Chapter 79: Booking

Lee Jaehyun stared at the man in front of him with a dumbfounded expression.

The man swaggered over in a tacky manner, bowed his head politely to Oh Seohyun, and greeted her.

“Hello! I’m Gu Chan-hyuk from Dae Po Club, but everyone calls me ‘Pigeon’!”

“…Yes, Mr. Pigeon. Nice to meet you.”

Oh Seohyun nodded awkwardly, her expression uneasy.

At the same time, she began to size up the man’s appearance.

With his fake smile and a gold watch wrapped around his wrist, he had the classic look of a thug.

And yet here he was, confidently introducing himself.

Since this was Oh Seohyun’s first time in a club, it was natural for her to feel a bit flustered and out of place.

“By any chance, did you come alone?”

“Yes, I came alone.”

She glanced briefly at Lee Jaehyun before replying.

Whether it was because he liked Oh Seohyun’s straightforward answer about mingling separately from her group, Pigeon’s lips curled upward as he continued.

“Right now, a really amazing hyung-nim is coming. They’re just setting up the VIP Room over there. I thought you’d fit right in, so if you join us, it’d be perfect…”

Oh Seohyun let out a short laugh at the man who introduced himself as Pigeon.

Lee Jaehyun was a little surprised to see her quickly regain her composure.

It was her first time at a club, and probably her first time being approached by an MD like this.

But as soon as she was put on the spot, she shook her head skillfully.

“Amazing hyung-nim, huh? Am I supposed to know who that is? Who is it? I mean, I can only hang out with people on my level.”

“He’s one of our VIPs, so there’s no need to worry about that. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Oh, come on, these days, isn’t everyone called a VIP? Anyone can claim that.”

Pigeon looked slightly flustered at Oh Seohyun’s response.

He had thought it would be easy to bring her along, since she seemed to be a first-time guest at the club.

But instead, Oh Seohyun slyly pressed him for more information.

After all, it wasn’t like she didn’t know self-proclaimed VIPs were a dime a dozen.

She was probing to see if the person waiting in the room was really Park Man-seok, their target.

“Ah, don’t worry about that. This person isn’t just any VIP—he’s a VIP among VIPs! There’s no official rank for it, but among us, we call him a VVIP!”

“A hyung-nim? So, he must be a bit older?”

“Aigoo, noona! Just trust me this once, you won’t regret it. Please, there’s nothing to worry about!”

“I have my preferences, you know. At least tell me what type he is. And his age, too. If I go in and he turns out to be just some random old guy, I’d have to leave immediately. If I walk in and leave right away, that’d be so awkward.”

“Well, uh… he’s a bit older, but he’s lively and knows how to have fun. Really, he’s a great person.”

Pigeon subtly rubbed his fingers together, signaling that the man had money.

Noticing this, Oh Seohyun’s expression changed slightly.

Unlike when he said “just a VIP,” she now had a clearer picture.

So: older and wealthy.

But that still wasn’t enough to be certain about the VIP’s identity.

It matched Park Man-seok’s traits, but it wasn’t like he was the only one who fit that description.

Oh Seohyun quietly opened her mouth.

“So, what does he do?”

“He’s in the construction business, runs a small firm. He’s really a great person, so why not just come in and see? If it feels off, just give me a signal and I’ll step in right away.”

Oh Seohyun glanced at Lee Jaehyun.

Hearing “construction business,” both Lee Jaehyun and Oh Seohyun realized that the guy waiting in the room was most likely Park Man-seok.

Of course, there was still a chance it wasn’t.

But with so many points matching up, the likelihood was high.

Oh Seohyun nodded as if she’d made up her mind to go in, handed the glass she’d been drinking from to Lee Jaehyun, and spoke.

“You have fun on your own, alright? I’m going in. Don’t call first, I’ll text after I’m done.”

“Alright, contact me.”

To any observer, they’d just look like friends, each heading off in the club to find their own fun.

But both Lee Jaehyun and Oh Seohyun understood the real meaning behind their words.

Telling him not to call first wasn’t about not disturbing her.

“Recording?”

If you get a call while you’re recording, it usually cuts off the recording.

Detectives sometimes had to do recordings, so Lee Jaehyun easily picked up on her meaning.

And the part about contacting him—well, that was literal. In an emergency, get in touch. No interpretation needed.

“Then, I’ll escort you.”

“Alright.”

Seeing their conversation wrap up, Pigeon grinned and bowed his head.

Oh Seohyun nodded vaguely at Pigeon’s words and followed him away.

It was a bit risky, since she was about to meet Park Man-seok.

Yet Oh Seohyun’s face remained completely calm.

After waving goodbye to each other, Lee Jaehyun blended into the crowd, watching Oh Seohyun with his eyes.

Watching Sergeant Oh Seohyun head upstairs with Pigeon, Lee Jaehyun called out to Se-re-hen in his mind.

“Se-re-hen.”

“Oh, this is… quite an interesting place.”

A place where songs, sticky dancing, and liquor blended together.

The kind of place a Demon would enjoy.

Watching Se-re-hen surveying the club, Lee Jaehyun spoke up.

“Second floor, Sergeant Oh Seohyun.”

“Yes. I see Sergeant Oh Seohyun. Should I follow?”

