Chapter : 5
“You’ve got quite the imagination. There’s no way something like that exists in our country.”
And with that lie, she lightly mocked Jae-hyuk.
As a rule, an Interpol agent must never acknowledge their identity with their own mouth. Even if someone were to find out, the regulations were clear.
“Then what are you?”
At the repeated question, Jae-hyuk let out a low sigh, as if he were growing tired.
Whether he was frustrated or not didn’t matter to Hyun. Her only concern was the lemon sherbet sitting in front of him. Since he didn’t enjoy sweets, his portion remained untouched, just as it had been served.
Noticing her gaze, Jae-hyuk picked up the small bowl and set it in front of her.
Hyun’s eyes glimmered faintly, and soon the sweet dessert disappeared.
“So you’re really not going to tell me till the end, huh?”
Jae-hyuk muttered quietly as he watched her polish off the dessert. Her act of pretending not to hear him was shameless, but he didn’t bother pointing it out.
“Is your boyfriend picking you up again today?”
This time he raised his voice slightly.
Hyun, who had been bent over her bowl, lifted her head. She had lied to Dae-ik earlier, but she hadn’t expected Jae-hyuk to ask so directly.
It caught her off guard. Still, she decided there was no need to hesitate.
She was about to nod when Jae-hyuk asked again.
“Or should I take you?”
“It’s fine. My boyfriend—”
“You don’t have a boyfriend.”
Having finished his meal, Jae-hyuk leaned his broad shoulders against the backrest and stared at her. With his arms crossed, the turtleneck he wore stretched tight across his chest.
His expression clearly said, What a transparent lie.
Avoiding his gaze, she replied, “…I do.”
“I know you don’t.”
“How would you know?”
“I saw you at the funeral. The guy who came to pick you up called you ‘sunbae.’”
Hyun couldn’t help but be surprised.
She was sure she had checked her surroundings out of habit before getting into the car.
But hiding one’s presence was also something Jae-hyuk excelled at.
Unaware of that, Hyun had never realized he’d tailed her that day.
“It’s a pet name.”
“Try saying that with a straight face.”
Her attempt to brush it off didn’t work.
Ignoring her lie, Jae-hyuk leaned forward instead. He pulled out a tissue and placed it in front of her, tapping lightly at the corner of his own mouth with his finger—indicating something was there.
Hyun took the tissue and wiped her mouth.
“If you’re done eating, let’s go.”
After confirming she’d wiped her lips, Jae-hyuk stood up. While trying to recall when exactly she had been followed, Hyun missed the timing to refuse his offer to drive her.
With no choice, she got up and followed him out.
She meant to say she’d go alone and decline the ride, but the resolve vanished the moment they stepped outside.
Whooosh!
A sudden downpour was drenching the streets.
Hyun, who disliked getting wet, approached Jae-hyuk, who was simply standing there watching the rain.
“I’ll take you up on the ride.”
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d refuse again.”
“I’m not big on pride.”
A faint smile crossed Jae-hyuk’s lips as a valet pulled his car up to the entrance.
As he reached to open the passenger door, his hand brushed against hers.
“I can open the door myself.”
She might lack pride, but she still had a conscience.
She couldn’t expect manners on top of a free ride.
Hyun opened the door herself and got in.
Jae-hyuk stared at his rejected hand with an incredulous look. Since he had to run through the pouring rain to the driver’s seat, he couldn’t stand there long.
Until he got in and started the engine, the sound of rain filled the car.
“Your address.”
“Just drop me off near Eonji Station.”
“It’s raining like this and you’ll walk from there?”
When she didn’t answer immediately, Jae-hyuk, who had been entering the destination into the navigation, turned his head to the right. The streetlights filtering through the window highlighted the sharp lines of her face.
For a brief moment, he found himself distracted. Completely unguarded.
Then her lips, which had been deep in thought, moved.
“I’ll guide you from the station.”
He nodded, set the destination, and gripped the steering wheel.
Unexpectedly, he stayed quiet on the way.
She knew he was naturally taciturn, but after their recent banter, she had briefly forgotten.
She had assumed he insisted on driving her to pry more information out of her.
Her guess was wrong. In fact, unable to bear the silence, she was the one who spoke first.
“Are you still investigating Cho Chi-hoon?”
She had already tried circling around the question earlier. It wasn’t her style.
With only the two of them in the car, there was no need to guard her words.
“And if I am?”
“Are my words a joke to you?”
“Speak clearly.”
“I warned you. Why won’t you listen?”
Jae-hyuk’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He looked like he had something he wanted to argue.
The hand gripping the steering wheel shifted; he adjusted his posture, visibly uncomfortable.
“Why should I listen to you?”
“If you don’t want to, don’t. It’s just one more funeral this year.”
“Lee Hyun.”
At her sharp remark, Jae-hyuk said her name stiffly. Hearing her name spoken like that made her pause.
She understood he must feel frustrated, being told out of nowhere to drop the investigation.
But she couldn’t tell him everything. From her perspective, she had already gone as far as she could. The repeated questions about her reasons and identity made her want to smack the back of his head.
“If I said I’m Interpol, would you quit?”
Unable to hold back her temper, Hyun spoke first.
“Whether I’m Interpol or anything else—if I gave you a reason you could accept, would you stop?”
She had been staring ahead but turned her head to the left.
The traffic light had just turned red.
Reflected in the crimson glow, his face looked even sharper.
“No.”
Jae-hyuk stopped the car and took his hands off the wheel. Then he turned his body toward her.
“That’s not it.”
Their eyes met, since she had been looking at him all along.
Stubborn.
Once he decided to do something, he would see it through no matter what.
He had always been like that.
Maybe that was why she had warned him so strongly. Though she rarely cared what happened to others, she had interfered only with him.
“Dae-ik must be lucky. First your father’s funeral, now the funeral of a long-lost friend.”
Hyun sneered openly before turning her head back to face forward.
The light changed again, and Jae-hyuk, as if resigned, faced ahead as well.
Beep, beep, beep.
The incoming call tone rang while the car was moving. Jae-hyuk hadn’t forgotten that his phone automatically connected to the car’s Bluetooth.
Which meant he didn’t care if his passenger heard the conversation.
After checking the caller ID, he pressed the button. The moment he answered, an unfamiliar voice filled the car.
“Team leader, we found him! You were right. Cho Chi-hoon—this bastard’s at the airport right now!”
“…?”
The moment Hyun heard the familiar name, she turned to Jae-hyuk.
For someone receiving such shocking news, his expression was unbelievably calm.
More than that—how was it possible that Cyclone hadn’t reported anything yet?
“Stick to him.”
Jae-hyuk replied without the slightest hesitation. Even though he could feel Hyun’s blatant stare, he didn’t glance her way.
“But he’s not alone. There’s a Chinese man with him. Do you know who he is?”
Hyun didn’t need to think to know who that was.
This was dangerous.
