TTD 135
by Springlila[Hyung, do you have time this evening?]
The message read receipt remained unchanged, suggesting he was busy. After contemplating, Ja-kyung got up and dusted himself off. Just then, an employee was bringing watermelon juice. He took the juice, thanked them, and went inside.
“Done swimming?”
“Yes. I’m heading to Seoul. I’ll have dinner there and come back.”
Mrs. Housekeeper, perhaps knowing about the news regarding Jang Tae-ho, didn’t ask further. When she asked if he needed anything, Ja-kyung said he was fine. Going upstairs, before showering, Ja-kyung opened the safe and took out a scanning device.
What if the staff member wasn’t just cleaning but was trying to install something? He wandered around the room with the equipment in hand, but he didn’t find anything unusual.
“Surely it wasn’t really a ghost…”
Muttering to himself, he put the equipment back in its place and went inside to take a shower. After washing up, he came out, changed into clean clothes, and packed the items he bought in Thailand for his brother before heading downstairs. However, a woman he had never seen before had arrived. When he looked puzzled, Mrs. Housekeeper explained that she was an acquaintance.
“Hello, I’m Lee Ja-kyung.”
“Nice to meet you. I work at Chairman Yang’s house. Our young master particularly enjoys the watermelons here, so we receive them every year.”
Looking at the woman’s generous smile, Ja-kyung’s mouth itched to speak. Do you know why they’re so delicious? It’s because Kang Il-hyun used people as fertilizer. Now the watermelons looked like human heads to him. Unable to say this, he just smiled, and Mrs. Housekeeper told him to wait while she wrapped something in a cloth and handed it to him.
“These are side dishes I made this morning. Since your brother lives alone and probably doesn’t eat properly, please give these to him.”
“No need… You don’t have to look after my brother too…”
“I want to do this. If he likes them, I’ll bring more next time.”
Thank you. As he expressed his gratitude, Mrs. Housekeeper saw them out. came out to see him off. Then Ja-kyung noticed a construction vehicle coming in. Several excavators were moving in the back, so he looked at Mrs. Housekeeper out of curiosity.
“What’s all that?”
“Seems they’re here for construction.”
“Construction? Where?”
“I heard the CEO is building something behind the watermelon field.”
Mrs. Housekeeper said she didn’t know the details, and Ja-kyung worried about whether they might dig up numerous corpses. As he got into the car and started the engine, loud music blasted enough to make his ears ring.
After turning down the volume, he set off, and as he drove down the quiet road, his heavy heart felt a bit lighter. The sky was perfectly blue without a single cloud.
***
Ja-kyung parked in a building lot near the prosecutor’s office. Perhaps because he had committed a crime, he particularly disliked going near the police station or prosecutor’s office. It was quite ironic considering his brother was a prosecutor.
Watching people passing by in suits, he imagined what it would be like if he had grown up normally and become an office worker. Stuffy formal suits and ties… And if he were unlucky enough to meet a boss like Kang Il-hyun….
Ugh, he shook his head in disgust when he spotted Jang Tae-ho walking from afar. He rolled down the window and waved, causing Jang Tae-ho to quicken his pace.
“Sorry. Did you wait long?”
Ja-kyung realized Jang Tae-ho’s face looked gaunt after not seeing him for a while. Seems his assurances of being fine were complete lies. Jang Tae-ho patted Ja-kyung’s head as if he were handling a child.
“It’s gotten quite long. Should cut it.”
Even while tired, he gave his sibling a warm look. He caught up on conversation while heading to a restaurant for dinner. The destination was a Japanese restaurant he had visited before with Kang Il-hyun.
“Here?”
“Yes, you can go in.”
As he got out of the car, an employee came to take the keys and asked for the name on the reservation.
“It’s Lee Ja-kyung.”
Jang Tae-ho glanced at him. Ja-kyung knew that he wished he would use the name Jang Kyung-joon. But Ja-kyung thought that who he was mattered more than any name.
After being guided to an inner room and taking his seats, the employee handed them menus.
“Hyung, want to drink too?”
“No. I need to go back in after eating.”
Since Ja-kyung wasn’t fond of alcohol either, he only ordered food. But after the employee left, someone knocked on the door. Did he forget something? When he turned around, instead of the employee, there was a man in a suit with an intimidating face. He looked unsavory at first glance.
“I wasn’t mistaken. What a pleasure to see you here, Prosecutor Jang.”
