Chapter 8: The Royal Secret Inspector Arrives

Since I had a special guest, I decided to prepare a special meal.

“To cut through the greasiness of the beef, aged kimchi is definitely the way to go.”

First, I stir-fried the aged kimchi.

Sizzle.

On the grill, the aged kimchi turned a deep brown along with the beef. The kimchi, stir-fried over high heat, was slightly charred at the edges. Through those gaps, savory chili oil and anchovy broth flowed. I picked up a slice with my chopsticks.

“Hmm.”

The unique sour aroma instantly spread through the air, mingling with the savory scent of ripening premium beef.

“Slurp…”

I could already hear the guest salivating.

“That’s not all.”

A secret weapon with a sweetness that comes out the more you chew, balancing perfectly with the salty beef.

Thud!

I brought out another side dish. They were lined up neatly in a dark brown soy sauce base. It was pickled garlic scapes made by mixing soy sauce, perilla oil, and plum extract. Along with that, there were Ice Valley Farm’s special braised potatoes and green peppers seasoned with soybean paste.

“And now, the grand highlight.”

The guest, who had been watching my movements, quickly showed his curiosity.

“Isn’t that pickled perilla leaves?”

“To be precise, it’s perilla oil perilla leaf rice. You’ve never had anything like this, have you?”

“Perilla oil perilla leaf rice…?”

The name sounded grand, but it wasn’t a particularly complicated dish. Just a single leaf of our house-special pickled perilla leaf on top of rice. Then, a single drop of perilla oil on top. If you mix it well and take a spoonful…

“Oooooh!”

The scent of perilla oil spreading between the grains of rice and the unique bitterness of the perilla leaf filled the mouth, just like now.

“How is it?”

Superintendent Han Seo-jin, who had been wordlessly stuffing his mouth with food, gave a thumbs up.

“It’s the best.”

“Heh heh heh.”

“I’m not just saying that; you could actually sell this for money.”

“In that case, would you like a drink to go with it?”

I brought out a liquor I had brewed myself. It was called “Ice Liquor.”

Pop!

As I opened the cap, a subtle fruity scent spread along with a cool mist.

— Yaaaawn! I slept so well!

— What’s this? Are you drinking this now?

— Give it a try! We made it really tasty!

The sleeping snowflakes popped out of the open bottle and bounced around. Like the first snow of winter, a thin layer of frost covered the entire bottle. Inside, the golden liquor sat quietly.

“The smell is amazing.”

“It’s a homemade Ice Liquor. It’s made from wild grapes and omija berries, so the aftertaste is quite deep.”

Trickle.

I carefully tilted the bottle.

Clink.

Immediately after, ice fragments collided and fell into the glass.

“Oooooh!”

The guest’s exclamation burst out again. Once poured, the color was a reddish-gold, close to the color of a sunset. When he brought the glass to his nose, the sweet yet sharp scent unique to fermented fruit liquor spread gently.

Sip.

And finally, the moment it entered his mouth—

“Phew…”

Cold alcohol spread from the tip of his tongue. The first taste was sweet, but the finish was somewhat smoky and warm. At the same time, a streak of heat quietly bloomed from somewhere inside his body. The warm glow that blew away the day’s fatigue was a bonus.

Gulp.

“…?”

However, surprisingly, the guest just kept swallowing his saliva.

“Aren’t you going to drink?”

“…Prosecutor. You’re not getting revenge on me like this, are you?”

“Pardon?”

Superintendent Han Seo-jin tapped his watch with a mournful expression.

“I’m on duty, aren’t I?”

“…Oh? I thought people in high positions usually had a light drink with lunch.”

“Ugh… actually, I’m a bit of a by-the-book type.”

Again, an unexpected answer.

“When I was a kid, the village police all used to have a glass of makgeolli before going on patrol…”

Back then, the local policemen were even nicknamed “Makgeolli Patrolmen.”

“I guess you’ll have to drink this next time.”

I immediately closed the cap. For someone who couldn’t drink, this would be torture. Above all…

“You’re having a hard time, aren’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“Your expression looked quite grim when you mentioned being by-the-book.”

