Having called a staff member, Kang Il-hyun ordered tea and stared unblinkingly at Ja-kyung eating. Why did he come when it wasn't even time to get off work? It was uncomfortable. She wanted to finish eating quickly and go inside. As her eating speed increased, he watched and smiled.
"Eat slowly. Even after eating like that yesterday, still not enough?"
When she sharpened her gaze, Il-hyun smiled and gestured for her to continue eating. She chewed thoroughly, but it felt like the meat was getting stuck. She put down her fork and wiped her mouth, and Kang Il-hyun crossed his arms on the table and leaned his upper body forward.
"I'm curious about something."
"……?"
"Why did you kill Choi Moon-sung?"
Ja-kyung hesitated at the sudden mention of Choi Moon-sung.
"Who is that?"
When she feigned ignorance, Kang Il-hyun smiled as if finding it cute.
"Why, you killed him. Choi Ki-tae's father."
"I didn't kill him."
"Is it a grudge?"
"I said I didn't kill him."
"It is a grudge. Then only Choi Ki-tae remains now?"
Ja-kyung didn't answer. She had made up her mind to eliminate Choi Ki-tae at an appropriate time, but there was no need to say all that. Others might ask why eliminate even the sons when killing Choi Moon-sung alone would suffice, but left alone, they would eventually become a source of trouble. Wasn't she herself such a bundle of trouble?
"How did you kill him? With a gun? Or a knife?"
Il-hyun rested his chin on his hand and asked with a face that seemed genuinely curious. Ja-kyung kept her mouth shut and consistently feigned ignorance.
"I heard his face was smashed beyond recognition."
"……."
"Don't do that to me."
As he said that, he placed his hand on his left chest.
"Shoot me here. Here. Don't shoot somewhere random and send me to my grave."
Perhaps he was worried when actually thinking about getting shot. His face looked like it would keep smiling even if a cannonball flew at it. Ja-kyung reached forward and moved his hand slightly to the right. People generally think the heart is on the left, but it's actually located in the center, leaning toward the left. So when sniping the heart, one had to aim a bit more inward to ensure it wouldn't miss.
"The heart is here."
Il-hyun smiled while maintaining eye contact.
"So it is. How kind of you. Then how about you tell me directly where my dick is too?"
Ja-kyung's face instantly changed to an expression like she'd bitten into shit. Should she shoot the bullet not at the heart but at his dick? Make him live as a eunuch for life. Even just imagining executing it, a smile formed on her face from joy. She tried hard to hide it, then showed him a professional smile.
"Don't worry. That won't happen."
Ja-kyung picked up watermelon for dessert, and while eating, looked for a place to spit the seeds. Il-hyun, sitting in front, noticed and held out his palm. Spit it here. She wanted to spit it on his face, but held back and spat it on the ground with a plop.
"If you spit there, a watermelon will grow."
"That's good. Next year, Managing Director can pick and eat it. Of course, if you're still alive by then."
When she smiled brightly, Il-hyun's eyes curved along.
"Your words are as pretty as your face, so it's nice to hear."
Ja-kyung ignored him and just ate the watermelon diligently. After clearing the finished rind, she moved the plate and cup to the tray. She thought staying longer would only raise her blood pressure, so she wanted to go up to the 2nd floor and rest quickly. As she gathered her things and stood up, Kang Il-hyun gazed at her with his chin propped up.
"Shall I kill him for you?"
Ja-kyung looked down at him steadily.
"Choi Ki-tae. Shall I kill him for you?"
His mouth smiled but his eyes were cold. Ja-kyung, maintaining eye contact, pulled the corners of her lips and smiled.
"Then I would be grateful."
She nodded slightly, then picked up the tray and went inside the house. Looking out through the living room window, Kang Il-hyun was still sitting in the same spot drinking tea. The lady of the house came out from the kitchen and took the tray.
"Make the staff do these things. Don't do it yourself."
"It's fine. I ate well. I'll go up and rest."
After saying goodbye, as she was about to go up, the lady of the house grabbed her arm.
"Ian. The Managing Director bought you a gift."
At the word gift, Ja-kyung narrowed her brows. Normally she should feel good about a gift, but she didn't want to receive anything from Kang Il-hyun except money. Looking reluctant, she was led by the arm to the front of the sofa. There sat a box. It was wrapped in subtle pastel colored paper with a ribbon tied brightly, and even a flower attached.
"That... is it?"
"Yes, go up and open it."
The lady of the house was delighted as if she had received the gift herself. Was it such a joyous thing that the stoic Kang Il-hyun bought someone a gift? Ja-kyung picked up the box with an unwilling face. It was quite heavy. Maybe 4-5 kg.
Carrying it, she went up to the 2nd floor and placed the box on the living room table. As she untied the ribbon and opened the lid, a fishy smell rose up. Ja-kyung hesitated. She thought, surely not. No way... After completely opening the lid, Ja-kyung's face hardened.
