Like a Dragon -2-
Like a Dragon -2-
"Let's go."
The place where Max stopped the car was an alley close to the apartment.
They moved straight to the apartment entrance. He planted himself on a wooden bench at the bus stop with Ellen.
'The only way out of the apartment is this way, he said.'
He already knew the make and license plate of Yoo Wi-kang's wife from the info he'd received beforehand. But she might use her affair partner's vehicle or even walk out.
Watching the entrance and waiting was the simplest, most reliable approach.
'If there's too long a silence, I'll check whether she's at Yoo Wi-kang's place.'
Since he knew the address, there were plenty of ways to find out if it was empty.
Ziiing!
A message from Yoo Wi-kang. He said he was leaving the house for work now.
Max sent his location, told him to act like he didn't see them, then put his phone away.
"Oppa-ya. Are we just gonna sit here and wait until she comes out?"
"That's right."
"The night breeze feels cool, so the vibe is perfect~!"
Ellen, who'd tagged along under the pretense that the weekend started tomorrow, seemed thrilled.
Even when they drove, she'd been excited, saying it was a night drive. Despite being from the Mado Myeongga, she found joy in small things. Max found it strange.
"There goes the client."
"Ah! For real."
Yoo Wi-kang drove past, glancing their way.
This meant Max and Ellen's work was about to begin. Time to focus.
They kept sending buses on their way like that.
Then Ellen, who had her hood pulled up, broke the silence.
"I can't understand it at all. Getting married and then cheating—what's that about?"
"Who knows."
"Oppa-ya, your reaction is totally weak. Aren't you curious?"
"The reason they cheated isn't something I need to figure out. It's outside the scope of the request."
"Hmm~ So you're keeping it strictly business, huh."
Max agreed with Ellen's observation.
If she asked whether he was curious or not, he'd say he was curious, but he had no intention of digging into the details.
"The deeper you dig, the more headaches you get. Better to keep things as simple as possible. Especially with stuff like this."
"Is oppa-ya's heart a bit soft? Or just no room to breathe?"
"Both."
Ellen blinked at Max, who answered without a moment's hesitation.
"What's this? Shouldn't a mercenary deny that here? This is a world where being soft gets you eaten alive."
"I'm of the belief that putting on a front never even gets you your money back."
Max smirked and pulled a lollipop from his pocket.
He handed one to Ellen and stuck it in his own mouth.
A rich, mellow chocolate flavor. Good omen.
"Ellen, what flavor's yours?"
"Tah-dah~ Orange. Since I asked first, this candy's more expensive than diamonds now."
She could have just said it, but Ellen deliberately took the candy out of her mouth to show him.
An attitude so absurd it made him laugh.
Waiting time wasn't boring; maybe it was a good idea to bring her along.
"If we auctioned off this candy, we could buy the office."
"Are you kidding me! With this one, you could buy a building in Zone 3 and still have change left."
They traded pointless banter, melting away the time.
Vroooom!
A car exiting the apartment caught both their eyes.
A woman in the passenger seat was touching up her makeup.
The face was identical to the wife in the photo Yoo Wi-kang had shown them.
"Oppa-ya. You saw that, right?"
"Yeah. Let's go to the car."
In an instant, the two turned back to the alley where the rental was parked.
They hopped in and hit the accelerator.
"I'll tail her. Ellen, take a picture of the license plate on your phone and send it to me."
"Let's go!"
He drove fast, following the road.
A car caught at a traffic light came into view. He slipped in behind it.
Click!
After taking the photo, Ellen turned the camera around.
She switched to selfie mode, framing herself and Max in the shot.
"What's that?"
"Smile quick. It's a souvenir from our request together."
Max, gripping the steering wheel, awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth. Ellen looked satisfied and snapped the picture.
Her energy was so lively for the middle of the night; it was hard to believe.
"I sent you the photo I just took too, oppa-ya. Treat it as a family heirloom and pass it down for generations."
"Thanks. My phone just went up in value."
"Ahaha! Oppa-ya and I are finally on the same wavelength! That's the spirit!"
Inside the car, Ellen was as excited as if she were racing.
But despite the atmosphere, the car couldn't go fast.
"There are way too many traffic lights here."
"That's good for us. Makes the job easier."
While the car was stopped, Max quickly typed a brief message with the photo and sent it to Yoo Wi-kang.
Thus, they tracked the car carrying Yoo Wi-kang's wife until it entered an outdoor complex shopping mall.
[Arcadia Garden]
After confirming Yoo Wi-kang's wife moving with another man in the parking lot and snapping pictures, Max and Ellen got out of the car and began tailing.
With so many people around, the chance of being spotted seemed low.
"Ellen. Just in case, don't do anything conspicuous."
"My beauty shines even if I do nothing. What do we do about that?"
