Chapter 38
With a languid glance, Yugyeom straightened up from leaning against the wall next to the door.
Our gazes met.
I barely suppressed a groan that was about to escape.
How long has he been here?
Does the soundproofing here work well?
As soon as I thought of these questions, I realized they were meaningless. When I was in Baek Hawon’s arms, the door had already been opened.
“I’m tired, so tell me to come next time.”
“Yes, boss.”
That brat must have known on purpose…
I stood frozen in place, not taking a single step. The sound of Baek Hawon’s door closing seemed unusually loud.
As Yugyeom slowly moved his gaze away from me, my heart felt like it was going to burst. I didn’t know why I was feeling this way, but it felt like being caught cheating with someone else’s man.
He came close enough to touch, but then Yugyeom turned and passed by my side.
But just as I started to feel relieved, he stopped right next to me.
“Do you remember?”
His voice was cruelly tender.
Although it was an unfinished question, only one memory came to mind.
When I turned my head, that memory was etched vividly in my mind.
His eyes, which had been fixed on me all along, met mine directly.
The sunset-colored hair, the burning gaze, the throbbing heart.
“I can’t. I can’t let go.”
“I won’t let go either.”
I felt like I was drowning in that memory.
“Even now, I’m like that.”
The red sun poured down over his pale face. Perhaps that’s why his eyes looked even redder than usual today.
Yugyeom’s bright smile was still venomous. Every time he smiled, I was completely intoxicated by that poison and couldn’t come to my senses.
“I’m crazy to be turning my attention to you and doing crazy things.”
As soon as he uttered those words, my mind shattered into white nothingness.
I regretted not saying anything at the shooting range, but still, I couldn’t utter a single word.
Did Yugyeom ever call me ‘you’ before?
“So please don’t run away.”
I couldn’t define that gaze directed at me with a single word. His eyes, filled with a mixture of emotions, were darker and deeper than black.
That darkness seemed like it could swallow me up at any moment.
For what felt like an eternity, Yugyeom stared at me, then turned his head and started walking again.
Before my rationality kicked in, my body moved first.
“Wait…!”
My outstretched hand grabbed Yugyeom’s wrist, and he leaned towards me.
Thunk!
For a moment, it felt like a flash of light flashed before my eyes.
My hand that had grabbed Yugyeom’s wrist was trembling dangerously in mid-air. My trembling hand felt numb.
“You filthy…”
The intention behind the softly muttered words sent shivers down my spine.
“A child of a prostitute.”
“Filthy.”
The tingling sensation on the back of my head was worse than the rejected hand.
In truth, I’m not sure if I had any hope.
In this moment, I was horrified at the thought that I might have misheard.
My hand, still hovering in the air, trembled pitifully.
When I slowly raised my head to meet his gaze, I could no longer deny it.
“Be careful, miss.”
I was the one who brought Yugyeom to Baekcheon.
—
Thud! It was a 7-point shot.
Thud! It was a 4-point shot.
Thud! It was a 6-point shot.
As the echoing gunfire subsided, there was no hint of wavering, followed by loud applause.
“Wow! You seem to have potential? No, it’s because the master is amazing…”
Thud! Interrupting Doyou’s words, an 8-point hole appeared in the target.
Acknowledged by the master. It was a significant improvement considering that just ten days ago, I couldn’t hit the target at all.
In fact, it was the result of effort rather than talent. I grabbed the gun whenever I had time, sometimes to the point of ringing in my ears.
Taking off my earmuffs and drinking cold water, Doyou looked at me with his tongue out.
“Why are you working so hard? You’re not going to do any organization work, are you?”
There was no clear answer that I could spit out. If I had to answer, this was all I could say.
Doyou grabbed my hand and glanced at the palm.
“Your hands are a mess.”
Under the protection of Baekcheon, Yeonbyeol’s hands were originally delicate and soft. But now, her white palms were filled with red blisters.
“Do you really plan to go independent?”
“Well…”
I had thought about leaving this island.
But the last time I wanted to leave the island was before I met Yugyeom, and now too many things had changed.
Maybe I’ll die in vain if I leave.
Yugyeom really came to Baekcheon.
The excuse was the same as in the original. It’s too dirty there, so I can’t live there anymore. Please accept me if you’re loyal.
