<92>
As soon as he arrived, Ja-kyung worried slightly that Gang Il-hyun might carve off the tattoo on his back with a knife, but unexpectedly, he was gentle. He examined every corner of Ja-kyung's body, then skillfully treated the wound on his arm and brought out bandages.
"You know, you've had a screw loose lately."
Ja-kyung felt a lump in his throat, but since it wasn't wrong, he couldn't argue. He'd made mistakes in his work, lost his gun, and deserved the criticism he received.
"I'm sorry..."
"I didn't say that to get an apology. I'm telling you to keep your head in the game and take care of yourself."
"...."
"Is it because of your brother that you're so distracted?"
Ja-kyung didn't answer and kept his mouth firmly shut. The hands wrapping the bandage around his arm were careful. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had brutally gouged out Takeya Jun's eyeballs. When he looked up at his face, their eyes met and he smiled.
The screw being loose, the constant distraction... it wasn't because of Wang Ryun.
Unable to honestly confess, he just kept repeating that he wouldn't do it again. After finishing the bandage, Il-hyun put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He took a drag and handed it to Ja-kyung. As soon as Ja-kyung accepted it and put it in his mouth, Park Tae-soo entered with a knock.
"Everything's ready."
Il-hyun extended his hand toward Ja-kyung.
"Then shall we go?"
His manner was as polite as if he were escorting someone to a party. Without needing to ask where, a chill ran down his spine. Surely not. No way....
"Don't worry. Tae-soo seems to have some experience peeling skin in his prime days."
He almost dropped the cigarette from his mouth onto the floor. It wasn't a joke?
"Don't joke around."
"I'm not generous enough to tolerate another man's tattoo on your body. You know that."
He was speechless. This was something Takeya Jun had done, but back then, the group Ja-kyung hung out with had also copied it, thinking it looked cool. So would he have to kill all of them too? No matter how he explained, Il-hyun was already too far gone to listen.
"I'll have it cleanly removed and put something I like instead."
"What... is that?"
"A kitty cat."
Saying "kitty cat" with a scary smile made it even more chilling. Looking at his expression, it wasn't a joke. When he really tried to take him away, Ja-kyung resisted with all his might. In the end, he barely managed to defuse the crisis by persuading him that he'd get it removed by laser after returning from Hawaii.
"Promise me. If you don't remove it then, I'll carve it out myself."
When he reluctantly nodded, Il-hyun gently stroked his hair.
"Our baby is so good. You listen so well."
Ja-kyung slapped his hand away.
"Don't switch between being mean and nice. You're like a psycho!"
At the word "psycho," he looked wounded and asked if it showed that much. Park Tae-soo definitely smiled proudly watching the two of them bicker. When a superior does something crazy, shouldn't someone beside him stop it? No, even if he doesn't stop it, there's no need to look so pleased about it?
After Park Tae-soo disappeared, Ja-kyung entered the bedroom to pack. He opened his bag and was packing clothes when Gang Il-hyun propped his chin on his hand right in front of him and watched.
"Want me to help?"
"It's fine. I'll just pack roughly and buy what I need there."
Just then, something tumbled from between the clothes and rolled under Il-hyun's feet. Il-hyun bent down to pick it up. Flustered, Ja-kyung quickly stood up to snatch it back but was too late. The wooden elephant figure he had received before and hidden among his clothes—of all things....
"Give it back."
When he reached out his hand, Il-hyun made a strange expression.
"I'm touched. I didn't know you were keeping it so preciously."
He had just buried it somewhere, but Il-hyun was reading into it.
"Give it to me, quickly."
When he tried to snatch it, Il-hyun moved his hand behind his back and grinned lecherously.
"I have an even bigger elephant than this one. Want me to show you?"
Seeing his eyes twinkling, that elephant was probably attached to his body. Sure enough, when his hand went to unbuckle his belt, Ja-kyung quickly snatched the figure and stuffed it in the bag, pretending not to notice.
Il-hyun, who had been sitting in a chair, came down to the floor and sat right next to Ja-kyung. Then he rummaged through the packed belongings in the bag, causing trouble. When Ja-kyung pushed him away, telling him to go, he didn't budge, and eventually leaned his head on Ja-kyung's shoulder, being clingy.
"I'm going to miss you."
The man who had been joking spoke indifferently. It sounded more sincere than anything he'd said before, making Ja-kyung's chest ache for no reason. Ja-kyung, who was packing, turned his head to look beside him. His gaze was heated. The corner of his smiling lips lifted elegantly, then he reached out and pulled the back of Ja-kyung's head. Their lips met softly and then parted. Whether it was a sigh or a moan, Il-hyun exhaled a sticky breath between his lips.
"Fuck. My dick is pathetic. Looks like it's going to be lonely for a month."
Just when things were going well.
After glaring at him once, Ja-kyung continued packing, but from beside him, Il-hyun slipped his hand inside his t-shirt and teased him. It was too annoying to push away, so Ja-kyung left it, but the touch expanded and became persistent. In the end, abandoning all thoughts of packing, he pulled him into an embrace and they rolled around. As he bit and sucked at his lips, someone knocked on the door.
Park Tae-soo's voice, who had left earlier, came from outside.
"President, I think you need to come out for a moment."
With a peck, Il-hyun gave a short kiss to Ja-kyung's lips, then stood up, adjusted his clothes, and went outside. When Ja-kyung tried to follow, he told him to finish packing and closed the door. Murmuring voices from the living room were heard then cut off. After a while, when he went out to check, Gang Il-hyun had already disappeared.
