Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The bunker proved more comfortable than she’d expected. But for Haewon, who was accustomed to a life of constant physical activity, it was utterly stifling.

What made it most difficult was having to spend all day with Kwon Yeonwoo in the cramped bunker. There was nowhere within it she could escape his gaze, and he was always in some corner of her vision.

Without a phone, the only things she could do were simple stretches, meditation, or read a boring book.

Haewon put down her book and spoke to Yeonwoo.

“Can’t I go up for a little while? I’d like to walk.”

“That’s not possible. Just bear with the cramped feeling for a little longer. We’ll be able to leave soon.”

He simply repeated the same words. She wanted to press him on what “soon” actually meant, but Kwon Yeonwoo probably wouldn’t tell her. Though he usually acted carelessly and lightly, he always kept his distance and maintained security during important calls or tasks.

He felt all the more dangerous because of it.

“Looks like it’s time to change the dressing, doesn’t it? Hold on a sec.”

“It’s fine. I can do it myself.”

She refused, saying she could manage, but Yeonwoo took a bag of medical supplies from the drawer and set it on the bed.

“You have bandages on both hands, what are you talking about?”

“This much is nothing.”

“Really? So, the Blacks don’t cut women any slack?”

Yeonwoo said, unwrapping the bandage around Haewon’s wound. She didn’t reply. Being a woman didn’t make missions any easier. Whether female or male, operatives were simply used where needed, for their specific purpose.

“Does it hurt?”

Yeonwoo carefully disinfected Haewon’s wound. His long, thick fingers holding tiny tweezers looked incongruous.

Haewon replied that she was fine, then looked down at Kwon Yeonwoo’s long fingers. For a pampered young master, his hands were surprisingly callused.

Was it because he majored in art? Or had these hands held something other than a brush more often?

The image of Kwon Yeonwoo shooting without hesitation flashed through her mind. Judging by his practiced demeanor, he was clearly someone who had handled a gun quite a bit.

“But isn’t your face a bit too conspicuous for fieldwork? There’ll be bastards everywhere you go.”

Kwon Yeonwoo said, applying fresh gauze to her wound. Haewon replied dryly, recalling her past five years.

“It’s easy enough to deal with careless bastards.”

At Haewon’s reply, Yeonwoo laughed aloud, then gently lowered her treated arm back onto the bed.

“Heh. I’ll keep that in mind. The treatment’s done. But can you even hold a gun like that?”

She flexed her hand, waking up the sensation. Though her arm was injured, her wrist and fingers were unharmed, so holding a gun posed no problem. Haewon rotated her wrist and said to Yeonwoo.

“Indeed. Want to hand me a gun? So I can get a feel for it.”

He scoffed dismissively and added.

“Not in here. Just wait a little longer.”

Just as Yeonwoo finished speaking, the vibration of a phone suddenly echoed from somewhere.

He turned around, and his eyes instantly turned cold. It was a gaze utterly different from when he had been joking with her.

Haewon instinctively knew it was a crucial call.

Where could it be from?

As she watched him silently, Yeonwoo wiped the sharp expression from his face as if it had never been there, and said to Haewon.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He walked to the desk and picked up the phone that lay there.

“Yeah. Talk.”

Kwon Yeonwoo answered the phone in a low voice, then opened the bunker’s inner door and disappeared inside. Haewon quietly followed his retreating figure with her eyes.

Who exactly was Kwon Yeonwoo allied with?

The position of the President’s son was, in fact, an extremely difficult one. Any careless action could lead to national condemnation and generate enough impact to shake his parents’ political careers.

But now, in this unfamiliar foreign country, he was hidden in an underground bunker under someone’s patronage. The fact that it was a force even the National Intelligence Service hadn’t identified made it very dangerous and clandestine.

Haewon reconsidered Kwon Yeonwoo’s actions, keeping in mind the government forces, rebel factions, and a third party.

With almost no information, she could only infer that given Kwon Yeonwoo’s kidnapping by rebel forces, the power supporting him was likely either the Myanmar government or a third party.

But what benefit could Kwon Yeonwoo possibly gain by colluding with them?

“Hmm…”

Due to the lack of concrete evidence, her thoughts couldn’t progress further. She brushed her forehead and tore her gaze from the closed door. For now, there was no other way but to observe a little longer.

Meanwhile, Kwon Yeonwoo finished his call and walked back towards the bed. Haewon subtly questioned him.

