<79>
"Are you really okay? You weren't tortured, were you?"
If it was torture, then it was torture. The only difference was that the weapon was a dick. Ja-kyeong didn't want to say anything and just shook his head. After eating a late lunch, the three sat in the yard and talked about what had happened. Fortunately, it seemed the two had gotten by without any retaliation from Kang Il-hyeon while Ja-kyeong was gone.
Wang Ryun recalled that day and sighed.
"Who could have imagined he'd show up in a helicopter and spray us with rifles and grenades? Chairman Kang is more intense than I thought."
Wang Han sighed.
"That's why I said we shouldn't run away."
"Brother. Next time, stop us actively. Or beat us up, that's fine too."
Ja-kyeong sneered.
"Give up over something like that? What's so scary about Kang Il-hyeon?"
Wang Ryun shuddered.
"You saw it yourself and you're saying that? When Chairman Kang appeared from the sky, I thought a demon had descended. I told you I pissed myself. Feel it. My pants are still damp."
Ja-kyeong slumped his shoulders and muttered to himself.
"Don't make a fuss over that. I really did piss myself."
He ground out his cigarette under his foot and stood up, and Wang Ryun asked what he meant. He couldn't possibly tell them the truth. If he said he'd ejaculated and then even pissed himself, they'd probably faint on the spot.
He looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh when the gate opened and two employees came in carrying something. It was a box the size of a person, and at a glance it looked like a coffin.
Wang Ryun and Wang Han also stood up from their seats.
What is that?
Ja-kyeong suddenly remembered the doll modeled after him and felt uneasy. He thought they'd left it behind. He hurriedly followed them inside, and sure enough, they set the box down on the lower floor. When the lid was opened, a model identical to Ja-kyeong's appearance was lying inside.
The Wang brothers' eyes grew wide as they examined it.
"Hey... is this you?"
"No."
"Don't be ridiculous. It looks exactly like you."
"It looks similar, but it's not me."
Denying it was useless. While they were marveling and examining the face, Kang Il-hyeon came out of the bedroom. Il-hyeon instructed the employees to place the model in Ja-kyeong's room on the second floor. Given what he'd done, Ja-kyeong couldn't bring himself to refuse and accepted it meekly.
In the end, Ja-kyeong was stuck with that creepy doll in one corner of his bedroom. Wang Ryun, who followed behind, lifted the pants slightly and frowned.
"My god. It even has a dick."
Wang Han was curious too and came over to look. He thought it would be hard like a mannequin, but surprisingly it was soft. The two eventually dragged Ja-kyeong over and stood him next to it, examining them in turn. They didn't strip Ja-kyeong's pants to check, but Ja-kyeong's dick was clearly bigger.
"If you're going to make it, at least be generous. Why make the dick so small?"
"Seriously. A man has his pride. Chairman Kang went too far."
"Hey, are you upset?"
Ja-kyeong snapped at both of them to stop talking. Just then the door opened and Kang Il-hyeon, who had been downstairs, appeared, and the air instantly turned cold. Wang Ryun and Wang Han were glancing around nervously trying to escape, but Il-hyeon slammed the door shut and stood blocking it, looking at the three in turn.
Wang Ryun looked at the model and laughed heartily.
"Chairman Kang has such great taste. To think of giving this doll as a gift."
Il-hyeon smiled gently.
"Yes. It was infuriating that you ran away, so I took him to stuff him, but I couldn't bring myself to kill him."
"Ah, so it wasn't just a gift... You were going to stuff him..."
He swallowed hard and forced a smile, but Kang Il-hyeon's eyes flashed.
"If you'd like, I'll make ones for both of you too."
Wang Ryun and Wang Han waved their hands frantically at the same time. They understood the implication immediately. The message was that if they ran away again, they'd be turned into taxidermy. It also meant to keep this here and reflect on it for a long time. Perhaps because of that story, the model felt even more chilling.
"It's been a few days since we met, so you probably have a lot to talk about, but I'll head downstairs now. Director Park will let you know the schedule tomorrow. Rest well until then."
Well then. Il-hyeon lightly bowed and closed the door and disappeared.
The three exchanged glances and sighed.
"I guess we got caught up in something bad, huh?"
"Thinking about running away for money was a mistake from the start."
"Shall we drink together to celebrate coming back alive?"
"Count me out. I want to sleep."
Wang Ryun pestered him to drink, but Ja-kyeong refused and went into the bedroom. He hadn't been able to sleep properly and was tired, and his whole body ached as if he'd been beaten. The noisy living room went quiet, so the two must have gone back to the next room.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he peeled off the patches stuck all over. He'd used more patches from sex than from work. Where the patches had been, ugly bruises were scattered everywhere. He lifted his shirt to check his chest and stomach, and there wasn't a single unharmed spot.
