Free Web NovelA man in a gray suit walked past the window.
At least, that was what Jaegyeom thought.
Relieved, he settled back into his seat across from Im Hyomun and resumed tapping at his phone. The sixty-second countdown was already ticking away, and he became completely absorbed in Friends Pang, as if he’d been sucked straight into the screen.
Because of that, he failed to notice the clear chime of the bell above the restaurant door.
“Welcome. Table for one?”
“No, I’m meeting someone.”
Jaegyeom heard none of it.
Someone approached the table and lightly knocked on it.
Still distracted, Jaegyeom looked up lazily—
Then nearly dropped his phone.
“Huh? Chief Yoon?!”
Im Hyomun also gasped in shock.
Yoon Taehee stood there with his hair neatly swept back, one hand tucked into his pocket.
“Hello.”
His gaze drifted between the two of them before he spoke.
“I saw you through the window while I was passing by. I thought about just leaving, but I decided to stop in.”
Im Hyomun, who had been frozen blankly in place, suddenly snapped to attention and leapt to his feet.
“I-I’m a trainee with Team 4 of the Covert Division—!”
Yoon Taehee immediately glanced ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) around and pressed a finger lightly to his lips.
“No ranks or titles outside.”
Im Hyomun hurriedly clapped a hand over his mouth and looked around in panic.
Realizing his mistake, he stared back at Yoon Taehee with wide apologetic eyes. Taehee simply gestured that it was fine and extended his right hand.
“I’m Yoon Taehee.” fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
“I-I’m Im Hyomun!”
“Nice to meet you. We met briefly during the exam, didn’t we?”
“Yes! Yes, we did! You remembered!”
Im Hyomun looked deeply moved.
His eyes sparkled as he looked up at him.
“Chief, this is my parents’ restaurant.”
“Oh?”
Yoon Taehee slowly glanced around the interior.
“Youngshin told me this place was good.”
“Have you eaten yet? Want to join us?”
What?
Jaegyeom immediately shot a glare at Im Hyomun.
You bastard, you didn’t even ask me first—
Oblivious, Im Hyomun continued smiling brightly.
“Maybe I should.”
Yoon Taehee turned toward Jaegyeom.
“I haven’t eaten yet either.”
Then he casually took the seat beside him.
Im Hyomun’s face practically glowed.
Eating together with the famous Chief Yoon.
What a great coworker to have.
“Chief, you should try the set menu here. It’s really good.”
“Alright.”
Im Hyomun immediately sprang up and hurried to the kitchen to place another order.
The moment he disappeared, the smile vanished from Yoon Taehee’s face.
Resting his chin against one hand, he looked directly at Jaegyeom.
“Hi.”
“...” freёwebnovel.com
Jaegyeom lowered his gaze to his phone without answering.
“Anything happen yesterday? I was off work.”
“...No.”
Jaegyeom muttered the answer flatly.
The conversation died there because Im Hyomun returned carrying utensils and a glass of water for Yoon Taehee.
“Chief, were you out somewhere?”
“Yeah. A local precinct requested support.”
Yoon Taehee smiled faintly.
“But it’s not work hours yet. How did you two end up together?”
“We went to a movie. We were getting lunch before heading in.”
Yoon Taehee slowly turned toward Jaegyeom.
“...A movie?”
Im Hyomun nodded enthusiastically, showing all his gums.
“Yep. Seventy-Seven bought the tickets.”
“You two seem to have gotten close.”
“Yes! We’re practicing what you told us—love your colleagues, love your country!”
“...I see.”
Yoon Taehee smiled softly.
At that moment, a hurried voice called from the kitchen.
“Hyomun! Come help your dad for a second!”
Im Hyomun flinched and looked toward the back.
“Aw, come on... I’ve got guests today...”
Muttering complaints under his breath, he hurried off toward the kitchen anyway while Jaegyeom silently stabbed at a pickle with his fork.
A quiet silence settled over the table.
Resting his chin on one hand, Yoon Taehee spoke softly.
“So you’re Seventy-Seven now?”
Jaegyeom’s hand slipped slightly.
He pretended not to hear.
Just then, a server arrived carrying their food.
Without hesitation, Yoon Taehee picked up his knife and fork.
After watching him for a second, Jaegyeom awkwardly picked up his own.
Yoon Taehee cut through the pork cutlet smoothly and effortlessly.
Jaegyeom, meanwhile, struggled with it clumsily.
Then suddenly—
Yoon Taehee reached over, took Jaegyeom’s plate, swapped it with his own, and handed it back.
The pork cutlet had already been neatly cut into bite-sized pieces.
“...”
Jaegyeom reflexively looked up at him.
“What?”
Yoon Taehee asked calmly, as though he genuinely didn’t understand the stare.
“...Nothing.”
Jaegyeom had realized this before, but Yoon Taehee rarely showed obvious emotional shifts.
It was almost unbelievable how naturally he acted as though nothing had happened.
A few minutes later, Im Hyomun returned.
While eating, he chatted cheerfully with Yoon Taehee about work—whether he was adjusting well, whether anything was difficult, how things were going with the team.
Meanwhile, Jaegyeom concentrated entirely on eating and barely spoke.
“Hyomun, things busy lately?”
“Don’t even ask.”
Im Hyomun sighed deeply before lowering his voice.
“It’s been chaos because of Byeoksadan.”
