Chapter : 12. Why Did You Do That?
The atmosphere wasn’t bad.
The only problem was…
The skirt pocket was so small that she couldn’t press the pager button while sitting down.
As soon as Kim Dojung placed the USB on the table, how was she supposed to pull the pager out of her pocket and press it?
“Yerim.”
Brian’s voice suddenly cut through the room. Dasol jumped in surprise.
“Y-Yes?”
“Did I startle you? Sorry about that. But… why are you so startled?”
His brown eyes gleamed with suspicion.
“I-I was just thinking about something else…”
“Something else? I’m sitting right next to you, and you’re thinking about something else? That hurts.”
He spoke gently and gave her a playful wink.
Then he turned his attention back to his men, but something about him felt… unsettling.
What? Did I make a mistake?
She knew this feeling better than anyone.
A dog with its guard up.
That was exactly what he felt like.
She saw that look all the time at work.
Dogs placed on the grooming table…
The first thing they did was become wary.
Some would bare their teeth, but most wouldn’t show it.
It wasn’t because they wanted to attack.
They were judging.
Is this person dangerous?
Is Jinda Sol my enemy or not?
Most dogs eventually realized she meant them no harm.
Even so, many never completely lowered their guard.
And if they decided she was dangerous…
They bit.
Brian gave off that exact feeling.
Like he was about to bite at any moment.
Dasol rubbed her hands together.
“Should we bring up Jo Mandeok during the deal? Tell them we’ll get him out.”
“What am I, a prosecutor? How the hell am I supposed to get that bastard out? Seriously, people who watch too many movies can’t tell fiction from reality. Stop talking nonsense and quit watching so many damn movies.”
“Yes, Boss!” the large man answered.
Dasol didn’t like hearing someone insult movies, but she ignored it.
Information.
Information was what mattered.
She would memorize every single detail without missing anything and report it all to Prosecutor Jang Jihyuk.
Then maybe Director Seo Changsik would come interview her again.
To make it into a movie.
Let’s do this.
Watching Brian’s reaction carefully, she subtly scooted closer.
Noticing the movement, Brian looked at her.
“Uh… cheers.”
Forcing an awkward smile, Dasol raised her beer bottle.
Brian smiled warmly and lightly clinked his whiskey glass against it.
Huh?
For a split second, another unreadable glimmer flashed through his eyes.
The moment their gazes met, the palms that had been bitten countless times by dogs began to ache.
“Jinda Sol. This isn’t a game. This isn’t some kind of field trip.”
Jihyuk’s warning echoed in her mind.
Her heart pounded as if it were about to burst.
“If we’re going to keep doing business, it’s true that we have to scratch where people itch or give them something they want.”
Dasol narrowed her eyes and looked at Brian.
You could never let a wary dog know you were afraid.
“Boss, I think Yerim is glaring at you.”
Brian suddenly leaned his face close.
Dasol was startled but didn’t show it.
Instead, she smiled brightly and gently shook her head.
At times like this, facial expressions worked better than words.
The customer service skills she’d developed over five years dealing with impossible clients were finally paying off.
“Fuck… Yerim, you’ve got really beautiful eyes.”
His tone was undeniably gentle.
He was smiling.
Yet everyone else at the table looked tense.
Silence filled the room.
Was it because he swore?
These didn’t seem like the kind of people who would care about profanity.
Then why had the atmosphere changed?
“Sorry for swearing, Yerim. I hope I didn’t upset you.”
“Huh? O-Oh… i-it’s okay. It didn’t bother me at all.”
“Really? Not only is your face beautiful, your heart is too.”
He smiled sweetly again.
His smile was as sweet as whipped cream.
His eyes, however, were ice cold.
Dogs that truly bit never growled.
They looked exactly like that.
It was a warning.
Dasol’s hands trembled.
“I’ve got pretty good instincts. I’ve dealt with all kinds of people.”
Brian gently took Dasol’s hand like a prince and softly stroked the back of it with his thumb.
It was an affectionate gesture.
Yet it sent chills down her spine.
“Ah… y-yes…”
“People’s eyes, gestures, little habits… I can see them all. I can tell when someone’s looking around like they’re searching for something.”
“Th-That’s amazing.”
“Isn’t it?”
He smiled, released her hand, and leaned back in his chair.
“Yerim, what do you do for a living?”
“I… I’m…”
“Don’t even think about lying. That would make me sad.”
Brian took hold of the end of her long hair and gently played with it.
The soft curve of his smile reminded her of the Joker.
It was terrifying.
The hand holding her beer shook uncontrollably.
So I wasn’t the protagonist.
I was just one of those extras who died right away.
A scene she’d only ever watched in crime movies was unfolding before her eyes.
Right now.
She wanted to press the pager right now.
But Kim Dojung would be arriving soon.
What do I do?
