Chapter 391: Suspicion Breeds Demons (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 391: Suspicion Breeds Demons (4)
“Come in.”
That was what she said after spotting me at the door.
After receiving a cup of tea from the middle-aged woman attending her, I sat on the sofa.
“Hmm…”
She would occasionally let out an inscrutable hum, staring intently at me.
Every so often, her hand would slip beneath her veil, as if to stroke her chin.
By the way, what in the world is that veil made of that I can't see through it, even with these eyes?
It seemed to be imbued with some strange energy… but I had no idea what it was.
“Hmmmm.”
For thirty minutes, I listened to her humming and drank cup after cup of tea poured by her exclusive lady-in-waiting.
Thinking I should probably say something, I asked her.
“…Do you see something wrong with me?”
“Yes, I do.”
“……”
Isn't this usually when you're supposed to say no?
“I see something… very, very bad. But… when I look closer, it doesn't seem so bad after all.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well…”
Answering with a vague expression, she shook her head and continued.
“I'm not quite sure myself. This is the first time I've seen a case like this.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Was I supposed to find some significance in the fact that it was a ‘first’?
One thing, at least, was certain.
She had not the slightest intention of frankly sharing what was on her mind.
In that case, there was no need to drag this out.
“A fair amount of time has passed. I'd like to discuss the job, if you don't mind.”
“Alright. I don't think we'll solve anything by continuing like this… Let's get down to business.”
After draining the last of her cold tea, she spoke.
“The job is simple. You just need to protect me until I board the plane back to my home country, the day after the summit in two days.”
“Understood.”
A summit in two days.
Here in China, so far from the Vatican, who in the world was she meeting, and what were they discussing?
I was quite curious, but I didn't bother asking.
It didn't seem like she'd give me a straight answer, and knowing wouldn't change my job.
Besides, I had something more important to deal with.
“As we discussed before, I'd like to receive payment for my protection services in advance.”
“Of course. Where is the patient now?”
“In a hospital in Beijing.”
Baek Hyeon-a had already arrived in Beijing on a different flight.
The hospital she was admitted to is a general hospital in Beijing, and I heard it's quite a decent place, enough to have a partnership with Korea University Hospital.
Hearing this, she immediately rose from the sofa and asked me.
“Will you lead the way?”
“Yes.”
I like how straightforward she is about things like this.
* * *
It was the most tragic life in the world.
Of course, she knew there were countless people in this world with fates more tragic than her own.
‘Who cares.’
Humans were creatures who cared more about their own scraped knee from a fall than another person's stab wound.
To her, her own life, and her younger sibling's life, were the most tragic and painful of all.
‘When did it all start?’
It probably started back then.
The moment her parents, on their way home, were caught up in a terrorist attack and lost their lives in vain.
At a young age, she became the head of the household and struggled tirelessly to survive with her sibling.
From then on, thanks to her stunning looks and figure that had already blossomed, she was often swayed by temptation.
‘How much did they offer for just one night…?’
It was a memory she hated to recall, so the details were fuzzy, but it was an enormous sum.
So much that even if she worked for a whole month, she couldn't earn even a quarter of it.
This body would just rot away after death anyway.
What did it matter if this damn body got a little sullied, as long as she could live comfortably?
She had thought that way at times, but.
‘I can't do that.’
She didn't want to be a sister to be ashamed of.
She also worried that her past might one day come back to haunt her younger sibling.
Perhaps the heavens were moved by her resolve.
She awakened.
And with the talent of a magician—the most in-demand and least-supplied profession in the country.
Her rise was meteoric.
Perhaps because her goal was so clear, her promotions were fast, and so was the recognition.
If things continued like this, she'd soon have enough money, and then they could live happily.
Just as she was thinking that, her second misfortune struck: her sibling collapsed.
She spent all the money she had saved to save her sibling, was deceived by the promise of a cure, and ended up donning the mask of a villain—no different from the fiends who had killed her parents…
‘I really lived a hard life.’
She was aware.
That her life would soon come to an end.
‘I'm tired now.’
A considerable amount of time had passed.
Since no guardian had shown up to pay the hospital bills, the mana infusions for her sibling must have stopped.
By now, they were probably in critical condition, or perhaps had already passed on before her.
‘Just wait a little longer.’
She no longer wanted to be played by their words.
But it wasn't as if she could return to a normal life.
So there was only one way for her to find peace.
‘I wish this breath would just stop.’
To end this stagnant life and return to dust.
As she closed her eyes, accepting the pull from behind her and sinking deep into oblivion, a pure white hand pierced through the darkness, grabbed her sinking body, and pulled her upward.
“Hahk…!”
Her body rose at a speed incomparable to when she was falling.
At the same time, her numb senses gradually came back to life.
A stinging pain in her forearm.