Black hair was visible, and below it, blood-stained eyelashes and the bridge of a nose could be seen. What was in the box was Choi Ki-tae's head. Judging by the dried skin at the severed area, it was clearly cut while he was alive. Looking outside, Kang Il-hyun was still sitting in the same spot. After closing the lid, she took it and went back outside.
Crossing the lawn, she approached Kang Il-hyun and placed the box in front of him.
"What is this?"
"You asked me to kill him."
"……."
A brief chill brushed against her at the eyes looking up at her.
"Why. Are you sad now that you see him dead?"
She wasn't sad, but if she said she was sad, it seemed like he would cut her own neck next. She picked up the box. She planned to either cremate or bury it.
"Where are you taking it?"
"You said it was a gift. If you gave it, I think you don't need to concern yourself with it anymore."
"You're not planning to hold it and cry, are you?"
His mocking voice was chilly. Why did he kill Choi Ki-tae? Because Choi Moon-sung disappeared and he became useless? Or because he left a mark on her neck? Looking at Kang Il-hyun's actions, absurdly, the second guess had credibility.
Would Choi Ki-tae have known? That merely casting a glance once would lead to his head being cut off. Ja-kyung wasn't curious about why Kang Il-hyun went this far. She had encountered many similar kinds of people.
They treated people like toys while pathologically hating when others touched them. But that wouldn't last long. When their interest fades, who knows how they might change. Next time, instead of Choi Ki-tae, her own head might be in the box.
"I'll go bury it. There's nothing good about it being seen by people."
He whistled. Soon, a dog came running at high speed from behind the house. It was the shepherd that had attacked Ja-kyung before. While her attention was taken by that, Kang Il-hyun took the box, then pulled out Choi Ki-tae's head by the hair and threw it onto the lawn.
Ja-kyung confirmed that Choi Ki-tae's mouth was mutilated. The nose and eyes were fine, but only the mouth was mangled beyond recognition. In that gap, the dog grabbed the head and went back the way it came. In an instant, Choi Ki-tae's head that was before her eyes disappeared.
"Now there's no need to bury it, is there?"
Seeing Kang Il-hyun ask with a bright smile, Ja-kyung was at a loss for words.
***
After finishing her shower, Ja-kyung dried off, put on only panties, and stood before the mirror. She squeezed the ointment she brought onto her fingertips and applied it to her nipples. They were so chafed from how much they were sucked that it stung every time clothes touched them, making it unbearable.
Cursing, she applied it to the other side too, and seeing her reflection in the mirror, she laughed in disbelief. When she touched, it tingled with pain yet the sensation was strange. Ja-kyung had thought her only erogenous zone was her cock. That was the only thing that felt good when touched.
But last night... The scene of Kang Il-hyun thrusting into her while caressing her suddenly came to mind, and she shook her head vigorously. With a bitter expression, she looked down at her swollen nipples, sighed, and put the shirt back on.
Seven more days and this will end. Until then, she didn't want to get entangled with Kang Il-hyun anymore.
She went outside, turned on the air conditioner, and opened the storage cabinet to take out a yoga mat. She spread it in front of the window and sat in a lotus position. When she played music, the sound of water mixed with singing bowl sounds gradually calmed her troubled mind.
Breathing in deeply and slowly exhaling, she erased the events of the past few days from her mind one by one. The subtle vibration sound of "um-" transmitted to the deep cells of her body, relaxing her body and releasing tension.
[Look, whose cock you're taking in right now.]
Her closed eyes furrowed. In her mind, the scene of Kang Il-hyun panting behind her like a dog last night was forcibly replayed. Ja-kyung shook her head vigorously. But the scenes that surfaced once didn't easily disappear.
Eventually annoyed, she opened her eyes and stopped the music.
"Fuck..."
As she was brushing off the spot and standing up, her phone rang. She found the phone thrown on the sofa and checked it to see an unfamiliar number. She had two phones, and only Kang Il-hyun, Kang Seok-joo, and Choi Ki-tae knew this number.
Now that Choi Ki-tae was dead, there were two left. She pressed the call button and brought it to her ear. Ja-kyung didn't speak, and the other person also remained silent. As time passed, Ja-kyung was about to hang up. Then a strange voice was heard.
[Ian?]
As she kept her mouth shut, the other person spoke again.
[This is Chairman Kang.]
Her pupils wavered, and strength went into the hand holding the phone. Ja-kyung checked once more that the bedroom door was closed and moved inside.
"Yes, hello... Chairman."
[Are you busy? I called to ask about your time today. If you're available, I'd like to meet.]
Ja-kyung couldn't answer readily. Had he noticed something? Or did that bastard Dmitri wait and see and then latch onto Chairman Kang again? All sorts of thoughts crossed her mind.
[Is it difficult?]
After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Ja-kyung answered that she understood. After ending the call, she looked outside and saw that dark clouds were starting to hang in the sky that had been blue just a while ago. Pushing away the ominous feeling that was welling up, she headed to Kang Il-hyun to inform him of this news.