Lovers

5

Don’t you smell it?

As I was blinking, Riegel’s long fingers were about to undo another button on his shirt. Startled, I called out, “Mr. Riegel.” Ignoring his furrowed brows, I asked:

“What are you doing now?”

“As you can see, I’m trying to wash up.”

“Why, why?”

I found myself stuttering without realizing it.

Why do you need to wash? What’s the reason?

If this bastard even utters a syllable that sounds remotely like sex, one-night stand, or anything similar, I won’t let him off easy.

It would be a lie to say the face of the Department 2 Chief didn’t flash through my mind for a moment, but even so, there are limits!

“Armin.”

Although Riegel was using formal speech with me since I was doing the same, his voice was firm, as if he had no intention of widening the distance we had narrowed.

“Yes?”

My heart was pounding.

Ah, this is the first time I’ve felt this nervous since watching that movie where a doll with a knife chases people.

“My body.”

Body?!

“Don’t you smell it?”

What kind of tactic is this?

I’ve never experienced flirting, so I don’t know about these new tactics.

All I know about flirting is what I’ve seen on the internet. But I never saw anything like this online. Even in the numerous dating stories my team members bragged about, there was never any mention of “my body smells.”

As I just stared at Riegel, he started approaching me with his shirt unbuttoned. Just by his appearance, he exuded a strong Casanova vibe, like he should have a rose between his teeth. As I tried to back away, he was faster.

“Don’t you smell it?”

“What smell?”

Perfume smell? A man’s scent? He’s not going to say something like that, is he? Ah, wait.

There was a smell. There really was.

“Is it drugs?”

When I asked, he didn’t even try to hide his exasperation as he replied.

“I went into the room and they were holding a raccoon. The smell is all over me, even in my hair.”

“The smell…? It’s quite unique. Is it a female?”

“I don’t even want to know what it is, but anyway, I need to wash up. And throw away these clothes.”

Ah, yes, go ahead…

I felt a bit embarrassed. It was like being scolded “I have eyes too!” after being cautious around a friend who had just come out. Shit, that was too specific a description.

Riegel entered the palace-like bathroom while taking off his shirt. No, he stopped midway and turned to look at me.

“Is this your first time?”

…What?

As I blinked, unable to answer, Riegel smirked.

“You’ll find out. Just take out anything and drink while you wait.”

After this refreshing self-Q&A, he entered the bathroom. I followed his back with dazed eyes.

Ah, is this how it’s going to be? Just one thing, just one!

I wanted to go in right away, grab that long hair, and say things like “You bastard, what did you just say? Do you think I’m easy? You dare to tease me?” But…

‘Just quietly drink your alcohol and leave, okay? If you mess up the operation, I’ll mess you up. Understand?’

The Department 2 Chief is scary.

If you had to name the scariest person in the Management Bureau, it would be Director Andrea Dill. In her early 50s, maybe 50 or 51, Andrea Dill.

Her nickname is Madam Spider.

Probably everyone in the Security Bureau who watched the famous “Kiss of the Spider Woman” did so because of Dill. Why? Because they were curious about the Spider Woman. And after watching, they all say the same thing: “So, is Dill Valentine or Molina?”

I was one of those guys, and I asked Otto, but Otto replied, “She’d be the secret police, you idiot.” In the end, it seems no one really knows why she’s called Madam Spider, but the name suits her perfectly.

No one has ever antagonized Dill and survived. No one has escaped and survived either. Dill somehow ensnares her enemies and either kills them or puts them in a state where they’d rather be dead. Whether it’s the mafia, the rich, or politicians, she doesn’t discriminate. Sometimes there are even triple crowns who possess all three, but they’re no match for Dill. And Dill’s grudges are so long-lasting that if past lives existed, she’d probably try to settle scores from those too.

The person Dill has secretly acknowledged as her successor is the Department 2 Chief. People who haven’t met the Department 2 Chief say that Dill is promoting another woman because she’s a woman herself. Even among our team members, there was someone who said this and sought my agreement. But before I could answer, someone who had met Dill replied instead.

‘She didn’t seem to have such a human side.’

Damn right answer. If you know Dill even a little, you wouldn’t say such nonsense.

The Department 2 Chief probably knows too. That even though Dill has designated her as the successor because she’s doing a good job now, if she slips up even a little, Dill will personally chop off her head. That’s why only malice remains.

So if the Department 2 Chief wants to survive Dill and inherit the Director position, she can’t mess up this operation, and if I mess it up, she’ll chop off my head and offer it to Dill in place of her own.

That’s exactly why I can’t grab the hair of that rich long-haired flirtatious man.

My phone kept buzzing in my back pocket. When I took it out, my message inbox was in chaos.

Contact me as soon as you arrive

Our side is checking the guards

One confirmed: ex-SARD. Retired 12 years ago. Riegel’s bodyguard for 4 years. Square jaw with a beard.

Where are you?

Where the hell did you go? Why are you in a guest room?

Hey, are you crazy?

Our chief is holding a gun saying she’ll kill you now. You’re in for a written apology for this.

What the hell?

