Whispers Before Dawn

Chapter 8

When I went to the Hong Kong Coast station today, I thought I'd be picking up the boss. But it wasn't him. As soon as I got there, an email popped up with a new set of instructions: I was supposed to pick up a white man instead. The specifications in the message matched one guy perfectly.

I drove him to the airport and accompanied him on the private jet—our ride to Zanzibar.

That white man... he had a fierce presence, like a white tiger. At first glance, he looked intense, dangerous even, like someone you wouldn't want to cross. But there was something else, something off. The emotions on his face didn't quite fit his demeanor.

I noticed he'd smile to himself while looking at his phone, and other times, his eyes would light up with a quiet excitement. It wasn't that someone shouldn't be happy—it just seemed out of place on him. Unexpected, really. He had this aura, like he could pounce or even try to kill me the next second.

The quiet smiles, the soft expressions... they made him look extraordinary, in a way that almost didn't match his fierce energy. It was unsettling.

He didn't seem like someone who needed the boss's arrangements either—he looked pretty rich himself. So why would my boss, one of the Jeong brothers, arrange everything for someone else? I'd always accompanied only them before.

When our plane landed, the man seemed even more excited. I could see it on his face as we touched down. It was raining when we arrived, so I grabbed an umbrella from the jet's cabinets and prepared to escort him. I was supposed to take him to the cottage.

But as soon as we stepped out of the jet, his entire expression changed. All that excitement vanished, and the air around him suddenly felt cold. The shift was so intense I instinctively took a step back. But I had a job to do, so I stepped forward again, holding the umbrella to shield him from the rain.

We started walking, but after a few seconds, he pulled out his phone. Whatever he saw made his mood even worse.

"Tsk..." The white man clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.

"He always picks me up himself. Why did it have to rain today?" he muttered, his gaze flicking up to the sky, sharp and irritated.

Then, as if on cue, thunder cracked loudly overhead, as if the sky itself was responding to him. For a moment, it seemed like this man was ready to fight the sky if it meant getting what he wanted.

When the car finally reached the cottage, he didn't wait for me to open the door or take out his bags. He rushed inside, completely ignoring me.

I carried his bags in and dropped them just inside the door, wondering the whole time who exactly this man was—and why the boss had sent me to handle him.

******

Ilay entered the cottage, his footsteps soft against the floor as he moved through the hallway. A faint sound of music drifted from one of the rooms, just loud enough to cover the noise of the rain and distant thunderstorms outside.

As he approached the room, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Ilay...?"

"Hmm..." Ilay responded quietly.

"Tae...." Ilay said as he stepped closer to the bathroom door.

"I'm having a bath. I'll be out in a while. Do you mind?" Tae-ui's voice was relaxed, casual.

"Not at all... Can I take the shower then?" Ilay asked, a playful tone creeping into his voice.

"Go ahead... I wouldn't mind a show" Tae-ui teased back.