CH 29

“Wow. Fuck. It’s so big even when I look at it again.”

Kang Seok-joo looked at the swimming pool from the living room on the second floor and said something whether it was an insult or admiration. In the yard, the staff was filling the finished swimming pool with water. The color of the tile was also cobalt blue, so just looking at it made his eyes feel refreshed.

Kang Seok-joo turned around and approached Ja-kyung. He was dressed in a neat black suit today and his hair was also waxed and pushed back. Ja-kyung hates to say this, but he looked more like Kang Il-hyun when he dressed up like this.

“Hurry up and get dressed. Let’s go together.”

Kang Seok-joo asked to go to the funeral together. Choi Ki-tae’s factory exploded a few days ago, killing his subordinates, including his younger brother, and causing an uproar. It appeared on TV news once, but when asked if he had seen it, Ja-kyung simply shook his head.

Even though people died in this way, it was not widely reported in newspapers or on tv news. Due to the investigation, the body could not be collected for a few days, so the funeral was only held today. The investigation was also just a talk that was used to cover up before moving on.

“How can one person beat them up like that? The dead had all had their heads blown off and their brains spilled out.”

Ja-kyung, who was listening, frowned and expressed disgust.

“That’s terrible…”

“They said it was a one-shot, one-kill.”

Seok-joo pretended to shoot a gun in the air. Paang, paang, paang, then aim it at Ja-kyung. Look at his shooting form. Go to the army, you bastard.

“Raise your hand.”

“It’s not funny… stop it.”

Seok-joo straightened his posture and chuckled.

“I’d never do it. Getting shot with a gun like an idiot. Isn’t that pathetic?”

Just looking at Kang Seok-joo’s expression, he looked like someone going to a celebration party, not a funeral. Unsurprisingly, Ja-kyung discovered Choi Ki-tae had a hostile relationship with his younger brother. There was a reason he was saved as a bastard rather than a name on his dead younger brother’s phone.

“Maybe after the funeral, Choi Ki-tae will have a party right away?”

“Isn’t his brother just dead?”

“I know. I’ll do the same thing when Director Kang dies.”

Kang Seok-joo gritted his teeth. There must be a lot of things piled up. The scar on his temple was much lighter than when he first saw it. He heard Kang Il-hyun stab it with an awl. Il-hyun felt much intention to kill, but he didn’t kill him.

“I’m just saying, just in case… You aren’t going to tell this to Director Kang, right?”

Even after insulting Kang Il-hyun, he was scared and made sure to check.

“I will not… We’re not that close.”

“Right? You two have completely different personalities, and you can’t get to know each other.”

Still, Kang Seok-joo was proud of the fact that he thought Ja-kyung was closer to him than Kang Il-hyun. He wanted to tell him that his mental distance might be closer to him, but not physically. Ja-kyung said that he and Kang Il-hyun had already eaten together once. Of course, he wanted to add that it was absolutely not because he liked it.

***

Ja-kyung thought it would be a hospital because it was said to be a funeral, but it was a fairly large temple. There were black cars outside the temple, and people in black clothes were crowded inside. Hundreds of people seemed to have gathered. Most of the incoming cars moved together.

People who got out of the car climbed the stairs and moved to the top where the incense burner was prepared. Wreaths made of chrysanthemums were lined up on both sides of the way up, and mourners gathered and ate under the blue tent in the yard.

There were people pretending to know each other as he walked with Seok-joo. Most people usually asked about their father’s well-being. He could smell the incense as he got closer to the incense burner. Choi Ki-tae was greeting people in the hall while wearing a chief mourner armband.

Ja-kyung followed Seok-joo inside after taking off his shoes. The man in the photo, surrounded by white chrysanthemums, is the man Ja-kyung shot a few days ago. Following the stone pillars, he made incense and bowed, praying that he should not go to a good place.

They say that bastards like him should not be born and should spend the rest of their lives in hell in order for the world to be at peace.

“Thank you. for coming all the way here.”

Choi Ki-tae held out his hand to Ja-kyung. There was no trace of sadness on his face. Ja-kyung took his hand and expressed his condolences.

“You must be sad…”

Choi Ki-tae smiled and lowered his voice.

“No. Not really.”

This guy was also pretty shitty. He tried to smile, but the entrance was getting noisy. Ja-kyung thought there was commotion because someone had arrived, but it was Kang Il-hyun. Next to him was Park Tae-soo.

People’s attention was immediately drawn to him when he appeared. People who had been eating here and there put down their spoons and went to greet him, bowing their backs and pretending to know each other. Even the elderly bowed in front of Kang Il-hyun. Even though he was among many people, his presence was clear. Ja-kyung seemed to understand why Kang Hoon was afraid of his son.

