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Psst! We're moving!
As more people listened to his story, Song Jun-tae’s expression brightened considerably.
“Thank you for the fighter jet model set you gave me last time. My favorite was the Silent Blackeye.”
“You’ve already memorized its name? That’s amazing.”
The two men began talking about the toy set Cheon Geon-young had gifted. Yoon Tae-ha tidied her wind-blown hair, feeling relieved that Cheon Geon-young didn’t seem too upset.
It seemed he was showing a cheerful demeanor because of the child, but even if it wasn’t for her, she was glad to see Cheon Geon-young’s peaceful face after so long. It was the image she had dreamed of when she was entering the land, almost like smuggling herself in on a container ship. The happy moments she had shared with him flowed neatly into her mind.
The conversation, which had continued for a long time, stopped when Assemblyman Song’s wife called her son back to their seats. Even the wind, which had been continuously blowing, disappeared, leaving only silence between her and Cheon Geon-young. Yoon Tae-ha gathered her willpower and inner strength, fixing her eyes on the sea, trying to avert them from the person she wanted to look at. Then Cheon Geon-young said softly,
“You’ve been busy. There’s no chance to meet unless it’s evening.”
Yoon Tae-ha immediately turned her head.
“Who are you to say that right now...”
“And yesterday at the concert, you sat next to someone else.”
Was he watching her, even when she was associating with someone else due to the Director-General’s orders? She hadn’t felt his gaze.
Yoon Tae-ha subtly glanced around, like a wild animal trying to sneak into its owner’s house.
“Were you upset?”
As soon as she asked the question, Cheon Geon-young’s face instantly became expressionless, as if he had donned a mask. He seemed like someone who wasn’t allowed to feel emotions like resentment. He looked at his wristwatch, then stood up as if an important matter had suddenly occurred to him. Was he already going to leave?
“Hold me.”
But her prediction was wrong. Cheon Geon-young extended his hand, and Yoon Tae-ha quickly grasped it, not wanting to miss the opportunity. The gentlemanly hand was rougher and hotter than before. Even knowing they were on the open sea, a momentary urge to flee somewhere with him surged within her. He only held her hand; Cheon Geon-young didn’t even provide guiding.
Soon after, Song Jun-tae, who had kissed his mother’s cheek, ran towards them, and his hand dropped away.
“I’m going in now. I’m going to race the swimming instructor in backstroke.”
Yoon Tae-ha, quickly regaining her composure, offered words of encouragement to the bright-eyed boy. Hearing that, Song Jun-tae spread his palm next to his lips, as if he wanted to tell them something. Both adults simultaneously bent down for the child.
“It’s nice to have two fairy grandmothers.”
A chirping sound like a bright yellow chick was mixed in his voice. As she vaguely understood the boy’s words, Yoon Tae-ha stood rooted to the spot.
________________________________________
Due to someone’s deliberate planning, Cheon Geon-young found himself in a situation where he had to share sleeping quarters with someone else in the aquatic city. The person who had initially refused the invitation suddenly arrived, causing confusion in villa assignments. As a result, Cheon Geon-young, who was among the late invitees, was assigned to the same villa as another person.
He found out about this absurd fact immediately after disembarking from the cruise. Predictably, the woman assigned to the same villa as him was Yoon Tae-ha.
The staff member, who apologized profusely with polite and humble gestures, explained that only that residential area was under the highest level of security.
“All the other villas in this area are also currently occupied by guests. Fortunately, there is one newly built villa remaining, but the interior work is not yet finished. It’s truly too unfinished to show to guests, we are very sorry.”
Ark’s persuasion was that if Cheon Geon-young stayed in the same villa for a short time, they would quickly resolve the confusion and assign him new accommodation.
Yoon Tae-ha shook her head, genuinely surprised by the other party’s carelessness. Her imitation of the chimera was quite good.
“Surely, there are two bedrooms, aren’t there?”
“It’s a large villa with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.”
Only after hearing that the spaces would be separated did she willingly hand over her luggage to the staff.
The two sat side-by-side in the back of an electric car, heading towards the villa where they would stay during the exhibition. On the way, the staff member explained that all transportation in Nautilus City ran on electricity generated by solar and hydro power.
Soon, they arrived at the villa. A butler, with an incomparably bright and cheerful face, stood on the wooden path leading to the villa, greeting the guests. A water villa, majestically standing behind the butler, floated on the seawater using sturdy supports.
The staff member who had driven them left after moving their luggage. Meanwhile, Yoon Tae-ha, who became the talkative butler’s target, walked around the villa listening to his explanations.
“It’s an honor to introduce this place to such important guests.”
Cheon Geon-young pretended to look around the living room, but his attention was entirely on Yoon Tae-ha. Today’s Yoon Tae-ha, dressed in a knee-length dress adorned with white lace and beads, was unbelievably beautiful. It felt like staring at the dazzling sunlight pouring onto a snowfield without any protective gear.
