ARCANUM

CHAPTER 8

THIRD PERSON POV

The cold air in Moscow is getting worse. The snow has started to fall but has not yet gathered and covered the streets to white. Only in some places, there is a pile of snow. But with the coldness of the air, no one wanted to walk in the darkness of the night. No one wants to get out of their warm home. The sound of footsteps is inaudible, especially when it is almost midnight.

But, the sound of a single footstep, belonging to a frustrated man looking for someone, could be heard on the streets of Moscow. His footsteps even reached small alleys that no one else had ever passed. The long coat was tightly wrapped around his proportional body. A scarf was wrapped around his neck to keep out the cold wind. He even wore it to cover his nose, which was starting to turn red. His head was cold to the brain because unfortunately, he wasn't wearing a hat today. He did not expect to wander the streets of Moscow on foot in search of a beautiful woman who had disappeared.

With his hands in the pockets of his black long coat, hoping to feel some warmth, he walked for hours and began to give up because his feet were cold. After passing another alley, hoping to see the figure of the woman he was looking for, which was nowhere to be seen, he decided to stop his search.

"Damn! Where are you, Kim," he mumbled as he walked back, but with a definite direction this time. His place. He was forced to walk because the cab was not operating at that hour.

All the way home, his brain didn't stop spinning. He thought about the woman who had suddenly appeared. The woman he never thought would be here. In the other hemisphere from where she lives. 'No. She shouldn't be here,' thought the man while straightened the collar of his long coat as the cold wind blew against him.

He didn't know, he didn't understand, but he could already conclude. And to confirm that thought, he intended to contact the only person he knew exactly who could give him an answer. So, as soon as he stepped into his apartment, he immediately took out his phone, ran a hidden app, and called the person. After pressing the green button, he brought the phone to his ear while unwrapping the scarf around his neck.

He had to wait until the fifth ring before the person accepted the call.

"Rattle! I know you know. Don't cover it up!" he said without further ado.

"Whoa... You contacted me after a long time, no news, and that's what you said?" answered Rattle, the person on the phone in amazement. She had been waiting for this call because she knew that her friend would call her soon. Only one reason. Because she had already met him. But she didn't expect them to meet so soon. Inevitably, Rattle was quite impressed with her.

"See. You didn't even ask what I meant. So explain now why Jennie Kim is here. And I'm sure you know." The man, who had managed to unwrap the scarf from his neck, and was now holding it in his hands, demanded rather than questioned.

"She is your new partner," Rattle replied curtly, which made Peter's brows rise and his face harden before the same came into his voice.

"You know I don't partner, Kim Jisoo! And how did she get to join the Arcanum and since when!? Why didn't you tell me first!?" once again, he demanded an answer. He couldn't understand what they were doing. They knew that since Bambam, his partner's death, he didn't want a partner in the field while he was on missions. Only Kim Jisoo, aka Rattle, his trusted technician, and Bae Joo Hyun, aka Irene, a doctor who is always ready when he is injured. They were the only two he kept working with him because they weren't in a dangerous field with him and because they were his sisters. They weren't blooded relatives, but they already considered it that way. Same with Bambam, who was his bloodless brother who had died.