TTD Ch 50

“Did you not sleep?”

Kang Yoo-jung looked at Il-hyun’s complexion and asked with a worried expression.

“No. I’m feeling nauseous because I’ve been forced to smile at people I don’t want to see since the morning.”

Kang Yoo-jung tried to smile as she looked around at his sharp tone. It was a good day for the inauguration ceremony, but Kang Il-hyun’s expression was so grim that he looked like he had come to attend a funeral. Kang Il-hyun, who was greeting the crowd, eventually asked Kang Yoo-jung for headache medicine, which she pulled from her bag and handed to him.

Il-hyun went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water after taking medicine to avoid people’s eyes. He checked the time while pressing his temples against his throbbing headache. There are about 40 minutes until work time. He wiped the water from his face and looked in the mirror at himself. Perhaps his eyes were sharper than usual because he didn’t get enough sleep the night before.

He stopped for a moment, checked the condition of the bulletproof vest he was wearing beneath his shirt, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out his cell phone. And he called somewhere.

“It’s me.”

[Yes, Director, please tell me.]

“Are you waiting?”

[I’m right downstairs.]

Il-hyun was silent for a moment. Park Tae-soo patiently waited for his orders.

“Let him live for now. Even if I kill him, I’ll do it myself.”

[I understand.]

He smiled in despair as he hung up the phone. He must be insane. It would be easier to just kill him. He was going to kill him after seeing him one more time just because he thought he was pretty. Crazy bastard. He pulled out a hand towel, wiped the water off his face, tossed it into the trash can, and exited the bathroom.

As he walked out, Chairman Kang appeared in the distance with Kim Seon-young and Kang Seok-joo. Il-hyun casually approached him and smiled.

“You’re here, Father.”

“Yeah, you’ve prepared a lot.”

“Representative Yoon and Minister Park have been waiting for you since a while ago.”

Chairman Kang smiled and nodded, then went inside with Kim Seon-young. Kang Seok-joo glanced at him and then followed Chairman Kang.  Kang Il-hyun’s eyes became cold when he looked at Chairman Kang’s back. Enjoy it to the fullest while you can. Father.

***

Ja-kyung relaxed his muscles by moving his neck left and right. He moved in front of the window after loosening his arms and legs moderately. The tinted windows were invisible from the outside. He positioned the gun on the bipod and drew the muzzle out the window. Wang Lun’s voice came from the In-ear.

[Are you ready?]

“Yes. How about you, hyung?”

[I’m waiting downstairs. Can you see the blue van?]

Ja-kyung went to the right and checked the roadside. Wang Lun’s car is waiting next to a blue van parked in front of the cafe.

“I see it.”

There were 20 minutes left. To calm his mind, he took a piece of gum and chewed it slowly. He sat down by the window and waited for the time to pass. He couldn’t help but think of Kang Il-hyun’s face as he closed his eyes. He shook his head and wiped his forehead. He then tried to imagine something else. The island where he will live, a pretty wife and cute children to spend his time with, and… Kang Il-hyun…?

Why was he there? Ja-kyung frowned and waved his arms around. Go away. He intended to stop thinking about him, but the angry smirk on his face never faded.

“Fuck.”

Ja-kyung stood up from his seat after swearing. It was now time to get to work. He put his eye on the scope and pointed it at the building where Kang Il-hyun was. He saw faces passing through the window. And then Kang Il-hyun entered the scope.

It was soon time for Il-hyun to appear and deliver his inaugural speech. He breathed slowly. Among the guests, there was Kang Yoo-jung, and there were quite a few familiar figures including Chairman Kang and Kang Seok-joo. 

Kang Il-hyun stood up after Chairman Kang’s greetings. As he walked out onto the podium, he took a seat in front of the microphone and began to speak. Even though he wasn’t particularly fashionable, he was particularly dazzling today.

Kang Il-hyun walked out of the podium after completing his inaugural speech. The gun, which was aimed at Il-hyun’s face, began to move downward. Ja-kyung slowly stopped breathing. Il-hyun politely bowed to the crowd. The muzzle went further down past the heart. And the moment Kang Il-hyun raised his head, Ja-kyung pulled the trigger.

Baang, the bullet that flew through the window pierced his left thigh.

Kang Il-hyun staggered and stepped back, and everyone in the room stood up at once. The bodyguards rushed in, and the blinds began to fall in an instant. Ja-kyung took advantage of the little gap, pulling the lever to remove the cartridge case and firing the second bullet.

The second bullet struck his right thigh. He collapsed uncontrollably as blood spurted from his wounds. Ja-kyung couldn’t see anything because all of the windows were closed. Ja-kyung took his gaze away from the scene and exhaled a breath he had been holding in.

