<38>
Ja-kyung moved only her eyes with a confused expression.
"I don't understand what you're saying, Sang-mu."
That couldn't be. Kang Il-hyun instantly removed Ja-kyung's sunglasses. The eyes filled with murderous intent were completely different from Jang Ian who had stayed at his house. And this side was much more to his taste than Jang Ian. These kinds of eyes had the appeal of making them submit through torment.
"I heard a very interesting story while on a business trip to Hong Kong."
He stopped speaking and moved his tongue inside his mouth. Ja-kyung kept her mouth tightly shut and said nothing. Cold sweat seeped down her back.
"So I was agonizing over how to ask about this, and then I happened to meet you here?"
"...."
"Aren't you curious? What that interesting story is?"
Il-hyun kept smiling like someone delivering good news, and Ja-kyung remained silent.
"Someone says they're trying to kill me. And in my own home."
The hand hidden behind her waist went numb as she clenched it tight. Kang Il-hyun knows all the facts. How?
Il-hyun gently cupped Ja-kyung's cheek.
"Explain it to me. I'll decide whether to believe it or not after listening."
There were still about 8 days left until the promised date, but with the situation like this, there was no other choice. Seeing his eyes filled with killing intent despite his smile, she realized that denying it would be useless. Ja-kyung forcefully pushed Il-hyun's shoulder away.
In the moment they separated, she immediately pulled a knife from her bosom and lunged at him. Whish— the blade cut through the air and attacked below his throat. Kang Il-hyun moved his head back to avoid the blade and grabbed Ja-kyung's incoming arm to defend.
Ja-kyung switched the knife to her left hand and this time tried to strike down at his arm. As Kang Il-hyun grabbed her arm, Ja-kyung used all her strength to push him against the wall. Thud, his back hit the wall and the blade stopped right below Kang Il-hyun's throat.
She pushed with force, but the difference in strength was greater than expected. In the standoff with their arms crossed and gripping each other, Ja-kyung moved her left hand back and placed the end of the knife handle against her palm. As she pressed with force, the blade gradually approached his throat.
Even though the blade was about to pierce his throat, Kang Il-hyun's expression didn't change one bit. Rather, he smiled coldly and showed composure.
"Nothing good will come of this, you know?"
With the warning, he pushed her arm away with force. Being pushed back by strength, Ja-kyung used her head to headbutt Kang Il-hyun's face. Crack, with the sound he cursed and grabbed his nose. When the knife came at him again with a whish, Kang Il-hyun ducked to avoid it and pushed Ja-kyung against the wall with a thud.
In the scuffle, Kang Il-hyun quickly grabbed the wrist holding the knife and twisted it. Ugh, Ja-kyung furrowed her brows in pain. Their lower bodies were pressed so close together that she couldn't even kick.
"That's enough. Shouldn't you show some manners to your new employer?"
At the words "new employer," Ja-kyung hesitated.
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't you understand? I'm informing you that your client has changed from my father to me."
Ja-kyung's face distorted. What kind of nonsense is this? No, more than that, Kang Il-hyun even knows that his father is trying to kill him. Judging by his expression, it doesn't seem like a joke.
"Dmitri, was it? He's quite a friend who communicates well."
He mentioned Dmitri and laughed. When a familiar name came from Kang Il-hyun's mouth, Ja-kyung's complexion noticeably darkened. No matter how she looked at it, these weren't words meant to probe for information.
"So will you put away the knife now? Before my patience runs out, hmm?"
The two people's gazes became intricately entangled. Just then, Wang Lun called Ja-kyung through the earpiece she was wearing. Ja-kyung still aimed the knife and didn't budge.
[Ja-kyung. Are you listening to me?]
Il-hyun stood with a more relaxed attitude, loosening his body as he looked at Ja-kyung. Ja-kyung left him and slowly retreated backward. Il-hyun leaned against the window, rubbing his nose that had just been hit, and frowned for a moment.
"I'm listening. Go ahead."
[Why are you answering so late? Where are you right now?]
"Still inside the ship."
[Should I go back in?]
Ja-kyung's eyes stayed on Kang Il-hyun.
"No. I'll be out soon. Wait."
Ja-kyung finished the radio transmission and still didn't let her guard down toward Il-hyun. Il-hyun took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it, and offered it to Ja-kyung.
"Still not good lungs?"
Instead of accepting the cigarette, Ja-kyung glared at him.
"How did you know?"
"There are many ways to know. Though it did cost quite a bit of money."
"I never heard that the client changed."
"That's why I'm making the proposal directly now."
"Sorry, but I have no intention of accepting your proposal."
Ja-kyung put strength in the hand holding the knife.
"Don't waste your energy. My story isn't over yet."
"...."
"I'm not telling you to kill my father. Just kill me according to the original plan."
He said something completely incomprehensible.
"What's your scheme?"
"Exactly as you heard. Of course, I'll pay you more generously. And I'll guarantee your safety afterward as well."
Ja-kyung was organizing his words in her head and finally understood. So Kang Il-hyun intends to get shot and create a justification to eliminate Chairman Kang himself. If he found out who Ja-kyung was, he must have already obtained evidence that Chairman Kang gave the order. What he was after finally seemed clear.
