TTD Ch 8

Ja-kyung stood in front of the bathroom mirror after wiping the water off his body. His body was covered in scars. The majority of the wounds were knife wounds, and there were also traces of gunshot wounds to the shoulder.  He put on his glasses after putting on a shirt and pants with a broad width that he had brought in.

The glasses included a small camera attached to the frame so that the inside of the house and other objects could be recorded and forwarded to Wang Han. After putting on his glasses, he took out his phone and called Wang Han’s number.

As soon as the signal came in, he answered the phone and a voice came from the other end. You can imagine how worried he must be after sending Ja-kyung to Korea.

[Did you arrive safely?] 

“Yeah. I’m at Kang Il-hyun’s house now.” 

[But what is the noise?] 

“The bathroom. There are CCTV cameras all over the house, so I can’t even talk on the phone.” 

[I see. How do you feel about seeing Kang Il-hyun in person?]  

Ja-kyung remembered the man who had stayed in his room a while ago. 

“He looks better in person than in the picture.” 

[And?] 

“He is more dangerous than I imagined.”

[He’s no ordinary guy. Be careful not to be noticed.] 

Ja-kyung lowered his gaze to his palms. He looked at the calluses and looked up to see himself in the mirror. Kang Il-hyun didn’t ask any more questions after learning that he studied art. He wasn’t sure if it meant he entirely believed it or if there were ulterior motives, but just having his suspicions could lead to a dangerous situation. 

“Did you say the inauguration ceremony is in three weeks?” 

[Exactly 20 days left.] 

“Until then, I’m not going to meet him as much as I can.”

Kang Il-hyun was promoted from managing director to representative director 20 days later. Even though he was young, it was a remarkable promotion. The client requested that Kang Il-hyun be killed at the inauguration ceremony. He wanted him to die in a crowded place. They generally had a profound animosity or revenge while pointing to a specific location or a location with a large number of people.

He hadn’t seen it before today, but considering Kang Il-hyun’s behaviors, he could understand the feelings of the person who commissioned it.

“I mean, you pissed people off.” 

[Me?] 

“No, there’s someone.” 

[Ja-kyung.]

“Yes.” 

Wang Han hesitated for a moment. Ja-kyung guessed what he was going to say. 

[If you don’t think it’s a good thing, let’s wash our hands now. I’ll talk to Dmitry.] 

Wang Han was still hesitant even after sending Ja-kyung to Korea. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to finish it and go back.” 

A small sigh was heard over the phone. 

“Should I buy you a gift at the duty-free shop?”

[I don’t need that, take care of yourself. If anything happens, call me right away.] 

“Okay.” 

After hanging up the phone, Ja-kyung double-checked his clothes before heading outside. He proceeded deliberately, oblivious to the CCTV camera set in the room. After opening the luggage and organizing the clothing he had packed, he climbed onto the bed.

He then took the book from the shelf and opened it. Wang Han handed him the book because he said he needed to look like a model student, but if he reads constantly, he would get bored reading, so he couldn’t read the letters. He forced himself to read a few pages before falling asleep and waking up several times. 

***  

Closed rooms appeared everywhere after traveling over the long hallway. He was led to the innermost room by the staff. Three men were already in the room when he opened the sliding door. They were the shipping group’s directors, and they assisted Kang Hoon in organizing and establishing the company. They were also the ones that wanted Kang Tae-han, the eldest son, to succeed him.

“I’m a little late. I’m sorry.”

Il-hyun took a seat and sat down after bowing politely. The three directors, who had been standing, sat down and exchanged awkward glances. They came because Kang Il-hyun requested it, but it was never a pleasant place to dine.

Il-hyun ignored the awkward atmosphere and wiped his hands with the towel provided by the staff.

“I’m not sure why Director Kang insisted on seeing us.”

Director Kim, who had the most power among the three, asked.

“It’s nothing special. I just remembered that I haven’t eaten with the directors lately.”

The three of them exchanged secret glances. Before coming here, the three of them made a promise to each other that no matter what happened, Kang Il-hyun would not be pushed to be the next president. This was most likely due to the fact that the eldest son, Kang Tae-han’s maternal grandfather, was a member of the National Assembly, and while he had resigned from his current position, he still wielded power and made significant contributions to the company.

However, Kang Il-hyun had no family to support him. His mother was almost forced to marry Kang Hoon because of her father’s debt. Maybe she didn’t like it, so she was intoxicated throughout the marriage. She committed suicide one day, leaving her child behind.

