<28>
Jagyung peeked her face over the wall. No one was visible in the yard. She had managed to avoid the CCTV cameras here and there to reach beneath the wall, but climbing over was the problem. First, she climbed over the wall and landed on the grass.
Suddenly, a growling sound was heard. When she slowly raised her head, two gleaming eyes flashed before her. The beast, drooling and baring its sharp teeth, was Kang Il-hyun's dog that had supposedly been trained to kill people.
She carefully stepped backward. Her back touched the wall. As she slowly moved sideways looking for a chance to escape, the beast suddenly lunged. Jagyung started running along the wall. Woof, woof—the sound of barking echoed through the night sky.
"Aah, shit!"
No matter how fast a human could run 100 meters in 11 seconds, they couldn't outrun a dog running at an average speed of 50-60 km/h. She tried turning sharply to run in the opposite direction, but it was useless. The distance kept closing, and she was about to get bitten on the buttocks.
Whistle—a whistling sound made the dog change direction and run toward the house entrance. Jagyung bent over, breathing roughly. Nausea rose up, and her heart felt like it would burst. They say pet dogs resemble their owners—its nasty temperament was exactly like Kang Il-hyun.
She barely straightened up when Kang Il-hyun walked toward her. The dog was dragged away by a security guard and disappeared to the back.
"Are you okay?"
He pushed up the glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose and nodded.
"Why are you here at this hour?"
After taking a deep breath, Jagyung swallowed dry saliva. She was already in a difficult situation wondering how to enter the house without being noticed.
"I came out because I felt stifled while sleeping... but the dog suddenly attacked me...."
Kang Il-hyun's eyes swept over her from top to bottom.
"Your body?"
Jagyung nodded then suddenly started coughing. When she covered her mouth and coughed as if dying, Kang Il-hyun's brow furrowed.
"I think you need to go to the hospital."
"I'm okay... It probably got worse because I just ran."
As she kept coughing without stopping, Kang Il-hyun quietly stepped back. Apparently he's not afraid of death but afraid of viruses. Jagyung didn't miss that moment and acted as if she would really cough up blood. Since she forced it out, dry heaves eventually came. Il-hyun's face grew increasingly stern.
"Go inside. I'll call a doctor."
"My lungs... my lungs are weak... I think I need to go in and sleep more. I guess I shouldn't have come out for fresh air."
She walked ahead first, and Kang Il-hyun quietly followed behind. She felt relieved that the dog had appeared. Otherwise, she might have spent the night using the lawn as her blanket. Upon entering the house, Sangju's wife came out first and asked if Jagyung was okay.
"You're sick, why go out in the wind? Go upstairs. I'll bring you warm tea."
"No... I'm sorry for worrying you. Please rest."
After greeting Il-hyun and Sangju's wife, she went upstairs. Blocking the camera with her body, she took out a metal rod from her pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, and moved it. The bedroom door opened at once, and she went inside and flopped onto the bed.
"Ha. This is hard."
She lay sprawled like a corpse looking at the ceiling when someone knocked on the bedroom door. She had refused Sangju's wife's offer to bring tea, but apparently she came anyway. As soon as she sat up, the door opened and Kang Il-hyun came in. At the unexpected guest, Jagyung looked at him sharply. Since Jagyung arrived, this was the first time he had entered this room.
He placed the mug he brought on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Drink it. It'll help with your coughing."
Jagyung stared fixedly at the spot where he sat. If you gave it, you should leave. Why sit there?
"Drink, quickly."
Thank you. Jagyung reluctantly picked up the cup and brought it to her mouth. Moving her eyes to look at Il-hyun, he showed no intention of leaving and just sat there staring. She didn't know what kind of tea it was, but it was bitter and the smell wasn't to her taste. She gave up halfway through drinking and frowned, then Il-hyun took out a stick of candy from his pocket, peeled the wrapper, and held it out.
"Here."
When she tried to take it with her hand, he pulled it back. Ah—he motioned for her to open her mouth, so Jagyung reluctantly opened it. A moment later, the candy slipped into her mouth. A sweet strawberry flavor spread through it.
"Finish the tea too. I'm telling you it's good not just for coughing but for calming your mind and body."
With no choice, she forced down the rest and quickly put the candy in her mouth. As she moved her tongue to roll the candy around to get rid of the bitterness, Kang Il-hyun stared intently. When he leaned his upper body closer, she took out the candy she was eating and looked stern.
"Why... why are you doing that?"
Kang Il-hyun closed his eyes slightly and inhaled. Jagyung froze, still holding the candy.
"The soap smell changed."
