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Ja-kyung looked outside as the car briefly stopped at the traffic light. Geothermal heat rose like a haze over the asphalt due to the hot weather. There was a lot of noise on the news that a heat wave warning had been issued, and even the streets were quiet.
Ja-kyung departed as soon as the signal changed. The car’s navigation system was directing the three to a hotel in the city center. Wang Lun’s girlfriend, who had been hiding abroad, came back to Korea, but she had to stay in a hotel for the time being because she had no place to stay right away.
“About CEO Kang. Is he busy?”
Wang Lun, who was in the passenger seat, asked Ja-kyung. Ja-kyung shook his head. He didn’t know. He went to his parents’ house for dinner on his birthday and didn’t even show his nose afterwards. He went to work earlier and left later than usual.
The housekeeper explained that it was due to work piling up after a few days off. Ja-kyung thought he was always going out to cut people’s heads, but it was amazing that he was also working.
After parking the car in the underground parking lot of the hotel, the three of them went up to the lobby. Wang Han and Ja-kyung sat in the lobby waiting for Wang Lun while he met his girlfriend. Wang Han watched the people passing by while Ja-kyung double-checked the photo that Park Tae-soo had given him yesterday and that he had saved to his phone.
The target was a man named Kim Dong-myeong, a person Ja-kyung knew.
Ja-kyung had seen him before at a place where he went with Kang Seok-joo. A man who displayed and sold women and men like merchandise. A man who secretly offered Ja-kyung a deal in which he could deliver a child around the age of ten.
Ja-kyung was told that he ran dozens of high-end brothels in Seoul, Busan, Japan, Hong Kong, and other locations, with profits going to a man named Director Kim of Shipping Group. It was Chairman Kang’s person who pretended to be Kang Il-hyun.
Kang Il-hyun was in the process of pruning the twigs before cutting down the trunk of a large tree.
Using Ja-kyung and his brothers as an axe.
He was playing a game because he was bored while looking at the picture, but Wang Han, who was sitting next to him, tapped him. Then he winked at the center of the lobby. Has Wang Lun already come down? Ja-kyung turned his head and his eyes widened slightly.
It was Kang Il-hyun.
He had no idea why he was in the hotel lobby at this time, but he wasn’t alone. Il-hyun was there with a young woman next to him, but Ja-kyung had never seen the woman in a black dress before. The outfit and clutch bag she was carrying were too flashy for a secretary, and the two appeared to be particularly close.
It was the first time he’d seen Kang Il-hyun smile like that around a woman. The woman smiled brightly when Il-hyun shook his head and looked puzzled. Wang Han and Ja-kyung saw the scene and turned to the other side to avoid them. They took the elevator and went upstairs.
Wang Han secretly looked at Ja-kyung.
“It looks like he’s come to work. I should have said hello.”
“No need.”
Ja-kyung responded casually, then picked up his phone and focused on the game. After waiting for another 30 minutes, Wang Lun finally comes out. Judging from the fact that his shirt was torn apart and his face was flushed red, he must have had a good time with his girlfriend.
When Ja-kyung told him to wear clothes properly, he tucked his shirt in and smirked.
“Even during the day, there are a lot of people in the hotel. Maybe they’re hiding a lover like me.”
Wang Han warned him not to, but Wang Lun made a bad joke by saying that daytime sex is the best. Wang Han said that there must have been a lot of people who came for business and scolded Wang Lun that not everyone thinks like him, but to no avail. He dragged the excited Wang Lun out of the hotel.
While driving on the road, Wang Lun spotted a nearby department store and asked Ja-kyung.
“Wei, didn’t you say you were going to stop by the department store?”
“No need.”
There was a subtle low pressure from earlier. Wang Lun looked at Wang Han and asked for a reason with his eyes, but he couldn’t hear the answer. He noticed a car following them in the rearview mirror. They were still being watched, but they didn’t mind since they had given up trying to escape.
***
“Did you think that this trick would work for me?”
The white-haired old man showed traces of age on his wrinkled face. Nonetheless, the energy in his eyes was as strong as that of a tiger. He was dressed in a gray suit with a red tie and smoking a pipe, and the more he watched it, the more it reminded him of a black-and-white movie.
“What do you mean by a trick? I’m upset. There’s nothing I can do to stop a man and woman from being attracted to each other.”
Next to the old man sat a young man and woman. The woman was dressed in a black one-piece dress. She was Il-hyun’s junior in high school and worked at Il-hyun’s company. And sitting next to her was Zhang Yi An, the old man’s grandson.
The old man’s name was Zhang Myung, and he was the former head of a large Hong Kong organization, now retired but still very influential among them.
“You mean, the two of them met by chance?”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s by chance or not, your grandson has found a suitable partner, and that’s all that matters.”
Zhang Myung was taken aback by Il-hyun’s brazen attitude. He’d lost his son in an accident, and he’d pampered his grandson so much that he’d never set foot near this side. Even though his daughter-in-law was Korean, he never dreamed of asking his grandson to marry a Korean woman.
And at that, she was Kang Il-hyun’s person.