Il-hyun's eyes gradually became tender.
"I'll give you time to think. Your friend seems to be waiting outside, so let's stop here for today."
"What happens if I refuse?"
"I don't think you will. You're smart. And you like money too."
Il-hyun, who had been smiling and staring, suddenly stepped forward. Ja-kyung put strength in her hand holding the knife. He stopped right in front of her and tilted his head sideways. His eyes were fierce. When she knocked away his reaching hand with the hand holding the knife, he reached out again and abruptly tore off the bandage on her neck.
His eyes were strange as he checked the mark on her neck. He had been calm even when the blade was pointed at him moments ago, but now his eyes became terribly fierce. Ja-kyung pushed him away and snatched the bandage to put it back in place. When she avoided his gaze, he grabbed her tightly as if to strangle her.
"Looks like you had fun while I was gone?"
His voice was terribly sinister. Ja-kyung roughly shook off his hand and glared at him. In a situation where she couldn't understand why he was angry at all, he raised the corners of his mouth and smiled magnificently.
"Shall we go out then? It would be awkward for both of us if we run into Choi Gi-tae."
But his eyes were like a midwinter storm.
***
Watching the falling stream of water, Ja-kyung stood for a while. Even though it had already been washed away by seawater, she felt like she could smell blood under her nose. When there were fewer people around, Kang Il-hyun led her to the deck. After the boss died, the inside of the ship was strangely quiet.
As expected, Choi Gi-tae would hide his father's death for a while to prevent customers from being agitated. With father and son being killed in succession, it was natural for customers to feel anxious. They climbed down a rope from below the ship and swam to a boat anchored nearby.
Kang Il-hyun stood there watching until Ja-kyung safely boarded the boat.
After washing and wiping off the water, when she came outside, Wang Lun approached with a cigarette in his mouth. In his hand was a handful of medicated patches. Ja-kyung's body had no intact spots except where she hadn't been cut. Moreover, she had been in a daze ever since escaping from the ship.
"Did something happen?"
Ja-kyung shook her head. Just in case, after arriving at Wang Lun's house, she called Wang Han, but he seemed to know nothing. She would have to tell him. That Kang Il-hyun found out everything, so what should she do? That he made a different proposal. That he agreed to pay double. That would be ten million dollars. About 12 billion won. It was an unimaginable amount.
While she was deep in thought with her mouth tightly shut, Wang Lun applied ointment to her scraped palm.
"Feel better?"
Ja-kyung raised her head and looked at Wang Lun.
"Did killing him make you feel relieved?"
Ja-kyung didn't answer. Wang Lun soon patted Ja-kyung's shoulder. Then he brought the blanket Ja-kyung had been sleeping under. While organizing the patches and ointment, Wang Lun's cell phone rang. He checked the message and approached Ja-kyung with a happy expression.
"Look at this."
Ja-kyung fixed her gaze on the phone screen. The children brought out from the factory a few days ago were gathered in front of the camera. They weren't smiling brightly, but their faces looked much more relaxed than before. Below that, greetings and messages about their well-being were conveyed.
"They're so adorable. Looks like they're going to school and studying too."
"That's a relief."
"The oldest one's name is Kim Ju-eun. The kid is sharp, so she'll probably do well in her studies."
The child who had carried drugs and clenched stones to save other children was now holding a pencil instead. The uniform suited her quite well, and Ja-kyung smiled without realizing it.
"The money you gave has been delivered to the orphanage."
"Good job."
"And the kids asked for your contact info, so I made up an excuse and told them."
"Yeah."
"Should I send photos occasionally?"
Ja-kyung, who had been thinking, shook her head. No, don't do that. People should play in the water that suits them. What suited Ja-kyung was this side, and the children shouldn't set even a toe into this world. After Wang Lun finished the cleanup, he said goodnight and left the room.
Left alone, Ja-kyung sat on the bed with her legs gathered, staring blankly for a while. Time passed like that, and dawn began to break outside the window. Wang Lun's snoring could be heard all the way here.
She lay down trying to force herself to sleep, but her eyelids were heavy as lead and sleep wouldn't come easily. Her whole body ached with muscle pain and her mind was complicated. Then she briefly fell asleep and had a dream. The dead Choi Moon-seong and his son had turned into evil spirits and were chasing her.
After barely shaking them off, Kang Il-hyun with a gun appeared this time. The bullet he fired embedded in her heart, and Ja-kyung rolled down an endless cliff. When she opened her eyes and realized it was a dream, her back was soaked with cold sweat.
Damn it. She sat up and checked the time—she had only slept about 3 hours. Outside, the sun was already brightly risen. She was opening the cap to drink the bottled water Wang Lun had left by her bedside when a message rang. She hadn't expected it, but it was Kang Il-hyun.
[Have you thought about it?]
Ja-kyung clenched her molars tight. She threw the phone aside without replying, but it rang again immediately.
[If you've decided, I'll come pick you up.]
Her fingertips stopped above the phone. She read the text with her eyes several times. If she stopped here, Chairman Kang was no longer the problem. Since Kang Il-hyun found out, whichever choice she made, it was equally dangerous. After much deliberation, Ja-kyung typed the text.
[Come. I'll be waiting.]