The Pursuer
The Pursuer
"Hah... They're really pissing me off, making me want to punch them."
Every time Su-yeon's fingers tickled my glans and her wet breasts touched my arm, the threads of my reason threatened to snap one by one.
But the waterproof digital clock hanging on one side of the bathroom caught my eye.
It had been almost 30 minutes since the delivery app notification had rung.
What I'd ordered now was steak and king crab that would taste bad once cold.
'Eating comes first. Sex is fine to do after filling my stomach.'
I grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
"No. That's enough now."
"Huh...? But Master... You're so hard like this..."
Su-yeon looked at my erection regretfully and licked her lips.
"We need to eat. I want to eat it while it's warm."
"Ah... I understand. I'm sorry, I did it again..."
She withdrew without another word.
Her obedient attitude was pleasing.
Su-yeon picked up the showerhead again and washed away the remaining suds on my body, rinsing me with warm water.
Then she took a fluffy large towel from the towel rack.
"I'll dry you off."
She meticulously dried me off from head to toe.
She carefully touched every part, even under the armpits, inside the groin, and between the toes.
The touch transmitted through the towel was gentle.
Finally, she draped a white bathrobe over my shoulders.
"I'll go out and dry my hair, you finish washing up and come out."
"Yes, Master. I'll be out soon."
I left the bathroom and headed to the powder room.
The wind from the high-end hairdryer pleasantly blew through my hair.
Ding-dong.
Right on time, the doorbell rang.
The intercom screen showed the delivery person.
It was a small-framed person wearing a helmet.
'They're here.'
I put down the hairdryer and went to the front door.
I unlocked the door lock and opened the door, and there stood a person holding a delivery box.
"Delivery is here. King crab and steak..."
The voice coming from under the helmet was a woman's.
She looked up at me and then hesitated.
Her eyes visible over the mask widened roundly.
'Huh?'
Her gaze quickly swept over my bathrobe attire and the interior of the house behind me.
This house was probably known as a place where a woman lived alone, so it was understandable to be surprised that a young man came out dressed in a bathrobe.
Moreover, the kiss mark Su-yeon left on my neck must have been clear.
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
I pretended to be nonchalant and took the box.
It was heavy.
A savory butter scent and the smell of meat wafted up through the gaps.
"Enjoy your meal..."
Still unable to hide her puzzled look, she glanced back and turned towards the elevator.
Bang.
As soon as the door closed, I let out a sigh.
'Damn, was I careless?'
Since Su-yeon was a regular, the delivery people would know she lived alone.
If I received it unnecessarily and rumors spread, it could become a headache.
Gossip like [Young Man Frequently Seen at Gangnam Single Woman's House] was dangerous bait in a suspicious world.
If it reached the ears of a private investigator or a broker, my identity could be exposed...
'Ah, that's going too far. That's paranoia.'
I shook my head.
Anyway, I'll be leaving Korea soon, so what does it matter.
Even if I'm discovered, figuring out who I am would be impossible.
I shuffled back to the living room.
I placed the box on the dining table and opened the refrigerator.
I took out sparkling water, beer, and a bottle of high-end red wine stored in the wine cellar.
"Hmm~ The smell is to die for."
When I opened the box, steamed king crab, medium-rare grilled T-bone steak, butter-grilled scallops, shrimp salad, etc., were neatly packaged.
As I transferred each one to plates and set up wine glasses, the bathroom door opened and Su-yeon came out.
She was also dressed in a bathrobe, but her wet hair and flushed face reminded me of the sex we just had.
"Oh my, Master! I could have done that..."
She made a surprised expression looking at the dining table.
"It's fine. Sit. Let's eat together."
"Yes, thank you..."
Su-yeon didn't sit across from me but sat right next to me, sticking close.
She picked up a fork and knife and started cutting the steak into bite-sized pieces.
"Ah~ Open up."
She picked up a piece of juicy meat and put it into my mouth.
"Mmm."
The tender meat melted on my tongue.
Perfect doneness and flavor. It was a taste incomparable to convenience store disposal lunch boxes.
"It's delicious. Now try this."
She picked out the leg meat from the king crab and put it into my mouth.
Each time the springy crab meat was chewed, a sea aroma spread.
Scallop adductor muscle, fried shrimp... She kept filling my mouth without rest.
She didn't eat herself, focusing only on feeding me, like a mother bird.
No, like a maid fattening up her master.
As I took a sip of wine and the mood was mellowing, something suddenly occurred to me.
"Ah, right. I forgot to mention."
I said while cracking open a king crab claw.
"I'm not going to work part-time anymore, so find a night shift substitute. Starting today."
"Huh? Ah... I understand. I'll post the notice right away."
Su-yeon immediately took out her smartphone and made a note.
"However... As you know, Master, finding night shift part-timers these days is like trying to pluck stars from the sky. We'll probably have to raise the hourly wage quite a bit to find someone... Is that okay with you?"
She cautiously sought my permission.
It was commendable that she asked even though it wasn't my money being spent.
"It doesn't matter. Spend more money if needed, but find someone quickly."
"Yes, I understand. I'll raise the hourly wage by 1.5 times and find someone right away."
'Right, I did pay a lot.'
I sneered inwardly.
Bosses who bragged while raising wages only a tiny bit even though prices were skyrocketing like crazy.
Su-yeon was one of them.
But now the positions were reversed.
Her money was my money, and her store was no different from my playground.
"And you don't go to the store for a while either. Leave it to the manager and stay with me."
"Really...? Ah, I'm so happy! Thank you, Master!"
Overcome with emotion, she hugged my arm.
Her ample breasts pressed against my forearm.
My stomach was full, and by my side was a loyal bitch.
I thought, this must be heaven.
