chapter 10
“Good work, Miss Vivian.”
On my way back after securely locking up the handsome silver-haired, blue-eyed man in a room—
Ren greeted me warmly and seated me on a chair piled high with soft cushions.
Because of the investigators’ interference, I had used my ability a bit longer than usual today.
I took out a small, round metal watch from my pocket.
‘About three minutes.’
This watch was a timer used to measure how long I used my ability.
The longer the ability was used, the more it drained my stamina.
So, to prevent myself from completely running out of energy, I always had to carry this watch.
‘Honestly, even three minutes is exhausting…’
I relaxed my entire body and sank into the chair.
Ren handed me a glass of orange juice filled with ice—who knows when he had prepared it.
The refreshing juice slid smoothly down my throat.
“Ahh… I feel alive again.”
It was a rare moment of relaxation. Recently, thanks to Dietrich’s interference, I hadn’t been able to rest properly.
“You looked tired lately, so I prepared something refreshing on purpose. I’m glad you like it.”
With the vitamins kicking in, I felt some strength return to my body.
“Finish your drink and get some rest. I’ll take care of the rest, Miss Vivian.”
“No, it’s fine. I feel better now. And while that guy’s behaving, I should work. At least I can check on the condition of the targets we’ve locked up.”
I turned my gaze toward the wall filled with monitoring devices.
The screens on the left showed the streets of Hildes, while those on the right displayed the rooms where the targets were confined.
‘Let’s see what those kidnapped handsome men are up to.’
The first place my eyes landed on was Dietrich’s room. As promised, he was quietly reading a book.
‘I can’t believe he’s actually keeping his word… honestly unexpected.’
Next, I shifted my gaze to the man I kidnapped today.
He was a strikingly handsome man with silver hair and blue eyes, exuding a sharp aura.
Since he looked like someone straight out of a tragic novel, I secretly wondered if he might be Kallis.
But then, I witnessed something completely unexpected.
‘Why do my bad feelings always come true…’
I pressed my forehead as I saw the man’s baffling behavior.
As if he somehow knew, the silver-haired man stared directly at the hidden surveillance device.
With a bright smile, he unfolded a white sheet of paper.
I read the large letters written on it:
Vivian, I came to see you ♥
Only the heart at the end was colored in a deep pink.
I let out a sigh at the headache-inducing situation.
Apparently, the man I had just kidnapped was someone very familiar—to both Ren and me.
“Melphis… that bastard again…”
Realizing that the person I had worked so hard to bring here was him, I felt like crying.
Melphis was the fifth person I had ever kidnapped, and he had a very unique appearance.
Pink hair with sky-blue highlights scattered throughout.
Clear sky-blue eyes and pale white skin—he gave off an overall cotton-candy-like impression.
As you can see, he looked more suited to be the heroine of a romantic comedy than the male lead of a tragic story.
At first, I hesitated whether to kidnap him, but out of curiosity, I brought him anyway.
Seriously… I had no idea back then that he would turn out to be this troublesome.
After the first kidnapping, Melphis wandered around Hildes Street in disguise.
All for the sole purpose of getting kidnapped by me again.
Every time, I fell for it and brought him back, and around the 20th day of confinement, he would remove his disguise and reveal his identity through the surveillance device.
At that moment, I was reminded of the first time I kidnapped him.
It was about two weeks after I had locked him in a room.
Ren had stepped out briefly, and I was dozing off alone in the hideout when he suddenly woke me up.
We had installed a system that would alert us if any of the handsome captives escaped—but I still don’t know how he managed to get out so quietly.
Anyway, he woke me up and insisted that we chat.
I didn’t want to entertain such a ridiculous request, but when he promised not to report me, I gave in.
After chatting for about two hours—
He smiled brightly, as if refreshed, and said he’d be going now.
“It was fun. Let’s meet again next time, Vivian.”
It sounded like a casual farewell, but I was startled.
I had never told him my name.
“How do you know my name…?”
“Hm? It’s written right there.”
Melphis pointed at my hand.
I was holding documents with my name written on them.
‘What? I’m sure I left those in the drawer…’
Before I could even process it, Melphis winked cheerfully and walked out.