Baek Ha-won, who accepted him, was clearly crazy, but unfortunately, there was no one who could oppose what he wanted to do.
Sometimes, when I saw Baekcheon’s people, Baek Ha-won seemed more powerful than religion.
Is he that trustworthy? Admitting that fact was a childish trick even to myself.
“But you’re asking to leave. Aren’t you busy?”
I tied up my sweat-drenched hair. Doyou smiled and handed me a handkerchief.
“This is the taste of power.”
The handkerchief was bright red. It suited his unique taste.
They say that the environment shapes a person, but strangely, Doyou seemed to be leaning more and more off the straight path.
“If you’re going to run away, just let me know. It’s more welcome now.”
“Really?”
“I’m the boss, is there a problem?”
His self-assured laughter made me feel uneasy.
Should I just run away? Maybe fleeing is the best option.
“Are you really going to leave?”
“Where are you going?”
Suddenly, a voice interrupted our conversation, and I turned around in surprise.
Admittedly, the man in the elegant blue silk suit looked terrifyingly good in it.
Seeing him dressed like that made me think that if he set his mind to it, there would be no one he couldn’t sway, regardless of gender.
Behind Baek Ha-won, his subordinates kept entering one after another.
As he turned his head, the subordinates leaned against the wall and lined up. Baek Ha-won walked towards me and Doyou, habitually brushing his wristwatch.
“Where are you going?”
More accurately, towards me.
With waxed black hair neatly slicked back, Baek Ha-won’s aura was twice as imposing as usual. Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.
“I- I’m just going for a walk.”
I hastily added, feeling my feet tingling for no reason.
“Really, Doyou?”
Doyou awkwardly echoed. It was a response that seemed better off not being there.
Baek Ha-won’s eyebrows twitched.
With a subtle gesture, he urged Doyou to say something more.
Caught in my gaze, Doyou awkwardly smiled again. He seemed to have lost his confidence, even though he had seemed to have enough guts to stand up to Baek Ha-won when we first met.
I had no choice but to speak up.
“Where are you going?”
“Just to Tokyo for a moment.”
His brief answer was met with his gaze landing on the gun in my hand.
“Looks like you’re learning well.”
“I don’t have much I can’t do.”
At my reply, Baek Ha-won smirked. It seemed like a mocking gesture, but also not.
He reached out to me.
As the gun I was holding slipped into his hand, a perfect picture of completion emerged.
Was it because he was the protagonist of a noir film? How could a gun suit him so well?
As I stared blankly at him, I slapped his cheek.
“Snap out of it.”
Though his black pupils seemed to flash with a subtle light, I deliberately ignored it.
I started to wrap his blistered palm with a white bandage. But after a few attempts, I gave up.
I tossed the bandage to Doyou, deciding that this hand was meant to be shown to an angel.
“I’m going to Hong Kong on Saturday.”
At his unexpected remark, my gaze shifted to him.
Even though we lived in the same place, the days when I faced Baek Ha-won were few and far between. The building was too big to call it a house, and we weren’t close enough to eat together.
If we didn’t intentionally meet, we could go months without crossing paths.
“Uh… Have a safe trip?”
But why out of the blue?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Baek Ha-won took one step closer to me. The corners of his mouth flicked up slightly.
“Get ready.”
“For what?”
“We’re going together.”
“Oh, going together… huh?”
With widened eyes, I half-opened my mouth in surprise.
“We have an executive meeting at headquarters.”
Baek Ha-won controlled the underworld, but externally, it was a major corporation, so of course it had headquarters.
But what does that have to do with me?
“Why would that concern me?”
“It seems like someone is eyeing my position.”
“Me?!”
Even I didn’t realize my voice had raised.
The boss’s position? Even if it was offered, I had no intention of taking it.
Baek Ha-won chuckled lazily. The slightly curved eyes exuded a deep sense of decadence.
“You said you wanted to be like me. Wasn’t that a declaration of intent?”
The words I had said in passing came to mind.
“Teach me how to shoot.”
“I want to become the top bastard in Baekcheon, like the boss.”
No way…
Was it a joke?