“You know, no matter how you live, there are always people who betray your kindness. I try to treat people well, but there are always those who stab me in the back.”
One of the subordinates suddenly rolled up his sleeve and extended his left arm.
Thick scars covered his muscular forearm.
It looked as though someone had plowed through it with a knife.
Before the display was even over, he pulled out a large knife from his waist.
Shhk.
Without even blinking…
He slashed his own arm.
His flesh split open.
Blood poured out as smoothly as water.
Looking Dasol straight in the eyes, he slowly licked the blood from the blade and smiled.
Dasol was on the verge of fainting.
She couldn’t breathe.
It felt as though that knife would be driven into her throat at any second.
The other two women were trembling as well.
“Ah, fuck. Are you crazy? Why are you cutting your own arm? You’re scaring Yerim.”
“I’m sorry, Boss.”
Even as he said that…
Brian smiled.
No.
He actually looked pleased.
“I’m sorry, Yerim. That must have frightened you.”
Brian apologized in the same gentle voice as before, as though comforting her.
But he no longer looked gentle.
Or kind.
“Now then, shall we get back to what we were talking about? We need to know each other better if we’re going to become closer. So… why don’t you tell me your profession?”
“M-My… m-my job is…”
She was about to say pet groomer, but she clamped her mouth shut.
If she told the truth and they came after her later…
At times like this, only movies could help.
“Pet…?”
Unable to hold back anymore, Brian frowned and asked again.
In every spy movie…
When the protagonist lies…
They look the other person straight in the eye.
I can do it too.
“I-I’m… a v-veterinarian… at Aejijungji Veterinary Clinic.”
She looked Brian directly in the eyes.
Confidently.
As if it were true.
Like Amelia from Broken Spy.
Go ahead and question me all you want.
I did study veterinary medicine.
Well… attended it, anyway.
“Oh! So you’re a veterinarian, Yerim. No wonder. I said your eyes looked like a puppy’s.”
What did being a veterinarian have to do with the shape of her eyes?
The longer she spent with him, the more uncomfortable he made her feel.
“But why ‘Aejijungji?'”
“Th-That’s… the name… of the animal hospital…”
Dokgo Animal Hospital immediately came to mind.
But she worried that Director Lee Jungwoo might be harmed, so she blurted out the first thing she could think of.
“Really? Gicheol, look it up.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
I’m dead.
Her trembling right hand slowly moved toward her pocket.
“It’s there. Not far from here.”
It… exists?
Whatever the reason, Dasol was finally able to breathe again.
“What the hell? You’re actually a veterinarian? Then you’re not with the prosecutors or the police. Part of another organization?”
“…”
“No answer? Is my question too difficult?”
His voice remained as gentle as ever.
Which made it even more frightening.
“Tell me who told you to bring whatever it is you’re supposed to get.”
“I… I-I… I…”
Brian lowered his face until his nose was at her neck.
His scent flooded her senses.
A heavy cologne.
Beneath it lingered something even stronger.
Cruelty.
Pretending to sniff her, Brian inhaled softly.
Like an exceptionally well-trained dog politely smelling someone.
“Hmm. Why would they send this woman? She doesn’t smell like a professional at all.”
“Boss, Kim Dojung will be here soon. You can play after the deal.”
“Wow. You’re lucky, Yerim.”
“Haa…”
The breath she’d been holding finally escaped.
Brian slowly caressed her cheek.
“Yerim, you’ve got baby-soft skin. Babies need lots of sleep. Gicheol, give Yerim some medicine. Let her get plenty of rest so she can become even prettier.”
No.
She had to survive.
But how?
The pager.
The pager.
Jihyuk had told her to press it if she was in danger.
But how was she supposed to get it out?
The pocket on her tiny skirt was so small that she could barely fit her fingers inside.
Meanwhile, the man who had cut his own arm reached into his pocket with his blood-soaked hand and took out a packet of pills.
“Don’t worry. This is good stuff, Yerim.”
She had to choose.
Submit…
Or fight back.
In every movie…
The protagonist always chose the latter.
Naturally, so did Dasol.
She swung the beer bottle in her hand, trying to smash it over the man’s head.
Perhaps because she was so nervous…
Reality was nothing like the movies.
The bottle slipped from her grasp.
Crash!
It shattered on the floor.
Beer splashed all over Brian’s white trousers.
His face twisted instantly.
His subordinates didn’t even look at Dasol.
Instead, they froze, watching their boss’s reaction.
“Ha… fuck.”
Tap.
Tap.
Brian pulled out a handkerchief and calmly wiped the beer from his pant leg.
Without saying a word, he smoothed back both sides of his hair with the elegance of a gentleman…
Then suddenly grabbed Dasol by the hair.
“Aah!”
Her head was violently yanked backward.
“This is one of my favorite suits.”
His voice remained calm.
“So why did you do that, Yerim?”
