Chapter 52
“Surprising.”
Yuhwa swiped my right hand. I dropped the gun I was holding. The gun kicked away slid all the way to the far corner.
More than the joints hitting the ground as I rolled around, it was the emptiness in my hand without the gun that felt dizzying.
“I only thought the princess had never grabbed a gun before.”
I desperately tried to get up, but my shoulder was forcefully stepped on. A suppressed groan escaped without being swallowed back.
“But still, it’s disappointing, as expected.”
The woman looking down at me seemed indifferent. The eyes, devoid of interest like when one looks at a toy they’re tired of, sent shivers down my spine.
As she scratched my ankle with her nails, Yuhwa sneered and pressed her shoulder harder. My vision blurred.
“I thought you were just dying and not living up to it, but this is all you could do?”
Yuhwa took out black leather gloves from her pocket. The gloves, pulling up to the wrist when worn, fit snugly on her large hands.
Instinct was speaking.
If I couldn’t escape from here, I would really die.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.”
Yuhwa chuckled lightly. The leg pressing on my shoulder exerted more force.
My shoulder, heavily stepped on, felt like it was about to snap. My vision flickered dangerously. I grasped onto the fading consciousness and swallowed back the groan.
“If you kill useless things, they’ll be gone.”
The gaze directed at me became even sharper.
I desperately tried to confirm the location of the vehicle passageway.
Assuming I could get out of this situation, it was a distance I could run without being caught, if I did well. Unless I suddenly got hit by a car coming from the other side.
“Where are you looking?”
But in this situation, how exactly?
“I can hear you racking your brain.”
Yuhwa burst into laughter. She laughed as if she had heard a funny joke.
“It’s better not to think stupid thoughts.”
Yuhwa tilted her head sharply and pressed down harder on me. The shadowy gaze was menacing.
A sharp voice descended along with that gaze.
“You should only think appropriate thoughts.”
In an instant, anger surged behind the fear of possibly dying here.
“… Appropriate thoughts?”
Sudden words escaped my control, bursting out uncontrollably.
“Considering your position and that body of yours, shouldn’t you be the one to speak?”
Living according to the subject.
With every step I took, those words echoed in my mind.
Why should I endure this kind of life because of things I can’t even choose? Would you remember the days when I couldn’t contain the writhing anger deep in my heart?
I couldn’t sleep, fearing to confine myself in that frame, feeling equal parts pitiful and pathetic. I knew you, who ultimately desired to reign over them.
But in the end, what makes you different from those who wanted to exhibit you in a pretty cage?
The laughter abruptly stopped. The frozen face remained, but a cold current passed through it.
I stared at her intently without blinking.
“Dying and not living?”
A sound, whether a groan or a laugh, flowed out between clenched teeth. My heart raced. I spat out like venom.
“Because you’re not satisfied with not killing.”
I slammed the glass bottle I pulled out from my handbag onto the ground.
Crash!
Poison spilled and shattered glass shards were caught in my hand. I never imagined that what I intended to convey to Yugyeom would be used like this. I immediately thrust the glass shard into Yuhwa’s ankle.
The pressure on my shoulder weakened. It was momentary but enough.
With all the strength I could muster, I pulled her ankle. Yuhwa lost her balance and staggered.
In that gap, I got up. I ran in the direction I had checked in advance.
Bang!
Gunshots echoed from behind, but there was no time to look back.
Running through the tightly packed cars was the best option, rather than taking the open road.
“Please. Please!”
I had never run so hard in my life. My shoulders ached, my right hand was broken and barely moved from being kicked, but there was no room for concern.
A sinister premonition swept through my spine, not knowing when a bullet might hit.
Finally, it was when I turned onto the vehicle passageway leading to the underground third floor.
Bang!
With the sound of a horn, the vision filled with white light. Instinctively squinting, I stopped in my tracks.
A black sedan coming down the passageway had stopped right in front of me.
It was just a step away from collision. I retreated, covering my eyes with my hand.
It was right after that I remembered being in a more terrifying situation than getting hit by a car. Hastily, I turned my head backward.
But before confirming how far Yuhwa had chased me,
I turned my head back again.
Because I belatedly noticed what my gaze had just brushed against.
Even though I thought I must have seen it wrong, I turned my head back again.
“….”
