Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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19.
Liam bent down to pick up the book and placed it on her left chair, offering a polite smile.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
The woman waved her hand lightly at Liam’s unmistakably likable face, as if to say not to worry. She turned her body to the left to retrieve the book.
Liam quickly snatched the hat lying on her right. Then he hurried away from the spot.
He pressed the hat firmly onto Heejoo’s head as he quickened his pace.
It all happened in an instant. Just as Heejoo, bewildered by the sudden hat, was about to say something, Liam pulled her into an embrace.
She froze.
For a moment, Heejoo’s breath caught. People bustled past them hurriedly, and a murmur of noise washed over her from beyond his shoulder.
Yet somehow, time seemed to have stopped. The air hung still, unmoving.
Heejoo blinked in bewilderment. All she could see was Liam’s chest. Thump, thump—his heartbeat was slow and steady.
Meanwhile, her own heart hammered wildly—thump-thump-thump. Heat crept unbidden into her face.
Afraid he might notice her self-awareness, she brought her hand to his chest. And just as she was about to push away—
“Seven o’clock, two of them. Nine o’clock, one. One o’clock, another.”
……
“They’re definitely looking for us. They’re not passengers boarding a flight—they’ve been checking every passenger’s face as if searching for someone.”
Heejoo recovered her composure in an instant, as though she’d never been flustered. From the counter, her face would be hidden behind Liam’s bulk.
“At the Air Korea Counter?”
Liam nodded and spoke in a measured tone.
“We’re taking the escalator at three o’clock. Act like affectionate lovers.”
“Understood.”
Liam released Heejoo from his arms, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned half-against him as they walked forward.
The two stepped onto the escalator side by side. Liam pulled her close and bent his head slightly, as if whispering in her ear.
His lips came close enough to brush her neck. A rich scent reached the tip of her nose.
It wasn’t the cheap shampoo smell from the motel, nor was it lotion.
……
Heejoo’s back tensed. Every nerve seemed to come alive, as if her fine hairs were standing on end. Her shoulders stiffened.
Liam noticed. His eyes, which had been fixed on her pale nape, flicked sideways to check behind them.
The men were still scanning the faces of young women. Gradually their figures receded from view.
As Liam stepped off the escalator, he extended his hand.
“Phone.”
Heejoo pulled her mobile from her pocket and handed it to him. He switched it off along with his own and tossed both into a trash bin.
“Hurry.”
Liam quickly exited the airport and headed toward a waiting taxi. He opened the rear door, and Heejoo climbed in first.
The driver turned around and asked.
“Do you have any luggage for the trunk?”
“No.”
Heejoo nodded, and the driver immediately started the engine.
“Where to?”
Where to.
Heejoo lost her words at the question and fell silent.
Where could they go? Her father was dead, and somewhere in the city, the Russian Mafia was surely prowling in search of her.
Then Liam spoke.
“The Ferry Building, please.”
“Ferry Building, great choice. If you’re in San Francisco, you have to see the Ferry Building first. Alright, we’re heading out now.”
The taxi began to move. Heejoo gazed at the passing scenery with vacant eyes, her expression growing subtly troubled.
San Francisco again.
It was hard to believe she’d arrived here only yesterday morning. It had been less than a day and a half.
Without realizing it, Heejoo clenched her fists tightly.
***
The Ferry Building was a shopping center located at the waterfront, lined with countless shops inside.
The moment they stepped out of the taxi, the smell of salt rushed in. It felt nothing like a seaside beach. The thick, briny scent mixed with the fishy aroma of the sea, and beneath it lay the unmistakable essence of living.
A woman on a bicycle rang her bell as she passed, and a young man on a skateboard weaved between them.
Heejoo stopped in her tracks and looked around. Shoppers and tourists crowded on all sides.
She began to understand why Liam had chosen this place as their destination.
“A crowded place is safer in times like this,” Heejoo said.
Liam nodded thoughtfully. Heejoo resumed walking, and Liam followed.
The two entered a restaurant with a few scattered empty tables. It specialized in oysters and seafood.
Liam shook his head at the server guiding them to the terrace seating and pointed instead to an interior table. The server smiled and seated them.
Heejoo murmured quietly while adjusting the brim of her hat and surveying the restaurant.
“I’m doing things I’ve never done before.”
Liam understood what she meant—riding in someone else’s car without permission, stealing someone else’s hat to wear.
