Chapter 35
“How could you not contact me even once?”
It’s been so long since I walked down the hallway from the room.
Unlike Utopia, which felt like a sealed factory, Baekcheon was truly bright. Sunlight poured in like a waterfall from all directions.
It was fascinating to realize that the headquarters of a backworld organization, where bloodshed was routine, could be so bright and dazzling.
“Considering you’re the successor, I thought you’d know I’ve returned.”
“Even if I wanted to, there’s no way to know if no one lets you in or out. I only got in touch yesterday.”
Did something like that happen? As someone who had just barely survived, I couldn’t know.
The only changes I could recognize were moving from the 2nd floor to the 4th or an increase in guards at the door.
“Still, you’re supposed to be the heir.”
Baekcheon was led by the Baekga clan, with five other clans following him, dividing Baekcheon’s territory. I remembered reading that Jiwoon was part of one of those clans.
It was puzzling that Doshiyu, who had such a clear presence and status, didn’t appear even once in the original work.
“I’m not the heir though.”
“Really?”
“I didn’t mention it. I’ve been busy lately.”
As Doshiyu, now completely turned away from me, smiled and tilted his head, facing me.
“Now I’m the head of the family.”
“What?”
So suddenly? I looked at Doshiyu with a puzzled expression.
“I thought it would be a while before it was decided, but suddenly my father passed away? And on top of that, all the elders who opposed me are dead too.”
His laughter, as he said that, seemed like that of a naive boy, and I didn’t even feel a sense of discomfort.
For a moment, I wondered how he could say such things so casually. But soon, I concluded that it was simply because it wasn’t an ordinary background.
“In truth, being the head of the family was something I detested, but now I have a reason to do it.”
Doshiyu stopped walking.
Before I could ask for the reason, he leaned down to meet my eye level and leaned in close.
For a moment, Doshiyu’s gaze seemed like a burning flame. The inexplicable tension made my throat tighten.
“The reason is a secret.”
At the vague answer, I frowned, but Doshiyu just smiled and reached up to tousle my hair.
“You’ll get hurt if you know.”
And then, my hair was messed up.
Trying to push him away, I slapped Doshiyu’s hand, but he just laughed gleefully as if something was amusing him.
“I’m not curious anyway.”
“But why is he coming with us?”
Doshiyu spoke to Angel, who was walking ahead. Angel stopped and turned around.
Angel’s pretty face was creased.
“You don’t know where the shooting range is, do you?”
“I do?”
“The boss told us to use a different shooting range. If you handle the gun, other members of the organization might be at risk.”
I glared hard at Angel’s back as she walked away again. It was even more frustrating knowing I couldn’t deny the fact.
Doshiyu burst into laughter loudly. Although he was standing up straight, he couldn’t hide the trembling in his shoulders.
After trying to hold back his laughter for a while, Doshiyu eventually burst out laughing. Even bending over, he continued to laugh heartily, making me feel even worse.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ll teach you!”
“Say ‘oppa’ one more time.”
Luckily, I hadn’t seen Baekhawon’s face for a week. Just imagining calling him that again made me cringe.
The long corridor on the first floor seemed endless. It appeared to be in the opposite direction of Baekhawon’s office on the first floor.
I swept my tangled hair back with the wind blowing through the stone columns.
“But you didn’t know I was coming.”
“Why? I’m so talented…”
“It seemed like the boss didn’t like you.”
Doshiyu grimaced as if struck by an arrow, then grinned.
“It’s either me or no one. And there’s no one in this world who doesn’t like me.”
I gave Doshiyu a cold look up and down.
His features were sharp and handsome, but… the dolphin earrings were a bit much. And the fashion choices underneath didn’t make it any better.
“Handsome, right?”
“We’ve arrived.”
Angel interrupted Doshiyu, opening the door.
The place we arrived at was connected to the first floor of the square, so you could come and go without going outside.
“I’ll be back in a moment. I’ll come back soon.”
“I hope you don’t come back.”
“I will.”
Angel, with her round eyes, responded firmly. I walked eagerly inside.
Behind the door was where I had grabbed Baekhawon by the neck last time, but this time, it was empty, with no one there.
Sunlight poured in through the glass ceiling. Even the shooting range had a completely different atmosphere from the enclosed training ground of Utopia.
I headed towards where the guns were arranged by type.
