Chapter 104
Nikolai’s underground vault was opened after a long time.
Made of steel over 10cm thick, it housed his personal collection. Since not many people could access this place, it had rarely been opened, perhaps only a few times a year.
Now, the underground vault, ownerless, revealed its grandeur. It wasn’t just a part of the mansion’s basement; the entire labyrinth-like interior was Nikolai’s vault.
It contained the last treasures of the Russian royalty, as well as numerous jewels, paintings, and artifacts acquired through auctions worldwide. It held Russian history that couldn’t be seen even in museums.
Owen strode confidently into the dark underground. As the sensors detected a person’s presence, lights came on, and Owen ventured further inside.
The jewels laid under the dazzling lights sparkled in an instant.
It was magnificent enough to dazzle the eyes. Hundreds of jewels, crowns worth astronomical sums, each sparkled with its own beautiful light. Yuri was unaccustomed to such a sight, leaving him speechless.
“You were right; it’s even more impressive than the Russian National Museum.”
Yuri genuinely exclaimed.
Even if he closed his eyes, the image lingered, flashing through his eyelids. Owen walked among the displayed jewels. Normally, he wouldn’t pay much attention to jewels, but this time, his gaze lingered on them for quite a while.
As he reached into the display case, he could grasp the jewels without any hindrance. Since the theft sensors had been disabled the moment he entered, there was no one to stop him.
“Is it okay to touch them like that?”
As he was about to add that perhaps he should wear some gloves, the jewel came over to Yuri. Surprised to receive the jewel in his bare hands, Yuri cautiously held it with one fingertip while fidgeting with his other hand.
It was the first time he had seen Owen show such interest in material things.
There had been times when he thought maybe he gave up on the woman while solving the case. But when he picked up the necklace with a ruby shaped like a tulip for the second time, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking about Sarin.
“This is… a good idea I’m trying for the first time.”
Even without saying “shut up,” it seemed like the words were echoing in his ears.
It was clear that his actions of picking out expensive items were accompanied by thoughts of how Sarin would like them. A good idea meant thinking about how Sarin would like the jewels while selecting them.
“Ah, here it is.”
He exclaimed in admiration as he finally found something. Despite already having a dozen or so items on his arm, Owen only now seemed to have found something. The sight that met Yuri’s eyes as he turned his head made his jaw drop.
He swore it was the biggest diamond he had ever seen in his life. A diamond the size of a child’s fist hung in the center of the necklace, surrounded by smaller diamonds.
“It was a gift from a government that didn’t want to lose the favor of a queen.”
Owen’s gaze softened. Thinking of Sarin wearing that necklace made him feel good. With her fair skin, the diamond would suit her best. It was the most expensive item in Nikolai’s collection, and the jewel that had disappeared from the world.
“That…”
Yuri couldn’t bring himself to ask if it was Sarin who had lost the favor of the government.
Owen took the necklace out of the display case. The fist-sized diamond glittered. He took care to pick up only the diamond that was the purpose, leaving everything else behind.
***
Hayan woke up from a dry throat and tried to quietly get up from bed to avoid waking Yujin who was beside her. But then she was startled when she saw a giant shadow sitting by the window and almost screamed. As she took a deep breath, a sound of air escaping from her mouth came out.
The shadow that had been watching her quietly moved.
Was she having a nightmare? Her eyes, trembling with anxiety, soon met the face of the man who had come closer. She blinked in surprise.
“Un… Uncle…?”
There was a hint of joy on Hayan’s face.
Her uncle, with an expressionless face, looked down at her, making her feel a little scared, but he had already approached Hayan’s bed. Realizing that communication wouldn’t work, she looked for Yujin, but he didn’t seem to be around after she had been put to bed.
Just as she was just staring and not doing anything, Owen reached out to the table and handed her a glass of water.
“Thank you…”
Hayan glanced at Owen while drinking water. He also didn’t take his gaze off her. It was a face that she couldn’t understand what he wanted.
Soon, with a thoughtful look on her face, Hayan found the mobile phone she had left by her pillow. Sarin had told her to communicate using the translation app on the phone if Yujin went somewhere while she was sleeping.
As the light from the phone flickered, Hayan turned on the translation app and spoke slowly.
“Where is my aunt?”
And as the phone translated, making mechanical sounds, she showed it to him. Only then did Owen’s gaze turn to the phone.
