<109> Extra. 1
A man stared intently at photographs attached to a white board. Several photos were posted there, with Kang Il-hyun in the center, and beneath the face of Chairman Kang next to him, the red letters "DECEASED" were prominently written.
The man looked at the photo he was holding. He tried to find even a small clue about this man who had been frequently spotted with Kang Il-hyun recently, but it wasn't as easy as he thought. He called out to the administrative officer who was examining documents nearby.
"Administrative Officer Park. What did you say this man's name was?"
Administrative Officer Park looked at the single photo Prosecutor Jang held out. His flashy features were handsome enough to be mistaken for an actor. At first, she thought he might be an entertainer signed to Kang Il-hyun's company, but as scenes of him with Kang Il-hyun were frequently captured, her curiosity grew.
Administrative Officer Park handed Prosecutor Jang a document. The man's personal information was written there.
"His name is Yang Seon-woo. He grew up under ordinary parents, graduated from college, and was exempted from military service due to a chronic illness. We know he's staying at Kang Il-hyun's house, but no matter how much we dig, nothing else comes out."
Hmm. Prosecutor Jang's eyes narrowed. Kang Il-hyun's closest confidant, Park Tae-soo, was a former special forces operative who worked as a mercenary before becoming Kang Il-hyun's right-hand man. But this man named Yang Seon-woo—no matter how much they dug, they couldn't find even a hair's worth of information about where this bastard came from.
"Please look into it more. Even the smallest thing would be good."
Administrative Officer Park sighed. Already, higher-ups were pressuring them not to touch Kang Il-hyun. They had indicted him on several charges, but all resulted in non-prosecution decisions. Pressure was coming not just from the chief prosecutor but from even higher up, and if they kept pushing, they would only fall out of favor.
"Prosecutor. If the chief finds out, there will really be trouble."
"I know. That's why I said I'm asking you secretly."
Administrative Officer Park, who had sighed, hesitated for a moment.
"This is just a rumor, but..."
Prosecutor Jang's eyes lit up as he leaned on his desk and looked at her. Since she was famous as someone with connections throughout the prosecutor's office, it wouldn't be a completely baseless rumor.
"They say he's Chairman Kang's lover."
Prosecutor Jang's thick eyebrows twitched. Eh? He looked at her with an expression that said it was ridiculous, and she shrugged her shoulders, saying it was nothing more than a rumor. Prosecutor Jang stared at the photo of Yang Seon-woo he was holding, then attached it next to Kang Il-hyun.
He crossed his arms again and looked back and forth between the two. Then he went to his desk, sorted through several photos of the two together, and flipped through them one by one. Six months ago, he had investigated Kang Il-hyun as a witness, and that infuriating appearance of him smiling and trampling on people was nowhere to be found.
Hmm. He held out the photo for Administrative Officer Park to see.
"Who did you say took this photo?"
"Reporter Yoon, my junior."
"Can you set up a meeting? I have something to ask."
Administrative Officer Park, who let out a small sigh, reluctantly nodded. He would find him anyway once he made up his mind, even if she didn't tell him.
Sprinklers were running in various spots across the well-maintained golf course grass. Summer had approached in full stride, and flowers were blooming extravagantly everywhere. Director Kim, Director Park, and Director Choi were enjoying golf at their leisure. The young ladies who had come with them were livening up the atmosphere, shouting "Nice shot" every time the ball was hit.
"Director Kim, how do you get more energetic as you age?"
"Come on, why? I've been eating a lot of good things lately, that's why."
Director Kim wrapped his arm around the waist of a young lady next to him and pulled her toward him. Amidst the sound of cackling laughter, a golf cart was coming down a hill in the distance at a frightening speed. Director Choi, who spotted it first, clicked his tongue.
"What kind of crazy bastard drives like that?"
But the cart was cutting across the lawn, heading toward them. Director Choi frowned as he walked forward, then stopped short. The cart that had come right up to them didn't slow down, and Director Choi and Director Kim's faces turned pale as they belatedly discovered the driver.
To avoid the charging cart, the group of people scattered to both sides, and Director Choi, whose feet got tangled, fell ungracefully onto the lawn. Director. His secretary hurriedly tried to help him up, but couldn't do anything about the embarrassment already spread wide.
Kang Il-hyun got out of the stopped cart with a cigarette in his mouth and a bored expression. At his sudden appearance, the atmosphere turned cold as if cold water had been thrown on it. Il-hyun took a club from the golf bag the caddy was holding and swung it broadly right in front of Director Choi. Argh, Director Choi screamed involuntarily, and the golf ball at his feet flew far away with great force.
Il-hyun flicked the cigarette he was holding to the side and smiled coldly.