Beep— Beep— Beep—
A rhythmic beeping sound.
And.
“…kept… promise…”
“Yes, thank… you.”
“Time… need… go?”
“……”
The voices of a man and a woman nearby.
Her mind was still not clear, so she couldn't understand what they were saying, but one of the voices was familiar.
‘Who was that?’
Silence fell as she tried to remember.
Just then, her tightly shut eyelids began to open.
She turned her head, frowning at the halo of light pouring from the white ceiling.
There, she saw a familiar face.
“Kim… Do-jin…?”
No.
It wasn't a familiar face.
Dry blond hair and blue eyes.
A foreigner she had never seen before.
But why did his face keep overlapping with Kim Do-jin's, even though they looked completely different?
The man, who met her gaze, was clearly relieved.
Soon, a mischievous smile spread across his lips as he spoke.
“I kept my promise, too.”
“A… promise…”
What was it?
What promise did I make with him…
“Ah……”
She remembered.
When she had told him to guarantee her life no matter what, he had promised he would.
She asked.
“How…”
She remembered.
The terrible pain she had experienced just before losing consciousness.
That must have been the restriction placed on her for breaking the oath.
“Ah, ahh…”
That's right.
She was alive.
She was sure she would die, but she had lived.
Was she happy to be alive?
No.
‘What about my sibling?’
What had happened to her sibling, who must have been neglected while she was unconscious?
What if her sibling had died, and she was the only one left alive…!
Just as her thoughts began to spiral out of control.
Noticing this, Kim Do-jin gently placed his hands on her shoulder and arm and began to speak.
“Calm down. Nothing you're imagining has happened, Professor.”
His low, resonant voice gently soothed her heart.
He met her faint gaze as she momentarily regained her composure, and continued.
“While you were unconscious, your sibling was well taken care of. And you've just been revived now that the restriction has been lifted.”
Every time he spoke, the worries that had plagued her were resolved one by one.
That was enough.
As long as her sibling was alive with her, and not just her alone.
He lightly stroked her hair as she relaxed in relief and said,
“I have some business, so I won't be able to come for three days. Get some rest until then. When I come back, I'll answer all the questions you might have.”
She struggled to nod and answered in a hoarse, cracked voice.
“I… understand.”
The burden on her heart lifted, she fell right back to sleep.
* * *
“Phew…”
After calming her down as she was about to be overwhelmed by a flood of thoughts, I let out a sigh of relief.
It couldn't be helped.
She'd been asleep for quite a while, so of course she'd be worried about all sorts of things.
Still, it's a relief.
That she trusted my words so completely.
I was worried she'd be suspicious since my face is completely different, but it seems her mind wasn't fully clear yet.
Well, that's fortunate for me.
“Phew… I can finally breathe a little easier.”
With one of the heavy weights on my chest gone, I felt extremely at ease.
Of course, I had to take on another debt to resolve this one, but…
“That's something I can start paying back now.”
It's fine.
Since her offer came with a clear request, all I have to do is follow it.
Ah.
“…Or maybe it's not so clear.”
She'd wrapped it up in plausible words to hire me as a guard, but honestly, there were many suspicious parts.
The way she offered me tea as soon as we met and just stared at me.
And how she rambled on with all those incomprehensible words.
I have more than a few questions about it all, but.
“Well… it'll probably be fine.”
I decided not to worry about it.
A person of the Saintess's stature isn't likely to suddenly stick a knife in my back.
I'm already indebted to her, and now it's my turn to repay that favor.
Whatever happens, our relationship is one where I just have to guard her for three days and then walk away, right?
Having sorted out my thoughts, I left the hospital room.
The Saintess, who had given me some time and space, was sipping a milk coffee from a vending machine with her exclusive lady-in-waiting.
“This is really delicious.”
“…The sweetness is indeed perfect for your tastes, Saintess.”
“Huhu… It is, isn't it?”
It seems our dear Saintess has taken a liking to 500-won vending machine milk coffee.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat to announce my presence, approached her, and bowed my head.
“Thank you, Saintess.”
She shook her head in response.
“Don't mention it. Now, you must do your best to protect me for the next three days, understood?”
I nodded vigorously at her question and replied.
“I'll be sure to deliver on what I've received, so don't you worry.”
“Hoho… That's very reassuring.”
I wonder.
We both said as much, but I doubt I'll even have a chance to step in if danger does arise.
And why would I? She's already surrounded by a countless number of guards.
In the hospital, they take the form of nurses, doctors, and patients.
Outside, they are citizens walking the streets.
And at the hotel, they are guests and staff.
“Well then, shall we head back?”
As she turned and walked away, I watched her blankly and muttered in a quiet voice.
“…What kind of Saintess lies so damn well?”
I quietly shook my head and followed her.