An Urgent Call at Dawn
Tezman's expression as he sat at the desk staring at the monitor was anything but calm.
"Quite detailed."
He was reviewing the files taken from Taein's laptop. With a few clicks, the Korean text instantly switched to English. The sentences weren't perfectly smooth, but the meaning came through clearly.
"It looks like the Italian investigative agency handed over the materials."
A faint smile flickered across his coldly hardened face.
"Report to Matteo and Father. Tell them the agency took the money and then pulled this kind of stunt behind our backs."
"Understood."
If Michele found out, the entire Italian investigative agency would be purged. That was how powerful the Pavard family's influence ran. Presidents, royalty, prime ministers across Europe, and every other prominent figure were all part of Michele's network.
"What about Park Taein?"
"He should wake up around tomorrow morning. A heavy dose of sleeping pills means he'll have a pretty bad headache."
"Still, he'll come looking for Sua."
A sneer spread across his lips. It was obvious without even seeing it. He would surely try to lure her away, claiming the person beside her was dangerous and persuading her to return to Korea with him. But Sua already knew he was mafia and had accepted that truth.
"Then what will you do? Will you let them meet?"
"Yes. I have to let them meet."
Even so, he needed to be certain. He had no desire to see her waver. Tezman rose from his seat. Quietly opening the bedroom door, he continued speaking.
"If our Sua wants it."
With those final words, the bedroom door closed once more. Once inside, the place Tezman headed toward was, naturally, the bed where Sua lay sleeping.
He sat in the empty space beside her, holding his breath. The mattress sank beneath his massive frame, yet the side where she rested remained undisturbed.
The steady, soft sound of her breathing told him she was sleeping deeply. Tezman gazed down at her in silence as she lay on her side, then spoke.
"In the past, I would have removed him from my sight without hesitation."
From a young age, he had learned the hard way that eliminating anything that bothered him left the fewest complications. The same applied to Taein. Rome was already in the palm of his hand; if he wished, he could kill Taein and stage it as an accident.
But the fear of Sua being hurt weighed heavier than any future backlash that might return to him. She had called him family. If Taein died, she would grieve, and watching her pain would torment him.
"I simply couldn't bring myself to erase him."
He leaned down and carefully pressed his lips to the forehead of the sleeping Sua.
"I won't do anything that would hurt you."
Even after the kiss, she didn't stir. She must have been in a very deep sleep.
He slid one arm beneath her neck while the other wrapped around her waist, drawing her gently into his embrace. Her small, fragile body nestled perfectly against him.
"Mmm..."
In her sleep, Sua rubbed her face against his chest.
Only then did satisfaction bloom within him. This was where Sua belonged for the rest of her life—right by his side.
"Stay exactly like this, right next to me."
Holding her close, Tezman simply watched the rising sun beyond the window in quiet contemplation.
A comfortable weight pressed against her body. Instinctively, Sua nuzzled into the warm, cozy embrace, but it felt firmer than she expected.
"Mmm...?"
Sua forced her heavy eyelids open. She blinked in confusion at the solid chest filling her vision.
"Tezman...?"
"You're awake."
Tezman lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
"When did you come in?"
"Hmm. Probably right after you fell asleep."
"Liar."
His face showed no signs of someone who had just woken up, and his voice—normally husky after sleep—was crisp and clear. It was as if he had stayed up all night. Sua reached up and gently stroked his cheek.
"Did you pull an all-nighter because of work?"
"I can't hide anything from you, can I?"
"You shouldn't even try to hide it. No matter how busy you are, you need to sleep. It's bad for your health."
When Sua sat up, he rose as well.
"You should sleep more, Tezman. You must be tired..."
"I don't like lying here alone."
His uncharacteristic pout made Sua burst into laughter.
"I promised MacPhee I'd help prepare breakfast. He said he'd make waffles from scratch today, and I wanted to learn how."
