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In the afternoon, as Ja-kyeong opened the boxes Park Tae-soo had brought, he was left speechless. Wang Han and Wang Ryun were busy exclaiming in admiration. Inside the boxes were various weapons, which he said would be used for the job. Ja-kyeong realized they were the same type he had seen in the basement before. As he examined each gun, Park Tae-soo placed car keys on the table.
"This is the vehicle for the three of you to use. Please use this if possible."
Wang Ryun's eyes grew wide as he checked the car key. It was quite an expensive sedan.
"And if you need anything else, just let me know and I'll take care of it immediately."
Park Tae-soo then handed Ja-kyeong a shopping bag.
"The chairman asked me to give this to you."
After Park Tae-soo bowed and left, Ja-kyeong opened it. A cellphone. And the latest model at that. He must have bought it since he dropped his in the water yesterday, but in case it was bugged, he thought it would be better to take it apart and check it once.
Wang Ryun was starting to feel conflicted. They were given so much money, and now they were even buying things for them. Should he suggest they not run away in the middle and just sign a long-term contract? He glanced at Ja-kyeong surreptitiously but quickly dismissed the thought. He had put his foot in his mouth last night, and with the two of them at each other's throats, the atmosphere was still tense.
"Chairman Kang has a refreshing personality. He's a man who knows how to spend money properly."
Even though he praised him subtly, Ja-kyeong just smoked his cigarette and tended to the firearms without responding. He signaled Wang Han with his eyes, but he had a look that said to leave him be.
***
Ja-kyeong lay on the bed wearing only underwear, staring at the ceiling. The items in the bedroom had all been replaced with new ones, and the bed was also larger than before. Since yesterday, rain had been pouring incessantly, making the outside hot and humid, but with the air conditioner running constantly inside, it always maintained a comfortable atmosphere.
Yesterday, Kang Il-hyun hadn't shown his face once in his room. When he saw him this morning, a simple greeting was all. He hadn't touched him inappropriately or made any mischievous jokes or pranks. While he felt relieved, on the other hand, it felt strangely unsettling.
They say when a person suddenly changes, they die. If he just died, that would be fine, but he was afraid he might hold back and then explode and do something even crazier. Just then, a knock was heard. He raised his head, and a moment later the door opened and Kang Il-hyun appeared.
His expression scowled involuntarily. While he grabbed a shirt hanging nearby and put it on, Kang Il-hyun asked if he could come in. Ja-kyeong, who was putting on clothes, hesitated. He wondered if he heard wrong, but he seemed to be waiting for permission. When he stared at him in disbelief, Kang Il-hyun carefully closed the door and came inside.
On his approaching face, the bruise marks were still vivid. In his hand was a mug. He came up to the bed and placed it on the bedside table. The scent of tea stimulated his sense of smell. It was tea that Ja-kyeong had enjoyed drinking since before.
"I asked your brother, and he said you like this."
Ja-kyeong didn't respond and just glared at him.
Il-hyun pulled over a chair and sat down, meeting Ja-kyeong's gaze with an apologetic expression and smiled.
"That day, I went too far. No matter how angry I was, I shouldn't have arbitrarily cut off someone's cock."
Ja-kyeong looked at him with an absurd expression. Is that even something to say? You crazy bastard. He wanted to curse, but he didn't want to talk to him, so he held back. He hoped he would leave quickly, but he reached into his arms. Was he going to pull out an axe again? The moment he clenched his fist to defend himself, what came out in his hand was an unexpected item.
He placed it next to the teacup. It was a small elephant made of wood, intricately shaped and cute. As he was looking at it, Il-hyun asked gently.
"I bought it thinking of you. You like it, don't you?"
Ja-kyeong kept his mouth shut. Il-hyun stood up from his seat and, uncharacteristically hesitating, reached out and swept Ja-kyeong's bangs back once. When Ja-kyeong stayed still in surprise, he gently stroked it and then immediately withdrew his hand.
"Then sleep well. Have good dreams."
He smiled affectionately, turned around, and went out of the bedroom. Ja-kyeong blinked slowly, wondering if the situation unfolding was a dream, and pinched his cheek. Seeing the teacup and elephant placed beside him, his mind fully returned. Is he crazy, why is he acting like that? The sudden change in the person didn't feel good, but rather more frightening.
Maybe he was listening from outside the door. Feeling anxious, he flung the door open, but no one was there. Seeing he wasn't in the living room either, he really had disappeared. In case he had installed a camera in the meantime, he searched the bedroom thoroughly but found nothing.
The scent of tea and his skin product faintly remained in the room. Ja-kyeong sat on the bed, picked up the elephant, and stared at it. What the hell is he up to?
