Ja-kyung hangs upside down on the exercise equipment and does sit-ups while only wearing one pair of pants and a naked upper body. Sweat dripped down to the floor every time he clasped his hands behind his head and raised his body, and the muscles in his abdomen were clearly visible. After some time, Wang Han appeared and held two water bottles.
“Wei, stop for a moment and have some water.”
“Yeah.”
His legs tensed up as he kept repeating the same movement while hanging upside down. He grabbed the pole to come down and picked up the towel while exhaling heavily. He was wiping his sweat and drinking water when he noticed Kang Il-hyun resting his chin in front of the hallway window and watching him.
Ja-kyung almost spewed the water he was drinking as he was startled. Since when had he been there? Wang Han, who was undressing to start exercising in the back, answered Ja-kyung’s curiosity.
“He was like that the whole time you were working out.”
He had no idea. As Ja-kyung stepped out with a towel, Il-hyun’s gaze travels down his body and back up again. You look good. His eyes were mischievous. He walked up to Ja-kyung and tousles his sweaty bangs affectionately.
“You’ve been working out a lot these days?”
Ja-kyung took another sip of water and replied without hesitation.
“I’ll be the one on top when I get bigger through exercise.”
In other words, Ja-kyung wanted to be the one taking the lead. Il-hyun chuckled at the absurdity.
“Yeah, they say that the younger you are, the bigger your dreams.”
“It’s not a joke. You always have your way! It’s unfair!”
“You seem to like it even though it’s unfair.”
“…”
“And two days ago, you even rolled your eyes and went overboard.”
Ja-kyung couldn’t deny it. When Ja-kyung frowned, Il-hyun reached out and teasingly flicked his nipple. Ja-kyung blushed and used the towel he was holding to slap Il-hyun’s hand. He went to the bathroom to take a shower, but Il-hyun followed him, making him wonder why he was still at home after saying he had plans for the evening.
“Didn’t you say you were going to have dinner outside?”
“I still have time.”
“Are you going to see the prosecutor?”
Il-hyun smiled while looking at Ja-kyung. Even though he hadn’t said anything, it seemed like Ja-kyung already knew. Prosecutor Jang Tae-ho had been trailing him for a day or two. However, Il-hyun had ignored him until now because he knew no matter how hard Prosecutor Jang tried, he couldn’t do anything.
But this time, he had crossed the line. Il-hyun wasn’t curious about why he was after Lee Ja-kyung. It was just that he couldn’t tolerate someone else showing interest in Ja-kyung.
As Ja-kyung walked in front of him, he suddenly stopped and turned around.
“Is that prosecutor famous?”
“No, why?”
“But why does he look familiar?”
Il-hyun smiled.
“It’s just a common face.”
Ja-kyung pursed his lips and then quickly closed them. Honestly, he wasn’t a common face, but he was handsome, and if he said so, Il-hyun would probably cancel their plans for tonight and lock him in his room to torture him.
“Yeah, just a common face.”
Ja-kyung’s response seemed to please him. He patted his head with an expression as if he had succeeded in getting a dog to give him its paw. Sometimes, it felt like Il-hyun could see right through him.
“Do you want to wash together?”
“No, I don’t want to.”
Ja-kyung refused right away because his purpose was completely obvious. He pushed Il-hyun out of the bedroom and entered the bathroom. He paused while washing his face to examine his reflection in the mirror. He had run into that prosecutor at the department store the day before. When he got home, the first thing he did was show Wang Han and Wang Lun the prosecutor’s ID, and when they saw the picture, Wang Lun said:
“Doesn’t he look a lot like Wei? I’m not sure about the eyes, but the nose and mouth are pretty similar.”
Wang Han, who has no discerning eyes, agreed. Ja-kyung didn’t attach much meaning to their words. They always made similar comments when good-looking actors appeared on TV. Did he really look like me?
However, it was strange to hear that a prosecutor who is a regular person and at odds with Kang Il-hyun resembled him.
Suddenly, he wondered if Il-hyun would have the same thoughts when he meets that prosecutor today.
***
Having parked his car in the parking lot, Prosecutor Jang Tae-ho looked at the building in front of him and sighed. He had reluctantly come here. He had resisted coming, but the chief had even asked him if he wanted to strip him of his position. Kang Il-hyun didn’t want to have a meal with him. He just wanted to humiliate him.
After hearing the confirmation that he was coming, the chief told him to do well today. His steps felt heavy as he walked inside. The traditional Korean restaurant, which had been around for quite some time, exuded a nostalgic atmosphere. Following the guidance of the staff who had been waiting for him, he headed inside.
The staff turned to the left as they walked down the corridor and came to a halt in front of the innermost room on the left. A hearty, carefree laugh could be heard. The chief, who had thrown documents at him this morning in anger, was now laughing loudly and making a pleasant sound.
The staff knocked and opened the door, and the three people who were in the middle of a conversation fell silent for a moment. The chief scolded him for being late. After exchanging greetings, Jang Tae-ho tried to sit down, but the chief next to him moved his seat to make room for him. It seemed like they were in sync with each other. Thanks to them, he ended up facing Kang Il-hyun.
Kang Il-hyun greeted him with a friendly smile.
“Long time no see. Prosecutor Jang. We met a year ago, is this the second time?”
“Yes… It’s been a long time.”
