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Il-hyun applied shaving cream to his chin and frowned as he shaved. Perhaps because of the rain, his right thigh felt a twinge as he stood. It had been nearly a year since he was shot, yet whenever the weather turned cloudy, he still felt a faint pain in his leg.
The surgery was performed at Kang Yu-jeong's hospital, which prided itself on being the best for surgical procedures, but the results were far from satisfactory. If not for sharing the same blood, he would have definitely sued and demanded compensation. After finishing his shave, he took a shower and stepped outside.
In the dressing room, he selected a shirt, tie, and watch, putting them on one by one before standing before the mirror. Chairman Kang had promoted him to Representative Director while he rested for several months due to his leg injury. Figuring he couldn't immediately cut his head off, the old man planned to humor him for now while waiting for another opportunity. That cunning old fox. After straightening his slightly crooked tie, he went downstairs where Tae-soo was waiting.
"You're up, sir."
After greeting the staff, he went to the dining table and sat down. Sangju's wife was just setting out breakfast. Thanks to drinking late into the night, blowfish soup had been prepared. Instead of rice, he just sipped the broth with his spoon, and his stomach felt relieved.
"It's Sunday, but you're going to work again?"
Sangju's wife asked with a regretful expression. Recently, Kang Il-hyun seemed even more consumed by work. She understood he'd be busy after his promotion, but he was skipping meals more often, and she worried about his health.
"Yes, I couldn't get any work done yesterday and had to leave."
"Should I pack a lunch for you?"
"No, I'll eat at a nearby restaurant."
Just then, Tae-soo's phone rang. Tae-soo answered and walked toward the living room. Yeah, yeah, got it. After ending the brief call, he returned to his position. He looked like he had a lot to say, but seemed to be waiting for Il-hyun to finish eating, so Il-hyun asked first.
"What is it?"
"The cathedral contacted us."
"The cathedral?"
Il-hyun, who was about to drink water, paused. Tae-soo held back his words. Their eyes met, and a smile slowly spread across Il-hyun's face. When he rose from his seat, Sangju's wife asked with a worried expression.
"Are you done eating?"
"I think I need to leave urgently."
Il-hyun, who was about to go out with Tae-soo, turned back and called out to Sangju's wife.
"Ma'am."
"Yes, sir."
Il-hyun smiled with a delighted face and made a request.
"Please put extra care into preparing tomorrow's dinner. I think a precious guest will be visiting."
***
Ja-kyung lay on a sunbed wearing only swim trunks, enjoying sunbathing. Inside the pool, Wang Han, Rita, and Sasha were bouncing a ball, playing beach ball. After lying there for a while, Sasha came out of the pool, dried herself off, and handed him a beer from an ice-filled bucket.
"Thanks."
He sat up, took the beer and drank it. A ball Wang Han threw flew over Ja-kyung's head, and he knocked it away with a laugh. Sasha, who was sitting in front of him drinking beer, called out to him. When he turned, she held out an oil bottle.
"Apply it for me."
She smiled broadly, showing her dimples, then lay on the sunbed and untied her swimsuit straps. Ja-kyung poured it into his palm and rubbed it on her shoulders and back. Her fair skin didn't tan well in the sun, just turning red without looking much different from when he first saw her.
Starting from her shoulders, he rubbed her back and waist—the skin was soft and smooth. While applying the oil, she stared at him and met his eyes. Ja-kyung deliberately pretended not to understand the meaning in her gaze.
Wang Han had been bringing up Sasha frequently lately, pushing him to give it a try. But since he planned to leave this place soon, he didn't want to create any unnecessary connections.
"Wei."
She called Ja-kyung by his Chinese name. When he looked at her, she lowered her voice and whispered.
"I'm only telling you this, but Rita likes Han."
Ja-kyung looked back at the two people playing in the water. Anyone could see they liked each other. Using ball play as an excuse, they were all over each other. While watching them and smiling, Sasha called again.
"What about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you have someone you like?"
"Why ask that?"
"You don't seem interested in women at all. I was wondering if maybe you like men."
Ja-kyung shook his head without hesitation. Absolutely not. At those words, the corners of Sasha's lips raised slightly. While they were talking, Wang Han called out to Ja-kyung. He asked if he could bring the air pump machine for the tube.
Ja-kyung got up and went inside the house. Boisterous laughter could be heard inside. Recently, Wang Han looked so happy that Ja-kyung sometimes thought it wouldn't be bad to just live like this forever.
He went into the bedroom and was looking for the air pump when he heard a sound at the door.
