Chapter 11
The voice overlaid with the popping fireworks undoubtedly came from Yugeum’s lips.
At first listen, it sounded like a heartfelt confession of love, but I knew all too well that wasn’t the case with Yugeum.
Having grown up without anyone sincerely loving him, Yugeum clung obsessively to any affection directed towards him, even if it was just fake.
Even if it was just a lie, such facts didn’t matter.
Besides, Yugeum wasn’t interested in who they were once they parted ways. He just wanted to momentarily forget the overwhelming loneliness.
“Even if it’s a lie, can’t you just say you still like me?”
Like a habit where the body reacts before the mind, I yearned for affection.
Will you say it? Or not.
It was just a playful whisper, like that.
As Yugeum held my hand, urging for an answer, I felt pressure in his grip.
But when there was no answer I could give, and my eyes just rolled around in confusion, I noticed the red-stained knit fabric.
“Blood! It’s blood!”
Without realizing it, I reached out to touch the knit, causing a stifled groan to escape from tightly clenched lips.
Now, I saw sweat forming on his pale face, which seemed paler than ever, and beads of cold sweat even formed.
I urgently looked for a door, only to realize that the wall that had not opened before now had no gap at all.
“The door…”
In my bewildered murmurs, Yugeum burst into laughter.
“Surprisingly innocent.”
As I stared at him with eyes full of unspoken words, he chuckled while heading towards the bookshelf. When he took out a book, the wall, as if it were a lie, moved.
“I was surprised you found out.”
Was it cliché?
With eyes that contained all the words I couldn’t say, I watched as Yugeum chuckled while holding the book.
“Romeo and Juliet, do you like it?”
—
“Sit anywhere.”
Beyond the cautiously taken wall, fortunately, it wasn’t a place like a bloodied underground prison or something.
The spacious circular room was filled with furniture in soft beige tones reminiscent of Yugeum. It was much larger than Cha Yeonbyeol’s room at Baekcheon.
More than half of the walls surrounding the circular space were made of transparent glass, offering a view of the city skyline at a glance. It was beautiful, but I had no attention left for such a fantastic sight.
I cautiously sat on the nearby sofa, observing Yugeum’s reactions. And I carefully placed the book of Romeo and Juliet that was in my hand on the table.
The book seemed to have been read to the point of wear and tear; the red cover that must have been vibrant at first was now faded.
Did Yugeum read it? This classic romance?
“Oh, my goodness.”
Suddenly, I was shocked to see Yugeum, who had taken off his knit, soaked in blood, and my body jolted visibly.
Although there was a distance, since the room wasn’t divided, he stood vividly in front of the closet.
But before I could feel embarrassed, I swallowed my breath unknowingly as I saw the scars covering Yugeum’s back, which were so numerous that they seemed to be carved into him.
The long scars that seemed to have been whipped were the most noticeable, but there were also countless smaller scars that looked like they were from guns or knives, making his entire body a mess.
Who wouldn’t have scars on this ground? But those were really severe. Those marks seemed to show Yugeum’s entire journey, making it hard to breathe.
Yugeum picked up the bandages on the bedside table and walked towards me.
Fixing my gaze only on the marble floor, unsure of where to place my eyes, I saw Yugeum’s upper body clearly. I couldn’t help but fix my gaze on the marble floor. Yugeum’s sitting next to me, or the sofa shaking.
“Why sit here when there’s plenty of room?”
It was a moment of unnecessary nervousness, with my legs trembling for no reason.
“Because I can’t reach.”
The bandages were extended before my eyes.
I didn’t understand what it meant, so I just stared blankly at the bandages.
“Could you change the bandages for me?”
In a subdued voice, I raised my head and finally understood as I saw his face and the blood-soaked bandages.
Reluctantly accepting the bandages, Yugeum’s lips curved gently upwards.
I felt like I was playing the role of a kidnapper changing the bandages, but considering my situation, I reached out to him.
Carefully unraveling the bandages wrapped around his waist, deep wounds oozed blood.
“You didn’t go to the hospital?”
“No, I didn’t go.”
“You didn’t go?”
“There are too many people who would be happy to know I’m hurt.”
My body stiffened at his casually thrown-in remark.
Into my vulnerable state, Yugeum’s smiling face appeared.
“Maybe… the princess too?”
“Oh, no, not at all!”
My overreaction seemed to amuse Yugeum, who chuckled, and I clenched the bandages tightly, trying not to show any signs.
“Ouch!”
“Does it hurt? My mistake.”
“After worrying about when it would hurt.”
Ignoring Yugeum’s complaint, I wrapped the bandages several times, securing them meticulously. As I lifted my head momentarily, I was speechless at the face I immediately met.
Yugeum, leaning on the sofa with his chin, looked at me with a big grin on his face.
His sparkling face, full of laughter, still didn’t feel real to me.
“It’s done.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
Seeing his vivid laughter almost blinding my eyes, I was bothered by the details I hadn’t paid attention to before.
