evil prevails

Part 28

The gaze slowly slides down to the neat pink lips, which Minji searches for in vain, almost forcing herself to maintain inner balance, and then descends lower to the swan-like neck, flawless and unmarked. The triangular neckline of the soft cream-colored sweater reveals collarbones, pulling the bronze skin taut. Minji brushes the tip of her tongue across her lower lip and immediately snaps back to reality, noticing the omega's tag on the neck. She suddenly leans forward and grabs the chain, yanking it toward herself. Hanni flinches slightly, staring at her sister in shock and gripping the edges of the table with her fingers.

"Why do you keep wearing this?" Minji hisses, burning the omega with her fiery gaze.

"L-let go, Minji," Hanni quietly pleads, ignoring the pain in her neck from the chain digging into her skin. She glances at the few other diners in the restaurant, afraid of drawing attention, but fortunately, they don't seem to care. The alpha presses her lips together and loosens her grip, but her gaze remains unchanged. "You don't understand, this thing is dear to me like nothing else. It's yours, it's what I have left from when you were no longer in my life," Hanni says with a note of hurt in her voice, adjusting the tag and pressing her trembling lips into a thin line.

Minji lets out a nervous laugh and pushes her tongue against her cheek, holding back the urge to crush fragile glass with her bare hands.

"No, it's you who doesn't understand, baby. I'm here. I'm sitting right in front of you, and this piece of rusty metal just makes you look worse," the alpha says, leaning back in her chair and watching the waiter who brings the wine. "You should wear what I give you," she continues as the waiter leaves, pouring white wine into their glasses. "And this, I didn't leave for you," Minji nods at the tag.

"For whom, then?" Hanni quietly asks, touching the tag with her fingertips.

"For those I fought alongside," Minji responds more calmly. "Drink with me, Hanni," she says in a tone that sounds like a request, but even so, it comes across as a command, her gaze pointing at the glass in front of the omega. She raises her own glass and arches an eyebrow, looking at Hanni expectantly. Minji flares up in an instant and cools down just as quickly, not giving Hanni a chance to catch her breath. It drives her mad and frightens her.

Not wanting to test her sister's patience, the omega reaches for her glass and wraps her fingers around its long stem.

"To you, Hanni," Minji says, smiling with satisfaction and clinking glasses with her.

After a while, the dishes are brought, their aromatic scent awakening hunger pangs in Hanni's stomach.

She had almost forgotten that she hadn't eaten since lunch, completely consumed by urgent work. Minji didn't go wrong with the choice of dishes. Hanni doesn't hide the pleasure on her face from the delicious dinner. Time flows smoothly. If at the beginning of the dinner Hanni had wished for it to end quickly, now she doesn't even think about the time. Minji smiles without a hint of her usual sharpness at the omega's innocent stories about everything under the sun, occasionally adding something herself, making Hanni, just like in the past, listen with her mouth slightly open.

At some point, Minji steps away to answer a call she deems important. Hanni relaxes, leaning back in the soft chair, and turns her head towards the city, holding a glass of wine in her hand. Despite the hidden grime, it's incredibly beautiful here. She could sit like this for an eternity, listening to the quiet, unobtrusive music in the background and gazing at the night lights of the vibrant city.

"If this area is teeming with snakes, why don't you take it over?" Hanni asks thoughtfully as Minji returns, her gaze still fixed on the lights. The wine must be working, or she would have slapped herself for asking such questions.