That Should Do It
That should take care of everything.
Leaving Jinhyun and Are behind, Kwon Soon made her way up to the hotel rooftop.
As long as she was on security detail, she had to remain somewhere she could return within ten minutes at the latest — which meant she couldn't go far in any case. But she had decided she needed to get out of that room no matter what, and for easing the tightness in her chest even a little, this was the best place available.
The nightscape of Paris spread out before her eyes.
Yet… unlike the faintly buoyant mood of only moments before, she found herself gazing at it with a somewhat heavy heart.
Honestly… those two are so obviously crazy about each other that anyone nearby can see it, and yet the progress is this painfully slow? If I don't create some kind of opening for them, it'll take another eternity.
That was how Kwon Soon spoke to herself inwardly, almost as if scolding her own reflection.
A young man and woman alone in a luxurious hotel room. The woman was currently in the shower. And on top of that… anyone looking at the two of them could clearly see the feelings they held for each other. At a time like this, if the third wheel — herself — simply disappeared, what would happen inside that room was as plain as day.
More than anything, Are's more assertive than I expected, so something's bound to happen. At the very least a kiss… if things go well, they might even go all the way…
Thinking that, Kwon Soon took in the beautiful Parisian night and let the cool wind wash over her. But even though it was a situation that would have been more than enough to lift anyone's spirits under ordinary circumstances, all that sat in her heart at that moment was a stifling, restless feeling.
Really… why am I like this? My close friend is about to get together with the man she loves… I just helped them along a little… everything worked out perfectly. And yet… and yet why does it feel so stifling…
She berated herself, voicing her discontent. But even as Kwon Soon said those things to herself, she already had a vague sense of the answer.
At the same time, she also knew another truth.
The emotion she was feeling in this moment… was something she must not acknowledge.
That was why she had deliberately chosen to push Jinhyun and Are closer together — and why she had ended up alone on this rooftop as a result.
But even after taking action to deny her own feelings… even after making a choice that ten out of ten people would call the right thing to do… the bitter feeling in Kwon Soon's heart still refused to fade.
"I'm… truly pathetic… Getting shaken up over something like this…"
Leaning her arms on the railing and resting her face against them, Kwon Soon muttered in a voice that barely left her throat.
And at the same time, the conversation she'd had with Jinhyun on the plane earlier rose once more in her mind.
Living as a soldier under the name of hunter, and then as a mercenary under the name of Black Hunter, Kwon Soon had always berated herself for her own weakness. Because she wasn't strong enough, she had already been broken and shattered once — and still she couldn't harden herself. Everyone had pointed out that weakness as something that needed fixing, and Kwon Soon herself had seen it the same way.
But…
That man had been different.
The man who had already seen through the fragile side of herself she'd tried so hard not to show… had called that part of her something worthy of respect, and accepted it exactly as it was.
The sheer joy of that fact alone… even though hearing those words changed nothing at all. Still… for a single moment, Kwon Soon had been able to feel true peace of mind. And along with it… another emotion she hadn't expected… one she hadn't particularly wanted, either.
…Well. The bus has already left the station anyway. Obsessing over someone who already has a partner is meaningless. All I need to do is hope the Adjutant and Are work out. There's no reason to tie myself to him at all.
As she worked to sort out her own heart, her gaze suddenly drifted toward the massive building in front of her.
A towering skyscraper located quite a distance from the Eiffel Tower at the heart of Paris. Kwon Soon found her eyes drawn for a moment to the building known as Hamilton Plaza — the tallest structure in all of Paris.
Come to think of it… I heard there's a major exhibition related to this art fair going on there too… By now, all the so-called important people are probably gathered there in droves.
The art fair ran for roughly two weeks. During that time, Hamilton Plaza — the tallest building in Paris — would display and sell the most expensive and precious pieces among the artworks, she'd been told. In connection with that, the underground vault of Hamilton Plaza currently held a vast collection of masterpieces brought by artists from around the world — and among them were the instruments that the Chairman who had hired Dreamouth so desperately wanted.
For now, though, the exhibition underway there featured ordinary artworks like paintings, and the instruments were scheduled later than the other auction items — so the day Dreamouth would escort the "Chairman" there was still several days away. Until then, her job was to protect the Chairman as he toured Paris, treating it partly as a vacation.
Hopefully… nothing major happens along the way… I'd rather avoid any situations where people have to die, if I can help it…
Thinking that, she stared blankly at the place that would serve as the main stage of this commission.
Then…
"…Huh?"
A sound escaped her lips on pure instinct.
And then—
—KRA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM!!!!!!!!!
A sudden chain of explosions rang out. Given the considerable distance, the sound that reached her wasn't all that loud. But in that moment, as Kwon Soon confirmed the result with her own eyes, her face went rigid.
"Wh… what… is this… what the hell?"
The scene before her eyes… was Hamilton Plaza, its side blown open, belching flames.
"Wh… what on earth is… why would something like that happen there…"
The flames were rising from around the thirtieth floor of the 120-story building. Faced with this sudden crisis, Kwon Soon felt a deep wave of shock and confusion.
Then—
"Yeah, it's me. Glass — you saw it too?… Uh-huh. Got it, I'm on my way."
Glass's call came through immediately. Kwon Soon hurried down from the rooftop and made for the suite where the others were gathered — feeling deep confusion and dismay at this unexpected turn of events, and anxiety about what was still to come.
"…"
"Mm…"
The Laie security personnel gathered in one place. They were gripped by a thick tension over this unforeseen crisis.
The sudden explosion at Hamilton Plaza. Given that their employer, the Chairman, had essentially been targeting the items from the art fair being held there, this incident would inevitably force major changes to the security plan.
And among the guards tense over this unexpected development were the Dreamouth security personnel, myself included.
Damn it… I knew things felt off from the start, but I didn't think it'd go sideways like this…
Honestly, as a bodyguard, I'd braced myself for getting tangled up in some kind of incident to some degree. But bracing for something and actually getting caught up in it were two different things. From a working person's perspective, of course you hoped to just hold your post quietly and be done with it — and it wasn't just me; most of the people here had probably been hoping for the same thing.
But our expectations had been callously ignored. The incident had already exploded, and now we were waiting for the details. Whatever those details turned out to be would determine our next moves.
So we waited for word from that woman Bones, or someone else, when—
—Click!
The door slowly opened. Standing there was not Bones, contrary to our expectations, but someone else — though the secretaries accompanying him made it clear he was either her subordinate or her proxy.
"Pardon the interruption. Ms. Bones is away for the moment, so I'll be delivering the briefing in her place."
With that, the secretary produced a laptop he'd brought along. And as the video played from it, the expressions of everyone in the room — myself included — began to harden.