Chapter 27
Despite trying not to care, my gaze kept involuntarily drifting.
Because of me leaving my shirt behind, Baek Ha-won was walking ahead of me wearing his torn shirt with all the buttons undone. Thankfully, it fit in size, but whenever the wind blew, his chest was clearly exposed through the open shirt.
Even though it could have been ridiculous, it seemed like the face was the most important thing after all. It didn’t seem funny at all.
Every time I looked, I felt uncomfortable as if I had to hold my breath for no reason.
“As expected, wearing a jacket would be…”
I stopped to turn back towards Baek Ha-won to offer him my jacket but hesitated. Would it really improve things to wear it…?
It seemed like it would only make things more awkward and risky.
As the image of Baek Ha-won’s decadent face came to mind, my head involuntarily shook. At this rate, I might just fall over from laughing too much.
“Wearing it… seems a bit… not right, haha.”
Awkwardly laughing, I barely managed to break another self. As I was about to put on the jacket, Baek Ha-won took a step towards me with outstretched arms.
“…?”
Baek Ha-won extended his empty hands towards me.
“Take it off.”
Blinking my eyes widely at his strangely suggestive words, I hesitated for a moment before finally handing over the jacket as if I were bewitched. His effortless gesture of putting on the jacket didn’t feel light at all.
With my mouth hanging open, I realized that my imagination was far from reality.
Thankfully, due to him walking ahead of me, only his broad back was visible, but he still managed to capture my attention.
That moment when I was captivated by Baek Ha-won.
“Oh!”
Due to the unorganized path, my foot got caught on a large rock rolling under my feet, causing me to lose my balance and stumble.
As my body leaned backward, I closed my eyes tightly at the sight of flipping over.
“…”
A firm arm wrapped around my waist.
Instead of pain, warmth enveloped me as I opened my eyes to see Baek Ha-won’s face.
Now I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, probably from not sleeping for a few days. It added to his decadent atmosphere.
“Where’s your mind wandering off to?”
His lazy voice echoed.
—
How many minutes had passed?
I sighed as I took out my phone from my pocket to check the time, only to be greeted by the shattered screen once again.
But just having it was somewhat reassuring.
“We didn’t get lost again, did we? But where did Jiwon go?”
“Utopia.”
Huh?
Once again, I was surprised by the scale of the unexpected.
“I thought he would stay put there quietly.”
Baek Ha-won’s words hit me hard.
If I had known it would be this much trouble, I would have just waited for Jiwon in Utopia without Yu-gyeom.
It might have been easier to escape that way.
“I thought I might be here.”
As I smiled at Baek Ha-won who turned around, he raised the corner of his mouth.
“Maybe.”
His laughter was mostly a cold sneer, but at least there was no malice in it to the point where I could smile back.
It was a strangely excited moment, perhaps because I could finally go back.
Bang!
The sound of gunfire shattered the excited feeling.
Baek Ha-won looked around and then grabbed my wrist, pulling me along as he started to run.
Gunshots rang out close behind us.
Unlike yesterday when the trees were dense, this place now had a fairly open path with trees scattered here and there.
Baek Ha-won, running in a frenzy, veered off the road and ducked behind a large tree.
Then, reaching out, he fired a few shots beyond the tree and handed me something from his pocket.
“If you follow this path straight, my car should be there.”
It was the car key.
Why this?
“0335. Can you drive?”
“Are you telling me to go alone?”
“Get in the car and wait for just 5 minutes. If I don’t come back after 5 minutes, leave without me.”
“Boss!”
As I shook my head vigorously, Baek Ha-won firmly held onto my shoulders.
“Get a grip.”
I still shook my head vigorously, making it clear that I had no intention of going alone.
But Baek Ha-won, who was still not mentally prepared, pushed me behind the tree. I saw a man aiming a gun at me.
Bang!
Before I could even turn my gaze away, the man collapsed with a gunshot from behind, and I couldn’t help but run.
Throughout the run, I heard gunshots and screams behind me, but I ran as hard as I could following the path Baek Ha-won had told me.
After a short run, I arrived at the square where we first arrived by Yu-gyeom’s car.
The glittering pedestal was stained with blood and almost broken, with corpses scattered everywhere. It was a mess to the point where I almost thought it was somewhere else.
Amidst that scene, I found Baek Ha-won’s car.
“Is that it?”
Confirming that the number plate of the car parked inside the street was 0335, I hastily got into the car.
Only after locking the door securely did I let out a sigh of relief.
“Ha…”
With my head resting on the steering wheel, I barely managed to calm down my pounding heart.