The clear figure was etched into my eyes, now accustomed to the pouring light.
Soon after, the light went out, and the man got out of the car.
His shirt, crumpled as if grabbed from the ground, had a couple of buttons undone. His bright hair was also tousled carelessly.
“Yugyeom?”
A faltering voice, out of control, flowed out. I unknowingly took a step back as he quickly approached, but my wrist was immediately grabbed.
The grip on my wrist felt hot, as if it would burn.
Without exchanging any words, just meeting his gaze made it seem like he was whispering something into my ear.
Yugyeom dragged me along. The force pushing me into the car was rough.
There was no resistance as I was pushed into the car even before properly sitting down, and the car door closed firmly.
“Yugyeom!”
I turned my head towards the sudden sound. With my hand covering my mouth, I saw Yuhwa standing in front of the vehicle passage. She was laughing loudly enough that it seemed like her laughter could be heard from here.
Yugyeom didn’t even glance at her and got into the car.
The car started immediately. The car that had reversed moved back up to the underground third floor. We had reached the destination, but the situation was completely different from what I had expected.
Yugyeom quickly turned the steering wheel. I barely managed to reach out and stabilize myself.
With the rough driving, the items in my handbag collided with each other with each shake of the car.
“Are you hurt?”
Yugyeom was the first to speak. Surprised, I looked at him.
Yugyeom still kept his gaze forward.
He quickly scanned my condition with just his eyes moving. My wet clothes now had clear footprints on them.
Not knowing what to say about this situation, I hesitated with my mouth open and eventually just clenched it shut. Yugyeom didn’t ask again.
The car, still running without stopping, headed upstairs. It seemed like we were going to exit the building.
After Yugyeom turned the steering wheel once more, he let out a deep breath. Sweat formed on his forehead as he wiped his platinum hair.
Is he in pain? Suddenly, Theo’s words came to mind.
Yugyeom, gripping the steering wheel tightly, seemed like he could collapse at any moment.
“I’ll drive, so stop for a moment.”
Yugyeom’s face stiffened subtly. But soon, it softened.
And at that moment, the sedan suddenly came to a stop.
I grabbed the handle with my right hand, only to grimace at the sudden pain. I turned my head to figure out why we had stopped so abruptly, my hand still tingling.
There were blue veins bulging on the back of the hand gripping the steering wheel.
The scattered laughter sounded like it was mocking me.
Yugyeom turned his head towards me. His eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Don’t worry.”
Despite the soft and affectionate voice, his gaze was chilling.
Raw emotions, unfiltered, were transmitted to me through his eyes without any barriers.
Yugyeom reached out towards me. Reflexively, I closed my eyes tightly against the shadow looming over me.
“Today, it’s your big brother who’s going to deal with you.”
Clang.
I heard the sound of metal clashing.
When I opened my eyes, my frozen gaze met his face.
If I tilted my head forward just a little, we would be so close that we could get lost in each other’s pupils.
His cheeks, contrasting with the redness around his eyes, seemed paler than ever today. His heated face looked disheveled as if someone had rummaged through it.
Unsteady breath escaped through his dry lips instead of words.
He seemed so unreal, as if he would vanish any moment.
My chest felt tight. Was it because of the seatbelt Yugyeom had fastened for me?
“So… “
His lips parted slightly but stopped.
His eyes, halfway closed, were fixed on me. The faint glimmer in his eyes faded away.
But he didn’t say anything more and distanced himself from me.
I almost grabbed him, clutching my hands tighter.
* * *
A dazzling light flashed across the car window.
The city at night was dazzling. The brightly lit skyscrapers seemed like stars that had descended onto the city.
Colorful lights danced on his pale face.
Lost in silence, my mind felt foggy. Each time those brilliant colors adorned him, I held my breath along with my gaze.
The car, leaving the department store behind, was speeding without a moment’s rest.
When we emerged from the building onto the surface, Jiwoon had called him.
He couldn’t come to pick me up himself due to some urgent matter and would wait elsewhere. And he had sent a brief message saying that Yugyeom would take me there.
Was it really unrelated to Yuhwa?
No, it couldn’t be. Such a coincidence couldn’t happen.
————————————————————————————
Editor : Red
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is Sid. I hope you liked it<3
Want to read more? Advanced chapters are available on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/srnovels
