Chapter 29
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Their Respective Stories (5)
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He'd told me I would have to kill someone.
I had steeled myself for it, but I never imagined the target would be a child like this.
It felt like I'd been hit over the head.
I was starting to understand why he had hesitated before telling me.
While I was silent, Ded spoke about the target.
“She's on her way to the capital for summer break from the academy, and she's in the first-class car of this train. I've prepared everything you'll need, so I'm counting on you.”
Ded pointed to the back of the paper.
I flipped it over and saw faint writing in pencil.
It was the number of the lavatory car closest to first class, and the location of some item.
The girl's picture kept catching my eye.
Why did she have to be assassinated?
What's her story?
“Understood.”
My mind was a mess, but my reply was simple.
Asking wouldn't change a thing.
Ded was the first to get up from his seat.
With a snap of his fingers, all the sounds returned to normal.
“The drinks are on me. Good luck.”
Four unfamiliar coins sat on the table.
The bartender glanced at me, wondering if he could take them.
After Ded had completely vanished, I quietly pushed the coins forward and stood up.
Instead of the third-class car, I headed for the second.
I entered the lavatory at the end of the second-class corridor.
The lavatory was surprisingly ordinary.
After locking the door, I reached for the ceiling.
‘The fourth panel from the right, was it?’
I pressed my palm against the ceiling.
A section of the ceiling shifted and came loose.
Reaching into the gap, I pulled out a small bag.
I felt like I was in a spy movie.
Inside the bag were a forged ID, a ticket, and a small dagger.
It was much smaller than the dagger I'd used on the first floor.
I wondered how I was supposed to kill someone with this, but then I saw a small vial taped to the hilt.
The glass vial contained a liquid.
When I shook it gently, the liquid inside turned cloudy.
I knew instinctively that it was poison.
The idea, it seemed, was to coat the dagger with the poison and stab her.
I took the dagger.
The bag also contained another notebook and what looked like a train ticket.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Sir, are you all right?”
He seemed worried that I'd been in the lavatory for so long.
To avoid any mix-ups, I put the forged ID in my pocket and hid my original one.
I opened the door.
“I'm fine. Just feeling a bit unwell.”
“I see. Shall I bring you some medicine?”
I nodded at the uniformed man's offer.
“I'll bring the medicine to your seat.”
He held out a hand toward me.
It was a gesture offering to carry my bag.
I naturally handed him the bag.
“And your seat number is?”
“S2.”
“My apologies. I didn't recognize you...”
The moment he heard the letter 'S,' he quickly bowed his head.
Judging by his reaction, I figured it must be a VIP seat.
I gave a slight wave of my hand, gesturing that it was fine.
The first-class car was incredibly nice.
A red carpet ran down the corridor, and the space was divided into private rooms, ensuring privacy for each passenger.
The man knocked on the door marked S2.
“Yes?”
The voice of a girl in her early teens came from beyond the door.
“May I come in?”
“Of course.”
The man opened the door. I followed his lead and stepped inside.
A girl was sitting demurely on one side of a spacious sofa.
She had waist-length blonde hair, pale skin, and red eyes.
I knew at a glance that she was Lia Angelina.
She was quite beautiful in the drawing, but in person, she was even more so.
The drawing couldn't fully capture her beauty.
“This is...”
The man trailed off, looking at me, as if realizing he didn't know my name.
The paper only had the seat number, no alias.
But I couldn't very well use my real name.
“I'm Kim Yoo-han.”
I replied naturally and took a seat.
It was a combination of the most common surname and a rough mix of my own name, Yoo Ji-han.
“I'm Lia Angelina. You have a unique name.”
“Haha.”
I laughed awkwardly at her comment.
I should have come up with a foreign name.
The male attendant approached.
“May I see your ticket, please?”
I handed him the ticket I had tucked away.
After checking the information, he politely returned it.
“If you require medicine, I can bring it to you.”
I raised my hand and politely declined.
The upset stomach was just an excuse, and I didn't want any complications.
He nodded silently at my refusal.
Instead, Lia raised her hand.
“Lemonade.”
“Right away.”
The man bowed, then looked back at me, his eyes asking if I needed anything.
“Just water will be fine.”
I ordered water without much thought.
Ever since I'd heard I had to kill the girl, I'd been dying of thirst.
Silence fell in the train car after the man left.
Lia was leaning against the sofa, quietly reading a book.
The scenery outside was ordinary. After leaving the city, we'd been traveling through grasslands.
A moment later.
The man returned with the lemonade and water.
