Sector 1 🛡 yungi [▶]

5

"Take care," Mingi reminded.

And weirdly enough, he kinda genuinely meant it.

Yunho nodded at the door, patting his pants gently, then walked away from the house. With a small smile on his face. Mingi felt the atmosphere outside suddenly brighten, as if Yunho were helping the sun shine or something.

His routine remained unchanged.

Mingi mumbled, contemplating various possibilities regarding Yunho's activities in the forest under the pretext of searching for food. Despite Yunho's innocent demeanor, Mingi's suspicion of him being a drug lord lingered, making him hesitant to trust all of Yunho's stories from the previous night.

Mingi was truly caught in a dilemma. On one hand, if this were acting, Yunho's performance was convincing. Friendly, innocent, kind-hearted. Part of Mingi wanted to believe him.

But logic resisted; that's what he desired. To gain your trust and continue his drug business right under your nose.

In a matter of minutes, Yunho vanished behind the trees, a large bag on his right arm. Mingi quickly left, taking a different path from Yunho.

"Hongjoong is still dealing with other matters; he'll be here soon. How's the progress so far?" Wooyoung greeted when Mingi arrived at the sector. Seonghwa and Jongho were also there, discussing and exchanging thoughts on the drug lord they were currently pursuing. If Mingi eavesdropped, it seemed there wasn't much progress.

Mingi shook his head, shoulders slumping slightly in frustration as he flopped onto a chair. "Nothing. I've torn everything apart and still found nothing."

"Maybe it was just a coincidence that he passed by. Maybe he really has no connection to the drug warehouse we found," Seonghwa remarked. Having worked for years, he understood how meticulous Mingi was in searching. If Mingi found nothing, Seonghwa was more convinced that there was indeed nothing. Including in Yunho's case.

Furthermore, if he were hiding something, wouldn't he have escaped long ago? Why go through the trouble of pretending? But on the other hand, the position Yunho was in during the ambush seemed too perfect for just passing by, as if he was carefully observing from a distance.

"I can help you search," Jongho offered. Not a bad idea, but not a brilliant one either.

However, Mingi thought it would be suspicious to have two agents in the same place. Jongho could sneak in, but it sounded even more suspicious.

"No need," Mingi declined. "Besides, Hongjoong probably needs you for something else." He knew what would happen if he involved Jongho in the investigation. The guy, two years younger than him, had a really bad temper. Not a good decision to secretly involve him in the investigation, considering his habit of breaking and destroying everything without caring about the potential consequences.

While waiting for Hongjoong, Mingi took the time to enjoy a serving of grilled chicken with dessert and a drink. Two days of simple meals at Yunho's house made this one seem luxurious. Part of Mingi wanted to bring this fancy food to Yunho. Even if he was the drug dealer he was looking for in disguise. His act of eating simple food was convincing; Mingi felt a bit sorry for him.

Hongjoong arrived about an hour after Mingi. He immediately inquired about Mingi's report. Like the others, Hongjoong displayed a disappointed expression, though not too pronounced, when Mingi handed over his phone.

"All the photos there are places I've searched. Including Yunho's house yard. I found no trace of excavation there, even outside the fence around his house. The grass field is too neat; even a single trace of digging would stand out. But there's nothing. Everything is tidy," Mingi added. In other words, if Yunho wasn't a drug lord, besides being kind and friendly, he was also excessively diligent.

Mingi had to stop praising the suspect in his mind. It wasn't professional at all.

Hongjoong nodded slowly. "I'll only be here today. Continue your investigation. If, in three days, there's still no strong evidence indicating that this guy is the drug lord, we'll stop. Maybe he's not the one we're looking for. But for now, make sure again, look for possible hidden spaces in the house." Hongjoong gave a little guidance.

"Alright." Mingi agreed, nodding obediently, then Hongjoong walked away. "Any other issues so far?"

"No, aside from the matter you're handling, there's none," Wooyoung replied, holding a stack of files that seemed to be a recap of the week's investigation.

After helping Seonghwa complete some reports for Hongjoong on other missions, Mingi quickly rushed back to Yunho's house. He intentionally picked up some fresh fruit from the sector to give to Yunho. There were still a few minutes left before evening when Mingi arrived at Yunho's house, greeted by the glowing lanterns. Yunho was already home.

Mingi put on the faintest expression he could manage. His disguise tactic was to evoke pity and avoid anger.

"Oh God, I thought you wouldn't come back. Where were you?" Yunho asked, shortly after Mingi opened the door. His face looked relieved. As if he genuinely worried about Mingi. A guy he barely knew.

Huh? Maybe I don't need to plead.

"I was just bored at home, so I went out to look for fruits," he explained and placed the fruits he brought on the chair.

He had removed the labels from the fruits he brought before coming back. Mingi also chose local fruits that were easily found around the forest. Mostly persimmons and pears, but if you looked closely, it was clear that these fruits came from a well-maintained plantation, not wild fruits on the edge of the forest growing naturally without agricultural technology.

But Yunho didn't seem to pay much attention.

A light sigh greeted Mingi's ears. He was just relieved that Mingi was back. "Thank goodness, I'm glad. All I got today was a few pieces of wood," Yunho said.

Mingi didn't know how much food there was in the forest. However, going out all day and bringing back only a few pieces of wood was suspicious. Yesterday, Yunho could bring back a squirrel and a bag full of fruits. Why did he only bring a few pieces of firewood now, despite spending the same amount of time? Mingi wondered in his head, piling up suspicions on Yunho.

Could it be that he's hiding his drug stash around the forest and not in this house?

A clever tactic, if Mingi could compliment it.

And once again, Mingi reminded himself that praising his potential suspect was unprofessional.

"Yeah, thankfully."