“!”

It seemed I had hit the mark. Even at this moment, today’s special guest looked like he had a lot to say.

“Oh dear. Look at the time…”

However, he still seemed uncomfortable sharing his inner thoughts with me. Thus, the quiet mealtime passed.

“I enjoyed the meal very much, Prosecutor.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Let’s do this again when we have the chance.”

Superintendent Han Seo-jin stared at me intently as I spoke.

“…Prosecutor. It wouldn’t be right to just apologize with words, so if you ever need help with anything, I will definitely help you at least once.”

“Hmm… isn’t that a curse?”

“…Pardon?”

“Ideally, one shouldn’t have any reason to seek help from the police in the first place.”

“Hahahaha!”

Only then did Superintendent Han Seo-jin understand my meaning and burst into laughter.

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Right?”

Superintendent Han Seo-jin said with a smile still on his lips.

“How should I put it? It was a short time, but talking to you makes me feel very good, Prosecutor.”

“It’s not me; it’s because the location is good.”

“Heh heh. That is also an undeniable fact. Anyway, in my experience, even if I don’t do anything wrong, unpleasant things always seem to happen at least once.”

Immediately after, Superintendent Han Seo-jin winked.

“Call me when that happens. Here is my business card.”

Taking the card he handed me, I gave a bitter smile. I told you that was a curse.

CEO Bang Gi-cheol could not contain his rage.

“That crazy bitch finally made off with Ha-ru?”

His fears had become reality. Currently, Min Ha-ru wasn’t even answering her phone. Even though there were several schedules, big and small, caught for this week. Three of them had even paid a significant amount of money as a down payment.

“Manager Cha!”

“Yes, CEO.”

“Contact the legal team and send a certification of contents to Min Ha-ru immediately.”

“I’ll take care of it right away.”

“And go catch that bitch right now. Use a private investigator if you have to, just find her as fast as possible!”

Manager Cha Mu-hyeok replied politely.

“I don’t think there’s any need to go as far as a private investigator.”

“What?”

“I figured this might happen, so I secretly installed a GPS on the manager’s vehicle, CEO.”

“Huh? When?”

“The signs have been unusual lately, haven’t they? Since the two of them disappeared together, we should be able to find them quickly if we track that guy Kim Jin-su.”

Only then did CEO Bang Gi-cheol’s face light up.

“As expected of our Manager Cha! Your work is always thorough.”

After checking the location through a phone app, Manager Cha Mu-hyeok bowed.

“It’s a bit far, so I’ll leave right away.”

“Sure, sure. Oh, right! If Shin Hye-seo, that irresponsible bitch, is with them, catch them both.”

“Even CEO Shin, you mean?”

“I’ll take responsibility, so don’t worry and just bring her. Someone is looking for her quite desperately anyway.”

“Is it really okay to do that?”

“Of course! If she won’t come, grab her by the hair and drag her if you have to.”

After speaking, CEO Bang Gi-cheol wore a rotten smile.

“As a representative, she should take responsibility for this series of events.”

A major change occurred in my peaceful daily life.

“Chef Baek!”

This was because whenever I entered the kitchen, someone followed me like a magnet.

“Please teach me how to cook too!”

“…”

I let out a quiet sigh. Even if I set aside Min Ha-ru, whose eyes were sparkling.

“…I’m sorry, Prosecutor.”

Now even Shin Hye-seo was frequenting the kitchen every day.

“Surely they’re not here to see the otter, are they?”

But what could I do? It wasn’t something I could just show on command. For the record, even my mother, who initially looked at the strange women with wary eyes, had now accepted it. Sometimes she even asked if they needed anything.

“My mother’s gaze changed after the money was deposited into her account.”

As expected, money is king in a capitalist world. Anyway…

“Just resting is making you restless, isn’t it?”

“Yes! I’m bored to death.”

Min Ha-ru replied with a beaming smile to my question.

“Then…”

A good idea suddenly came to mind.

