DM Chapter 98
“If only you had come an hour earlier. She’s already left.”
“Where to?”
Although Owen knew he should be heading to Moscow right now, he came here following the tracker’s location. He needed to see for himself if Sarin was safe from the killers. Even if he entrusted her to the most skilled hunter, there was always the chance of unforeseen variables.
And those variables often came in the form of sudden death.
A wild beast inside Owen, screaming that he couldn’t afford to lose her, brought him here.
“Tha—”
Gayeon smoothed out her voice. Her voice didn’t come back properly from her throat, which had been strained with tremendous force. She slowly pushed Kirill away and turned to face Owen.
Seeing the gun aimed at Kirill’s head, she furrowed her brow and pushed it away with her palm.
“She went to Minsk. To the Phobedy Hotel. If you hurry, you might catch up with her.”
“She wouldn’t have traveled alone.”
“With the First Lady…”
Owen momentarily fell silent. Even though it couldn’t be heard over the sound of rain, the sound of him gritting his teeth seemed to echo like an auditory hallucination.
Feeling a chill, Gayeon hugged Kirill and glared at him.
“Interesting.”
“Sarin will be fine. She crossed the river. If you’re worried about that…”
“Looks like the First Lady needs a hunting dog.”
Owen spoke in a voice that was sharply low. The golden eyes in the shadow of his face gleamed brightly.
He had been raised as a dog that could be used whenever needed. Such hunts were familiar to him. Gayeon naturally remembered Owen’s nickname, which Kirill had mentioned.
Doberman, Owen.
The glimmering eyes in the darkness were no different from a beast’s.
Karlena was a woman who hated Nikolai more than anyone else and desperately wanted to escape from her husband, Belov. Just by seeing her constantly moving from one villa to another near the border, it was evident. She didn’t have the courage to cross the border, nor could she confront them alone.
The silently prowling lioness had seized the opportunity.
Owen tore his gaze away from Kirill and Gayeon, who were clinging to each other. His steps headed toward where the sound of water could be heard. The river, spread out like a painting behind the mansion, was Owen’s destination. The rapidly rising river water, swollen by the rain, flowed before his eyes.
Standing at the boat dock, Owen gazed into the faint beyond, obscured by the rain.
They must have come here from the mansion and then boarded a boat to cross the river. From that point on, they evidently transitioned to alternative modes of transportation as a means of escape. With this strong current, they couldn’t have just left on a boat alone.
“Look to the other side. Check all nearby train stations and flights.”
Owen instructed the man who followed him.
“Yes, sir.”
“…Send someone to Belarus as well.”
“Understood.”
Sarin’s departure was confirmed. There was no more time to delay here. They had to go to Moscow before it was too late. Yet Owen’s gaze lingered for a long time.
“The receiver is still emitting signals in this area. What should we do?”
That meant her trail had been lost here. Given the circumstances, it was unlikely that Sarin was still here.
Owen stood by the riverbank. The man who had been looking at the monitor raised his head to look at him.
“Mobilize soldiers within a 1-kilometer radius to search based on the receiver’s location. My dogs will be here soon.”
His own dogs were the ones who could best pick up Sarin’s scent. They would find the traces erased by the rain.
“Owen.”
“Our deal is over. You couldn’t even ‘safely’ protect her while I was away in Moscow.”
“I don’t care about the deal. And I decided to help you because she wanted it. If she had stayed here, I couldn’t guarantee her safety.”
In his head, he knew Kirill was right about everything, but Owen didn’t like the fact that this situation was out of his control. A deep sense of indescribable discomfort and underlying unease shook him to the core.
“If your woman still wants to help Sarin, it’s better to find your mother as soon as possible.”
“My mother won’t touch her.”
“I know.”
Owen answered slowly. A bitter taste flooded his mouth. Even as he met Kirill’s determined gaze, he felt no sense of satisfaction.
Sarin was the most interesting person in his life. She always surprised him and made his world tender. Just the fact that she was alive made her lovable.
In that damp and dark place, completely devoid of any life, when she had desperately searched for him and they clasped each other’s hands, Owen felt it with certainty.
