TTD Ch 17

Ja-kyung got out of the taxi and began walking up the hill. The light from the city lamps entangled a variety of insects. A  moth the size of a hand flew to the side of his face, causing Ja-kyung to smack his face and flee in panic.

Despite not being far from Seoul, Kang Il-hyun’s house was long apart from the city like a remote island.   There were numerous woodlands nearby, and walking alone gave him a lonely feeling. His steps became heavier as he went closer to the big mansion.

A white SUV was parked in front of the house. He wondered if there was a guest. On the way to the main gate, Park Tae-soo finds Ja-kyung first and runs out in a hurry.

“Where have you been? The Director has been waiting for a long time.”

“Waiting for me… Why?”

“Let’s go in first.”

When asked why he was waiting, he did not answer and took Ja-kyung inside. He was changing into slippers in front of the front door when he hear a loud noise. He went to look and saw a stranger sitting on the sofa in the living room.

With her long hair tied in a ponytail, she was only wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, but she was a beautiful woman enough to attract attention. Even Ja-kyung, who thought he had seen a lot of pretty people, lost his mind for a moment. She stood up from her seat and approached Ja-kyung with her arms outstretched.

“Yi An? Nice to meet you.”

Without a moment to step back, she hugged him and patted his back. The scent of shampoo tickled the tip of his nose. After she had let go, she held out her hand, and Ja-kyung rubbed his palm over his pants and held her hand. Her fingers were long and straight, and her skin was smooth.

“Welcome to Korea. It’s my second time seeing you since you were young, and you’re so handsome. Isn’t that right, Il-hyun-ah?”

Il-hyun-ah? Ja-kyung had a rough idea of who she was when he saw her chanting Kang Il-hyun’s name comfortably. Kang Il-hyun’s older sister. Kang Yoo-jung. A surgeon who was also his only blood sibling. But she was more gorgeous than he had imagined. After a time, he met Kang Il-hyun’s gaze behind her. He was sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed and a grim expression on his face. He had no idea why Il-hyun was staring at him with those eyes. He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t show it, so he just smiled.

Yoo-jung dragged Ja-kyung to the sofa.

“Oh my gosh, you’ve grown this big. We met before, do you remember?”

“Oh, no…”

“Well, you were young at the time. We met while attending a meeting in Tokyo, and Yi An was hanging onto Il-hyun’s legs while crying.”

“Director Kang… I heard he hit me before.”

“You heard that. His personality has been twisted since he was young. As you can see now, there is nothing different, so Yi An-gun please understand that.”

“No…. Be nice to me.”

Ja-kyung said something he didn’t mean to, but Yoo-jung waved her hand saying there was no need for that.

“He is my brother, so I know him well. In this case, I would usually tell him to be nice to others, but I can’t seem to get that word out.”

She talked about Kang Il-hyun openly. Ja-kyung felt a sigh of relief. He raised the corners of his lips without realizing it, but as his eyes met Kang Il-hyun’s, he swiftly hid his expression.

“Go if you’re done with your business. It’s already late.”

Yoo-jung pouted and told him to look at Il-hyun’s attitude. Despite her regret, she promptly grabbed her bag and rose up. Then she smiled brightly at Ja-kyung.

“Then see you tomorrow.”

Tomorrow? Ja-kyung’s eyes widened.

“My father invited Yi An to dinner. The whole family is going to be there, so you can come together with Director Kang.”

Ja-kyung’s gaze naturally shifted to Kang Il-hyun. He may figure out who commissioned Kang Il-hyun’s death if he went there. The unexpected dinner was awkward, but on the other side, he was curious about the client. He could tell from the file, but it was only a guess.

“Then I will go.”

Yoo-jung walked towards the front door, waving her hand goodbye. Ja-kyung was torn over whether or not to send her away. After thinking for a while, Kang Il-hyun called.  He motioned for him to come and sit, so he moved to the opposite side and sat. The house was quieter today. There were no employees, not even a resident he saw frequently. He scratched his neck as he looked around.

“Your sister is very beautiful.”

“Where have you been?”

“With the director’s younger brother… I returned after playing…”

“My subordinate said you weren’t there.”

He expected to be reported, but he was nervous when he was asked about it.

“After playing, I got out for a while and walked around alone…”

“Are you avoiding the two guards in front of you?”

Ja-kyung’s eyes widened as if it was the first time he had heard it.

“Pardon? I didn’t see them. Director, did you have someone following me?”

Ja-kyung made a dissatisfied expression on purpose. That’s right, no matter how powerful Kang Il-hyun was, Zhang Yi An was an important guest to him. There was no need to keep a low profile. Kang Il-hyun looked at Ja-kyung with an expression he couldn’t describe. Ja-kyung then looked at his eyes.

“Director. I’ve been here for a while… I’ve done with my studies, and since I’d been restricted for so long, I came here to relax and play. But I think it’s too much to be unable to move at will… “

He still staring into his eyes without answering. Why. What. Ja-kyung didn’t know what he would do while he looked at him like that. Kang Il-hyun nodded his head first.

