"Can't be helped. Father only dotes on Executive Kang, that bastard."
Kang Seok-ju leaned his upper body out of the swimming pool and stuck a straw into the watermelon juice an employee had just brought. Despite it being June, the midday temperature had risen enough that sweat streamed down even when sitting still. Jakyung sat on a sunbed and sighed.
She had mentioned wanting to stay at Kang Seok-ju's family home until the day set to kill Kang Il-hyun, but Chairman Kang rejected the idea. The reason, apparently, was that Kang Il-hyun had opposed it. Kang Seok-ju claimed Chairman Kang only favored Kang Il-hyun, but knowing the full context, that wasn't entirely true.
"Stop that and come in for a swim. The water's cool and nice."
Jakyung shook her head, then lay back with her arms folded, looking up at the sky. The blue sky and red parasol created a striking color combination. Watching this, she set aside thoughts of Kang Il-hyun for a moment and recalled Choi Gi-tae.
Choi Gi-tae had said he was renting a boat tonight to anchor at sea and host a party. Party was just a word—it was meant to soothe customers anxious about the recent bombing incident in Doksandong. All sorts of drugs and entertainment would be provided, and deals large and small would take place there.
Kang Seok-ju didn't seem to know this fact. Even under the parasol, the weather was hot enough to sweat. In her heart, she wanted to strip naked like Kang Seok-ju and get in the water. As she fanned herself with her hand, Kang Seok-ju, who had been backstroking, was suddenly watching her.
"What's that on your neck?"
"Hm?"
"The bandage on your neck. Did you get hurt?"
Jakyung brushed it off as nothing. The mark Choi Gi-tae had sucked wouldn't fade easily, so she'd eventually covered it with a bandage. Since morning, everyone who saw her asked if she was hurt, which was troublesome. If only it were winter, she would have worn a turtleneck.
"You, by any chance...?"
Kang Seok-ju smiled lewdly and asked who it was. He named that woman who was supposedly a model and asked if the two were already involved. When she denied it, he sifted through people who had contact with Jakyung one by one, trying to make connections. He clearly couldn't even imagine it was Choi Gi-tae.
"I just got scratched a little, so I put it on..."
"Playing innocent."
He giggled and laughed, then went back to enjoying his swim. He really does love water. Though his mother might be different, in this respect he greatly resembled Kang Il-hyun. She didn't know if Kang Il-hyun liked swimming pools or if he was missing his mother.
Come to think of it, he enters Korea tomorrow. She had to finish her work and return home before he arrived. She picked up the watermelon juice beside her and drank it to cool off when a message arrived on her phone.
It was a message from Wang Ryun, reconfirming when and where to meet.
As she was sending a reply, Kang Seok-ju reached out of the pool and turned on the music. Thump, thump, beats faster than heart rate, and he excitedly shook his head. Jakyung also tapped her fingers to the beat. In her head, plans for tonight's operation were progressing in order.
***
Vroom vroom, vroom vroom. At the sound of a vehicle engine coming from a slight distance, the face of the guard protecting the gate twisted. A small truck had just passed in front of the gate, but something had broken down and it kept stopping and trying to start the engine. Finally unable to bear it, the guard moved toward it.
Knock knock. When he tapped on the window, a man with closely cropped hair showed his face.
"What's the matter?"
"Ah, the engine suddenly stopped."
"Where are you headed?"
Wariness showed in the guard's eyes. The driver pointed with his finger to somewhere far ahead. There were a few houses and a farm. Sure enough, a manure smell rose from the man's truck. The guard furrowed his brow.
"This is private property, so you can't pass through freely."
"Is that so? It's my first time here so I didn't know. But what should I do? The car won't move. Let me get out and take a look."
The man got out of the driver's seat and opened the car hood. The guard stood his ground behind the man. He intended to handle it immediately if any suspicious behavior occurred. The man, who had stuck his face inside the hood, grumbled for a while.
"Ah, this thing came loose. Really, whether it's cars or people, once they're old, they break down often."
Snap. The man closed the lid and said sorry with a smile as he got back into the driver's seat. He reversed, turned the car, and soon went back the way he came. The guard left alone clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied face. Immediately a radio transmission came from inside the house. It was Park Tae-soo.
[What's going on?]
"Nothing. Seems he took a wrong turn."
The guard returned right away and stood in front of the gate. Today of all days, everywhere was deadly quiet as if mice had died.
In the grass, Jakyung, who had been lowering her body, saw car lights approaching in the distance. The headlight beams looked like two eyes. The truck that approached close slowed down, and Jakyung opened the door so no one would see and quickly hopped into the passenger seat.
