Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 123 – She Is Gone (1)

The situation on the checkerboard was intense, the game heavily leaned towards the black stones. The old man, playing black, spoke to his opponent sitting opposite him.

“Isn’t it time to throw the stones away? This situation, no matter how much you look at it, is peculiar.”

“I do not know. I think I can still play a few more moves. I’m not sure I can finish it, but I’ll try to get it done.”

The opponent holding the bag was Secretary Kang who had supported Chairman Seo for decades. He carefully laid down his white between two black stones.

“Oh! Will you try to make it? Finally, your dark intentions have been revealed. So, you dare treat me as an old man in the backroom, right?”

Even at the age of eighty, his eyes were sharp, a striking resemblance to Tae-jun’s. No, the expression- that Tae-jun resembled him, would be more accurate. No matter what others said, Tae-jun was his grandson in body and soul.

Secretary Kang replied, waving his hand. “An old man in the backroom? You’re being too harsh on yourself.”

“Don’t be shy, you know you’re in the same place as them. I knew right away that Tae-jun, who has always been his own, would not listen to me from the moment he talked nonsense.

“But what are you thinking about when he’s crazy about that woman and he’s even thinking about putting a knife in my back? Do you want me to be stabbed to death from the knife? Jung-ga and Yoon-hee* have grown up with Tae-jun since childhood, but who are the other guys? Especially you, are you implying that Tae-jun will live longer than me, so you’ll follow him? So I’ll take care of this. Fine then, how did I get you guys together?” Chairman Seo turned black with rage.

[E/D: Jung-ga and Yoon-hee are nicknames for Jae-won and Si-Yeon.]

“Have you heard anything from Jung-ga? How can a person affect Tae-jun so much that he is this livid?” asked Chairman Seo, perplexed at his grandson’s current attitude.

“He never opens his mouth regarding the director. You know better than anyone.” Secretary Kang helpfully reminded.

“I know … I know. That’s why I put him next to Tae-jun. I made a mistake. I didn’t know he would frustrate me so much. Isn’t there anyone else with a light mouth?”

It had always been easy for the old chairman to loosen people’s tongue, but when it came to his chirpy grandson, he was in for a surprise. The two were thick as thieves, he didn’t know if he had to rejoice over their camaraderie or lament at is misjudgement. All in all, the grandsons were a little too much to handle for this grandpa right now.

“If you’re going to be so displeased, why not just allow it?” Secretary Kang suggested. It was better to concede and be at peace than lock horns with your own blood, and only heir.

“I don’t think he’ll do it if I don’t allow it. Since he was young, he’s never listened to me even though I beat him. He came to the mountain at the age of thirteen to clear his mind, and he spent a week digging through the roots of trees. If I say no, he will never see me again. You know how he behaved towards his mother. Do you want me to be treated like that in my old age?”

Tae-jun had refused to see his mother all these years, he carried on like she didn’t exist in his life. When he could do that to his own birth mother, what more a grandfather?

“Then just give it up—”

Secretary Kang, who had been fiddling with the stones while gazing at how the game was proceeding on the board now put down his bag. They could hear the disturbance from outside the room. The two men turned towards the door at once.

“Who’s making so much noise?” Chairman Seo shouted, unable to hide his displeasure.

It was Tae-jun who opened and closed the door roughly.

“Director—”

Reflexively, Secretary Kang stood up from his seat, eyes fixated on the strange object in Tae-jun’s hand. Rather than strange, it was an object that was not fit to be here. It was a shotgun.

“Where did you take her?” Taejun’s voice was terribly low and cold. His eyes flickered with bluish sparks that were similar to the wolves of the snowfield.

Chairman Seo and Secretary Kang were lost for words for a moment.

“What are you talking about? Who took what?!” Chairman Seo almost fumbled with his words.

“My woman is gone.” Tae-jun’s gaze was menacing, voice frosty.