Episode 6
On the second and third floors of the cruise ship, there were countless rooms that seemed impossible to count, all prepared for the party that would continue until morning.
The dimly lit hallway, with only minimal lights turned on, was dark and quiet. Despite the somewhat eerie atmosphere, I didn’t worry unnecessarily because Jiwoon was following closely behind me.
I carefully followed the man walking ahead, observing his back intently. There was not a single disheveled part in his steady stride, as if he hadn’t been jostled by the person who had pushed me earlier. The white jackets worn by the waiters seemed to cut through the darkness of the hallway, adding an air of formality.
The man stopped at the end of the hallway, in front of the most ornate door adorned with sparkling crystals, and took out the key to open the door.
“It’s not yet the time for room usage. You can use the sink on the terrace. I’ll just open the terrace door for you and then leave.”
When I glanced at Jiwoon, he leaned against the door and nodded, indicating that I should go ahead.
Entering the room behind the man, it was even more spacious and luxurious than I had expected. It was astonishing how so much could be contained within a cruise ship on the sea.
An elaborate chandelier hung precariously from the high ceiling like a temple. Clusters of dark crystals, unlit, sparkled white under the moonlight.
On the expansive wall hung a large, dazzling painting, and on either side, a fountain with intricate patterns carved into it shot water into the air.
Through the large glass window, the night sea was clearly visible. The terrace mentioned by the man seemed to be on the second floor, given the duplex structure.
As I began to climb the stairs, the man turned around and looked down at me, his mouth curling up.
“The stairs are steep, so hold on tight.”
From the first moment I heard his voice, I felt that it could enchant people, like a melody.
When I took the man’s hand, beyond the soft fabric of the gloves, I felt the firm strength of his grip.
As we ascended to the second floor, I saw a door leading to the terrace beside an upscale fireplace.
“Are the waiters all permanent staff here, or are they part-time?”
“I can’t casually disclose information about people. Miss must know what kind of place Baekcheon is.”
The man laughed playfully and opened the terrace door.
Smiling as if inviting me, the man gestured for me to pass by and step out onto the terrace.
On the terrace were luxurious rocking chairs and a table made of marble. On one side, there was a bathtub and a sink, perhaps for enjoying a half-bath while gazing at the sea.
After roughly washing my hands, I walked to the railing and leaned against it. As I looked down at the black waves below, I soon lifted my gaze upward and let out a sigh that sounded like a gasp.
“Wow….”
The night sky, filled with stars that seemed like they would pour into my pupils, created a dizzying and dreamlike scene.
Along with the faint sound of music, a cold breeze blew. In this surreal scene, I once again realized that this place was indeed a different world.
Among the things surrounding me, there was nothing I could claim as mine, nothing that could be called my world.
Like the gun stored in the last drawer, it was detached from the surrounding scenery. Even if adorned with something splendid, there was an uneasiness that it might be exposed easily.
I lowered my gaze from the beautiful sky to the endlessly flowing sea.
And just as the sound of waves was about to swallow the music in my entirely blackened field of vision.
“…”
The cold wind ceased for a moment, and a shadow was cast.
The music disappeared. However, what swallowed that sound was not the black waves but a voice.
“You seem cold.”
With a gentle voice, a jacket was placed on my shoulders.
As I looked at the man who did that, a youthful smile appeared on his languid lips.
“To be honest, you looked lonely.”
I casually stared into the light-colored eyes that moved as if piercing through me.
“Still, should I leave?”
The sensation of hair fluttering in the wind left a tingling feeling. The feeling of being exposed was just bad enough to notice, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
The reason I didn’t tell him to leave was merely a capricious whim created by that feeling. I smiled and uttered a lie.
“On a day like today, I wouldn’t want to be alone. My beloved oppa went through the trouble of organizing this party for me.”
Behind the thin mask was a single expression that was difficult to discern.
Leaning against the railing, the man tilted his head.
“Seems like you have a good relationship?”
“He’s family.”
As I delivered a response that sounded contrived and somewhat amusing, the lips that had been gently smiling all along suddenly seemed stiff.
But in the blink of an eye after that moment, as if witnessing a hallucination, there was nothing left but an upward tilt of the corners of his mouth.
