After driving for two hours, the place they arrived at was an area somewhat removed from Seoul. Getting out of the car, Jakyung momentarily lost his words at the house that appeared before his eyes. It was less a house and closer to a mansion. Rose vines endlessly stretched along the seemingly infinite wall. They were the same color as the flowers he held in his hand.
Two guards guarding the main gate approached and greeted them. Upon entering, the scale of the house was even more massive than it appeared from outside. His first thought was 'I'm screwed,' and his second was 'where did they hide the safe.'
Crossing the yard and stepping into the house, there were two more guards inside. So far, four guards in total. There might be more, but compared to the size of the house, it wasn't many. Rather, there seemed to be more household staff. While greeting them, an elderly man appeared from behind.
"Welcome. You've worked hard coming such a long way."
The elderly man welcomed Jakyung warmly. Judging by his neat attire, he too was likely one of the staff members. Given his considerably advanced age, he had probably stayed at this house for a long time. Thinking that getting on good terms with him wouldn't hurt, Jakyung greeted him politely and then smiled shyly.
Kang Il-hyun took off his jacket and set it aside, then tugged at his tie to loosen it.
"Tae-soo will show you to your room. Follow him, unpack, and come back down."
Jakyung nodded. Park Tae-soo dragged his suitcase and moved toward a small passage at the end of the living room. Following him, Jakyung looked around the house. Overall, the interior felt bright and warm, perhaps due to the large windows. He had thought it would be fortified like a stronghold given the reports of multiple attacks, but it was unexpectedly different.
Then he discovered CCTV mounted on the ceiling. There were several identical ones at the main gate, the entrance, and the living room. While assessing the positions and number of CCTVs with his eyes, he bumped into Tae-soo's back. He stopped walking and pressed the elevator button.
"Sorry. I was looking around."
"It's fine."
Soon the door opened, and Tae-soo and Jakyung entered the elevator. Inside, there weren't just buttons for the 1st and 2nd floors. Jakyung's eyes sparkled when he discovered one more button below the 1st floor. Instead of a floor number, it was equipped with a fingerprint scanner. A place where not just anyone could enter. While he was observing it closely, the elevator door opened. Tae-soo got out first, and Jakyung followed behind.
"There's... an elevator in the house."
Tae-soo walked holding the suitcase and nodded once.
"Yes. Normally, you can use the central staircase."
"There was another button below. What's that for? Is there a basement too?"
"The basement is Executive Director-nim's personal space."
"What's down there?"
Tae-soo suddenly stopped walking and stared straight at Jakyung. Jakyung stood there holding the bouquet, his eyes wide open. He radiated a gaze that screamed he had asked purely out of innocent curiosity. But Park Tae-soo didn't answer. He just walked ahead with long strides, still holding the suitcase.
Passing through the long corridor, there were several rooms. All the doors were closed, and each door had a lock mechanism. Counting the number of rooms with his eyes, Tae-soo stopped in front of the very last room. When he held up a card key, the door opened.
Stepping inside, Jakyung doubted his eyes. It wasn't just a room but another house within the house. A small living room, kitchen, and bedroom were furnished. Jakyung looked around while still holding the bouquet.
"It's nice."
"I'm glad you like it. Cleaning staff will come at 11 AM to clean. If you need anything, you can tell me separately or inform the staff. Meals will be prepared whenever you want."
Yes, Jakyung was nodding when he hesitated. On one side of the square living room, a CCTV camera was mounted. Just in case, he went inside and checked the bedroom, and there was CCTV there too. He threw the bouquet roughly onto the bed and frowned deeply. What the hell is this.
Thinking it couldn't be, he opened the bathroom to check, and thankfully there wasn't one there. No, it's just not visible to the eye—it could still be there. Exasperated, he came back out for now.
"Um, excuse me but... in the room,"
Coming out to the living room, Jakyung stopped walking. Park Tae-soo who had come with him had disappeared, and Kang Il-hyun was sitting on the sofa. Jakyung slightly bit his lower lip. Don't get angry, don't snap back, be gentle. A frail young master. A well-raised young master. A timid young master.
First, he stepped forward in front of him with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
"There's... a CCTV camera in the bedroom."
"I installed them in every room. Is it uncomfortable?"
"Yes... I suppose... It feels like... being watched..."
"I consider it protection. Preparation for just in case, you could say."
"Just in case...?"