He placed them on the table between us and left.
Lia closed her book, set it on the table, and took a sip of her lemonade.
It was a simple act, but she did it with such elegance.
As her hair fell back, Lia's pale neck was exposed.
I swallowed hard, wanting to make it as quick as possible for her.
It felt like I could do it now.
I hid the dagger behind my back.
I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped the hilt of the poisoned dagger.
“Mr. Yoo-han, what brings you to the capital?”
She spoke to me.
I debated whether or not to answer.
Hiding the dagger between my thighs, I drank the water on the table.
“I have some personal business in the capital.”
“Personal business?”
“Yes, I'm a businessman.”
“Oh, how interesting.”
I nodded instead of replying.
I worried I'd gone too far with the 'businessman' claim, but thankfully, she didn't seem suspicious.
This train was a direct route to the capital, running through the night.
There was still time.
That thought put me a little more at ease.
“And you, Miss Lia? What brings you to the capital?”
“I'm a student. I'm on my way to see my parents for the holidays.”
“I see.”
“If you're free later, we should get a meal together. I know a lot of good dessert shops. Oh, do you dislike cheesecake?”
Cheesecake. It had been a long time since I'd heard that word.
All you could get in the lobby was jerky or tasteless bread.
“No, I like it.”
Cheesecake or anything else, as long as it was edible, I was all for it.
Of course, there was no chance of me and Lia happily eating cheesecake at a café in the capital.
Lia rummaged through her things and pulled something out.
From a neatly wrapped package, she produced none other than beef jerky.
It seemed like an odd snack for her.
“Have you had lunch?”
“Not yet.”
“Would you like some of this, then?”
Lia offered me the jerky.
After a moment's hesitation, I took it from her.
I took a bite of the long strip of jerky.
It was much tougher than I expected.
Even the jerky from the lobby hadn't been this chewy.
I barely managed to swallow it and drank all my remaining water.
It wasn't just tough; it had a strange, gamey smell.
I couldn't help but wonder what it was made of.
In any case, it was a taste I had no desire to experience again.
My eyes met Lia's.
“How is it?”
“It's... something. What is it made of, anyway?”
In response to my question, Lia brought a finger to her lips and smiled sweetly.
It might have been my imagination, but her smile sent a strange shiver down my spine.
The train picked up speed, and the atmosphere in the room grew cold.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Lia went back to reading her book quietly.
‘Damn it.’
No matter how I looked at her, she was just an ordinary girl in her early teens.
If I'd known it would be like this, I would've at least gotten a reason from Ded.
‘I have to kill her now...’
I sensed a presence.
I turned my head toward the door first, and Lia answered.
The attendant assigned to our room entered with a bow.
“What would you like for dinner?”
He had come to take our dinner orders.
The man handed menus to both Lia and me.
The tension drained from my body. I ordered the course meal at the top of the menu.
The sun began to set outside the window, and soon, darkness fell.
Dinner took much longer than I'd expected.
Including dessert, there were over twelve courses.
It was the first proper meal I'd had in a long time, but with the situation unchanged, I couldn't even afford to taste the food.
I drank the coffee that came with dessert.
Lia was eating her jerky again.
“You must really like jerky.”
“But you don't seem to be a fan, Mr. Yoo-han.”
“It's a bit too gamey for me.”
I drew the line quickly, worried she might offer me more.
It was no joke; I felt like I could still taste that gamey flavor in my mouth.
The attendant came and cleared away the dessert dishes.
Not long after, he returned, saying he would convert the room for sleeping.
With the attendant visiting so frequently, an assassination was out of the question.
‘I'll have to wait until she's asleep.’
I had no intention of dragging this out on the train.
The space that had been two sofas was transformed into two beds facing each other.
Lia lay down on her bed and yawned.
A red curtain was drawn between the beds.
Lia's voice came from behind the curtain.
“Yawn... I'm tired, so I'm going to turn in early. Is it all right if I turn off the lights?”
She pressed a button on the wall, and the lights in the room went out.
Even after turning off the lights, Lia tossed and turned a few times.
I lay down, thinking it would look suspicious if I just sat on my bed.
I rested my head on the pillow and turned onto my side.
Sleeping on a train... it was a novel experience.
Something I never would have done if I hadn't come to the Tower.
Holding the dagger, I took a deep breath and quietly drew back the curtain.
Moonlight poured in through the window on my side, which didn't have its curtain drawn.
“Damn it!”
I threw back the covers, but there was no one there.
I have to find her