<116> Side Story. 8
Ja-kyeong hung upside down on exercise equipment, wearing only a pair of pants with his upper body bare, repeatedly doing sit-ups. With both hands interlocked behind his head, sweat dripped to the floor each time he raised his body, and the muscles in his abdomen stood out in sharp relief. Wang-han appeared late, opening the door with two bottles of mineral water in his hand.
"Wei, stop and drink some water."
"Mm."
Continuing the same motion while hanging upside down, it felt like his legs were cramping. He grabbed the bar and lowered himself down, breathing roughly as he picked up a towel. While wiping sweat and gulping down water, Kang Il-hyeon was watching from the window leading to the hallway, chin propped on his hand.
Startled, he almost spit out the water he was drinking. When did he get there? Wang-han, who was behind him starting to undress for exercise, answered Ja-kyeong's curiosity.
"He's been like that the whole time you were exercising."
He hadn't noticed at all. When he came out with the towel, Il-hyeon's gaze swept down Ja-kyeong's body then back up. Looks good. His eyes were exactly like those of a street ruffian. Then he came right up close and affectionately brushed aside his sweat-soaked bangs.
"Working out hard these days?"
Ja-kyeong took another sip of water and replied without hesitation.
"If I work out and get bigger, I'll be on top."
In other words, he was saying he would be the one putting it in. Il-hyeon snorted as if it was ridiculous.
"Right. They say the younger you are, the bigger you should dream."
"It's not a joke. Always me! It's unfair!"
"For something unfair, you seemed to like it a hell of a lot."
"...."
"Two days ago too, you rolled your eyes back and went under."
He couldn't deny it. Instead, when he frowned, a hand suddenly reached out and flicked Ja-kyeong's nipple. Ja-kyeong's ears turned red as he slapped Il-hyeon's hand away with the towel he was holding. Don't touch. As he headed to the bathroom to shower, Il-hyeon followed. Come to think of it, he seemed to have mentioned having plans this evening, so he wondered why he was still at home.
"Didn't you say you were eating out?"
"I still have time."
"Going to meet that prosecutor?"
Il-hyeon looked at Ja-kyeong and smiled. He hadn't said anything, yet he knew—sure enough, he was quick on the uptake. It was nothing new for Prosecutor Jang Tae-ho to be digging into his past. Yet he had left him alone because he knew that no matter how much the man struggled, he couldn't do anything.
However, this time he crossed the line. It wasn't that he was curious why he had chased after Lee Ja-kyeong. He simply couldn't tolerate another man showing interest in Lee Ja-kyeong.
Ja-kyeong, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped and looked back.
"Is that prosecutor famous?"
"No. Why?"
"But why does he look familiar."
Il-hyeon chuckled.
"He has a common face."
Ja-kyeong's lips moved slightly then quickly closed. Honestly, it wasn't a common face—he was on the handsome side—but if he said that, Kang Il-hyeon might cancel today's evening plans and confine him to the room to torment him.
"That's right. A common face."
The answer seemed to please him. With a proud expression like a puppy successfully extending its front paw, he stroked his head. At times like this, he really was a person whose inner thoughts were completely transparent.
"Want to shower together?"
"No."
The purpose seemed obvious, so he refused immediately. Since he followed, he pushed him out of the bedroom and entered the bathroom. He was about to wash his face when he stopped and quietly gazed at his own face in the mirror. Yesterday he ran into that prosecutor at the department store, and upon arriving home, the first thing he did was show his ID to Wang-han and Wang-ryun. As soon as they saw the photo, Wang-ryun said:
[Doesn't he look a lot like Wei? I'm not sure about the eyes, but the nose and mouth are quite similar.]
Wang-han, who had no eye for such things, agreed and chimed in. Ja-kyeong didn't put much meaning into those words. They said similar things whenever handsome actors appeared on TV. "That actor, doesn't he look like Wei?"
But for an ordinary person, and a prosecutor who was on bad terms with Kang Il-hyeon at that, to be said to resemble him felt quite strange.
Suddenly, he became curious whether Kang Il-hyeon would meet him today and have the same thought.
***
Jang Tae-ho, who had parked his car in the parking lot, sighed as he looked at the building before him. He had ended up coming here after all. He had refused to come, only to hear the section chief threaten to strip him of his position. Kang Il-hyeon didn't want to have a meal with him. He just wanted to humiliate him.
The section chief, having received confirmation that he would come, had nagged him endlessly to do well today. His steps were heavy as he passed through the main gate and entered. The quite old traditional Korean restaurant evoked an antique atmosphere. Following the guidance of a staff member who had come out in advance, he headed inside.
Walking along the corridor, the staff member turned left and stopped before the innermost room. Haha, he could hear boisterous laughter. The section chief prosecutor who had thrown documents at him and raged this morning was now laughing out loud as if something was so amusing.
The staff member knocked and opened the door, and the three people in conversation instantly fell quiet. The section chief prosecutor asked why he was so late, checking on him first. After exchanging greetings, he was about to sit down when the deputy chief prosecutor subtly made room. As if they had conspired together, the two were perfectly coordinated. Thanks to that, he ended up sitting across from Kang Il-hyeon.
Kang Il-hyeon greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Long time no see. Prosecutor Jang. It's been a year, right? Or is this the second time?"
"Yes... It's been a while."