Kang Il-hyun smiled kindly. Seeing this, Seok-joo quietly cursed from the side.

“Fuck… Even from a distance, he looks disgusting…”

Choi Ki-tae also helped.

“Hey. Don’t let him come. I’m trying to focus on eating Yukgaejang.”

A man then approached Kang Il-hyun. The white-haired man was wearing the same armband as Choi Ki-tae. Because he saw him from behind, Ja-kyung couldn’t see his face very well. Ja-kyung kept a close eye on the man. Il-hyun was comforting him by holding his hand. He had a sad expression on his face as well. His acting skills were amazing. He was better than him.

Kang Il-hyun approached after the conversation. When the middle-aged man who was holding hands turned around and revealed his face, Ja-kyung’s eyes widened.

That’s him.

The man who gave his parents drugs. The man who came to his house frequently and played with his mother. The man came wielding a golf stick, claiming that his father stole drugs. And the man who tried to kill the young Ja-kyung.

His gray hair was sparse after 15 years, but his face hadn’t changed much. The man went around the table again, greeting everyone.

Kang Seok-joo was taken aback and reached out to touch Ja-kyung, who was standing blankly.

“Yi An, let’s go.”

But he was one step late. Kang Il-hyun was right in front of him before he even put on his shoes. Kang Il-hyun put his hands in his pants pockets, raised his chin slightly, and looked dissatisfiedly at the two. Ja-kyung became aware of the stinging gaze just eventually. Kang Seok-joo’s fear seemed to be noticeable all the way here. Kang Il-hyun hasn’t even given him permission to go out for the first time since the shooting accident.

“Why did our two young masters come here?”

“Hyung. I… I’m trying to comfort Ki, Ki-tae…”

Il-hyun’s gaze shifted from Seok-joo to Ja-kyung.

“What about Yi An?”

Ja-kyung looked at Seok-joo. He came because Kang Seok-joo asked him to go together, but his purpose for coming here was to check Choi Ki-tae’s face and his family.

“Me too… I, I want to comfort him too…”

“Who?”

Il-hyun asked, and Ja-kyung quickly turned his head to look at Choi Ki-tae. He was welcoming other mourners who had just entered the hall.

“There… It’s him…”

Kang Il-hyun’s eyes became cold.

“Were you that close?”

“I’m not close… When a person is sad… We have to share the pain together… That’s how I learned…”

One of Kang Il-hyun’s eyebrows rises crookedly. Then Ja-kyung noticed a small scratch on the top of Il-hyun eyebrow. He couldn’t see his face in the house for two days, so it seemed he went somewhere and had a fight.

“Who is this? It’s Seok-joo.”

Choi Ki-tae’s father, whom he had seen a while ago, appeared unexpectedly. He appeared tired up close. His face was shadowed, his eyes were deep, and on the other hand, Ja-kyung was angry. Kang Il-hyun entered the hall after looking at Ja-kyung. He intended to escape during this time, but Choi Ki-tae’s father called to him.

“Who is this friend…?”

“My name is Zhang Yi An… I’m from Hong Kong.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you for coming.”

The man held out his hand. It was the hand that rubbed his mother’s breasts and slapped his cheeks when he was young. If possible, he wanted to cut it right off the spot. But he politely reached out and grabbed his hand.

“You must be sad… I hope your son goes to a good place.”

He patted Ja-kyung’s hand.

“Thank you. Your little friend is considerate.”

Ja-kyung lowered his gaze, hoping that his anger at the man would not be revealed. The man who let go of his hand then tilted his head and stared at Ja-kyung.

“We… Have we ever met?”

“It’s my first time to meet you…”

The man laughed.

“Right. You’re so handsome, and I wouldn’t forget you if I have meet you.”

The mean appearance he had in the past was nowhere to be seen, and now he was just a father who lost his child and fell into a sense of loss. Since the man came, he told him to eat and go, and then went into the hall. Ja-kyung and Seok-joo quickly went down before Il-hyun came out. Seok-joo lowered his voice and leaned closer to Ja-kyung.

“Let’s eat somewhere else. I’m going to have an upset stomach if I eat here.”

He agreed. As he hurried his steps, he heard Kang Il-hyun’s voice from behind.

“Yi An.”

Seok-joo stopped, closed his eyes tightly, and cursed quietly. He turned around and Kang Il-hyun approached him.

“If you’re on your way home, take my car.”

He spoke politely, but his eyes were fierce.

“I can go with Seok-joo… ”

His gaze shifted to the side and focused on Seok-joo. Right? Kang Seok-joo, unsurprisingly, has already taken a step back. He said he had forgotten about an appointment and worried Kang Il-hyun would become angry, so he bid him farewell with a bent waist and then jumped out. Ja-kyung sighed quietly. Ha, that bastard…