“One, two, three…”
And then, with a trembling voice, I began to count.
“Two hundred seventeen, two hundred eighteen.”
As the numbers increased, the sound of my heart that I had desperately tried to calm down grew louder.
Abandon it and go?
Then what would I do without the car?
I clenched my fists tightly around my tight chest, breathing heavily.
But the numbers continued to approach 300. This long 5 minutes was another first for me.
“…Three hundred.”
Finally, after five minutes had passed, I opened my tightly shut eyes and lifted my face.
Thick raindrops began to fall on the car window with a tapping sound.
I wiped the sweat-drenched hair from my forehead and started the engine.
Chewing on my dry lips, I started driving. My breath was labored, as if running with both legs.
Rationally speaking, no matter how much I thought about it, going with Baek Ha-won was the right choice.
As an investment for the future, or even for the immediate present.
It was a choice for myself more than for Baek Ha-won.
Thankfully, as I drove along the path we had come, I soon saw Baek Ha-won in a standoff behind some trees.
I rolled down the window to call him, but from behind him, I saw a gun pointed at him.
It was almost too late to shout and warn him.
My body moved before my head.
Without further delay, I stepped on the accelerator as hard as I could.
Vroom!
The car I was in came to a halt between Baek Ha-won and the gun aimed at him.
Baek Ha-won’s face beyond the window was incredulous.
Then a gunshot rang out, and I instinctively turned my head towards the source of the sound.
“…!”
The bullet flew directly towards my head, hitting the window and bouncing off.
Only then did I exhale the breath I had been holding.
“Are you crazy?”
Baek Ha-won shouted at me as soon as he got into the car.
“You stopped even after seeing it? Are you in your right mind? Or do you want to die?”
“There’s no way the car used by the Baekcheon Boss doesn’t have bulletproof glass.”
Baek Ha-won stiffened at my words.
I wanted to act nonchalant, but it didn’t work out as I hoped. Worried that Baek Ha-won might notice, I turned my gaze outside the window.
…My heart stopped.
For a brief moment, it felt like I was dreaming. The gaze we met was so intense that it quickly pulled me back to reality.
“…Fasten your seatbelt tightly.”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
I felt my expression contorting uncontrollably.
It was Yugyeom.
Our eyes locked through the car window.
Even from a distance, Yugyeom looked like a mess.
Not even close to the state he was in when I grabbed him with bloody hands.
Truly on the verge of collapse.
Just looking at him made it hard to breathe.
I put all my strength into closing my clenched jaw. I quickly reversed and turned the car around.
As we left the forest, an empty road lay ahead, and I increased the speed.
“I’ll drive, so get out.”
As Baek Ha-won spoke, I obediently handed over the steering wheel, freezing in place.
Bam!
The loud screeching noise from behind caused my foot, which was about to press the brake, to slip.
Through the rearview mirror, I saw a black sedan closely following behind, making the same ear-piercing sound.
I urgently grabbed the steering wheel again and pressed the accelerator with all my strength. As I sped up to the highest speed of my life, I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that the black sedan had disappeared.
Where did it go?
Turning my head to check the side mirror again, instead of the mirror, I saw the black sedan emerging beyond the car window.
The black sedan caught up with me at an incredible speed. But unexpectedly, it passed me by without any attempt to stop.
“What’s going on? Why is it just going…?”
The sedan ahead changed lanes and came into my lane. Bewildered by its unpredictable movement, I slowed down.
The distance between the sedan and me gradually widened as it continued to speed ahead.
Vroom!
Suddenly, with the sound of tires screeching, the sedan ahead turned backwards.
Unable to handle its high speed, the sedan lost control and spun around, crashing into a utility pole and coming to a halt. I desperately gripped the steering wheel.
I couldn’t change direction.
In the end, I slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a stop.
The sudden stop caused my face to hit the steering wheel. I lifted my head. Through the thick smoke rising from the hood, I could see Yugyeom’s car, which had crashed into the utility pole.
“…!”
The car door opened, and Yugyeom stumbled out.
His bright hair was soaked with blood, but Yugyeom didn’t seem to care at all as he walked towards me.
“Yeon-byeol.”
Yugyeom’s voice came low from behind the car window.
Our bloodstained gazes met.
Yugyeom approached with unsteady steps, reaching out his hand towards the car window.
“…I came to pick you up.”
His face, obscured by hair, was deeply anxious.
Despite the blood dripping from his forehead, Yugyeom didn’t seem to mind at all as he walked towards me.
