"What?!"
For the first time since the man joined their company four years ago, his colleagues finally witnessed the cold face morph into genuine surprise and looked at Hajin with intrigue.
"When?" the low voice, which was usually calm, sounded rather agitated.
[About an hour ago. Damn, don't blame me okay? I immediately called you, you know! You're the one who didn't pick up, okay?]
Ryu Hajin clenched his jaw. That was true—he was the one who left his phone in the locker during today's routine training regime. He inhaled deeply, putting a lid over his emotion like usual, which seemed to get triggered easily for her.
"She left immediately after?"
[Yep. She was only here to see the Little Bird. You know what it means right?]
Hajin, the ever-rude man, closed Sol's call without saying anything. And still without saying anything, he snatched his jacket and helmet before leaving the company's grounds, not even bothered asking for permission.
Not that anyone could stop him, even though the company was filled with strong men who excelled in the management of violence.
Rather, they were making bets about who or what could make the Ryu Hajin agitated.
Whatever they were betting on, unfortunately, none was guessing the black motorcycle would dash toward their company's parent group headquarters; Cheolbu Holdings, Inc. Showing—or rather, shoving—a deep red-colored badge to the security personnel, Hajin rode the executive elevator straight into the heart of the building.
Encompassing the entirety of the twenty-third floor was the Cheolbu Group's chairman, the elusive Song Yonghwa's office. And as if the owner was already anticipating his visit, none of the chairman's personal assistants stopped him from entering the tightly guarded room.
"You knew she was back and you didn't tell me?" Hajin wasted no time to glib his way in.
"Good day to you too, J," Yonghwa greeted his aggressive guest without shifting his attention from the red flower he had been grooming. "Although it's a rather wrong attitude for someone who comes here to ask for a favor, don't you think?"
Hajin inhaled again, deeper, and walked forward with a calmer step. Yes, this wasn't the time to pick some beef. Whatever reason this man had for disclosing Seul-ah's homecoming could wait.
"Please give me her location."
Hajin looked at the man with a piercing pair of grey eyes. At that moment, it wasn't the deep lake that Seul-ah knew--it was a raging storm. He stood tall even when he needed to beg. Hajin wouldn't kneel for someone who was not his master; and Yonghwa wasn't his master, even though the man was his and his soon-to-be master's benefactor.
It wasn't something about pride, though.
It was because he was the one who told Yonghwa that he only wished for one master.
It was because that declaration of his was what made Yonghwa accept his deal, so if he broke that principle now, this man might felt his conviction to be something fickle.
Besides, Hajin was pretty sure that Yonghwa wouldn't let Seul-ah fall into danger. After all, Seul-ah was one of Yonghwa's investments; his diamond.
"How conflicting, I have to let you go after this, hmm?" Yonghwa walked to the couch and sat calmly, light brown eyes giving back the stare that Hajin gave him, narrowed slightly as if reminiscing. "You really don't plan to change your mind?"
"Don't ask useless questions."
Even to the end, Hajin answered in a brutish way, which prompted a chuckle from the older man. Yonghwa tapped on his smartwatch, and the phone inside Hajin's pocket vibrated.
"Get my diamond back here," Yonghwa gave him a deep smile. "If you fail, I won't let you see her ever again."
"If I fail, just use me as your flower's fertilizer," Hajin let out a confident smirk after checking the text that just came—the coordinate.
Armed only with the location of Lee Seul-ah's reckless venture, the black motorcycle tore through the evening glow that was slowly dimmed until it surrounded him with gradual darkness. Exiting the highway, the view changed to a winding road of a mountainside; with tall, dense trees that were perfect for committing crimes.
Like burying the dead, or fabricating an accident.
Which was why Hajin pushed his bike to the limit, speeding through the curves while the mountain wind whipped his leather jacket. The closer he got to the coordinate, the harsher his heart beating--as harsh as the way it beat when Seul-ah told him to win, or when the girl rejected his offer outright.
And now, he was on his way to conclude this beating heart. To chase the air for his screaming lungs. To paint the vacant darkness of his dream with jade color and a flap of butterfly wings.
To find the hand that should hold his leash.
But those hands were now flailing, bracing against the hard asphalt as the owner tumbled down the hill on the side of the empty road. Even within the darkness and through the film on his helmet, there was no way Hajin could mistake Lee Seul-ah's figure--even with different hair and style.
The figure that was swiftly stood up on the distant road, staggering to keep her balance, and started running as a whole damn truck was chasing her like a vengeful spirit about to ship someone to another world.
Lee Seul-ah ran and cursed and coughed, and cursed again before deciding that her stamina better be saved for the running part. The goddamn gangster determined to make it look like she was dead from a traffic accident—a truck hit-and-run accident.
But what were a human's two legs compared to the truck's six wheels? No matter how tough Lee Seul-ah could be inside the self-defense studio, she was still a human.
And there was no self-defense course against a six-wheeler that came at her like a desperate debt collector. For all she knew, the people who drove the damn thing to chase her probably had a 'debt collector' somewhere within their résumé.
Soon, Sarah felt a strain on his legs, probably a sprain from jumping off the earthen wall and rolling down the hills like a tumbleweed. Even without turning her face, Sarah knew that the truck was getting closer by the brightness of their headlights showering her from behind like an eerie spotlight.