Wang Ryun was sitting in the driver's seat. He had just bought time at the front of Kang Il-hyun's house so Jakyung could safely climb over the wall.
"You came right on time."
Wang Ryun let out a long sigh. Leaving the kids with someone was one thing, but he was worried whether he should stop Jakyung from taking risks for something not even in the plan. On top of that, she had earnestly asked him not to tell Wang Han, so he bore that worry entirely alone.
"Han will try to kill me if he finds out."
"I'll give you 10%."
Suddenly it jumped 5%. Wang Ryun smiled so wide his mouth nearly split, to the point where his earlier worry seemed meaningless.
"Got it. I'll keep my mouth shut until I die."
Driving on the national road, they met Wang Ryun's subordinate in the middle and switched cars. Not only that, the two of them dressed smartly in suits and had their hair styled too. After switching from the truck to an expensive imported car, they began driving toward Incheon Port.
On the way, Jakyung examined the invitation. Two people's names were written on the invitation. They were regular customers, and to obtain this invitation, they had briefly kidnapped and detained them. The car that had been driving on the highway exited to a national road and moved toward the port direction.
"The gun?"
"I stored it in the ingredients warehouse. Do you know how much trouble I went through to get that in?"
Jakyung quickly spread five fingers, worried Wang Ryun might try to take credit. It meant she would give 5% more so he should stop talking. Unlike Wang Han, Wang Ryun was the type to risk danger when it came to money. In that respect he resembled Jakyung, and since childhood the two had always been lectured by Wang Han.
As the ship approached, Jakyung put on black sunglasses. Drawing near, cars were already lined up. At the pier where people boarded the ship, Choi Gi-tae's employees dressed neatly in suits were checking invitations and conducting body searches.
Unlike regular guests, VIPs entered immediately with just invitations without body searches. After parking in a suitable spot, they walked toward that area. Among people dressed in suits and dresses, Choi Gi-tae was visible. Fortunately, he was distracted greeting VIPs beside him.
Turning their backs to him and waiting their turn, Choi Gi-tae's subordinates checked their invitations. After checking, they demanded phones saying they would return them when disembarking from the ship. Since they had prepared a burner phone in advance, they readily handed it over. They put it in a sanitary bag, marked it, and set it aside in one place.
They also searched Jakyung and Wang Ryun's bodies. Naturally they passed without issue and received a room key.
At the entrance, they were given gold badges to wear on their clothes indicating they were passengers. The ship was a cruise ship, bigger and more splendid than expected. Upon entering, a splendid chandelier hung in the middle of the cabin.
Inside there was a swimming pool along with a spa, casino, massage shop, performance hall, and on the deck above there was also a pool, putting green, and sun deck. And from the second floor up, most were guest rooms. People gathered in twos and threes drinking and chatting were visible. Cautious and searching in case there were familiar faces, Wang Ryun picked up a champagne glass.
Jakyung took it from him and set it back in its place.
"Don't drink."
"Just one glass."
"That could be your last drink in this life. Keep your wits about you."
"So strict."
Wang Ryun shook his head. Pretending to look around here and there, he grasped the ship's structure and the approximate number of guards. After that, they moved upstairs to find their assigned room. Checking the number written on the key, they stopped midway on the second floor.
From the corridor, the center of the ship was visible below. There, even more people than before had gathered and were enjoying the party. Jakyung, examining every corner, discovered Choi Gi-tae's father Choi Moon-sung in the crowd. He looked more vibrant than when she saw him at the funeral a few days ago, and perhaps because he'd dyed his hair, he looked much younger.
He was busy greeting people with a young woman who appeared to be his partner. Wang Ryun pointed at him with his eyes.
"Is that him?"
"Yes."
"He's excited. Doesn't even know today is his death anniversary."
Jakyung didn't answer. She stood leaning on the railing, then turned and pressed the card to the guest room entrance. Inside, two beds and a bathroom were prepared. When she opened the drawer beside the bed, marijuana and pills were provided as service items.
Wang Ryun sat on the edge of the bed and laughed.
"Jakyung. Being like this, doesn't it feel like we're on our honeymoon?"
Jakyung took off her sunglasses and approached the window. Through the small window, the night sky and the sea touching it came into view at a glance. Here and there, lights from fishing boats were attracting fish in the sea. She took out a cigarette and Wang Ryun came over to light it. She exhaled smoke at the window and gazed at the sea submerged in darkness. Jakyung's eyes were also slowly sinking black, as much as that darkness.