***
While eating dinner earlier than usual, Kang Il-hyun, who had come home early, came out of his room. But his clothes had changed. He wore a black shirt, which made his face feel even more decadent. Ja-kyeong, who was eating dinner, glanced at him once and then immediately looked away. The Wang brothers greeted him warmly as he approached, but only Ja-kyeong didn't speak to him.
He told Mrs. Sang-ju not to prepare his dinner separately today, and soon after a simple greeting, he left the house. Ja-kyeong, who was eating, looked in the direction he had disappeared. Then Wang Ryun nudged Ja-kyeong.
"Still haven't made up?"
Ja-kyeong didn't answer.
"But where is he going today? The atmosphere is different from usual."
Mrs. Sang-ju, adding more food to the plate, smiled with a slightly sad face.
"It's his mother's death anniversary."
Ja-kyeong, who was drinking water, paused. His gaze involuntarily moved once more in the direction Kang Il-hyun had disappeared. He remembered him talking about his mother. She had hanged herself after going crazy, he said. She tried to kill Kang Il-hyun by drowning him. It started when Chairman Kang brought her here like a kidnapping when she was young and forced her to live here. Did Kang Il-hyun's hatred start from there?
The hand using chopsticks slowed down. He also thought of his own biological mother who had died, and his mind became dizzy. The man to be dealt with in two days was the younger brother of Choi Moon-sung, whom he had killed with his own hands a year ago, and the uncle of Choi Ki-tae. Perhaps a man he might have seen once in his childhood.
The tough and enduring evil fate hadn't let go of the string even after 15 years.
"I've eaten well."
When he left his food and stood up, Mrs. Sang-ju asked with a worried face if he had no appetite. He smiled and said no, then went up to the upper floor. He gathered the gun and knife he would use in two days, checked them once more, and then went out for a walk to digest.
The weather was still humid. It had stopped for a while, but the sky was full of dark clouds and looked ready to pour rain again. During the walk, the bodyguards greeted him familiarly. The shepherd he had seen last time was also roaming around, looking even more majestic after a year. In the meantime, perhaps he had made friends, as there were now several dogs that looked similar.
After walking moderately, he came inside, showered, and meditated. He slowly emptied the miscellaneous things in his mind. After staying like that for nearly an hour, he stood up. Outside, thick darkness had already fallen.
Ja-kyeong's gaze, looking out the window, stopped at the swimming pool. Kang Il-hyun, who had disappeared a few hours ago saying it was his mother's death anniversary, was sitting in a chair looking at the pool. Even though raindrops were falling from the sky one by one, he didn't budge.
He smoked cigarette after cigarette, then slowly took off his shoes and jacket and loosened his tie. Watching what he was doing, he walked into the pool. Ja-kyeong's eyes widened. He lay on his back in the pool looking up at the sky.
His appearance floating in the water looked as comfortable as lying on a bed. The raindrops started to get a little stronger. Kang Il-hyun didn't move an inch in that state. Ja-kyeong moved away from the window and went to lie on the bed. Whether he does that or not. He tried to ignore it and sleep, but sleep wouldn't come at all.
He got up again and went to the window, but he was still lying there like a corpse. Maybe he's drunk. If he stays like that and drowns to death, who do we get our money from? Or... is he in enough pain to want to die? Why is he being so melancholy today of all days?
Was he out of spirits for a few days because today is his mother's death anniversary? Even he is human, does he feel such sadness? While pondering, Ja-kyeong changed clothes and came down to the lower floor. Since it was time for everyone to go to bed, the house was deathly quiet, and when he went outside, the guards standing watch greeted him.
He opened an umbrella and walked toward the pool. Patter, patter, the sound of rain was intense. Ja-kyeong stood right in front of the pool. Kang Il-hyun didn't move with his eyes closed.
"What are you doing?"
Even when called, there was no answer.
"I asked what you're doing."
Still no response. No way, Ja-kyeong hurriedly jumped into the pool and grabbed his arm. Then Kang Il-hyun opened his eyes and straightened his body. Wiping the water off his face, he raised one eyebrow. Ja-kyeong let out a low sigh of relief and cursed.
"Why do you have that expression?"
"What do I have?"
When he answered curtly, Kang Il-hyun smiled faintly with his wet face.
"Why are you making a frightened face?"
Ja-kyeong's pupils shook slightly. The answer didn't come easily. Did I? No. I just... if you're gone, there's no one to give me money... He made excuses in his mind but couldn't say them out loud.
Just then, a heavy downpour began. Il-hyun's large hand created a shade over Ja-kyeong's head. And with his other hand, he affectionately wiped the rain from his face.
"Don't get rained on, let's go inside. You'll catch a cold."