/
As soon as they arrived home, Ja-kyung was initially concerned about what would happen if Kang Il-hyun dug out the tattoo on his back with a knife, but he was surprisingly friendly. After thoroughly inspecting every part of Ja-kyung’s body, he skillfully treated the wound on his arm and took out the bandage.
“You know, you’ve been losing focus lately?”
Ja-kyung was moved, but he couldn’t refute it because he wasn’t wrong. He made mistakes in his work, forgot his guns, and deserves to be criticized.
“I’m sorry…”
“I didn’t want you to apologize. I’m saying get a grip and take care of yourself.”
“…”
“Is your mind disturbed because of your brother’s matter?”
Ja-kyung didn’t answer and kept his mouth shut. The hand that bandages his arm was careful. He wondered if it was the same man who gouged out Takeya Jun’s eyeballs. When he looked up at Il-hyun’s face, he made eye contact and smiled.
Losing focus, distracted mind, and thinking about something else… It was not because of Wang Lun.
Ja-kyung couldn’t bear to be honest with him, and he just kept repeating that he wouldn’t do it again. When Il-hyun finished bandaging his arm, he took a cigarette and lit it. He took a puff and handed it to Ja-kyung. Ja-kyung took it and put it in his mouth, and soon there was a knock on the door and Park Tae-soo entered.
“All preparations are complete.”
Il-hyun held out his hand toward Ja-kyung.
“Then shall we go now?”
It was a polite gesture, like an escort before entering a party. Without asking where they were going, a chill ran down Ja-kyung’s spine. No way. Eyy, No way…
“Don’t worry. Tae-soo seems to have had to make sashimi in the past.”
Ja-kyung almost dropped his cigarette on the floor. Wasn’t he joking?
“Don’t play around.”
“I’m not generous enough to bear that you have the same tattoo on your body as someone else. And you know it.”
Ja-kyung was dumbfounded. This was not only on Takeya Jun, but the group who was with Ja-kyung at the time also thought it was cool and followed it. Then he has to catch and kill them all. Il-hyun’s right mind had already gone, so he won’t listen no matter how much he explains.
“I’m going to strip it clean and replace it with something I like.”
“What… is it?”
“Meow.”
It’s even creepier when he meows with a wicked grin. By the look on his face, he wasn’t joking. Il-hyun was determined to take him away, so Ja-kyung did everything he could to resist. He was able to avoid the crisis in the end by traveling to Hawaii and barely persuading him to erase it with a laser.
“Promise me. If you don’t erase it then, I’ll dig it out with my own hands.”
Ja-kyung reluctantly nodded, and Il-hyun gently stroked his hair.
“My honey is a good boy. You listen well.”
Ja-kyung slapped off that hand.
“I’m angry. Don’t say that I’m a good boy. It’s because you’re a psychopath!”
At the word ‘psychopath’, Il-hyun asked if it was obvious with a hurt expression. As the two bickered, Ja-kyung clearly saw Park Tae-soo smiling proudly. When your boss does something crazy, you’re supposed to stand by and stop him. No, even if you don’t stop him, it’s not something to look at so proudly, right?
Ja-kyung entered the bedroom to pack his belongings after Park Tae-soo left. Kang Il-hyun leaned his chin in front of him and looked at him as he opened his bag and packed his clothes.
“Do you need help?”
“It’s okay, I’ll just pack the basics and go buy what I need later.”
At that moment, something fell from between the clothes and rolled under Kang Il-hyun’s feet. Il-hyun bent down and picked it up. Embarrassed, Ja-kyung quickly got up and tried to take it away, but was a step too late. He had tucked the wooden elephant doll Il-hyun had been given before inside his clothes, and it happened to be…
“Give it to me.”
When Ja-kyung held out his hand, Il-hyun made a strange expression.
“I’m touched. I didn’t know you would cherish it.”
It’s roughly buried, but it fits together.
“Give it to me, quickly.”
When he tried to take it away, he ducked his hand behind his back and smirked.
“I have a bigger elephant than this one, want to see?”
Judging by the twinkle in his eye, the elephant must have been attached to his body. As expected, his hand untied the belt, so Ja-kyung quickly snatched the doll and stuffed it into his bag, ignoring him.
Il-hyun, who was sitting in a chair, sat down on the floor beside Ja-kyung. Then he started disturbing him by rummaging through his bag. Even if Ja-kyung pushed him away, he wouldn’t move and later sighed as he rested his head on Ja-kyung’s shoulder.
“I’m gonna miss you.”
Il-hyun said it so casually as if it were a joke. It sounded more genuine than anything he’d ever said, and it made Ja-kyung feel weird. Ja-kyung, who was packing his belongings, turned his head to the side. Il-hyun’s gaze was intense. His lips curved into a smile as he reached out and tugged on the back of Ja-kyung’s head. Their lips touched softly and then parted. Kang Il-hyun let out a sticky breath between his lips, whether it was a sigh or a moan.
“Fuck. I feel sorry for my dick. It’s going to be hard for a month.”
Good riddance.
Ja-kyung glared at him once before finishing packing his belongings, but Il-hyun teased him by putting his hand inside Ja-kyung’s T-shirt. Pushing him off was bothersome, so Ja-kyung left him be, and the range grew wider and more persistent. In the end, they didn’t say much and just hugged and rolled around. They were biting and sucking on each other’s lips when someone knocked on the door.
Park Tae-soo’s voice came from outside.
“Sir, I think you should come out for a while.”
