TTD Ch 6

Despite the overwhelming scent of roses, Ja-kyung’s nerves were focused on Kang Il-hyun, who sat next to him. He was perplexed as to why he grimaced as he touched his hand. He didn’t know what he was trying to check. However, Kang Il-hyun only looked out throughout the ride and didn’t say much.

In suffocating silence, the car crossed the Incheon Bridge. It was difficult to tell if the foggy floating on the sea was fog or dust. Buildings appeared after crossing over a lengthy bridge. It was Ja-kyung’s first visit in five years.

When he stepped on Korean land, old memories came to mind. It wasn’t a sad or heartbreaking feeling. Sometimes he would imagine if his parents were still alive, but even if they were, there was no guarantee that life would be better than now.

Even if he had been beaten to death, starved to death, or if he had been lucky enough to survive, he would have become a drug addict. 

“Have you ever visited Korea?”

Kang Il-hyun, who had only been looking out the window, asked in a sloppy manner. Ja-kyung nodded with a smile on his lips. He needs to make a good first impression and figure out where the safe was hidden. It was more difficult to do that than to kill him. Killing with improvised weapons may have been carried out right here.

“I’ve been here a few times with my mother. To see my maternal grandfather.”

“I see. You speak Korean better than I thought.” 

“Thank you for the compliment.” 

“We met in Tokyo a long time ago. Do you remember?”

He was completely unaware of this information. He had heard that Zhang Yi An was shrouded in a veil and never appeared outside. His hands were sweaty and he was hearing a warning sound in his head. Ja-kyung was nervous, but his expression remained calm. 

“Is that so? I can’t remember…” 

“It was very brief. At the time, you must have been four or five years old.”

Thank God. He hadn’t seen him grow up. 

“You grabbed my pants, cried, and begged me.” 

“I… did?” 

“It was our first meeting, but I don’t know why you did that to me.”

“Haha… You must have been overwhelmed.”

“Yes, so I hit you. My father scolded me because you got a nosebleed.”

The atmosphere became cold in an instant. Just looking at his face, he looks like he regrets not doing more. Ja-kyung was at a loss for words in embarrassment. He should apologize later. ‘I apologize for bothering you at the time.’ Or maybe he said it just to make him laugh.

As he was thinking about fifty thousand thoughts, Kang Il-hyun’s phone rang. He thought it was good. He wished him to be on the phone all the way to the place.

“Say it.” 

However, the wish did not come true. Kang Il-hyun hung up the phone after saying just one word, “Okay.” Then he immediately called the man named Tae-soo who was sitting in front of him.

“Turn the car. Go to the factory.” 

“Yes, I understand.” 

The car changed lanes and went to the U-turn spot without hesitation. The light changed, and the car reversed its direction. Was the factory nearby? 

“I think we will be arriving home a little late. I have a place to stop by because something happened.”

Then I should stay in this small area with him for a while longer. Ja-kyung smiled unconcernedly. 

“It’s all right. And you can speak informally. I’m much younger than you. I’ll follow you like a brother.” 

However, Kang Il-hyun immediately refused. 

“No. I don’t want to.” 

“Yes… Then do whatever made you comfortable.”

He turned his head and stared out the window after smiling at him. Bastard. So picky. He pondered how to go through this after swearing on the inside. A roadblock appeared shortly after, and the car turned in the other way as before.

Ja-kyung was looking at the scenery outside when he heard a small tick, tick, regular sound. Looking to the side, Kang Il-hyun snapped his fingers and tapped on the window with a bored expression on his face. It was a childish thing that didn’t match his appearance.

The number of buildings and cars diminished as the cars drove, and fields began to appear. There were very few restaurants that he could see from time to time. Even though it was a great car, when they left the asphalt road and entered the unpaved road, it couldn’t help but shake its body.

Grass the size of a human was overgrown outside the window. It was one of those scenes that you see a lot in horror movies. A killer sprang from the grass, chasing you down with a long scythe. Just like that 30 minutes had passed. The car slowed down, and an old warehouse appeared in the distance.

The warehouse made of containers was old and unsightly to be called a factory. A group of men dressed in black suits had gathered in front of the warehouse. Most of them were big, and a sense of intimidation emanated from a distance. 

The car stopped a little further away from them, then Kang Il-hyun and Park Tae-soo, who sat in front, loosened their seat belts almost at the same time. 

“Yi An, please stay here for a while.”