She had used different soap while washing at Wang Lun's shop, and he noticed it like a ghost. See. He really is a son of a bitch. She forced a smile and made an excuse that the soap didn't agree with her, so she used something she brought from Hong Kong.
"I see."
He brought his face close and showed no intention of backing away. The air itself became uncomfortable and awkward. Whether he was looking at her face or at the lips that had been eating the candy, she couldn't tell, but his eyes slowly moved from top to bottom, tracing her eyes, nose, and mouth, which made her uneasy.
"Director Kang. I... I'm tired, so I think I need to sleep now...."
"Try it again."
"What?"
"The candy. I'm telling you to eat it."
What kind of game is this now. Jagyung expressionlessly shoved the candy she was holding into her mouth.
"Not like that. Like before, suck on it."
This. Fuck.
With a blank face, she moved her tongue and dissolved the candy in her mouth. Whether he was satisfied with her moving as he requested, the corners of his mouth gradually rose. He really loves it when I lick it with my tongue? Suddenly feeling mischievous, she stuck out her tongue long and licked the candy. Sure enough, this bastard smiled with pleasure.
"Where did you learn something so naughty."
Jagyung frowned and shoved the candy deep into her mouth. He rose from his seat, and just as she was about to feel relieved that he was finally leaving—
"I'll ask for your help later."
"With what...?"
"You know."
Kang Il-hyun winked one eye. Goosebumps rose, and she almost dropped the candy she was holding in her mouth. Did he just wink at me with those snake-like eyes? Even as her expression grew increasingly sour, Kang Il-hyun smiled kindly.
"I'll go. I removed all the cameras, so you can sleep in just your underwear if you want."
"...."
"Have sweet dreams."
After he left the room, Jagyung threw the candy she was holding into the empty teacup and stood up. The comment about underwear made her suspicious, so she examined every corner of the room. Fortunately, no hidden cameras were visible, but something still felt off, so she had to sleep wearing underwear.
***
[You did well.]
Wang Han's voice came through the receiver. He said he had already heard the story from Wang Lun. She expected him to nag about why she did something unnecessary, but instead he comforted her, saying she did well. He seemed to know what state of mind Jagyung was in when she acted. She was grateful yet also felt sorry.
[And we made contact with Dmitri.]
Jagyung, heading toward the bed, stopped and raised her head to stare straight ahead.
"Who is it?"
[Kang Hoon.]
When Jagyung didn't answer, Wang Han reminded her again of his existence.
[Are you listening? Kang Hoon. Kang Il-hyun's father.]
Jagyung stood in place without moving. She recalled Kang Hoon's face she had seen the day before yesterday. His eyes were stubborn and strong, but he didn't look like someone who would kill even his own son to take a position. Rather, he seemed to cherish Kang Il-hyun among his children.
"Are you sure?"
[Yes. But guess who actually made the deal?]
"Who...?"
[Jang Myung. You know him too, right?]
Jang Ian's grandfather. Something completely unexpected. She wondered how impressive someone must be to move a Hong Kong big shot, but it turned out to be the man himself.
[According to Dmitri, there are currently forces in Hong Kong pushing for Kang Il-hyun and opposing forces. Jang Myung was neutral but recently switched to the opposition. He said he doesn't like how Director Kang works too aggressively, and Chairman Kang's influence probably played a part there.]
"Then who does Chairman Kang want as successor?"
[Kang Tae-han.]
Lecherous eyes. Crude speech. Kang Tae-han looked woefully inadequate to run the group.
[Chairman Kang's health has deteriorated since last year, and Kang Il-hyun kept being mentioned as successor. Plus, even shareholders who supported Kang Tae-han have recently moved to Kang Il-hyun's side, so from Kang Hoon's perspective, he's about to hand things over to his second son. But the problem is Kang Hoon has no intention of giving up power yet. So he intends to pass it to the more manageable Kang Tae-han and keep holding power from behind.]
Jagyung fell silent. Would Kang Il-hyun have guessed this?
[Jagyung.]
"Yeah."
[We just need to do what we're supposed to do.]
"I know. Don't worry. I'll finish it properly."
After ending the call, Jagyung looked out the window. She thought knowing who it was would make her feel lighter, but instead it became more complicated. If only Kang Il-hyun had commissioned it himself... she thought, then shook her head. Whoever did it, she just needed to do the job for the money paid.
A large full moon hung in the center of the window. Its color was unusually red. It was a sight that seemed like it would bleed if left any longer. She lowered the blinds to cover the window, then lay down on the bed.
Nothing has changed. On the appointed date, she will kill him and leave Korea. There was nothing difficult about it.