Chapter 117: The Bait (2)
TL/Editor: raei
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It was only in the early morning that Song Soo-yeon could finally reach Stella.
"Hello?"
"Stella, it's me, Luna."
"...You called a lot in the middle of the night. Did something happen?"
Through Stella's calm voice, Soo-yeon could infer that nothing serious had happened to Jung-gyeom.
But still, she wanted to hear it directly.
She wanted to erase the unease she felt from her dream last night.
"Is Mister safe?"
"...Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
"....."
".....Yes. He's safe."
After an awkward silence, Stella asked back.
"...What happened in the middle of the night to make you...ah."
"...."
"...Did you ignore my words?"
"How could I not see Mister after such a long time-"
"-Haaah..."
A long sigh.
"...Gyeom is fine, so don't worry."
Only then did Soo-yeon feel somewhat relieved.
Han Yoo-jung's sigh wasn't even heard.
"...And about the dream, don't worry either. It means nothing."
"Is that true?"
"I don't have the power to give you prophetic dreams. So- Ah, Gyeom. Are you awake?"
-Click.
The call suddenly ended.
Stella hung up so that Jung-gyeom wouldn't realize she was on the phone with her.
Every time Soo-yeon felt Jung-gyeom's presence, her heart fluttered.
...She wished the call had ended a bit later so she could have heard his voice.
Feeling disappointed, Soo-yeon stood still for a moment, then sighed and got up from her spot.
Knowing he was safe gave her more strength.
Her plans had not changed at all.
After all, she didn't want to leave Jung-gyeom alone.
There's no telling what dangers might come his way.
Jung-gyeom's conflicts were increasing, especially with Solace.
How shattered must Jung-gyeom's heart be, fighting Solace, who he called his hero?
If Soo-yeon put herself in his shoes, wouldn't it feel like she was fighting Jung-gyeom herself?
She wanted to move for the sake of his wounded heart.
Especially since the fight could drag on indefinitely with Tryno in hiding.
It would be better for Soo-yeon to step in and quickly locate Tryno herself.
That was the right thing to do.
After getting ready to go out, Soo-yeon lastly flipped on her mask and reached for her hat.
"...."
Despite everything that happened, her appearance remained the same.
Which meant the harassment from men remained unchanged.
However, she soon sighed and threw away her mask, deciding not to wear the hat.
If she wanted to draw out Tryno, she shouldn't hide her face.
She had to walk into the very situation she hated the most, on her own.
But now, she could bear it.
She realized that living without Jung-gyeom hurt more.
In fact, what Soo-yeon was more worried about was Tryno's interest.
She hoped he was still looking for her.
---
---
Today, I finished preparing to go out in search of Tryno again.
I put on clothes, flipped my mask on, and placed a voice-changer over my mouth.
Lastly, I put on my coat.
Today, I planned to check out a few criminal organizations that Stella had mentioned.
"......?"
As I put my hand in my pocket, I felt something unfamiliar.
Pulling it out, I found a familiar wish bracelet inside.
The moment I saw it, my eyes trembled.
"...."
I stared at the bracelet for a while, unable to say anything.
How did this get here?
Did she put it in my pocket the day we kissed above the sea?
It was both joyful and sad to remember our memories.
A sticky regret.
I'm depressed at how things have turned out.
But there was no other way.
It's one or the other.
If I don't turn myself in, Soo-yeon would have to go to jail.
It means she, who finally tasted freedom after escaping the prison of school and home, has to be suppressed again.
...And I hated that.
It's dozens of times better for me to go instead.
Now I see, I really am the fool she always said I was.
I opened the door and left the room.
-Thunk.
"-Ah, Gyeom. Are you awake?"
As I opened the door and came out, Han Yoo-jung greeted me from somewhere in the kitchen.
She acted as if yesterday's confession of love had never happened.
Soon after, she caught sight of me and stopped abruptly.
"..."
"...You're leaving right away?"
"...Yeah."
"..."
Han Yoo-jung's expression darkened slightly.
She asked.
"...Is it because I confessed yesterday?"
"What?"
"Because of the confession...you won't even have a meal with me?"
"..."
I almost blurted out an excuse involuntarily.
It wasn't because of her confession that I was acting this way.
My mind was simply troubled, and I had resolved to track down Tryno more quickly.
Additionally, I felt Solace becoming stronger.
Though it should be a good thing, it wasn't at the moment.
The fights where I only dodged and avoided were getting increasingly burdensome.
If I had to start actively resisting... there's a chance she could get hurt.
Before this delicate balance is broken, I just wanted to finish my task.
"..."
But ultimately, I swallowed these excuses.
Talking about it won't change anything.
I closed and then opened my eyes, passing by Han Yoo-jung.
But Han Yoo-jung grabbed my arm, blocking my way.
"....Gyeom, I wasn't asking for a response to my feelings..."
"..."
"So, please, let's at least have a meal together...we don't have much time left..."
"...Let go."
"..."
Eventually, Han Yoo-jung let go of my arm.
I started walking again.
".....Gyeom."
"..."
"....Ah, I...had a bad dream today...so, please be careful."
Han Yoo-jung called out to me one last time as I was leaving.
Hearing her words, I pondered for a moment...then nodded shortly and stepped outside.
---
---
Days passed.
Song Soo-yeon roamed outside every day.
She knew better than anyone that her appearance was controversial.
Enough for Tryno to easily approach her if he was looking for her.
Men confessing to her was common, and she even received business cards from several agencies.
There were also people secretly taking photos of her.
All of it was still unpleasant...but thinking of it as leaving breadcrumbs for Tryno to follow made it bearable.
Thinking it was for Jung-gyeom's sake made it endurable.
Lately, Solace and Jung-gyeom had been fighting every day.
Whether Solace was narrowing down on Jung-gyeom's location, or she was becoming a bigger threat to him.
When their fights unfolded, Soo-yeon had no choice but to hold her breath and wait for them to end.
She was too tense to do anything else.
And at night, she would contact Stella to ask about Jung-gyeom's safety.
Hearing he was safe both reassured her and motivated her for the next day.
Her resolve to achieve her goal was renewed.
To draw out Tryno for Jung-gyeom.
To end Jung-gyeom's fights.
...And maybe, if lucky, to reconcile with him afterwards.
She was tired of living like a corpse anyway.
Now that she had a goal, she was fully immersed in it.
By the time a week had passed since she started roaming around, anxiety began to accumulate.
Tryno had completely hidden himself.
It was questionable whether he was even looking for Song Soo-yeon.
As she roamed the same places at the same times every day... Tryno would have approached her by now if he actually wanted to.
Maybe he was truly hiding in fear.
As Tryno remained hidden, the fights between Solace and Jung-gyeom dragged on.
That was what worried Soo-yeon the most.
She wrestled with her anxiety all day as she roamed the city, then she heard the news that Solace and Jung-gyeom were fighting again.
She wandered around looking for a place with Wi-Fi.
Finally, she found a spot with a signal, squatted down, and focused on the news.
Their fight started around 5 PM and ended around 8 PM.
Song Soo-yeon, who had been sitting frozen, could finally stand up as her phone battery was dying.
"....Haah."
Although the news didn't mention Dice getting hurt, she should check in with Stella again.
That is, once she got home and charged her phone.
"Excuse me."
At that moment, a man looking like a typical student with glasses called out to her.
Expecting him to ask for her number or offer his, Soo-yeon was about to move away.
But then, the man's following words made Soo-yeon's feet freeze.
"...Tryno is...looking for you."
"............"
Her heart started pounding in shock.
Soo-yeon turned her head towards the man.
The man said.
"...He said that you would follow me if I said this."
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