Yoon Taehee, dressed in a gray suit, passed by.
Or at least, that's what jaegyeom thought. Relieved, he sat across from Lim Hyomoon, tapping away on his phone. With only 60 seconds on the clock, he quickly immersed himself in Friends Pang, as if he was sucked into the screen. So engrossed in the game, he didn't notice the clear chime of the bell as the door opened.
"Welcome. One person?"
"No, I'm meeting someone..."
Jaegyeom was so engrossed that he didn't hear any of it. Someone approached the table and gently knocked on it. Jaegyeom looked up casually, but soon his eyes widened in surprise. He nearly dropped his phone in shock.
"Huh? Chief Yoon?!"
Lim Hyomoon also gasped in surprise.
Yoon Taehee, with his hair neatly styled up, had his hands in his pockets.
"Hello."
He glanced back and forth between Jaegyeom and Lim Hyomoon before speaking.
"I saw you through the window as I was passing by. I thought I might just leave, but I decided to stop by."
Lim Hyomoon, who had been sitting dazedly, suddenly snapped to attention. He hurriedly stood up and bowed at a sharp 90-degree angle.
"Uh... I'm!! A trainee with the Team 4 of the Undercover Department..!"
Yoon Taehee quickly looked around and put his finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet.
"No rank or titles outside."
Lim Hyomoon hastily covered his mouth, glancing nervously at the surrounding people. Realizing his mistake, he looked up at Yoon Taehee with wide, apologetic eyes. The man gestured that it was okay and extended his right hand for a handshake. He whispered his introduction.
"I'm Yoon Taehee."
"I- I- I'm Lim Hyomoon!"
"Nice to meet you. We met briefly during the exam, right?"
"Yes, yes! Oh! You remember!"
When Yoon Taehee recognized him, Lim Homoon looked deeply touched. His eyes sparkled as he looked up at him.
"Chief, this is my parents' restaurant."
Yoon Taehee widened his eyes and glanced around the place.
"Oh, really? Youngshin said this place was really good..."
"Have you eaten yet? Would you like to join us?"
What? No, this jerk didn't even ask me first...
At that moment, Jaegyeom shot a glare at Lim Hyomoon, but he didn't notice.
"Perhaps I should. I haven't eaten yet either."
Yoon Taehee looked at Jaegyeom and casually took the seat next to him. Lim Hyomoon's face lit up. Sharing a meal with the famous Chief Yoon! It was good to know such a good colleague!
"Chief, try the set meal here. It's really delicious."
"Alright."
Lim Hyomoon jumped up and rushed to the kitchen to place an extra order for Yoon Taehee. Once he was gone, Yoon Tehee's smile faded. He leaned his chin on his hand and stared directly at
Jaegyeom.
"Hi."
"..."
Jaegyeom silently lowered his gaze to his phone.
"Anything happen yesterday? I had the day off."
"Uh... no..."
Jaegyeom muttered, giving a lukewarm response. The conversation ended there because Lim Hyomoon returned to the table. Smiling broadly, he set the table with utensils and a water glass for Yoon Taehee.
"Chief, were you coming from somewhere?"
"Yeah. The local precinct requested some assistance."
Yoon Taehee smiled as he added,
"But... It's not time for work yet, so how did you two meet up?"
"Oh, we went to the movies. We're grabbing lunch before heading back."
Yoon Taehee slowly turned his head to look at Jaegyeom.
"...The movies?"
Lim Hyomoon nodded enthusiastically, showing off his bright gums.
"Yes. Seven-seven paid for the movie."
"You two seem to have gotten close."
"Yes yes! As you said, we're practicing the motto, 'Love your colleagues, love your country!
Yoon Taehee smiled faintly.
"...I see."
Just then, a hurried voice called from the kitchen.
"Hyomoon! Come help your dad for a minute!"
Lim Hyomoon flinched and glanced towards the kitchen.
"Oh, come on... I have guests today... Just a moment, I'll be right back!"
Grumbling under his breath, Lim Hyomoon got up and rushed back to the kitchen while Jaegyeom idly poked at the pickles. A silence settled between them. Yoon Taehee propped his chin on his hand and quietly spoke.
"You're Seven-seven?"
For a moment, Jaegyeom's hand slipped, but he pretended not to notice and acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He didn't respond.
Just then, the server arrived with their food on a tray.
Without waiting, Yoon Taehee picked up a knife and fork. Noticing this, Jaegyeom also hesitantly picked up his own knife and fork.
Yoon Taehee cut his food effortlessly, while Jaegyeom struggled clumsily. At one point, the man suddenly took his plate, swapped it with his own, and handed it back. The pork cutlet on the plate was neatly sliced into bite-sized pieces.
"..."
Reflexively, Jaegyeom stared at Yoon Taehee.
"What?"
As if asking why, Yoon Taehee calmly inquired.
"..Nothing."
Jaegyeom had noticed before, but the other man rarely showed any emotional fluctuations. It was almost astonishing how he could act as if nothing had happened.
A few minutes later, Lim Hyomoon returned to the table. He and Yoon Taehee chatted while eating, talking about how he was getting along with the team, and whether he was finding anything difficult.
Jaegyeom focused on eating, not joining the conversation.
"Hyomoon, is there a lot of work recently?"
"Ugh, don't even get me started!"
Sighing deeply, Lim Hyomoon lowered his voice and spoke quietly.
