Chapter 223:

A broad figure shielded Lee-yeon completely. Clack, he adjusted his posture and loaded his gun.

Kwon Chae-woo, having finally pinpointed the remaining snipers’ positions, aimed through one eye, finger on the trigger.

“I’m sorry.”

Blood? Lee-yeon’s eyes widened as she looked at his white shirt, now drenched in deep red. When? How? Before she could even ask, another hail of bullets rained down on Kwon Chae-woo.

“At the time, I let you get hurt.”

A hushed voice scattered like an illusion.

Bang, bang, bang, bang! Whether he was firing or being shot at, Kwon Chae-woo’s body continued to convulse with each discharge.

How much time passed?

Unbelievably, the gunfire abruptly ceased. Amidst the hushed silence, with the faint odor of blood in the air, Kwon Chae-woo slowly crumbled.

***

As the smoke from the smoke grenades dissipated in the wind, Lee-yeon moved instinctively, responding only to the collapsing figure.

She pulled his rigid body with all her strength, supporting Kwon Chae-woo and allowing him to fall first. He clung to one ear until the end, murmuring resolutely, “Target eliminated.”

Despite the entangled collapse, Lee-yeon felt no pain. Kwon Chae-woo had shielded her, redirecting their fall so that she remained unharmed. As their bodies intertwined, the thick smell of blood seemed to cling to her.

“Kwon Chae-woo... blood... blood...” Lee-yeon whispered.

“Ugh...”

“Kwon Chae-woo, Kwon Chae-woo! Open your eyes. Snap out of it!”

“...I regret it.”

Kwon Chae-woo slowly continued, his voice slurred.

“I couldn’t answer the butterfly back then.”

His head turned toward Lee-yeon, but his focus was vague. Lee-yeon held his face and forced their gazes to meet. However, his lifeless head slumped as soon as she released her grip. Her heart sank as it appeared to lose all resolve.

“Kwon Chae-woo!”

“Please, someone save him, come quickly...!”

***

No matter how many times she washed her hands, the stench of that day’s blood didn’t fade.

After the shooting incident, Lee-yeon developed a new habit.

Ever since Kwon Chae-woo disappeared from the mansion, the sensation of his warm blood covering her hands haunted her like a nightmare. There was still no news from him, no signs at all.

“The Pakistani ambassador’s wife, Rubina Breshart, who attended the art gallery event, has reportedly been abducted by rebels amidst religious tension between the two groups. ... The suspect was immediately arrested, but fears of endangering the safety of resident diplomats are spreading.”

Lee-yeon half-listened to the vague and meandering news report, then turned her gaze to the desolate office. The scattered empty seats felt chilling. It was a harrowing reality.

Lee-yeon had joined as the head gardener of the Kwon family’s estate just over three weeks ago. Being responsible for the garden of a chaebol family, or rather an illicit source of power, meant that she was witnessing, and experiencing, their true nature without any filter.

Although her living environment had been drastically different, this place was the real world of Kwon Chae-woo which she had been unaware of until now.

How had she, someone who had lived peacefully on an island, taking care of trees and tending to her patients, ended up stepping into a place where people seemed to be dying without much significance? Was this all truly predestined, or was it something else?

Lee-yeon comforted herself by gently rubbing her belly and pondering unanswerable questions.

Were we never meant to meet in the first place?

“Director, have you packed up everything?”

“Oh, yes.”

Lee-yeon picked up her work bag and got up from her seat.

Restoring the outdoor garden turned disaster scene was now the responsibility of Lee-yeon and the surviving staff. They worked tirelessly to fill the riddled ground, much like an anthill, and replaced the grass.

But when Lee-yeon accidentally came across scattered bullet casings, dizziness swept over her.

“Is So Lee-yeon here?”

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