TTD 142

Ja-kyung initially planned to send the lawyer elsewhere but brought him to Kang Il-hyun’s house for safety. The lawyer looked around, constantly marveling at how nice the place was. After washing up and changing clothes, he looked like a different person – clothes really do make the man.

Though middle-aged, he had that distinct air of someone well-educated. Meanwhile, Kang Il-hyun returned from work, and upon encountering him, the lawyer’s face turned pale for some reason.

“Look at the cat bringing home a mouse.”

“He’s someone who can help Tae-ho hyung. I’ll just keep him here for today.”

Il-hyun came closer and thrust his face toward the lawyer. The lawyer’s eyes wavered uncertainty, and his hands trembled as they gripped his pants, seemingly in fear.

“Why do you look familiar?”

At Il-hyun’s words, the lawyer stammered.

“I-I met you before when I was at a law firm. Of course, I was the opposing counsel.”

The lawyer’s facial muscles twitched as he forced a smile. Whatever happened then wasn’t clear, but it was obvious he feared Kang Il-hyun. Il-hyun said “Is that so?” and mentioned he didn’t remember before going inside, while the lawyer’s legs gave out and he collapsed where he stood.

“Ah, avoiding the wolf only to end up in the tiger’s den.”

Watching him despair, Ja-kyung casually asked.

“How do you know CEO Kang?”

The man took a deep breath before explaining.

“Back then, he had a dispute with a classmate, and since that student was also from a wealthy family, both sides hired lawyers. That day was a meeting to reach a settlement.”

Ja-kyung asked when this was with an intrigued expression.

“They were high school students, I believe. But that day, my client said something unspeakable to CEO Kang Il-hyun.”

“What did they say?”

The lawyer glanced at the bedroom where Il-hyun had disappeared and lowered his voice as much as possible.

“Called him ‘the bastard whose mother killed herself.'”

“……”

“But CEO Kang’s reaction was unexpected. Usually, kids that age would get angry or resort to violence in the heat of the moment, but he smiled brightly. And the settlement concluded smoothly.”

“Why did that incident stay in your memory?”

“About half a year later, that student was attacked by an assailant. It was big enough to make the news. He survived, but both his eyes were damaged, leaving him permanently blind.”

Ja-kyung’s mouth fell open, and the lawyer’s expression hardened as if recalling the memory.

“Others might not believe it, but I wondered if CEO Kang Il-hyun might have been behind it. That smile from that day would sometimes come back to me. That chilling feeling, without any warmth in his eyes…”

The lawyer shuddered and asked if he could sleep somewhere else tonight. Ja-kyung was left speechless. If that classmate’s eyes were indeed gouged out, there was a high probability it was Kang Il-hyun’s doing.

After reassuring the lawyer that he must be mistaken, that CEO Kang wasn’t such a frightening person, he showed him to the second-floor guest room. He also didn’t forget to tell him to make sure to lock the door, just in case.

The lawyer’s expression visible through the closing door was quite a sight. Since he looked ready to bolt at any moment, Ja-kyung specifically asked the security guard to watch and make sure he didn’t escape.

Going downstairs to Kang Il-hyun’s bedroom, he found him on the phone, who smiled upon seeing Ja-kyung and reached out his hand. As Ja-kyung sat beside him and leaned his head against him, Il-hyun ended the call and nuzzled his cheek against Ja-kyung’s crown.

“What did you do today? Surely not chasing after that little mouse.”

Ja-kyung explained the day’s events step by step. Since Il-hyun probably knew most of it anyway, he didn’t want to cover it up with lies. After listening quietly, Il-hyun said “I see” and stroked his head, saying he must have had a hard time. In the middle of their conversation, Ja-kyung’s phone rang. Since it was Wang Lun, he answered without thinking, but loud music could be heard through the receiver.

[Wei!]

“Who…”

[It’s me! Veronica!]

Though it had been a while since he’d heard Spanish, Ja-kyung understood perfectly. A chill ran down his spine and he jumped up without realizing. Instinctively, he looked at Kang Il-hyun, but he was focused on the news, resting his chin on his hand. Ja-kyung slowly moved to a spot far away.

“Oh, hyung, I’m at home. You must have drunk a lot.”

[Wei, what are you saying? Did you forget me? Lun lent me his phone when I said I wanted to call you! Are you listening to me? Wei? Wei!]

“Oh, yeah, hyung, have fun and go home. See you tomorrow.”