“Please do.”

“As a Demon, I don’t know about ‘please,’ but every transaction must have a proper price, don’t you think?”

Se-re-hen replied.

If the Crime involved a child, or if she was after Evil Karma she wanted to devour, Se-re-hen would often comply with Lee Jaehyun’s request without a deal.

But if it wasn’t something she desired herself, she always insisted on a trade.

Wondering what to offer her this time, Lee Jaehyun was about to nod when—

At that moment, Pigeon reappeared and approached excitedly.

“Oh, hyung-nim! You’re here!”

In front of him stood a man in a suit.

The man, wearing glossy luxury shoes, a watch, and a suit, answered Pigeon’s greeting with a wave, oozing arrogance.

Just from the look of his outfit, it had to cost at least tens of millions of won.

However, from where Lee Jaehyun stood, the man’s face was obscured as he went up the stairs to the second floor, so he couldn’t confirm for certain if it was Park Man-seok.

“Oh, Pigeon.”

“Yes, hyung-nim. You’re a little late today.”

“Ah, things got backed up. Those construction site punks keep whining for money….”

The VIP replied irritably.

With the club music blaring and the lights dim, not every word was clear.

But Lee Jaehyun managed to catch a few keywords.

Work. Construction site.

He quietly edged closer to the man.

“The ones below always have insatiable greed, don’t they?”

“Of course. That’s right. It’s not like they’re doing anything special.”

Pigeon flattered him skillfully.

He wasn’t new at this; his polite hands showed experience.

“So, how are the girls tonight? Are they good?”

“Ay, hyung-nim! You know our club’s style, right? I check at the entrance and weed out all the trouble.”

“I know. Still.”

“As you can see, tonight is full of pure water, pure water. Makes you want to go for a swim. Hahaha!”

Pigeon burst out laughing.

The man glanced around, his lips curling up slightly.

While the two chatted, Lee Jaehyun quietly inched closer, studying their faces.

A square jaw, crew cut.

He seemed rough, but his eyes were deep.

It was clear.

This man was the Park Man-seok Lee Jaehyun had been searching for.

His face radiated greed, but his solid expression showed he wasn’t an easy opponent.

“Come on, hyung-nim! You’ve been standing here too long. Let’s head up. I’ve got everything ready in the VIP Room.”

“Alright. You didn’t bring someone weird, did you?”

“Ay, if I can’t satisfy you today, I’ll quit the job.”

Pigeon grinned even wider at the friendly mood.

What he wanted was the tip he’d get from serving VIPs.

The richer the guest, the bigger the tip.

With someone like Park Man-seok, he could easily earn hundreds in tips.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve prepared. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Haha! I’ll escort you.”

Thinking about his tip, Pigeon smiled as he led Park Man-seok up to the second floor.

At the same time, Se-re-hen, watching them, swallowed thickly.

“Are you going to catch that one?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I’ll keep my eyes wide open and watch, and let you know if anything happens.”

With those words, Se-re-hen suddenly floated upward and zipped to the second floor.

Lee Jaehyun let out a faint laugh, watching Park Man-seok’s back as he climbed the stairs.

***

Staring down at the glass Oh Seohyun had left behind, Lee Jaehyun fell into thought.

The moment Se-re-hen saw Park Man-seok.

Her eyes shone with greed.

She even swallowed saliva.

To Se-re-hen, Park Man-seok must have looked like a real treat.

And up to now, the only ones Se-re-hen had ever shown that look for were actual murderers.

Lee Jaehyun couldn’t help but feel tense.

Just then, a woman approached him cautiously and spoke.

“Excuse me, are you here alone?”

“You… still single…”

Lost in thought, Lee Jaehyun reflexively opened his mouth at the voice, but cut himself off.

He nearly blurted out a made-up catchphrase that hadn’t even been invented yet.

But maybe it was already too late.

The woman seemed to latch onto the word ‘single,’ her eyes lighting up as she grabbed Lee Jaehyun’s arm.

“Oh, is that so? Then want to have some fun together?”

“No, thank you. I’m waiting for someone.”

“Aww… It’s wrong to leave a guy like you waiting alone, so let’s just have fun together.”

Trying to recover from his slip, Lee Jaehyun opened his mouth to refuse.

But the woman, as if she’d already made up her mind, pressed herself even closer, giving him a coy look.

“Really, I’m fine. Have a great night.”

Lee Jaehyun politely removed her hand and turned her down.

After being rejected twice, the woman shrugged and turned away.

Who knew how much time had passed.

“Right here, immediately… hey!”

“Yes.”

Amid the club’s pounding music, a flurry of urgent voices reached his ears.

Turning toward the commotion, Lee Jaehyun saw club staff bustling around.

“What’s going on?”

Incidents were common in clubs.

But unless it was serious, staff wouldn’t react like this.

Either something big had happened… or, if it was something minor, it was at least a problem that would hurt business.

It had to be one or the other.

Most likely, the latter.

One of the bouncers fiddled with the earpiece he wore, then turned and hurried up to the second floor.

At the same time, Se-re-hen appeared before Lee Jaehyun’s eyes.

“The situation seems to be getting weird.”

As soon as she spoke, Lee Jaehyun moved without hesitation.