this is banghim, and jonglo is third wheel

Chapter 42: Lies 1

“So this is your office” a man came in Yongguk's office. Yongguk, who was watching Black Panther while eating raw ramyeon, jumped up off the chair and tried to pick up his mess as quick as possible.

    “Dad, father, sir” Yongguk grabbed the empty cups of noodles and cans of beer and threw them in the trash.

    “How's the operation going? You know who X is?”

    “No, sir, I'm still investigating” Yongguk handed his father/superior a folder with the suspects’ information “Hyoseong was in Hong Kong when former editor in chief manager Kang was contacted by X and she was in London when he was murdered, so we can cross her off the list of suspects”

    “There are still many suspects” he said “Kim Himchan, Choi Junhong, Moon Jongup, Yoo Youngjae, Lee Joo Won, Song Jieun...”

    “I'm still working...”

    “There are a few days left for the drug shipment, and you're still working”

    “It's hard”

    “That's why I didn't want you to run this operation”

    “I mean, it's hard, but I'm capable”

    “Look, if this goes wrong, you'll be demoted to traffic duty...”

    “It doesn't sound so bad”

    “No one in our family has ever been demoted” The man said in a harsh tone “Do your job properly, find out who X is” he tossed the folder on the desk and left.

    Yongguk sighed with frustration and fell in the chair.

    “You know the old man is strict because he worries about you” Yongnam entered the office.

    “He's worried about me ruining the operation” The younger twin said “It's not my first operation”

    “Your first operation went very wrong”

    “Not this time”

    Yongnam took the folder and checked it out “You said Himchan is interested in you. Why don’t you pretend you’re interested in him as well to gather information?”

    “'Cause I'm not a heartless monster. What if he falls in love with me? It'd be cruel to use him”

    “What if he's X?”

    “He doesn't seem smart enough, besides, he seems a good guy”

    “Appearances can be deceiving. You know that better than anybody” The elder said “Plus, there's undercover cops who have done worse. Pretending you care about this Himchan in order to get information to put an end to a drug ring it’s not so bad”

    “I’m not asking you to kill him, just be his friend, gain his trust, make him talk”

    “I don’t like to pretend to be what I’m not”

    “Undercover work is all about pretending to be what you aren’t! If you don’t like it, why did you offer yourself to do this job?”

    Suddenly the alarm that Yongguk set on his phone sounded.

    “I have to go to work”

    “I thought Daehyun's out of town”

    “Yeah, but he asked me to take care of Ganji”

Yongguk knew everybody was a liar, including himself. As a cop he had seen and lived tons of horrible things, but he didn't want to stop believing that there were still good people in the world. He only took the undercover work because he wanted to show his father and his peers he was a good cop. Even though he didn't want to be a cop, he had worked hard, and then he made a little mistake years ago and now everybody distrusted him.

    He sighed and walked into the night market, it was dinnertime, he thought of making grilled salmon with pasta for Ganji, so he bought the ingredients, and when he was about to leave, he saw a man with bright pink hair in the crowd. He wore a pink shirt, black jacket, black pants and black shoes, very stylish, the bodyguard thought and wondered if it was Himchan.

    “Himchan?” Yongguk called and the said guy turned around to see him with surprise.

    “Yongguk? What are you doing here?”

    “Getting some stuff for dinner”

    “So am I” 

    “An apple?” Yongguk saw the apple in the plastic bag Himchan carried.

    “Yeah, it's my dinner, breakfast and lunch during this week. I'm dieting”

    “Why?”

    “I'm fat”

    “You... aren't fat”

    “You hesitated”

    “Because it’s stupid, you aren’t fat, you’re thinner than average people”

    “I’m thinner than average people, but I’m surrounded by top models who are thinner than me. Whatever, I had a very long night and…”

    Yongguk remembered Yongnam’s advice, he had to be friends with Himchan and get information.

    “You know what? You need a real meal” Yongguk said “I’ll make salmon and pasta for me and Ganji, join us”

    It was six, Himchan tried not to eat past six, but the invitation was tempting.

    “Fine, I’ll continue on my diet tomorrow”

    “My bike is over there” Yongguk pointed to the parking lot and Himchan followed him to a light blue Vespa.

