Doha’s Taste

23315. He sequentially typed the numbers written in the message, and the screen changed again.

This time, PDF files appeared in a cascade. Doha opened each file one by one, zoomed in, and confirmed the contents written inside.

Names of several people, including Park Jaemin of the Gangnam Alliance, were listed, and in the next column, numbers that seemed to be dates and amounts were written. When he opened the next PDF file, the names of those he had seen in the previous file were written next to various addresses.

As he indifferently swiped through the files, his cigarette had burned down so short that its red glow touched the filter.

He threw the cigarette he was holding onto the floor, crushed it with his foot, and put his phone back in his pocket. He returned to the office as if nothing had happened and sat back down at the desk lined with CCTV screens.

“Brother, what were you looking at so intently earlier?”

Jungwook, from the seat beside him, leaned in close and asked in a low voice, as if sharing a secret.

“You were looking at something dirty, weren’t you?”

He seemed to have seen Doha looking at his phone through the CCTV.

“If you have anything good, share it with us.”

Jungwook’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. The large guy nudged Doha’s arm with his elbow, whining playfully.

“Brother Water Bear has been drooling for a while, show him. He’s been single forever, he must be lonely.”

Even another guy stepped forward, snickering and pestering Doha to share what he had been looking at outside. Doha chuckled, took out his phone from his pocket, and threw it in front of Jungwook.

He gestured at the phone with his chin, as if to say, ‘Do as you please, whether you look or not,’ and Jungwook quickly picked it up. As if they had been waiting, the other guys rushed over, gathering around Jungwook.

He swiped the unlocked screen, and the last text message window he had seen appeared.

“Wait, wait! Isn’t this suspicious? What if money gets taken out?”

One of the gathered guys put a stop to it, saying the link looked suspicious.

“If money gets taken out, I’ll deduct it from your salaries.”

At Doha’s reply, everyone froze, looking back and forth between the phone screen and Doha’s face.

They desperately wanted to see, but their eyes busily darted around, debating what to do if it was a voice phishing scam and hundreds of thousands of won were suddenly gone.

“Did you look, Brother?”

Jungwook asked Doha. Doha just chuckled instead of answering, and turned his gaze back to the CCTV screen. It meant, ‘Choose whether to open it or not, and take responsibility for it yourself.’

“We’ll only open it once, so one of us will take the fall.”

At the suggestion that one of them would be entirely responsible if money was taken out, the bear-like guys were busy exchanging glances.

“Damn it, I don’t care. Just click it!”

In the end, Jungwook couldn’t resist his curiosity and clicked the link. The phone screen changed, and soon, pictures appeared in a cascade.

“Wooaaah.”

“Ughhh.”

It was nothing short of bear-like roars. They shoved their heads into the palm-sized phone, bumping into each other, then, while fussing about the pain, they were busy lowering their eyes back to the screen.

“Hey, look at her. Her chest is amazing!”

“Wow, look at these legs. They’re so smooth, I’d love to touch them just once.”

“Brother, what’s your preference?”

Someone turned to Doha and asked while they were all chattering among themselves.

Then, a chilling silence fell. It seemed to have belatedly occurred to them that Doha had said he was only interested in men.

“Ass.”

Doha replied bluntly in the sudden silence, as if cold water had been thrown over them.

“Uh, ass?”

Jungwook asked back with a dumbfounded expression.

“My preference is a white, round ass with no blemishes, smooth.”

He answered very calmly, his eyes still fixed on the CCTV. At his reply, Jungwook and the other guys unconsciously looked down at their own butts.

“For your information, I prefer a dainty size that can be held in one hand.”

When he deliberately raised one hand and made a gesture as if grasping something, the gathered guys gulped.

“You’re all out.”

“Ah, ha ha ha, ha ha ha… R-right? After all, we’re big…”

When he turned to them and added seriously, the guys finally laughed awkwardly. Their expressions were unreadable, whether they were relieved or disappointed that they weren’t even considered.

It was amusing, so he chuckled and turned his head, but Jungwook made an ‘ah’ sound, as if he had realized something.

“Why didn’t that guy come today? Is he quitting?”

At the sudden remark, Doha, who was about to turn his eyes back to the CCTV, paused.

“The guy who wears the white hanbok.”

When he added the explanation, the other guys also remembered, making ‘ah’ sounds and nodding.

“He’s at Brother’s place, isn’t he?”

“Ehh? Really?”

The other guys were surprised at Jungwook’s words.

Some even expressed disappointment, saying they hadn’t even been to Brother Heukrang’s place yet, so how could this be? Various comments came up, and someone even said they thought Sana was a girl when they first saw him.

“His ass looked like it could be held in one hand…”

Jungwook subtly glanced at Doha, then trailed off.

‘So you took him home?’

He didn’t voice it, but Jungwook’s eyes clearly asked that.

‘No, I didn’t even think about his ass size…’ To begin with, a particular ass wasn’t his type; he had just answered vaguely to go along with the guys. He didn’t expect Jungwook to take it so seriously.

“Well, at that size, I can understand being turned on, even if he’s a man.”

The guy next to Jungwook nodded.

