Letters from the Void // ASTRO ✔

Chapter 36

One second. Two seconds. One minute passed by, and they were still staring intensely at each other as if they were having a staring competition. Both did not want to lose. Without diverting his gaze from his opponent, Taehyung quickly stole the chopsticks from the latter's hand. Grunting as a sign of disapproval, his opponent finally relented and blinked his eyes.

"What do you want, Kim Taehyung?" Moon Bin huffed. "And give me back my chopsticks. This person is starving and didn't eat anything since morning. If you don't want to see a beast unleashed because of no food, you better give that back."

Taehyung retracted his hands, pulling the chopsticks closer to him. "I want what you said you had. Unless you open your mouth and spill it, no food shall go into your mouth."

"Damn, don't you have any mercy? You made it sounded like I couldn't get another pair." Moon Bin raised up his hands, giving a signal to the nearest android.

Taehyung slammed the chopsticks on the table and slid it across to Moon Bin. "You said you found out something, then start speaking."

Moon Bin put down his hands.

"After I eat."

"Moon Bin."

"Yes, yes, Kim Taehyung. This man needs to eat in order to have energy to lay out all the information I have." He forcefully took the chopsticks from Taehyung, who glared at him but loosened the grip on the utensil. "Don't worry, after I finish all of this I will tell you all I know."

Taehyung painfully watched as Moon Bin took his own sweet time to slurp the samgyetang and chew his food. As if to taunt him, he ordered another bowl of rice and added naengmyeon on the bill. Narrowing his eyes, Taehyung almost cursed at him, but Moon Bin put down his chopsticks and smirked.

"Fine, I'll tell you now."

Taehyung glanced at the clock. He got plenty of time to listen to him.

"My theory is that, someone is after the real owner of the ID chip. We have two possibilities: One is to actually kill the previous owner. The other one is to, well, simply attract attention."

"You would control someone to go over the bridge to attract attention?" Taehyung suppressed his anger. "But that person in danger was my sister."

"I understand that it's hard to accept that idea, but you never know. It could be a sign of distress and the doer was simply trying to ask for help."

"And who is this person you're speaking of? Do you have anyone in mind?"

Moon Bin's eyes swept across the restaurant, trying to find any person eavesdropping on their conversation. He didn't find anyone suspicious, and he lowered down his voice while bringing himself closer to Taehyung. "Lee Jinhong's daughter, Lee Jinah. I know there's little possibility... but do you perhaps remember a teenager hanging around when you bought the chip for Haeun- ah, Taehee?" Moon Bin still occasionally called her Haeun, instead of her real name. Habits are hard to break.

"A teenager?" Taehyung narrowed his eyes, racking his brain for any image of a teenager. He was in a hurry and he was scared he would get caught before he managed to save his sister. Moon Bin stared at him intently, willing for him to conjure a picture of Lee Jinah. "A distressed teenager..." Taehyung's eyes lit up as a memory visited him. "His daughter who didn't look happy at all."

Moon Bin snapped his fingers and slammed the table. "That's right. Lee Jinhong's daughter. Though I doubt that a teenager like her would be happy in a place like that when she's supposed to be having fun with friends her age. Instead she's surrounded by burly men. Don't think they spend their time going to shopping malls."