Chapter 121
Angel was standing like a statue in front of Baek Hawoon. I lowered my gaze to see the bullet holes in his gray jacket.
Underneath the jacket, a burgundy shirt was deeply stained. Then he began to crumple, slowly sinking down.
Bang!
Baek Hawoon shot the man who had fired at Doshiyu. The man screamed, clutching his leg where the bullet had hit.
“Ahhh!”
Another gunshot rang out. Baek Hawoon, with a stoic expression, shot again, hitting the man’s other thigh.
Unable to walk, the man crawled on the ground.
Baek Hawoon glanced at me once as he ran toward the man trying to crawl away.
“Doshiyu!”
As soon as I rushed over, Doshiyu crumpled to the ground. He lay flat on his back, groaning in pain.
“…Damn, this hurts so much.”
Doshiyu twisted his face, letting out a string of curses.
I hurriedly pressed my hands against the bleeding wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.
“Doshiyu-nim!”
Several members of the organization shouted his name as they rushed toward us.
“Doshiyu-nim! Stay with us!”
Doshiyu’s half-lidded eyes flickered as he looked at the members and me, mumbling something incomprehensible.
“What?”
I leaned closer, lowering my head to hear him.
“Keep it down. My head’s ringing…”
“…Okay.”
The temper hadn’t left him even after getting shot.
“Boss, how’s the injury—”
Cough!
Doshiyu suddenly coughed, spitting out blood. It was bright red, matching the color of his hair.
I panicked, unsure of what to do, watching the blood flow.
Doshiyu weakly closed his eyes.
“Doshiyu! Stay with us!”
I shouted frantically, pushing more pressure on my arm, trying to stop the bleeding.
“I’ll take care of it.”
A soft voice came from behind me, and a hand gently replaced mine, wrapping around my wrist.
“No, I’ll—”
“You think your hand can do a better job at this?”
Yugyeom’s voice made me pause. I glanced at my blood-soaked hand, realizing it was futile. Reluctantly, I let Yugyeom take over, stepping aside.
“What about our car? We’ve lost it all—burnt to nothing. The ones we captured also perished in the flames.”
A nearby member spoke, confirming the suspicion I had earlier.
That burning was definitely Baek Cheon’s work. Caught red-handed, they cut ties.
“Getting a taxi or an ambulance through this crowd will take time. The hospital is far.”
I anxiously watched over unconscious Doshiyu. Every second lost meant greater risk.
Then, the person I needed most at this moment came to mind.
“…Angel.”
I stood up and looked around. Angel should still be nearby.
Even though he was working under disguise, infiltrating Baek Cheon meant he must have the skills needed.
“We need to find Angel. He’s still nearby.”
I spoke to Yugyeom. He looked at me, then nodded, rising to his feet.
A sharp-eyed member quickly replaced his spot.
“Miss, stay here.”
As I began to shake my head, Yugyeom gently cupped my cheek, pulling my attention back to him. He smiled playfully.
“Don’t want to lose you again.”
* * *
The sky just before dawn was fairly bright. Sitting on the green grass, I sighed, gazing up at it.
Suddenly, the door connecting the garden and the courtyard opened, revealing Angel. I quickly stood and approached him.
“How’s Doshiyu?”
“Yeah, well… better than expected.”
“Really? I thought he was badly injured.”
“The bullet didn’t hit anything too major. It healed cleanly. We left him with the doctors at the hospital.”
Angel pulled off his blood-stained shirt, draping it over the back of a nearby chair. His expression looked weary, with his fingers pressed to his temples.
“Thank goodness.”
I let out a relieved breath as I slumped down onto a chair. Angel sat across from me, reclining at a slant.
“Why do you care so much? You’re not even his girlfriend.”
Angel’s question caught me off guard. I raised my head to meet his gaze. He seemed genuinely curious.
I took a sip of the hot chocolate Yugyeom brought earlier, answering slowly.
“So what if I’m not his girlfriend? Shouldn’t I care?”
Angel furrowed his brows at my response.