***
"The house will feel empty."
As she prepared breakfast, the housekeeper expressed her regret. Ja-kyung felt sad that he wouldn't be able to eat her delicious food for a while. While eating, Ja-kyung was curious about Gang Il-hyun's whereabouts and subtly asked her. Instead of answering, she smiled looking behind Ja-kyung.
"Why don't you ask him directly?"
When Ja-kyung turned around, he was startled. Gang Il-hyun was standing behind him, smiling, though he didn't know when he'd arrived. Dressed for work, he pulled out a chair and sat beside him. While the housekeeper brought coffee, he stared intently at the clothes Ja-kyung was wearing. Having only seen him wear achromatic colors every day, the red Hawaiian shirt suited him incredibly well.
"The outfit is sharp."
"It's one I cherish."
"You should have worn it more often."
He had wanted to, but had held back because it would stand out.
"Does it suit me?"
"Yeah. Goes perfectly with your thug eyes."
At the word "thug," Ja-kyung glared at him, eyes narrowing like a flatfish. As he put bread in his mouth and chewed, his cheeks puffed out.
Finding that cute, Il-hyun poked his cheek firmly with his finger.
"Where's your eldest brother?"
"He packed first and went to the hospital."
It wasn't just the three of them going to Hawaii. Bodyguards and a doctor to treat Wang Ryun were accompanying them. The doctor would stay there until Wang Ryun fully recovered. Ja-kyung was grateful that, without being obvious, Gang Il-hyun was making many considerate arrangements.
As he tore the bread with his hands, Ja-kyung subtly asked about last night. He was curious why Park Tae-soo had suddenly come and where Il-hyun had disappeared to.
"Something urgent came up at the company, so I went out for a bit."
"I see..."
"Another employee will take you to the airport. I have a morning meeting so I need to go to work."
"What about Jun?"
"That Japanese guy?"
When Ja-kyung nodded, Il-hyun wiped the bread crumbs from the corner of his mouth and smiled.
"Don't worry. I killed him and buried him properly."
Surely he didn't feed him to dogs again? Jun wasn't someone who would go down easily. When Ja-kyung looked at him worriedly, he stroked his head as if to reassure him. After Wang Han, the person who touched his head the most was now Gang Il-hyun.
His hand gradually moved down, touching his earlobe, then tracing his neck, shoulder, and back in order before falling away. That was regrettably disappointing. Before he could even feel the desire to stay together longer, the sound of a chair scraping was heard as Il-hyun stood up.
"Have a safe trip and come back healthy. Call me as soon as you arrive."
He placed his hand on Ja-kyung's shoulder and from behind, planted a kiss on his cheek with a peck. The housekeeper who was organizing dishes saw this and laughed. Ja-kyung's ears turned bright red and he sat there without moving. After saying goodbye to go to work, he left the house as if it were any other day. His retreating figure looked so peaceful that Ja-kyung felt strangely hurt, as if he was suffering alone.
It's just a month without seeing each other. It doesn't seem like a big deal to him. Am I the only one worried and concerned? Ja-kyung stared blankly at the teacup Il-hyun left behind. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't even touched the coffee, just looked at his face and left. As he chewed his lip, Wang Han called. When he answered, he spoke in an urgent voice.
[Have you left?]
"Not yet. Why are you so out of breath?"
[Did you know?]
"Know what?"
[About Jun. Last night, he was moved somewhere else and seems to have escaped.]
Ja-kyung almost dropped his phone. His eyes followed where Gang Il-hyun had just exited. He stood up from his seat and unknowingly walked toward that direction. He opened the front door and continued the call with Wang Han.
[I just overheard what Gang's employees were saying. They said there was a huge commotion searching for him until dawn.]
In the middle of the yard, Ja-kyung stopped walking. Gang Il-hyun was talking with Park Tae-soo when he glanced over. Ja-kyung stared at Gang Il-hyun with his fists clenched tight.
Why did you lie? You said he was dead. You said not to worry.
Through the receiver, Wang Han sighed.
[At that condition, even if he escaped, he won't last long.]
"...."
[Are you listening?]
"Yeah..."
[Hurry up and come. Ryun is looking for you.]
Ja-kyung didn't answer and ended the call saying he'd call again. Then he walked purposefully toward Gang Il-hyun who was standing by the car and grabbed his arm. Il-hyun's gaze fell on the grabbed arm, then slowly rose to meet Ja-kyung.
"What's this sudden behavior?"
"I'm not going."
One of Il-hyun's eyebrows rose crookedly. Ja-kyung spoke with a determined expression.
"I don't want to go to Hawaii. I want to stay here."
Gang Il-hyun's eyes narrowed. He looked completely puzzled. Ja-kyung's lips moved. He had to say it. If he left without saying anything, he might explode from frustration. No, perhaps he might regret it. Whether he died of embarrassment or his insides burst, since he was going to die anyway, he decided to just spit it out.
"I'll stay... and protect you."
Il-hyun asked with an absurd expression.
"Protect who?"
Ja-kyung chewed his lip. Fuck, I don't know either.
"You, Representative Gang. I said I'll protect you!"
Gang Il-hyun's bewildered expression gradually changed into something he'd never seen before. Whether during sex, when he brought a severed head, when he cut off hands and sold eyeballs—not even once had he seen this expression.