With a serious expression, I asked, “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
His tone was as serious as the chilling glint mixed with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Chapter 38
With a languid glance, Yugyeom straightened up from leaning against the wall next to the door.
Our gazes met.
I barely suppressed a groan that was about to escape.
How long has he been here?
Does the soundproofing here work well?
As soon as I thought of these questions, I realized they were meaningless. When I was in Baek Hawon’s arms, the door had already been opened.
“I’m tired, so tell me to come next time.”
“Yes, boss.”
That brat must have known on purpose…
I stood frozen in place, not taking a single step. The sound of Baek Hawon’s door closing seemed unusually loud.
As Yugyeom slowly moved his gaze away from me, my heart felt like it was going to burst. I didn’t know why I was feeling this way, but it felt like being caught cheating with someone else’s man.
He came close enough to touch, but then Yugyeom turned and passed by my side.
But just as I started to feel relieved, he stopped right next to me.
“Do you remember?”
His voice was cruelly tender.
Although it was an unfinished question, only one memory came to mind.
When I turned my head, that memory was etched vividly in my mind.
His eyes, which had been fixed on me all along, met mine directly.
The sunset-colored hair, the burning gaze, the throbbing heart.
“I can’t. I can’t let go.”
“I won’t let go either.”
I felt like I was drowning in that memory.
“Even now, I’m like that.”
The red sun poured down over his pale face. Perhaps that’s why his eyes looked even redder than usual today.
Yugyeom’s bright smile was still venomous. Every time he smiled, I was completely intoxicated by that poison and couldn’t come to my senses.
“I’m crazy to be turning my attention to you and doing crazy things.”
As soon as he uttered those words, my mind shattered into white nothingness.
I regretted not saying anything at the shooting range, but still, I couldn’t utter a single word.
Did Yugyeom ever call me ‘you’ before?
“So please don’t run away.”
I couldn’t define that gaze directed at me with a single word. His eyes, filled with a mixture of emotions, were darker and deeper than black.
That darkness seemed like it could swallow me up at any moment.
For what felt like an eternity, Yugyeom stared at me, then turned his head and started walking again.
Before my rationality kicked in, my body moved first.
“Wait…!”
My outstretched hand grabbed Yugyeom’s wrist, and he leaned towards me.
Thunk!
For a moment, it felt like a flash of light flashed before my eyes.
My hand that had grabbed Yugyeom’s wrist was trembling dangerously in mid-air. My trembling hand felt numb.
“You filthy…”
The intention behind the softly muttered words sent shivers down my spine.
“A child of a prostitute.”
“Filthy.”
The tingling sensation on the back of my head was worse than the rejected hand.
In truth, I’m not sure if I had any hope.
In this moment, I was horrified at the thought that I might have misheard.
My hand, still hovering in the air, trembled pitifully.
When I slowly raised my head to meet his gaze, I could no longer deny it.
“Be careful, miss.”
I was the one who brought Yugyeom to Baekcheon.
—
Thud! It was a 7-point shot.
Thud! It was a 4-point shot.
Thud! It was a 6-point shot.
As the echoing gunfire subsided, there was no hint of wavering, followed by loud applause.
“Wow! You seem to have potential? No, it’s because the master is amazing…”
Thud! Interrupting Doyou’s words, an 8-point hole appeared in the target.
Acknowledged by the master. It was a significant improvement considering that just ten days ago, I couldn’t hit the target at all.
In fact, it was the result of effort rather than talent. I grabbed the gun whenever I had time, sometimes to the point of ringing in my ears.
Taking off my earmuffs and drinking cold water, Doyou looked at me with his tongue out.
“Why are you working so hard? You’re not going to do any organization work, are you?”
There was no clear answer that I could spit out. If I had to answer, this was all I could say.
Doyou grabbed my hand and glanced at the palm.
“Your hands are a mess.”
Under the protection of Baekcheon, Yeonbyeol’s hands were originally delicate and soft. But now, her white palms were filled with red blisters.
“Do you really plan to go independent?”
“Well…”
I had thought about leaving this island.
But the last time I wanted to leave the island was before I met Yugyeom, and now too many things had changed.
Maybe I’ll die in vain if I leave.
Yugyeom really came to Baekcheon.
The excuse was the same as in the original. It’s too dirty there, so I can’t live there anymore. Please accept me if you’re loyal.
