Noodles with mushrooms were perfect.
Sticky, black, perfumed. Not too much soaked, exactly like noodles should always have been.
- "Cheers, Gaeko", giggled Baek Do Shik, before mouthing a handle of noodles. "Huuuum, th's good… a-a-a-ah, hot!"
The detective sitting on the driver side shot him a glance.
- "Did you say something, sunbae?"
"The Viper" shook his head, still chewing. He swallowed, then wiped his mouth with his backhand. His moon face lightened with a smile that went up to the messy little curls over his ears. He patted his bald skull.
- "I wasn't talking to you", he answered.
On the other side of the windscreen, the dead end they were watching was still deserted.
- "The rat won't come out his hole any soon", said the other detective, yawning. "He probably guessed we're in hideout. Ah, this is getting annoying…"
Baek Do Shik chewed in space, bothered by a tiny bit of noodle. He slid his thumb nail between his teeth.
- "Patience, buddy. Patience…" he mumbled.
His small eyes quickly browsed the street. He snorted, amused.
- "Start the engine", he ordered.
The man raised a sceptical eyebrow.
The shower rain passed on the dead end in a few minutes, soaking the ad posters and the cardboards abandoned next to trash cans, leaving only twinkling drops on the grey steel of electric poles.
- "Ah, it's this period of the year again", said the detective, leaning to look at the sky through the window. "Are you gonna take your days off, sunbae? Like always, to go see the family?"
The Viper was still staring at the street.
- "What family?" He broke in, blowing a nostril.
His smile had gotten bigger. His team-mate gave up pushing the question and switched on the engine.
A few minutes later, the suspect stuck his head out in the dead end.