"You're a funny person, you're surprised by this much."
"Uh, uh...uh..."
His sweaty voice and the mixed smell of everything prevented me from continuing. I stared at him, my voice wet with moisture, as if I were trapped in a box, unable to speak or act. And tears continued to stream down my cheeks, uncontrollably.
"It's really weak."
Who would have thought he'd make such a fuss over something like this? He muttered as he looked at me, staring at me like I was a bug for a long time. It was the first time he'd looked at me so condescendingly. No matter how many times I'd been ignored, being looked at like this was terribly humiliating.
"Hey.."
"Why? Cursing?"
My body, already trembling with rage, couldn't help but freeze. His gaze wasn't murderous, rude, shameful, or even interesting. It was affectionate. What a strange person. For a moment, I clenched my jaw. But despite his affectionate actions, I didn't want to be anything to him.
"What are you doing? Don't shoot. Killing people is what you do best."
I snickered and tried to trick him, but his gentle hand stopped and he hit my neck with the edge of his hand, causing me to faint.
When I woke up, the gag was removed from my mouth. My hands were handcuffed, and he smiled bashfully at me. I thought to myself,
'You could kill me by just applying force to your index finger. You could kill me for teasing you, but this is all you can do.'
I was confused. His thoughts. I couldn't understand why he was giving me this opportunity, even though I was part of the gang that kidnapped me and hadn't begged for my life. With a puzzled expression and a leisurely hum, he watched my every move intently. He spoke to me in a natural tone.
"Hi, you're awake."
He had a smile on his lips, but his eyes weren't grinning with the ferocity of a hyena. He came towards me and pulled the gag out of my mouth with one hand, pulling it firmly. The pain made tears fall from my eyes. He spoke to me without a question mark. Even though we'd only known each other for a few hours, I could tell it was his natural way of speaking. His gaze seemed to hold a fearful presence that couldn't be hidden.
"You made such a funny noise that I fainted."
His hand, touching my lips, was as tender as it had been, but the silence froze the atmosphere. My eyelashes trembled with fear, burning with lingering heat. How could his voice and actions, so unwavering, be so unerring? And then he covered my eyes with his long fingers, and the momentary blackout terrified me.
Death was creeping upon me. Before I knew it, I was trembling like an aspen leaf.
'Can I live? Can I live?'
With repeated questions, my confidence gradually faded. He was the kind of person who would poke around in my head, as if trying to mess with my thoughts. A small, circular object, cold against my temple, began pressing down with a squelching sound. And then, instinctively, I knew: This is a gun.
"I guess you have a hunch about what this is."
"..."
I needed to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. The words I managed to utter were a rudimentary question.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Well, I'm not the type to enjoy indiscriminate slaughter."
I could tell right away that he was lying. He'd killed everyone there without a single change of expression, yet he was applying this kind of arrogance to me. I knew full well he was probably just acting. This man, with his sly words and expression, could easily commit such inappropriate acts, and he worked for an organization with many spies and enemies.
"Ugh..."
Something inside me suddenly rose up, whether it was because of the stress or the smell of blood.
"Why is that?"
"It's because of the smell of blood."
I knew he'd tease me if he found out I was anxious. That's why I pretended to be strong. But he smiled at me with a sly smile and said,
"You're going too far, don't you understand my desire to be with you?"
That feeling was probably meant to be a toy. He grabbed my chin firmly with one hand and chuckled. Then, as light entered my vision, I could see his face. It was indeed a beautiful face. To be honest, I became curious about this person. Curiosity was a very scary feeling. Because of that, I crossed the line. My head warned me never to be curious, never to ask, but instinct won out over reason.
"You wonder who I am."
He stood up and looked down at me, smiling faintly. I nodded unconsciously, and he stroked my face with a soft smile and gently bit my ear.
"what are you doing?!"
"Stay still, Ewha."
Do you know my name?
For a moment, that fact flooded my mind. No thoughts crossed my mind. I was in a state of panic. Then he whispered something in my ear, and when I didn't respond, he told me the truth.
"When you passed out, the investigation was already over."
"..."
"I told you I was curious, didn't I?"
"huh"
"taehyoung kim"
He smiled and kissed Hwa.
"Think about why I saved you, Hwa."
"..."
"I don't know because I'm dull"
"hey!"
The medicine kicked in for a moment. What is this man saying now?
I had no idea what he was up to. But I knew one thing. He was looking at me now, and a subtle, inexplicable emotion was running through him. What could it be? My heart was pounding. Was it surprise? Fear? Or was it some emotion I hadn't anticipated?
"Are you scared?"
I've always wondered what he was thinking. I wondered what was behind his enchanting appearance, what was behind his sudden, snake-like change of subject.
"The puzzle will gradually be solved."
Maybe I've been tamed by this man from the start. No, it's still ongoing. I need to break free from him before he's completely consumed. But, perhaps knowing my feelings or not, he looked at me intently and blurted out something.