“Why do you keep calling me Princess?”
“Why, is it bothering you?”
“Yeah, a lot. It’s annoying, you know.”
With a soft “yo” at the end of his sentence, Yugeum chuckled and reached out to sweep away the strands of hair that were falling.
His cold fingertips brushed against my cheek as they passed by. At that gesture, I involuntarily swallowed a trembling breath.
“Just use informal speech. It sounds better.”
“Then you should do the same for me.”
“It’s just a habit for me.”
“Seems like calling girls ‘princess’ is also a habit for you.”
His eyes, which were folded into crescents, deepened in color.
“Not really.”
It was a moment of confusion as I tried to understand his ambiguous words.
Clang! Along with a rough sound, the hurried footsteps of an irritated man echoed.
“Yugeum!”
Before I could even startle at the loud voice, New Face came into view.
The man with tangled hair and angry eyebrows rushed over as if in a hurry, panting heavily.
As he stood there, straightening his disheveled clothes and glaring sharply at me, Yugeum smiled softly at him.
“Chanah.”
In fact, I had vaguely guessed who he was from the moment of his first appearance. It was definitely Cheon Chan, who had played a significant role even in the original work.
He was the one who had helped Yugeum drive out all my rivals and played the biggest role in taking over Utopia.
“Is that all you have to say to me right now? Instead of chit-chatting with a girl, you should focus on more important matters!”
His straightforward personality, not mincing words, was just as I remembered from the original.
“What’s going on here?”
And Yugeum’s face, not holding back either.
“Father wants to see you.”
If it’s “father,” could he be referring to the boss of Utopia?
Unlike Baekcheon, who was called “boss” by the Baekcheon members, in Utopia, all members referred to the boss as “father.”
“No, aside from that, who is that woman?”
“Princess.”
“Hey!”
Both Chan and I shouted at Yugeum simultaneously, and Chan looked at me with eyes wide open like a startled rabbit.
With a fiery personality that could explode at any moment and a genius brain that worked faster than anyone else’s, Chan was not someone to be underestimated. But I knew exactly what he wanted, and by using that to my advantage, I could gain his favor to some extent.
As I smiled gently towards Chan, his eyebrows narrowed.
“Not ‘Gungz’ or anything like that…”
While keeping the smile directed at Chan, I whispered to Yugeum with pursed lips, and Yugeum nodded with a smile. Then, still keeping his gaze fixed on me, he calmly said,
“I brought her from Baekcheon.”
Yugeum’s words left Chan’s mouth gaping wide open. Chan tried to cover his open mouth with his hand, shaking his head with apparent annoyance.
“You’re always up to something weird, and now you’ve brought something weird here?”
Pointing at me with his finger, Chan’s open accusation felt grating to hear, even if it wasn’t entirely untrue.
So, I decided to willingly clarify his misunderstanding.
“I didn’t bring something weird, I brought something extraordinary.”
“…What?”
“I’m Baekha Won’s sister.”
“Who’s Baekha Won?”
Chan’s face, clouded at the end of his words, slowly grew serious. Then, as if finally realizing, his eyes widened.
“Yugeum is not here right now.”
“Do I need your permission to see my sister? Do you want to die?”
At that moment, the noisy commotion from outside shattered the silence.
As the voices outside grew louder, Yugeum abruptly stood up.
“Chan, please take care of the princess.”
“What?”
Not understanding my words, Chan was scolded by Yugeum in a low voice.
Hearing that mumble, I doubted my ears.
“Even if it’s Lady Yuhwa, you need permission to enter without…!”
Amidst the chaos outside, a familiar name echoed in my ears.
Yuhwa?
If it was Yuhwa, she was one of Yugeum’s step-siblings, and among them, she was the one who despised and tormented him the most. She was currently the successor of Utopia.
Just as I managed to recall that hateful name…
Swoosh— My wrist was grabbed and pulled before I could react.
Standing defenseless, I was dragged along without resistance. When I regained my senses, I felt the soft bed behind me.
Soon, my mind filled with question marks as Yugeum’s face covered the ceiling.
Clang!
“Little sister!!”
A loud voice, louder than the sound of a broken door, reverberated nearby.
Yugeum, who seemed frozen for a moment, lazily smiled at me when our eyes met.
“What are you doing right now…”
“Shh.”
His upright gaze gently squeezed my breath.
“We’re going to kiss from now on.”
The end of his upturned lips was intense. In that incredibly beautiful smile, time seemed to slow down momentarily.
Wait, what did he just say?
In my confusion, I urgently grabbed Yugeum’s arm, but he firmly held onto my hand.
“Don’t be surprised.”
Laughter dispersed into the air. And then, the distance between him and me narrowed in an instant.
As his eyes, containing me, got dangerously close, I finally closed my eyes tightly.
Before I could prepare myself, hot lips touched mine, and my breath caught in my throat.
