SU | Chapter 2.11

Yoohan couldn’t even muster a response and just gaped, so Ji Youngwon turned him back to his spot. With a few taps on his glasses, Ji Youngwon seemed to assign him a role. It was a command to capture the scene of an illicit couple in the same lodging.

With his eyes still dazed, Yoohan hurriedly adjusted his glasses. As if trying to gather his thoughts, he shook his head and stepped back out onto the balcony.

Ji Youngwon silently gazed at the flushed nape of Yoohan’s neck. It was a moment where a vague feeling transformed into certainty. Yoohan became noticeably tense whenever he stood in front of him. It was a tension far removed from fear—more like a strange, indescribable current that was a bit more peculiar.

Ji Youngwon let out a languid sigh as he unconsciously watched Yoohan’s back as he drifted away.

Meanwhile, Yoohan called out to a woman who was gazing at the distant forest.

“Here’s the lighter.”

The woman turned her head and smiled brightly. The clumsy-looking guy managed to fetch a lighter.

“Thank you!”

Even after thanking him, the woman lingered, as if waiting for Yoohan to come closer. She looked accustomed to being treated well. Seizing the opportunity, Yoohan stepped over to the adjacent balcony.

There was only a tiny gap between the balconies, and as long as he could climb over the waist-high partition, slipping into the neighboring unit would be easy.

Pressing his body as close as possible, Yoohan reached out to hand the lighter to the woman. At the same time, he casually glanced inside, his eyes subtly sweeping over the interior as if merely taking in his surroundings.

It was perfect timing. A man, seemingly fresh out of the shower, stood inside wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. It was more than enough evidence of infidelity—there was no need to capture anything more explicit.

Yoohan silently cheered to himself and turned back to the front.

By now, the woman who had taken the lighter was lighting a cigarette. The mistress inhaled the smoke and teasingly asked, “You’re not really a minor, are you? You seem curious about everything you’re peeking at.”

“Ah….”

It seemed he had been too obvious in his prolonged gaze inside. Yoohan scratched his head, trying to look innocent.

“I’m really not a minor… I was just curious because the structure is the same as our lodging.”

The woman smirked, the corners of her mouth curling upward. The strong scent of her perfume made Yoohan’s nose tingle. Mixed with the lingering cigarette smoke, it was almost nauseating.

Barely holding his breath, he asked, “I guess you’re here on a trip with your boyfriend?”

“Um… well.”

The woman answered ambiguously, turning her head away. After staring at the stream for a while, she frowned.

“Hm. You seem to have a lot of questions, suspiciously so.”

Instead of showing his embarrassment, Yoohan widened his eyes in surprise.

“No, I was just waiting to see when you’d give me the lighter…?”

“Oh my, look at me.”

The woman, who had been holding the lighter as if it were her own, flustered and made a fuss.

“Here you go. Thanks for lending it to me.”

“Yeah. Well, have a good time with your boyfriend.”

As Yoohan bowed his head and turned to leave, the woman exclaimed loudly to herself, “Haha. He’s really cute, isn’t he? That guy isn’t her boyfriend.”

Startled, Yoohan froze in place. He turned his stiff body to fix his gaze on the woman, hoping the recording on his glasses was going well. Surely, it had a recording function too…?

“Excuse me?”

When Yoohan feigned surprise, the woman gestured for him to come closer. He quickly approached and bent down deeply. The woman shrugged her shoulders, interpreting his tense expression, and casually flicked off the ash from her cigarette.

“Do you know what ‘geumsa’ means?”

She whispered mischievously, as if sharing a secret. She found the clumsy young man in front of her quite appealing. Though he looked ordinary at first glance, up close, his clear skin and innocent, large eyes reminded her of her pet.

Yoohan, overwhelmed by the intensifying scent of the woman, struggled to breathe and asked, “Geumsa?”

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

The woman seemed to genuinely enjoy the situation itself. Yoohan bit his lip tightly, pretending not to understand, and tilted his head.

“I don’t really get what you mean.”

The woman found his cute response amusing and burst into laughter. Ji Youngwon, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation from nearby, also chuckled softly. “I don’t really get what you mean…? What a cheeky little rat.”

“Ah, I can’t say it outright. Anyway, the conclusion is… I’m in a bit of a fun situation right now. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Whether it was the overpowering scent wafting from the woman or the discomfort of facing people so unbothered by their own sins, Yoohan felt increasingly nauseous.

Steadying his churning stomach, he adjusted his glasses and stole another quick glance inside the illicit couple’s lodging. For some reason, the man was still fiddling with the TV remote, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

The sight made his stomach twist even further.

“Ah, yeah… I guess I’ll head back inside now.”

“Yeah, thanks for lending me the lighter. Can I borrow it again if I need it?”

Instead of answering, Yoohan nodded and hurriedly left the balcony. He tossed his blue slippers aside and stepped into the lodging, where Ji Youngwon greeted him with a whistle.

“Geumsa~? I don’t really get what you mean~”

Ji Youngwon mimicked Yoohan’s tone, and his face looked quite pleased.

“I thought you were a rat, but now I see you’re more like a little fox.”

As Ji Youngwon teased him openly, Yoohan’s cheeks flushed bright red. Ji Youngwon reached out over Yoohan’s face. Startled, Yoohan instinctively stiffened his shoulders, and Ji Youngwon’s fingers brushed behind his ear. Click. Ji Youngwon pressed the button on the spy cam attached to the end of his glasses. Even the brief moment of contact made Yoohan’s neck tingle.

“Take them off.”

