TTD Ch 13

Ja-kyung opened the bedside drawer and placed the watch given to him as a bribe by Kang Seok-Joo. He first went to the bathroom to take a shower and change his clothing. He remembered the tattoo he saw earlier when he cooled down his head in cold water. On the day he last saw his parents, a man with the same tattoo and a group of people arrived at their home.

They mercilessly assaulted three family members, including Ja-kyung. They covered their fainting eyes, tied their hands and feet, and took them somewhere. When they arrived, they found themselves in a warehouse with no light. His father disappeared on the first day, and his mother disappeared on the second. And then came the gloomy night on the third day… Someone opened the door and entered the warehouse.

Surprisingly, it was Mr. Wang, who lived in the same neighborhood. He walked out of the warehouse, wrapped around the bloody young Ja-kyung. At the entrance, Ja-kyung saw two men lying down, fainting. And an arm sticking out of the drum next to it. Nails painted red with a manicure. The cheap jewelry bracelet that his mother always wore shone on her wrist.

For a brief moment, Ja-kyung was lost in old memories as he gazed down at the stream of water dropping on the bathroom floor. He then bit his lips. It wasn’t resentment for killing his parents. After all, if his parents hadn’t died at the moment, he may have killed them himself eventually.

He needed a drink to lift his mood after a long day. He went out to the living room to fetch a beer from the fridge and drink it, but Kang Il-hyun walks in and sits on the sofa. It was about what he expected, so he set the beer down and walked over to him. Even though Kang Il-hyun was the owner of the house, he found it uncomfortable to go in and out of the house all the time.

“Come and sit down for a moment.”

Ja-kyung went to the opposite side of Il-hyun and sat down.

“I apologize for today. I should have warned Seok-joo a little more, but it’s my fault.”

“No…. Thanks to the Director, I enjoyed the exhibition.”

“Really?”

It was not meant to be on Kang Seok-joo’s side. Even if he was eventually killed by Kang Il-hyun, it has nothing to do with him. However, because he had recently received an expensive watch, he was unable to thoroughly wipe his mouth clean. He should give him just a little help.

“It was fun meeting friends of my age.”

“Well… It’s unexpected.”

“Yes?”

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think he is a good match for Yi An.”

“No… It wasn’t bad. He was kind to me.”

“I’d be glad if that were the case. But you know that, right? It’s okay to play together, but you can’t cross the line. Then I’ll lose face in front of your grandfather, who put his trust in my family.”

“Yes… I know….”

Kang Il-hyun nodded with a smile on his face saying he liked it.

“Then let’s stop talking about today. I’ll go down and rest.”

Il-hyun stood up, and Ja-kyung, who had been hesitating, stood up with him and called him.

“Director. I have a question…. They said they would remove the CCTV in the room, but they are still there.”

“Well, are you feeling very uncomfortable?”

“Yes… I think…. It’s frustrating to be at home already, but there’s also CCTV in the bedroom….”

Ja-kyung was surprised to see Kang Il-hyun’s subtly cold expression. He should not have said that being at home was frustrating. He immediately regretted it and tried to make excuses, but Il-hyun nodded his head as though in agreement.

“It was frustrating. At my home.”

“Oh, no. It’s not necessarily like that, but….”

“It’s frustrating because it’s not big enough. I should have built it bigger.”

“Please… It’s not like that….”

“It’s my fault. I should have built it bigger.”

A psycho-like jerk makes sarcastic remarks with a smiling face. Fuck. He didn’t want to deal with it. He was swearing inside, but he need to try something like this.

“To be honest, it’s a little frustrating…. I feel like I’m being watched even while I’m sleeping…. Also, since I am interested in interior design, I’d like to look around the house… It’s difficult because everything is locked…”

Kang Il-hyun tilted his head slightly. He stared at each other and opened his eyes as innocently as he could without averting the staring gaze.

“Where would you like to see so much?”

Err, Ja-kyung didn’t know. Let’s see if he was allowed.

“Underground…?”

Uhm. Ja-kyung was a little worried when he saw Kang Il-hyun’s unwavering expression.  He shouldn’t have said that. Il-hyun would be suspicious. He should have waited for the fingerprints. As he goes through all of his thought, he relaxed his face and gently nodded his head.

“You should have told me earlier. There’s no reason why I can’t show you.”

Ja-kyung smiled as he chewed his molars. It was an unexpected reaction. It was as the butler said, if he wanted to know, he should ask the Director because he would tell him.

“Would you like to go now?”

“I… I heard it’s a private space… May I really go?”

He was becoming scared a little. Il-hyun, who was a little further away, approached him. Ja-kyung, who was nervous, tried to retreat, but he came to a halt and looked up. His gaze fell diagonally.

“I hate people whose words and actions are different.”

“Yes?”

“Your eyes are anxious to go, but why are your mouths lying?”

