<47>
In front of the mirror, Il-hyeon, who was buttoning his shirt, looked at the watch placed on the shelf. It was the one he had put on Ja-gyeong's wrist last night, with a listening device installed inside. He hadn't expected her to take it apart. He had underestimated her due to her clumsy acting, but perhaps the opponent might not be as easy to handle as he thought.
After tying his tie, he picked up his jacket and went outside. In the living room, Sang-ju-daek was organizing the morning newspaper.
"Leaving already?"
"Yes, I'll have breakfast at the office."
Il-hyeon stopped in front of the stairs leading to the second floor. Ja-gyeong seemed to be a heavy sleeper, never getting up until late hours. Moreover, she must have been quite tired yesterday. After all, he had kept demanding for more rounds.
"Please take extra care of Ian's meals. Something nutritious."
"Yes, I'll do that. Don't worry."
After greeting her, Il-hyeon went outside. By the pool, staff members were busy draining the water. The water had become dirty from last night's rain, and something had gotten caught in the filtration system, so it wasn't working properly. They said company people would come this afternoon to check it.
When he came outside, Tae-su was already waiting with the car at the gate. As he got into the back seat, the car started moving. Park Tae-su, sitting in the passenger seat, handed back a file folder.
"This is the guest list for the inauguration ceremony."
As soon as he opened it, Chairman Kang's name was at the very top of the list. And family members including Kang Yu-jeong, National Assembly members, legal figures, company executives, and so on... The time Ja-gyeong would target him was right after the inauguration speech.
While examining the list, Park Tae-su cautiously asked.
"What should we do with Ja-gyeong after it's over?"
Il-hyeon, who was flipping through the list, paused for a moment. But soon, as if he had made a decision, he answered in a flat voice.
"Proceed with the work immediately."
Tae-su in the mirror showed a slightly surprised expression. No matter how much he tried not to show it, he also knew that the two had a relationship beyond just acquaintances. Rumors were already circulating among the household staff. Il-hyeon raised his head and met Tae-su's gaze in the rearview mirror.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Tae-su immediately lowered his eyes.
"It's nothing."
"If Ja-gyeong is alive, not only would the old man be in trouble, but so would I. So eliminate her without exception."
"Yes, sir."
Il-hyeon looked out the window. Ja-gyeong's flushed face from last night came to mind. Her eyes red underneath as she looked up at him - he thought he would remember that even after death. But it's better to eliminate even a small source of trouble completely.
"Tae-su."
"Yes, Managing Director."
"Don't just kill her and dump her anywhere. Bury her properly."
"Yes, sir."
After examining the list thoroughly, Il-hyeon closed it and tossed it onto the seat beside him. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. That face came to mind again. Her smooth nape. Her lips that she bit not knowing what to do. Her flushed ears. Those sensual eyes that turned red when aroused.
Hmm... instead of burying her in the ground, maybe I should have her taxidermied.
Ja-gyeong, who had gone to the bathroom wearing only underwear, could only laugh hollowly at her reflection in the mirror. Her waist throbbed so much she couldn't straighten it, and her whole body ached as if her muscles had been beaten with a hammer. Her nipples were so swollen that just touching them made her want to scream, and ointment wasn't enough - she had to apply bandages.
Cursing, she applied pain relief patches all over her body and came out. Every time she moved, sounds of pain escaped automatically. Ja-gyeong opened the safe under the bed and took out the USB she had stolen from Kang Il-hyeon's Seoul house.
Holding it, she paced around the bedroom for a while. After some deliberation, she turned on her laptop and connected it. Checking the files, it was completely empty. She gritted her teeth. She had a feeling, and her intuition wasn't wrong. After all, he wouldn't have hidden something that important in an empty house without CCTV. She removed it and put it in her pants pocket instead of the safe.
Then she went downstairs. She greeted the staff she passed, but Sang-ju-daek was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a delicious smell wafted from the kitchen. Her mind was complicated and her body felt heavy, so she wanted some sunlight. When she stepped outside, the sun was already high in the sky.
Perhaps due to last night's rain, the sky was clear blue without a single cloud. She stretched both arms up and walked across the dewy lawn. Walking actually eased the pain somewhat. She wandered around the house as a walk when a message arrived from Wang-han.
[Confirmed $7.5 million.]
It was money Kang Il-hyeon had sent. About 9 billion won. Considering typical jobs range from 100 million to 500 million won, it was an unimaginable amount. Adding the advance from Chairman Kang, that's 12 billion. Though they may have started differently, their goal of eliminating each other was the same.
