Chapter 69
At first, I just wanted to survive, and I only wanted to change the sad ending as much as I liked it. Even now, those were still the two things that influenced my choices.
“Neither the protection nor the command, now you can’t just reject them because you don’t like it.”
I stared at the gun in my hand. Whether it would be a rope or handcuffs would depend on how I chose to use it in the future.
“Don’t think too heavily about it. There are plenty of things you can do without holding a gun. Should I give you a gallery? You could just learn accounting work.”
City regulations prohibited carrying firearms. But if luck was on our side, a mere bag search wouldn’t be enough to get caught.
“Don’t joke around.”
“Why, Baekcheon still doesn’t have a successor, right? Even if the blood isn’t mixed, technically you’re the closest.”
He handed me a one-piece dress and a holster that could fit snugly on my thigh, saying I should change since we wouldn’t be noticed in the city.
I frowned at the pink floral one-piece dress that seemed to be part of his outfit. Quite the sense of style.
“Or are you aiming for something bigger?”
“Don’t tease me.”
“Why, Baekcheon still doesn’t have a successor, right? Even if the blood isn’t mixed, technically you’re the closest.”
I quickly changed into the clothes and strapped the holster to my thigh.
“Of course, I might not be up to par with professional skills. But who knows if you might do well if you actually tried instead of just lazing around?”
When the rustling sound of him changing stopped, I turned around to see if he had finished changing.
“I know. I’m not cut out for this.”
I shook my head. Life, like a scene from a noir film every day, was absolutely exhausting.
Besides, if I had talent, I would have already shown promise and not just been left behind. My shooting skills were still woefully inadequate.
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
Cityyu smoothly smiled and muttered.
***
The hotel was dazzling from the entrance. The path from the hotel lobby to the casino was all filled with a painfully bright golden color.
The dome-shaped ceiling supported by tall columns was adorned with ceiling paintings reminiscent of the Vatican.
“Angel. Is your head okay? You’re not bleeding, right?”
I looked closely at Angel’s face and leaned back. I was worried because I felt like I had hit his head harder when I fell on him.
Sensing his discomfort, Angel subtly avoided my gaze.
“Hey.”
At that moment, someone grabbed my back.
“You might fall.”
Cityyu swiftly turned my body around and stood me up straight. I swayed and barely managed to regain my balance. I almost fell over.
“You…”
“Don’t make a fuss about your pretty face.”
He smirked, tilting his head sideways.
“Ah, it’s so pretty. It would be even prettier if you didn’t get angry.”
For some reason, I felt like I would lose if I retorted here, so I turned my head away again.
I had to walk with determination and keep my balance to avoid being pushed around by the crowd.
It was obvious, but this was my first time at a casino. It felt strange to be going to do something bad for no reason.
“Darling, baby, honey, which one do you prefer?”
“…What?”
I was taken aback by the question, and my answer came a beat late. Cityyu placed my hand directly on his arm and lifted the corners of his mouth.
“I can’t introduce you as Baccheon’s sweetheart, can I?”
Wearing a floral patterned T-shirt with purple-dyed hair, he stood out in many ways. Of course, my attire wasn’t ordinary either.
“Why do we need introductions?”
“There might be.”
Cityyu pushed his face closer with a strained expression.
As he approached, I moved my body backward. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, enveloping me tightly.
“Tell me. What do you like?”
Cityyu’s eyes narrowed as he whispered softly.
“Darling and honey are sweet, and baby feels traditional, which I like. Can I just call you whatever I want according to my taste?”
I pushed his face away with my finger, smiling awkwardly. I let go of his hand and started walking ahead, with Angel following closely behind.
“Hey! Let’s go together!”
Cityyu, who was standing with a vacant expression, hurriedly ran over.
There were men in suits guarding the entrance to the casino. They checked passports but didn’t charge an entrance fee.
Passport. I didn’t bring that with me.
While I was flustered, Cityyu took out a gold card from his pocket.
“What’s this?”
“I’ve prepared everything.”
The staff member who saw the card didn’t bother checking anything else and immediately let the three of us in. I snatched the card from Cityyu’s hand.
“Are you a VIP?”
