AGENT 49

Weizhen seemed to know that I had a huge ulterior motive regarding Seo Soo, but Lee Suji appeared to be completely clueless. I couldn’t tell if it was because I hid it well or because Weizhen was just that quick-witted. Seeing Lee Suji’s eyes filled with pure admiration for my “quick reflexes,” I almost let out a laugh.

“Will the Researcher be attached to you when the bait is taken from over there?”

“No? I didn’t hear anything about that. Must be you.”

“I see.”

That conversation was likely a check to see which of them would be attached when the yellow-haired man siphoned the drugs. They already knew I’d be chasing the location of the embezzlement. Just how far ahead had Seo Soo looked when giving instructions?

“…It’s neither of them.”

“Ah? Then, is it Daesik?”

“Daesik is… reliable, but since we don’t know how things will turn out, either me or Suji should be attached.”

“True. Why would he suddenly try to attach Daesik?”

Since they immediately jumped to Daesik the moment they realized it wasn’t them, it seemed they believed Seo Soo would absolutely never accompany me personally.

“For Susu, I’ll take his place—”

“Susu decided to go with me.”

“He’s going… what did you say?”

“Mwah?!”

At that, Yongnae revealed that the person going with him was neither of them nor Daesik, but Seo Soo. This was a boast, albeit a subtle one. That Seo Soo—whom they hadn’t even considered—was willingly accompanying him.

“Susu? Susu said that? He said he’s going himself?”

“Yes.”

“…That can’t be right.”

“But he did.”

“Did Susu say ‘Susu’? Is there another name like Susu in our organization… Ah, is it Syu-Sui, that rookie? Was he talking about him?”

“He’s not on the drug side, and he’s in Macau right now.”

Even after hearing that Susu was going, they continued to deny it. Why? Why did they think Susu would absolutely never accompany me?

“Is Susu bored lately? No work?”

“No. He has to go to Shenzhen tomorrow. It’ll take at least four days to handle the business there and come back.”

Shenzhen? Where is that? And what kind of work takes four days? Does that mean I won’t be able to see that face during that time?

“Exactly. So why is he personally following the Teacher? Hey, Teacher. Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah. Is that for certain?”

I mean, was this such a big issue that they had to ask several times? Yongnae looked back and forth between them with a somewhat serious expression, matching theirs.

“It’s certain. But, why to that extent…”

“If Susu says he’s going, it must be a bigger deal than we thought.”

“Right. There must be something more significant happening at the embezzlement site.”

No. There might not be a bigger deal at all. Because Seo Soo had initially tried to attach Weizhen or Lee Suji to me. He was only going because of my request. But why were they overreacting to this degree? Last time, they said Susu doesn’t come unless it’s a truly major event, so I guess by their standards—including Susu’s—this wasn’t supposed to be a major event.

“I just asked Susu to stay by my side.”

“………”

“…Hey, is the Teacher drunk?”

At first, they were momentarily serious, thinking they might be getting caught up in something grave, but that wasn’t it. Seo Soo was simply giving me special treatment. I have enough intuition to know he’s not doing it because he feels some sort of romantic attraction. I simply thought that Seo Soo judged I would be worth that much in the future, so he specially granted this request.

“No. I haven’t been drinking.”

“…Really? Then, I’ll have to go see Susu.”

“Go together.”

Was it really that much? I mean, just how trivial must chasing this lead be to Susu for them to react like this? Yongnae was starting to feel annoyed by their exaggerated responses. Noticing this, Weizhen changed the subject.

“…Anyway, you’ll be staying at the lodging with us. Do you have any luggage you need to pick up?”

My only luggage was this piece of paper with the map and Seo Soo’s jacket. Yongnae shook his head.

“No. I don’t.”

“Then we will move to the residence immediately after the meal.”

If I was staying at the lodging “with us,” who did that “us” include? Weizhen and Lee Suji? Or even Daesik? Or maybe…

“…Is Susu at the lodging too?”

“No.”

“Susu lives separately.”

