Chapter 81
“Sorry. It was a bit annoying,” Kang Tae-jun said nonchalantly.
I felt cornered, with no way out. My skin prickled with tension.
But if Kang Tae-jun is here…
No way.
The thought that flashed through my mind made me whip my head around.
“No, it can’t be. It shouldn’t be.”
I desperately tried to erase the images flooding my mind. Kang Tae-jun met my gaze and smiled wider.
On his smiling face, there were clear traces of blood.
My heart dropped.
“…No.”
I forced my weak legs to stand. I wobbled a few times but managed not to fall.
There were bloodstains on Kang Tae-jun’s hands too. His watch was shattered and stained with blood.
If that blood belongs to Ji-woon…
My vision blurred as I clenched my eyes shut and reopened them. My sight oscillated between hazy and clear.
Noticing where my gaze had settled, Kang Tae-jun’s eyes narrowed.
He rubbed his cheek with his hand, as if to show off. The bloodstain spread, becoming more prominent.
In a moment of madness, I took a step toward Kang Tae-jun, but my wrist was seized firmly.
“Let go.”
I twisted my wrist, but the grip only tightened. Even though I knew it was pointless resistance, I couldn’t stop.
“I said let go!”
No matter how much I shouted and pushed, he didn’t budge. His indifferent eyes were as cold as ice, giving me chills.
He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me toward him. The force dragged me along.
He whispered into my ear, “How do you expect to help anyone when you can’t even take care of yourself…?”
The laugh at the end of his sentence felt thick, almost like anger.
My strength drained away.
I couldn’t see his face, but the cold grip on my wrist was vivid.
Get a grip.
I gritted my teeth. If Kang Tae-jun returned empty-handed, Ji-woon must still be upstairs. If he’s hurt, there might still be time.
I yanked my wrist away with all my strength.
But I was grabbed again immediately.
“It’s already too late,” Angel said in a voice laced with annoyance. His words made my heart sink.
No, I tried not to listen to him. I kept twisting my wrist and pushing him, but he wouldn’t budge.
I clenched my free hand into a fist and swung it down.
Thud.
My fist struck his chest.
Thud.
Angel’s head snapped to the side in the direction I had hit. My fist stung and burned.
“Why?”
He let out a bitter laugh through his split lips. Angel wiped away the blood with his fingertips and stepped closer. His shadow loomed over me.
“Are you thinking of pulling out your gun and rushing over now?”
Angel whispered, his voice barely loud enough for me to hear. The whisper coiled around me, constricting.
I looked up at him. Angel’s face, distorted, was momentarily clear before blurring again. I couldn’t read his expression.
I couldn’t tell if the wetness obscuring my vision was water from my drenched hair or tears.
My boiling emotions were stopped cold by his piercing gaze.
“If you draw that here, it’ll really be over.”
“Angel! You…!”
His vibrant eyes stared unblinking at me.
I knew there was nothing I could do right now.
But even so…
I let out a gasp.
Suddenly, a sweet scent enveloped me, and my vision swam.
“Ugh…”
The floor seemed to drop away, and my vision flipped.
Angel caught me easily as I swayed. My eyelids grew heavier than my breath, and I felt myself fading.
Just before everything went dark, I saw a faint smile on his face.
“It’s time to end this.”
* * *
In the dimly lit room, a low-hanging yellow lamp cast a glow that made his golden hair shine even more brightly.
The man perched on the windowsill stared blankly out the window.
He had taken off his wet suit and shirt and was now wearing a white T-shirt and a black leather jacket. This casual attire made him look even younger than usual.
Despite his sufficient height, few people guessed his actual age to be twenty-four.
Most thought he was around twenty, often mistaking him for a teenager.
That’s why wearing a hat had become a habit. It helped with his striking blonde hair.
“Good thing you’re here, 44. We almost missed them without you.”
Tae-jun approached, tapping him on the shoulder as if they were close friends.
The man frowned and brushed off the spot where Tae-jun had touched him.
“Where did you put the GPS and the bug?”
“In her phone.”
The man answered indifferently, resting his head against the glass.
He recalled the look in her eyes when her phone was crushed beneath his foot.
