, that man wouldn’t know.”

Swallowing, Yoo Han wondered who that eerie man was. Why did everyone who came to the detective agency seem involved with drugs? Suddenly, Yoo Han began to worry.

“What if President Sung does something bad? Isn’t Director Ji in danger?”

The innocence in his question caused everyone in the car to burst into laughter.

“Danger? Hell, if we’re talking about danger, it’s President Sung who’s in trouble.”

Annoyed by the brothers laughing it off as if it was a joke, Yoo Han clammed up. Considering how skillfully President Sung handled those drugs, if he was indeed trying to drug Director Ji… Unable to hold back, Yoo Han grabbed Gu Kangsan’s shoulder and shook it.

“Please, could you give me Director Ji’s contact?”

***

President Sung rolled up the sleeves of his loud, floral-printed shirt and bit into a decorative cherry from his drink glass.

“Isn’t it too hard to even see your face?”

Each time he spoke, his red tongue flamboyantly flicked about. Ji Youngwon, unable to hide his fatigue, picked up a glass of clear amber whiskey the bartender had set down.

The bar seemed intentionally empty except for them. Ji Youngwon gulped down his drink as if weary of President Sung’s relentless and consistent flirting. Tilting his head back, he saw the storage rack above the bartender’s head, with martini glasses hanging upside down in a row, resembling figures with hanging necks. Kim Minjae crossed his mind, whom he had seen earlier in the day.

“I really didn’t expect you today. I would’ve pressed you to drink sooner if I knew you liked it.”

“……”

Ji Youngwon just stared at his drink, his demeanor throughout markedly indifferent and cold, unlike his previously courteous, albeit taciturn manner. Unaware of the distinctly changed atmosphere, President Sung continued to chatter.

“Is that so tasty? I mean, your taste is really classic. You wouldn’t know if it’s thirty years or seventeen, right? Isn’t that so? At least spending money on alcohol seems a bit wasteful.”

Ji Youngwon coldly smirked.

“A druggie saying that is kind of funny.”

Finally, hearing his expensive-sounding voice, President Sung smirked contentedly.

“Did you come back from a rough job today? You seem upset? Your hand looks a bit hurt too.”

Ji Youngwon glanced at his right hand’s knuckles. Not liking the feel of leather gloves, he had used his bare hands, resulting in minor scratches.

“President Sung.”

Ji Youngwon dipped his pinky in the water in his crystal glass and sucked it into his mouth.

“I clearly warned you not to mess with drugs around me.”

At his sharp remark, President Sung grinned unabashedly.

“Like you’d be the one to suffer from it? Look, you’re sucking it right up.”

It was a barely noticeable amount. Ji Youngwon snorted and spun his stool bar to face President Sung directly. His gaze quickly shifted to President Sung’s openly revealed chest.

President Sung shivered slightly under the gaze, chuckled, and casually adjusted his shirt, pretending to be hot. His brown nipples peeked out from under his soft skin and then disappeared—a petty seduction.

Ji Youngwon suddenly remembered Yoo Han in front of such cheap flirtation. Yoo Han’s tossing and turning in bed superimposed over President Sung’s busy flattering. His cheeks and chest heated up, and the glimpses of his pink nipples flitted through Ji Youngwon’s mind.

The cheeky advances were no different between President Sung and Yoo Han. The difference was that President Sung deliberately seduced, while Yoo Han had no calculated actions. Now openly comparing them, Ji Youngwon’s face grimly twisted.

Noticing Ji Youngwon’s frown, President Sung gulped. Something about his look seemed like he was trying to suppress his lust, bringing on tension. Under the dim lights, Ji Youngwon’s hand on the bar resembled a model from a famous whiskey brand. President Sung felt unusually heated up seeing Ji Youngwon’s face after a long time.

He quickly pulled out a small bag from his pocket. A small ziplock bag between his fingers contained an unidentified white powder. Without asking for permission, he spread the powder on the table, and the bartender discreetly left his post. He then snorted the powder deeply. Shhhhh. President Sung trembled violently and then bowed his head deeply.

“Haah… This feels really good, why not join me?”

President Sung’s hand reached Ji Youngwon’s thigh. Just then, Ji Youngwon’s phone loudly vibrated on the table. Vvvv vvvv.

“Who’s calling at this hour?”

President Sung whined as he massaged Ji Youngwon’s thigh.