“First, why don’t we learn some farm work together?”

“Pardon? Farm work all of a sudden?”

Min Ha-ru asked back with a flustered expression. Since things had turned out this way, what’s the point of young people just idling around?

“You need ingredients to cook, right? For the record, it’s no exaggeration to say that obtaining fresh, high-quality ingredients is the beginning and end of cooking.”

“Ah! Then what should I do first!?”

“I-I’ll help too.”

At the reactions of the two women, the corners of my mouth curved up.

“Just as planned…”

This was good. I was short-handed anyway.

*****

Cha Mu-hyeok had to drive for over four hours.

“I feel like a slave hunter at this point…”

Still, he felt a bit refreshed deep down. Company life was so hectic every day that he couldn’t even dream of a vacation. When else would he get to leave the city during work hours and see such wide-open plains and the sea?

“But…”

Suddenly, Cha Mu-hyeok’s eyebrows furrowed.

“…Look at these people.”

When his thoughts reached that point, he felt very wronged.

“They’ve been healing themselves in a place with such good air and water?”

Soon, a grand traditional Korean house, impressive even at a glance, appeared before Cha Mu-hyeok’s eyes. Behind it was a green mountain, and the sparkling sea could be seen in the distance. A picture-perfect house built on a so-called auspicious site.

“Some people cause trouble, while the servants have to clean up the mess?”

No matter how he thought about it, wasn’t this outrageous?

“The CEO said he’d take responsibility and told me to drag her back by the hair if I have to, right?”

Actually, he wondered if it was okay to treat a singer who was essentially the face of the company like this. But considering the long relationship and contract between the CEO and Min Ha-ru, it seemed fine.

“…I’ve always wanted to do something if I ever saw a house like this.”

Cha Mu-hyeok strode toward the main gate. Soon after,

Bang!

He kicked the wooden gate wide open.

“The Royal Secret Inspector has arrived!”

Yeah.

Why be a lowly slave hunter when it hurts your pride? Since he came to catch people who committed a crime, he should at least be a Great Royal Inspector.

*****

“Oh, my back…”

Min Ha-ru, who was dripping with sweat, tapped her waist.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?”

“Uwaaa… I’m going to turn into a hunched-over old lady at this rate.”

A chuckle escaped my lips.

“If it’s too hard, you can go inside and rest now.”

“No? I said it’s hard, but I didn’t say I disliked it.”

Min Ha-ru showed off her biceps with her pale arms and grinned.

“I have good stamina. Above all, this is fun. It’s like I’ve found my calling?”

“For someone saying that, your results seem to be at least half of what CEO Shin has achieved.”

“Ack!”

Min Ha-ru snapped her head around. Where her gaze landed, Shin Hye-seo had indeed harvested a massive amount of vegetables. She had done it silently, without saying a single word.

“Sis… is your family from the countryside?”

“No? I was born and raised in Seoul.”

“…Then how are you so fast and good at this?”

“Huh…? I don’t know. Am I fast? I’m just doing it while spacing out… this is perfect for clearing your head.”

It seemed she was the one truly suited for farming. From those baggy floral pants to the wide-brimmed hat, looking at her outward appearance, Shin Hye-seo was no different from any other rural farmer.

“Hmph! I won’t lose either!”

Min Ha-ru rolled up her sleeves. If you’re going to fire up your competitive spirit over this… well, it’s good for me.

Baaaaang!

It was then. Suddenly, our half-closed gate flew wide open.

“The Royal Secret Inspector has arrived!”

“?”

“?”

“?”

Immediately after, everyone, including myself, stood there with our mouths agape.

“Royal…?”

“Inspector…?”

“Pardon?”

The two women’s gazes, which had been fixed on the gate, turned back toward me.

“Um, Prosecutor…?”

“…”

I, who had been frozen in a daze, soon broke into a wide smile. My eyes were fixed on the man who was boldly entering someone else’s house.

“Heh.”

It was so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh. Who is it? The crazy bastard who came all the way to a South Korean prosecutor’s family home talking about a Royal Inspector.