“She’s probably somewhere in New York by now.”
“Did aunt go to New York?”
Then Hayan struck a pose reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty, with her arm raised, holding an imaginary torch. Although she hadn’t left the hospital room, Hayan had traveled the world through videos on her phone.
During her hospitalization in Korea, she had become friends with a child of the same age who bragged about his experiences traveling abroad, whether it was in the USA or the UK. The curiosity sparked by listening to his stories could be satisfied through searches on her phone. Seeing exotic worlds different from Korea became a daily routine in the hospital.
Owen slightly chuckled at the child’s actions.
“You really don’t resemble her.”
“I’m not my aunt’s daughter…”
In a voice that crept up, Hayan responded to the remark about not resembling Sarin. In no time, the lifeless child seemed to gauge Owen’s reaction.
Even though he tried to see Sarin’s face in the child’s, it was nowhere to be found. But seeing the child whimpering in her sleep, somehow her lips seemed a bit similar. When he reached out, Hayan remained still.
Gently, Owen brushed his hand against the unafraid lips.
“It seems you do resemble her.”
Reading the translated text in Korean, Hayan smiled. Owen’s gaze shifted to the child’s belly, which seemed to labor even with each breath. It wasn’t pleasant to hear her breath throughout the night. The person staying beside her had said that her condition hadn’t been good the whole time, and she had only been removed from the oxygen respirator today at noon, barely hanging on.
“Is aunt okay?”
Sarin hadn’t come to the hospital.
So, Hayan thought her aunt had only come to take her turn. And when her aunt left, now that her uncle wouldn’t come to the hospital, she was a little surprised by his appearance.
Her aunt had said she would take care of her without pain, but Hayan didn’t know a world without pain.
Without any expectations or hopes, Hayan was just happy that Owen had come, and she smiled contentedly.
“I’m not sure either.”
“Why?”
Even as the child smiled, Owen didn’t remove his hand. Even though it was the child who was sick, the expressionless uncle somehow looked more exhausted. As Hayan puffed up her cheeks for a moment, she put her small hand into the pillow where her face had been resting.
Then she handed Owen something that hadn’t been taken away yet.
It was a candy that he had given her sometime before.
“Eat this.”
She wasn’t accustomed to using honorifics yet. She couldn’t be sure if her intention had been properly conveyed. As Owen just held the candy without eating it, Hayan soon pretended to eat it with her thin hand.
Whether she hadn’t eaten it and just hid it, the candy was half melted under the pillow.
“You resemble Sarin.”
That’s why she was affectionate toward such a small and frail subject.
Sarin.
Seeing him immediately recognize her aunt’s name, Hayan nodded her head. Owen slowly withdrew his hand.
She went to New York. That much could be traced. Starting from the area where the taxi driver who took Sarin down dropped her off, they started searching. They needed to find the shiniest grain of sand on the beach.
If Sarin used her passport again, they could find her. But if she had already moved on to another state from New York, they would have to search through all forms of transportation, including trains, planes, buses, and more.
“Uncle?”
Calling out to Owen, who seemed to be staring into space, Hayan beckoned him softly.
His pupils moved slowly, then he looked back at the child.
“Rest.”
Gently nudging Hayan’s small buttocks, he pushed her closer to one side of the bed. Then, after clearing more than half of her own bed, he tapped it gently with her small hand.
It meant lying down here for a while. Worried about her looking so small, thin, and ill that she might collapse at any moment, he looked at her with concern.
This was what they resembled. When reaching out, they needed to calculate how much they might get hurt, but without making such calculations, they held onto each other. As Owen didn’t move, Hayan’s bony hand pulled his finger.
“I like aunt.”
They had agreed that he would stay by her side until she fell asleep. As Owen climbed onto the bed, there was a creaking sound, and Hayan’s small eyes widened. Soon, she smiled and lay down, facing him.
“Yeah.”
He answered the mechanical voice of the translation app that asked if he did. Looking at the child’s solemn face, Owen closed his eyes first.
Somewhere, rough breathing tickled his ears. The child, who had been breathing uncomfortably the whole time, soon seemed to get used to it and fell asleep just like that.
“Aunt will finish her trip and come back.”
The murmured words before falling asleep were not transmitted.
Watching the child’s face, Owen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The tension in his body eased.
