Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 21

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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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21.
Hee-joo lay curled in the corner of the bed, her eyes closed, her body drawn tight. Liam wondered if she was just pretending to sleep, but her eyelashes didn’t flicker.
Shhh, shhh. Only after hearing that steady rhythm of breath did Liam slowly accept what was real.
“She’s actually asleep?”
A soft laugh escaped him as he swept his wet hair back and walked to the bed. She must have been exhausted—she didn’t open her eyes at his approach.
“Sleeping in a situation like this?”
Suddenly, he resented her for it. There she was, burning through every option they had, and now sleeping peacefully while he was left with his thoughts.
Liam perched on the edge of the bed and gazed down at her sleeping face. At the curled shape of her body, the furrow between her brows, the shadows beneath her eyes.
“Her mind can’t possibly be at ease.”
She’d learned of her father’s death in a single morning, and now her own life was under threat. Her father was presumed killed by the Russian Mafia.
Her attempt to return to Korea had failed as well. It remained uncertain how much longer she’d have to stay here.
And worst of all, she didn’t even understand why any of this was happening.
No wonder she was exhausted.
Yet despite it all, she hadn’t shed a single tear or voiced a single complaint. She simply navigated the situation with an eerie, detached composure.
Did she not realize how precarious that made her seem?
Liam exhaled softly and drew the blanket up to her neck. She stirred for a moment, then sank deeper into sleep.
He reached out and gently traced her hair back from her face. The tension between her brows gradually eased.
“Much better this way.”
An unexpected smile crossed his lips as he whispered in a lowered voice.
“Sleep well.”
Of course, there was no answer.
“Don’t dream. Just rest.”
He lay down beside her carefully, trying not to disturb her sleep. The moment his eyes closed, her breathing became clearer, more vivid in the silence.
As he listened to that sound, sleep pulled him under.
***
Her eyes snapped open.
Hee-joo stared up at an unfamiliar ceiling, her brow furrowed. As her eyes blinked slowly, memories from yesterday began filtering back, piece by piece.
Where was Liam?
She bolted upright. For just a moment, panic crossed her face as she looked around.
“Did you sleep well?”
She turned at the voice beside her. Liam lay on his side, one arm propping up his head, his eyebrow arching slightly with amusement.
“I… um…”
“You had me waiting all night, and you’re sitting there looking refreshed? I didn’t sleep a wink.”
Despite his claim of sleeplessness, he looked quite presentable—but Hee-joo had no time to call him out on it. An apology spilled from her lips.
“I’m sorry. I was so exhausted, I must have fallen asleep while waiting for you.”
Liam rose slowly, his upper body lifting from the mattress as he swung his legs out of bed. The blanket slipped away, revealing him in nothing but boxer briefs.
She gasped.
Hee-joo’s eyes widened in shock. She wanted to turn her head away, but her gaze seemed pinned in place.
Liam pulled on the trousers that had been draped over a chair. With each movement, the muscles of his back rippled like living things.
When he was clothed, he’d appeared lean enough—but now, with that fabric barrier removed, his true physique was laid bare.
Not a trace of softness anywhere. The muscles were neither excessive nor lacking. It was the sharp definition of his erector spinae that drew her eye most.
Then displeasure flickered across her features. Liam was the one exposed, and he was the one who should be embarrassed—yet he was utterly shameless about it, leaving her flustered and uncertain instead. That was the awkward truth.
This was inexperience.
Hee-joo steeled her resolve and forced her eyes open wide.
Liam, now fully dressed, turned to face her. Their eyes met. As if he’d detected her internal struggle, his gaze narrowed slightly.
“Go wash up. I’ll find a place for breakfast while you’re at it.”
“…All right.”
After Hee-joo entered the bathroom, Liam absently patted his pockets—and only then remembered that both their mobile phones were in a trash bin at the Airport.
Liam raised his voice toward the bathroom.
“I’ll be asking the front desk. Come down once you’re ready.”
“Yes.”
Only after hearing her answer through the bathroom door did Liam leave the room. The crisp morning air carried a pleasant chill.
***
They sat down at a restaurant not far from the Motel for breakfast. The menu consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, and coffee.
“I want tteokbokki.”
At her murmur, Liam’s eyebrow twitched upward.
“Didn’t you say kimchi jjigae yesterday?”
“That was yesterday. Today I want tteokbokki.”