“Wow.”
I reached out towards the largest gun, but a small handgun was placed in my hand instead.
“A lighter one might be better. Depends on your taste.”
After briefly considering Doshiyu’s words, I turned around without hesitation, holding the gun he handed me.
As I aimed the gun at the target, following what I had vaguely learned before…
Bang!
Before he could finish his sentence, the gunshot went off first. My body shook violently from the recoil but steadied itself.
“As you can see.”
“…”
“Not a single drop of blood mixed with Baekhawon’s.”
Doshiyu, who saw the hole narrowly missed the edge of the target, looked at my face with a fresh smile, then grabbed his stomach and started laughing.
Tilting my head and twisting my lips towards him, I made Doshiyu stop laughing for a moment.
“Hey, Doshiyu. Do I have a gun in my hand right now?”
Seeing Doshiyu tightly clenching his lips, I picked up the gun again.
It felt awkward even though it wasn’t the first time. Well, how many people have actually held a gun properly in their lives?
“Try to grip it as close to the slide as possible. Don’t hold it too high, or you might get hurt.”
I adjusted the gun according to Doshiyu’s guidance. It was indeed difficult.
Suddenly, a cheerful ringtone echoed. Doshiyu checked the caller ID on his phone, and his face turned cold.
But when he looked up at me, his cold expression vanished, replaced by a smile.
“I’ll take this call for a moment. Keep shooting.”
I nodded vaguely, and Doshiyu gave me a few more tips before leaving the shooting range.
I focused again on the target.
Bang! 2 points.
Bang! Missed the target.
Bang! 1 point. No, maybe 0.5 points?
I missed the target again, and I sighed deeply, readjusting my posture.
It was difficult to concentrate with my body shaking from the recoil with each shot. Maybe it was because I was tensing my hand too much, but my arm was already sore.
More gunshots rang out at regular intervals. Frustrated, I looked at the holes that couldn’t even hit the target circle and tried to suppress my frustration.
It’s natural to be bad at something when you’re learning it for the first time.
I tried to think positively and lifted the gun again.
Thud.
The sound of my heartbeat echoed heavily in my ears. Along with the increasingly rapid beats, a bloody image flashed before my eyes.
The memory I had pushed to the other side vividly replayed itself.
The booming gunshots, the indescribable pain, the fear of death.
I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. Tears welled up in my eyes.
“I’m fine now…”
Muttering softly, I closed and opened my eyes. My trembling hand clenched my chest. It was a reflex beyond my control.
As I took a deep breath, my blurry vision gradually cleared.
I constantly reassured myself that everything would be okay and focused on regaining the sensation in my body.
Bang!
Pulling the trigger and tensing up against the impending recoil…
“…”
In that moment, a strong, solid body wrapped around me from behind.
“Doshiyu?”
Strangely, I felt relieved, and my tension eased. I let out a breathy laugh.
“I don’t understand anything, so teach me quickly. I have to learn fast.”
A long, white hand intertwined with my hand holding the gun. The grip that held me felt as cold as ice.
I could feel the breath against my ear and the quiet sound of breathing in my ears.
My body froze as if tied up by chains, with every nerve in my body becoming hyper-sensitive.
“Hey, Doshiyu. But you…”
“You need to focus.”
At that moment, a soft voice passed through me like a whisper, brushing against my heart.
The word that was almost a whisper reminded me of a memory that flashed through my mind.
The pale eyes filled with hatred towards me in the collapsing darkness. The emotions from that time surged back, and my heart sank to the bottom.
“Don’t let your body shake.”
The low voice, almost a whisper, pierced my ears. I felt like blood was rushing to my eyes and ears, and my vision became distant.
“Focus on the target until the end.”
Bang! The bullet flew straight through the center of the target.
At the same time, a sharp pain surged over my chest as if pulling another trigger. A low moan escaped through my dry lips.
The hand that had been embracing me slowly fell away.
A thick shadow cast over my fixed gaze.
“Now, you should call me ‘miss’ instead of ‘princess.'”
I couldn’t help but see it, even if I tried not to.
Standing before me, as if she would vanish into the dazzling sunlight, was her.
“I missed you, miss.”
The dark smile that rose above her pale face was vividly clear, as if unbearable.
It was incomparable to anything I had seen countless times in my dreams.
