Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Welcome to me humble abode," Jaehwan spread his arms dramatically before we had even entered properly, spinning on his heel in the manner of an announcer. "Make yourselves right at home."
I took a long look at the interior of the apartment, which looked anything but humble. It looked expensive and messy, like something an eccentric millionaire would own, and so far, the impression I had gathered of the dealer seemed to fit that description.
The size of the apartment wasn't too big, and the amount of furniture only made it look more stuffed. A skull (whether fake or real, I didn't want to know) decorated the mantel above the fireplace, right next to a massive gold candelabra. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, the crystals glittering orange and gold under the light. The floor was covered with a thick, expensive-looking carpet, and a sofa and loveseat were somehow placed at one side of what was left of the cramped living room.
The sofa was occupied by Yeeun and a rather unfazed-looking Ten, who offered us a small wave as we approached.
"Don't worry too much about manners," Jaehwan said with a wild smile, waving us towards the loveseat as he himself took over the remaining sofa. I glared at him subtly, fully aware that he was trying to make Vernon uncomfortable, but relented. I wasn't sure if disagreeing with a dealer was a bad thing, and anyway, there was no way I was going to sit anywhere close to the information dealer.
I tried not to look at Vernon as I sat down, keeping as far away from him as possible. Yeeun looked almost annoyed at our interruption, and turned her head towards us as if to make that absolutely clear. "I don't see why they have to be here," she said, looking us up and down. "Relationship issues?"
"That's what I said," Jaehwan said, nodding.
Vernon didn't respond, and Ten's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. "The deal has already been made, and I really don't think we should stay here any longer—"
"Oh, shush." Jaehwan wiggled his fingers at him with a disapproving frown. "They've only just come here."
Yeeun glanced at me, then at the dealer. "Why did you want to see the girl?"
I blinked, confused for a moment before what she had said registered in my brain. "So that's why you wanted me to come? Because he had asked to see me?" I frowned at the dealer. "Why did you want to see me?"
"If I'm providing information for a client, I want to know who the client is," he said with a raise of an elegant eyebrow, a playful smile on his lips. He leaned leisurely against the back of the couch, and crossed his legs. "You do look rather vulnerable. I see why they would want to protect you."
Vulnerable? I looked down at my cargos, aware of the band-aid on my cheek. I wasn't sure if I liked being called vulnerable.
"If you're done, we'd like to go now," Vernon said dryly. "It would be better if we get back before the Lees get a check on our location."