“So. What do you want from me?”
Il-hyun winked at Tae-soo. An employee served drinks after Tae-soo left the drawing room with Zhang Yi An and his girlfriend. In terms of Korea, it was similar to soju, which is commonly consumed in Hong Kong. After filling Zhang Myung’s glass with alcohol, Il-hyun poured it into his own glass as well. Zhang Myung’s gaze was fixed on the glass.
What you want, I’ll give it to you. He was going to kick him out immediately if he said anything unseemly. However, after Il-hyun turned around and emptied the glass, he immediately refilled it and remained silent.
Zhang Myung emptied his glass as well, and only after Il-Hyun filled it did he speak.
“I know very well that you’re close with my father.”
Zhang Myung stared at Il-hyun without saying anything.
“I also know very well that you have a lot of affection for our company.”
“So.”
“The company, help me take it. You know that my brother Kang Tae-han has no strong qualities.”
In a word, it was a request to support him.
Zhang Myung had a share, so it appeared that he was thinking about voting for the successor.
“And you have qualities?”
“At least I’m not going to mess it up.”
When Zhang Myung looked at him, Il-hyun smiled and finished filling the glass.
“I know there are many things you dislike about me, but can’t you just pretend I’m your late son and look at me in a positive light?”
Zhang Myung was at a loss for words when he saw him smile and fill his glass. He waited, thinking that if he came out with a high-handed attitude, he would scold him, but this guy was even sneakier than Chairman Kang. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, his deceased son and his bulldozer-like personality are strangely similar. It seemed that he knew that better than he did.
After meeting him in private, he was at least a little relieved to see that Il-hyun wasn’t as crazy as he had feared.
“You’ll have to convince Chairman Kang first. Then I’ll consider it.”
Il-hyun raised his glass again. As expected, the biggest stumbling block was Chairman Kang. He knew how to do it, but he was still struggling. It was entirely up to him whether to make a toothless tiger or leave the skin.
***
Il-hyun closed his eyes and rested his head on the back seat of the car. His head was pounding from drinking all day on an empty stomach. He looked down on that old man, but after observing how the alcohol continued to flow into him like a bottomless pit, he regretted having used alcohol to persuade him.
He couldn’t wait to see Lee Ja-kyung’s face. He left him for two days to rest well, but now was the limit. Would Ja-kyung like to look a little nicer today since he was considerate? The car arrived in front of the house before he knew it. A splash from the pool could be heard as he opened the back door and entered the house through the gate.
Even from a distance, he could tell who it was at a glance. He motioned for Tae-soo to enter first before turning his steps toward the pool. A smile naturally spread across his lips. His heartbeat accelerated along with his steps. As he approached and looked down, Lee Ja-kyung was submerged in the water and moving back and forth.
Ja-kyung eventually raised his face above the water and let out a breath as Il-hyun stood and waited.
“Hi baby.”
Il-hyun gave him a refreshing smile as he approached, but Ja-kyung dove back into the water after giving him a quick glance. It has been two days since Il-hyun saw him, but Ja-kyung ignored him. Il-hyun frowned and found a pile of alcohol bottles and cigarette ash next to the chair. It was less than what many people drank, and it was a lot to say that he drank alone.
Ja-kyung walked out of the water just as Il-hyun made the decision to dive in and pull him up. He was swimming in a thin white shirt that revealed his exposed figure. After wringing out the water from his clothes, he approached to pick up the towel that was on the chair. Il-hyun went in front of him and stared into his face.
How should he describe this? A grumpy cat?
Il-hyun raised one eyebrow and asked.
“You know how bad your eyes look right now?”
“I’m sorry. My eyes look so ugly.”
After a soulless apology, he turned around and walked in, shaking his head. Il-hyun stood there with a stunned expression and then followed him. Even though he was drunk, he came here excitedly at the thought of seeing Ja-kyung’s face, but he felt bad because Ja-kyung treated him more insignificantly than before.
Il-hyun grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, looking straight into his eyes.
“If you’re upset about anything, tell me. Don’t act like this.”
He had no idea what the problem was, but Ja-kyung remained silent and glared at him.
Il-hyun calmed down and touched Ja-kyung’s cheek.
Yes, the person who likes more should lose. What should I do?
“Don’t look at me like that, it’s killing me.”
As he smiled and brought his lips to kiss, Ja-kyung’s head was thrown back. Il-hyun thought he was trying to avoid it, but Ja-kyung slammed him in the face. Fuck! Il-hyun wrinkled his brow as he held his nose.
Ja-kyung still had an evil look in his eyes and a wicked smile.
“Sorry. It was a mistake.”
Il-hyun was stunned. Mistake? Anyone can see that he hit him up on purpose. Before he could ask why, Ja-kyung dashed into the house as if running away. The nose that was hit was in pain. Il-hyun ran after him angrily, but Ja-kyung had already run into the bedroom. There were many eyes watching in the living room.
He clenched his teeth and turned his gaze to the second floor, where Ja-kyung had disappeared. Il-hyun was confused as to what was wrong with him.