The food was set while they were having a conversation about work. Il-hyun took a bottle of booze and poured it into their glasses. The conversation went smoothly, contrary to the three’s expectations. As the awkward atmosphere slowly dissipated with alcohol, someone knocked on the door. 

Park Tae-soo walked in right away, sat down, and took the paperwork from his bag.

The document was presented to the three directors in front of Il-hyun.

“What is this?” 

“This is the agreement document for the safe transfer.”

Director Kim read the document’s contents one by one. Chairman Kang Hoon and four directors had a place where they kept enormous sums of cash and gold bars, as well as laundered and dispersed the company’s back money. However, police and prosecutors recently became aware of the situation and began digging in, forcing the place to be relocated.

He wasn’t sure why Kang Il-hyun dared to reveal what he knew ahead of time over a meal. The names of the four directors were also listed in order on the agreement form, but the fourth director, Yoon Kyung-hwan, did not even show up today.

“Why did you bring this today? Director Yoon isn’t even here.”

He didn’t know what was going on, but Yoon Kyung-hwan has lost contact since yesterday evening. 

“Are you still having trouble getting through to him?”

“It’s just the way it is. What is he doing in this situation?”

“I’m sure he’s playing with some woman somewhere. I’ve seen him like that before.”

Il-hyun, who was listening to the three people’s conversation, laughed silently. 

“You don’t have to be concerned about Director Yoon’s signature.”

Il-hyun winked at Tae-soo, who was sitting next to him. Tae-soo pulled a little box from his luggage and placed it on the table. The three directors looked at the box with curious eyes. Tae-soo lifted the lid, and Il-hyun reached inside.

“Aah!” 

The other two, including Director Kim, had twisted faces. What Il-hyun took out of the box was someone’s finger. The cut finger’s knuckle was covered in dried blood.

“Y-, you!” 

“Director Yoon was unable to attend, so I brought this instead.” 

“No way! No way, you!”

“Tae-soo, stamp pad.” 

When Park Tae-soo pulled out the red stamp pad and opened the lid, Il-hyun smeared Director Yoon’s fingerprint on it. He was unconcerned about the three persons who had turned white.

“Is that the right thumb?” 

“Yes.” 

Kang Il-hyun stamped the thumbprint at the bottom of the agreement form, next to Director Yoon’s name. He then wiped his hands with a wet towel after putting the finger in the glass. The three of them became pale and focused solely on the fingers in the glass.

Director Kim, the first of the three to come to his senses, raised his voice.

“What exactly are you doing? How could you make a silly joke!”

Il-hyun stared at Director Kim. Did he look like he was joking? 

Indignant at Kang Il-hyun serpent-like eyes, Director Kim kicked off his seat and stood up. 

“I’m leaving. I’ll go straight to the president and inform him!”

Il-hyun took out the finger from the glass and threw it on the plate in front of him, then poured the drink into his mouth. Director Kim’s eyes trembled slightly when he saw it. Tak, Il-hyun made a glum expression as he set the glass down.

“Director Yoon provided a foundation for the guys who sold logs.” 

Director Kim flinched as he listened. Log trading was an abbreviation for organ trafficking. Il-hyun’s gaze rose to meet Director Kim’s. Director Park and Director Choi, who was sitting next to one another, appeared completely clueless, while Director Kim did not. Il-hyun had the impression, based on the confused expression on his face, that he had also contributed.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” 

Fucking old man. You’re pretending to be innocent.

“I hope you don’t know until the very end.  How devastated would my father’s heart be if I cut Director Kim’s finger? Right?”

“You’re disrespectful.

While Kang Il-hyun and Director Kim were disputing, the other two appeared to be debating whose side to take. Following the confrontation, Il-hyun rose from his seat, picking up the jacket he had taken off initially. Director Kim’s clenched fists trembled. 

Chairman Kang Hoon was doing illegal things behind closed doors, but there were a few things he would not accept. One of them was the business of buying and selling organs. Director Yoon was the first to break the rule, intending to use the money to open a casino in Namhae.

“It would be better for the three of you to eat today. This uninvited guest will leave.” 

Looking at his leisurely smile, Director Kim finally couldn’t stand it and shout. 

“Do you think the president will make you his successor because of this? Don’t even dream about it.” 

Il-hyun still smiled and respectfully greeted the three of them before exiting the room. His smile vanished as the door closed behind him. Inside the closed door, not even the sound of breathing can be heard. It was evident that many old people like snakes were beating on calculators in their heads right now.

However, this will prevent them from acting hastily. Because there was no way their fate could differ from that of Director Yoon.