At Ji Youngwon’s command, Yoohan removed his glasses. They were heavier than regular glasses, leaving a red mark on the bridge of his nose.

‘What do you mean take them off in a sexy way…’

Huh? What am I thinking? Yoohan felt embarrassed as the tingling sensation spread to the back of his ears, and he grumbled inwardly. He hurriedly handed the removed glasses to Ji Youngwon and walked toward the bathroom. It seemed he had been holding in his pee for too long.

Returning to the room, Gu Kangsan spread out the barbecue ingredients on the sink. There were at least two pounds of pork belly and neck meat, along with various vegetables and sauces scattered about.

“Shall we start preparing dinner?”

As five o’clock passed, the sun quickly set. The once clear blue sky began to take on a deep blue hue.

“Sure.”

After confirming that the couple had come out to the balcony, Ji Youngwon nodded. The raucous laughter of the illicit couple drifted in through the open balcony window. In the meantime, Yoohan, who had finished washing his face and dampened his bangs, peeked into the kitchen.

“Can I help? I’ll set the table.”

Yoohan pushed Gu Kangsan—who was twice his size—aside and swiftly took over. He skillfully washed the lettuce and perilla leaves under running water, pulled out bowls from the shelf, and poured the sauces.

For a boy in his early twenties, he moved through the kitchen with surprising ease.

Ji Youngwon, lounging in a massage chair while receiving updates on another team’s request, shifted his gaze toward the kitchen.

“Your hands are quite nimble.”

Gu Kangsan, with a satisfied expression, patted Yoohan on the head. Yoohan, smiling bashfully, took out the soybean paste from the fridge. He placed the earthenware pot on the gas stove and quickly chopped up some vegetables to make a soybean paste soup.

‘I’m the type who performs better when praised.’

Recalling Yoohan’s words, Ji Youngwon raised an eyebrow. The sight of Yoohan preparing food while laughing with Gu Kangsan struck him as oddly ridiculous.

At that moment, the scent of grilling meat drifted in through the open balcony window. Feeling anxious, Yoohan swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the bubbling stew. His stomach felt like it was shrinking from hunger—he hadn’t had a proper breakfast after visiting the farm.

Quickly moving his hands again, Yoohan barely managed to fill a tray with ingredients. But the way he walked, balancing the precariously loaded tray, was so unsteady that Ji Youngwon had to snatch it from him midway.

He really was troublesome in more ways than one.

“If you shake that while holding it, you’ll end up in trouble.”

Yoohan couldn’t find a retort and simply followed Ji Youngwon. Back when he worked on the construction site, he had built up some muscle, but after the incident with Kim Minjae, he had been so busy that his strength had faded. On top of that, inconsistent meals had taken their toll—it was no wonder his body was falling apart.

Ji Youngwon stepped outside and placed the ingredients on the wooden table. As he pretended to organize them, he casually hung the glasses he had tucked into his pocket on the left chair—positioning them to face the adjacent balcony. Without raising any suspicion, he smoothly finished setting the spoons and forks.

Yoohan gaped at the fluidity of his movements; everything flowed so naturally.

Ji Youngwon sat with his back to the forest. Once the owner finished adding the charcoal and left, Yoohan cautiously took a seat across from him. A pleasant, refreshing breeze swept through, ruffling his bangs. The delicious smell of meat grilling at the adjacent table continuously teased his senses, while the chirping of evening birds and the babbling brook created a perfect ambiance.

And then there was Ji Youngwon—offering visual satisfaction—sitting right in front of him.

Although his hobby was swearing and his profession that of a scoundrel, he was, without a doubt, the most handsome person Yoohan had ever seen. Having never given much thought to his own preferences before, Yoohan now found himself contemplating them every time he looked at Ji Youngwon.

Objectively, the man was handsome. But maybe… just maybe, he seemed even more so because he was, after all, his type…

In a situation where he needed to stay alert, Yoohan didn’t want to let himself get carried away—but his willpower was failing him. He turned his head back and forth, trying to steady his ballooning heart.

At the neighboring table, the man and woman were completely absorbed in their own world, oblivious to anything else. The illicit man flaunted his arm muscles in a sleeveless shirt despite the cooling weather, while the woman clapped her hands and eagerly accepted the meat he offered—like a baby bird.

Amidst it all, Ji Youngwon casually stretched, subtly adjusting his glasses in the process. What a nuisance.

Tsk. Clicking his tongue briefly, he turned his head back—only to lock eyes with Yoohan.

“What are you looking at?”

When he whispered softly, Yoohan timidly replied, “I can look, can’t I…?”

It was a familiar retort by now.

“If you’re going to look, pay to see.”

“…I only have twelve hundred won.”

Instead of being disgusted, Ji Youngwon placed his palm on his forehead, as if conceding defeat.

Gu Kangsan came over to the balcony carrying a box of beer. He had paid for it and received it from the owner.

“I brought the drinks you asked for.”

“You idiot. You brought a whole box?”

“I thought you might want it…”

Gu Kangsan glanced at his boss with a puzzled expression. Drinking alcohol during a stakeout was unheard of. No matter how ruthlessly he set his fees like a scoundrel, Ji Youngwon was the type to fulfill his responsibilities and see a request through properly.

Because of that, there were times when he didn’t even have a proper meal. So why was Ji Youngwon suddenly asking for alcohol? Was he feeling generous today…?

But Gu Kangsan didn’t know. Ji Youngwon wasn’t feeling generous—he was simply in a good mood after securing enough material evidence, thanks to Yoohan’s skills.