TTD Ch 23

Ja-kyung opened his eyes slowly. The sun was shining brightly. He couldn’t sleep well until the morning, and he barely opened his eyes. He tossed and turned, but Kang Il-hyun, who had been sleeping beside him, was nowhere to be found. He sat up and stretched. Instead of his clothes, Kang Il-hyun’s pajamas were put on his body.

Contrary to what he was worried about, Kang Il-hyun did not push it in recklessly. He only hugged him and moved his waist. It was surprising given it was Kang Il-hyun. He thought Il-hyun was going to push him hard. Furthermore, the touch and kiss were much sweeter than expected, making him feel strange.

He had been awake all night, nervous, and his throat was dry. He stood up and went into the living room to get some water. Kang Il-hyun was nowhere to be seen. He walked around the house after drinking a glass of water. He wondered where Il-hyun had gone since the morning. He went to the front door, but his shoes were nowhere to be found. He looked around and discovered a note he’d left on the living room table.

[I am going to work. I’ll stop by for lunch.] 

It was neat and straight handwriting. It’s Saturday, wasn’t his day off? Ja-kyung thought it was better. They’re just annoyed with each other when they look at each other’s faces. After drinking water and admiring the paintings on the walls, he went inside and found the study room. Unlike the house where Kang Il-hyun always stayed, all the doors were open. Furthermore, there were no surveillance cameras.

There were a lot of books in the library. A significant portion was made up of economic books, but there were also several poetry collections. He laughed unknowingly. He discovered the bookshelf was made of a sliding door while looking around. Normally, there was a hidden space behind this kind of spot.

In anticipation, he pushed the bookshelf to one side. The bookshelf shifted, and a wall appeared. In disappointment, he stood close to the wall, attempting to reposition it. When he tapped it with his fist, it made a hollow sound. His eyes widened.

The wall moved smoothly when he pushed it sideways with his palm, revealing another space inside. He looked back.  There was still plenty of time until lunch. There was another study upon entering. Ja-kyung, who was looking over the bookshelf and desk, stopped.

A safe was unexpectedly placed beneath the desk. He took a quick glance around the room. Perhaps it was being filmed. After some thought, he knelt down and checked the safe.   Fortunately, it was a lock that needed to be unlocked with a password rather than a fingerprint.

Ja-kyung, who was worried, remembered the eight numbers that Kang Il-hyun pressed in the basement. Press them in order. Tyririk… there was a sound when he pressed the last number. The sound indicated that the lock had been unlocked. He carefully opened the safe door while licking his lower lip.

Ja-kyung’s eyes and mouth widened as he checked what was inside, and he smiled in dismay.

“It was here.”

There were numerous USBs in the safe. It was dated and labeled like a price tag, and it was organized so that you could see it at a glance. Some of them only had dates and no other information. The people with their names on them were well-known figures in Korea. From politicians to celebrities, law firms, and businessmen, all were there.

It was unknown what their weaknesses were in them. First, he had to find the item requested by the client. Ja-kyung, who had been busy moving his eyes and hands, stopped. A USB with only the date and DK written 5 years ago stands out.

Found it!

He grabbed it, but he couldn’t get it out. Kang Il-hyun would be suspicious of Lee Ja-kyung if he found out this was gone. There were two options. Import the file. And kill Kang Il-hyun. There was still a long time until the date to kill Kang Il-hyun. 

Ja-kyung was troubled. Should he take it? Or should he wait? He ultimately chose a slightly safer method. He discovered it, so it was a half-success. He could come and take it after killing Kang Il-hyun. Unfortunately, he had to leave now.

He took a picture of the USB, saved it, and put it back in place. He closed the safe and erased the fingerprints that had been left behind.  He went out and walked down the hallway when he heard a noise coming from the front door. Ja-kyung quickly sat down on the sofa, and after a few moments, the sound of footsteps approached.

“Are you awake?”

Ja-kyung put down the glass of water he was drinking and looked back at Il-hyun. They were naked together last night, but Ja-kyung thought it would be better to greet him casually. He was holding a brown paper bag.

“Is hamburger okay?”

Il-hyun approached the table and opened the paper bag. Ja-kyung stood up and approached him. Even so, he hasn’t been able to eat a hamburger since he came here.

“Yes… I like it.”

“That’s a relief. There’s a homemade burger place downstairs and it tastes pretty good. Try it.”

Kang Il-hyun took off the hamburger wrapper and inserted a straw into the Coke. Ja-kyung takes it and places it in his mouth, and the aroma of the delectable seasoning makes his mouth water. He took a bite with his mouth wide open, and the tomato, meat, and pickles made a fantastic combination.