Since it was what Sua wanted, he had permitted her to cook. Unlike Tezman, who preferred she simply receive and rest comfortably, she enjoyed working with her own hands. After years of communal living, she felt at peace only when she did her fair share. Cooking alongside MacPhee brought her as much joy as decorating the convent-turned-greenhouse.
Knowing this, Tezman couldn't bring himself to stop her. As if resigned, he took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
"Promise you'll only give me what you make yourself, and I'll let you go."
"I wanted to make it for you, Tezman."
Her words were sweet as honey. She wanted to make it for him. The urge to pull her slender waist—perfectly sized for one arm—tightly against him and trap her in his embrace surged through his body.
"Ha."
Sensing the heat in his exhaled breath, Sua detected the danger and pulled back.
"MacPhee is waiting. I'll make it quickly and come right back."
She slipped her hand from his grasp and quickly slid off the bed.
"Lie down nicely! I'll be back soon!"
Lie down nicely. Tezman let out a soft, wry chuckle. No one had ever dared speak to him with the word "nicely."
"If it's what Sua says, I suppose I have to lie down nicely."
He truly intended to obey. And when Sua returned with the waffles, he planned to devour her first, before even tasting them. Unaware of his inner thoughts, Sua flashed him a bright smile and turned away.
Her steps led her to the dressing room. She couldn't leave the bedroom wearing only the pure white slip that clung to every line of her body.
Inside the dressing room, Sua selected a simple dress. She had just changed out of her sleepwear when she noticed something and let out a small exclamation.
"Ah, I didn't clean this up."
A square canvas bag lay carelessly tossed on the floor just inside the dressing room entrance. It was the bag she had carried yesterday when meeting Taein. The moment she had entered the bedroom, Tezman's barrage of kisses had driven all thoughts of unpacking it from her mind. Sua quickly opened the bag.
The half-drunk water bottle from yesterday and the trash she hadn't been able to throw away were still inside. After pulling out the bottle and the crumpled receipt, her eyes fell on the phone buried in the corner of the bag.
"I wonder if Taein got back safely?"
She hadn't even sent him a message saying she had fun or to be careful on his way. It worried her that Taein had come to Rome for the first time, knowing neither the city nor the language.
Sua picked up the phone. She had only meant to send him one quick message checking on him.
"...What? Thirty-four...?"
Eleven missed calls. Twenty-nine unread messages. All from Taein.
The phone began to vibrate in her hand. Taein's name flashed clearly on the screen. Wondering if something was wrong, Sua hurriedly pressed the phone to her ear.
"Ha, Sua. Han Sua. You... you...!"
"Taein, what's wrong? What—"
"Where are you right now?"
Taein cut her off and continued.
"Never mind. Meet me right now. Let's meet and talk."
"Now? Right this second?"
"Yeah, right now. I'll head over there... No, it would be better if you came. I'll send a taxi, so come out. Right now."
"What on earth is going on? You have to explain so that I—"
"I'll tell you when we meet. I'll explain everything, so for now just do what I say. Come to where we met yesterday. I'll be waiting there."
"Taein...!"
Before she could finish, the call ended abruptly. The sudden disconnection cast a shadow of worry across Sua's face.
"Who was that?"
The low, heavy voice was completely different from the one he had used moments earlier.
"To make you wear that kind of expression."
"Tezman..."
Sua's eyes trembled with confusion as she looked up at him standing before her.
"Taein suddenly insisted we meet... He wouldn't even explain what it was about..."
"Ah."
Just as expected. It aligned perfectly with Tezman's predictions. Suppressing the laughter threatening to escape, he looked at Sua with an expression of understanding.
"Do you want to go meet him?"
"It seems like he has something urgent to say. He said he'd tell me when I get there, so I should go and hear him out..."
He watched quietly as Sua spoke in a jumbled rush. The corners of his lips curved upward in a smooth arc. A relaxed smile spread across his face—he already knew the reason.
"I'll have the car prepared, then."
Tezman whispered tenderly.
"Have a safe trip."
Unaware that this affectionate tone was merely a calculated ploy to test her heart once more, the innocent Sua nodded in response.
"Thank you, Tezman."