TTD Ch 26

The white sports car roared and speeded up. The motorcycle in front of it teased him as if he couldn’t be caught. The road became narrower after a long period of driving. The motorcycle makes a sharp left turn and enters a gravel road.

The sports cars followed closely behind. A dust storm blew in, splattering pebbles everywhere. The motorcycle had been running for a long time when it came to a halt while turning. It was blocked off because of construction.  The sports car also stopped, and a tough-looking man jumped out of the driver’s seat. He sneered at the lost motorcycle.

“Hey, you bastard! You lost today!”

The man pulled out a dagger from his bosom. The dagger gleamed in the light as he peeled off the newspaper that had been wrapped around it. The car was clearly Choi Ki- tae’s, but he was nowhere to be found. Soon after, someone else got out of the passenger seat, and Ja-kyung kept a close eye on him.

He had yellow hair, pierced lips and brows, and a goblin tattoo in the same place as Choi Ki-tae. They didn’t look alike, but they were almost certainly blood relatives or very close. The enraged man swung his dagger and motioned for Ja-kyung to come to him.

“Come on. I’m going to take your intestines out of your belly.”

Ja-kyung took off his helmet in response to the giggling and smiling man. The black mask that covered his face until the bridge of his nose made it impossible to identify him.

“Come on, you punk!”

The man’s expression became increasingly distorted. Ja-kyung strode closer to him. As if it didn’t look like he was begging for forgiveness, the man rushes in with his dagger. Ja-kyung took out a pistol with a silencer from within his arms and, in the blink of an eye, shoved a shot into the man’s thigh.

Pisyung, The man screamed and rolled on the dirt floor, clutching his legs.

“Fuck!”

The yellow-haired man, who was leaning against the car and smoking a cigarette, hurriedly reached for his waist, but Ja-kyung was one step ahead. He was shot in the shin as well and fell forward. Ja-kyung moved in closer and placed the gun against the yellow hair’s head. He then drew the gun from his waist, separated the ammunition with one hand, and tossed it to the ground.

“Where are the kids that were picked up from the police station yesterday?”

The yellow-haired man raised his head and sneered.

“Fuck. You are that bastard. Do you think I’ll tell you?”

Ja-kyung stretched out his arms to the side and aimed at the other man’s body as soon as he finished speaking. Bullets were fired without warning, and the large head exploded and fell backward. Blood and brain tissue poured from the shattered skull, staining the ground red.

Blood drained from the yellow-haired man’s face, which had been viciously smiling just a while ago.

“Hey, don’t do this. I don’t know who you are, but you’re making a big mistake now.”

“Where are they?”

“Do you know who my father is? If you want something, you have to negotiate. Such an ignorant way,”

Ja-kyung pulled out a dagger and thrust it over the yellow-haired man’s shoulder. Aargh! A tearful scream rang out across the still rural village. The knife tip that pierced the skin slashed through the muscles and smashed into the bones. The yellow-haired man’s eyeballs turned white and he gritted his teeth as Ja-kyung twisted the dagger.

Ja-kyung stopped moving and looked down at the man with an indifferent face.

“This is my way of negotiating. I’ll ask again. Where are they?”

“Argh… Ugh…”

“You don’t want to talk?”

The man nodded his head with red eyes.

“Ware… warehouse…”

“The location.”

“If, if you let me live… I’ll…tell you.”

Ja-kyung twisted the dagger again, the yellow-haired man shuddered in pain and groaned.

“I will tell you! It’s a warehouse in Siheung-dong! Argh! Fuck! It hurt! I told you! Stop it! Fuck! Stop it!”

Ja-kyung held out his hand. He motioned for the yellow-haired man to hand over his phone. The man took out his phone from his pocket. After unlocking the lock, Choi Ki-tae was visible in the contact list. There were also messages exchanged. As expected, he was Choi Ki-tae’s younger brother.

[Hyung, what is the address of the warehouse in Siheung-dong where the children are being held?]

Ja-kyung moved his gaze to the yellow-haired man. He bled from his legs and shoulders, his face became paler, and his breathing became more strained. Ding. The response came quickly.

[You dumbass. Are you already suffering from dementia? Why is it Siheung? It’s Doksan.]

One corner of Ja-kyung’s lips rose. The yellow-haired man’s eyes were slowly engulfed in fear.

“Your brother said it was not there?”

The yellow-haired man hurriedly made excuses with a contemplative face.

“I, I was wrong. It’s Doksan! Doksan-dong! I remember now. 298-31 Doksan-dong!”