Il-hyun, the man in front of him, smiled and extended a napkin. And pointed to his lips. Instead of using a napkin, Ja-kyung licked the corners of his mouth with his tongue. Il-hyun stared at him with his chin resting on the back of his hand.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious. It’s one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.”

“No, how was your sex yesterday?”

Ja-kyung nearly spits the Coke he was drinking. Fuck. Fuck you. Let me eat in peace! He coughed and wiped his lips with a napkin. It feels like he would have indigestion. He looked at him, trying to figure out what he was saying. Kang Il-hyun leaned back and looked at Ja-kyung.

“To be honest, it’s not even sex.”

“Why are you saying that…?”

“I did it as soft as I promised, so I thought I could do it again today.”

“What?!”

Ja-kyung raised his voice without realizing it, and his impressions creased. Didn’t it come to an end with just one time? The expression on Il-hyun’s face told him it wasn’t a joke. What should he say? He didn’t think Il-hyun would let him in here again if he said no. It was embarrassing to do it again.

“I… I’ll think about it…”

“Okay.”

Let us take our time. Either say he’s sick or that he has work.

“Are you done?”

Ja-kyung’s eyes widened as he was about to eat the hamburger again.

“What?”

“You said you would think about it.”

Ja-kyung was stunned. It hasn’t even been 5 seconds since he spoke.

“Let’s eat first…”

The more he wanted to eat, the more he lost his appetite. It was like chewing a sand grain on a melted hamburger. He ate lettuce slowly like a rabbit on purpose. Even though he eats leisurely, Kang Il-hyun sat there and did not move. Fortunately, his phone rang. He grabbed his jacket and stood up after a brief call.

“Where are you going?”

“Company. I will hear the answer later.”

Ja-kyung breathed a sigh of relief without realizing it. Kang Il-hyun notices Ja-kyung’s relaxed expression and cracks a joke.

“Damn. You like it when I leave. I’m disappointed.”

He cursed and laughed, which embarrassed Ja-kyung, so he quickly pretended to bite a straw and avoided his gaze.

***

Only one orange light flickered in the old bathroom. The room was dark and only the occasional sound of water dripping from the ceiling could be heard.  Below it was a naked man tied to a chair in only a pair of panties. Someone entered through the open door. The light flashed briefly and then went out.

Kang Il-hyun was the one who entered the bathroom. He approached the man. The man’s eyes were filled with terror.  A subordinate brought a chair, and Il-hyun sat there, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

“Hey. President Choi.”

The man protested as soon as Il-hyun called him.

“Director Kang! It’s a misunderstanding. I really don’t know!”

“You’re being hard headed by yourself. Loyalty can only be protected if it has a life attached to it.”

The man begged similarly as if he believed the way he spoke was generous.

“Trust me. I really don’t know. It’s the truth!”

President Choi was in charge of one of the casinos operated by the shipping group. However, a large sum of money was recently withdrawn from his personal account. It was his own money, so it didn’t matter where he spent it, but the place where the money went was questionable.

Just in case, Il-hyun thoroughly researched President Choi’s black box and his whereabouts that day and roughly the destination was revealed.  The cash was delivered to the odd job center. He had no idea what had been commissioned there. It was completely gone when he went this morning. And, most importantly, the man was Kim Seon-young’s cousin. 

“Director, Director Kang… Let me see the Chairman. I will tell the Chairman!”

Il-hyun stood up and shoved the lit cigarette into the man’s mouth. Il-hyun grabbed the man’s chin and pushed him without letting him scream. Bound to a chair, the man fell into a tub filled with water and sank to the bottom.

The water was as deep as an adult man’s chest, but instead of screams for help, only bubbles of water rose to the surface. With a scowl on his face, Il-hyun brushed the water from his shirt. Il-hyun motioned to the subordinate beside him to rescue him as the amount of air bubbles rising gradually decreased.

President Choi was quickly dragged out of the tub by two of his subordinates. President Choi took a deep breath with a terrified expression on his face. Il-hyun sat back down on the chair, and the man had moved to the same position a few moments ago. Il-hyun asked for a new cigarette as he looked at him.

“See. You are punished for lying.”

A subordinate next to him brought a towel, which Il-hyun used to meticulously wipe President Choi’s face.

“Not my father, but I’m the only one who can save President Choi right now. Think carefully.  Don’t bother looking for the Chairman and making me feel bad. Okay?”