Chapter 22
For the next few days, Ryu Chan busied himself consolidating everything he could find on the bar—MUTE. He shook his head, caught between amusement and concern. Of all the years he had known Gyu In, recklessness had never been part of the man's nature. Gyu In hated stepping into situations he did not fully understand, yet here he was, willingly diving into a nest of shadows.
Ryu Chan remembered their earlier conversation clearly.
"Your pretty face is either going to be a curse or a godsend."
Gyu In had just stepped out of the bathroom, a towel draped over his damp shoulders, skin still glistening from the steam. He dropped onto the couch, expression unreadable. Instead of replying, he gave Ryu Chan a look that spoke more than words, a silent cue to keep talking.
"Because you are Kim Gyu In. A man known not only to the public," Ryu Chan said, half amused, half warning, "but also to those who operate in shadier circles."
Gyu In's brow twitched at the phrase, but he did not protest.
"If you walk into MUTE, they will probably let you in without a second glance. They will assume you are one of them. You will not even need a story. Your face is your ticket. But if they suspect you are spying, your cover is blown."
Ryu Chan leaned back, lowering his tone.
"I have not found out who is really behind the bar yet. Someone is pulling the strings, and it is not Do Yoon Su. He is just the manager on paper and only shows up when something important is happening. Every time he appears, the backrooms open."
"And the whole point of this plan," Ryu Chan said, sliding a photo across the table like cards at poker night, "is to figure out what is happening in those backrooms."
Gyu In picked up the grainy picture with a quiet sigh. "Do Yoon Su?"
"Bingo. He will be there tomorrow night."
The man in the picture looked to be in his mid-thirties, slightly plump but not short, neatly combed black hair, rounded cheeks giving him an almost harmless, even comical look if it were not for the coldness in his eyes. The kind of face that disappears easily into a crowd yet lingers in your memory for all the wrong reasons.
"Looks like he collects porcelain cats," Gyu In muttered. "Or corpses."
Ryu Chan snorted. "Hopefully not both. Either way, you need to be careful. If they figure out you are sniffing around, your pretty face will not get you out. Might even get you in deeper."
Gyu In leaned back, the damp towel slipping off his shoulder. He ran a hand through his wet hair, exhaling slowly.
"Great. Love being bait."
The memory flickered in Ryu Chan's mind, like a half-lit bulb. Their conversation from nights ago clung stubbornly to the edges of his thoughts.
*
Behind the wheel of his rented black car, Ryu Chan kept his eyes on the road, but he spared a glance at the man in the passenger seat. Gyu In sat upright, freshly dressed, quiet, radiating that same trouble-magnet energy he always carried when he was trying not to show nerves.
"Seatbelt," Ryu Chan said without looking at him. "Unless you plan to seduce death too."
Gyu In clicked it into place with a metallic snap, eyes fixed ahead. "You wound me. Thought you'd at least let me die pretty."
"You would still be annoying. Just annoying and dead," Ryu Chan muttered, pressing the accelerator as if borrowing time and paying back a debt all at once.
"One last chance before you step out," Ryu Chan said, turning sharply into a narrow alley a block from the bar. The engine hummed low as he parked beneath a flickering streetlamp, the shadows swallowing the car.
"Are you really not going to at least inform Eun Wol?"
Gyu In did not answer immediately. His eyes flicked to the side mirror, catching the blur of neon in the distance - the bar. He remembered their last few exchanges: brief, cautious, conversations where almost nothing was said and yet too much was felt.
He shook his head.
"No. Not until I know more," he said quietly, undoing his seatbelt. "This time, I'll bring back more than guesses."
Gyu In stepped out of the car, adjusting a plain baseball cap low over his eyes. A dark bomber jacket hung over his shoulders, zipped over a fitted tee. Faded jeans and unremarkable sneakers completed the look.
"Not bad," Ryu Chan muttered, glancing him over. "You could pass off as a client who likes keeping things quiet. Maybe a regular. Or someone with something to hide."
"Perfect," Gyu In muttered. "Because I do."