“I think that concludes the explanation of the outdoor facilities. Now, please come inside.”
The explanation, which began with the sun deck and outdoor pool jutting out over the sea, and a giant hammock, seemed determined to cover the entire two-story villa before ending. Yoon Tae-ha, who had initially engaged in conversation out of curiosity, was slowly beginning to look tired.
“In this bedroom, the ceiling opens up so you can gaze at the trajectory of the stars. And of course, since all the villa’s energy is supplied by the sun, you don’t have to worry about waste or pollution.”
“That’s right. The fish would like that.”
“Of course! If you drive a buggy car for just 10 minutes, there’s a fantastic snorkeling spot. Shall I take you there?”
“It hasn’t been even 3 hours since I disembarked from the cruise. I’ll ask you later.”
“Please request anytime. Oh, and did I mention the wine cellar in the kitchen? All the alcohol there is complimentary for both of you. The weather is clear today, so I’d recommend a whiskey with an exquisite blend of hazelnut and peach aromas.”
The butler, who had introduced the living room and kitchen, naturally led her to the bedroom. The two disappeared from Cheon Geon-young’s sight, who had been standing in front of the living room window. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, he followed them into the bedroom.
“In the bedroom, you can truly see a breathtaking sunset. And the study right next to it has a transparent floor, so you can watch what’s below the water.”
Yoon Tae-ha, who had been showing no interest, for the first time showed interest in the special glass floor. She casually listened to the butler explain about the armchair in the study, tapping the glass with her toes. Emerald-colored seawater rippled beneath the glass.
“If you press the call button, a staff member will arrive within 5 minutes, no matter the situation.”
Finally, the butler left with a regretful expression, having run out of things to explain. Only the two of them remained in the same space. A tense silence flowed for a while, and Yoon Tae-ha was the first to take the initiative and claim a desired bedroom.
“I’ll take the bedroom on the right.”
She deliberately spoke in a loud voice. She seemed to be concerned about eavesdropping devices or surveillance cameras. Yoon Tae-ha dragged her suitcase into her room. But she came out again after just 5 minutes. In her hand was a scanner that looked like a portable speaker.
Seeing Cheon Geon-young, who had also come out of his bedroom, Yoon Tae-ha signaled him to be quiet. She placed the scanner on the table in the center of the living room and activated the device. Soon, a dark green light beam emerged from the scanner, sweeping across the entire living room. Yoon Tae-ha, confirming the results, shrugged and said,
“Surprisingly, there aren’t any.”
However, she didn’t let her guard down and walked through every room in the villa, searching for the Director-General’s traps. Cheon Geon-young also moved busily, following a path opposite hers, checking every narrow gap and space between picture frames for hidden cameras.
Finally, Cheon Geon-young, who had checked every screw in the kitchen cupboard, dusted off his hands. Just then, Yoon Tae-ha came down the stairs leading to the second floor and asked,
“None there either?”
“None.”
“It doesn’t seem like it’s because they want to protect our minimal human rights... I think it’s because they know you’ll check everything anyway, so they don’t want to create anything that could be held against them.”
“Where did you get that machine?”
Cheon Geon-young gestured towards the scanner with his eyes. Yoon Tae-ha replied as if it were nothing.
“I stole it from the bodyguard assigned to me. Since they used it themselves, its performance must be reliable. Can you burn this?”
He nodded and took the device.
Just then, someone rang the doorbell. Yoon Tae-ha, who had been approaching where Cheon Geon-young was standing, changed direction and headed to the entrance. He followed her. Waiting outside the door was Dr. Moon So-eun, holding a basket of fresh fruit.
“I heard you’re staying here, so I came by for a moment.”
“Dr. Moon.”
Yoon Tae-ha smiled, greeting her.
“Would you like to come in? It’s a bit hot outside.”
“No. I just came to drop off some fruit. Wow... Anyway, it’s magnificent from the entrance. Is there really a need to move to another place? It looks like ten people could sleep here.”
“Would you like to sleep here too, Doctor?”
Cheon Geon-young knew that Yoon Tae-ha was acting as the chimera, but he almost failed to maintain his expression for a moment. As he appeared from behind Yoon Tae-ha, Moon So-eun exaggeratedly pretended to be happy to see him.
“Oh, Geon-young was here too! Yoon Tae-ha, no matter how much you like me, you shouldn’t say things like that. You need your companion’s permission too.”
“Thank you for the fruit.”
“Enjoy it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to interfere.”
Moon So-eun waved her hand towards the two standing side-by-side, then left.
Suddenly, Yoon Tae-ha’s shoulders slumped as if she had taken on all the world’s troubles. She dragged her feet, following Cheon Geon-young, who was holding the fruit basket. It was clear that her mood had plummeted to rock bottom due to the encounter with Moon So-eun.
Cheon Geon-young, who had roughly placed the basket on the kitchen island, was about to turn around to check her mood. But he couldn’t turn because slender, soft arms hugged him from behind.
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