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Perhaps Kwon Hyuk wasn’t viewing her as negatively as she thought. She should have felt relieved, but Kwon Hyuk’s recent words stung like a thorn under her fingernail. Yoon Tae-ha, revealing her anxiety by pressing the edge of the paper with her fingernail, cautiously opened her mouth.
“So from tomorrow, Chairman Cheon or my chimera won’t be meeting Cheon Geon-young?”
“They will attend the Charity Gala separately. Officially, Cheon Geon-young’s partner is listed as you, but their movements are separate. The Director-General’s side has assigned separate escorts to the chimera.”
“I see.”
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two people sitting opposite each other in the old living room. After a while, Kwon Hyuk gazed at the turned-off television screen, then got up. Yoon Tae-ha also rose from the sofa.
“Is it time for you to go?”
“Yes. This house and the house next door are connected by an underground passage. After I leave, my subordinate will come in and tell you more about the internal structure and emergency exits. I’d like to give you personal space, but by regulation, subordinates will occasionally look into the living room.”
“It’s not inconvenient. You can stay in the living room as much as needed.”
Kwon Hyuk lightly tugged at his coat to tidy his appearance, then scrutinized Yoon Tae-ha’s crestfallen face.
“I heard through Chertan. He said that the government supervisor dispatched to Ark’s educational institution didn’t properly listen to your story when you were young. Is that true?”
Yoon Tae-ha wore a puzzled expression at the sudden topic. Did he think that part wasn’t true? However, she didn’t have the energy to hold Kwon Hyuk and explain the details of her childhood right now.
“Yes. You’ll have to find out the truth for yourself. I was young then, so I don’t remember all their names.”
“I’ve already found them. And I plan to take action to ensure they receive appropriate legal punishment.”
“Is there a reason to bring up a finished story again?”
“I wanted to confirm it for you.”
Kwon Hyuk continued calmly. Yoon Tae-ha, bewildered, stopped fiddling with the edge of the paper.
“The practitioners who unjustly exploited you, the supervisors who had an obligation to manage them, and even the final decision-makers. Anyone in this land who can be held accountable will face the judgment of the law. If they cannot be prosecuted here, I will drag them to international court.”
His explanation was intended to reassure her.
“I also believe that Changcheon will do its job properly. Cheon Geon-young must have learned his trade there. By any chance, are you concerned about me because of Geon-young?”
“Ms. Yoon Tae-ha has the right to hear the progress of this case in detail, more than anyone else.”
The eyes that had been like an animal surviving in barren soil suddenly softened. At Kwon Hyuk’s words, she instantly felt like the carefree child who used to run around the lab. She felt a little embarrassed.
“I’m glad you’re trusting us and following the operation. I’ve taken up a lot of your time. Please rest.”
With a final greeting, Kwon Hyuk left the safe house. As soon as the sound of his footsteps descending the stairs disappeared, Yoon Tae-ha let out the sigh she had been holding back.
Even though her feet were on solid ground, she felt more dizzy and nauseous than when she was floating on the sea. Was this dizziness the aftermath of the twisted gears of time finding their place?
A short while later, Kwon Hyuk’s subordinates visited the living room, carrying bags full of groceries. Yoon Tae-ha was able to escape the impact of his words by organizing the seemingly impossible amount of food for one adult to consume.
________________________________________
It was a cloudless day.
Cheon Geon-young, on his way home after lunch with Chairman Cheon, unexpectedly turned the car’s steering wheel. The original schedule was to visit Changcheon’s headquarters just before descending to Busan, to check the background information of the prominent figures they would meet on the cruise. But he indulged in a whim.
Whenever he met Chairman Cheon or a creature resembling Yoon Tae-ha, he often felt like indulging in such whims. He became irritated for inexplicable reasons, and everything felt bothersome. Was he slowly going mad due to the countless things he couldn’t control? Cheon Geon-young drove, even blaming the unusually clear and bright weather.
Eventually, Cheon Geon-young arrived at the residence where Ark’s agents stayed. If he followed his desires, he wanted to go to Yoon Tae-ha’s hideout right away. Even if the only change was the type of fruit in the refrigerator.
However, without exaggeration, Cheon Geon-young was currently encountering the monitors placed by Chairman Cheon and the Director-General at every turn. Frequent visits that could reveal the hideout’s location should be avoided. As for the residence, everyone involved in the incident had already visited it, so it would be fine for him to go there.
After receiving a visitor’s pass and going upstairs, Cheon Geon-young cautiously opened the front door of the house. Yoon Tae-ha had told him the door code. It was her birthday. The image of her face, confessing her dislike for living a complicated life like a profoundly immoral secret, flickered in his mind.