Until now, he couldn’t understand having sexual desires for a man, but he said that if it was a guy who looked like a woman, he might be tempted, and the other guys awkwardly nodded as well.

“No wonder you were defending him like he was your lover or something.”

Everyone’s gaze shifted towards the office entrance as a voice sharply cut through their conversation. Kim Sinhak, who had arrived unnoticed, was leaning casually against the doorway, staring at Doha.

“Are you really getting hard for a fellow man, you dirty bastard?”

At the following insult, the guys in the office wet their dry lips with their tongues and dropped their gaze to the floor. Their mouths felt parched, thinking Doha was getting caught in the crossfire because of them.

“You don’t have to worry, Brother; I don’t get hard for you.”

Doha replied, looking directly at Kim Sinhak. His voice was dry, completely devoid of inflection.

“What the hell is this asshole saying?!”

Kim Sinhak, who had strode up to Doha, raised his fist. Thwack, with a sound, Doha’s head snapped to the side. The corner of his mouth was split and bleeding, but he didn’t even wipe it with the back of his hand.

“Do you think I’d let a tiny little prick like you f*ck me? Huh? Unless I was the one f*cking you, that is.”

Perhaps his initial burst of anger had subsided somewhat thanks to Doha taking the punch calmly, as Kim Sinhak sneered, nudging Doha’s calf with his foot.

“I apologize, but Brother is not my type. Is that a reason for our sexual preferences to match?”

Doha asked, looking directly at Kim Sinhak.

“Where are you looking up at me like that, you bastard? Should I just gouge your eyes out?”

Kim Sinhak raised his hand again, but Doha didn’t avert his eyes, which met his.

“Brother, Big Brother will be here soon.”

The person standing behind Kim Sinhak quietly called him.

Kim Sinhak looked back, and the other guy shook his head, meaning ‘don’t do that.’ It meant it wouldn’t be good for Park Jaemin to see him clashing with Doha.

“You’re lucky, you bastard.”

Kim Sinhak, who had been acting as if he would hit him again, withdrew his hand and turned away. Just then, the office door opened, and Park Jaemin entered with his subordinates.

“What is it? Why is the atmosphere like this?”

Park Jaemin, looking around the office, frowned at the chilly atmosphere.

“It’s nothing. I received a lewd advertising message and was showing it around.”

Doha stepped forward and replied. Park Jaemin narrowed his eyes, as if disbelieving, and looked around the office.

Jungwook, who was holding Doha’s phone, reflexively showed the phone screen.

On the screen was a picture of a glamorous woman, barely covering her vital parts. Seeing that, Park Jaemin clicked his tongue in disdain, as if disappointed, and sat on the sofa in the center of the office.

“Nothing unusual?”

“No! All quiet.”

Park Jaemin nodded, seemingly satisfied with the reply that there were no particular problems.

“Doha, you’re coming with me somewhere starting tomorrow.”

At Park Jaemin’s instruction, Kim Sinhak’s face hardened.

“Why him and not me? Did I make a mistake?”

Kim Sinhak flared up, stepping forward in front of Park Jaemin.

“Who said you didn’t do well? I just need more manpower because I’m trying to expand the business.”

Park Jaemin lightly dismissed Kim Sinhak’s protest.

“Come dressed well tomorrow. We need to pay a visit somewhere, and what kind of state is that?”

Park Jaemin looked Doha up and down, then frowned in displeasure, took out a wallet from his jacket, and threw a card onto the table.

“Use that to pick out a few suits. Nothing cheap-looking.”

“It’s fine. I’ll buy them with my own money.”

When Doha politely refused, Park Jaemin curled his lips into a smile, as if he had expected it.

“Listen, I know you don’t like being indebted to others, but I’m telling you to buy better clothes, not something you can afford at your level. How can I save face if the guy I’m dragging around looks like that? Don’t go by your taste, go to an expensive place and buy some. If it really bothers you, just think of it as payment for saving my life.”

Park Jaemin referred to an incident a few months ago.

“If that’s the price, then taking me in was enough.”

When he again declined, saying it was fine, Park Jaemin shook his head.

“Hah, kid, so stubborn. Then just throw the card away.”

As if he had finished what he had to say, Park Jaemin stood up. His card remained abandoned on the table.

“If any other bastards touch this and get caught, they die.”

Park Jaemin, who had warned them in a low voice with a smiling face, left the office. Only after his footsteps completely faded away did everyone relax and let out deep breaths.

“Um, Brother…”

Jungwook, who had quietly approached Doha, gestured with his eyes towards the card on the table. Doha only let out a short sigh and didn’t pick up the card.

“Don’t be self-conscious, take it.”

Kim Sinhak snapped in a cold voice.

When Doha still didn’t move, Jungwook, who had been watching his reaction, quickly went, picked up the card, and handed it to Doha.

Doha looked at him with eyes that said he was doing something useless, but Jungwook pushed it further forward, urging him to take it.

“Trembling pathetically over a single card.”

Kim Sinhak sneered and stood up first. Doha looked down at the card in his hand and swallowed a sigh.

Expensive, good clothes… He had never worn such things in his life, so he had no idea what to buy.