Chapter 35
“How could you not contact me even once?”
It’s been so long since I walked down the hallway from the room.
Unlike Utopia, which felt like a sealed factory, Baekcheon was truly bright. Sunlight poured in like a waterfall from all directions.
It was fascinating to realize that the headquarters of a backworld organization, where bloodshed was routine, could be so bright and dazzling.
“Considering you’re the successor, I thought you’d know I’ve returned.”
“Even if I wanted to, there’s no way to know if no one lets you in or out. I only got in touch yesterday.”
Did something like that happen? As someone who had just barely survived, I couldn’t know.
The only changes I could recognize were moving from the 2nd floor to the 4th or an increase in guards at the door.
“Still, you’re supposed to be the heir.”
Baekcheon was led by the Baekga clan, with five other clans following him, dividing Baekcheon’s territory. I remembered reading that Jiwoon was part of one of those clans.
It was puzzling that Doshiyu, who had such a clear presence and status, didn’t appear even once in the original work.
“I’m not the heir though.”
“Really?”
“I didn’t mention it. I’ve been busy lately.”
As Doshiyu, now completely turned away from me, smiled and tilted his head, facing me.
“Now I’m the head of the family.”
“What?”
So suddenly? I looked at Doshiyu with a puzzled expression.
“I thought it would be a while before it was decided, but suddenly my father passed away? And on top of that, all the elders who opposed me are dead too.”
His laughter, as he said that, seemed like that of a naive boy, and I didn’t even feel a sense of discomfort.
For a moment, I wondered how he could say such things so casually. But soon, I concluded that it was simply because it wasn’t an ordinary background.
“In truth, being the head of the family was something I detested, but now I have a reason to do it.”
Doshiyu stopped walking.
Before I could ask for the reason, he leaned down to meet my eye level and leaned in close.
For a moment, Doshiyu’s gaze seemed like a burning flame. The inexplicable tension made my throat tighten.
“The reason is a secret.”
At the vague answer, I frowned, but Doshiyu just smiled and reached up to tousle my hair.
“You’ll get hurt if you know.”
And then, my hair was messed up.
Trying to push him away, I slapped Doshiyu’s hand, but he just laughed gleefully as if something was amusing him.
“I’m not curious anyway.”
“But why is he coming with us?”
Doshiyu spoke to Angel, who was walking ahead. Angel stopped and turned around.
Angel’s pretty face was creased.
“You don’t know where the shooting range is, do you?”
“I do?”
“The boss told us to use a different shooting range. If you handle the gun, other members of the organization might be at risk.”
I glared hard at Angel’s back as she walked away again. It was even more frustrating knowing I couldn’t deny the fact.
Doshiyu burst into laughter loudly. Although he was standing up straight, he couldn’t hide the trembling in his shoulders.
After trying to hold back his laughter for a while, Doshiyu eventually burst out laughing. Even bending over, he continued to laugh heartily, making me feel even worse.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ll teach you!”
“Say ‘oppa’ one more time.”
Luckily, I hadn’t seen Baekhawon’s face for a week. Just imagining calling him that again made me cringe.
The long corridor on the first floor seemed endless. It appeared to be in the opposite direction of Baekhawon’s office on the first floor.
I swept my tangled hair back with the wind blowing through the stone columns.
“But you didn’t know I was coming.”
“Why? I’m so talented…”
“It seemed like the boss didn’t like you.”
Doshiyu grimaced as if struck by an arrow, then grinned.
“It’s either me or no one. And there’s no one in this world who doesn’t like me.”
I gave Doshiyu a cold look up and down.
His features were sharp and handsome, but… the dolphin earrings were a bit much. And the fashion choices underneath didn’t make it any better.
“Handsome, right?”
“We’ve arrived.”
Angel interrupted Doshiyu, opening the door.
The place we arrived at was connected to the first floor of the square, so you could come and go without going outside.
“I’ll be back in a moment. I’ll come back soon.”
“I hope you don’t come back.”
“I will.”
Angel, with her round eyes, responded firmly. I walked eagerly inside.
Behind the door was where I had grabbed Baekhawon by the neck last time, but this time, it was empty, with no one there.
Sunlight poured in through the glass ceiling. Even the shooting range had a completely different atmosphere from the enclosed training ground of Utopia.
I headed towards where the guns were arranged by type.
