TTD Ch 38

Ja-kyung had a confused face and only his eyes moved.

“I don’t know what the Director is talking about.”

No way. Kang Il-hyun quickly took off Ja-kyung’s sunglasses. Il-hyun thought that his eyes were full of life, unlike Zhang Yi An, who stayed in his house. And he preferred this one over Zhang Yi An. These kinds of eyes made Il-hyun want to torture and force him to succumb.

“I was on a business trip to Hong Kong and I heard a very interesting story.”

He paused and moved his tongue across his mouth. Ja-kyung kept his mouth shut and didn’t say anything. A cold sweat trickled down his back.

“So I was thinking about how to ask this, but I’m meeting you here just in time.”

“…”

“Aren’t you curious? What that interesting story was?”

Il-hyun kept his smile on his face like a messenger of good news, and Ja-kyung remained silent.

“Someone is trying to kill me. And apparently that someone is in my house.”

The hand that was hidden behind his back was numb and he clenched it tightly. Kang Il-hyun knows all the truths. How?

Il-hyun gently caressed Ja-kyung’s cheek.

“Explain it. After listening, I will decide whether to be deceived or not.”

There were about eight days until the promised date, but with the situation as it was, there wasn’t much to do. When Ja-kyung saw Il-hyun’s bright, smiling eyes, he realized it was pointless to try to get away with it. Ja-kyung pushed hard on Il-hyun’s shoulder. 

He eventually took a knife from his arms and attacked. Swish- The knife sliced through the air and attacked the underside of Il-hyun’s neck. Kang Il-hyun ducked his head to avoid the knife and defended himself by clutching Ja-kyung’s arm. 

Ja-kyung took the knife in his left hand and this time tried to slash Il-hyun’s arm. Ja-kyung pushed Kang Il-hyun against the wall with all his might while Kang Il-hyun grabbed his arm. Thump, Kang Il-hyun’s back smacked against the wall, and the tip of the knife stopped just below his neck. 

Ja-kyung pushed him hard, but the difference in physical strength was greater than he had anticipated. In a situation where their arms were crossed and they faced each other, Ja-kyung moved his left hand back and placed the tip of the knife in his palm. The tip of the knife gradually approached Il-hyun’s neck as he pressed it with force.

Kang Il-hyun’s expression remained unchanged as the knife was about to pierce his throat. He instead smiled coldly and relaxed.

“Do you think anything good will come of this?”

Il-hyun pushed Ja-kyung’s arm out with force after warning him. When pushed, Ja-kyung slammed his head into Kang Il-hyun’s face. Slam, he cursed and grabbed his nose. When the knife appeared again, Kang Il-hyun bowed his head to avoid it, then pushed Ja-kyung against the wall with a loud sound.

Kang Il-hyun quickly grabbed Ja-kyung’s wrist and twisted it. Ugh,  Ja-kyung frowned in pain. It was a situation in which his lower body was so close that kicking was impossible.

“Do it in moderation. Shouldn’t you be polite to your new employer?”

Ja-kyung paused at the word of the new employer.

“What are you talking about.”

“Did you not understand? I am announcing that your client has changed from my father to me.”

Ja-kyung’s expression became twisted. What the hell do you mean by this nonsense? No, more than that, Kang Il-hyun knows that his father is trying to kill him. Looking at his expression, he doesn’t seem to be joking.

“Dmitry? He was a good friend of mine.”

He laughed as he mentioned Dmitry. Ja-kyung’s face darkened noticeably when Kang Il-hyun mentioned the familiar name. It wasn’t something he was trying to say, no matter how he looked at it.

“So, can you put the knife away now? Before my patience runs out, huh?”

Their eyes were intricately intertwined. Wang Lun called Ja-kyung from the in-ear he was wearing at the time. Ja-kyung still pointed the knife and did not move.

[Ja-kyung. Are you listening to me?]

Il-hyun relaxed his body and looked at Ja-kyung with a more relaxed facial expression. Ja-kyung slowly walked away from him. Il-hyun leaned against the window, rubbed his nose, which had been hit a while ago, and frowned.

“I am listening. Talk.”

[Why are you getting it so late? Where are you now?]

“I’m not in the boat yet.”

[Shall I go back in?]

Ja-kyung’s eyes stayed on Kang Il-hyun.

“No. I’ll be out in a minute. Wait for me.”

Ja-kyung finished the radio talk but continued to be wary of Il-hyun. Il-hyun took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it behind the door, and handed it to Ja-kyung.

“Aren’t your lungs still good?”

Instead of accepting the cigarette, Ja-kyung looked at him.

“How did you know?”

“There are many ways to know. Instead, it cost quite a bit.”

“I haven’t heard of a change of employer.”

“That’s why I’m suggesting it myself right now.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of accepting your offer.”

Ja-kyung put strength in the hand holding the knife.

“Don’t hold the knife too hard. My talk is not over yet.”

“…”

“I’m not talking about killing my father. You just have to kill me as planned.”

Kang Il-hyun said something completely incomprehensible.

“What are you up to?”

“As I heard. Of course, I will give you a more generous price. I’ll also guarantee your safety in the future.”

Ja-kyung, who was arranging his words in his head came to a realization after a while. So Kang Il-hyun devised a plan to remove Chairman Kang from his position by getting killed. If he could figure out who Ja-kyung was, he’d already have proof that Chairman Kang had ordered it.  It seemed Ja-kyung have figured out what Il-hyun was after.