After hanging up, Ja-kyung switched his phone to silent and stuffed it in his pocket. His heart was pounding even though he hadn’t done anything wrong. If he could, he wanted to call Wang Lun and yell at him asking if he’d lost his mind.

“Hyung must be really drunk…”

Kang Il-hyun was still focused only on the TV.

“Looks like they went somewhere without you?”

“They said they’re meeting acquaintances for drinks. I was tired so I just came home.”

“I see.” Kang Il-hyun muttered and changed the channel. Ja-kyung went to the sofa with an uneasy heart and sat down a bit away from him. Surely he hadn’t heard. If he had, he wouldn’t be this calm. If he was going to flip out, he would have done it by now.

Ja-kyung stretched and deliberately yawned as he got up. Saying he’d go to bed first, he went to the bedroom and took out his phone. Several missed calls had accumulated already, and there was even a message from Wang Lun.

It was a photo of him with a flushed face from drinking, smiling broadly with Veronica. Though it had been a while since he’d seen her face, he remembered it clearly. He’d met many people, but at the time, he’d thought about her quite seriously.

But not anymore. Until Wang Lun mentioned her, he’d completely forgotten about her existence. After deleting all the messages, Ja-kyung temporarily blocked Wang Lun’s number. Still feeling uneasy, he turned off his phone completely before trying to sleep.

***

After parking the car, Ja-kyung went to Jang Tae-ho’s house with the lawyer. He had taken leave, though it seemed less his own choice and more pressure from above as the case grew bigger. When they rang the doorbell, Jang Tae-ho came out after a moment. He was wearing boots with a towel around his neck and a straw hat, smiling broadly with a dirt-covered face.

“Kyung-joon-ah, what brings you here at this hour?”

“What’s with your clothes, hyung? Don’t tell me you quit being a prosecutor to become a farmer?”

“It’s not like that. Come in, quickly.”

Jang Tae-ho belatedly noticed the man standing behind Ja-kyung. He wiped the sweat from his face with the towel and wore a puzzled expression. Come in first. Once inside, they saw the once-overgrown yard had been neatly trimmed, and the cluttered household items had all been cleared away.

“I wanted to fix up the house while resting.”

“Aren’t you just taking a few days off?”

Jang Tae-ho smiled bitterly. He had thought it was a vacation, but it seemed not to be. When asked if he’d been fired, he said no, but he was suspended for a month. Seeing Ja-kyung’s expression hardened, he reassured his younger brother, saying it was nothing.

Belatedly coming to his senses, Ja-kyung introduced the lawyer he’d brought.

“This is- ah, I don’t know your name. Please introduce yourself.”

The lawyer bowed his head to Jang Tae-ho.

“Hello. I’m Lee Yoon-seop. I’m both a lawyer and an accountant.”

Jang Tae-ho still looked dumbfounded. While curious about why Ja-kyung suddenly brought a lawyer, he seemed worried that something might have happened to his younger brother. Then the lawyer finished his introduction.

“Until recently, I was in charge of Lee Man-soo’s accounting.”

Jang Tae-ho’s face contorted as soon as he heard this.

“Lee Man-soo? The Lee Man-soo I know?”

As the lawyer hesitated, Ja-kyung began explaining instead. Even though he left out the parts about stabbing someone with a knife and raiding the hideout with an ax, Jang Tae-ho’s face grew more troubled as he listened.

“You went to such a dangerous place? Do you know what kind of place that is?”

“When someone asked for help, I couldn’t just ignore it.”

“You should have reported it to the police.”

“They did, but were ignored.”

“……”

Jang Tae-ho fell silent, and Ja-kyung gently pushed the lawyer’s back.

“Anyway, he’ll be helpful to you, hyung. He said he’d help actively. Right?”

When Ja-kyung gave him a look, the lawyer quickly nodded. Jang Tae-ho started to lecture more but stopped and told them both to come inside. Inside, the house was also neatly organized, different from before.

On one side were family photos in frames, including one of Wang Lun, Wang Han, and Ja-kyung together. While looking at the photos one by one, his brother brought out tea. As the two began discussing the case, Ja-kyung went to the room. The room had new wallpaper and flooring, and new furniture as well.

Jang Tae-ho had prepared this room for his younger brother who rarely visited. Feeling guilty about this whenever he came, Ja-kyung sometimes stayed overnight. While murmured conversation could be heard, a call came in from Wang Lun. When he answered with a “Hello?” an excited voice came through.