TTD Ch 1

[Take a deep breath, then pause for a moment, and clear your mind.]

Ja-kyung spread a yoga mat in front of a large window, raised his upper body, and crossed his legs. With each inhalation and exhalation, the snake with its mouth wide open on his right shoulder squirmed and moved. The midday temperature was close to 38 degrees, but Ja-kyung’s apartment was so cold that he had to wear long sleeves.

Meditation music continued to play from the speaker.

[Let the anger, hatred, and all the negative emotions out of your heart little by little.] 

There was a presence at the front door, but the awareness remained steady. There was the sound of footsteps, followed by something falling to the side. He only opened his closed eyes to look at the sound source after that.

What fell on the floor was a newspaper published this morning in Thailand. The face of the man Ja-kyung killed last night was engraved on the front page of the newspaper. He heard a slow handclap from above his head. His gaze, which had been fixed on the newspaper article, shifted upward. A tall, big man stood in front of him. He was a Chinese named Wang Han, and he was like a brother to Ja-kyung.

“As expected, you’re amazing.”

Yang Yang, a Chinese man who made money in Thailand through prostitution and organ trafficking, was discovered dead in a hotel bed this morning. He was shot in the left chest with a 7.62mm bullet from the opposite building pierced the glass and pierced his heart precisely without an inch of error.

“People reacted enthusiastically when he died. You should have done a lot of bad things during that time.”

It didn’t even matter how bad he was. I had a commission, so I killed him, and once I had the money, that was the end of it.

“What about the money?”

In response to Ja-kyung’s question, Wang Han’s lips, which had been smiling, twitched.

“Where is the rest?”

Seeing Wang Han who had come empty-handed with only a single bundle of newspapers, Ja-kyung asked with a puzzled face. If everything goes as planned, he should have the $300,000 he received in his account by now. Of course, in cash. Wang Han paused and gestured to the table behind him. On the empty table was a bag of hamburgers.

“Let’s eat that first. Isn’t it still before morning?”

Wang Han walked to the table, took a hamburger out of a paper bag, and put a straw into the coke. The table was perfect for two people. He even unwrapped the hamburger to make it easier to eat, but Ja-kyung just sat there staring at it, as if he had no intention of eating it.

Wang Han struggled to smile.

“I’ll give it to you soon.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ja-kyung stood up and left his seat. He frowned and looked quite dissatisfied. Sure enough, he turned towards the bedroom rather than the dining table. Damn it. Wang Han followed him with his eyes tightly shut.

Ja-kyung entered the room and began selecting one of the shirts hung on the wall. He chose a Hawaiian shirt with red flowers on it. He liked it because he got it for a low price at a night market a while ago. His expression as he buttoned his shirt seemed a little excited. He always had that expression on his face before going to kill someone.

“Where are you going?”

“To get the money.”

“Calm down and listen to me. There’s a reason for what happened.”

Instead of answering, Ja-kyung opened the drawer next to the bed. The silver Beretta pistol gleamed.

“Tell me because I’m listening.”

But it wasn’t the gun that Ja-kyung took out. Instead of a gun, he grabbed the watch next to it. It was a watch that acted like a time bomb. Even if it didn’t destroy a single building, it could explode the entire surrounding area with just a push of a button.

Wang Han’s expression hardened.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

“No. I’m going to go get it today.”

“You don’t have to bother yourself. No, I’m leaving right now. You stay here.”

Ja-kyung turned around and went outside despite the fact that he had not finished speaking. Wang Han remembered the client’s face from earlier in the day with despair. He was a Chinese-Russian named Dmitry, the leader of a notorious criminal organization.

He had always kept his promises like a knife, but for some reason, he postponed the payment of the balance by three days. It turned out to be a more serious problem than expected. Breaking a promise means that work has been disrupted. Besides, Ja-kyung wasn’t the type to put up with things going wrong. He was a guy who counts every minute and every second and took interest.

Ja-kyung walked out to the front door and looked back.

“Brother, you don’t have to come.”

“Why.”

“Stay here and catch the cockroach.”

He was baffled by the absurd talk of the cockroach.

“What?”

“I think I saw a cockroach this size in the morning.”