Organizing her thoughts, she walked slowly toward the backyard. Then voices came from behind the building. Going closer, she saw Sang-ju-daek tapping the ground with a shovel. And beside her, a shepherd sat wagging its tail.
"What are you doing?"
As Ja-gyeong approached, Sang-ju-daek turned around with the shovel, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and smiled kindly.
"Happy was carrying something strange, so I buried it."
Only then did Ja-gyeong learn that the fierce-looking dog's name was Happy. A truly ill-fitting name. Sang-ju-daek picked up a bottle beside her and poured it over the freshly buried spot. Ja-gyeong guessed that what she buried was Choi Gi-tae's head.
When the shepherd tried to dig there, she firmly commanded, "No." The creature understood Sang-ju-daek's words better than expected. Eventually, it lowered its tail and wandered off elsewhere.
"You should have someone else do that..."
"Whoever has time can do it. Come on, you just woke up so you must be hungry."
She picked up the shovel and pushed Ja-gyeong's back. Ja-gyeong found herself being led into the house by her hand. The spacious house felt distinctly different when Kang Il-hyeon was present versus when he wasn't. She acknowledged that his presence was that significant. After washing her hands, she quickly prepared food.
Ja-gyeong sat on the sofa in her free time, fiddling with her phone. Without Kang Seok-ju who visited every day, she was bored. When he was there, he was annoying, but now that even that person was gone, she felt empty. Looking outside, she saw unfamiliar people moving around the pool.
They weren't Kang Il-hyeon's employees - they wore unfamiliar outfits and hats. One of them, with his hat pulled low, kept glancing this way.
"Ian. Time to eat."
Ja-gyeong went inside and sat at the table. Seeing the food spread out before her, she couldn't close her mouth. There was plenty of meat dishes, appetizing enough to make her mouth water just looking at them.
"Wow, what's the occasion today?"
"You haven't had much appetite lately, so I put extra care into it."
"Please eat with me."
"I've already eaten. Actually, the Managing Director specially requested it when he left. He said Ian seems low on energy, so please take good care of her."
"Ah, I see..."
"When you see things like that, he's really thoughtful."
She smiled with her whole face. To think Kang Il-hyeon asking for food to be prepared well was something to be this proud of. Who's fault is it that she has no energy? It's not like giving medicine after giving illness. She felt both resentful and grateful, and the emotions she briefly felt yesterday were still confusing, making her feel complicated.
After finishing the delicious meal, she came out to the living room, but people were still at the pool. When she asked Sang-ju-daek, she said they came to fix the filter that broke from last night's heavy rain. But their constant awareness of their surroundings was suspicious.
Ja-gyeong looked around the living room, picked up a fountain pen from the table, hid it inside her sleeve, and went outside. Walking across the lawn, the guard at the gate glanced back. Ja-gyeong approached near the pool.
The two men had finished cleaning the pool and were filling it with water. The man pouring chemicals into the water turned to look at Ja-gyeong and bowed his head slightly.
"Is the repair finished?"
"Yes, the water should be completely filled by evening."
"That's good... I really wanted to swim today."
Ja-gyeong walked over and examined the container the man was holding.
"What is this?"
"It's disinfectant."
"Can I smell it?"
She could feel the man's shoulders tensing. Ja-gyeong crouched down beside the man, tilted her head, and stared at his profile.
"Can't I smell it?"
The man slowly turned his head. With a stiffly frozen face, he forced a smile.
"It's just disinfectant... The smell is harsh, so it won't be good for you."
"Is it okay to just pour something that toxic in here?"
The man evaded the question and avoided eye contact. Ja-gyeong stood up. She could feel the other man working ahead watching this spot. His eyes looked familiar. Ja-gyeong pretended to trip while walking and pushed the man's back. The man, unable to keep his balance, fell into the pool with a splash, face-planting into the knee-deep water.
The man who fell into the pool panicked and tried to get up and crawl out. But soon he grabbed his throat, making gagging sounds and foaming at the mouth. He managed to get out of the pool, but the man rolled on the ground, coughing violently.
The man who was ahead quickly pulled out a knife from inside his clothes.
"Fuck!"
Only then did Ja-gyeong clearly remember the man's face. He was one of the men under Choi Gi-tae. She remembered seeing him on the ship. As he came at her with the knife, she took out the fountain pen from her sleeve and opened the cap. She threw the fountain pen at the charging man, accurately piercing his eye. While the man screamed and rolled around holding his eye, the guards started running over after hearing the commotion.