Jang Tae-ho’s expression darkened, and Ja-kyung pretended to wipe his hands while eavesdropping on his conversation. The man came to the table, placed both hands on it, and briefly looked at Ja-kyung.
“I didn’t know you liked places like this. If I’d known, I would have treated you earlier.”
“I’m here dining with family. Please leave.”
Despite Jang Tae-ho’s cold attitude, the man didn’t flinch and kept looking at Ja-kyung.
“Ah, this is your brother? Why is he so handsome? He could be an actor. Here’s my card if you’re interested. We’re also in the entertainment business.”
As he took out a business card from his wallet, Jang Tae-ho stood up impatiently. Please leave. At his stern tone, the man smiled while suppressing his irritation.
“You’re still so uptight. No room for flexibility at all. That’s why I really like you, Prosecutor Jang. Must be tough these days, hang in there. These things happen in life. By the way, I hold no grudge against you. What happened to our employee wasn’t your fault, right?”
Ja-kyung quickly took the business card from the man’s hand to divert his attention. The man raised his eyebrows and looked at him, so Ja-kyung gave a slight bow.
“Thank you. But we’re in the middle of our meal, so could you please leave?”
The man patted Ja-kyung’s shoulder twice, then gripped it firmly.
“Wow, I thought your brother was just good-looking, but he’s flexible too. Alright then. Enjoy your family meal.”
The man left with a snicker, and Ja-kyung stared at the business card in his hand. Jang Tae-ho reached out for it, but Ja-kyung tucked it into his back pocket.
“Kyung-joon. Don’t tell me you’re interested in that?”
“Not in acting, but that man interests me.”
When Ja-kyung smiled slyly, Jang Tae-ho’s face turned serious. Could his tastes have changed already? Kang Il-hyun was bad enough, but that guy was worse. As he contemplated whether to stop him, the food started arriving, and Ja-kyung reassured his brother with a smile, telling him not to worry.
***
After arriving home, Ja-kyung took out the man’s business card from the restaurant. He clearly wasn’t ordinary, and definitely not just some local thug. Based on the conversation, he seemed connected to this case.
After thinking for a while, Ja-kyung put the card in the console box and got out of the car.
As he passed through the gate into the yard, Kang Il-hyun was lying on a sun bed. His jacket was hung aside and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, suggesting he hadn’t been home long after work.
Ja-kyung crept up quietly and shouted “Boo!” to surprise him, but he turned around with an unimpressed expression.
“Wow, that startled me. I almost had a heart attack.”
At his dry tone, Ja-kyung frowned. How can someone not be startled?
“Are you a cyborg? Or maybe you don’t have a heart.”
“It’s jumping like crazy from surprise. Want to feel it?”
When he held out his hand, Ja-kyung gave his, but Il-hyun immediately pressed it against his crotch. Ugh, seriously. Ja-kyung recoiled in disgust and looked around to see if anyone had witnessed it. Judging by the complete absence of even ants around today, the employees clearly wanted to avoid encountering Kang Il-hyun.
Ja-kyung sat down on the adjacent sun bed. On the table were unfinished whiskey that Kang Il-hyun had been drinking and cigarettes. As Ja-kyung put a cigarette to his lips, Il-hyun held up his lighter to light it. As Ja-kyung tilted his head and drew in the smoke, his eyes flickered in the firelight. Ja-kyung straightened his posture and put his legs up on the sun bed.
“Want me to bring you something to drink?”
“I ate a lot already.”
“How’s Prosecutor Jang? Is he okay?”
“Seems like he’s having a hard time. He didn’t tell me the details, but I can tell just by looking at him.”
Even as they parted, Jang Tae-ho worried about Ja-kyung’s wellbeing. He told him to eat well and not to hang out with bad friends, yet he never mentioned Kang Il-hyun. Although he didn’t say it outright, Ja-kyung knew he wanted them to break up.
Kang Il-hyun got up and moved to Ja-kyung’s side. He then took the cigarette from Ja-kyung’s mouth, stubbed it out in the ashtray, and lay down with his arms crossed over Ja-kyung’s thighs. Looking at his jet-black hair, Ja-kyung wondered what he was up to now.
“Stroke my hair.”
Ja-kyung stroked his hair as instructed. At that, Il-hyun quietly closed his eyes.
“You’re not falling asleep, are you? My legs are going numb.”
“When I was young, I once fell asleep like this, lying on my desk, and my mother came in and stroked my hair just like this. It was the first and last time.”
Why is he suddenly talking about his mother again?
Ja-kyung felt strangely anxious every time Kang Il-hyun brought up his mother.