KTS 179

“Welcome, Mr. Campbell.”

As soon as Winston got out of the car and stepped into the bank, the employee who had been waiting for him quickly approached and greeted him. Winston didn’t waste any time and looked around the interior, asking,

“Where’s Yu-jin?”

“This way.”

The employee, quick to understand, led him forward. Yu-jin was soon to be found. Winston was the first to spot Yu-jin sitting behind the clear glass. And as if to prove that he was the real Yu-jin, the child sitting with him also came into view. His hesitant steps quickly quickened. As his steps became more urgent, as if he were running, the distance to Yu-jin rapidly closed. Winston’s heart began to race wildly.

As if sensing something, Yu-jin paused. And slowly, very slowly, he turned his head. Finally, Yu-jin spotted Winston. Winston clearly saw his eyes widening and his face turning pale.

Hoo.

He almost sighed in relief. This time it’s real. He had mistaken similar-looking people several times and was disappointed each time, but this time it was different. It really was Yu-jin. Right there.

The one who abandoned me and ran away.

“Hic…”

As he gritted his teeth at the rising anger, Yu-jin gasped and stood up abruptly. He looked terrified, as if he would run away again, but he didn’t move any further. Winston’s anger grew uncontrollably at the sight of him frozen in fear. It didn’t matter how many eyes were watching them. Winston’s attention was focused on only one thing. If he had a gun, he might have shot him on the spot. He ground his teeth and clenched and unclenched his fists rapidly, when suddenly Angela jumped off the chair and shouted.

“Winnie!”

Winston paused for a moment. Surprised, he stopped walking and fixed his gaze on the child with wide eyes.

What did she just say…?

“No, Angie!”

Suddenly, Yu-jin shouted and grabbed Angela. Snatching the child who was about to run to him, Yu-jin ran out of the office and started running in the opposite direction from Winston.

“Ha.”

Winston let out a short, incredulous exclamation. He’s going to run away again? From me?

How dare he.

“Leave them.”

He stopped the bodyguards who were about to chase after him. Hesitating at the unexpected order, Winston opened his mouth, still looking in the direction where Yu-jin had disappeared.

“He has nowhere else to run anyway.”

Haa, haa. Haa, haa.

Yu-jin ran through the building, his face pale. What should I do? What should I do?

Just in case, he ran to the emergency exit he had found out about in advance, but there were men waiting for him there too. Yu-jin screamed and ran across the hallway, frantically running up the stairs. The countless footsteps chasing him echoed fearfully behind him. He desperately opened the emergency door on the next floor, ran back into the hallway, and frantically thought.

That man might kill me.

Yu-jin saw it clearly. A hint of gold mixed in Winston’s deep purple eyes. With that, Yu-jin turned pale and became terrified. Facing Winston’s cold anger was too frightening. He would rather jump out of the window. If he didn’t have a child in his arms, he would have done so already.

“Daddy?”

Yu-jin, who had barely found a storage room to hide in and locked the door from the inside, crouched down, and Angela, who had been holding her breath in surprise until then, carefully called out to him. But Yu-jin couldn’t say anything. He just held the child tightly. There was nowhere else to run. Yu-jin would probably be caught. Soon, in the near future.

If that happens.

The image of Winston strangling him was vividly etched in his mind as if it were real.

Thud, the sound of the doorknob turning was heard. To be exact, it was a dull sound of trying to turn the doorknob but being blocked by the lock. Startled, the unmoving doorknob came into view, rattling in his wide-open vision. The same sound was repeated a couple more times, then it soon subsided. Yu-jin stared at the firmly closed door, relying on the faint light, in great tension. The silence continued for quite a while. Maybe it was his imagination. He even felt like his sensitive nerves were wearing away.

Click, a cool and refreshing sound echoed in the darkness. In Yu-jin’s vision, who had stopped breathing, the doorknob that had been holding firm until now slowly turned. Slowly, very slowly, the door opened, and then bright light entered the dimly lit space.

Yu-jin reflexively closed his eyes and crouched down at the sudden light that poured into his wide-open pupils. All his senses were focused on his ears. Thud, thud, thud, slow footsteps echoed ominously. Unlike what he had expected, he didn’t smell any sweet scent at all. He thought Winston’s angry pheromones would crush Yu-jin’s entire body.

The footsteps stopped right in front of him. He could tell from the sound that he was slowly bending down. All he could still smell was the faint dust of the supply room. Was it Winston’s bodyguard? Yu-jin suddenly thought. Trembling with fear, he carefully lifted his eyelids. After blinking a couple more times due to the faint focus, he froze completely when he saw the man’s face clearly in his vision.

Winston was looking at him. With a coldly hardened face, staring at Yu-jin’s face.

This time, he couldn’t even scream. His terrified body trembled involuntarily. Only then did he realize how absurd he had been. I was wrong, please don’t hit Angela! Yu-jin wanted to beg, but no sound came out. The moment he saw Winston raise his hand, he gasped and closed his eyes tightly, desperately shielding Angela.

Winston didn’t move for a while in that state. Yu-jin could only tremble, not knowing what that silence meant. All he wanted was for Angela in his arms not to get hurt. He braced himself and waited for Winston’s next move, when suddenly he felt warmth on his head.

…Huh?

The hand that slowly stroked Yu-jin’s head, which had stiffened for a different reason this time, went down to his shoulder. Then, an arm wrapped around his body, and warmth spread throughout his body. Only then did Yu-jin realize that he was being hugged.

“…Are you okay?”

Winston opened his mouth for the first time. His voice was lower than usual, and very hoarse. Yu-jin belatedly realized that Winston’s arms holding him were trembling.

“Are you hurt anywhere? …Everything, is everything okay?”

At the following question, Yu-jin noticed that even his voice was faintly shaking. Knowing that, the fear that had been gripping his heart slowly disappeared, and his mind gradually calmed down. Hesitating, Yu-jin carefully twisted his body and broke free from Winston’s arms. Unexpectedly, Winston let him go.

Even though they were so close, he couldn’t smell any pheromones from him. Why?

Why is this man suppressing his pheromones?

As he thought that, Winston’s face, looking at him, finally came into view. His face, distorted and biting his lip, was far from angry.

The moment he read pain, anguish, helplessness, and all the frustration, Yu-jin was embarrassed. Why, why?

Why are you looking at me with that face…?

“Winnie.”

While he was confused and unable to say anything, Angela suddenly called him. As the uneasy silence was broken, Yu-jin witnessed an unbelievable sight. Angela reached out her arms towards Winston, and Winston broke down his mouth and hugged the child’s body.

“Thank goodness, Angie. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Winston said in a choked voice, holding the child tightly in his arms. Yu-jin couldn’t help but admit that it was the truth without lies. In front of Yu-jin, who was just blinking blankly, Angela hugged Winston’s neck and said.

“Winnie, I missed you.”

At the child’s difficult confession, Winston took a deep breath and paused, then answered with a deep breath.

“I missed you too.”

Yu-jin just watched them.