Chapter 71
Yugyeom smiled leisurely. There was no trace of surprise in his demeanor, which was far from the reaction I expected.
“I’m Yugyeom.”
With a cheerful smile and a confident attitude, he even linked his arm with mine as if he was about to extend his hand for a handshake.
“Thanks to you, everything’s fine.”
It’s uncomfortable. Everything about this situation is.
People who could own a company laughed and chatted together. The conversation initially revolved around the first blackjack game that took place during the day.
I responded appropriately, adding my input to the conversation, but mostly letting it flow through one ear.
So, until Doshiyu tapped me under the table, I didn’t even realize that the conversation had shifted to us.
“How long have you two known each other? You look so good together.”
Doshiyu friendly rested his arm on my shoulder.
“We haven’t known each other for long. But we seem to get along as if we’ve known each other for ten years.”
Now it seemed funny to deny it. So, I leaned my head on Doshiyu’s shoulder and smiled, feeling relieved.
Luckily, the conversation soon shifted to other topics. Initially ceremonial, the discussion gradually turned towards business matters.
I excused myself to the restroom and quietly slipped out of the room.
Should I just leave? They seem like people I won’t see again anyway.
From the beginning, I just wanted to leave that place. So, after washing my hands, I sat down in a shady corner.
I let out a deep sigh and hugged my knees to my chest, resting my face on them.
“Your lipstick’s all gone.”
At that moment, a shadow fell over me. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was, so I just blinked my eyes.
“Congratulations on securing a position.”
“It’s all thanks to you.”
I stopped counting the patterns on the marble floor and drew lines. Others couldn’t imagine how dreadful those words were to me. That position, which could be a stepping stone to my demise, was somehow attributed to my merit.
I raised my head.
“Why are you doing this?”
His face, looking down at me, was backlit, making it hard to discern his expression.
“Did you suddenly develop some ambition?”
He seemed to be smiling for some reason.
Yugyeom knelt down in front of me, his face at a similar level as mine. Our eyes met.
“Maybe.”
His face was expressionless, and the touch of his hand on my lips was cold.
“I’ve developed some ambition.”
Yugyeom wiped my lips as if tracing them. It was quite rough, as if he was checking if anything came off.
“I’ll continue to do as I please.”
I read the fiery desire in his transparent pupils.
“Try to stop me once.”
“…”
“So that I don’t kill you.”
Yugyeom whispered softly, gently grabbing my shoulders to lift me up.
“Cha Yeonbyeol! Where’s my girlfriend!”
Doshiyu’s voice came from nearby. I almost burst out laughing at how loudly he called me.
“My boyfriend’s here.”
Yugyeom laughed and stepped back. At the same time, Doshiyu turned the corner and spotted me.
“Yeonbyeol.”
Being called by that name felt awkward.
“Why were you looking for me like that?”
“Let’s go up together.”
Doshiyu came over to me and spoke affectionately. He gently held my hand and addressed Yugyeom.
“Thanks for the meal. Congratulations on the promotion.”
“Have a good time.”
Yugyeom nodded with a smiling face.
At that moment, Doshiyu suddenly hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear. His voice, which didn’t seem to care about hiding anything, was undoubtedly heard by Yugyeom as well.
“Whatever you do, it’s fine as long as you’re with me.”
For a moment, I thought I had gone mad. Or maybe my ears or senses were wrong.
But I wasn’t mistaken.
As he leaned close to my face, he pressed his lips against my cheek as if stamping them.
“Do you like me too?”
I wanted to slap him across the face and punch him until my fists were covered in dust. Yeah, I’ve come this far, so I should just endure a little more.
“Yeah, enough to want to kill you.”
I closed my eyes, smiling as if I were burying the one who could endure.
“Oh, you’re feisty.”
Doshiyu laughed, covering his mouth with exaggerated gestures. He extended his hand to pat my cheek roughly, then glanced at Yugyeom with a casual nod before turning away.
I couldn’t hold back my anger, so I pushed Doshiyu away as soon as we got on the elevator.
“Are you crazy?”
I fanned myself to cool down. There was no need to wipe my cheek with my sleeve.
“You’re going to be okay, right?”
Doshiyu followed closely behind, asking.
“I’ll be fine.”
“If you’re not okay, then…”
“If I’m not okay, what?”
“Then let’s…!”
Seeing no signs of hesitation, I didn’t answer but instead opened the door to the hotel room and entered.
I tried to close the door quickly, but failed due to the foot shoved in between. Bang! Bang! I tried to force it shut, but Doshiyu raised both hands beside his head.
“Ah, okay, okay.”
I glared at him with a wary look.
“Oh, you’re not a princess. Sleep well.”
Doshiyu reached out through the gap and ruffled my hair.
“Hey!”
With a grimace, I swung the door wide open, but he had already fled to the other end of the hallway.
“We’re definitely watching the game together tomorrow!”
He shouted, waving both hands. His face was full of laughter.
* * *
Crash!
The glass bottle smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.
It was already the fifth time.
Red wine flowed across the white wallpaper, pooling on the floor. The broken glass shards sparkled under the light.
“Stop it. You’ll get hurt.”
Taejun, lying on the couch with his legs crossed, spoke to Yuhwa.
Blood dripped steadily from his clenched fist. Yuhwa raised her head, halfway covering her neck with short hair that fell behind her ear.
“I’ll kill you.”
Her voice, filled with rage, trembled with anger.
How stubbornly had she fought to get to this point?
No one believed, but she had eliminated all the dirty and despicable things, without discrimination.
Thoughts of exhaustion or difficulty had never crossed her mind. It had been a time of madness, rushing forward like a lunatic.
It was a position that no one could take away from her.
Yet, there were still things to trample on and climb over.
“You hit the jackpot. I thought you were coming to die on your own.”
From the first moment I saw her, I didn’t like her. She appeared, holding hands with the biological father I had never seen before.
“She’s my sister. Take good care of her.”
Her bright-colored hair, like Westerners, didn’t seem to belong to the same bloodline.
She was not envious of the attention Boss paid to her just because she was a woman.
At most, that envy might have existed back when the boys left her the first gun to hold.
A few years later.
That day was her 26th birthday.
At that time, she was at the highest position where no one could overlook her.
This kind of place was noisy and boring, making her hate it.
Of course, if it weren’t for the title of ‘sister’, she would have thought he was just a drunken fool and ignored him.
Her shining white hair fluttered. Her lips, slightly curved, were attractive. She was well over 170 centimeters tall.
Naturally, she wouldn’t remember.
Back then, when she was twelve, she seemed so different from the face she was wearing now, which didn’t seem out of place even if she were to die tomorrow.
“You look more beautiful now.”
There was not an ounce of kindness in her gaze. It seemed like she had no intention of dressing up. She looked at her with cool eyes, smiling perfectly.
At that soft voice, Yuhwa remembered his name.
“Yugyeom.”
“Yeah…”
Laughter spread across her lips as she murmured softly. Yuhwa swept her hair back. Blood from her hand, scraped by the glass shards, stained her cheek.
“It’s time for you to die.”
“…”
“You’ve lived for too long. Haven’t you?”
Yuhwa wiped her hand, which was bleeding from scratches caused by the glass fragments. It was a light gesture, as if wiping away the blood was as easy as shaking off the moisture.
“Kill me? But you’re my father.”
Taejun narrowed his eyes and chuckled.
Yuhwa laughed, sitting down on the chair opposite the sofa.
“It’s funny when you say it.”
“Is it as ominous as when you said my name is 44?”