Ja-kyung nodded his head. Take care.

Kang Il-hyun and Park Tae-soo got out of the car and walked towards the warehouse. Judging by the atmosphere, they were not going to fight. The men who had gathered confirmed that the two had appeared and dispersed in unison on opposite sides. Ja-kyung’s eyes widened slightly as he watched. A man was sitting on his knees could be seen as the group was separated. 

The man’s face was covered in blood. Ja-kyung lowered his head out of curiosity and looked at him carefully. Kang Il-hyun’s subordinate, who was in the driver’s seat, looked into the rearview mirror, but he didn’t care.

They all bowed their heads at 90 degrees in unison to greet Kang Il-hyun as he approached. With his hands bound behind his back, the man soaked in blood raised his head. He didn’t make a sound, but it seemed like he was pleading for mercy.

However, Kang Il-hyun didn’t seem to have any intention of having a conversation. In the blink of an eye, he pulled out a gun from the waist of his subordinate, who was standing nearby and aimed it at the man. The moment I thought, ‘No way,’ Bang- I could hear the sound of a gun in the car. The head of the man sitting on his knees bursts and he falls down. Again, 

Bang, Bang, Bang,

After three shots in a row in the chest area, Kang Il-hyun returned the gun to the owner and pulled out a cigarette. As soon as he beckoned, the subordinate next to him pulled a dagger from his waist, approached the fallen man, and cut something out.

Kang Il-hyun walked over to the car after smoking a cigarette and throwing it on the corpse. Ja-kyung kept his mouth shut and did not take his eyes off the figure. It was not a skill he would have after only shooting once or twice. The muzzle was aimed precisely at the heart, and there was no sign of hesitation. 

Ja-kyung sat up straight and pretended not to see anything. When the back door opened, a mixture of cigarette smoke and gunpowder stung the tip of his nose.

“I’m sorry. It was urgent, so I couldn’t postpone it.” 

He was so casual, like someone a few minutes late for an appointment. He didn’t know what to say. Maybe he should act as if he’s surprised. Although he grew up in a dark place, Zhang Yi An grew up like a normal person under his grandfather’s protection. He wondered what would an ordinary 21-year-old say in this situation.

He couldn’t find anything to say, so he stared at him and found blood on Kang Il-hyun’s right cheek.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

“There’s blood on your face…” 

Kang Il-hyun rubbed his chin with the palm of his hand. Ja-kyung, who was worried, took out a handkerchief from his pants pocket. Wang Han gave it to him before he came to Korea. A well raised young master should have one of these. 

He laughed at him not to be funny, but he never thought that this would be useful. As expected, he sometimes did wise things as a man born in the kingdom of Confucius.

As Ja-kyung wiped the blood from Kang Il-hyun’s cheek with a handkerchief,  Kang Il-hyun’s eyes stare intently at him. He folded the blood-stained handkerchief and tucked it into his pocket, smiling as nicely as he could. That was the end of it. It was now clean.  Then he looked straight ahead. 

His men were putting dead bodies in drums and loading them into trucks. Ja-kyung had a hunch about where it was going. They planned to bury it deep down, where no one could discover it. It might be either the land or the sea. In the same way as his parents did.

Still, that guy was lucky. Because he was not thrown alive. 

Ja-kyung, who had been thinking about the past, felt the gaze on his cheek and turned his head. Kang Il-hyun’s gaze remained fixed on his face. Kang Il-hyun’s stared at him so intently that his cheeks sting. The car did not start, and the situation was very uncomfortable for Ja-kyung.

“If you have anything to say to me…” 

The gaze that had been on his face was now lowered. He felt nervous as he felt his body being scanned. Perhaps he noticed something because he was wearing a shirt and pants with a big size. His attention fell to the bouquet that had been placed in his lap.

“I think my choice was excellent.” 

“Yes?” 

“It suits you. The red roses.” 

He was perplexed as to what this jerk was talking about. He didn’t know what to say in response to phrases that made him want to puke. Before he even finished thinking about it, Kang Il-hyun leans back on the chair and looks forward as if nothing had happened. Ja-kyung barely relaxed his wrinkled expression and straightened his posture. 

The inside of the car was remarkably quiet. Damn it. Turn on the radio or something. As the car drove, a dense grassy forest appeared again. It felt like he was seated next to a man who had passed him by without saying anything when he arrived. He couldn’t even look inside.