It was uncomfortable. The seat felt like a bed of thorns, making him shift in his seat. The prosecutor next to Kang Ilhyun sent him a meaningful look. Kang Ilhyun picked up a bottle of alcohol and offered it to him. “Have a drink.”
“No, thank you. I drove by myself here, so…”
“Hey. This guy is always like this. This punk. Do you think CEO Kang will keep being lenient towards you? You can just call a substitute driver to go home.”
Jang Tae-ho had no choice but to raise his glass in response to the chief’s glare. The small ceramic cup was filled with light yellow liquor. His esophagus burned and his throat stung as he took a sip. Alcohol was like poison to him who couldn’t drink. As expected, his neck turned red in no time, and his ears felt hot.
“Prosecutor Jang seemed to be unable to handle alcohol. I’m sorry. I must have made a mistake.”
At Il-hyun’s words, the chief and the other prosecutor joked that this guy was like that, and playfully teased him to drink more if he wanted to look good in front of Kang Il-hyun.
“I don’t think I’m in a position to do that. If anything, I should be the one asking our Prosecutor Jang for a favor.”
Please take care of me. Please don’t hate me too much. Kang Il-hyun smiled cheerfully and even bowed his head slightly.
The chief prosecutor intervened from the side, saying there was no need for that. The atmosphere was warm and friendly. However, Jang Tae-ho’s expression gradually darkened. Was it because of the alcohol he had just gulped down, or because of the damn atmosphere, his stomach kept churning. Even though he had loosened his tie, he felt no improvement.
He couldn’t hold it any longer and hurriedly stood up, and six pairs of eyes turned towards him.
“I’m sorry. I urgently needed to use the restroom.”
He said goodbye and left the room. He hurriedly searched for the restroom, but the restaurant was so big that the corridor seemed to go on forever. He eventually found the bathroom after going around, and as soon as he entered, he began vomiting while holding onto the toilet.
Having not eaten properly, only the alcohol he drank a while ago mixed with the bitter stomach acid came out. His nose felt burning. Argh, damn it. He stood up in front of the sink. His vision was blurry. He rinsed his mouth and splashed water on his face several times. As he was drying his face with a hand towel, his action froze when he saw him.
Kang Il-hyun leaned against the wall of the bathroom right behind him, smoking a cigarette and staring at him. His expression with his arms crossed was perfectly relaxed, but his eyes were slightly different from when he saw them in the room.
Jang Tae-ho tried to ignore him and pulled out a hand towel to wipe the water from his face.
“Is your stomach not feeling well? I guess I shouldn’t have suggested eating.”
He turned around and faced him. Kang Il-hyun straightened up and approached slowly. Whether because of his height or because of the environment, he was quite intimidating. He pulled Jang Tae-ho’s wallet from his pants pocket and pushed it in front of him. But when Jang Tae-ho reached out to grab the wallet, Il-hyun pulled it back. Jang Tae-ho’s eyes became ferocious.
“What are you doing? Are you playing with me?”
Kang Il-hyun took a deep drag of his cigarette, making his already stern expression even fiercer. Then, he blew out the smoke into the air and opened his mouth slowly.
“Then, Prosecutor Jang, what are you trying to do with me? Why do you carelessly climb over the fence of someone else’s house?”
“You made it up!”
As he retorted, Kang Il-hyun’s face came even closer. His eyes sparkled with intensity just about a fist’s length away. When Jang Tae-ho tried to back away, he was blocked by the sink. He felt like he couldn’t go anywhere. Kang Il-hyun’s eyes looked like they were about to tear into his neck. He grinned menacingly.
“Do you think the law is really great, prosecutor Jang?”
“…”
“But you know what?”
This time, the cigarette smoke sprayed directly onto Jang Tae-ho’s face.
“That I am above the law.”
“…”
“Next time, it won’t end with this.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Kang Il-hyun smiled sadly and brought his lips to the side of Prosecutor Jang’s face and whispered. His voice was as cold as his gaze.
“You don’t understand. I don’t use words for threats, Prosecutor Jang.”
Jang Tae-ho’s fingers froze. He had encountered countless bad guys, but this guy was different.
“…”
Kang Il-hyun puts the wallet he was holding into Prosecutor Jang’s pocket and then throws the cigarette on the floor. Unfortunately, the cigarette butt hit the top of Kang Il-hyun’s shoe and fell off. Ah, shit. Kang Il-hyun swore as he looked at his soiled shoe, then turned back to face Jang Tae-ho.
“Prosecutor Jang, you were planning to apologize to me today, right?”
“…”
He gestured to his right foot where the cigarette butt had landed.
“Then why don’t you get down on your knees right now and clean my shoe?”
Prosecutor Jang gritted his teeth.
“Licking them with your tongue would be even better.”
Il-hyun chuckled when he saw Prosecutor Jang clench his fists in frustration. It was just a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously? Then Kang Il-hyun casually opened the door and walked away. When he was alone, Jang Tae-ho tightly clutched the wallet he had just recovered.
A sense of powerlessness washed over him. Reality didn’t always favor justice. While that devilish man mocked him, he couldn’t do anything to retaliate. The bitterness in his heart wasn’t just because of the alcohol. With a bitter smile, he fixed his appearance and looked at his reflection in the mirror, sharpening the knife in his heart.
Kang Il-hyun, just wait. Someday, I’ll definitely repay this debt.
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