Why do I have to write an apology? I’m not even assigned to this operation. You called me! You called me saying you’d buy me drinks with government money, so why do I have to write an apology?!

But looking at the situation, there was a high probability that I would end up writing an apology. First of all, Lee wouldn’t take my side. He’d be scared of the Department 2 Chief too. And we’re both from Department 1. What I mean is, right now, the Department 2 Chief must be furious at our chief, Otto. Otto and the Department 2 Chief…

Our chief is screwed.

Otto is such a petty person that you wonder how he managed to secure Department 1, while the Department 2 Chief, although not exactly magnanimous, has ambitions as wide as the Pacific Ocean. Otto can’t win. Moreover, the Department 2 Chief holds a grudge against Otto. She missed out on the Department 1 Chief position, didn’t she? Of course, Otto was promoted first and became the Department 1 Chief, but that didn’t seem to matter to the Department 2 Chief. She seemed to feel insulted that she had to go to Department 2 instead of becoming the Department 1 Chief and then the Director, and she didn’t even try to hide these feelings.

Looking at her actions, she does seem well-suited for Department 1. She might be better at counterintelligence than domestic and foreign operations. A bit of a ‘I’ll wipe out the cockroach’s lineage’ type? Compared to her, Otto has a tendency to water things down (by Security Bureau standards, of course), so it might suit them better if they switched departments.

But no matter how scared Otto is of the Department 2 Chief, he won’t give up his position as Department 1 Chief. It’s the highest position in the Security Bureau after the Director, after all. Otto may be petty, but he’s a petty person with a thirst for power.

Thinking of Otto, who wouldn’t hesitate for even a second to sacrifice me, I knew I had to resolve this situation well. And above all, I had to return to Maderke quickly. I couldn’t just keep my subordinates running in circles. They wouldn’t appreciate my hardships anyway, and they’d be furious thinking that while they can’t eat, sleep, or wash properly while chasing terrorist bastards, their superior is off enjoying himself in the bustling capital.

     I don’t know why I came to the guest room either, and Riegel is washing up

Riegel went to wash up in front of you???

     He said his body smelled

His body smelled???????? Riegel is handsome, but are you going to hook up with him in this situation???

     Do you want to die, damn it!!! He smelled like drugs! He said they were doing drugs in the room! Riegel was really pissed off. He reeked of drugs. You guys should be able to catch them red-handed.

I’ll let the chief know. Hey, don’t sleep with Riegel.

     What the hell???

We’re digging now but nothing’s coming up. Even the little that’s coming out smells.

Without realizing it, I found myself staring at the closed shower room door.

He said it smells? Does that mean it’s not Riegel himself but an impostor?

It seemed possible. The way he spoke strangely and everything about him reeked of a con artist.

That’s more like it. I thought it was strange that he was a chaebol.

…If you ask what was strange, I honestly have nothing to say. I’ve never met a chaebol before, so how would I know what’s strange?

     Are you saying it’s not Riegel himself?

No, his identity is certain.

     But?

The last message was short, but it kept failing to send. An icon appeared at the top of the phone indicating that signals were not being received at the current location. Suddenly? In the middle of the capital?

That can’t be right.

I feel like cursing. Someone outside, probably the ex-SARD guy, must have turned on a signal jammer. They must have installed a device to jam signals throughout this entire guest room. They wouldn’t have placed it somewhere visible, so it was likely inside a lamp or an electrical outlet. The main body of the signal jammer would be held by them outside, with the receiver inside here.

Former agents have a habit of preferring direct electrical connections. Of course, if it needs to be hidden without being detected, concealment is the most important, so they would choose a method that can be hidden well rather than a direct connection. But if that’s not the case, meaning if it’s installed for security purposes, it’s always a direct connection. The reason is simple. You don’t have to worry about the battery running out, right? Since people’s minds work the same way, I could probably find it quickly if I searched a few places.

But I decided not to after discovering the camera.

They hid it inside the screw hole. These crazy bastards. Why hide it in a screw hole when you’re providing security? Are you guys secretly filming? Riegel, you bastard, are you having sex here and secretly filming it to sell? Who hides a camera like this when providing security?

I almost missed it.

So what should I do? Should I move to a place without cameras first?

There seemed to be one place that definitely wouldn’t have cameras.

Shhhh―.

That place where the sound of water is coming from, the shower room cum bathroom, definitely doesn’t have cameras. If there were cameras, Riegel wouldn’t be washing in there.

The fact that he’s washing like that means there’s a good chance he’s also using the toilet, and he wouldn’t allow cameras there. It would be good if there’s no signal receiver there either, but if there is, I might need to turn off the signal receiver briefly and try to make contact.

So that means I need to wash up here.

I walked to the minibar near the sofa and took out a bottle of alcohol from the fridge. Then, while drinking, I deliberately spilled it on myself.

“Ah. Ow. Sh. it.”

I even cursed naturally for good measure.

Alright, preparations to go wash up are okay.

I thought I just needed to wait for Riegel to come out, and as if on cue, he emerged.

Completely naked, without a stitch of clothing.