Chapter 47
Thud.
With a fierce sound, the bouquet of flowers fell to the ground.
Taehoon groaned softly. Watching him, Yuhwa didn’t leave a single flower intact, stomping on all of them with her feet. Crushed petals remained on the cement like bloodstains.
Yuhwa swept her short hair to the side and raised one corner of her mouth. Her black hair, although in a short cut, was quite long compared to a typical short cut.
“Should I just cut it off completely?”
With lips twisted into a smirk, Yuhwa spoke, her expression suggesting amusement just by imagining it.
“I might consider it if you cut it nicely piece by piece.”
“Hmm. I know you’re not joking about that.”
It seemed like it was already severed. Taehoon stopped twisting his wrist, which had already been broken, halfway through, his face contorted.
Yuhwa looked at him satisfactorily.
But then, she dropped her smiling expression and spoke with the same twisted face. Her twisted eyes were as sharp as blades.
“Looks like you had some fun with my brother.”
“…Ah.”
Taehoon let out a hollow laugh. Then, he approached Yuhwa.
“So, is that why you’re so angry?”
His cold touch swept along the scar on her lips.
“Do you still not trust me?”
As she quietly watched him, Yuhwa grabbed his wrist. It was the wrist that had been broken earlier. The lips between which he had raised his eyebrows remained closed as ever.
Tilting her head, Yuhwa tore her lips horizontally.
“Should I tear your mouth from here?”
“It really hurt earlier.”
“With those snake-like eyes, it would suit you well. Then we can expect screams as well.”
“Oh, come on. You’re serious about this too.”
Taehoon raised both hands and stepped back.
“I just happened to meet your brother. It’s fate.”
There had been more than one occasion where they had arranged meetings under the guise of coincidence, and even their encounter at the hotel was staged.
The method was simple. Scatter bait here and there, then wait patiently while wandering around the area.
But considering the encounters that followed that wait, wasn’t it fate? Taehoon thought so.
“Ridiculous.”
Yuhwa lowered her sunglasses and looked around. Countless urns were piled up densely like apartments.
“Is the spot okay?”
“It’s fine. Good air, good spot.”
“I found a good spot for your precious brother.”
“Oh.”
Yuhwa, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned back towards Taehoon.
Her eyes, gleaming with laughter, curved like crescent moons.
“Did you kill him because he was precious to you?”
A short sigh escaped Taehoon’s lips.
Yuhwa snatched the sunglasses that hung over her nose and cheekbones, putting them on playfully.
“Are you already preparing to ask questions?”
“He’s your precious brother, as you said.”
“Still, don’t kill like me. I’ve tried it, and killing leaves you feeling a bit bored afterward.”
The two of them had arrived in front of a parked car without realizing it.
In front of the car stood several men dressed in black. As one of them approached to open the car door, Taehoon stopped him.
With one corner of his mouth lifted, Taehoon personally opened the car door for Yuhwa. Yuhwa got into the car as if it were routine.
With one hand gripping the car door, Taehoon bowed his head. A dense shadow cast over the woman sitting with her arms crossed and legs crossed.
Yuhwa turned her head sideways. Unwavering gazes clashed within the shadow.
Taehoon chuckled and used his other hand to put the sunglasses he had been wearing on Yuhwa’s face.
“You’re not going to kill me, right?”
At the question, dripping with sarcasm, Yuhwa lifted her chin proudly. Laughter escaped through her dry lips, like dried roses.
“Crazy bastard.”
His long fingers pressed against the scar above Taehoon’s lips. The touch was rough, with calluses embedded.
“You don’t like how pretty I look, so you carved a knife into my face, huh?”
“Do you only do things like that to match the woman you want to hold hands with?”
“If you’ve left scars on a precious face, you should take responsibility, shouldn’t you?”
Yuhwa pushed his face away with the tip of her finger, then removed Taehoon’s hand from the car door.
Thud! The door slammed shut.
Yuhwa twisted her lips through the lowered window and smiled.
“My brother must be jealous. He’s never experienced such crazy love.”
***
Underneath a flashy neon sign, the street was bustling with crowds. The square in front of the department store in the heart of the downtown area was a meeting place in Hong Kong.
Checking the time, I entered the building.
Although the agreed meeting place was the square in front of the department store, there were still over three hours until the appointed time of 8 o’clock.
“Why do we need a doctor for shopping?”