“Has it?”
“What the hell are those ghosts even trying to do...”
He started venting about the investigation, complaining about how exhausting everything had become and how even the senior Naja were struggling.
Yoon Taehee listened quietly, nodding along.
Then Im Hyomun suddenly turned toward Jaegyeom.
“What do you think, Seventy-Seven?”
Jaegyeom looked up from his food.
“About what?”
“Why the ghosts are gathering in groups.”
How would I know?
Jaegyeom lazily poked at his salad.
“They’re probably bored and lonely.”
Yoon Taehee’s hand stopped mid-motion.
The answer was so casual that Im Hyomun stared at him blankly.
What was Byeoksadan supposed to be, a retirement club for ghosts?
“Hey, come on. Ghosts don’t get lonely.”
Im Hyomun laughed incredulously.
“Think about it from their side. Living people have school and work and things to do. Dead people don’t have anything. They’re probably bored out of their minds.”
Jaegyeom mumbled dryly while stuffing another piece of tonkatsu into his mouth.
“...”
“...”
Yoon Taehee stared at him silently, knife still in hand.
Im Hyomun stared too, his expression oddly thoughtful.
Seeing both of them quiet, Jaegyeom frowned.
“What?”
“It’s just...”
Im Hyomun scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“That’s kind of... a really human way of looking at it.”
He’d been like this at the movie theater too.
Seventy-Seven always looked at things fairly.
“Well, I am human. Of course it’s human. What else would it be, a ghost’s perspective?”
Jaegyeom replied indifferently, apparently unaffected by the word human itself.
Yoon Taehee’s gaze slowly dropped to his plate.
Not human and ghost.
Living and dead.
He stared at the food before him for a long time without speaking.
“...”
Suddenly, everything felt overwhelming.
***
“Seventy-Seven, is it good? Tell me if you need anything else.”
“Yeah.”
Probably because he and Yoon Taehee had been doing most of the talking, Im Hyomun kept trying to pull Jaegyeom into the conversation every now and then.
But ever since Taehee sat down, Jaegyeom had answered almost everything with curt little responses.
After a short lull, Im Hyomun cautiously asked,
“Oh, right. Chief... if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”
Yoon Taehee took a sip of water before answering casually.
“Twenty-six.”
Im Hyomun clapped his hands.
“See? That’s exactly what I thought.”
“What is?”
“Well, Chief Yoon—if someone’s eight years younger than you, what do you usually think?”
“Well.”
Yoon Taehee tilted his head slightly.
“Other than thinking they’re young, not much. Why?”
“Right? Exactly! That’s what I’m saying.”
Im Hyomun immediately pointed at Jaegyeom.
“Our Seventy-Seven here got emotionally wrecked by some twenty-six-year-old woman!”
You bastard—
Jaegyeom kicked him hard under the table.
“UGH!”
BANG!
Im Hyomun jolted violently.
“What the hell?! Why’d you kick me?”
Why are you suddenly bringing up age?!
“Uh... I thought it was the chair leg.”
“You did this during the exam too! Lately you keep stepping on me or kicking me. Back then my toe bruised so badly the nail fell off later. I suffered for days.”
“Oh... really? Well, glad you’re okay.”
“What do you mean you’re glad? I’m the one who got hurt.”
Im Hyomun grumbled, but Jaegyeom barely heard him.
He was more concerned about whether Yoon Taehee—who usually noticed everything instantly—had figured out the conversation was about him from the age alone.
He’d deliberately stayed quiet this whole time, but now Im Hyomun had practically dumped oil onto the fire.
Carefully, Jaegyeom glanced sideways at Yoon Taehee.
“...”
Yoon Taehee looked entirely uninterested, calmly continuing his meal without any visible reaction.
Relieved, Jaegyeom quickly steered the conversation elsewhere before Im Hyomun could say anything more.
Then suddenly—
Clatter.
“Oh.”
Yoon Taehee looked down toward the floor.
His fork had fallen.
Just as he bent slightly to pick it up—
“Chief, leave it! I’ll get you another one!”
Im Hyomun immediately sprang up and ran toward the kitchen.
Jaegyeom glanced downward.
The fork had actually landed closer to him than to Yoon Taehee.
Besides, this was Im Hyomun’s parents’ restaurant. Leaving dirty utensils on the floor felt rude somehow.
So Jaegyeom bent down to pick it up.
Then a soft voice came from above him.
“Who’s this older woman?”
Jaegyeom froze.
Slowly straightening, he looked at Yoon Taehee.
“...”
Yoon Taehee was watching him with his usual calm expression.
Instantly, Jaegyeom realized the fork hadn’t fallen by accident.
He flicked a glance toward the kitchen where Im Hyomun had disappeared before replying coldly,
“None of your business.”
Clack.
He dropped the fork beside Taehee’s plate.
“...”
After a short silence, Yoon Taehee spoke quietly.
“Right. It isn’t.”
Just as he lowered his eyes again, Im Hyomun returned carrying a clean fork.
“Here!”
Yoon Taehee accepted it with an easy smile.
“Thanks, Hyomun.”
“It’s nothing.”
Yoon Taehee glanced once at his plate and gave a small nod.
“...Alright. Do your best.”
“Huh? What?”
Thinking the comment was directed at him, Im Hyomun blinked in confusion.
But after that, Yoon Taehee ate the rest of the meal in silence.
