Chapter 25: The $2,000 Misunderstanding and the Instagram Reveal

After hanging up without hesitation, Kyunghun glanced at his phone, which started ringing again just a few seconds later, and chuckled. Sure enough, Seo-Hyeon was probably sulking, would call once or twice more, then exhaust himself and start bombarding Kyunghun with messages before finally quieting down.

Kyunghun slipped the phone into his pocket and entered the restaurant. As soon as he did, Jongwoon, who was sipping coffee after almost finishing his bowl of soup, asked casually:

“Senior, are you really not dating anyone?”

Kyunghun looked at him, puzzled. Jongwoon insisted that he seemed like he was dating someone, since he had been in frequent contact lately.

“I broke up ages ago. What dating?”

He had ended a six-year relationship half a year ago, and meeting someone new wasn’t an option yet. The reasons for the breakup were not lack of attention, other partners, or boredom—they were mundane. Kyunghun didn’t want to dig up the past; he just stared at his reflection in the pale soup.

Then he muttered casually:

“You’re really cool.”

Though he’d mostly appeared foolish in the game before.

He didn’t help Seo-Hyeon using connections to look impressive, but if his influence helped a wandering kid straighten out, it was a joy in itself.

Jongwoon, observing Kyunghun stirring his cold soup with a sour look, blurted out:

“Everyone knows you’re handsome.”

“…Jongwoon, don’t just look at the surface. Who cares if people know I’m handsome?”

Kyunghun was aware of how his appearance affected others, but in his work as a detective, a memorable face was just a tool for catching criminals. A neutral expression, neither too striking nor too plain, was ideal.

Looking at his junior drinking coffee, Kyunghun spoke again:

“They say tofu-faced guys are popular these days.”

He remembered the police officer at the cafeteria mentioning that tall idols with decent proportions, even if their face isn’t perfect, are loved by fans.

“…Tofu? What kind of tofu?” Jongwoon asked eagerly.

“Fermented tofu.”

**

[Seo-Hyeon: Call me, hyung]
[Seo-Hyeon: $2,000? Are you crazy? You’re really crazy, hyung!]
[Seo-Hyeon: Did your brain explode in the living room?]
[Seo-Hyeon: Aren’t you answering?]
[Seo-Hyeon: Did you block me again?]
[Seo-Hyeon: 1]
[Seo-Hyeon: 2]
[Seo-Hyeon: Damn it, just try blocking me again]

Kyunghun, already resting in the duty room due to his sprained ankle—the same one injured in the previous hit-and-run—looked at the rapidly increasing messages and groaned. It wasn’t long before Seo-Hyeon, unable to wait any longer, called.

When he pressed the call button, a voice shouted, “Hyung!” into his eardrum.

“Geez, your voice is killing my ears. Why are you yelling?”

[Seo-Hyeon: I’m just saying, how hard is it to reply quickly?]

“Trying to reply, but you called before I could.”

[Fine. Listen carefully this once.]

Seo-Hyeon began firing questions and complaints non-stop:

[Seo-Hyeon: I’m not studying. I’m so damn smart, I don’t need college. Get the refund immediately. I was going to do it myself, but the company said the person who enrolled must confirm!]

When Kyunghun explained that the person had to confirm the refund, Seo-Hyeon argued about why that was necessary.

“Of course they have to contact you. What if you embezzle the refund?”

Seo-Hyeon assured him he wasn’t that kind of person.

[Seo-Hyeon: You think I’d do that? I wouldn’t even notice if I got the money. Stop treating me like a beggar. Just call them and get the refund.]

“Who said you had to study? I just want you to learn what you want—anything, technical skills or otherwise.”

[…Hyung, I don’t want to learn anymore. My head is about to explode.]

Hearing his lack of motivation, Kyunghun sighed. If Seo-Hyeon were in Korea, he could have coaxed him into a class, but being abroad complicated matters.

“Or do you want to keep living like this forever?”

[…What am I supposed to do?]

Kyunghun’s voice grew louder with frustration. Seeing a 24-year-old waste his time playing games daily, not attending college, and spending all his earnings on in-game items was maddening.

He grabbed a bottle of water from the duty room fridge and drank it, venting his frustration:

“If you put the same effort into something else, you’d have accomplished something already!”

Seo-Hyeon’s delicate pride, easily bruised, made Kyunghun momentarily pause. The voice that finally softened revealed a side of Seo-Hyeon he hadn’t seen before: serious and sincere.

[Seo-Hyeon: I’ll prove that my parents are fine, I’m living well, and I’m smart… I’ll wait a bit.]
[Seo-Hyeon: So don’t worry about me for no reason.]
[Seo-Hyeon: Check the chat. I’ll send my personal address.]

The call ended abruptly. About an hour later, Kyunghun received a single message from Seo-Hyeon:

[Seo-Hyeon: in★ram/corr_seoh_pos]