Ja-kyung spread his thumb and index finger to roughly the size of his face and rubbed his hands against his pants. No. He really hates it. Wang Han knew how much he hated cockroaches. Moreover, the cockroaches living in Southeast Asia were so big that it felt like they were walking rather than crawling. But anyway…

“Is that important now?”

“It’s just as important to me as getting money. Even if I died, I couldn’t be friends with them. I’m telling you just in case, but you have to kill them. You can’t just spray the repellent like before. If they show up again, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

Ja-kyung, who had left after making a great request, looked back.

“Of course, that was if I came back alive.”

He joked that he might die. The door closed and Wang Han, who was left alone, rubbed his face. A groan came out of his mouth. Even if he had to hold on to him more, Ja-kyung wasn’t the kind of guy who would listen to him. He just hopes he doesn’t come across the murderer in the newspaper the next morning.

*** 

As the chef brought out the soft tender tenderloin steak, Dmitry started cutting gracefully with a fork and knife. A large jewelry ring glistened on his hand every time he moved the knife. Two well-built men stood on the side with machine guns, and several men dragged their dogs around to guard the area.

Dmitry’s gaze was drawn to the newspaper on the left. It was published this morning, but the death of Yang Yang, who was like an enemy was published in a large article. As the smile spread on his face, red blood flowed from the meat and stained the white plate.

The juices spread when he puts a piece of meat in his mouth with a fork. The thousand-year-old congestion seemed to dissipate as the thorn in his eye disappeared. He wiped the blood from his lips with a napkin, savoring the incredible taste, and then, Bang! A loud noise could be heard coming from the front door.

A well-preserved black jaguar rushed into the yard with frightening force at the same time his jaws stopped moving while chewing meat. The scattered men gathered in unison to form a formation and point their guns at the same time as the Jaguar squeaked to a halt in front of Dmitry.

His face frowned when he saw that the meticulously maintained lawn had been severely damaged. The driver’s door opened at the same time as the chewed meat was spat out. An intruder got out of the driver’s seat with loud music that seemed to tear the eardrums apart. The men all pointed their guns at the intruder, who was dressed in a bright floral shirt and sunglasses.

But Lee Ja-kyung strode closer with a face that indicated he didn’t care about that. Dmitry signaled for his men to lower their guns. Lee Ja-kyung pulled out the chair opposite and sat down as if it were his.

“Are you going to eat?”

Ja-kyung took off his sunglasses and placed them on the table.

“Not eating, just give me the money.”

Ja-kyung’s brown eyes flashed sensitively as he sat leaning on the chair.

“Is it because your concerns have disappeared? Your face got brighter overnight.”

“I used to, but it’s no longer very good. I was hoping to have a quiet meal, but you ruined it.”

“This would not have happened if you had paid the money on time. Thanks to that, the interest is still accumulating little by little.”

After snoring, Dmitry took a knife and fork to cut the meat into pieces. He quickly slid his hand into his trouser pocket. Despite the fact that no one had given an order, dozens of guns were aimed at him once more. Ja-kyung grinned and reached into his pocket for a cigarette and a silver Zippo lighter.

“Scared.”

After igniting the tip of his cigarette, he leaned languidly in his chair.

“I’ll give you three minutes. Or I’ll take your life and the rest of the money.”

Dmitry’s men focused their attention on the tip of the cigarette, which burned red before turning gray. They were going to pull the trigger as soon as they saw Lee Ja-kyung move. However, they didn’t act hastily. None of the people who had a grudge against Lee Ja-kyung in the past survived. They had no idea what he was going to do because he was skilled with both bombs and guns.

Ja-kyung extinguished his cigarette after the last sip. The cigarette that had bounced landed right on the meat on the steak plate.

“I don’t think it’s fully cooked. Cook it, then eat it.”

Dmitry’s lips curved upward.

“That’s why I like you. You aren’t scared of anything.”

Ja-kyung looked at his watch instead of answering.

“Fifteen seconds left.”

“Not to mention your skills.”

“Ten seconds. Is there anything else you’d like to say as a will?”

“And that’s why…”

“Five seconds.”

“Go to Korea and kill one person. I’ll pay ten times the price as a VIP.”