TTD Ch 69

Knock Knock Knock, Il-hyun woke up to the sound of knocking, which had disturbed his sleep. He stood up and looked at the clock by his bedside. The large letters indicated that it was 6:00 a.m. He got out of bed and walked to the front door. Park Tae-soo is standing there as he opened the door.

His expression was similar to the day when Il-hyun collapsed after being shot during the inauguration ceremony a year ago. What made him so agitated when he was always expressionless? Il-hyun could tell something had gone wrong right away. Tae-soo lowered his head with an apologetic face.

“I think you should go outside and see.”

Il-hyun was dressed in a black gown that covered his bare upper body. When he went downstairs with Tae-soo, the house chef, who hadn’t slept all morning, came out of the kitchen and looked at him with worry. Il-hyun walked out the front door, leaving her behind.

Employees who had been standing guard all night had gathered, and a car caught his eye. It was the same car Lee Ja-kyung rode out to work yesterday. The car’s body and glass have been remodeled to make it impenetrable to most bullets. There are three men with their hands behind their backs next to it, including Park Seong-soo, who was following Ja-kyung and his brothers last night.

They looked at Il-hyun and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry, sir. It’s our negligence. I didn’t even check who was in the car because I trusted the GPS. I will gladly accept any punishment.”

They were prepared to commit seppuku if given an order. Il-hyun’s gaze moved to the side. The man he had never seen before was kneeling on the floor and sobbing. When one of the staff stood him up, he turned pale and shook his head.

“I really don’t know anything! They asked me to drive the car here. That’s all. Help me!”

In an unusual atmosphere, the man kneels on the floor and cried. In front of him was a bundle of money, which appeared to have been given to him by Lee Ja-kyung. Il-hyun moved slowly to the trunk. The rear window has visible bullet marks. He bumped it violently last night, he could tell without checking.

“Open it.”

One of his subordinates quickly opens the trunk when he heard Il-hyun’s cold voice. There were loads of clothes, shoes, and firearms they were wearing. Il-hyun kept his mouth shut and reached into his pocket for his cell phone.

When he dialed Lee Ja-kyung’s number,  [Honey] appeared on his phone’s screen. A vibration was heard near the trunk’s corner. Tae-soo quickly took it out. Park Tae-soo, who was looking at the screen, hesitated for a moment. Il-hyun held out his hand, and Tae-soo handed it to him.

Il-hyun smiled as he looked at Lee Jakyung’s cell phone in his hand.

[Bastard]

A burst of laughter broke out. It’s even more amazing when he put it side by side with his cell phone. Honey and the Bastard. Doesn’t it clearly show what the relationship between the two is like and how vain delusion he was alone?

He thought Lee Ja-kyung didn’t sign a contract with him was just a bluff. He mistakenly thought he had performed half of it by the time he visited a flower shop he had never visited before, chose a flower that would suit him for a long time, and returned home with it.

He made a reservation at a restaurant he didn’t usually visit in anticipation of having lunch together during the day. There would not be such a fool. Tae-soo as the leader came to the side with his eyes closed.

“I ordered to check all CCTVs nearby. They wouldn’t have gone far. I will definitely find them.”

When Il-hyun opened his eyes, they glowed like poisonous snake. He smoked after he lit a cigarette. He just stared at the car in which Lee Ja-kyung was riding, his mouth shut tight enough to burn all the cigarettes. Even the air around him was cold.

Il-hyun called Tae-soo after rubbing out the finished cigarette. His voice was frighteningly calm in comparison to his cold face.

“Block both airports and ports. Find them somehow before leaving Korea.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he threw Lee Ja-kyung’s cell phone into the trunk. After that, Il-hyun disappeared into the house as if nothing had happened. The three men who had been tailing him closed their eyes tightly and let out a sigh of relief.

Tae-soo ordered them to release the man they had dragged along and gave them orders in turn.

***

The two-hour boat ride arrived at an island far from the mainland. As soon as the boat reached the shore, the three men, Ja-kyung, Wang Han, and Wang Lun, took turns carrying the luggage from the boat. After moving all the luggage, Wang Han handed a bundle of money to the elderly captain.

As the ship sailed away, the three of them started looking around the island. Ja-kyung wearing a hat pressed down on his forehead frowned. He expected a lot because it was an island, but the surrounding area is littered with garbage washed up from the sea. Starting with basins, there were various types of nets, boots, drink bottles, and waste oil containers.

An island is an island, but this is a garbage island.

“Let’s move our luggage first.”