He turned, narrowing his eyes as Ryu Chan tapped casually on his own ear. An in-ear monitor was in place in Gyu In's right ear.
"Don't forget our little secret," Ryu Chan said. "And no whispering sweet nothings."
Gyu In fought an eye roll.
He walked toward the bar. The sound inside was surprisingly subdued. No thumping bass, no neon signs screaming for attention. MUTE could have been any upscale bar - dim lighting, sleek wood finishes, low conversation humming under ambient music.
And that was what made it dangerous.
It did not look like a place where anything illegal happened. It looked like a place where secrets were already welcome.
"Sir," the guard said, voice clipped. "No external devices past this point. That includes comms, earpieces, or tracking chips."
Gyu In blinked and held up a hand slowly, a teasing smile forming. "Oh, this?" he said, tapping his ear. "Just my fashionably advanced earwax."
The guard raised a brow.
Gyu In sighed and removed the comms, holding it in his palm. He could hear Ryu Chan's voice faintly in the speaker—Don't you fucking—
With zero remorse, he dropped it into a nearby potted plant.
"Oops," he thought flatly. "Guess I'm solo now."
Gyu In smiled at the guard, too sweetly. The man huffed and stepped aside, letting him walk in.
He kept his pace slow as he entered, moving like someone familiar with this kind of place. But he was not. Too clean. Too quiet. Any of the girls behind the bar might have noticed that if they paid enough attention.
Halfway across the lounge, a voice called out.
"Wait— I've seen you before."
Gyu In turned, lips already curving. "Have you now?"
"You were at the Daehan Hotel charity event. That press photo…. you were next to Director Han's son."
"Guess I'm just photogenic," he drawled, tilting his head slightly. "You telling me I'm not welcome here?"
The woman smiled slowly. "Depends on what you're here for."
"An escape," Gyu In replied smoothly. He added a practiced grin. "And before we continue, may I have the pleasure of knowing who I'm speaking to?"
She laughed, swatting the air with one manicured hand. The black lace of her dress caught the light. "How rude of me not to introduce myself." She extended her hand. "I'm Yoo In Hwa. Manager of MUTE. Pleased to have you here."
Gyu In put on his best polite smile and took her hand. "I must be lucky, getting to meet the manager on my very first visit."
Manager? Wasn't Do Yoon Su supposed to hold that title?
He did not dwell on it. Not with In Hwa still watching him. Her smile was all charm and grace, but her eyes ….
They sparkled with something else. Suspicion. And maybe a little excitement.
"Shall I get you a drink?" Yoo In Hwa asked, leading him to the bar counter. "First drink is on me. It is not every day I get such a valuable customer in my humble bar."
Gyu In chuckled, dimples sinking into his cheeks. "You flatter me. I will take your best, then."
Yoo In Hwa turned to the bartender and spoke briefly. Soon the drink was ready. She slid the glass to Gyu In and leaned in slightly, her voice a low hum beneath the music. "You are not like the usual crowd."
Gyu In tilted his glass. "Should I take that as a compliment?"
"A mystery man walks in alone, dressed just enough to draw attention but not too much to be flashy. Does not order the expensive stuff, but tips like he has done it before."
She glanced at his drink. "People like you… usually come here looking for more than just good lighting."
Gyu In raised a brow, playing along. "Isn't that what mood lighting is for?"
Yoo In Hwa smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.
"Some of our regulars enjoy something… richer."
A beat.
"If you're curious," she added, eyes flicking subtly toward the back hallway, "we do have private rooms. For those who know how to keep quiet."
Gyu In did not hesitate. He smiled. "How discreet."
The faint hum of music and murmured conversations wrapped around him like a cloak, but every nerve was alert. Yoo In Hwa's words lingered in the air, and his eyes tracked the shadowed hallway leading to the backrooms. The hidden doorway beneath the polished surface of MUTE where secrets waited.
He lifted his glass slowly, savoring the sharp bite of the liquor, ready to follow the unspoken invitation deeper inside, when his phone buzzed quietly in his pocket. A vibration, almost drowned by the music's pulse.
