<69>
Knock, knock. At the sound of knocking disturbing his sleep, Il-hyeon opened his closed eyes. He rose and checked the clock at his bedside. The clear digits pointed to 6 AM. He got out of bed and went to the door. When he opened it, Park Tae-soo was standing there.
His expression was strikingly similar to that day a year ago when Il-hyeon was shot and collapsed at his inauguration ceremony. What could have caused the always expressionless man to be so shaken? Il-hyeon instantly sensed that something had gone wrong. Tae-soo bowed his head with a remorseful face.
"I think you need to come outside."
Il-hyeon draped a black gown over his bare upper body. Going downstairs with Tae-soo, Sang-ju's wife, who had no habit of sleeping in, came out of the kitchen and looked at them with a worried face. Leaving her behind, they went outside and walked toward the gate.
Employees who had been on guard duty all night were gathered, and one car caught his eye. It was the sedan Ja-kyeong had taken yesterday when she went out for work. Both the body and the glass had been modified so that ordinary bullets couldn't penetrate it. And beside it, three men including Park Sung-soo, who had been assigned to tail Ja-kyeong and his brothers last night, stood with their hands behind their backs.
They bowed deeply upon seeing Il-hyeon.
"We apologize, Chairman. This is our negligence. We relied only on GPS and didn't confirm who was in the car. We will accept whatever punishment you give."
They were resolute, ready to commit seppuku if commanded. Il-hyeon's gaze shifted to the side. An unfamiliar man was kneeling on the ground, weeping. When an employee pulled him up, he turned pale and shook his head.
"I really don't know anything! They just asked me to drive the car here. That's all. Please spare me!"
At the ominous atmosphere, the man knelt on the ground and begged desperately. In front of him, a bundle of banknotes, apparently received from Ja-kyeong, was scattered. Il-hyeon slowly moved toward the trunk. Bullet marks were clearly visible on the rear window. They had clashed violently last night - he could tell without checking.
"Open it."
At his voice dripping with cold fury, a subordinate quickly opened the trunk. Inside were piles of clothes, shoes, and firearms they had been wearing. Il-hyeon kept his mouth firmly shut and pulled out his cell phone from his pocket.
When he dialed Ja-kyeong's number, [Myself] appeared on the phone screen. Vrrr, vrrr. Vibration came from the corner of the trunk. Tae-soo quickly retrieved it. Park Tae-soo paused as he checked the screen. Il-hyeon reached out, and Tae-soo handed it over.
Il-hyeon looked at Ja-kyeong's phone in his hand and laughed hollowly.
[Bastard]
A bitter laugh escaped him. Seeing it side by side with his own phone made it even more absurd. Myself and Bastard. It perfectly showed what their relationship was and how deluded he had been in his solitary fantasies.
He had thought Ja-kyeong's refusal to sign the contract was just playing hard to get. He had personally visited a flower shop he'd never been to in his life, spent time choosing flowers that suited her, and deluded himself into thinking he was more than halfway there by the time he arrived home with them.
He had even found a restaurant he'd never been to and made a reservation, thinking about having lunch together during the day. There was no bigger fool than this. When he squeezed his eyes shut, Tae-soo approached.
"I've ordered to check all nearby CCTV. They couldn't have gone far. We will definitely find them."
When he opened his eyes, Il-hyeon's gaze flashed with murderous intent like a venomous snake. He silently put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He kept his mouth firmly shut as he stared at the car Ja-kyeong had ridden, until the cigarette burned completely. Even the air surrounding him seemed to freeze cold.
After grinding out the finished cigarette, Il-hyeon called Tae-soo. Unlike his cold face, his voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Block all airports and ports. Find them before they leave Korea."
As soon as he finished speaking, he threw Ja-kyeong's phone he was holding into the trunk. Then Il-hyeon disappeared into the house as if nothing had happened. The three men who had been assigned to tail them squeezed their eyes shut and let out sighs of relief.
Tae-soo told them to release the man they had brought and gave out orders one by one.
***
After two hours by boat, they arrived at an island quite far from the mainland. As soon as the boat touched the shore, Ja-kyeong, Wang Han, and Wang Ryun moved their luggage from the boat one by one. After moving all the luggage, Wang Han handed a bundle of cash to the elderly captain.
As the boat moved away, the three began to look around the island. Ja-kyeong, pulling his hat down low, immediately furrowed his brow. He had high expectations since it was an island, but the surroundings were full of garbage washed up from the sea. From washbasins to fishing nets, boots, beverage bottles, and waste oil drums - the variety was extensive.
It's an island, but a garbage island.
"Let's move the luggage first."
