Chapter 19.2

Chapter 19.2

“I’m twenty-nine,” he said.

“…Oh. I see…”

That made him six years older than Ham Yoehee, and only a year older than me, Kim Geummi.

“How old are you, 7059?”

“Me? I’m…”

In life, I’d met plenty of men who thought younger women were easy to handle. For some reason, I didn’t want to lose this time.

“I’m twenty-nine, too.”

“…”

“Looks like we’re the same age, then. Haha.”

If he ever checked my prison records, my real birth date would give me away, but somehow, I doubted Deputy Ki would bother.

He struck me as the kind of man who’d just nod along if someone told him red beans were soybeans. Not because he was gullible, but because he simply didn’t care. My age probably fell somewhere between red beans and soybeans on his list of interests, so I was sure he’d believe whatever I said.

“So I guess that makes us friends, huh? We can be like, oh, no, I didn’t mean…”

I trailed off when I caught his eyes. The look he gave me made my throat close up.

He was the one who broke the silence.

“7059, what kind of person were you outside?”

The question caught me off guard. No one had ever asked me that before.

No one cared what kind of person I had been, what kind of life I’d lived. And even if someone asked me, I didn’t have much of an answer.

Well, since he wouldn’t know the difference, I decided to mix in a bit of Geummi’s life, just enough to sound impressive.

“Me? Hmm… it’s kind of embarrassing to say, but people really liked me. I had a strong personality, very confident, you know? I was fun to be around, too. Everyone loved hanging out with me.”

It was true, in a way. The Geummi I remembered had always been confident, sharp, and bright, her name often mentioned alongside words like passion and freedom. Everyone liked her, admired her, wanted to be her.

“You must have been popular with men. too?”

“Uh? Well…”

Of course I was. There wasn’t another woman like Geummi in the world. I nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. Honestly, I was pretty popular.”

A hint of pride slipped into my tone before I could stop it.

“There were guys who sent me love letters every single day, some who traveled across the country just to see me. One even begged me to let him touch my chest just once.”

I stopped myself with a quick gasp, pressing my lips together. From under the shadow of his uniform cap, Deputy Ki’s eyes seemed to flash like a beam cutting straight through me. It was almost amazing how a man who barely spoke and showed no expression could still make his anger so clear.

So I quickly added, “But I turned them all down, of course. I really don’t like that kind of thing. I only fall for someone when I’m truly drawn to them. When they get into my heart first, that’s when I say yes. Once that happens, I can’t hide it.”

“…”

“That’s why, I couldn’t hide it from you, Deputy Ki.”

Even as I said it, I wondered if it sounded too thin, too easy to doubt.

After a pause, Deputy Ki took a few slow steps toward me. He grasped my chin, tilted my face up to his, and pressed his lips against mine, his tongue pushing in deep and slow.

Inside the small office, lit by harsh fluorescent light, it was the kind of place where anyone opening the unlocked door would see everything in an instant. Still, he kissed me relentlessly, as if he didn’t care.

Our lips parted with a wet sound. My breath came quick and shallow, and the muscles low in my belly tightened.

Still holding my chin, Deputy Ki’s gaze fell heavy on my face. He brushed his thumb slowly across my damp lips, then gestured toward the phone.

“…Ten minutes have passed. Call your family.”

When he finally let go, I tried to steady my breathing and turned the dial. It was the only number I could still remember.

Beep… the same monotonous tone I’d grown sick of hearing filled my ear. Twice, three times, four times… just as I began to think it would ring ten times again, there was a click.

“Hel—hello?”

“Yes, this is Eunha Dance Company.”

It was a man’s voice, unfamiliar.

“Could I please speak with Mr. Lee Hongbae?”

“Lee Hongbae? You mean Manager Lee Hongbae?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then you’ll need to call Starlight Entertainment. This is the choreography department.”

Of course. I’d already forgotten the agency’s number. I tightened my grip on the receiver.

“I’ve called here before, and sometimes they connected me to him.”

“That was when Geummi was still in training. But now… wait, who is this?”

“What?”

The man on the other end sounded suspicious.

“There’s chaos at the agency right now because of Geummi, so why are you looking for Manager Hongbae here? Who are you?”

“N-no, it’s not like that. I just… I know Mr. Lee personally…”

“If you know him personally, why don’t you know his home number?”

Because I can’t remember it, you idiot. I wanted to shout it at him, but before I could, his suspicion only deepened. When he asked if I was a reporter, my chest tightened.

“You’re trying to dig up something about Geummi, aren’t you? Hey, Hongbae hyung?”

The voice drifted away, and I could faintly hear him talking to someone else. The sounds of murmuring and confusion, someone saying it was probably a prank call, and then a new man’s voice came through.

“Hello? Someone said you were looking for me? This is Lee Hongbae.”

“Oppa? Hongbae oppa?”

“Yes, and… who is this?”

“Oppa, it’s me, Geum—”

“What?”

“…No, um, listen, this might sound strange, but please, I really need you to come see me. I have something very important to tell you. It’s about Geummi. The place is—”

I was in the middle of speaking when the line suddenly went dead.

I lifted my head to see Deputy Ki’s long fingers pressing down on the switch hook.

What… why…

As I looked up at him in confusion, he glanced at his watch and spoke in a calm, detached voice.

“It’s time to go back.”

“…”

“Stand up, 7059.”