    “This isn't a bike”

    “It is”

    “I mean...” Himchan looked at him up and down “With your stoic face and tattoos I thought you'd ride something rude, manly... A Vespa... is kind of girly”

    “It's not, Gregory Peck had one in Roman Holiday”

    “I love that movie, Audrey Hepburn’s wardrobe is so amazing” Himchan said with stars in his eyes and then they looked into each other's eyes like they finally found something in common.

Yongguk and Himchan went to Daehyun's apartment, and when Ganji heard the door crack open, he thought it was Daehyun and ran eagerly to receive him, however, when he saw it wasn't his owner, he made a face, specially to Himchan, he still blamed him for when he got lost in the dumpster.

    “I’m glad to see you too” Himchan said and Ganji gave him the stink eye.

    “Come on, little man, I'll make you dinner” Yongguk took Ganji in his arms, he loved animals, in fact, he had a poodle named Tigger, but he couldn’t see him while he went undercover, so when Daehyun asked him to take care of Ganji, he was more than happy to do that.

    They went to the kitchen, Yongguk sat Ganji on the counter while Himchan sat on a chair. Yongguk took his jacket off, he wore a white shirt with two buttons ed, Himchan swallowed hard as he saw some of Yongguk’s chest and his tattoo, and then he wished he could see the whole tattoo. Unaware of what his iness caused to Himchan, Yongguk just gave him a gummy smile and rolled up his sleeves and put on an apron.

    “You're really going to cook?”

    “Yes, why don’t you think that I can?”

    “You don't look like the type of guy who knows how to”

    “Because of my stoic face and tattoos?” Yongguk cut the salmon into large strips and rinsed them.

    “Do you want a hand with that? Sometimes I like to cook in my spare time”

    “No, you're a guest, so just sit tight and let me spoil you” Yongguk said that and Himchan melted like butter. Rude and manly Yongguk had a very sweet caring and gentle side.

    “Fine, Mr. Chef, I'll go get some wine. I saw a lot of wine bottles in the pantry...” Himchan went to the pantry, there was a box with a dozen bottles of wine. People said white wine went with salmon, but he craved for red wine, so he grabbed one white wine and one red wine, and returned to the kitchen where Yongguk put the salmon strips on the pan.

    “Which do you prefer?” Himchan showed him the bottles of wine.

    “Red wine”

    “Me too” Himchan giggled “Our second thing in common, besides Roman Holiday” he took two glasses from the cupboard and poured a cup for the bodyguard.

    “I thought of making garlic sauce for the pasta, is it ok for you?”

    “Of course it’s ok, I’m not a vampire” Himchan served a glass for himself and took a sip “I like garlic in the food, except when I’m on a date and plan to kiss my date” The younger laughed nervously “We aren’t on a date, right? We aren’t going to kiss, right?”

    “Nope”

    “Then make all the garlic sauce you want!” Himchan was single for so long he couldn’t remember how to flirt, he felt stupid.

    “This isn’t a date, but a dinner with friends” Yongguk peeled off the papery layers of the garlic.

    “We’re friends?”

    “We barely know each other, but now that we’re here, we can get to know more about each other, can’t we? Let’s start with family”

    “I have a father, a mother and a big sister who studied classical music”

    “What about friends?”

    “I have literally thousands of friends, but my best friend is Yoo Youngjae. We went to the same school, but not classmates”

    “Then how did you two become friends?”

    “Well, the popular kids said they didn’t want to see my fat ugly face in the cafeteria, so I had to go somewhere else to have lunch. I tried the library and the hallway, but the teachers said those weren’t places to eat, and one day I found an old bathroom out of service, a bunch of fat and ugly kids like me were eating there and they let me join them”

    “Youngjae was between them, so I became friends with him and everybody. in the end we all grew up and became thin and pretty. In fact, one of the girls who used to be bullied nonstop is now one of the most stunning top models in the world” Himchan forced a smile “But the hurt and insecurities are still with us… I’m sorry to ruin the evening with this dreadful memory”

    “Everybody has dreadful memories, they’re what make us perfect”

    “Do you have any dreadful memory?”

    “The salmon is ready, so are the garlic sauce and the pasta, let’s eat” Yongguk pretended he didn’t hear the question and reached for the plates.

    Himchan could tell Yongguk had several dreadful memories, but he refrained from asking.

    “Come on, give me your opinion” Yongguk put the plate with salmon and pasta before Himchan.