“…”

“If you’re going to go, I’ll take you now.”

What’s happening.

“Would you like to go?”

“… Yes, I will.”

The firm tip of Kang Il-hyun’s lips gently rises. The remaining Ja-kyung let out a muffled sigh as he turned to follow him. He was relieved that things were going to be simple, yet anxiety was creeping in like a haze.

***

Kang Tae-han, who was staring at the chilly teacup with an indifferent expression, raised his head. Kim Seon-young, his stepmother, was fiddling with the jewelry ring on her fourth finger in front of him. A stack of photos that she had brought out a while ago was on the table.

Zhang Yi An, who was from Hong Kong recently arrived in Korea.

He was now residing at Kang Il-hyun’s residence, and it was reported that he spent the day with Kang Seok-joo.

Kang Tae-han had a look around. She requested that they meet in a cafe on the outskirts of Seoul, but the place was empty, with no employees or customers. Only her favorite secretary, Yoon, was standing on one side of the store. After Kang Tae-han raised his glasses, he returned the photo of Zhang Yi An to Kim Seon-young.

“I have listened to what stepmother said. Unfortunately… I don’t want to listen anymore.”

Kim Seon-young took a cigarette and a lighter. They say that as people age, their hands and necks get wrinkly, but this does not appear to be the case with her. She reclined back in her chair, smoking a cigarette with her smooth fingers, and cast a languid glance towards Kang Tae-han.

“Does that mean it doesn’t matter if Director Kang sits as the successor?”

Kang Tae-han’s cunning eyes were distorted.  Already, one of the directors who believed in him and supported him had gone missing, and he was worried. It was shortly determined that the work was done by Kang Il-hyun. It was inconceivable for a managing director to eliminate one of the most important contributors to the development of a corporation.

Only Chairman Kang’s complete trust made this feasible. As the rumor grew, the rest of the board of directors became concerned, and other shareholders, who were neutral, began to speculate on whether Chairman Kang’s heart was leaning toward his second son, Director Kang.

Even yet, the statement she told now was ridiculous.

“It’s impossible to remove him.”

He was a foreign guest, the grandson of a prominent Hong Kong organization, and his father was a close friend of Chairman Kang throughout his lifetime. She wanted him to get rid of him so she could be safe? Kim Seon-young’s recklessness evoked laughter. She had something to say, so he expected it to be something like this from the time she asked to meet…

“I don’t mean to kill him. I mean, let’s just poke in a few places.”

Kim Seon-young was far from an elegant wife, perhaps because she grew up with parents who loved to gamble money.

“It can make our position difficult.”

“It’s not us who are in trouble, it’s Director Kang. At least the chairman won’t be on his side this time.”

The Hong Kong organization, which was viewed as a brother, had a significant impact on Chairman Kang’s decision to name Kang Il-hyun as his successor despite the opposition of the directors. They preferred Kang Il-hyun to take over and conduct business with them over the eldest son, Kang Tae-han. That was why Zhang Yi An’s visit was more than just a friendly visit.

“It’s reckless. If anything goes wrong, can you handle him?”

She rubbed the cigarette into the ashtray and put it out. She pulled the chair a little further and sat down, placing her arms on the table and leaning her upper body forward.

“Then how about this?”

“…?”

“What about getting rid of Director Kang altogether?”

One of Kang Tae-han’s eyebrows rose. It was a ridiculous plan.

“I keep my son, you keep your position.”

Her feelings were completely understandable. Kang Il-hyun, in contrast to him, who overlooks Kang Seok-joo’s accident, really looked like a person ready to kill. The intensity increased, and the last time it was Kang Seok-joo’s forehead, but Kang Il-hyun might slice his throat next time. She must have also recognized that Kang Il-hyun could actually kill his son as a result of this incident.

“Don’t you know Director Kang? That bastard will climb up even if he falls to hell.”

“I mean, let’s go a little easier.”

Kang Tae-han took out a cigarette but didn’t light it. If something goes wrong, it’s game over.

“If something goes wrong…”

“It’s not going to happen.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I hired the best experts in this field.”

There was even a hint of triumph on her smiling face. Kang Tae-han, who was chewing on the cigarette tip, broke it and threw it on the floor. He looked at the picture and checked Zhang Yi An’s face again. Twenty-one years old. He’s still young.

He worked the calculator in his head. It wasn’t a bad idea to cut Kang Il-hyun’s limbs off ahead of time, even though it was risky, rather than just staying like this. Let us only pretend to work together in moderation. If something goes wrong, he could blame Kim Seon-young.

“Then we’re a team. Right?”

She smiled and extended her hand. Kang Tae-han paused for a moment before setting the picture down and taking her hand in his. That’s right. It was a team. He was a little anxious, but when he imagined Kang Il-hyun being ripped and falling apart, the anxiety vanished and a strange feeling of pleasure came across his face.