He went out and collapsed onto the bed when a ringing sound came from beside his head. When he lifted his head, a cell phone was placed on the bedside table. Kang Il-hyeon had bought it for him, but he'd left it behind when he ran away. Ja-kyeong's face contorted as he checked the number.
[My baby♥]
When did he change this?
That bastard finally became "my baby."
He ignored it but it kept ringing. After cursing, he answered and heard his voice.
[Were you sleeping?]
"I'm lying down..."
[I'm going to have dinner at the main house. I might be late.]
"......"
[Should I come up to see your face before I go?]
He keeps asking for permission, so out of character. If only he'd ask for consent like this when having sex too. The clear handprint on his neck clearly showed what he'd done last night.
"I'm going to sleep. I'm really tired."
After hanging up, Ja-kyeong lay sprawled on the bed like a corpse. He stared at the ceiling for a while, then slowly looked around the bedroom. By now this place was somewhat comfortable. Could he ever return to his original place?
Sleep wouldn't come, and only various thoughts kept surfacing and tormenting his mind.
***
It wasn't a meal but rather as quiet and cold as a funeral home. All kinds of delicacies were laid out on the long dining table, but dinner at the main house always felt like a last supper to Il-hyeon. In his head he made all sorts of calculations while outwardly exchanging company stories and casual conversation as if nothing was wrong.
"Did you have a good vacation?"
At Chairman Kang's question, Il-hyeon nodded. Yes.
"Did you go alone?"
Il-hyeon laughed. Why was he asking so many questions when he already knew everything?
"My sister stopped by for a bit at night."
Yoo-jung had taken a vacation and was staying at the resort until tomorrow, so she couldn't attend the dinner gathering. Everyone seemed to be eating, but he could feel them perking up at Il-hyeon's voice.
"She was hiding to surprise me, and I misunderstood and hit her with the car."
"Misunderstanding?"
"I thought she came to kill me."
Il-hyeon laughed as if telling a funny joke. For a very brief moment, he saw Kim Sun-young hesitate. On the contrary, Chairman Kang was nonchalant. Instead, Kang Tae-han, who was sitting in front of him, made a disgusted expression.
"How do you live like that? If it were me, I would've died from stress first."
Il-hyeon laughed softly.
"It's fine. I'm not you, hyung."
It felt strangely sarcastic, but Tae-han didn't want to ruin the meal, so he just glared and shut his mouth. He said something unnecessary and couldn't even get back what he started. Seok-ju, who had been watching the predators' reactions, saw an opportunity and spoke up.
"Um, I saw Jang Yi-an a while ago."
He left out that he saw him at the club. Kang Il-hyeon made no response or reaction. Tae-han swirled his wine glass and glanced at Seok-ju.
"Jang Myung's grandson? The one with the really sexy eyes?"
Il-hyeon's hand cutting the steak paused for a moment. He moved his eyes to look at Kang Tae-han sitting across from him, who continued with a puzzled expression.
"He stayed at Chairman Kang's place last year. What's he doing here? Did you see him at a club?"
Seok-ju nodded. Tae-han clicked his tongue as if it was unexpected. He thought he was an innocent young master who knew nothing, but he was impressed that he knew how to play at such places.
"Come to think of it, they say there are a lot of perverts among art people. But what's he doing here without any contact? Father, did you hear anything?"
"Be quiet. Stop talking and eat."
At Chairman Kang's sharp rebuke, Kang Tae-han shut his mouth. Chairman Kang put food in his mouth and checked Il-hyeon's expression with his eyes. Calm without any disturbance. Like someone hearing a story they knew nothing about. However, no one could guarantee how long that calm would last.
***
While the car was moving, Il-hyeon opened the window and put a cigarette in his mouth. It wasn't a meal but he felt as tired as if he'd been through a war. He put his hand inside his tie and pulled it, then unbuttoned the top shirt buttons. He exhaled cigarette smoke outside and gazed out the window with quiet eyes.
Beside him was what he'd received as a birthday gift from Chairman Kang. He turned his head and took out the box, and inside was a wine cup made of fine jade-colored ceramic. Il-hyeon laughed softly and licked the inside of his mouth with his tongue. He could feel Park Tae-soo's gaze glancing at him through the rearview mirror.
It was the Gye-young cup.
A cup that overflows when filled beyond a certain amount. In his youth, Chairman Kang supposedly always gave this as a gift before purging his competitors. It was a kind of warning. Don't do anything beyond your station. It also meant he'd make them pay the price with blood or sweat.
So this has finally come to me.
Il-hyeon roughly stuffed the cup back in the box and handed it to Tae-soo sitting in front.
"Tae-soo."
"Yes, Chairman."
Il-hyeon held his cigarette and smiled like a villain.
"Keep it safe, then put it on the old man's memorial table. Let's see who uses it first."