"Hey! You sons of bitches! Do you think food is just going to fall into your laps now? Huh?"
The atmosphere inside the NIS large conference room was icy.
Director Kim, standing on the podium, slammed the table and shouted at the top of his lungs.
His spit flew onto the heads of the agents sitting in the front row.
"The US secured additional studs this month too and made a killing! Japan is barely getting by by squeezing semen out of senile old men! And what about us! Zero! Zilch! Nada!"
Director Kim's face turned beet red as he roughly loosened his tie.
"Isn't this all because you're incompetent! Huh? Did your brains stop working because your balls aren't functioning? If your dicks don't get hard, shouldn't you at least run around on foot to find them! You selfish bastards!"
Unable to contain his anger, he grabbed a whiteboard marker and threw it.
The marker hit the wall and shattered into pieces.
"We're sorry, Director-nim."
The agents bowed their heads, pretending to be dead.
Among them, Counter-Espionage Team 3 agent Lee Ji-hyun also sighed inwardly.
'It's so damn annoying, really. Why is that our fault? Is it my fault that all the men in the country have become eunuchs?'
Her insides were boiling.
The daily pressure.
Find the studs. Dig out the ones hiding.
But what can we do if there aren't any?
We even completed a nationwide census, and they still didn't show up, what method are we supposed to use to produce them?
The higher-ups are just threatening to cut the budget if there are no results.
"If there are no results by next week, you all better know you'll be stripped! Dismissed!"
Director Kim stormed out of the conference room, fuming.
The agents finally let out sighs of relief and began gathering their things.
"Ugh, that old fart bastard. As if he has any brilliant ideas himself."
Deputy Manager Park in the next seat grumbled.
"That's right. He's especially hysterical today."
Ji-hyun smiled bitterly as she packed her bag.
She dragged her tired body towards the parking lot.
Quitting time had already passed, but in a place where overtime was routine, the word was meaningless.
The traffic jam on the way home was terrible.
After crawling for an hour among the cars clogging Gangnam-daero, my throat was dry.
A convenience store sign came into view.
It wasn't a place I frequented, but it looked easy to park since there was parking space.
Jingle.
"Welcome."
A young-looking male part-timer stood at the counter.
He seemed new, his uniform didn't fit well and looked awkward.
Next to him, a woman who appeared to be the previous shift worker was handing over duties.
"Hey, the cigarette inventory here doesn't match. Didn't you check properly?"
"Ah, sorry, noona. It's my first time..."
"Ugh. Looks like the manager hired just anyone in a hurry to find someone. The night shift guy who worked here before quit suddenly..."
Ji-hyun's ears perked up as she was choosing a canned coffee in front of the drinks refrigerator.
'Quit suddenly?'
It was an occupational hazard.
The habit of not missing even a single piece of information.
In an economic downturn like now, suddenly quitting a night shift part-time job at a Gangnam convenience store with a decent hourly wage?
And a man at that?
Ji-hyun picked up a canned coffee and slowly walked towards the checkout counter.
As she passed through the aisles, she scanned the store out of the corner of her eye.
Condoms, lubricant... and Male Vitality Precision Diagnostic Kits.
Malicious stock covered in a thick layer of dust that no one paid any attention to.
'Huh?'
Her footsteps halted.
The bottom shelf, the section where sperm test kits were displayed.
Unlike other products covered in dust, one spot was empty.
There was a trace of someone having taken one recently.
'No way...'
Her heart sank with a thud.
It was an absurd imagination.
There are no studs in South Korea. Zero.
But... what if?
A male part-timer who quit suddenly.
A missing sperm test kit.
It was too perfect a coincidence for it to be just a coincidence.
'I need to check.'
Ji-hyun placed the canned coffee on the checkout counter.
Then, as naturally as possible, but with an urgent expression, she said:
"Excuse me, sorry, but can I use the restroom? I'm really in a hurry..."
The new male part-timer made an awkward face.
"Ah... The restroom? Well, it's connected to the office inside. The manager said no outsiders allowed..."
He glanced back at the door behind him.
It was a sensitive area since that's where the safe was.
"I'm really sorry. The traffic was so bad I can't hold it anymore. I'll give you this, could you let me go for just a moment?"
Ji-hyun held out an un-scanned canned coffee to him.
And she shook her car keys.
A silent appeal of 'I'm not a thief, just a citizen who really needs to poop.'
The part-timer glanced at Ji-hyun's attire and the car parked outside, then sighed as if he didn't want to cause trouble since it was just a short-term gig anyway.
"Sigh... Alright. But use it quickly and come out."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Ji-hyun swiftly went behind the counter.
Opening the office door, she saw a desk, computer, and safe in the small space.
The restroom was further inside.
'Bingo.'
She pretended to go to the restroom and locked the door.
Then she immediately took out a black USB from her pocket.
An NIS special equipment, [Data Leech].
An item that, the moment it's plugged in, randomly sucks data from all connected storage devices.
Click.
When she plugged the USB into the main port, a small LED started blinking like crazy.
[Extracting data... 10%... 30%... 70%...]
It was on a different level from normal copying speed.
It sucked up everything: CCTV video files stored on the computer hard drive, deleted log records, temporary files.
She had to finish before the part-timer outside noticed.
[Extraction complete.]
It took less than a minute.
Ji-hyun pulled out the USB, put it in her pocket, and made the sound of a toilet flushing.
Then she came out of the office with a composed expression.
"I'm done. That was a lifesaver."
"Yeah, have a good day."
The part-timer waved his hand as if annoyed.
Ji-hyun left the convenience store and got into her car.
Her heart was pounding.
No one knew what was inside this USB, whether it contained a nuclear bomb that would shake South Korea.
But her intuition was screaming strongly.
'I found it.'