Il-hyun planted a quick kiss on Ja-kyung’s lips, rose from his seat, adjusted his clothes, and headed out. When Ja-kyung tried to follow him, Il-hyun told him to finish packing and then closed the door. In the living room, there was a rattling sound. After a while, Ja-kyung went out, but Kang Il-hyun was nowhere to be found.
***
“The house will be empty.”
The house chef was feeling sad while preparing breakfast. Ja-kyung was sorry that he couldn’t eat the delicious food she had prepared for the time being. Ja-kyung was curious about Kang Il-hyun’s whereabouts and asked her subtly while eating. Instead of responding, she smiled as she looked behind Ja-kyung.
“You can ask me directly.”
Ja-kyung was taken aback when he looked back. It was because Kang Il-hyun was smiling at him from behind. Dressed for work, he pulled out a chair and sat down next to him. Il-hyun stared blankly at Ja-kyung’s clothes as the house chef served coffee. He’d seen him in neutral colors every day, but the red Hawaiian shirt looked great on him.
“Your clothes, it looks nice?”
“I like it.”
“You should wear it more often.”
Ja-kyung wanted to, but he just refrained from being noticed.
“Does it suit me?”
“Yeah. It goes well with your gangster-like eyes.”
Ja-kyung glared at him when he said the word gangster. Ja-kyung’s cheeks bulge as he places the bread in his mouth and chews it.
Il-hyun smiled and poked his cheek with his finger, thinking it was cute.
“What about your brothers?”
“He packed up and went to the hospital first.”
They weren’t the only ones going to Hawaii. There were bodyguards and a doctor to treat Wang Lun. The doctor will also be stationed there until Wang Lun is completely healed. Ja-kyung was grateful that Kang Il-hyun was giving him so much consideration without realizing it.
Ja-kyung, who was tearing bread with his hands, asked about the incident from the night before. He was confused as to why Park Tae-soo had suddenly appeared and where he had gone after he went out.
“I went out for a while because something urgent happened at work.”
“I see…”
“Another staff member will escort you to the airport. I have a morning meeting, so I have to go to work.”
“And Jun?”
“The Japanese guy?”
Ja-kyung nodded, and Il-hyun smiled as he removed the crumbs from Ja-kyung’s mouth with his hand.
“Don’t worry. I killed him and buried him well.”
Could it be that he fed it to the dog again? Jun is not someone to be taken lightly. When Ja-kyung gave him a worried look, Il-hyun stroked his hair to reassure him. Kang Il-hyun is the person who has touched his hair the most since Wang Han.
Il-hyun’s hand came down gradually, touching Ja-kyung’s ear lobe, neck, shoulder, and back in that order, before pulling away. It’s too bad he can’t stay. Before Ja-kyung could even think about wanting to be with him more, he heard the sound of a chair dragging and Il-hyun stood up from his seat.
“Be healthy and have a safe trip. Call me as soon as you arrive.”
Il-hyun kissed him on the cheek from behind and patted his shoulder. The house chef, who was washing the dishes, noticed it and smiled. Ja-kyung’s ear lobe turned red, and he sat motionless. Il-hyun left the house as usual after saying his goodbyes. From behind, Il-hyun appeared carefree, which made Ja-kyung sad that he was suffering from heartache alone.
Ja-kyung wouldn’t be able to see him for a month. It doesn’t seem to be a big deal. Was he the only one who was concerned and cared? Ja-kyung stared at the cup Il-hyun had left behind. Looking back, he didn’t even drink the coffee, instead he just stared at his face and left. Ja-kyung was biting his lower lip when he received a phone call from Wang. When he answered the phone, Wang Han spoke in an urgent voice
[Did you leave?]
“No, not yet. Why are you so out of breath?”
[Did you know?]
“What?”
[Jun. I heard he escaped while being moved to another place last night.]
Ja-kyung almost dropped his phone. His gaze was drawn to the place where Kang Il-hyun had left earlier. He sat up and walked towards it without realizing it. He went out the front door while still talking to Wang Han.
[I also overheard some of CEO Kang’s employees talking about how they were searching for him until dawn.]
Ja-kyung stopped halfway through the yard. Kang Il-hyun exchanged words with Park Tae-soo before returning his gaze. Ja-kyung clenched his fists while looking at Kang Il-hyun.
Why did you lie? You said he was dead. You said not to worry.
Wang Han sighed over the phone.
[Anyway, even if he runs away in that condition, he won’t last long.]
“…”
[Are you listening?]
“Yeah…”
[Hurry up. Lun is looking for you.]
Ja-kyung didn’t answer and hung up the phone, saying he’d call back later. He then approached Kang Il-hyun, who was standing in the car, and grabbed his arm. Il-hyun’s gaze moved to the arm being held, then up to face Ja-kyung.
“What? What is this sudden action?”
“I’m not going.”
One of Il-hyun’s eyebrows rises crookedly. Ja-kyung spoke once with a determined expression.
“I don’t want to go to Hawaii. I want to stay here.”
Kang Il-hyun’s eyes narrowed. It was an expression that he was at a loss for words. Ja-kyung opened his mouth. He has no choice but to say it. Il-hyun’s head might burst and he’d die if he left without saying anything. No, he may come to regret it. He was going to say it whether it was embarrassing or humiliating.
“I’ll stay and… protect you.”
Il-hyun asked in disbelief.
“Protect who?”
Ja-kyung bit his lip. Ah fuck. I don’t know either.
“You, CEO Kang. I will protect you!”
Kang Il-hyun’s bewildered expression gradually changed into a face Ja-kyung had never seen before. Even when they had sex, when they strangled each other, or when he want to cut his dick and gouge his eyes, it was an expression Ja-kyung had never seen before.