Chapter 27
Despite trying not to care, my gaze kept involuntarily drifting.
Because of me leaving my shirt behind, Baek Ha-won was walking ahead of me wearing his torn shirt with all the buttons undone. Thankfully, it fit in size, but whenever the wind blew, his chest was clearly exposed through the open shirt.
Even though it could have been ridiculous, it seemed like the face was the most important thing after all. It didn’t seem funny at all.
Every time I looked, I felt uncomfortable as if I had to hold my breath for no reason.
“As expected, wearing a jacket would be…”
I stopped to turn back towards Baek Ha-won to offer him my jacket but hesitated. Would it really improve things to wear it…?
It seemed like it would only make things more awkward and risky.
As the image of Baek Ha-won’s decadent face came to mind, my head involuntarily shook. At this rate, I might just fall over from laughing too much.
“Wearing it… seems a bit… not right, haha.”
Awkwardly laughing, I barely managed to break another self. As I was about to put on the jacket, Baek Ha-won took a step towards me with outstretched arms.
“…?”
Baek Ha-won extended his empty hands towards me.
“Take it off.”
Blinking my eyes widely at his strangely suggestive words, I hesitated for a moment before finally handing over the jacket as if I were bewitched. His effortless gesture of putting on the jacket didn’t feel light at all.
With my mouth hanging open, I realized that my imagination was far from reality.
Thankfully, due to him walking ahead of me, only his broad back was visible, but he still managed to capture my attention.
That moment when I was captivated by Baek Ha-won.
“Oh!”
Due to the unorganized path, my foot got caught on a large rock rolling under my feet, causing me to lose my balance and stumble.
As my body leaned backward, I closed my eyes tightly at the sight of flipping over.
“…”
A firm arm wrapped around my waist.
Instead of pain, warmth enveloped me as I opened my eyes to see Baek Ha-won’s face.
Now I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, probably from not sleeping for a few days. It added to his decadent atmosphere.
“Where’s your mind wandering off to?”
His lazy voice echoed.
—
How many minutes had passed?
I sighed as I took out my phone from my pocket to check the time, only to be greeted by the shattered screen once again.
But just having it was somewhat reassuring.
“We didn’t get lost again, did we? But where did Jiwon go?”
“Utopia.”
Huh?
Once again, I was surprised by the scale of the unexpected.
“I thought he would stay put there quietly.”
Baek Ha-won’s words hit me hard.
If I had known it would be this much trouble, I would have just waited for Jiwon in Utopia without Yu-gyeom.
It might have been easier to escape that way.
“I thought I might be here.”
As I smiled at Baek Ha-won who turned around, he raised the corner of his mouth.
“Maybe.”
His laughter was mostly a cold sneer, but at least there was no malice in it to the point where I could smile back.
It was a strangely excited moment, perhaps because I could finally go back.
Bang!
The sound of gunfire shattered the excited feeling.
Baek Ha-won looked around and then grabbed my wrist, pulling me along as he started to run.
Gunshots rang out close behind us.
Unlike yesterday when the trees were dense, this place now had a fairly open path with trees scattered here and there.
Baek Ha-won, running in a frenzy, veered off the road and ducked behind a large tree.
Then, reaching out, he fired a few shots beyond the tree and handed me something from his pocket.
“If you follow this path straight, my car should be there.”
It was the car key.
Why this?
“0335. Can you drive?”
“Are you telling me to go alone?”
“Get in the car and wait for just 5 minutes. If I don’t come back after 5 minutes, leave without me.”
“Boss!”
As I shook my head vigorously, Baek Ha-won firmly held onto my shoulders.
“Get a grip.”
I still shook my head vigorously, making it clear that I had no intention of going alone.
But Baek Ha-won, who was still not mentally prepared, pushed me behind the tree. I saw a man aiming a gun at me.
Bang!
Before I could even turn my gaze away, the man collapsed with a gunshot from behind, and I couldn’t help but run.
Throughout the run, I heard gunshots and screams behind me, but I ran as hard as I could following the path Baek Ha-won had told me.
After a short run, I arrived at the square where we first arrived by Yu-gyeom’s car.
The glittering pedestal was stained with blood and almost broken, with corpses scattered everywhere. It was a mess to the point where I almost thought it was somewhere else.
Amidst that scene, I found Baek Ha-won’s car.
“Is that it?”
Confirming that the number plate of the car parked inside the street was 0335, I hastily got into the car.
Only after locking the door securely did I let out a sigh of relief.
“Ha…”
With my head resting on the steering wheel, I barely managed to calm down my pounding heart.