“Okay. My interference was a little too much. It’s not a big deal because you’re all grown up. I don’t mind if you wander around. But you can’t do it by yourself. Only two or more people are allowed to move, whether it’s Kang Seok-Joo or one of my subordinates. I will protect you as long as Yi An is here. I made the same promise to your grandfather.”

“That… I’m not even a minor.”

“No, but if there’s a problem, there’s so much I have to take responsibility for. So please. Not for Yi An, but for me. Okay?”

In the end, it means don’t embarrass him. Ja-kyung nodded in agreement, fearful of being reprimanded if he continued to speak. He wanted to go upstairs quickly and rest. Ja-kyung stood up and ran for the stairs as soon as Kang Il-hyun commanded him to leave. Even while climbing the spiral staircase, Kang Il-hyun was sitting on the sofa and staring intently at Ja-kyung.

He unbuttoned the shirt that was strangling his neck as soon as he entered the second-floor bedroom and lay flat on the bed. He then stopped. The CCTV was mounted on the ceiling. He sat up and frowned. Kang Il-hyun said with his own mouth that he would call someone to remove it, but it was still there.

He rushed to the first floor, but Kang Il-hyun was nowhere to be found. He made his way down the hallway to his room. His steps slowed as another thought entered his mind. In the meantime, he knew where Kang Il-hyun’s bedroom was, but he couldn’t even look inside.

Let’s go inside and look around. He stood in front of his bedroom, licking his lower lip. He knocked, but there was no answer. Just as he was about to knock again a second time, the door clicked open and Kang Il-hyun appeared. Without any mess, he still wore the clothes Ja-kyung had seen a while ago. Did he sleep like that?

His gaze slowly descended from Ja-kyung’s face and reached through the open shirt.

“What’s the matter?”

“I have something to tell you. Can I come in for a moment…?”

That’s right. Kang Il-hyun willingly opened the door. Ja-kyung cried out with joy inwardly. There was a drawing room inside, and the layout was similar to Ja-kyung’s room on the second floor. If there was anything else, it was a stiffer and darker atmosphere. Two magnificent sharks swam slowly in the massive aquarium occupying one wall. His glance swept the inside as he sat down under his guidance.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Oh, no.”

“Then alcohol?”

“No, I can’t drink….”

“Well. That’s too bad.”

It was awkward for them to be facing each other in such a little space. Ja-kyung tried as hard as he could not think about what had happened the day before.

“You said you had something to say. Say it.”

“You clearly said that you would remove the CCTV… It’s still there.”

“Really?”

He looked as if he had no idea. But his employee could not have forgotten his order.

“But is there any reason to remove it?”

Ja-kyung clenched his molars. He had already explained it several times, and he was the first to speak about it this morning, so why was he doing this? He smiled innocently, trying not to offend him as much as possible.

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What?”

“To annoy me…”

“Am I a psycho? To harass people for no reason.”

Ja-kyung pursed his lips. He barely suppressed his anger, but his voice inevitably raised.

“Then why are you leaving it that way? Think about it, Director. How would you feel if someone was staring at you while you were sleeping?”

“I don’t care.”

“I feel comfortable when I take off all my clothes when I sleep. That’s why I never sleep comfortably here.”

“Take it off and sleep comfortably.”

“…”

“Think of it as your home.”

His breathing became increasingly harsh. He screamed inwardly and imagined banging his fists on the table. This jerk probably liked him a lot. Perhaps protection was an excuse, and he really wanted to spy on him. He wasn’t groping with his palms, but he could have been trying to appeal to something. His expression degraded as the thought progressed to that point.

“Director.”

Kang Il-hyun smiled softly even though the tone of his voice was blunt by itself.

“I’m sorry. Don’t make that face. All cameras will be withdrawn tomorrow. They couldn’t come because something happened to the company in charge. I played a little prank because it was fun to see you get angry.”

What a bastard.

“And…”

Kang Il-hyun paused for a moment. He seriously…didn’t know what to do with this bastard.

“I’m curious.”

Il-hyun took up the cigarette case on the table. He pulled the ashtray in front of Ja-kyung, opened the case, and took out a cigarette. Ja-kyung asked bluntly.

“What were you so curious about?”

Kang Il-hyun took the cigarette he picked out and answered casually.

“Why is there a tattoo on the so called gentle young master’s shoulder?”

“…”

The unexpected counterattack left Ja-kyung speechless. The brown eyes behind the glasses shook like the waves.

“You speak politely, but why are your eyes behind the glasses so arrogant?”

“…”

Kang Il-hyun smirks as he smokes.

“I’m curious, so I have to be patient.”

Ja-kyung was suffocating, and his palms on his knees had spontaneously clenched into fists. His mouth was dry, and a cold sweat ran down his spine. The minute the red warning light flashed in Ja-kyung’s thoughts, Il-hyun sparked the lighter. The lighter’s blue flame flickered and disappeared, leaving a cloud of cigarette smoke in front of him.

As Ja-kyung stared at the cigarette smoke with his mouth shut, Il-hyun made a face like he discovered something interesting

“What. Don’t tell me you also smoke?”