"Yeah."
The answer that came back to the demand that he not kill me and even protect me was pretty damn sharp. It was so quick I doubted whether he'd even thought it through, or whether he'd understood me properly.
"...Yeah?"
That’s it? Just like that? I looked at Woojin suspiciously.
"So that means you’ll protect me?"
"Yeah. Isn’t that the condition you set?"
"It is, but you agreed way too easily..."
"And here I thought I’d be praised for accepting your proposal."
I had nothing to say to that.
Just then, the phone Woojin was holding rang. After checking the screen, he held it out to me. It was a call from my family.
I stepped away for a moment and took the call.
It was my dad calling to say there was something to take care of regarding his inheritance, so I should come to the villa. He said the rest of the family was already gathered there. When I ended the call and came back, Woojin was taking the phone away from his ear too. The moment our eyes met, he ended the call.
He probably reported that he’d found the password-locked phone to the chairman. I walked past Woojin and back into the living room. Men were sprawled out everywhere, and broken windows caught my eye.
This house isn’t safe anymore. I need to go somewhere with people. People I can trust. And with the family all gathering at the villa, it was the perfect opportunity—and excuse—for me.
"I have somewhere to go."
"Somewhere?"
"I need to go to the villa."
"...."
"My whole family is there."
Woojin didn’t ask any further. He just looked down at me with cold eyes.
A black Jaguar was parked outside. An assassin driving such a flashy car. Or was he not even an assassin, since he just kills people openly? Anyway, I got into Woojin’s luxurious car, and we headed straight for the villa. The smooth engine almost lulled me to sleep, but I barely kept myself awake. Stay alert. The person beside me is a killer.
Neither of us said a word in the car. I kept checking the 2G phone I’d tucked into my bag. Only after confirming it was still there did I zip it back up. For some reason, every time I held the phone, it felt like I was holding my dad’s hand. I clenched my face tight and swallowed my tears.
By the time we reached the villa, the sun had already set. When I opened the front door and stepped inside, all the family members gathered in the living room turned to look at me at once.
"Yeoju, you’ve had a rough time."
"Yes."
My aunt hugged me with a look of pity. Tears welled up for no good reason, so I kept the hug brief. The warm pat on my back made me want to just collapse and fall asleep like this. After answering, I went inside, and Woojin followed behind me. The family’s expressions changed the moment they noticed him.
"Who’s the person behind you?"
My uncle, sitting on the sofa, asked. Everyone kept glancing back and forth between me and Woojin, half suspicious and half hopeful. I opened my mouth, but no answer came right away. I’d forgotten to think of what to say.
I couldn’t say he’d come to kill me, then ended up taking on the job of guarding me after our negotiations. And if I said he was a bodyguard, I’d have to explain why I suddenly needed one in the first place. In that brief moment, Woojin came up beside me.
His face, which had been frozen cold, now wore a gentle smile.
"He’s my boyfriend."
My eyes widened and my head snapped around. Woojin was smiling toward the family without even looking at me.
"Boyfriend?"
"Yes."
It was the first I’d heard of it, but his answer was calm. The family looked back and forth between me and Woojin, puzzled. I could only force up the corners of my mouth without saying a word. Even at a family gathering, a niece’s fresh romance is amusing material for them. The adults relaxed their faces and said things like, Sure, sure. Come in and sit down. You were comforted well, right? Stay as long as you like.
We sat side by side on the living room sofa. The family stood up, saying they’d step out for a bit. Even though I waved them off and said it wasn’t necessary, the others still left the living room for a while. They were probably just in the kitchen or the parlor nearby, not far away. As soon as the family disappeared from view, I leaned sharply toward Woojin.
"No, are you crazy?! Why would you tell such a lie?"
Woojin kept staring straight ahead, smiling. Without even moving his lips much, he spoke like a ventriloquist.
"Drop the honorifics."
"Why should I?"
"Normally, affectionate lovers don’t talk formally. Unless you want people to suspect us, I don’t mind."
I looked at Woojin, dumbfounded. His gaze was still fixed on the hallway leading to the kitchen and the parlor.
"They’ll hear us here. Our conversation."
"...Who said we were affectionate lovers?"
"Fine. That’s better."
I clenched my teeth and lowered my voice even more. Woojin seemed satisfied with my casual speech as he looked down at me. This made us look like peers, didn’t it? Maybe because he no longer seemed murderous, it felt awkward.
"Anyway, why would you tell such a lie? What if we get found out?"
"Because you couldn’t answer fast enough."
"So you go and say I’m your boyfriend?"
"If I said you were my bodyguard, could you explain that?"
I had nothing to say. Woojin, still smiling, added,
"Smile."
"Huh?"
"I’m watching."
Watching from where? I looked around, but there was no one I could see. Where was he sensing that from? So this is what makes a killer different.
I shoved myself closer to Woojin and lowered my head. It was enough if it looked like he was comforting me.
"Seriously, this is so annoying."
Woojin patted my head several times. It was the hand that had just killed someone, but it was unbelievably warm. Just as my eyelids started to droop from exhaustion, the family came back into the living room.
"Uncle will be here soon too, so let’s get started."
On the table was a document envelope with my dad’s name written on it.