“What’s the situation like outside?”

It had been two days since they’d hidden in the bunker. By now, the National Intelligence Service must be in a state of extreme emergency. The agent sent to rescue the VVIP was out of contact, and the deployed support team must have suffered considerable damage from the engagement.

Yeonwoo took a sip from the bottled water beside him, then spoke.

“The engagement has stopped now. And I hear the National Intelligence Service’s support team, along with special forces operatives, are all searching for me?”

Haewon brightened slightly at his words and asked in return.

“Is the support team safe? No one died?”

“Doesn’t seem like there were any major casualties.”

She felt a wave of relief. Her heart had been heavy, believing she was the only one who had survived, so hearing there weren’t major casualties eased her mind a little. Was Ha Gyuho safe, then?

“Looks like you were worried? More sentimental than you let on?”

“I don’t know. So, when can we leave? You said the engagement was over.”

“You really want to get out of here, don’t you?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“I like it though. Just the two of us, cozy like this.”

Yeonwoo playfully winked. Haewon turned her head and let out a low sigh.

She still found his overly familiar attitude difficult to comprehend. What on earth is Kwon Yeonwoo thinking?

And when she eventually returned, she also worried about how much to report about Kwon Yeonwoo. The National Intelligence Service seemed to know nothing about this man yet.

“Let’s go to sleep.”

“Now?”

“You can’t see outside, so you might not realize, but it’s midnight.”

“Hmm…”

Haewon’s gaze drifted to the narrow bed she was sitting on. It looked wide for a single, but no matter how she looked at it, it wasn’t meant for two. And to sleep alongside a man as big as Kwon Yeonwoo, her only option was to be held in his arms, just like yesterday.

She absolutely refused.

“I’ll sleep in the chair.”

“Not sleeping together?”

Seeing his face, which was clearly disappointed, Haewon let out a hollow laugh. Wasn’t sleeping together in this situation the stranger option?

She gave him an incredulous look, then went and settled into the armchair. Its back reclined quite a bit, making it more comfortable than she’d expected. Yeonwoo stared at her intently, as if displeased, then shrugged and said.

“You sleep in the bed. I’ll take the chair.”

“Really?”

At his compliant offer to sleep separately, Haewon looked at him, trying to gauge him. He met her gaze and slowly walked towards her, saying.

“Instead, let’s tie one hand together. Or even just hold hands.”

“…Are you worried I’ll run off?”

“I’m worried you’ll poke around the bunker needlessly. Then you’ll be in trouble.”

“…”

Haewon felt a little awkward, as she had indeed planned to explore the bunker once Kwon Yeonwoo fell asleep.

“I’ll just sleep quietly.”

“Haewon, you keep lying with that pretty face of yours, don’t you?”

Yeonwoo opened the drawer next to the table, pulled out a rope, and said.

“Choose. Either sleep in my arms, or tie one hand.”

“Tying me to the chair…”

“No.”

Yeonwoo grinned, his face resolute. She didn’t want to, but knowing she couldn’t win against him in here anyway, she obediently extended one arm.

“Do what you want.”

“Good choice.”

Yeonwoo took Haewon’s hand and pulled her towards him. Her body unexpectedly stumbled into his embrace.

“W-what are you…!”

In the blink of an eye, Haewon found herself standing less than a foot from him. One hand instinctively gripped his shoulder, while the other was still captured by his, leaving her in an awkward pose.

“You said to do what I want, didn’t you?”

Yeonwoo naturally supported Haewon’s waist, gazing intently at her as she practically melted into his embrace.

What was he trying to do now…?!

Haewon bit the inside of her lip and stared straight at him, pretending not to be surprised. She refused to be swayed by Kwon Yeonwoo, not even a little.

“I didn’t mean for you to just grab me.”

“Now that I think about it, untying a rope would probably be too easy for you.”

“So you’re determined to sleep holding me?”

Yeonwoo didn’t answer. Instead, he simply stared intently at Haewon with a heated gaze. His face, stripped of its playful smile, was more serious than she had ever seen it.

Facing that expression, Haewon felt a little stunned. She somehow understood the meaning behind his intense gaze. She pushed against Yeonwoo’s shoulder.

“Hey, Kwon Yeonwoo.”

However, Yeonwoo used the hand supporting her waist to pull Haewon even closer, whispering low.

“Shall we finish what we started earlier? The night is long, and I think we’d get along quite well.”