“I am a VIP for business, but this was given to me by a friend.”
“Are you close?”
With a cheeky grin, Cityyu answered without hesitation.
“Not at all.”
Inside the casino, there were enough people to make your head spin.
Tables and slot machines filled the spacious area. The majority of those occupying the seats were foreigners.
“What do you want to do? Oppa will give you pocket money.”
Various languages mixed together, making it hard to concentrate. It was giving me a headache.
“Should we exchange chips first?”
“No, I…”
At that moment, my sentence trailed off as something caught my eye. The central hall was crowded strangely.
I grabbed Cityyu, who was about to go exchange chips, and asked, “What’s going on over there?”
Cityyu looked closely at the direction I pointed. But from where we stood, all we could see were the backs of the tightly packed people.
“What’s going on? Is there a fight? Let’s go see!”
Cityyu dashed off as if excited to watch the fight.
Cutting through the crowd, Cityyu soon reached the center. I followed, curious about the person who had taken the spot I had vacated.
Could it really be Yuhwa? After all, she used to manage the casino, and there was no one else in such a powerful position as her…
Cityyu navigated through the crowd, and I followed in his wake, bumping into people along the way.
“Ouch, watch it.”
As soon as we reached the front, I collided with Cityyu’s back.
Cityyu’s exclamation came to my ears just after I saw the blood on the floor.
Smoothly spreading red blood. The mix of cheers and screams was chilling.
As Cityyu stepped aside, my view cleared. I bit my lip and slowly raised my gaze.
“Ah…! Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts!”
A man in shabby clothes screamed, clutching his arm tightly. His eerie screams, mixed with cries, pierced sharply.
“How cliche.”
Cityyu stood beside me, muttering disdainfully.
“They say cheaters get their hands cut off, or something like that. It’s not as entertaining as I thought.”
Cityyu’s voice overlapped with the laughter of the onlookers.
Thump. Thump. My heart continued to race. I swallowed my breath and took a hesitant step back.
The stench of blood reached my nostrils.
It’s terrifying.
Fear seeped in coldly.
Then, someone blocked my view from behind, and a large hand covered my blood-stained sight.
“Are you okay?”
A familiar voice whispered into my ear, and it felt like everything around us quieted down.
“It seems like you don’t like this kind of thing.”
As I lifted my head, I saw eyes looking down at me. They were as transparent and clear as the sea. Only then did my constricted breath ease.
“Yeah. I don’t like it.”
A faint voice escaped like a sigh.
“How unexpected…”
Angel started to say but stopped himself.
Would the original Cha Yeonbyeol not have been scared? Of course, it didn’t matter to me. After all, no one really knows much about the previous Cha Yeonbyeol.
“Oh, look. An unexpected face is over there.”
Among the commotion, Cityyu’s murmurs were clear.
When I turned my head forward again, I met eyes with a man whose back was turned moments ago.
In an instant, his dark eyes flashed oddly. His blood-spattered face twisted grotesquely.
“Uh…?”
At that moment, Cityyu’s dazed murmur and the commotion briefly subsided. I didn’t even realize I felt that way.
The man who had been rolling around in a pool of blood suddenly sprung up and began running towards me.
“Wow! What’s with him! Wait…!”
Everything unfolded in slow motion, yet it was inevitable.
My thoughts couldn’t keep up with the speed.
Bang!
Sharp gunfire tore through the air.
I exhaled the breath I had been holding.
The man who had been charging forward froze like a paused image, then slowly slumped to the ground.
“…”
At the edge of my vision, I saw the muzzle of a gun. For a moment, it felt like it was aimed at me.
A faint smile spread across a bloodless face.
Under the chandelier lights, white hair shimmered dazzlingly. The traces of blood on the well-dressed suit were eerie.
The person holding the gun wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand. The cuffs of his white shirt were stained red.
A golden ring glinted on his finger.
It was only then that I realized. It wasn’t Yuhwa…
“Look. You have to be careful of your blind spot.”
A numb gaze and a tangled stare. My breath was caught. Surely, what was contained within those transparent eyes was me.
“It’s a position we gained by selling information, right?”
When I looked again, there was no smile on Yugyeom’s face.