Ja-kyung immediately dialed Choi Ki-tae’s number and pressed the speakerphone. After some time, an angry voice could be heard. It was Choi Ki-tae. Ja-kyung held the phone up to the yellow-haired man’s mouth. He wanted to be sure.

[Ah, you bastard. What is it again!]

The yellow-haired man looked at the gun aimed at his forehead and opened his lips.

“Hyung… The place… Where the kids are gathered… 298-31, Doksan-dong, right?”

Haa. Choi Ki-tae’s irritated sigh could be heard clearly through the speaker. But it wasn’t just the sound. There was also the sound of flesh clinging and a suppressed man’s groan. Ja-kyung could only guess what Choi Ki-tae was doing when he answered the phone.

The yellow-haired man looked nervous because Choi Ki-tae was going to make an absurd sound.

[Crazy. Did you only go there once or twice? Fuck, you bastard have different ways to annoy people.]

“So-sorry… I forgot…”

[Hang up, you punk! Because I’m busy.]

The phone abruptly hung up, and the yellow-haired man sighed in relief and looked up at Ja-kyung. Satisfied? You’ll save me right now. Ja-kyung put the yellow-haired man’s phone in his pocket and pulled the trigger. Pisyung, the yellow-haired man’s head exploded, causing him to fall backward, and blood and flesh splashed on Ja-kyung’s face. 

Ja-kyung walked past the dead man to the car. He looked through the car window, rubbed the blood on his face, then took a bomb from his bag and attached it to the underside of the car. As he started the motorcycle and go back the way he came, he heard a loud noise in the distance. He could smell blood from the tip of his nose.

***

Il-hyun stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. There was clearly nothing nearby, so the air was clean. It was also a wise decision to build a home here. As he approached the gate, he noticed two employees coming out of the back of the house with ladders.

They put down the ladder and politely greeted Il-hyun.

“You are here, Director.”

“What’s going on, in the middle of the night?”

“I think the construction worker touched the CCTV while going back and forth for swimming pool construction. The direction was wrong, so I put it back in its original position.”

A construction vehicle collided with a utility pole during the day, resulting in a brief power outage. He had previously attempted to install an emergency generator but had given up. but he felt it necessary to do so now. After sending them back, Il-hyun went to the swimming pool where the construction was completed and gave a satisfied expression.

The size and depth were ideal. There were two sunbeds near the pool. He went over there and lay down with his legs stretched out. It was noticeably better today. Good night. He muttered to himself. He wanted to fill up with water and relax here.

On his way home, he received information that the president and staff of the errand center had discovered dead bodies in the reservoir. It was clear who did it. He was irritated because he was a step late. Kim Seon-young was probably laughing and enjoying it by this point. That damn witch. She had plenty of reasons to be happy going to his office during the day.

He made an impression and directed his attention to the second floor. In Zhang Yi An’s bedroom, the lights were turned off. He had already fallen asleep. He was so preoccupied with work that he hadn’t seen Zhang Yi An’s face in two days, and he wondered what he was up to. He remembered how his eyes were wet with excitement as he lay beneath him, struggling with shame.

Il-hyun stood up and entered the house. The first person he met was the housekeeper.

“You’re here, Director.”

“I’m back. Nothing happened today, right?”

“Except for a brief power outage during the day, there was nothing. Oh, and Yi An-gun appears to be ill. He went up early in the evening to take medicine and sleep, but he hasn’t come down yet.”

Il-hyun’s face became stern. That’s why all the lights were turned off. He was about to move up to the second floor when the housekeeper called him.

“He wanted to rest today, so he asked me to inform Director.”

That means Il-hyun should also not come. After a brief moment of thought, Il-hyun went upstairs, pretending not to hear what the housekeeper said. The living room light turned on when he opened the door. The room was quiet even when he went to the front of the bedroom door. He knocked and waited, but there was no response.

“Yi An.”

There was no answer when he called his name. He knocked again. It was still very quiet. He turned the handle and the door was locked.  Il-hyun’s brow furrowed gradually. Should he try to force it open? A message arrived on his phone just as he was contemplating it.

[Director. I got the flu and now I lost my voice. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I’ll see you tomorrow.]

It was Zhang Yi An’s first message. Il-hyun looked at the door. Another message arrived.

[I took the medicine. I think I’ll be better off sleeping. Thank you for your concern.]

“Alright. Have a good rest.”

There was no response or message this time. He paused for a moment before turning away from the door. He looked back one more time before leaving, but that was it. He didn’t want to force a sick person out and bully him. Of course, it will be fun, but…