At the Southern Docks, which took around 10 minutes to arrive by car, there was a colorful cruise ship moored under a fluttering flag with the pattern of The Hundred Thousand on it.
A party on board a luxurious cruise ship. I was amazed at the gigantic scale of the wealth of The Hundred Thousand once again.
When I was asked to enter first, I found Baek Hawon already standing in front of the bridge leading to the entrance of the cruise ship, which made me wonder how he arrived first.
The tall man in a posh suit stood out from afar.
His black hair trimmed neatly, a black tie tucked under his collar.
A blue cufflink stood out from the end of his right sleeve that swept over his watch.
The gaze of the man with the burning sunset forming a halo behind him was directed at me.
I walked towards him, possessed by the dizzying illusion that I was in a movie.
“…”
A hand reached out in front of my sight the moment his empty gaze collided with mine. Grab it, those eyes seemed to say, even if his own mouth didn’t move.
Guess which obsessive fanatic those eyes belong to. The hand I reluctantly held was as cold as his expression.
The cruise ship glowed crimson in the sunset as if it was sailing on burning fire. Waves of the same color were clearly visible underneath the transparent bridge that I crossed holding Baek Hawon’s hand, made twice as dizzying because of my high heels.
‘Uwah.”
The cruise ship’s entrance was as large and splendid as the hotel lobby. Even the sparkling chandeliers and the red carpet under my feet were a sight to behold.
In other words, extravagant and lavish.
Besides that, the feeling of walking on the red carpet holding the hand of the novel’s male lead, whom I once liked to the point of being overly immersed with, was not bad.
“Boss.”
At that moment, Jiun, who was walking a certain distance behind us, whispered something to Baek Hawon low enough that I couldn’t hear his voice. It didn’t seem like good news since I saw Baek Hawon’s eyebrows furrow.
“What is it?”
Though pretending to relax, Baek Hawon seemed to ponder for a moment after I asked.
I didn’t expect him to answer me in the first place, but I became more curious about what happened after seeing his face.
“Don’t leave Jiun’s side.”
What he said was unexpected. I tilted my head.
“Jiun only stands by Boss.”
“He’ll stick with you today.”
What on earth did they talk about?
I was filled with curiosity at the words I couldn’t just read about, but when I saw the two expressions containing the unwillingness to tell me, I shut my mouth that stupidly opened.
They didn’t have to be so offended.
I was going to finish the party safely today and never get involved with The Hundred Thousand and Baek Hawon again.
***
The fountain poured out a water stream that drew a beautiful line, shimmering under the light.
Under the night sky that looked as if black paint had been spilled on it, the deck that was decorated with splendor was filled with people. They were all dressed spectacularly, voices raised from getting drunk with wine and making elegant gestures.
“Representative, nice to meet you! I’m…”
“Representative, do you remember me? We met at the K project.”
There were endless people around Baek Hawon, calling him representative instead of Boss.
The desire to reap benefits was clearly displayed on their faces. Baek Hawon’s smile towards them was something I had never witnessed before.
As fast as I could, I sat in a corner where not many people flocked to and tried to ignore the gazes that secretly moved towards me as I leaned on the railing.
Fortunately or not, no one approached me. It did feel a bit weird.
While thinking that, I swallowed a sip of the wine I picked up, then the sound of high heels pierced my ears.
“Long time no see?”
A black miniskirt that clung to her body and dark red hair that was short enough to reach her ears. The woman with as strong an impression as Cha Yeonbyeol’s smiled, her red lips twisting.
Who? Looking at those burning eyes that seemed ready to turn me into a pile of dust, this person seemed to know me very well, but I didn’t.
“Who does this face belong to?”1
The woman burst into laughter as if she found what I said ridiculous.
Before I knew it, everyone’s eyes were on us. It felt as if everyone knew why except me.
“I think my head still hurts from when Yeonbyeol ripped out my hair last year.”
What?
No wonder people were avoiding me. Was this the specific reason?
From the way she looked at me, I could see her desire to rip my own hair off at any moment. I walked backwards without realizing and bumped into Jiun who had been behind me the whole time.
“Do you want me to handle it?”
I forgot what I was going to say the moment our eyes met and the way he threw those words indifferently.
