our trail of gold ; jeongcheol

Chapter 19

Seungcheol could barely see Mingyu in the dark of the night. The long legged detective was chugging a bottle of soju – green, because he did always have a fascination with the colour – as he flipped open the case his mobile phone was in and reclosed it in succession.

"What happened?" he asked, joining the man and eyeing a full bottle on the grass. He bent to pick it up, shrugging as he split it open.

"They've started to make their move. They have yet to suspect me. I've already destroyed one of their store houses, but that isn't enough. We need all the big guys in one place to take them down at once. It's been going on for far too long Seungcheol."

"Mmm I know," he muttered, swiping his lips wet with soju. "You want me to go back in? They still trust me, yes? If I recall correctly I am still listed as one of the top hit men and assassins in their records. 'Bout time I showed up and help them once more."

"You're more than that," Mingyu said strongly, "And you know that. They consider you as one of their top dogs. You were the perfect choice with your social standing. If you hadn't helped me tackle this fucking eternal case it would have never went anywhere. Even if it had cost you everything, you still helped me. You know I can never repay you back for this."

"Don't want you too," Seungcheol grimaced. "Would be rather awkward."

Mingyu grinned, agreeing. "True. But my pride would always fuck me over." The detective finished off his bottle, clinking his soju with Seungcheol's and trickling the last few drops down his throat. His lips were dry from lack of water and the excessive exposure to cold wind and alcohol, but it was worth it. The pain always was.

After the pain came the thrill of success.

"When are you going to meet with Lee again?"

"Hyori's father?" said Seungcheol. "Tomorrow I believe." He chuckled. "I'm starting to wonder if he'd tell his daughter the reason why he wants her to marry me. It's always better to marry into family."

"You mean into a syndicate of rich ruthless money hungry bastards?"

"Well that," Seungcheol stated, grinning. "But we've put a track on most of the men so far. I'm meeting with Boo Seungkwan's lover and past husband tomorrow. He's also Jeonghan's friend and the one who helped him recover from our breakup. It's about time we get someone else in this mess and shed some light on the pack of lies we've been feeding to cover our asses."

"It'll be worth it in the end, when we take down those fuckers," Mingyu sighed. "Very much worth it."

Seungcheol was silent as he rubbed his fingers along the perspiring bottle. A leaf fell on the lapel of his jacket, and gently he brushed it off, looking back to the detective who was still fiddling with his phone.

"Another thing I can't seem to figure out Min, is if I should even tell Junhui that Boo Seungkwan's parents will not be his parents for much longer."

—

Mingyu rubbed his eyes as he stared at the pile of pages scattered across his work bench. His desk too was littered with manila folders, and two open notebooks were blaring in synch with the irritating rays of sunlight.

He had pulled an all-nighter after his meeting with Seungcheol, sorting out the data he had compiled over the years and going over every little detail that would help them in the long run.