"If Ian-ssi dies in this house, I'd be in trouble. I need at least some video evidence."
"......"
"It was a joke, but you're not laughing."
"Ahaha..."
"Don't force a laugh. If it's uncomfortable, I'll have the staff remove just the one in the bedroom."
"Yes... please do."
"And if you need to call someone, you see that over there?"
He pointed to a small intercom attached to the living room wall.
"If you press button 1 there, it connects to the downstairs. If you call a staff member, they'll come right up. Pressing 0 connects to my room, but you probably won't need that."
"Yes..."
"If a dangerous situation arises, go into the bathroom. There's an emergency button there too."
"Dangerous... situation?"
Hmm. Kang Il-hyun thought for a moment before speaking.
"Like bullets flying in from outside. Or someone coming down from upstairs and breaking glass. Or someone swinging an axe at your head while you sleep."
"Haha..."
"Why are you laughing? This is serious."
"......"
"A few years ago, two staff members died. I changed the glass to bulletproof, but since then there haven't been any intruders, so I haven't been able to verify its performance yet. I hope there's no occasion to test it while Ian-ssi is here."
Wang Han's words suddenly flashed through his mind. There had been several assassination attempts, and all who attempted had died. So it was true.
"I see..."
"That's all for now. Any questions?"
Where is your secret safe? In the basement? I want to go in there, can I borrow your finger? If you don't want to lend it, you can cut it off for me. I can cut it nicely for you if you want. If he asked like this, he'd probably go for his throat right away.
He forced a smile and shook his head saying nothing. The man was staring at him again, so he smiled to the point of cramping in his cheeks. They say you can't spit on a smiling face. Ugh, never mind. Right now, he just wanted him to leave this room. Why is it so uncomfortable? Just go. Go downstairs.
As if telepathy worked, Kang Il-hyun stood up, brushing off his seat.
"Then I have an appointment, so I'll be going out. Rest comfortably."
"Yes... thank you."
"My younger sibling will come tomorrow. They're the same age as Ian-ssi, so it'll be more comfortable than with me. If there's somewhere you want to go, tell them. They have some rough edges, but once you get close, they'll be a lot of help."
A sibling? Looking at the personal records, there were only two half-siblings. Must be one of them. Whoever it is, they'd probably be more comfortable than this man. As he forced a strained smile and nodded, the man turned to leave. He was gesturing for him to hurry up and get lost when suddenly at the door, he turned around abruptly.
"Ah. I have something I'm curious about."
"Please speak..."
"Did you say you're majoring in art?"
His expression was nonchalant, but his eyes grew slightly darker. Jakyung answered as casually as possible.
"Fine arts."
"Fine arts."
"Sculpture."
Only then did Kang Il-hyun nod as if he understood.
"Ah, I see."
Nothing followed after 'I see.' But Jakyung noticed that Kang Il-hyun had been harboring questions since he touched his hand at the airport. What reason would a sickly, sheltered young master have for having that many calluses on his hand? Moreover, those were calluses commonly found on people who frequently handled knives and guns.
"Well then."
After confirming that Kang Il-hyun had completely left the room, Jakyung exhaled the breath he'd been holding and flopped onto the sofa. He grabbed the cushion behind his back, about to throw it in the direction the man had left, but stopped himself, conscious of the CCTV above.
Instead, he buried his face in the cushion and let out a silent scream. Trying to act a role that didn't suit him was driving him crazy. On top of that, not being able to smoke was starting to cause withdrawal symptoms, making him even more desperate.
Fuming for a while, Jakyung went into the bedroom and unpacked. He took out a cellphone and clothes from the bag, tucked an e-cigarette and detector between them, and then went into the bathroom.
Closing the bathroom door and confirming visually that there was no CCTV, he turned on the detector. He swept every corner from under the sink to the top of the drawers, but found no wiretapping devices or cameras.
Somewhat relieved, he turned off the detector's switch and took out the e-cigarette. He had taken medicine to suppress smoking cravings before coming, but it hadn't worked. As he inhaled the cigarette, calm returned to his mind. It was a shame it wasn't real tobacco, but at least with nicotine entering his body, the suffocating feeling gradually faded away.
Jakyung stared blankly at the ceiling and inhaled the cigarette like a thirsty person. The white smoke disappeared into the ventilation holes as soon as he exhaled. Only half a day had passed since arriving in Korea, but exhaustion swept over him as if he had stayed up for three days and nights.