I thought that would be the end of our relationship…
‘But who knew he’d come back to see me—even in disguise.’
If it had happened once or twice, fine—but including this time, it was already the tenth.
The fourth time I kidnapped him, I got so annoyed that I asked why he kept doing this.
His answer was just…
“I’m interested in you, Vivian.”
Seeing him blush shyly while saying such nonsense almost made my head explode.
The problem was, there was no way to tell whether a target was Melphis or not.
His disguises were that perfect.
“Should I kick him out?” Ren asked with a gentle smile, though I could sense the irritation hidden beneath.
‘He really hates Melphis.’
Well, it made sense. The losses in manpower and resources from kidnapping him ten times weren’t small.
“It’s fine. I’ll go myself. He came to see me anyway.”
I headed straight to the room where Melphis was.
After opening the door with six locks, I half-opened my eyes and scanned the silver-haired man from head to toe.
Deep ocean-blue eyes. Sharp features shaded with intensity. A nose bridge sharp enough to cut.
Overall, he had a cold impression—completely different from the Melphis I knew.
But seeing his annoyingly cheerful smile, I was certain again.
“Melphis… it’s you again?”
I asked incredulously, and his blue eyes curved mischievously.
“I’ve been waiting.”
He looked incredibly happy—like something good had happened.
Even though he was currently kidnapped and imprisoned.
“I was worried you might not recognize my disguise this time, but it still works. I’m glad, Vivian.”
“Are you trying to provoke me?”
I shot him a glare, and he laughed.
“Of course not. Why would I tease you? I should be busy winning your favor.”
I snorted at his shamelessness.
“There you go again. If you want to flirt with me, come meet me normally. Who uses such extreme methods?”
“So if I ask you out, you’ll accept? Can I get my hopes up?”
“As if. You sure talk big.”
“See? Rejected again. Try to understand my situation—I can only see you this way.”
Looking at his brazen expression, I shrugged.
‘I really can’t figure him out.’
He says he’s interested in me, but does that even make sense?
I’m literally the criminal who kidnapped him.
At first, I suspected ulterior motives and even followed him—but found nothing.
‘If anything, he just became more suspicious.’
Despite being kidnapped multiple times, Melphis had never reported me.
‘Even if we made a promise, who actually keeps something like that?’
But it didn’t matter anymore. I just had to stop kidnapping him from now on.
‘Today, I’ll finally uncover the secret of that disguise.’
I stepped closer to him and raised my hand.
“Come closer. I need to figure out how you’re doing this.”
Surprisingly, he complied.
I brushed through his hair.
It was too soft and natural to be a wig—indistinguishable from real hair.
I tried to find the boundary between wig and scalp, but there was none.
Next, I touched his eyebrows.
You can’t just swap those like a wig—how could they look this perfect?
I pressed his nose—it felt like real cartilage.
I cupped his cheeks and pulled his face closer.
His original sky-blue eyes were gone, replaced by deep ocean-colored irises—with no visible lenses.
Even when I rubbed his skin, no makeup came off.
‘How is this even possible?’
Amazed by the uncanny perfection, I kept touching his face in disbelief.
Then—
“So the disguise is just an excuse—you just wanted to touch my face, right? Be honest, Vivian. If you say yes, I might get excited.”
What nonsense.
My grip tightened on his cheeks.
“Ah! That hurts!”
I shot him a glare and released him.
His cheeks turned red in the exact shape of my fingers.
“I knew it, but you’re really strong, Vivian.”
“If you know that, maybe stop messing around?”
“I’m attracted to strong women. It just makes you more charming.”
Even after all that, he still hadn’t come to his senses.
At that moment—
The door opened, and Ren walked in.
“Ren? What is it?”
“There’s a problem with the device. I think you need to check it yourself.”
“What? Is it serious?”
“I think so. I checked, but I couldn’t find the cause.”
If even Ren couldn’t figure it out, it might actually be serious.
“I’ll go right away. Take care of Melphis for me—kick him out.”
“Of course! Leave it to me.”
As I hurried out, I suddenly stopped.
I had forgotten to say goodbye.
“Melphis, see you next time! Actually—no, let’s not!”
With that, I rushed off to the monitoring room.