Such things came naturally to Liam, but not to Heejoo. There was still a clear line drawn between them.
A server in an apron approached the table. After they’d finished ordering, Heejoo studied the quiet Liam.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Those men.”
“You mean the Russian organization?”
At that, Liam shook his head with a skeptical expression.
“It doesn’t fit the Russian Mafia.”
“What do you mean?”
Just then, the server brought beer. Both of them simultaneously brought the glasses to their lips.
Heejoo took a sip and set her glass down, while Liam drained half of his in one go. He turned his eyes back to Heejoo.
“Remember? All four of them were dressed in suits.”
“Yes.”
Heejoo nodded easily, her memory clear.
“They were looking for you in front of Air Korea Counter.”
Now Heejoo understood where Liam was going, and she furrowed her brow slightly.
“They knew which flight I’d booked in advance.”
“Could even the Russian Mafia manage that? Getting the room number of the hotel you stayed in is one thing—that hotel might be one of their operations—but an airline? That’s a different matter entirely.”
“And I booked my flight on the way to the airport.”
Exactly, Liam took another sip of beer.
“To obtain information that quickly and dispatch people? It doesn’t smell like a common criminal organization—more like a government agency.”
“A government agency? The CIA?”
“Perhaps.”
Liam tilted his head lightly and added.
“The DEA, the IRS, or the DHS. We can’t rule out any of those either.”
The DEA enforced drug laws, the IRS collected federal taxes, and the DHS handled homeland security. The mere thought of such formidable agencies made Heejoo’s brow furrow.
“Aren’t you reaching a bit far?”
“The case is already spiraling out of control.”
He was right. With her biological father murdered and unknown organizations in pursuit, plausibility had already been thrown to the wind.
“In this situation, we can’t speculate with certainty. We don’t have enough information. But one thing is clear.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re being hunted by two completely different organizations—a government agency and the Russian Mafia. Their objectives and methods are worlds apart.”
Heejoo’s grip tightened on her beer glass. Her eyes reflected confusion and turmoil.
A server approached with a plate. Both fell silent and looked at him.
The server set the food down, said “Enjoy your meal,” and withdrew. Heejoo picked up a spoon.
“Let’s eat anyway. We need our strength for what comes next.”
Heejoo lifted a spoonful of mussel stew to her mouth. But her mind was too tangled to taste anything properly.
Russian organization? Government agency? What on earth is happening?
She mechanically worked her spoon, then suddenly stopped and turned her head.
Beyond the plate-glass window, the deep blue sea spread out. Rippling waves, glimmering sunlight on the water.
People sat on the steps eating burgers, and couples sat on benches sipping coffee. Seagulls circled overhead, watching for their moment.
That peaceful scene felt impossibly distant to her. As if an impassable wall stood between them and her.
Heejoo turned back quietly and finished her remaining stew.
And Liam watched her intently. His gaze had grown profoundly deep.
***
After the meal, they bought coffee and stepped out of the building. The wind that slapped their cheeks was cold, but it was perfect for clearing a muddled mind.
Heejoo walked in silence toward a bench near the pier. They sat side by side, gazing only at the sea stretched before them.
A ferry horn sounded in the distance. A passenger ferry cut through the white wake as it approached. Many people disembarked from the vessel at the dock, and just as many climbed aboard.
Heejoo suddenly spoke.
“I’m not going back.”
Liam, who had been raising his coffee to his lips, lifted only his eyes slightly. She kept her gaze on the sea as she continued.
“Besides, I can’t go back either.”
“Then?”
“I need to find out who they are. What they want from me, what kind of man my father was, and whether his death was truly at another’s hand.”
The statement surprised him. Instead of answering, Liam raised his eyebrows. Heejoo reached into her bag and pulled out something—a key her father had left behind.
“First, I need to find out what this key opens. That’s why I’m asking.”
She turned to face Liam.
“Help me.”
……
“Please.”
Heejoo knew she couldn’t do this alone. If not for Liam yesterday and today, she wouldn’t be sitting here now.
As he’d said, she was nothing but an office worker, and the field had far exceeded her expectations.
Now that the Russian Mafia, PM Makarov, and the possibility of the CIA had all been mentioned.
Go to a doctor for medicine, to a pharmacist for pills. And to a Black Agent for fieldwork.
Heejoo admitted she needed a specialist, and fortunately for her, the best expert in this field was right beside her.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Tell me why I should help you.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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