“That woman seems to think you’re with Yugyeom. She doesn’t even know the spy Yugyeom planted was killed by you.”
Tae-jun rolled his eyes as if trying to recall something.
“Oh, right. Didn’t kill him, just messed up his hands, huh?”
While Tae-jun strained to remember, the man who was the subject of the conversation let the words in one ear and out the other.
“Why bother with all that when you could just kill them?”
Yuhwa, who had walked out of the room, asked as she made her way to the living room. She plopped down in the center of the leather sofa.
“Actually, it’s probably more cruel that way.”
Though it was the doctor responsible for the executives in Square who had disabled his hands, the man didn’t bother to correct her. He didn’t see the point.
Yugyeom had killed the doctor Baekcheon had planned to place, taking the position himself before Yeon-byeol’s kidnapping.
On the day the boss of Baekcheon went to rescue Yeon-byeol, Baek Ha-won had crushed the doctor’s hands.
Things had gone smoothly since taking over the vacated position. Luck was on his side.
Thanks to that woman’s foolish misunderstanding, he had been able to stay close.
“44.”
The man moved his eyes to look at Tae-jun.
“Or is it Angel?”
“…”
“Which one is your real name?”
The shadowed green eyes glinted coldly as Tae-jun asked cheerfully, “It’s hard to believe those names belong to the same person.”
The man didn’t respond and instead opened the window.
A gust of wind blew in, making the curtains billow. His golden hair, darker than the moonlight, swayed as if dancing.
He looked fragile, like he might be swept away by the wind beneath the night sky.
Sometimes, certain moments resurface without reason, replaying over and over. Just a few hours ago, it felt like a dream.
‘Are you awake?’
Why did I see a white ceiling when I opened my eyes, and why was the woman who shouldn’t be here present?
Holding my head, which struggled to grasp the situation, I sat up.
‘You’re not going to ask why I’m still here, are you?’
The woman snapped, as if reading my thoughts. Then, she pointed somewhere.
Following her gesture, I saw my hand tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
It took me a moment to realize that hand was mine.
‘Ah…’
In a daze, I released my grip. My mind felt foggy, perhaps because the fever hadn’t fully subsided. The sluggishness in my thoughts felt strangely out of place.
‘I made porridge again, and this time it seems really good.’
There was a hint of tension in her expression as she offered me a bowl of white porridge.
Taking a chance, I took a bite.
It tasted like something that could be made better with my eyes closed.
A seemingly meaningless memory, but the warmth that lingered in my mouth resurfaced in my thoughts.
“When are you planning to kill her?”
The man gestured toward the room where Yeon-byeol was.
“Not long now.”
He walked over leisurely and opened the door. The man licked his sore lips and stepped inside.
The unconscious woman lay there, her face peaceful as if in a deep sleep, oblivious to everything.
Her cheek, swollen and red, felt hot.
Not from a slap but a punch. The anger that had fueled the punch was palpable.
Had I seen her cry before?
At first, I had little interest.
But as time went on, I found myself unconsciously anticipating it.
The moment trust broke, the betrayal painted across her face.
Now, the only desire left for this woman was one.
I wanted her to die soon.
To die and disappear completely, so that no matter what was done, there would be no going back.
“Do you think you can do it alone?”
Without a sound, Tae-jun approached and leaned casually against the wall.
“44, Angel… You’re a genius, being a hacker and a doctor. But theory and practice are different. It’s too much to handle both Cha Yeon-byeol and Baek Ha-won.”
Tae-jun grinned widely.
“Baek Ha-won’s reputation is well-known, even in the underworld, isn’t it?”
There wasn’t anyone in the industry unaware that Baek Ha-won had wiped out an entire family without leaving a trace as soon as he became an adult.
The resilience of Baekcheon owed much to that rumor. No one dared to challenge an insurmountable force.
“Need a hand?”
Without a word, the man turned and walked past Tae-jun, exiting the room. He picked up a black hat he had left on the table.
“No need.”
He pulled the hat down firmly over his head.
His darkened eyes glanced toward the room where the woman lay before lowering.
“Just make sure Cha Yeon-byeol is handed over at the right time.”
