Revenge [Ryujin x Hyunjin]

(15). Want to kiss

"… Are you afraid of that? Being punished for all the bad things you’ve done?" Ryujin replied softly.

"If that were the case, then I wouldn’t have done all this up till now. I’m quite a shameless man. I’m good at finding an excuse for my behavior." Hyunjin told her.

"Then why did you say all that just now?"

"I don’t know. Maybe I’m drunk."

"To be honest, you don’t seem drunk at all."

Hyunjin slightly frowned at Ryujin's observation.

He hadn’t gotten drunk for many years now. Even now, Hyunjin's mind was on edge as it imagined a mob of men suddenly infiltrate the room with knives. He couldn’t help himself. It came naturally to him.

"Director."

He focused his gaze on Ryujin.

"Are you still thinking about firing me?"

"… Why are you asking? How could you ask that to someone who is buying you a meal?"

"It’s just… You look frustrated about something."

"How funny."

Hyunjin held the liquor in his mouth as he stared at her. He couldn’t take his eyes off the woman who was sitting in front of him. Her posture was upright while her words were brazen. Maybe he was a bit drunk.

"You want to fire me, and you want to keep me by your side. Isn’t that how you feel right now?"

She might be right. Hyunjin was hoping that she would just give up on her mission and leave him right now. If she stayed by his side, she would inevitably run into some danger, so it was only right for her to avoid it while she still could. That was also a reason why he never got close to a woman.

While this was all true, for the past 2 weeks, he was hesitant to let her go. Why was that? Was it because he had saved her as a girl back then? Was there some kind of special meaning behind this feeling? Hyunjin was never this emotional, so he felt a bit strange.

"Why do I want to keep you by my side?" Hyunjin asked.

Ryujin's lips stretched into a smile. Her smiling face didn’t have any wrinkles, as if she were still a young child. This was why he was so curious about how she had grown up.

"How would I know what’s in your heart?"

Hyunjin couldn’t take his eyes off her. She watched him and crinkled her nose playfully.

"Well, I think I can take a guess."

As Ryujin raised her cup, Hyunjin quickly grabbed the liquor bottle and filled it. The liquor gave off a fragrant aroma.

"Alright. What do you think is the reason?" Hyunjin asked her again.

The woman who had led a hard life answered back as if she had lived an easy life.

"Isn’t it because I’m a magical woman…?"

Ryujin's face contorted as she took a sip of liquor. The liquor burned her throat. She now realized that the liquor that Hyunjin had been drinking like water was an incredibly strong Chinese liquor.

"Cough!"

Ryujin began to cough as the lethal sip of liquor went down her throat. She covered her mouth with a napkin and coughed a few more times. She couldn’t understand the sick, twisted people that actually enjoyed such strong liquor like this.

"Aaah… I almost died…"

Ryujin took the napkin and wiped her eyes which had filled with tears. Hyunjin watched her, his elbow on the table and his head in his hand. He began to rub his face with his large hand. Even though his mouth was hidden, she could tell that he was laughing because his shoulders were shaking. Ryujin fanned her flushed face, and his laughter became louder.