Il-hyun’s eyes gradually softened.

“I will give you time to think. It seems like your friend is waiting outside, so that’s it for today.”

“What if I refuse?”

“I don’t think so. You are smart. And you like money.”

Il-hyun, who had been staring at him with a smile, stepped forward unexpectedly. Ja-kyung strengthened the hand that held the knife. Il-hyun stopped in front of him and tilted his head. His eyes were terrifying. When he reached out, Ja-kyung hit his hand with the knife-wielding hand, and Il-hyun stretched his hand out again, removing the band-aid on Ja-kyung’s neck. 

Il-hyun’s eyes were strange when he saw the mark on his neck. Even when Ja-kyung pointed the tip of the knife at his neck a while ago, he acted calmly but his eyes became terribly fierce now. Ja-kyung pushed him away, grabbed the band-aid, and put it in place. Ja-kyung avoided Il-hyun’s gaze, but then he grabbed Ja-kyung’s neck as if he was going to strangle him.

“You must have had fun while I was away?”

His tone of voice was cold. Ja-kyung pushed his hand away and looked at him. Even though Ja-kyung still had no idea why Il-hyun was angry, Il-hyun raised the corners of his mouth and smiled nicely.

“Then shall we go? If we run into Choi Ki-tae, I think we’ll be in big trouble.”

But his eyes were like a midwinter storm.

***

Ja-kyung stood there for a long time, watching the water fall. Even though the smell of blood had been washed away by the seawater, it felt like it was rising from under his nose. As the crowd thinned, Kang Il-hyun led him up to the deck. The cruise was strangely quiet after the Chairman died.

As expected, Choi Ki-tae will conceal his father’s death for the time being in order to avoid agitating the guests. It was natural for the guests to be concerned as the rich man was murdered one by one. He climbed down the line under the cruise and swam to the boat that was anchored nearby.

Kang Il-hyun stood there and watched until Ja-kyung got on the boat safely.

Wang Lun approached Ja-kyung with a cigarette after he had finished washing and wiping the water. He had a handful of patches in his hand. Ja-kyung’s body was not stabbed with a knife, but there was no place without a scar. Furthermore, he was still in a state of chaos after escaping from the ship.

“What happened?”

Ja-kyung shook his head. Just in case, he called Wang Han after arriving at Wang Lun’s house, but he didn’t seem to know anything. He felt compelled to tell him everything. Kang Il-hyun was aware of everything, but what should we do? He stated that he had additional suggestions. Il-hyun also agreed to double the money. Then it became ten million dollars. It was about twelve billion Korean Won. It was an unimaginable amount.

Wang Lun applies ointment to Ja-kyung’s dry palm while he keeps his mouth shut and was lost in thought.

“Do you feel relieved?”

Ja-kyung lifted his head and looked at Wang Lun.

“Do you feel relieved after killing him?”

Ja-kyung didn’t answer. Wang Lun quickly tapped Ja-kyung on the shoulder. Then he brought Ja-kyung a blanket and wrapped it around him. Wang Lun’s phone rings as he cleaned out the paste and ointment on his hand. He approached Ja-kyung with a cheerful expression after checking the message.

“Look.”

Ja-kyung’s gaze was fixed on the phone screen. The children who had been brought from the factory a few days before were gathered in front of the camera. They didn’t smile brightly, but their faces appeared much more relaxed than before. A greeting message was sent, along with a statement that they are doing well.

“I’m so proud that I could die. It seems that they go to school and study.”

“That’s a relief.”

“The eldest name is Kim Joo-eun. She’s smart, so she’ll do well in her studies.”

The child who was carrying drugs and grabbed the stone to save the other children instead took the pencil. Ja-kyung smiled without realizing it as he thought the school uniform suit her so well.

“I sent the money you gave to the orphanage.”

“Well done.”

“And when the kids asked for your contact information, I politely declined.”

“Good.”

“Do you want me to send you the pictures often?”

Ja-kyung shook his head. No, don’t. One should play in a place that suits them. This was the place for Ja-kyung, and children should not step foot in this place. Wang Lun bid farewell and left the room after cleaning it up.

Ja-kyung, who was left alone, sat on the bed with his legs crossed and remained silent for a long time. The sun began to rise outside the window as time passed. Wang Lun’s snoring could be heard all the way here.

He tried to sleep, but his eyelids were still light he couldn’t sleep easily. His entire body ached from muscle aches, and his mind was muddled. Then he fell asleep and dreamed. Choi Moon-seong, who had died, and his son transformed into demons and chased him.

Kang Il-hyun with a gun appeared after he managed to escape from them. Ja-kyung fell down an endless cliff after the bullet he fired struck his heart. He opened his eyes and realized it was all a dream, but cold sweat ran down his back.

Damn it. He had only been asleep for about 3 hours when he awoke and checked the time. The sun was already shining brightly outside. A message came as Wang Lun opens the lid to drink the bottled water he left by his bedside. He hadn’t expected to get a message from Kang Il-hyun, but it was.

[Have you thought about it?]

Ja-kyung clenched his molars. He set his phone down without answering it, and it immediately rang again.

[I’ll pick you up when you’ve decided.]

His fingers stopped on the phone. He read the text several times. Chairman Kang would no longer be a problem if he quit now. As far as Kang Il-hyun found out, whatever choice he made was risky. Ja-kyung typed the message after much thought.

[Please come. I’ll wait.]