"···Pull your hood down tight."
Max was drained by her supreme self-confidence.
"You're thinking 'How annoying,' aren't you?"
"We'll lose her. Follow me."
"Ah! Answer before you go!"
When the outdoor shopping mall Arcadia Garden passed 22:00, it transformed into an entertainment district called Luminous Avenue.
Here, stores opened ranging from ordinary pubs to sensory-sharing clubs, hookah bars, and zero-gravity clubs.
Max and Ellen maintained a reasonable distance from the target, who was leisurely browsing the shops, continuing their tail.
"Looks like those two are going to have a drink here before heading out."
Then inside.
The deeper they went, the more people there were enjoying Friday night.
"Whew! Why is the air so stuffy here? Is this the best Zone 20 has to offer?"
Ellen fluttered her hood to chase away the heat, drawing the eyes of drunk patrons.
Sticky gazes that even Max—not the target—could feel.
"Ellen, do you want to wait in the car?"
"Pretty women are used to these looks. Didn't you know?"
Ellen giggled as if she didn't care.
Relieved, Max kept his eyes on the target and warned her.
"If anyone comes up and tries to hit on you, don't hit them or kick them. I'll handle it somehow."
"So you're saying don't draw attention. I know how to read the room."
Then Ellen clung to Max, linking her arm through his.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't that what you're supposed to do on this kind of request—pretend to be someone? Doing this makes other guys' eyes back off."
"···Do what you want."
"Oh? Is your heart pounding? Being next to such a beauty, your heart's about to burst, right?"
Max didn't answer, keeping his gaze fixed on Yoo Wi-kang's wife.
He knew that if he played along with this kind of teasing, she'd only keep going.
"Shh. She went in."
Max pulled Ellen along toward the store the target had entered.
[Aqua Vita]
A bar that vividly recreated the ocean floor with holograms.
The dark, bluish light, like looking up at the sky from deep underwater, was calming.
An employee approached Max and Ellen.
"Are you two together?"
"Yes."
"I'll show you to your seats."
As the employee moved to take them to the opposite side of the target, Max spoke up.
"Would it be okay if we sat over there? My girlfriend has sensitive ears; if she's close to the speakers, it's tough for her."
"Ah, of course! Please sit wherever you're comfortable!"
They got the seats they wanted.
Not far from Yoo Wi-kang's wife. She was sitting side by side with a bulky man at the counter.
─ Anyway, the weekend's empty, so let's take it easy···.
─ About that dress you mentioned back then···.
Max was eavesdropping on their conversation when Ellen whispered to him.
"Oppa-ya, you're totally into it. I was surprised when you called me your girlfriend."
"Isn't that what you said—pretending to be someone on requests like this?"
"Well, that's true, but··· I didn't think you'd just go along with it like that."
"It's not every day I get to pretend to be the lover of someone as high-born as you. You gave me the chance, so I took it."
Max wrote a message to Yoo Wi-kang while handing the smart menu tablet built into the table to Ellen.
"Order the cheapest drink. We won't actually drink it. You can order whatever food you want."
"I don't drink anyway, so don't worry. I've never even had a drink. Oh! Fruit and cheese crackers!"
"Come closer."
"Huh?"
Max pressed himself against Ellen, pretending to take a selfie, and captured Yoo Wi-kang's wife and the man in the frame.
Ellen's smile turned oddly stiff—a rare sight.
"Oppa-ya··· at least tell me what you're going to do before you do it···."
"Ellen, you're really bad at ad-libbing, aren't you?"
"Shut up! Move aside so I can order!"
While Ellen snacked on appetizers, Max continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.
The two were badmouthing the wife's husband—Yoo Wi-kang—who was at work, and exchanging lewd talk. The affair seemed certain.
'It's useless if I'm the only one convinced. I need something more solid—evidence that can be kept as documentation.'
It was a shame Max's equipment couldn't record only their conversation from that distance.
Plus, this was a bad place for a confrontation.
'They're leaving.'
Max confirmed the two were heading out, and he and Ellen rose from their seats.
The tail continued.
"Look at the way those two are walking. They're completely drunk."
Just as Ellen said, the target's gait had changed from the alcohol.
The next destination following that:
[Hotel Pink Quartz]
Max quickly took a photo of the two entering the hotel.
Then, as he tried to go in after them—
Ellen let go of his arm and grabbed his clothes.
"O-oppa-ya··· you're not seriously g-going in, are you?!"
"Of course I am. I need to get in the elevator with them and find out what floor and room number."
If she was uncomfortable going in, she could wait outside, Max said, heading into the hotel alone.
Ellen gritted her teeth and looked around.
No particular eyes were on them.
"Ah, seriously···! You have zero delicacy!"
After a moment's hesitation, Ellen followed Max into the hotel.