“In case I touch her, that’s why.”
It was a warning that Karlena would not be safe. Owen’s hand briefly touched Kirill’s muddy shoulder as he passed by him.
The rain that had started showed no sign of stopping.
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Karlena and Sarin arrived at an unexpected location.
Instead of boarding the train bound for Siberia at the nearest station, they only got on the train heading to the next city.
In the bag Sarin had been embracing, there were a few casual clothes, money, and a few forged IDs. They simply put on hats and boarded the train to Siberia, smoothing over the situation by slipping thick banknotes between the IDs when the conductor asked for tickets and IDs.
That way, the destination Karlena followed was Moscow.
“As soon as possible. Anything that allows for immediate departure.”
Sarin was unaware of the request Karlena had made to the elderly man in the run-down bookstore on a Moscow street. The old man, wearing thick glasses, closed the bookstore door at her request.
Without saying a word, he gestured for them to follow and led them upstairs to the second floor of the bookstore.
On the dimly lit second floor, thick curtains were drawn, and there was a chair facing the wall. Following the old man’s gesture, Sarin sat down.
In her disheveled state, she removed her hat, and someone pointed a camera at her to take a picture.
Moscow was not the destination, but rather the starting point for somewhere else. She remembered Gayeon taking pictures of her this way.
As the old man took the camera and moved away again, Karlena sat down on the worn-out sofa on the opposite side of the wall with a fatigued expression. Sarin approached her, holding the bag that had been momentarily placed on the floor after taking the picture.
“Here….”
Now, the only thing left in the bag was money.
“Keep it; a woman needs money to escape.”
Now she realized she was really on her own. Sarin reminded herself several times that she had to pull herself together and go alone from here.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Haha.”
Karlena, her chin resting on her hand as she sat on the sofa, chuckled briefly. She tilted her head, her gentle eyes showing no signs of suspicion. This rotten, cunning fight did not suit her face at all. No wonder Eden City’s devil had fought so hard.
They even went so far as to include Kirill.
In some ways, Kirill was perfect. Even under Belov’s control, Kirill followed all instructions.
Just like the Dimitris had followed Nikolai’s orders until now.
“I’m also benefiting from helping you.”
“I know. But still, I’m safe because of you.”
Sarin nodded calmly in response.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“…That’s all Owen wanted.”
Karlena chuckled at the thought of unintentionally granting Owen’s wishes.
She was an interesting woman. Typically, when experiencing such situations, people would tremble with fear, as if facing the end of the world, but she didn’t seem to cry or get annoyed. If she had, it would have been difficult to bring her here in the first place.
“I plan to make a passport for you so you can go anywhere. I don’t have much time to spare.”
She had no idea where to go.
Leaving Korea was a first for her. Maybe this was her last, she thought, holding her breath. She might never return to Eden City.
Just like that.
Karlena flicked her finger in front of Sarin.
For a moment, Sarin’s chest tightened as she took a deep breath. Karlena looked at Sarin with a cool expression, her thoughts unreadable.
“If any of the Dimitris survive, they will pursue you to the end.”
She couldn’t forget the moment when danger approached her. Nor the moment when she’d pressed the gun into her hand. Sarin nodded reluctantly.
“So, it’s best not to think about coming back here. The Dimitris can’t vent their anger on me or Kirill.”
A scapegoat.
Even though Karlena was the one who fired the gun, they couldn’t harm her.
“There’s a child in the hospital… For the child’s safety and that person’s well-being…”
“Don’t worry about unnecessary things. Just focus on staying alive for as long as you can.”
No one had an answer as to what Owen was up to or when they would meet again. From now on, Sarin had to make her own decisions.
She fled alone, leaving Owen and Hayan in Eden City. It was a life with no prospects or hopes. Yet, both the child and Owen told her to survive.
She had first tasted despair in Eden City, but now Eden City had become a hope for Sarin.
“I will survive.”
Karlena nodded. Sarin fiddled with her ring. It had become loose, ready to slip off and disappear at any moment. Feeling that her relationship with Owen would end if she let go, she tightened her grip.