The three carried the money and food they brought on their shoulders and hands, walking into the grass. The dense forest had no paths, suggesting no human visitors for a long time. Pushing through grass that grew up to their thighs and walking for about ten minutes, a small cabin appeared.
Though small, it could withstand ordinary wind and rain. When the door was opened, old metallic creaking sounds rang out along with dust falling down. This place, long abandoned, was supposedly where Wang Ryun's acquaintance had manufactured drugs to avoid people's eyes a very long time ago.
He had been shot and died long ago, becoming deceased, but Wang Ryun instantly remembered this place he had visited only once ten years ago. The thick dust piled everywhere seemed to tell of the years passed. After stacking their bags in one place, Wang Han opened the doors and windows for ventilation. They didn't plan to stay long, but they intended to at least clean while staying here.
Ja-kyeong was looking around the house when Wang Ryun nudged his shoulder.
"Finally your wish came true. How do you feel? You wanted to live on an island."
Ja-kyeong nudged his arm away. This wasn't an island, it was a deserted island. No fire, no electricity, and couldn't move without a boat. He wiped the dust on the table with his hand and brushed it off. Still, cleaning would make it somewhat better.
"Is that captain trustworthy?"
"He's famous for keeping his mouth shut in this area. Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten me."
Wang Han laughed heartily.
"You don't have a face that's easily forgotten."
"Same goes for you, brother. Don't forget that the two of us look alike."
"Wei. You tell me. Which of us is better looking?"
At Wang Han's words, Ja-kyeong pointed at Wang Han without any hesitation.
"Don't lie! You always side with the eldest brother!"
Wang Ryun came over and tried to put his arm around his neck to choke him, so Ja-kyeong kicked his buttocks, telling him not to. While the two bickered, Wang Han smiled and organized the luggage. They planned to wait here for things to calm down for a while before leaving for another country. Wang Ryun's girlfriend had already left the country to hide, and the three of them also had no intention of ever returning to Korea.
Ja-kyeong dragged the dusty items outside to shake them off. How had so much been piled up in such a small space. When he beat them with a wooden stick, white dust rose up. He might die of lung disease first at this rate.
After the three cleaned together roughly, it was somewhat better. It wasn't a hotel, but they'd be able to sleep with peace of mind for a while. After finishing cleaning, Ja-kyeong went outside and looked around. The greenery made his eyes feel clear.
Then he thought of Kang Il-hyeon without realizing it. Perhaps he had expected to some degree that Ja-kyeong would run away. But he probably never imagined it would be right after finishing the first job. By now he's probably grinding his teeth with red eyes searching.
It wasn't that he felt no guilt at all. But if they're assigning blame, Kang Il-hyeon also bore responsibility for summoning him to Korea like a kidnapping when he was living perfectly fine, and then making him sign a contract on top of that.
He put a cigarette in his mouth and looked up at the sky. He was too distracted to notice before, but looking at the sky, the sunset was stunning.
"Brother. Come out."
He shouted inside, and Wang Han came out and looked outside. Soon Wang Ryun also came out. The three stood side by side, cigarettes in their mouths, gazing blankly at the setting sun. Everything was peaceful. Better than expected.
Did they all think the same thing at once? The corners of their mouths holding cigarettes rose identically. They didn't know how many days they'd stay, but it didn't seem as bad as they thought. Just think of it as a vacation after a long time. After smoking, the three went inside and prepared dinner.
Cooking instant food on a portable gas burner still tasted pretty good. Enjoying some drinks and talking, the night deepened. Going outside, the stars were beautiful as if they would pour down. While gazing at the sky for a while, Wang Han, who they thought was asleep, opened the door and came out.
When Ja-kyeong looked back, he offered him a cigarette.
"Why aren't you sleeping and out here?"
"Just. The stars are pretty, and the night air is nice."
Wang Han smiled and looked up at the sky with him. It really is nice. Just then, loud snoring came from inside the house. The two looked at each other, sighed, and shook their heads. Once Wang Ryun fell asleep, he wouldn't know if he was being carried away, and his snoring was so severe that even kicking him only worked for that moment.
"No sleep tonight."
"Exactly."
When Ja-kyeong laughed, Wang Han looked at him. His eyes held many meanings. Affection, worry, and.
"Wei."
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"About what?"
"Just... I was wondering if you regret it."
He understood what those words meant, and Ja-kyeong furrowed his brow. When he demanded how could that be possible, he said that's enough then, patted his shoulder and went inside. Ja-kyeong stood alone with a dissatisfied expression. That's nonsense. Escaping that man, how light and free he felt, like he could fly...
Wang Han really didn't know him at all.