The living room was a mess. The kitchen was the same. Footprints of people who had rummaged through the house without care were everywhere.
Yoon Tae-ha didn’t seem to have much interest in decorating her home stylishly, but she wasn’t the type to neglect cleaning either. Seeing the once empty but neat space now dirty, his mood was utterly torn. This was why he couldn’t bring himself to come here. He couldn’t pretend to be unbothered after seeing something like this.
The large sofa, which had been placed in the center, had been forcibly pushed against the window by someone. Did they really think the woman would have buried an important secret under the sofa? Cheon Geon-young reluctantly tore his eyes away from the sofa where they had lain at opposite ends, exchanging idle chatter, and headed for the bedroom.
The room was even more disheveled. All the clothes in the closet were pulled out and scattered on the floor, and some of the bathroom tiles were broken. Even the bag and pencil case she used during her infiltration mission were slashed with a knife.
Cheon Geon-young picked up the pencil case, which she had said was her personal item, and stood still. One of the bear doll’s ears was on the verge of falling off. His ownerless heart swayed like a shipwreck caught in a storm.
He had no choice but to admit it. His resentment towards his family had turned into guilt, and his affection for the woman had turned into regret, pulling him into a swamp. He opened his mouth, but no air entered. The flame only burned, fueled by hope.
Just before the mental distress transformed into physical pain, Cheon Geon-young picked up the pencil case and left the room to take his medicine. At that moment, his phone rang in his pocket. It was Kwon Hyuk.
Was it a call to reprimand him for not coming to the appointment? Cheon Geon-young hesitated for a moment to answer the call due to a throbbing headache, but he eventually pressed the call button. And he remained silent for a very long time at the news delivered from the other end. Perhaps thinking he hadn’t heard properly, Kwon Hyuk emphasized again.
Yoon Tae-ha is alive.
________________________________________
Yoon Tae-ha was stepping up her final preparations in the safe house. Medications that could paralyze chimeras, disguise items for unforeseen situations, and protective gear that wasn’t noticeable when worn. She neatly arranged the necessary items on the bed and, whenever she felt nervous, looked at the organized objects to remind herself that her preparations were perfect.
When she went out into the living room, she saw two agents slumped on the sofa, dozing off, using each other’s heads as support. They hadn’t slept a wink for the past three days due to guarding her.
Yoon Tae-ha approached the kitchen as quietly as possible. But a soft ball of fur tickling her ankles made her drop the water bottle while taking water out of the refrigerator. Yoon Tae-ha, who barely saved the water bottle with her telekinesis just before it hit the floor, gave a scolding look to the cat looking up at her with round eyes.
“Meow?”
“Be quiet.”
The cat purred, rubbing its tail and body against her ankle. This mischievous cat had visited her safe house last night. And the two had a tearful reunion with fur flying everywhere. It was because of Kwon Hyuk’s consideration that Reve had come to the safe house.
Yoon Tae-ha took Reve back to the bedroom so as not to disturb the agents’ sleep. Upon arriving in the room, the cat rolled once on the floor, then transformed into the beautiful boy she knew.
“Are you that nervous? You haven’t been able to sit still for a while now, have you?”
Reve, who had teased her with a cheerful voice, plopped down in the rocking chair placed near the wall. With a creaking sound, the chair began to move slightly back and forth.
“You’re nervous too. Do you know how many times you’ve transformed today? This is the thirty-second time. It’s only 5 PM, so you’ll probably do it about twenty more times by tomorrow. Since it’s like this, why don’t you try to reach fifty?”
“Counting that, you’re not normal either. Can’t you stop thinking about that fishy-smelling creature for just a moment? The chimera, I mean.”
“Imagine you’re walking on a roof and you encounter a cat that looks exactly like you. Wouldn’t you think about that cat all day?”
At Yoon Tae-ha’s retort, urging him to put himself in her shoes, Reve immediately furrowed his brow.
“There’s no cat like me in the world but me. I have silky fur and two eyes as luminous as a full moon.”
The boy lifted his chin haughtily.
“My eyes aren’t as luminous as yours, so people seem to be easily fooled.”
Yoon Tae-ha lay weakly on the bed. However, the space to lie down was cramped due to her preparations. A moment later, Reve forcibly squeezed into the remaining space on the bed. Yoon Tae-ha absently stroked the curly hair of the child who was lying with his head on her stomach, sorting through her complex feelings. Time seemed to pass too slowly.
Finally, at midnight, Kwon Hyuk visited the safe house. She was able to safely arrive at the hotel where the charity event would take place in advance, using the underground secret passage.
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