“Ah…”

I wondered if Seo Soo would be there too, but my hopes were dashed. Since he’s the right hand, he’s probably living in a nice place alone. I hadn’t expected much. Yongnae nodded in acceptance. However, he gained an unexpected piece of information from Lee Suji, who was busy picking at crab meat.

“Susu isn’t at the lodging because he can only sleep in noisy places. Our lodging is way too quiet.”

Susu can only sleep in noisy places? Not the opposite? How can that be? Then where does he sleep that’s so noisy? Surely, it’s not a place like a club…?

Yongnae almost felt a surge of irritation at the thought of that face wandering through a club. A club is already a place where things happen easily; if Seo Soo slept in a place like that, all sorts of bastards might lose their minds and swarm him.

“Don’t say unnecessary things, Suji.”

“What was unnecessary about that?”

“Information about Susu.”

At Weizhen’s sharp rebuke, Lee Suji wore an “aren’t you something” expression and buried his face back into a crab shell.

“………”

Information about Seo Soo. Hearing Weizhen tell him not to divulge unnecessary information to me, it felt like Weizhen had become wary of me after hearing about Seo Soo’s decision to accompany me.

∞ ∞ ∞

A representative Hong Kong hotel that boasts long tradition, history, and top-tier luxury facilities—costing around 1.2 million won per night—actually had reviews that weren’t as good as one might think.

It was convenient for travel, being located between the Star Ferry pier for Hong Kong Island and the Tsim Sha Tsui downtown area, but the honking of cars and the music and noise of people erupting 365 days a year from the tourist street right in front were far too severe.

Because of its long tradition, it was worth experiencing once for the sake of it, but the reviews were full of people saying they wouldn’t use it twice because the soundproofing was so poor.

Honk— Honnnk—!

However, there was someone who used this hotel for two whole years for that very reason. Unlike most people who ask for a high floor to escape the noise, this person used a room on the lowest floor specifically to hear the noise.

[They say there’s no body.]

“The route?”

[They say there was a hole in the floor.]

“Deploy the boys, and sound out Kim Yongnae on how he escaped.”

A beautiful profile catching the sea breeze coming through the open terrace doors. It was Seo Soo, whom Kim Yongnae admired so much.

Setting the phone down for a moment, Seo Soo reached out and picked up a small metal case on the table. It contained handmade black cigarettes that couldn’t be bought in regular stores; as Seo Soo put the tobacco to his lips and lit it, the surrounding area was instantly filled with a vanilla scent. It was the scent that always lingered around him.

[And, I heard something strange from the Researcher.]

“It’s true that I’m accompanying him.”

[…It is?]

“Yeah. It is.”

Even before Weizhen could finish his sentence, Seo Soo guessed what he was going to say and answered immediately. Then, perching on the window sill of the hotel room, he looked out at the opposite side of Hong Kong Island, where the Symphony of Lights show was in full swing. On that opposite island, the main subject of this phone call was currently staying.

‘Seo Soo, you.’

Kim Yongnae. Indoor air quality and odor analysis agent for the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Office.

‘You’re really bad at this.’

‘Ugh… ha, it’s too big, what do I do.’

‘You said it was like ice cream. Eat it like ice cream.’

‘I don’t really eat ice cream.’

The kid who, when told to try touching it with his hands, kneaded it like dough, and when told to use his mouth, scraped the skin with his teeth—the kid whose mouth and hands were the worst in the world.

‘Disgusting.’

‘…Me?’

‘Yeah. Smelling another man’s dick like that.’

‘You told me to smell it…’

‘I didn’t think you’d actually do it.’

Thinking he was sulking at those words, he tried to pull his face away, so I grabbed him by the hair and pressed him back down onto my genitals.

‘Do you like it that much?’

‘…Yeah.’

‘Like a pervert.’

‘…I love it so much.’

The perverted stalker civil servant who, because he liked it, rubbed his face against it and inhaled the scent deeply.

“While I’m in Shenzhen, monitor Kim Yongnae to make sure there’s no contact.”