"Nice shot."
The faces of the three directors darkened rapidly. The fact alone that he, who should be at the company, had come here was ominous. The three avoided his gaze and hung their heads like people who had committed crimes. Il-hyun planted the golf club he was holding on the ground and watched them one by one with a crooked look.
"Having fun during work hours, I see."
Director Kim hurriedly stepped forward.
"W-well, actually, we had an appointment with Assemblyman Seo, but it was canceled, so..."
"If it was canceled, you should have come to the company to work."
"......"
"Do you think I pay your salaries so you can goof around here?"
The three were left speechless. When Chairman Kang was alive, the three could accumulate wealth without doing much work because they were founding members. But after the company fell into Kang Il-hyun's hands, everything changed.
At first, when he conducted a major personnel overhaul under the pretext of organizational restructuring, they didn't understand why the three of them were left behind. But it didn't take long to figure out. It was so he could torment and harass them like this, time and again. Thanks to that, every day felt like their lifeline was shortening.
The three indicated they would rather resign, but it didn't work at all. When told that if they were going to do that, they should vomit up everything they had secretly embezzled and then leave, all three ended up having to stay in their seats.
The golf club pointed at Director Kim, Director Choi, and Director Park in turn like a sword.
"If you really have nothing to do, clean the company."
"......"
"Your father in heaven would be so sad to see this. Wouldn't he?"
Kang Il-hyun asked with an upset face. But the three knew. Others might think it was just a rumor, but they knew that Chairman Kang's sudden death was Kang Il-hyun's doing.
"Or would you three like to go with him?"
Il-hyun smiled meaningfully and glanced at the sky. All three felt chills run down their spines, and their expressions darkened.
"Just kidding. A joke."
He casually stuck the golf club back into the bag with a thunk. Then he went to the cart where Park Tae-soo was waiting, sat in the driver's seat, waved his hand, and drove off immediately. Watching the cart return the way it came, the three simultaneously breathed sighs of relief.
Director Choi, supporting his trembling legs, pointed his finger at the retreating Kang Il-hyun.
"That damn bastard, that..."
Then Director Kim spat on the ground. Ptooey.
"Let's go. My desire to play golf has completely vanished."
***
"Should I kill them?"
Tae-soo only looked in the rearview mirror once and didn't answer. Il-hyun looked out the window and exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke. It was somewhat amusing to torment the directors who were eyesores just by looking at them, but keeping them around for too long carried significant risk. Still, he kept them alive because they were still useful. There were quite a few political and business figures connected to them, and they were useful for handling troublesome aftermath.
"Right. It's not time yet."
He mumbled to himself as he took out his phone to check. He had sent a message to Lee Ja-kyung, but there was no reply. His mood was unsettled. Part of the reason he came here today to torment the three directors was because of Lee Ja-kyung.
Wang Ryun and Wang Han had gone on a trip to Macau a week ago and still hadn't returned. They were definitely supposed to come back today, but something must have happened—suddenly, a day ago, they changed their words, and last night they contacted him saying they'd probably need to stay two more days.
He told them to go ahead, but his mood wasn't good at all.
He made a video call. The signal went through. After a few rings, Lee Ja-kyung's face filled the screen. Perhaps having just woken up, his hair was messy and his eyes were swollen. After rubbing his face, Ja-kyung smiled bashfully at the screen.
[Hello, Chairman.]
The terrible mood that had been there at the sight of his smiling face melted away like snow. Even he thought it was pathetic, and a self-deprecating laugh burst out. The video moved and the sound of rustling sheets was heard. Il-hyun, who was watching the screen intently, gestured for him to turn the camera. Ja-kyung, seemingly used to this, showed the spot next to the bed and the room, then scowled.
[Hysterical jealousy.]
Il-hyun smiled as if hurt.
"Don't be like that. I'm holding back like crazy from chasing after you."
Ugh, Ja-kyung made a strange sound and recoiled. Then he shook himself and stood up. Looking at his bare upper body with nothing on, Il-hyun moved his tongue inside his mouth. Ah, it's already been over a week since he held that body.
[Are you on your way to work?]
Il-hyun nodded barely perceptibly. In his heart, he wanted to capture and confine him, but Lee Ja-kyung originally had wild instincts. He had no intention of forcibly suppressing that. He just thought that the person holding the leash should always be himself.
"I miss you."
The sincerity he blurted out was steeped in longing. He didn't want to do something childish like pestering him about when he'd return, but seeing his face made him want to chase after him right now. With a face still not fully awake from sleep, Lee Ja-kyung planted a kiss on the screen. Chu. I miss you too.
Now his expressions of affection were quite natural. Even that satisfied him so much that his smile wouldn't stop.