They walked into the grass, carrying the money and provisions they had brought with them on their shoulders and hands. There were no roads in the densely wooded forest, most likely because no one had visited in the meantime. A small cabin appears after about ten minutes of walking through the thigh-high grass.

Despite its small size, it was capable of withstanding moderate rain and wind. When the door is opened, dust falls from behind with the old metal sound. This long-vacated place was said to be a place where Wang Lun’s acquaintances used to make drugs away from people’s eyes a long time ago.

He was shot dead a long time ago, but Wang Lun remembered the place he had only visited once ten years ago. Heaps of dust all over the place seemed to tell the story of the past.   Wang Han opened the door and window to ventilate after placing the bags in one place. They weren’t planning on staying long, but they wanted to clean it up while they were here.

As Ja-kyung looked around the house, Wang Lun tapped him on the shoulder.

“Finally, your wish came true. How do you feel? You wanted to live on an island.”

Ja-kyung shook his arm. This is an uninhabited island, not an island. There was no fire or electricity, and he couldn’t get anywhere without a boat. He brushed off the dust on the table with his hand. It would be better if he cleaned it.

“By the way, about that captain. Is he trustworthy?”

“He is famous for his heavy mouth. Fortunately, he didn’t forget me.”

Wang Han chuckled.

“It’s not a look you’ll easily forget.”

“So do you hyung. Don’t forget that the two of us look alike.”

“Wei. You tell me Which one of us is better?”

At Wang Han’s words, Ja-kyung pointed at Wang Han without hesitation.

“Don’t lie. You are definitely on hyung side!”

Wang Lun approached and tried to choke Wang Han, so Ja-kyung kicked him in the buttocks to stop him. Wang Han smiled and tidied up his luggage while the two argued. He intended to stay here for a while until things calmed down before departing for another country. Wang Lun’s girlfriend left the country in advance and went into hiding, and the three of them have no plans to return to Korea.

Ja-kyung pulled out the dusty items and brushed them clean. How did so many things in such a small space?  The dust rises when he hit it with a wooden stick. At this rate, he’ll die of lung disease.

It was much better after the three of them worked together to clean up. Although it was not a hotel, they will be able to sleep comfortably for the time being. Ja-kyung come out of the cabin after cleaning and took a look around. Because it was all green, his eyes felt fresh.

Then, he thought of Kang Il-hyun without realizing it. Perhaps he expected Ja-kyung to run away. He never imagined it would happen so soon after completing his first job. Il-hyun must be looking for him now with his eyes wide open as he grinds his teeth.

It wasn’t that he didn’t feel sorry at all. However, Kang Il-hyun is also to blame for kidnapping him from his decent life and even forcing him to sign a contract.

He smoked a cigarette and looked up at the sky. He didn’t realize it because he was so busy, but the sunset was stunning when he looked up at the sky.

“Hyung. Come out.”

As he shouted inside, Wang Han came out and looked out. Soon after, Wang Lun comes out. As the sun set, the three of them stood side by side, smoking cigarettes and staring at the sky. Everything is peaceful. It’s not as bad as they thought.

Were they having the same thoughts at the same time? The corner of their mouth, where they had been smoking, rises in the same way. They weren’t sure if they’d have to stay for a few days, but it didn’t seem as bad as they thought. Think of it as a vacation after a long time. They went inside to prepare dinner after they finished smoking.

Even though they cooked instant food on a portable gas burner, it tasted pretty good. The night grew late as they enjoyed a drink and talked. When Ja-kyung came out, it was as if the stars were pouring down. He had been staring at the sky for a while when Wang Han, whom he thought was sleeping, opened the door and came out.

When Ja-kyung turned around, he handed him a cigarette.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Just because. The stars are pretty, and the night air is nice.”

Wang Han smiled as they both looked up at the sky. It’s beautiful. Suddenly, a  loud snoring could be heard from inside the cabin. They exchanged glances, sighed, and shook their heads. Once Wang Lun fell asleep, he didn’t even know if he was carried, and his snoring was so bad that kicking him was the only option.

“I’m done sleeping tonight.”

“Yeah.”

Wang Han looks at Ja-kyung as he smiles. There was a lot of meaning in his eyes. It had affection and worries.

“Wei.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“What.”

“It just… I thought you might regret it.”

Ja-kyung frowned as he realized the meaning of the word. Wang Han tapped Ja-kyung on the shoulder and went inside after he asked if that couldn’t be the case, and Ja-kyung answered yes. Ja-kyung, who had been left alone, stood there disapprovingly. It’s absurd. He was relieved when he flew away from that human…

Wang Han knew him, but he didn’t know much about him.