He pulled it out discreetly, glancing at the screen.
[Ryu Chan]
Received: Be careful. Do Yoon Su just showed up.
The words hit him like a splash of cold water.
Do Yoon Su... the silent puppet master, the man whose arrival could decide whether Gyu In slipped in unnoticed or was trapped like a rat.
Then who was the person in front of him right now?
Gyu In's fingers hovered over the glass. The smile on his lips tightened just enough to stay polite. He slid the phone back into his pocket without a sound, eyes flicking back to Yoo In Hwa, who was studying him carefully.
"Everything alright?" she asked, voice low and curious, stepping closer.
"Just a… message," Gyu In replied smoothly, voice light but edged with urgency he refused to reveal. "Seems someone is eager to keep me entertained tonight."
Yoo In Hwa's smile deepened, but a flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes. A hint that she knew more than she let on.
Gyu In set his glass down, mind racing. The invitation to the backroom was not just a courtesy. It was a test. And now, with Do Yoon Su in the picture, the stakes had shifted. Every step forward had to be precise; one misstep could reveal everything.
"Lead the way," he said, his calm measured, though it barely reached his eyes.
As Yoo In Hwa turned toward the back hallway, his phone buzzed again, lighting up briefly. Another message.
[Ryu Chan]
Received: If you get stuck, I'm ready with a distraction. Stay sharp.
Gyu In slipped the phone into his pocket and followed silently. The shadows swallowed them both as the door to the backroom creaked open.
His smile remained, steady and controlled, just sharp enough to pass for interest. He did not flinch when In Hwa leaned in slightly, her voice honey smooth and dangerous.
"We don't usually open this side to just anyone."
She tilted her head toward the end of the bar, where a narrow hallway waited behind a half-concealed door.
Before he could respond, she signaled the security guard with a subtle flick of her wrist. The man stepped aside without a word, as though he had done it a hundred times before. No questions. No names. Just quiet, practiced compliance.
Gyu In followed, one hand in his pocket, the other tracing the rim of his glass. The lounge noise fell away behind the door as it clicked shut, leaving him in near silence.
The hallway was nothing like the bar. Cold air hummed from vents overhead, motion sensor lights flicking on with each step, casting long shadows across matte black walls. Windowless, minimal, sterile. Cameras hung tucked into the ceiling corners, discreet but watchful.
He slowed slightly, gaze sweeping the dark walls. The scent had changed. Gone were alcohol and perfume, replaced by a cleaner, antiseptic note tinged with something unplaceable. This was not a place for drinks.
They turned a corner. Another door loomed, sleek and keypad-locked. Yoo In Hwa entered a code without hesitation. The light turned green, and she pushed it open just wide enough for him to slip through.
Inside, the air shifted again. Silence. No chatter. Just the faint curl of jazz through hidden speakers. The room was curated, deliberate. A long black couch stretched along one wall, flanked by marble tables untouched by human hands. The carpet muted his footsteps.
One security camera blinked red from a corner, slow and calculated. Heavy curtains blocked the far side of the room.
On the table in front of him sat a silver tray. Two crystal glasses glimmered, filled with amber liquor, untouched, immaculate, waiting.
He did not sit.
Yoo In Hwa lingered at the door, her tone now cooler, detached. "I'll be back with someone." She left without waiting for a reply. The click of the door sounded impossibly loud in the quiet.
Gyu In exhaled slowly. Every creak, every subtle movement beyond the walls sharpened his attention. His fingers brushed the inner lining of his coat, finding the small receiver sewn into the pocket.
Then something buzz.
A faint vibration against his chest. He drew his phone and shielded the screen from the overhead camera. A message flashed on the encrypted app Ryu Chan had set up earlier:
⚠ Handler active.
Name: Do Yoon Su.
Play it dumb. Don't ask questions.
Gyu In silenced the screen and pocketed the phone. He straightened, adjusted his collar, and smiled to himself, invisible to anyone watching.
"Great," he muttered under his breath.