To look at her expression, one would think the world had ended. Liam found it curious that she could wear such gravity over a mere choice of food.
“We’ll eat Korean for lunch.”
“Good.”
At that single word, her face brightened considerably. She attacked the remaining scrambled eggs with renewed enthusiasm.
Then she slipped a hand into her pocket. After patting her empty pockets, she made a small sound. “Oh.” Her face fell.
“I was trying to call my team lead.”
Liam, understanding what she meant, took a sip of coffee and nodded. He’d been needing his phone himself.
“We’ll each get a prepaid phone later.”
“All right.”
Hee-joo bit into her sausage and stared into the middle distance, her lips moving slightly as she chewed. Liam lifted his coffee cup, his gaze lingering on those working lips.
Once her thoughts had settled, Hee-joo met his eyes.
“After that, let’s go back to my father’s house.”
“Why?”
Liam ordered another serving of scrambled eggs as he asked. Hee-joo took a sip of coffee before answering.
“We know nothing. Who to meet, where to go, where any of this started. And going forward, the path only gets more obscured.”
“It’s true there are no leads. Among the missions I’ve handled, this one’s particularly difficult.”
“No, that’s not true. There’s one lead left.”
“A lead…”
Liam, lost in thought, looked up at her with a quiet “Ah.”
“The key?”
“Yes.”
“You said you didn’t know what the key opens.”
“Which is why I want to go back to my father’s house. There must have been a reason he asked me to stop by. If we search the house thoroughly, maybe we can find out what the key is for.”
“That’s reasonable thinking.”
More accurately, it was the only option they had left. Perhaps the key opened a garage, or a safe.
“A car would be useful too.”
Hee-joo nodded in agreement with his words.
“We can’t keep taking taxis everywhere. But to rent a car, we’d need to show ID, and I’m worried we’d be flagged right away, just like at the Airport.”
Yes, that was the problem. Liam tapped his fingers on the table, and suddenly Hee-joo’s eyes widened. She looked at him and smiled, a grin spreading across her face.
“I know someone who specializes in this sort of thing. And luckily, he’s currently living in San Francisco.”
Yes, that was what was fascinating about her. The way she found a path forward no matter what.
Liam, chin resting in one hand as he observed her, suddenly spoke up.
“Are you all right?”
It was an unexpected question. It hadn’t passed through his mind first—it came straight from his mouth.
Yet even as he’d spoken, he found himself genuinely curious. Was she truly all right, or just putting on a brave face?
Hee-joo, adjusting her backpack, tilted her head. “Pardon?”
Liam shrugged lightly. “This isn’t an ordinary situation. Your father was murdered, and you’re being hunted by people you don’t even know. Are you really all right?”
“And if I’m not?”
At her calm question, Liam’s brow furrowed. Hee-joo’s voice remained steady as she continued.
“I have to be. Sitting here crying and falling apart won’t solve anything.”
For just a moment—the briefest of moments—Liam thought he saw her cry. He stared straight into her face.
But her eyes weren’t red, her voice wasn’t shaking. Even her brow remained unfurrowed. She looked exactly as she always did.
So he opened his mouth again. This time too, his tongue moved faster than his brain.
“What if crying would help?”
“It won’t.”
Hee-joo let out a breath—something between a sigh and laughter, as if humoring a foolish joke. Then—
“What if I made it so it would?”
…
At his words, Hee-joo froze. She gazed at his face in silence, then rose from her seat and shouldered her backpack.
“Let’s go.”
She’d drawn a line.
Liam sat in silence for a moment. His face suggested he had much to say, yet he said nothing.
The two of them walked out of the restaurant side by side. The cool November morning air swirled around them before scattering on the wind.
***
The bus after the morning rush was nearly empty. Hee-joo let her eyes drift across the passing scenery without focus.
English signage, unfamiliar brands, people moving past them. Every time she saw something from this other world, the reality of being in a foreign country struck her anew.
A strange place.
What am I doing here right now? And where am I going?
She couldn’t know what lay at the end of this road. She couldn’t know if this was the right path, or if she should continue walking it at all.
Yet she couldn’t turn back. All she could do was move forward. No matter what waited there.
“This is our stop.”
Liam’s voice broke through her thoughts. The moment she lifted her head, she met his grayish-blue eyes, fixed squarely on her.
Sometimes that felt uncomfortable—the sense that his gaze could see straight through her mind.

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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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