He saw that Sasha had come in at some point. She closed the door and leaned against it. With her moderately sized breasts and narrow waist, she looked beautiful, as if sculpted.
"They're kissing now. I think I should give them some space."
She grinned, approached him, and squatted right in front of him.
"Want help finding it?"
She said she'd help him look, but why were her lips coming closer? Her intention was obvious, and Ja-kyung snorted a laugh. Her upper body leaned toward Ja-kyung, and their lips met. The sensation was plump and soft like marshmallows.
Ja-kyung didn't push her away but gently accepted her lips. Her body pressed closer against his. Ja-kyung wasn't wearing a shirt either, so their bare skin touched, and her breasts pressed against his chest, spreading warmth through the contact. It had been nearly a year since he'd kissed or touched another person. Plus, she smelled fragrant.
He'd had a drink, and being human after all, his body heated up. His hand wrapped around her waist and was just about to untie her swimsuit straps when the phone he'd left on the bed rang. Ja-kyung gently pushed Sasha's shoulder away. Their lips parted, and she looked at him with a regretful expression.
"Can't you answer later?"
Since it could be Wang Lun who went on a business trip to Japan, he needed to answer right away to check.
"Sorry. It'll just take a moment."
Leaving her behind, he got up and went to the bed to pick up his phone. It was an international call from an unknown number. Not knowing who it might be, he answered right away, and it was a video call. Wang Lun sometimes contacted him via video, so he waited for his face to appear.
The screen shook, blue sky briefly appeared, then black clothes flashed by. What was this? He frowned, and soon an unexpected face appeared on the screen. Ja-kyung's eyes grew impossibly wide.
Kang Il-hyun with a cigarette in his mouth grinned on the screen.
[Hello, darling.]
Startled, Ja-kyung hurriedly ended the call and threw the phone on the bed. He stood frozen like a stone. Sasha got up and approached him. She asked what was wrong, but he couldn't open his mouth. Had he seen wrong? No. That face was definitely Kang Il-hyun's.
Before he could organize his thoughts, the phone rang again. He didn't answer and just glared at it, but it kept ringing. Sasha asked with a worried face.
"Wei, are you okay?"
Ja-kyung forced a smile and nodded. The moment he decided to go outside and tell Wang Han about this, the phone rang again. He thought it couldn't be, but this time it was Wang Lun's number. The back of his head went numb. He picked up the phone and checked—it was indeed a video call.
When he pressed the button, Kang Il-hyun appeared instead of Wang Lun. Damn it. His ominous hunches were never wrong.
Ja-kyung squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. On the screen, the smile completely vanished from his face, which had been smiling with that characteristic smug expression. At that moment, Ja-kyung realized Sasha was next to him. He quickly turned the screen around, pushed Sasha's back to send her out of the room, and closed the door.
He could see Kang Il-hyun's lip curl upward in a smirk.
[Having fun, I see. All naked.]
Ja-kyung glared at him with clenched teeth. Kang Il-hyun lowered his eyes once, then slowly raised them. Though he was smiling, his eyes held vicious murderous intent.
[As I recall, we still have unfinished business to settle.]
Ja-kyung didn't answer.
[How about it. Should I come? Or will you come?]
"Where's the phone's owner?"
Il-hyun raised an eyebrow. Was this person actually speaking? He turned the screen to show Wang Lun kneeling on the ground, completely covered in blood. He raised his head, reached out as if trying to grab the phone, and squeezed out a shout with all his strength.
[Don't, don't come! Absolutely don't come!]
Kang Il-hyun snatched Wang Lun's hand that was flailing in the air and brought it to his mouth. Ja-kyung's pupils wavered. In an instant, Wang Lun's pinky finger entered Kang Il-hyun's mouth. Crack—a bone-chilling sound was heard, and Wang Lun's scream pierced through the screen.
[Aaaah!]
Ja-kyung stood frozen, only glaring at the screen. In the video, Kang Il-hyun stuck out his tongue. One joint of the pinky finger rested on his tongue. He picked it up with his hand, held it close to the screen so it could be seen clearly, and smiled eerily. The severed joint was vivid.
"You, you son of a bitch...!"
Ja-kyung ground his teeth with a face twisted in rage.
Kang Il-hyun wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, then spoke.
[Answer me.]
The air felt like it had frozen cold. Ja-kyung held his breath and gazed at Kang Il-hyun on the screen. A year had passed, yet he hadn't changed at all.
No, his eyes held even more murderous intent than before.
When there was no answer, he looked at the screen and asked once more.
[Should I come, or will you come?]