Angel, who had been following closely behind me, finally spoke as we drove.
Since she had run to me right after I called, I decided to be nice.
I glanced back to see the two bodyguards standing behind me and the others who might be following from elsewhere. It was too noisy around for Angel’s conversation to be heard.
I gestured for Angel to come closer, and she froze in place, her face stiffening.
“Act natural.”
I said with round eyes and a pursed lips.
Angel started moving again, like a robot whose start button had been pressed. A robot’s steps would have seemed more natural.
After contemplating seriously for a while with only her lips twitching, she approached slightly and tilted her face ever so slightly.
Literally, just ‘ever so slightly’ closer, our proximity still didn’t seem like a pair.
In the end, I decided to act.
No, more precisely, I decided to stop.
“…!”
When I suddenly stopped without warning, Angel took a few more steps before urgently stopping.
The distance between us was now closer than before.
I grabbed Angel abruptly before she could run away again.
“I need it.”
Without warning, I suddenly stopped in my tracks, causing Angel to take a few more steps before urgently halting. The distance between us had already decreased from before.
I grabbed Angel before she could run away again.
“I need you.”
The emerald eyes, now closer, shimmered and widened.
“You’re the most important thing today.”
Today’s plan was as follows:
First, pretend to shop diligently until the appointed meeting time.
Second, around 7:40 PM, tell Angel to lose the organization members following us.
Third, meet Yugyeom. During this phase, be cautious not to attract attention in crowded places.
Fourth, when meeting him…
…I’m still undecided about what to say.
“Angel, listen. I’ve thought about it.”
I saw the back of a child hesitating before running off. Her blonde hair tied into two bunches swayed cutely.
Angel’s gaze, which I sneakily glanced at, seemed to be focused on a similar point to mine. I couldn’t be sure, but probably.
“I’ll pretend I don’t know you’re a spy.”
Angel looked at me with wide eyes, like a startled puppy. She seemed resigned, without any expectations.
“As long as you just watch over me, it doesn’t really matter.”
If Angel’s goal was Kang Taejun, then perhaps we were on the same side.
If it was about extracting information from Baekcheon, pretending not to know would have been difficult, but for me, well… as long as it wasn’t an order to kill.
“But if you cross the line, I’ll interrogate you thoroughly. Got it?”
I applied pressure to her chin. Tilting my head more towards Angel’s ear, I whispered softly.
“And I hope you’ll do what I ask.”
Angel’s expression momentarily contorted. It seemed like she was trying to manage her expression belatedly, but she couldn’t quite do it.
I smiled reassuringly at her trembling green eyes.
“Don’t worry. It’s not too difficult.”
***
I thought spending money would be fun, but after over two hours, I was starting to feel tired.
“Let’s go over there!”
“I’m hungry, let’s get some ice cream!”
“Wow, what’s that?”
I had been wandering around here and there to make it easier to shake off the guards and surveillance, but the problem was, I was getting tired too.
I rummaged through the jackets hanging on the rack.
This was the last luxury brand store on this floor. There were still dozens of stores on the upper floors, but I felt like I needed to sit down and rest now.
“Hey!”
Suddenly, a voice came from beyond the jackets.
I blinked, wondering if I heard it wrong, then looked around. There was clearly no one else in this brand store but me.
Huh? There’s no one here?
“Cha Yeonbyeol!”
The next whisper was clearer than before.
In that moment, a hand reached out from among the jackets and grabbed my wrist firmly.
Before I could scream in surprise, a face popped out from between the jackets.
“…Is that you, Lee Chan?”
“Shh.”
Lee Chan covered his face with the sleeve of his jacket. Knowing it wouldn’t hide him completely, I moved a step to the side to make sure the guards outside couldn’t see him.
“What are you doing?”
I pretended to carefully browse through the clothes, looking down at Lee Chan.
“…Is your waist okay?”
“It hurts, and my arm feels numb.”
Imagining him folding his waist and sticking his butt out from the opposite side, it seemed like it would be funny from their perspective.
I bit my lip to suppress a laugh and tried to maintain a serious expression.
Lee Chan was the first to speak as he opened his mouth.
“Why are you here?”
A rather urgent tone accompanied his question.
Well, I came to meet Yugyeom. I was about to answer like that, but then I closed my mouth again.
Instead, I tilted my head and asked back, “Why?”
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Editor: Red
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is Sid. I hope you liked it<3
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