But while a human couldn't dream of beating a six-wheeler, apparently a motorcycle could.
To be more precise, it was a motorcycle with the power of inertia and gravity enough to steer the truck sideways from a crashing impact to the driver's cabin.
With a thunderous roar, the truck crashed into the hard stone wall of the cliff on the other side. Sarah tumbled forward and rolled a few meters from the shock wave, before raising her body to stare blankly at the bizarre sight of a black, huge bike piercing the driver's door.
Her eyes shook at the figure clad in a black leather jacket who slowly stood up from the ground. The figure walked towards the flabbergasted Sarah while taking off his cracked helmet.
"Truly," Sarah lifted her gaze at the deep lake that shone like twin moons and a familiar, infuriating smirk. "What a reckless Princess you are."
Sarah had to wonder if she was actually drunk at that point, despite taking not a drop of alcohol in the past five years. The man, who seemed like coming from the sky, walked toward her with a charming smile as if he hadn't just rammed a truck with a freaking bike.
"Are you alright?" Hajin asked, but the girl was too bewildered to respond, so he took it upon himself to do a preliminary examination.
He grabbed the stunned girl's chin and moved her face sideways, back and forth. When it didn't seem like her head sustained any injury, he moved to her hands and examined her. There were scratches on her palms and elbow from the fall earlier, and Hajin frowned. He moved to her legs next, and the girl finally reacted with a sharp yelp followed by a heavy grunt.
"Did you get a sprain?" Hajin asked calmly, although his hooded eyes clearly showed worry. "Or is it from your old injury?"
"I...don't know--maybe both," Sarah winced as the pain finally woke her up from her momentary stupor. She looked up and frowned at the man in front of her. "What...are you doing here?"
Hajin brushed the deep red fringe away, revealing yet another scratch. Sarah barely registered the pain, however, since her focus was solely on Hajin's timely appearance. To the suspicious gaze, Hajin replied with a cheeky smirk and a light press on the knitted brows. "Rescuing you."
Well, that was obvious. But why? How?
"Song Yonghwa," Hajin replied to her silent questions with a simple name.
Well...of course, Yonghwa would know about where she was, but what did it have to do with this man's presence here? Unless...
"You're working for him now?"
"Better than working for your sister or stepmom or whatever, right?" Hajin winked while helping her stand up. "And to be exact, I worked for him. It's up to you whether I will keep working for him or not."
"What do you--" Sarah frowned as she tried to stand normally, only for sharp pain to travel up her legs and almost make her topple.
Thankfully, a sturdy pair or arms was there to support her, holding onto her shoulders until Sarah stabilized. She put her weight on her healthy leg and exhaled slowly. "...thankyou," she muttered quietly; the embarrassment from both being seen during such a pathetic moment and the difficulty of accepting help from this particular man finally caught up with her mind.
"Hmm..." Hajin looked at the soft, spreading blush of fluster across the fair cheeks and smiled. "Quite worth it."
"What?" Sarah looked up, but Hajin had already walked away, leaving her dumbfounded on the side of the empty road.
But not before berating her.
"Anyway, you're quite reckless--aren't you, Princess?" the man said with a sneer.
"I told you to not call me that," Sarah frowned; an almost forgotten irritation flared up again.
"It's your punishment," Hajin said dryly while pulling out his bike from the side of the truck. It was definitely unusable, and Sarah made a mental note to replace the bike later. "What were you thinking coming to a den of gangsters alone? What's the point of asking someone for support when you're not even using it?"
Sarah held on the thought of buying the man a new bike as her irritation grew. That being said, she knew she was being reckless, and perhaps that was why she became even more annoyed.
"I know, okay?! I was an idiot!" Sarah grumbled. "But I can't help it--they are going to move out soon, so I have to take their data!"
"Are they going to move out in an hour? No, right?" Hajin rolled his eyes. "You can't make a simple phone call to ask for backup?"
"T-that's..." Sarah bit her lips. Why did he have to be right and logical?! It was annoying. "I..panicked..."
Hajin did not bother to hide his heavy sigh. "Who's going to do the revenge if you're hurt or killed, Princess? What's the use of your past five years bidding for time? Hmm? Please treasure yourself more, okay?"
Sarah couldn't help but sigh herself. There was something about the way Hajin berated her while being all concerned that made her tongue lose its strength. To be honest...she had never gotten chastised like that--especially not by her neglectful father.
Perhaps she yearned for it, which was why she couldn't talk back despite it being so annoying.
"Anyway, how have you ended up getting chased down the road?" Hajin asked.
"...While I was running away after taking the data, that driver saw me on his way to a piss break," Sarah said quietly.
But not quiet enough since Hajin could still hear it. He stopped on his track and looked at the poor girl, pressing his twitching lips.
Sarah sighed. "Just laugh."
And so he did, laughing loudly while throwing his head back. It would look like a beautiful painting, the mirthful laughter basked in golden hour, if it wasn't for the scene of destruction behind him.
"Ah, shit--just your luck, eh?" the man wiped his face as the shaking of his shoulder gradually stopped. "Alright, that's enough for the scolding."
"Scold--?!"
"Let's take care of this big boy for now," Hajin pointed at the truck stuck on the side of the road.