Payback: Reversal

4 - Wait For Me

Yoo Ilhwan trudged over the deep red carpet of the corridor leading to the chairman's office. It was the same corridor Yoon Jay used a few hours ago, and the hastiness and agitation on their face were the same.

But unlike Yoon Jay, who burst in first thing, he stopped in front of the office. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he approached Song Hwa's assistants, a pair of twin siblings in their early twenties with sharp eyes and mischievous smiles whose job was to infuriate visitors more than organize things.

"I'd like to meet the Chairman, please," Ilhwan gave out his best smile.

"Haha, the late bird finally come~" one of the twins, the female one, sneered openly.

"You can't do that, Byul," the male twin remarked calmly, but the smile on his face felt more infuriating than the sneer on his twin. "You shouldn't rub salt on someone's wound."

For some reason that Ilhwan didn't know, the twins seemed to dislike him so much. Although, to be fair, they dislike almost everyone. They were like naughty children set up to shake up people's patience before meeting the Chairman.

Yoo Ilhwan knew he shouldn't let them rattle him, but today he was too agitated for exercising patience. And knowing that these twins liked that wild dog Yoon Jay more just irked him further.

"The Chairman," he repeated, gritting his teeth behind his smiling face.

The female twin, Han Byul, clicked her tongue. "Fine, fine, why are you in such a hurry anyway? You know you're too late already," she clicked on the intercom in their desk, shrugging. "Ahjus—I mean, Chairman-nim, Yoo Ilhwan want to see you."

[Let him in. You too, Gyul, I want some light drink.]

The answer was delivered through their earpiece, and the male twin cocked his chin toward the door, signaling Yoo Ilhwan to follow him.

It was night already, but Song Hwa was still chained to his desk, drawing pad in front of him—undoubtedly devising another weapon to be manufactured at the end half of the year. The Chairman was still in his casual clothing, and he only glanced briefly at Yoo Ilhwan.

It was enough signal for Ilhwan to start talking.

"Chairman, why did you send Yoon Jay?" different from Jay, Ilhwan talked calmly and politely. It was never good to be agitated in front of your boss, especially someone unpredictable like Song Hwa. "If you need someone to help Lee Yoohan, it—"

"Should have been you?" Song Hwa interjected, eyes still on his pad and screen.

"Well..."

"Why?" it was more unnerving when your boss didn't even look at you while talking. "You're not his people anymore."

There was a sharp note inside the Chairman's voice that made Ilhwan gulp. "But...isn't that man also your people, Chairman?"

"Who, J?" for the first time, Song Hwa lifted his gaze and stared at Ilhwan, a smile on his face. "No, he's never my people."

The male twin, Han Gyul, put down a light cocktail on the table, and Song Hwa took the glass to his lips. Ilhwan was about to open his mouth, but the Chairman interjected with a question. "Do you know why he joined Red?"

RED—Rapid Engagement Division—was a spec-ops division that belonged to Hwayoung's private security company, Aegis. Ilhwan knew that four years ago, Yoon Jay's name suddenly skyrocketed among Aegis, enough to make Song Hwa summon the man to Hwayoung's Tower.

On the surface, it was clear that an ex-fighter like Yoon Jay joined a security company because it was in his expertise. But Yoo Ilhwan knew Song Hwa wouldn't throw him a question with such an obvious answer.