Bang Bang. The front door rattled as though he had anticipated it. The men’s shouts could be heard coming from this direction through the door. Bang! Bang! Bang!  The sound of someone knocking on the door with a hard object could be heard.

Ja-kyung took two smoke grenades out of his waist, pressed the button, and rolled them over.  After some time, the view was blocked by smoke that quickly increased. The door was broken open at the same moment the rope was fastened to his waistline.

Ja-kyung immediately went to the window and hurled himself out when he heard footsteps approaching. The body emerged from the building after the windows were broken. The body that was thrown out was recoiled and flew to the window downstairs, and Ja-kyung slammed into the window, rolled over, and landed on the floor.

People working in the office screamed in surprise.

Ja-kyung swiftly exited the office and began rushing towards the emergency exit after cutting the rope with a knife. He could hear shouting and footsteps from above as he descended the stairs. His ears were being torn apart by the sound of bullets hitting the stair railing.

Several men came up from below as he descended. Ja-kyung grabbed the railing and leaped up to kick the man. He then immediately pulled out a knife and stabbed their arms and legs with it. Someone attempted to shoot him from below, so Ja-kyung quickly turned the man who was stabbed by his knife into a shield while grabbing the knife and hurling it at the person holding the gun, stabbing him in the neck.

There were a lot more than he had anticipated. Ja-kyung fled from the emergency exit after determining that it would be tough to escape the situation. When he opened the door to the office and entered, people screamed at the sight of Ja-kyung covered in blood.

Ja-kyung picked up the chair and threw it into the window, then ran and climbed up the window sill. The men who were chasing Ja-kyung also armed themselves and ran into the office.  The men who were chasing Ja-kyung also armed themselves and ran into the office. The office soon became chaotic. Ja-kyung jumped downwards.

He broke the glass after falling on top of the parked car. Ja-kyung tumbled down and scurried under the car as a bullet shot into him directly from above. He could clearly see bullets splashing on the asphalt floor.

Just then, Wang Lun’s voice came through the In-ear.

[Where are you?]

“The entrance to the back door parking lot. Come quickly!”

A car pulled up to the side and stopped abruptly after the words were finished. Ja-kyung rolled over and hastily entered the car once Wang Lun opened the door. Kang Il-hyun’s men mercilessly fired their guns from above, shattering the windshield.

However, Wang Lun didn’t care and started to get out of there at high speed. Ja-kyung took a deep breath and sat back down. He didn’t feel discomfort in his arm until much later, and when he looked at it, he saw that it was covered in blood.

Wang Lun asked with a worried expression next to him.

“Are you alright?”

“It’s okay. A little scratched.”

Wang Lun looked in the rearview mirror and spat out a cuss. A frightening amount of black cars chased after. He was glad it wasn’t rush hour. The car that was pursuing them was also accelerating if he did, and there was no indication that it was going to slow down as he drove while dodging the pursuing cars.

“I think those bastards are getting close.”

Wang Lun’s face shone with excitement. Ja-kyung reached back and grabbed an automatic rifle from the back seat. A tunnel entrance could be seen up ahead. Ja-kyung had no expression on his face while holding the magazine. The chasing cars closely followed Wang Lun as he slowed down in front of the tunnel, thinking this to be a moment of opportunity.

Bang, bang, bullets pierced the back window and struck the seat resulting in chaos. Wang Lun bowed his head to avoid the bullet and regretted not having installed bulletproof glass sooner. Ja-kyung used his foot to kick the cracked glass and tear it off before signaling Wang Lun in the center of the tunnel.

“Let’s start.”

Wang Lun hurriedly turned the steering wheel.  The car made a quick spin with a ripping and screeching sound before shifting in to backward. Via the open windshield, Ja-kyung fired his gun mercilessly.

The bullets fired incessantly flew through the windows and wheels of the following car.  The cars lost control, stumbled, collided with one another, and ultimately flipped. The car that followed smashed into and halted as smoke ascended.

Wang Lun laughed loudly as he quickly spun the steering wheel all the way around to return the car body to its previous state.

“As expected, Lee Ja-kyung.”

He reached out to fist bump, but Ja-kyung, who was worn out, tossed the gun back and put his head on the seat. The open windshield let in a humid wind that carried the smell of blood. Even though this smell was familiar to him, he gets more nauseated today. He pulled out a cigarette and closed his eyes.

I’m sick of this. I’m sick of this smell now.

He remembered Kang Il-hyun’s previous appearance quite clearly and smiled bitterly.

You brought it on yourself. After all, you tried to kill me too.