“One, two, three…”
And then, with a trembling voice, I began to count.
“Two hundred seventeen, two hundred eighteen.”
As the numbers increased, the sound of my heart that I had desperately tried to calm down grew louder.
Abandon it and go?
Then what would I do without the car?
I clenched my fists tightly around my tight chest, breathing heavily.
But the numbers continued to approach 300. This long 5 minutes was another first for me.
“…Three hundred.”
Finally, after five minutes had passed, I opened my tightly shut eyes and lifted my face.
Thick raindrops began to fall on the car window with a tapping sound.
I wiped the sweat-drenched hair from my forehead and started the engine.
Chewing on my dry lips, I started driving. My breath was labored, as if running with both legs.
Rationally speaking, no matter how much I thought about it, going with Baek Ha-won was the right choice.
As an investment for the future, or even for the immediate present.
It was a choice for myself more than for Baek Ha-won.
Thankfully, as I drove along the path we had come, I soon saw Baek Ha-won in a standoff behind some trees.
I rolled down the window to call him, but from behind him, I saw a gun pointed at him.
It was almost too late to shout and warn him.
My body moved before my head.
Without further delay, I stepped on the accelerator as hard as I could.
Vroom!
The car I was in came to a halt between Baek Ha-won and the gun aimed at him.
Baek Ha-won’s face beyond the window was incredulous.
Then a gunshot rang out, and I instinctively turned my head towards the source of the sound.
“…!”
The bullet flew directly towards my head, hitting the window and bouncing off.
Only then did I exhale the breath I had been holding.
“Are you crazy?”
Baek Ha-won shouted at me as soon as he got into the car.
“You stopped even after seeing it? Are you in your right mind? Or do you want to die?”
“There’s no way the car used by the Baekcheon Boss doesn’t have bulletproof glass.”
Baek Ha-won stiffened at my words.
I wanted to act nonchalant, but it didn’t work out as I hoped. Worried that Baek Ha-won might notice, I turned my gaze outside the window.
…My heart stopped.
For a brief moment, it felt like I was dreaming. The gaze we met was so intense that it quickly pulled me back to reality.
“…Fasten your seatbelt tightly.”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
I felt my expression contorting uncontrollably.
It was Yugyeom.
Our eyes locked through the car window.
Even from a distance, Yugyeom looked like a mess.
Not even close to the state he was in when I grabbed him with bloody hands.
Truly on the verge of collapse.
Just looking at him made it hard to breathe.
I put all my strength into closing my clenched jaw. I quickly reversed and turned the car around.
As we left the forest, an empty road lay ahead, and I increased the speed.
“I’ll drive, so get out.”
As Baek Ha-won spoke, I obediently handed over the steering wheel, freezing in place.
Bam!
The loud screeching noise from behind caused my foot, which was about to press the brake, to slip.
Through the rearview mirror, I saw a black sedan closely following behind, making the same ear-piercing sound.
I urgently grabbed the steering wheel again and pressed the accelerator with all my strength. As I sped up to the highest speed of my life, I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that the black sedan had disappeared.
Where did it go?
Turning my head to check the side mirror again, instead of the mirror, I saw the black sedan emerging beyond the car window.
The black sedan caught up with me at an incredible speed. But unexpectedly, it passed me by without any attempt to stop.
“What’s going on? Why is it just going…?”
The sedan ahead changed lanes and came into my lane. Bewildered by its unpredictable movement, I slowed down.
The distance between the sedan and me gradually widened as it continued to speed ahead.
Vroom!
Suddenly, with the sound of tires screeching, the sedan ahead turned backwards.
Unable to handle its high speed, the sedan lost control and spun around, crashing into a utility pole and coming to a halt. I desperately gripped the steering wheel.
I couldn’t change direction.
In the end, I slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a stop.
The sudden stop caused my face to hit the steering wheel. I lifted my head. Through the thick smoke rising from the hood, I could see Yugyeom’s car, which had crashed into the utility pole.
“…!”
The car door opened, and Yugyeom stumbled out.
His bright hair was soaked with blood, but Yugyeom didn’t seem to care at all as he walked towards me.
“Yeon-byeol.”
Yugyeom’s voice came low from behind the car window.
Our bloodstained gazes met.
Yugyeom approached with unsteady steps, reaching out his hand towards the car window.
“…I came to pick you up.”
His face, obscured by hair, was deeply anxious.
Despite the blood dripping from his forehead, Yugyeom didn’t seem to mind at all as he walked towards me.