It was uncomfortable. The seat felt like a bed of thorns, making him shift his hips. The section chief prosecutor seated next to Kang Il-hyeon sent him a look meaning to do well. Kang Il-hyeon picked up a liquor bottle and held it out. Please receive a drink.
"No thank you. I'll have the car brought..."
"Hey now. I said this guy is like this. Come on. Are you going to keep making Representative Kang's hand look bad? You can just call a proxy driver for the car."
With the deputy chief prosecutor's glare, he had no choice but to pick up the liquor cup. Pale yellow liquor filled the small porcelain cup. Turning his body to drink, his esophagus burned and his chest felt raw. For someone who couldn't handle alcohol, liquor was no different from poison. As expected, his neck quickly turned red and his ears burned.
"Our Prosecutor Jang can't hold his liquor. Sorry. I must have made a mistake."
At Il-hyeon's words, the section chief and deputy chief prosecutors said that was just how this friend was, half-jokingly and half-seriously asking Representative Kang to look kindly upon him.
"Am I in any position to say that? I'm the one who wants to ask our Prosecutor Jang for favors."
Please treat me well. Don't hate him too much. Kang Il-hyeon smiled smoothly and even bowed his head slightly.
Next to them, the deputy chief prosecutor waved it off, saying there was no need for that. The atmosphere was amiable. But Jang Tae-ho's expression grew increasingly dark. Whether it was from the liquor he just drank or the damn atmosphere, his stomach kept churning. Even loosening his tie didn't help.
Unable to bear it, he hurriedly stood up, and six eyes focused on him.
"I apologize. I urgently need to use the restroom."
After excusing himself, he left the room. Hurrying to find the restroom, the damn restaurant was so large the corridors branched off endlessly. After wandering around, he finally found the restroom, and upon entering, immediately grabbed the toilet bowl and began vomiting.
Having eaten nothing properly, only the liquor he had just drunk and thin gastric juice poured out. His nose stung. Ah, fuck. He straightened up and stood before the sink. His eyes were bloodshot. He rinsed his mouth and washed his face several times. The moment he lifted his head to wipe off the water, his movement stopped.
Kang Il-hyeon was leaning against the restroom wall right behind him, cigarette in his mouth, staring straight at him. With his arms crossed, his expression was perfectly relaxed, but his eyes had changed slightly from when they were in the room.
Jang Tae-ho tried his best to ignore him as he pulled out a hand towel to wipe the water from his face.
"Your stomach must be very upset. I shouldn't have suggested dinner."
He turned around and faced him. Kang Il-hyeon straightened his body and slowly approached. Whether it was his height or his aura, the intimidation was considerable. He pulled Jang Tae-ho's wallet from his pants pocket and held it before his eyes. But when he reached out to grab the wallet, he snatched it back. Jang Tae-ho's eyes turned fierce.
"What are you doing? Are you playing with me?"
Kang Il-hyeon took a deep drag of cigarette smoke. As his cheeks hollowed, his expression grew even fiercer. He exhaled the smoke into the air and slowly opened his mouth.
"Prosecutor Jang, what exactly are you trying to do with me? Why do you arbitrarily climb over other people's walls?"
"You set this whole thing up!"
As he grit his teeth and retorted, Kang Il-hyeon's face came even closer. His eyes, meeting his from about a hand's span away, flashed with murderous intent. Jang Tae-ho stumbled backward until he was blocked by the sink, unable to advance or retreat. With eyes like a beast about to tear out his throat, he gave a chilling smile.
"Prosecutor, you think the law is something grand, don't you?"
"...."
"But do you know something?"
This time, cigarette smoke was blown onto Prosecutor Jang's face.
"That I am above that law."
"...."
"Next time, this won't be how it ends."
"Are you threatening me right now?"
Kang Il-hyeon smiled as if pitying him, brought his lips close to the side of Prosecutor Jang's face, and whispered. His voice was no different from his eyes—cold.
"You really don't understand. I don't make threats with words, Prosecutor."
His fingertips froze. He had met countless bad men, but this one was of a different quality entirely.
"...."
Kang Il-hyeon placed the wallet he was holding into Prosecutor Jang's pocket, then flicked the cigarette onto the floor. Of all things, the cigarette butt hit the top of Kang Il-hyeon's shoe and fell. Ah, fuck. Looking at his soiled shoe, Kang Il-hyeon cursed, then turned back to look at Prosecutor Jang as he was about to leave.
"Prosecutor. You were planning to apologize to me today, right?"
"...."
He pointed with a nod to his right foot where the cigarette butt had fallen.
"Then how about getting on your knees right now and polishing my shoe?"
Prosecutor Jang clenched his teeth.
"Licking it would be even better."
The moment he couldn't hold back any longer and clenched his fist, Il-hyeon chuckled. A joke. Why so serious? How embarrassing for you. Then he leisurely opened the door and disappeared. Left alone, Prosecutor Jang gripped the wallet returned to him so tightly it crumpled.
A sense of powerlessness washed over him. In reality, justice does not triumph. While that devil-like man toyed with him, he could do nothing to respond. His stomach hurt not just because of the liquor. With a bitter smile, he late adjusted his clothes and gazed at his own face in the mirror, sharpening the blade in his heart.
Kang Il-hyeon. Just you wait. Someday, I will definitely repay this debt.