It was no joke. The detached look in his eyes meant he could really do that.
“That’s why you shouldn’t deal with people you don’t know about.”
As soon as I opened my mouth to speak to Jiun, the woman’s high-pitched voice cut through the sound of the waves.
People began to murmur along with the sound of laughter.
I felt nothing when I turned my head and faced those malicious eyes.
I’m not Cha Yeonbyeol. There was no reason to be angry because there was never a scene to empathize with Cha Yeonbyeol.
However, that would also be the same as not getting angry at the woman who wanted to tear my face into shreds.
I smiled a little at the thought.
Is this why Cha Yeonbyeol ripped her hair out last year?
“Stick close behind me.”
The corners of my mouth curved as I smiled towards Jiun, looking at him reassuringly. Jiun’s face hardened.
Jiun’s lips moved as if he was going to say something, but I had already turned completely away from him and grinned at the woman.
I stared quietly at the woman, slowly emptied my wine glass, then opened my mouth as the surroundings became quiet.
“Ah, your wine-colored hair reminded me.”
“…”
“I forgot for a second. I have a bad memory these days, so I often forget things that are common.”
The expression of the woman, who had been smirking this whole time, became cold at my bright, innocent smile.
“You would be memorable if you were as unique as me… but I don’t think that’s it, either?”
“I beg your pardon?”
The woman snapped as her face became contorted.
I strode closer to her. The woman recoiled back.
Her eyes widened in embarrassment, shaking anxiously. Seeing her like that, I let out a cold laugh and whispered softly in her ear.
“Don’t worry, I won’t bite you this time.”
The woman’s pupils quivered as she made a foolish face. I lowered my eyes to the woman and tilted my head.
“You aren’t my brother’s taste, Unni.”
Her lips twisted and she moved to lightly pat her hair, then she looked like she was about to fume.
As expected, it was probably because she wanted to get on Cha Yeonbyeol’s nerves with Baek Hawon.
If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do about it. What an ugly and weak heart to covet what it cannot have.
The woman bit her red lips and trembled. This was the easiest situation I could have expected to happen, so it was almost boring.
There was nothing else to disturb me, so I could quietly go back to watching the party again. I turned to Jiun, smiling in relief.
Then I realized that the eyes of the people who had been distracted by the fight were still on me.
I rolled my eyes awkwardly. This kind of attention was burdensome.
The moment I decided to leave.
Clang!
The waiter, popping out of nowhere, stumbled suddenly and pushed me hard while passing between me and the woman.
The push was too hard to be considered a mistake, to the point where I wouldn’t have realized it as it was and Jiun hadn’t catched me after losing my balance, stumbling on my high heels.
The wine glass in my hand fell to the floor and shattered. The wine bottle that the waiter was holding also broke, leaving red stains on my dress.
“Miss, are you all right?”
Jiun pulled me upright and asked. Holding on to Jiun, I swept my hair back and raised my head.
The waiters all wore white masks that covered half of their faces.
“Ah, I apologize. It was an accident.”
The voice that came out from behind the mask was mixed with a gentle laughter, showing no actual signs of regret.
I could see the half-closed eyes through the holes of his mask.
The waiter’s hand moved to rub his ear, white as snow and covered in expensive accessories that were quite shiny for a waiter.
I felt tingling sensations of chills go through me for an unknown reason.
Time seemed to stop as everything flowed slowly, the breeze sweeping through the hair that seemed to melt in the moonlight.
“Yugeom…?”
I shook my head immediately at the word that burst out of my mouth out of reflex and intuition.
But thanks to the classical music that filled the party hall, my voice wasn’t loud enough for anyone to hear.
This was a place where even I couldn’t step in without an invitation. In a restricted, enclosed space where the only way to escape is down there in the dark, cold sea?
This can’t be true.
“Miss, I think you should wash your hands. I’ll guide you there.”
A hand covered in a white glove stuck out in front of me.
Nevermind the dress, I couldn’t help but think that it was indeed necessary to wash my hands considering how sticky it was.
Instead of holding his hand, I took a handkerchief from Jiun and wrapped it around my drenched hands.
“Then, please guide me.”
Now on to the more general notes,