Chapter 117
The club turned into complete chaos in an instant. The booming music and screams mixed together, sending chills down my spine.
The gunfire came from the same direction where I had let go of Yugyeom earlier—toward the front of the central stage.
I slowly lowered my hands from my ears while keeping my gaze fixed on that direction.
‘This isn’t a coincidence.’
Everything is unfolding exactly as I saw it in the future.
The ear-piercing gunfire rang out again.
‘What comes next? What happened here?’
My mind went blank, unable to recall anything specific. The only thing I knew for sure was this: in my vision of the future, Yugyeom was standing here, and the exact same gunfire had erupted moments ago.
Even though relationships between people have drastically changed, the central event remains the same.
‘Ah.’
A high-pitched ringing echoed in my ears, like a siren warning of something. Alongside it, a voice played in my memory.
‘In the end, you’ll once again defy fate and choose him.’
The moment I recognized myself.
‘It’s useless to regret now.’
But I don’t regret it. There’s no room for regret in any moment. My conviction was unshakeable in every circumstance.
Every step I took brought me to this moment.
‘Still, the ending destined for death won’t change.’
Bang!
The third gunshot rang out, and a large figure suddenly pushed past me, sending me crashing to the ground.
The ringing stopped, but everything felt eerily silent.
‘…?’
I couldn’t lift my head to see the ground in front of me, slowly blinking my eyes open.
‘What was that?’
Right before the gunfire, I was sure I heard a voice—a voice that wasn’t there a moment ago.
My heart pounded louder than the music. Dizzy, I clung tightly to the cold floor with my hands.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
Whether it was just a hallucination or a delayed memory from what I had missed, I couldn’t tell.
As the space distorted and wind swept back into the reality where Yugyeom was, I tried to recall what the cat said.
“Why are you panicking?”
The bartender, a Utopia man, had grabbed my shoulder, prompting me to lift my head. He sat down in front of me, his gaze locked on mine.
I slowly looked down at the tattooed red smoke on his wrist, then shook my head gently.
“I’m… just startled.”
My voice trembled involuntarily. The shock was real, so no need to feign anything.
The Utopia member seated beside me had already vanished. I awkwardly freed my shoulder from his grip and stood up.
“What’s going on?”
“Better to leave now; it might be dangerous. Let me escort you outside.”
“No, I have people to find.”
I politely declined his offer, nodding briefly. Yet, his outstretched arm blocked my path.
“You should go out first. It’s safer through the staff exit. The main exit is chaotic.”
There was no doubt—it felt deliberate.
He didn’t seem to know I was Cha Yeonbyeol. If he had, he would’ve avoided a confrontation and quietly taken me out of the chaos.
But what if…
“Let’s go together.”
What if he knew later? The Utopia member trailing me must’ve recognized my face.
If the gunfire had distracted everyone, and he reported my presence to this man, it would explain his behavior now.
Without a word, I glanced down at his arm blocking my way. There was no other path out.
I remembered what had happened when Yugyeom caught Utopia and Utopia’s partner red-handed in their deal.
Our brief eye contact happened simultaneously. We both moved at nearly the same moment.
Click.
A loaded gun was raised to the target.
“How did the boss deal with betrayers?”
While he reached inside his coat, my hand was faster.
I took a step forward, gently pressing my gun against the man’s chest.
Everyone was screaming and fleeing, leaving no one to notice us or the unfolding drama.
“Should I call your brother?”
Laughing softly, I asked, as the man obediently dropped his gun to the floor. I kicked it under the table.
There was no intense gunfight. Just a diversion to buy time for the escape.
Utopia and Jeong-hui realized Yugyeom was caught, so they aimed to silence him by hurting him badly. A simple, one-dimensional plan.
Using the gunfire as a distraction, the club descended into chaos, giving them the opportunity to escape unnoticed. That was their plan.
Of course, their plan failed, but they still tried to force through, resulting in Yugyeom suffering significant injuries here.
Just as the situation was about to spiral into danger, something else arrived—
I paused the thought and furrowed my brow.
Surely not.
“Hands above your head, sir.”
I pressed the gun deeper into his chest, speaking coldly.
My ominous feeling told me something.
If this situation truly mirrors what I saw in the future, then the knight in shining armor is set to arrive right here, right now.
I searched the man’s jacket for any hidden weapons. If anyone discovers this moment and my involvement, I’ll be in serious trouble.
Yet, if it unfolds exactly as I saw, even if this man severely injures or worse, kills Yugyeom, there’s no turning back. I can’t let him go.
I can’t bring Yugyeom back to Baekcheon, so someone else must handle this.
I had already decided on my course of action. Sending a brief text, I turned to him.
“So, where’s the staff exit?”
The man gestured with his head toward the exit.
Still aiming at his chest with one gun, I reached into the back pocket of my skirt and retrieved another. This second gun I pointed directly at his neck, lowering the first one back into its holster.
Moving behind the man, I positioned my second gun precisely at the nape of his neck.
“Alright, sir. We’re leaving nicely from here. Lead the way.”
Using sheer force or finesse, I couldn’t afford to lose the upper hand—this was my only chance.
Pressing the second gun against his back, he moved forward without resistance. He opened a door behind the cocktail display, revealing a long corridor beyond.
Once the door closed, the chaotic noise from the outside was sealed off. I maintained my alertness as we walked down the corridor.
The man stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall.
“This is the way out.”
“Open it.”
When he opened the door, a gust of wind rushed in. I didn’t blink once, calmly surveying the outside.
“…Ha.”
Seeing the outside, I exhaled deeply.
Finally, I could feel my blood starting to circulate again.
“Angel.”
With genuine relief, I called his name.
A pale-faced Angel already had his gun raised, aimed directly at the man.
“What the hell…”
Angel’s eyes shifted between me and the man, a look of disbelief etched on his face. He looked as if he might collapse, his hand pressed to his neck, but that didn’t seem to faze him.
“Thank God. I was wondering what to do without you.”
“…”
“I sent you away for your own safety, but calling you back now? You’re the only person I could trust.”
Despite the grand farewell, no one else could match Angel’s suitability for the situation.
“You managed to find the back exit of the club in that short time?”
Barely five minutes after sending the text asking him to wait, there he was—standing at the staff exit, as if he knew exactly where to be.
Before Angel could scold me with a barrage of questions, I shook my head slowly.
“Now, don’t ask anything. This man is yours to handle. You can figure out who he is, right? I need to find Yugyeom.”
“J-Just me? Alone?”
“Why not? You’ve been pretending you can’t shoot anyway.”
I lowered the gun I’d been holding on the man. Now, I had to find Yugyeom.
“Cha Yeonbyeol!”
Then Angel screamed my name, his voice sharp and urgent. Instinctively, I sensed danger, and the moment our eyes locked, I knew something was wrong.
Somehow, it was too easy.
Without hesitation, I spun around and aimed my gun backward. But it was too late.
A powerful force knocked the gun out of my hand. I didn’t have time to reach for it again.
By the time I saw what was happening, it was already over. I immediately pivoted my body.
Bang!
The sharp sound echoed through the air.
However, the shot didn’t come from my gun, nor did it come from my opponent’s weapon.
I saw, just a beat late, the hole cleanly punched through my opponent’s forehead.
The Utopia member’s gun clattered to the ground, followed by the sound of his body collapsing like a deflating balloon.
Standing behind him, the man holding a gun met my gaze.