"It's been chaotic lately because of the Byeoksadan."
"Is that so?"
"What on earth are those ghosts plotting..."
Lim Homoon shared his various frustrations, mentioning how hard the investigation was and how even the seniors were overwhelmed.
Yoon Taehee listened, nodding as he did.
"Seven-seven, what do you think?"
At Lim Hyomoon's question, Jaegyeom, who had been focused on eating, glanced up.
"Think about what?"
"Why are ghosts gathering in groups?"
How would I know? Jaegyeom listlessly poked at his salad.
"They must be bored and lonely."
Yoon Taehee's hand, which had been cutting his food, suddenly stopped. Jaegyeom's remark was so nonchalant that Lim Hyomoon looked at him in disbelief. Was the Byeoksadan some sort of retirement home for ghosts..?
"Hey, what... Ghosts don't get lonely."
Lim Hyomoon replied jokingly, still incredulous.
"Think about it from their perspective. Living people have school, work, and other things to do. Dead people have nothing to do, so they must be pretty bored..."
Jaegyeom mumbled dryly as he shoved more tonkatsu into his mouth.
"..."
"..."
Yoon Taehee, still holding his knife, stared at Jaegyeom, while Lim Hyomoon also stared at him with a peculiar look in his eyes.
Seeing their silence, Jaegyeom asked, "What?"
Lim Hyomoon replied.
"No, It's just... kind of... a very human perspective..."
He'd been like that at the movie theater too. Seven-seven was fair-minded.
"Well, I'm human, so of course it's human. Would it be a ghost's perspective?"
Jaegyeom replied indifferently, seemingly unmoved by the notion of being "human." Yoon Taehee's gaze slowly slid down to his plate.
Not about humans and ghosts, but about the living and the dead.
He stared at his plate, lost in thought for a long moment.
"..."
Suddenly, Yoon Taehee found himself overwhelmed by it all.
***
"Seven-seven, is it good? Let me know if you need anything else."
"Yeah."
Lim Hyomoon, seemingly conscious that he and Yoon Taehee were the only ones talking, tried to engage Jaegyeom in the conversation now and then. However, Jaegyeom had only been giving curt responses since Yoon Taehee joined them. After a brief lull in the conversation, Lim Hyomoon cautiously asked,
"Oh, right! Chief... If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"
He suddenly directed the question at Yoon Taehee, who answered while sipping water.
"I'm twenty-six."
Lim Hyomoon clapped his hands in realization.
"Well, actually, Chief Yoon. If you saw someone who's eight years younger than you, what would you think?"
"Well. Other than thinking they're young, I wouldn't think much else…. Why?"
"Right? So get this, Chief! Listen to this. Our Seven-seven here got caught up with a woman who's twenty-six... and he's been through all sorts of heartache!"
This bastard-?!
Jaegyeom kicked him under the table.
"Ugh!"
There was a loud thud, and Lim Hyomoon jumped.
"Hey! Why'd you kick me all of a sudden?"
And why did you bring up age all of a sudden?
"Uh... I- I thought it was the leg of the chair."
"You did this on exam day too. You've been doing this a lot lately.
You stepped on my foot back then, and it bruised so bad that my toenail eventually fell off. I suffered so much..."
"Oh... uh... really? It's okay."
"What do you mean, 'it's okay? It's me who got hurt, not you."
Lim Hyomoon grumbled, but Jaegyeom wasn't paying attention to him. He was more concerned that Yoon Taehee, who was usually quick-witted, might have realized the conversation was about him just from hearing the age. He had told himself to remain unresponsive, but now Lim Hyomoon had unwittingly added fuel to the fire. Jaegyeom glanced sideways at Yoon Taehee.
"..."
The man seemed uninterested in the conversation, continuing to eat without any noticeable reaction. Jaegyeom quickly shifted the conversation to steer Lim Hyomoon onto another topic, successfully diverting attention.
Suddenly, there was a clattering sound.
"Oh."
Yoon Taehee let out a small exclamation and leaned forward to look at the floor. His fork had fallen. He was about to bend down to pick it up when,
"Chief, leave it. I'll get you a new one!"
Lim Hyomoon quickly stood up and dashed to the kitchen.
Jaegyeom glanced at the floor. The fork had fallen closer to him than to Yoon Taehee. It felt wrong to leave it there, especially since it was a restaurant run by Lim Homoon's parents. Just as Jaegyeom bent down to pick up the fallen fork, he heard a soft voice above him.
"Who's this older woman?"
Jaegyeom froze as he straightened up and looked at Yoon Taehee.
"..."
He was staring at him with his usual expression. Jaegyeom instantly realized that Yoon Taehee had deliberately dropped the fork.
Jaegyeom shot a glance toward the kitchen where Lim Hyomoon had disappeared, then said,
"None of your business."
He placed the fork beside Yoon Taehee's plate with a sharp click.
"..."
After a brief pause, Yoon Taehee murmured quietly,
"Right, it isn't..."
Just as he lowered his gaze to his plate, Lim Hyomoon returned with a new fork.
"Here you go!"
Yoon Taehee smiled as he accepted the fork.
"Thanks, Hyomoon."
"Oh, it's nothing."
Yoon Taehee glanced at his plate and nodded.
"...Alright, do your best."
"Huh? What?"
Lim Hyomoon, thinking the comment was directed at him, asked in confusion.
"..."
But from that moment on, Yoon Taehee ate in silence.