Baek Ha-won, who accepted him, was clearly crazy, but unfortunately, there was no one who could oppose what he wanted to do.
Sometimes, when I saw Baekcheon’s people, Baek Ha-won seemed more powerful than religion.
Is he that trustworthy? Admitting that fact was a childish trick even to myself.
“But you’re asking to leave. Aren’t you busy?”
I tied up my sweat-drenched hair. Doyou smiled and handed me a handkerchief.
“This is the taste of power.”
The handkerchief was bright red. It suited his unique taste.
They say that the environment shapes a person, but strangely, Doyou seemed to be leaning more and more off the straight path.
“If you’re going to run away, just let me know. It’s more welcome now.”
“Really?”
“I’m the boss, is there a problem?”
His self-assured laughter made me feel uneasy.
Should I just run away? Maybe fleeing is the best option.
“Are you really going to leave?”
“Where are you going?”
Suddenly, a voice interrupted our conversation, and I turned around in surprise.
Admittedly, the man in the elegant blue silk suit looked terrifyingly good in it.
Seeing him dressed like that made me think that if he set his mind to it, there would be no one he couldn’t sway, regardless of gender.
Behind Baek Ha-won, his subordinates kept entering one after another.
As he turned his head, the subordinates leaned against the wall and lined up. Baek Ha-won walked towards me and Doyou, habitually brushing his wristwatch.
“Where are you going?”
More accurately, towards me.
With waxed black hair neatly slicked back, Baek Ha-won’s aura was twice as imposing as usual. Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.
“I- I’m just going for a walk.”
I hastily added, feeling my feet tingling for no reason.
“Really, Doyou?”
Doyou awkwardly echoed. It was a response that seemed better off not being there.
Baek Ha-won’s eyebrows twitched.
With a subtle gesture, he urged Doyou to say something more.
Caught in my gaze, Doyou awkwardly smiled again. He seemed to have lost his confidence, even though he had seemed to have enough guts to stand up to Baek Ha-won when we first met.
I had no choice but to speak up.
“Where are you going?”
“Just to Tokyo for a moment.”
His brief answer was met with his gaze landing on the gun in my hand.
“Looks like you’re learning well.”
“I don’t have much I can’t do.”
At my reply, Baek Ha-won smirked. It seemed like a mocking gesture, but also not.
He reached out to me.
As the gun I was holding slipped into his hand, a perfect picture of completion emerged.
Was it because he was the protagonist of a noir film? How could a gun suit him so well?
As I stared blankly at him, I slapped his cheek.
“Snap out of it.”
Though his black pupils seemed to flash with a subtle light, I deliberately ignored it.
I started to wrap his blistered palm with a white bandage. But after a few attempts, I gave up.
I tossed the bandage to Doyou, deciding that this hand was meant to be shown to an angel.
“I’m going to Hong Kong on Saturday.”
At his unexpected remark, my gaze shifted to him.
Even though we lived in the same place, the days when I faced Baek Ha-won were few and far between. The building was too big to call it a house, and we weren’t close enough to eat together.
If we didn’t intentionally meet, we could go months without crossing paths.
“Uh… Have a safe trip?”
But why out of the blue?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Baek Ha-won took one step closer to me. The corners of his mouth flicked up slightly.
“Get ready.”
“For what?”
“We’re going together.”
“Oh, going together… huh?”
With widened eyes, I half-opened my mouth in surprise.
“We have an executive meeting at headquarters.”
Baek Ha-won controlled the underworld, but externally, it was a major corporation, so of course it had headquarters.
But what does that have to do with me?
“Why would that concern me?”
“It seems like someone is eyeing my position.”
“Me?!”
Even I didn’t realize my voice had raised.
The boss’s position? Even if it was offered, I had no intention of taking it.
Baek Ha-won chuckled lazily. The slightly curved eyes exuded a deep sense of decadence.
“You said you wanted to be like me. Wasn’t that a declaration of intent?”
The words I had said in passing came to mind.
“Teach me how to shoot.”
“I want to become the top bastard in Baekcheon, like the boss.”
No way…
Was it a joke?
With a serious expression, I asked, “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
His tone was as serious as the chilling glint mixed with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
