Chapter 27
Ahyeon didn’t respond to the obvious probing. She just shrugged her shoulders once. Being Ahyeon didn’t mean she had a particularly unique condition like her brother’s.
No, that’s not it. In fact, her ignorance was just an excuse. Ahyeon knew what that meant. By stating the fact, she didn’t want to increase the number of people chasing after her brother, other than herself. Her search for her brother alone was nothing more or less than finding a lost child.
A slogan that could be found at an amusement park.
But if people were to find out what kind of condition Woo-joo had, the whole world would join in Ahyeon’s pursuit.
And in the end, they would find Woo-joo and tear him to pieces.
Woo-joo would eventually become some liquid in a vial, an ingredient in an injection people would receive, and disappear like that, sacrificed meaninglessly. He would be forgotten, only remaining alive in Ahyeon’s heart.
That couldn’t be allowed.
If someone tried to make Woo-joo like that, I would kill them. If someone pursued Woo-joo with such intent, I would kill them too. I can kill them all. To protect my brother.
Ahyeon stared at Shin Hae-jun intently.
If Shin Hae-jun had such intentions?
I would shoot a bullet into his head without hesitation.
Do I have the ability to do that?
A fake Shin Hae-jun in her mind sneered at Ahyeon. Ahyeon lowered her head.
Even if there’s a chance of dying, I can kill if I attack.
So,
I will definitely protect Woo-joo.
Her tears had dried up a long time ago, and she could no longer feel sadness. To be precise, she had learned how not to bring out her emotions and sadness unnecessarily.
Anyway, Ahyeon calmly looked down at her hand. Thinking of the little finger of Woo-joo that used to be held tightly in this hand.
Meanwhile, Shin Hae-jun continued his thoughts. The man’s long fingers lightly tapped the handle he held. At the end of the sound, like a metronome ticking at regular intervals, Shin Hae-jun, who had finished his thoughts, opened his mouth again.
“So, what about you?”
He looked at Ahyeon intently as he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“About you having a similar… condition as your sibling.”
Shin Hae-jun trailed off, carefully choosing his words.
Mutant. Anomaly. Test subject. Research specimen? B-grade? Potential antibodies? None of those quite fit.
His handsome brow furrowed uncomfortably.
“The condition your sibling has, that is. When did you realize you had something like that?”
“Ah, that.”
Ahyeon, deeply sunken into the car seat, replied in a sigh-like manner. Her head turned to look out the passenger window.
“To be honest, I didn’t know at first. As I said, I’m B-grade. It’s understandable that I didn’t think I’d have some kind of antibody like that.”
Her tone was self-deprecating, but her emotions seemed remarkably detached. Like someone who had accepted their constitution as a kind of curse, having resigned themselves multiple times.
She didn’t seem interested in what Shin Hae-jun was thinking. She simply continued her explanation.
“The first time I realized was on the Paju Frontline.”
Hearing that, Shin Hae-jun involuntarily furrowed his brow.
“The Paju front line, huh… so it was from the beginning.”
“Yes. And I also found out that if someone drinks my blood right after infection, they won’t turn into an infected.”
“So you knew about the side effects then as well?”
The side effects refer to what happened last night, the moment when ‘that’ Shin Hae-jun lost consciousness. It was the moment when traces were still vividly marked between Ahyeon’s clothes.
Ahyeon deliberately ignored the reddening of her ears and cheeks, and calmly replied.
“Yes. That’s why I haven’t given my blood to anyone since then.”
However… Min Ahyeon glanced at Shin Hae-jun. It was a look of annoyance. The corners of Shin Hae-jun’s mouth, which had been calmly scanning the front with a thoughtful expression, suddenly lifted slightly.
“What about me?”
He sounded like a villainous character who had found a lead. Ahyeon didn’t want to respond because what he wanted to hear was so obvious, but Shin Hae-jun persistently asked.
“Was I special?”
His tone was casual. Teasing, almost joking. But it was obvious he was trying to gauge her intentions. His large frame shook slightly as if subtly enjoying this. It was a sight reminiscent of an eager large dog, and in a way, kind of cute. But Ahyeon replied bluntly, as if intentionally avoiding his expectations.
“It’s because you took it in my stead, General.”
It was meant to sound like there could be no other reason, but it didn’t dampen Shin Hae-jun’s mood. He furrowed his nose and chuckled.
“How romantic.”
It’s not that he doesn’t know what the motto of so-called mercenary activities is.
His joking manner looked like it actually pleased him. For a moment, Min Ahyeon was about to blurt out how ridiculous it was, but she held back. One of the reasons why she disliked Shin Hae-jun was precisely this.
‘Let’s not get caught up.’
Min Ahyeon inwardly chanted “inner peace” as she slowly closed her eyes. It was like declaring that if he continued with his nonsense, she would simply keep her eyes closed. Seeing that, Shin Hae-jun, who had glimpsed it out of the corner of his eye, returned to the main topic.
“So is that why you were so obsessed with the research institute’s data?”
“Yes, well, as far as I can tell, the only force capable of making my sibling vanish like they evaporated is the research institute.”
“I see. That’s a reasonable suspicion.”
It was a genuine compliment. But Ahyeon didn’t seem to accept it that way.
And silence fell between the two once again. Neither of them spoke first. Shin Hae-jun continued to drive steadily, facing forward. This awkward silence was quite welcome to Ahyeon, but she still had a question she wanted to ask. She decided to bring up the doubt that had been on her mind throughout their conversation. This time, she called out to him first.
“But General.”
“Yes?”
His response came smoothly as he maneuvered the car around a corner without reducing speed. Min Ahyeon then posed a question that pierced to the core.
“Aren’t you surprised?”
“…..”
Shin Hae-jun suddenly sealed his lips shut at Ahyeon’s question. Ahyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
She had an odd sense of certainty that she had pinpointed something correctly. Ahyeon observed his profile.
“It’s as if you knew about the existence of the research institute and what they were doing there all along.”
It was that moment.
Slightly, but Shin Hae-jun’s fingers twitched. However, Shin Hae-jun quickly pretended to adjust the steering wheel, compensating for his mistake.
Luckily for him, Ahyeon seemed not to have noticed, simply staring at the side of his head.
In truth, he had not yet decided what he should tell Ahyeon. No, he had not even planned to reveal much in the first place.
I was also a wretched Grade D experiment subject at the research institute, undergoing horrific tests, just like you and your sibling—there was no need to confess that now.
Moreover, he had no desire to admit to the cowardly acts he had committed thus far. This was not just because the person in front of him was Ahyeon.
Thus, Shin Hae-jun gave a brief response.
“No comment.”
That response, a bit delayed, didn’t sound very convincing. This time, the furrow between Ahyeon’s brows deepened.
“General.”
“Ah, the traffic is terrible. The road is completely blocked up, really.”
Shin Hae-jun blatantly changed the subject.
“What’s with this bus parked like this?”
He muttered as he aggressively turned the steering wheel. Min Ahyeon watched Shin Hae-jun and let out a hollow laugh. He was just like an eager large dog one moment, and now he was suddenly brushing her off. Seeing this, it seemed unlikely the conversation would continue the way she wanted. So Ahyeon turned her head forward and simply demanded a straightforward answer.
“I’ll believe you didn’t report it to the higher-ups.”
Thinking that if she expressed disbelief and made a fuss, he would easily respond with assurance. But the one she was dealing with was Shin Hae-jun.
“Well…”
Is this guy really teasing me?
Might as well just kill him while we’re alone.
Min Ah-hyeon’s fist clenched tightly.
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