“Wouldn’t it be easier for you to stop caring altogether? In this world, it’s normal to see someone die tomorrow.”
I let Angel’s words wash over me. I took another sip, the warmth from the hot chocolate helping to calm my nerves.
The mug emptied faster than I expected. As I prepared to tip it upside down, Angel broke the silence.
“Exactly.”
A soft, heated voice brushed against the nape of my neck. I jolted, quickly wrapping my hands around my neck and turning my head back in surprise.
I almost dropped my mug, but just as quickly, a hand reached out, catching the mug and holding it steady.
“Worrying about other men with that face makes me regret bringing the doctor.”
Without any warning, Yugyeom was standing right behind me.
“Did you meet Doshiyu?”
I looked up at him wide-eyed, stumbling over my words in my confusion. Yugyeom leaned down, his face coming close to mine.
“Why would I meet Doshiyu?”
He smiled darkly, setting the mug down firmly on the table with a sharp thud.
My gaze remained locked on his eyes, while I heard Angel click his tongue disapprovingly.
“Wasn’t he like a friend?”
Shaking his head, Yugyeom dismissed my question. I shifted my eyes around before speaking again.
“Doshiyu…”
“Shh.”
But before I could even finish my thought, his finger pressed against my lips, cutting me off mid-sentence.
“It’s jealousy, isn’t it?”
Yugyeom smiled softly, pulling his finger away.
“How can jealousy be so intense?”
I narrowed my eyes sharply, speaking bluntly. While I considered myself close to Doshiyu, there was no deep sense of intimacy or emotional attachment.
Yugyeom’s playful expression turned mischievous as his eyes twinkled in amusement.
“So you don’t like it?”
I was stunned, staring at him in disbelief. How had I fallen into that trap?
Yugyeom watched me with a knowing smile, the same sly expression I’d seen too many times.
Doshiyu doesn’t need to be worried about. If anything, he might be out shooting tomorrow for all we know.”
Yugyeom spoke softly, as if trying to soothe me. But it didn’t sound like idle chatter. For a moment, I thought of the Doshiyu I knew—he might just be capable of that.
I kept my lips sealed and reached for the new mug that Yugyeom had brought. Taking a sip of the hot chocolate, I glanced away, trying to focus elsewhere.
“Then why did Angel sneak away?”
I looked at Angel, who was half-standing from his chair, grinning. The moment our eyes met, he slipped, falling noisily to the floor with a thud.
“We need to talk.”
“What talk… was there?”
Angel awkwardly chuckled, his wide eyes casting a distant, almost forlorn look at the door.
“I must have adopted someone from an orphanage while I wasn’t looking.”
Angel’s expression flickered with embarrassment.
“How’s Ivy with you?”
Smiling, I questioned him, prompting an uneasy chuckle from Angel. He then turned his head away, trying to keep his expression under control, though I could see right through it in the reflection of the glass.
Angel quickly composed himself and looked back at me.
“I saw her lying on the street and brought her here.”
I regarded him with a skeptical glance. In this vast city, what were the odds of casually stumbling upon Ivy?
Seeing my expression, Angel hastily added, “It really was a coincidence. I was surprised too.”
His desperate tone made his words falter further. I crossed my arms, still unconvinced.
Angel shifted his gaze around nervously before speaking in a quieter, more timid voice.
“Would you like to meet her? She’s been in a bad state for a while.”
“What? Is she hurt?”
Considering how young Ivy was and the fact that she had been wandering aimlessly, I could imagine how dire her situation had been. Angel paused, briefly thinking before responding.
“It’s not her body that’s hurt…”
“If it’s calming her down, then Yugyeom would be better suited for that.”
I pointed toward Yugyeom, remembering how adept he had been with children back at the orphanage. It seemed like no child would be beyond his ability to comfort.
“She seems a bit afraid of young men.”
“A young man?”
I repeated, raising an eyebrow. Angel nodded, confirming his words.
“It’s not something that happens to all men, just certain situations. We’re still trying to figure out what causes it.”