    “This looks and smells delicious, I hope it tastes delicious” Himchan put a forkful of pasta in his mouth “Oh my God, this is the best pasta I’ve ever had!!! Are you a professional chef?!”

    “No, I just like to cook, especially for my family and friends”

    “I can’t believe it!!! It’s so delicious!!!”

    “Thank you” Yongguk shyly smiled and Himchan's heart raced savagely. He almost never saw Yongguk's smile, but everytime he saw it, it was a wonderful scenario, Yongguk's big smile was the most beautiful thing ever and made him forget every sad thing and smile big too.

    Suddenly someone rang the doorbell.

    “It must be Daehyun” Himchan snapped out of his daydream.

    “He has keys”

    “Sometimes he forgets” Himchan went to open and found a young man in white tee, denim jacket, denim pants and military boots “Jongup”

    “Himchan” the assistant said with the same apathetic tone “I came to see Daehyun”

    “He's in Busan, taking pics for a contest”

    “He decided to participate after all! I'm so glad, he's so talented” Jongup said, both disappointed (because he didn’t get to see Daehyun) and happy.

    “You're Daehyun's friend, Jongup”! Yongguk showed up behind Himchan “Do you want to join us for dinner?”

    “I haven't eaten yet, so yes”

    I HATE YOU, MOON JONGUP, Himchan thought as he followed them back to the kitchen. He was enjoying his time alone with Yongguk; why did Jongup have to show up? Himchan wanted to eat pasta a la Lady and the Tramp with Yongguk, but with Jongup there, the magic moment was gone. Yongguk and Himchan didn't speak again, the bodyguard's attention was drawn to Jongup, they had a lot of stuff in common: hip hop music, photography, painting, bikes, tattoos, etc.

    And then the doorbell rang for second time. This time had to be Daehyun, Himchan thought, but it was another young man: Zelo. The tall and hunky model wore a beige turtleneck sweater, black coat, faded jeans and black shoes.

    “Himchan hyung? I came to see Dasom” Zelo carried a big bouquet of red roses, a big box of chocolates and a giant teddy bear.

    “She's on vacations in Busan”

    “Really?” Zelo pouted, disappointed, he still wanted to go on a decent date with Dasom without Youngjae crashing into a handrail “At least can I come in and leave these gifts for her?”

    “Suit yourself”

    Zelo entered the apartment, it was his first time inside. He looked clumsily for the living room and ended up in the kitchen with two familiar faces.

    “Jongup hyung? Yongguk hyung? I came to see Dasom, but Himchan hyung said she's in Busan” Zelo was the only one in the room who didn't know Dasom and Daehyun were the same person. Himchan, Jongup and Yongguk knew, although Himchan and Jongup didn't know Yongguk knew.

    “Let me help you” Yongguk took the bouquet and the chocolates while Zelo sat the teddy bear on the chair “There's plenty of pasta and salmon, you want some?”

    “Yes, I’m hungry” Zelo cheerfully replied.

    Himchan had felt very special when Yongguk invited him, but seeing him invite everyone it was less special and then he understood, Yongguk wasn't kind to him, Yongguk was a natural kind soul with everybody. That made him like him more, because on this disturbing era was hard to find kind and honest people.

    “We were talking about family and hobbies” Yongguk handed Zelo a plate “Himchan has a big sister and Jongup, a big brother. Do you have any brother?”

    “Yeah, I have a big brother named Junseo” Zelo said “He’s studying in Japan”

    “Japan?” Himchan said “You said he’s in Taiwan”

    “Yeah, he is, I mean, he’s on vacations in Japan!”

    Yongguk raised one eyebrow as Zelo forced a smile and averted his eyes like he was hiding something.

    “I’m so jealous, people say the sakura trees are beautiful at this time of year” Himchan said.

    “So true, last year I spent a few months in Tokyo, the sakuras are amazing” Jongup said.

    “Were you working in Japan?” Yongguk asked.

    “No, I was on vacations”

    “It’s very expensive, you must be rich”

    “I’m not” Jongup laughed nervously and then Yongguk knew he was hiding something too.

    “It’s not so expensive if you go with a group of friends” Himchan said.

    “We should all go together sometime” Zelo said.

    And then they started to talk about going places together like the movies and watch Avengers: Infinity War or going to a bar and grill to eat BBQ and try different types of beer, and before Yongguk knew it, he felt very comfortable around his friends to the point he forgot they were actually suspects.