"All right then. I'm going home first. Please enjoy your time together, Lovebird."
Hyunji laughed inwardly, couldn't help but think of the call Taekwang addressed to her and Jungkyu. Do they look like lovers in his eyes? Which part looks like that? That man didn't know that she and Jungkyu had pointed guns at each other's foreheads some time ago.
Hyunji was amused, especially when Taekwang winked at her after whispering something to Jungkyu—which she herself didn't even know what they were talking about. But on the other hand, she felt it was fun to have a partner to make Jungkyu upset.
Hyunji just averted her gaze from Taekwang when the man's back disappeared behind the door.
She turned her gaze to Jungkyu, a little confused to find the tips of his ears turning red. "Jungkyu?"
Hyunji's call made Jungkyu turn around. He quickly erased all kinds of dirty thoughts in his brain due to Taekwang's previous words.
Hyunji looked at him questioningly. "What are you thinking about?"
Jungkyu was silent. He felt guilty, as if he had been caught committing a crime. Taking a deep breath, he pulled her hand into her room.
Hyunji secretly sneered. She didn't understand why everyone liked to tug at her hand to follow them.
Arriving at Hyunji's room, Jungkyu let go of his hand and turned to face the girl. He checked Hyunji's condition one more time before asking, "Are you okay?"
Hyunji nodded. "I'm okay."
"You've been missing for three days."
Hyunji looked down, avoiding eye contact with Jungkyu. "I am alright."
Jungkyu was silent. Feeling doubtful about Hyunji's words. "Where have you been these three days?"
"Why do you care?" This time Hyunji looked up. Staring Jungkyu right in the eye. "Please stop caring about me. It makes me uncomfortable. After all, we're just two strangers who don't know each other."
Hyunji's words made Jungkyu frown. Looks like she's not in a good mood. Three days gone, she suddenly became very sensitive, even though he only intended to ask because he couldn't understand how she had suddenly disappeared without news.
They were both still looking at each other. Trying to find out the secret behind each other's eyes.
Feeling that her time was wasted, Hyunji was about to leave the room to go to the bathroom. She needs to clean herself up.
But Jungkyu grabbed her hand, holding back her movement. "Wait here!"
The man left the room, leaving Hyunji confused again.
Before long, he returned with medicine and bandages. Without saying anything, he grabbed Hyunji's wrist and pulled up the sleeve of her sweater.
Hyunji glared. She was about to pull her hand back, but didn't budge because Jungkyu held her hand tightly. "Don't move! It'll hurt."
Stunned, Hyunji had no other choice but to follow Jungkyu's words. She was silent watching Jungkyu's every movement carefully. Sometimes, she winces in pain. After all, there's some new wounds there. Even though there was no bleeding, the wounds had not healed completely and still hurt.
Luckily Taekwang and Jungkyu didn't hold her hand in the injured area. So she didn't have to endure the pain of being dragged here and there by them.
However, she did not understand how Jungkyu could know that her hand was injured. She felt like she had covered the wound well all this time. Though actually, it wasn't too surprising since they lived under the same roof. There may have been a time when she accidentally left her wrists exposed while cooking or doing other housework.
Jungkyu ended his activities by wrapping a bandage around Hyunji's wrist. He didn't let go of her hand as soon as he finished. His eyes stared at Hyunji's hand, wondering how many times she had hurt herself like this.
"Enough. Stop staring at my hand like that." Hyunji pulled her hand back. She cleared her throat once, trying to lower her pride a little, then said, "Thank you."
"Me too."
"What for?"
"This." Jungkyu pointed at the band-aid on his cheek.
Hyunji looked confused, but she did feel familiar with the band-aid on Jungkyu's cheek. "You mean? Was it me who put that on? When?"
"When you're drunk." Jungkyu answered while turning his face away. His memory flashed back to that day without him asking. He cleared his throat, pretending to cough to cover his embarrassment.
Falling in thought, Hyunji then widened her eyes in surprise. "That was three days ago?!"
Jungkyu nodded.
"Are you crazy?!"
Hurriedly, Hyunji walked over to the nightstand beside her bed. She opened the drawer there, rummaged through its contents, then took a band-ais out of it. Heaving a sigh of relief, she returned closer to Jungkyu. "Change with this." She handed the band-aid right in front of Jungkyu's face.
Jungkyu looked at the band-aid, then smiled faintly.
Silly girl, he thought.
Jungkyu was about to accept it. But before he could reach out, Hyunji had pulled her hand again. "No. Let me put it on." She left for a moment to get some alcohol and cotton, then came back.
She gestured for Jungkyu to lower his body so she could reach his face. Jungkyu complied. After that, Hyunji removed the old band-aid, cleaned the wound with alcohol, and put on the new one.
And during the process, the only thing Jungkyu did was look at Hyunji's face.
Hyunji noticed his gaze and spontaneously pulled away after she finished treating his wound. "Don't look at me like that!"
"I just don't know where to look."
Hyunji rolled her eyes. "Anywhere as long as you don't look at me." She turned to hold her stomach. "By the way, I'm hungry."
Jungkyu straightened his body again. Thinking for a moment, then said, "Just order delivery. It's my treat."
Heard that, Hyunji's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Jungkyu replied with a nod.
Hyunji certainly looks very happy. She reached into her pocket, looking for her phone. When she was busy with many menu choices in one of the delivery applications, Jungkyu suddenly said, "Oh, right. Tonight, make sure you don't leave your room. Just lock it from inside because my friends will come later."
Hyunji stopped her activity scrolling the screen.
Jungkyu looked at the clock on Hyunji's room wall. "It's getting late. I need to get ready then."
Hyunji did not give any response, even when he had stepped out of her room.
She was silent for a long time with her gaze fixed on the screen of her phone. Suddenly, she felt her whole body chill. It was cold and seemed to pierce every surface of her skin. She almost shivered.
When the phone is off, she can see a reflection of herself there staring at the screen with a sharp glare.
At that moment, she walked towards her room door and locked it. Her eyes lit up, making sure there were no cameras or people watching her. She looked at the black screen of her phone once more, then turned it on.
She opened one of the applications she had.
It doesn't take long for the application to open. The black-dominated display instantly filled the screen. There's also a photo of a person on the right side of the screen, right next to a row of red writing.
And the words that had caught her attention a few days ago, she once again read that carefully without missing a word.
COUNTDOWN
53 : 08 : 10 : 13
TARGET: NAMCHUL IM
AGE: 26
MISSION STATUS: ON PROGRESS