The man reached out to me. The touch that passed my hair behind my ear with his fingers was deliberate and slow.
The fingertips touching my ear sent shivers down my spine.
Somewhere along the way, the gloves had disappeared. As the barrier vanished, the hand that came into direct contact with my skin, along with the passing chill, made my body tremble.
“Do you know what I’m best at?”
A low breath slid over my lips. With the pulsating heartbeat resonating through my entire body, my heart sank with a thud.
‘Boss, do you know what I’m best at?’
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the intense stare.
A memory surfaced along with the palpitations and resonating heartbeat. A line of dialogue that I had read before. However, the page where that dialogue was written was not this moment.
‘It’s a lie.’
‘But you still love me, right?’
A desperate and fervent desire seemed to gaze at him as he shook his head.
Hoping that my intuition was wrong, I wished for his next words to be different from my expectations.
But, as if mocking me, the man folded the corners of his eyes and sweetly smiled.
“It’s a lie.”
The words I reluctantly uttered were like a sentence I had read in a novel.
The words Yugyeom whispered as he confessed his love to Baekhawon.
No, that’s not right?
This shouldn’t be happening.
My mind turned blank, and I couldn’t move. Breathing heavily, I barely managed to take a step back, causing the jacket that hung on my shoulders to fall to the ground.
The man, who had been watching me like it was just another day, took a step closer to me. The dense shadow obscured my view.
“But I’m so curious, can you endure it?”
A laughter-laden, low voice whispered into my ear.
In the moment my breath stiffened, a cold sensation touched my cheek. The sensitivity of every nerve in my body heightened with that sensation.
Wait, just a moment.
Wasn’t this the kind of situation where you would use the expression “my heart feels like it’s going to burst”?
I wished my heart would burst right now, and I hoped I would die immediately. It seemed like a better option.
I didn’t even need to shift my gaze to see.
“… First snow.”
The first snowfall that should have descended in the first encounter between Baekhawon and Yugyeom.
Of all times, it had to be now.
Various curses were on the tip of my tongue, but a greater sense of dread enveloped my body than all those combined.
“How did the princess of Baekcheon find out?”
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the reader of the book at the moment, and the situation didn’t come to a halt just because I didn’t understand.
“Baekhawon doesn’t know… ugh!”
In that moment, instinctively, I reached out to the man and physically covered his moving mouth.
Behind the mask, his eyes, which had widened into round shapes, were vividly visible.
I felt like crying right then and there. But in this situation, this brute-force method was the only way to stop the man from speaking.
There was no time to think about the consequences. I was that desperate.
I desperately wanted him to stop talking, so I almost leaned on him, using both hands to cover his mouth.
Going any further seemed irreparable.
The man squirmed as if trying to break free. There was no more time to endure in silence. I desperately uncovered his mouth.
“Wait, just a moment!”
What should I say?
What should I say to escape from here?
I tried to think, but my already pale hair wouldn’t turn any whiter.
At that moment, the man’s eyes, which had been growing increasingly puzzled, narrowed, and a crisp laughter burst out, like air escaping.
The man grabbed my wrist. The hand that had been covering his mouth fell weakly.
“Are you trying to unmask me?”
The breath against the palm of my hand was tingling.
“Are you okay?”
If one could visualize a person’s voice, his voice would undoubtedly have become a burst of multicolored flames exploding in the night sky.
“I might fall for you.”
Like a child enchanted by the flames, I couldn’t snap out of my daze.
The man, with a crooked smile, still held onto my wrist with one hand while slowly removing the mask with the other.
The white hair, dazzling in the moonlight, swayed enchantingly before my eyes. The partially obscured, dark, lightly colored eyes, shining intently toward me, were hypnotic.
As the eyelids gracefully formed a delicate curve, my heart seemed to plummet dangerously.
The flawless pale skin, unbelievably human. When the red lips were lightly bitten, blood rushed, making them even redder.
A full breath swelled like a balloon about to burst.
“So, Princess.”
“…”
“How did you know that I am Yugyeom?”
There was no answer I could give to that question.
This is how the development started, with an uncountable number of death flags planted for both you and me.
It was an utterly unspeakable beginning.