“Wow.”
I reached out towards the largest gun, but a small handgun was placed in my hand instead.
“A lighter one might be better. Depends on your taste.”
After briefly considering Doshiyu’s words, I turned around without hesitation, holding the gun he handed me.
As I aimed the gun at the target, following what I had vaguely learned before…
Bang!
Before he could finish his sentence, the gunshot went off first. My body shook violently from the recoil but steadied itself.
“As you can see.”
“…”
“Not a single drop of blood mixed with Baekhawon’s.”
Doshiyu, who saw the hole narrowly missed the edge of the target, looked at my face with a fresh smile, then grabbed his stomach and started laughing.
Tilting my head and twisting my lips towards him, I made Doshiyu stop laughing for a moment.
“Hey, Doshiyu. Do I have a gun in my hand right now?”
Seeing Doshiyu tightly clenching his lips, I picked up the gun again.
It felt awkward even though it wasn’t the first time. Well, how many people have actually held a gun properly in their lives?
“Try to grip it as close to the slide as possible. Don’t hold it too high, or you might get hurt.”
I adjusted the gun according to Doshiyu’s guidance. It was indeed difficult.
Suddenly, a cheerful ringtone echoed. Doshiyu checked the caller ID on his phone, and his face turned cold.
But when he looked up at me, his cold expression vanished, replaced by a smile.
“I’ll take this call for a moment. Keep shooting.”
I nodded vaguely, and Doshiyu gave me a few more tips before leaving the shooting range.
I focused again on the target.
Bang! 2 points.
Bang! Missed the target.
Bang! 1 point. No, maybe 0.5 points?
I missed the target again, and I sighed deeply, readjusting my posture.
It was difficult to concentrate with my body shaking from the recoil with each shot. Maybe it was because I was tensing my hand too much, but my arm was already sore.
More gunshots rang out at regular intervals. Frustrated, I looked at the holes that couldn’t even hit the target circle and tried to suppress my frustration.
It’s natural to be bad at something when you’re learning it for the first time.
I tried to think positively and lifted the gun again.
Thud.
The sound of my heartbeat echoed heavily in my ears. Along with the increasingly rapid beats, a bloody image flashed before my eyes.
The memory I had pushed to the other side vividly replayed itself.
The booming gunshots, the indescribable pain, the fear of death.
I clenched my fists and took a deep breath. Tears welled up in my eyes.
“I’m fine now…”
Muttering softly, I closed and opened my eyes. My trembling hand clenched my chest. It was a reflex beyond my control.
As I took a deep breath, my blurry vision gradually cleared.
I constantly reassured myself that everything would be okay and focused on regaining the sensation in my body.
Bang!
Pulling the trigger and tensing up against the impending recoil…
“…”
In that moment, a strong, solid body wrapped around me from behind.
“Doshiyu?”
Strangely, I felt relieved, and my tension eased. I let out a breathy laugh.
“I don’t understand anything, so teach me quickly. I have to learn fast.”
A long, white hand intertwined with my hand holding the gun. The grip that held me felt as cold as ice.
I could feel the breath against my ear and the quiet sound of breathing in my ears.
My body froze as if tied up by chains, with every nerve in my body becoming hyper-sensitive.
“Hey, Doshiyu. But you…”
“You need to focus.”
At that moment, a soft voice passed through me like a whisper, brushing against my heart.
The word that was almost a whisper reminded me of a memory that flashed through my mind.
The pale eyes filled with hatred towards me in the collapsing darkness. The emotions from that time surged back, and my heart sank to the bottom.
“Don’t let your body shake.”
The low voice, almost a whisper, pierced my ears. I felt like blood was rushing to my eyes and ears, and my vision became distant.
“Focus on the target until the end.”
Bang! The bullet flew straight through the center of the target.
At the same time, a sharp pain surged over my chest as if pulling another trigger. A low moan escaped through my dry lips.
The hand that had been embracing me slowly fell away.
A thick shadow cast over my fixed gaze.
“Now, you should call me ‘miss’ instead of ‘princess.'”
I couldn’t help but see it, even if I tried not to.
Standing before me, as if she would vanish into the dazzling sunlight, was her.
“I missed you, miss.”
The dark smile that rose above her pale face was vividly clear, as if unbearable.
It was incomparable to anything I had seen countless times in my dreams.
