Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 3

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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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3.
“The work handled by the Grim Reaper is mostly classified. If anyone knew what they were doing and where, do you think the Black Agents would just sit idle?”
“I see.”
“But even if Manager Kim is hospitalized, it’s bold to think of assigning Liam to you. I naturally assumed the team leader would handle it. Isn’t that right, sir?”
As he spoke, Yun Gyeong-ho turned his gaze toward Han Sang-jin.
“Huh? What?”
Han Sang-jin, who had been trying to slip away quietly, laughed awkwardly and turned his head. Hui-ju called him over with her teeth clenched tight.
“Sir.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“We need to talk.”
“It’s a misunderstanding. Sit for a moment. Don’t look so frightened, okay?”
Han Sang-jin waved both hands frantically, beads of sweat rolling down his face. Just then, Hui-ju’s handphone chimed softly.
Hui-ju, who had been glaring at Han Sang-jin, quickly checked the message. Her head tilted in confusion.
“What’s this about?”
“What? Is something wrong?”
Han Sang-jin edged backward, asking the question. Hui-ju forgot her anger from moments before and stared only at the screen.
“Mother asked me to drop by for a moment. That’s unlike her. Strange. I wonder if something’s happened?”
“Don’t worry about it. If nothing urgent comes up, just finish the morning shift and head home. Stop by the Family Home on your way and grab lunch with your parents. They’ll be happy.”
“Yes.”
Hui-ju nodded, her expression uneasy. Han Sang-jin spoke as though he’d just remembered something.
“What about Liam Clough?”
“Target Elimination is complete. I was just about to contact the London Police officials. If word gets out that our government was involved, this could balloon into a real problem.”
“Right. Who’s your contact at the police? MacGregor?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Keep me updated on progress as things develop.”
“Yes.”
As Hui-ju turned back to her desk, she paused. “Oh, one more thing,” she said. Han Sang-jin’s face softened into an indulgent smile, inviting her to continue.
“Did you know Liam’s real name is Liam Ri? He said his grandfather chose characters meaning ‘plum tree’ and ‘darkness.’ His grandfather apparently gave him that name.”
“His grandfather?”
Han Sang-jin’s brow furrowed.
“His mother is Korean, as far as I know. But his grandfather was born in England. It doesn’t seem likely he’d have named his grandson with Chinese characters. Where did this rumor even come from?”
“From the person himself……. Oh.”
Hui-ju’s face twisted as she belatedly realized Liam had duped her. She ground her teeth and walked back to her desk.
“This is why Field Agents are—”
***
Ding-dong.
The front door flew open before her finger even left the doorbell. Her father came rushing out, spreading both arms wide.
“Welcome home, my girl.”
“Dad.”
Hui-ju shared a light embrace with her father before stepping inside. The aroma of toasted sesame oil hung thick in the air. Her mother poked her head out from the kitchen.
“Is that you, Hui-ju?”
Hui-ju’s tongue flicked out as she surveyed the table laden with dishes.
“Why did you prepare so much? I said let’s just eat something simple outside.”
“That’s when you need a home-cooked meal. Eating out all the time ruins your health. But why does your voice sound like that? Did you catch a cold?”
“Yes. It’s been a few days, and it just won’t go away.”
“Have you seen a doctor?”
“A doctor for a cold? There’s no need. Everything else is fine; it’s just the cough. I’ve already taken medicine.”
“See, this is what happens when you don’t eat well and take care of yourself.”
In her mother’s world, improper nutrition was the root cause of all ailments—catching a cold, a stomachache, aching knees, everything.
Sensing that the lecture was about to begin, Hui-ju deftly changed the subject.
“Oh, japchae! That’s my favorite.”
“Sit down. It’s all ready.”
Her mother pressed freshly cooked rice firmly into a bowl. Even a servant probably wouldn’t have been fed so lavishly, but Hui-ju accepted the bowl quietly. Otherwise, the lecture that had stopped would simply resume.
“Eat up. You must be hungry.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Hui-ju scooped a handful of japchae into her mouth and murmured thoughtfully.
“I don’t understand why restaurant food never tastes like this.”
As if on cue, her father chimed in.
“Your mother may have her flaws, but her cooking is something special.”
“My flaws? What exactly am I bad at?”
“No, that’s not what I meant……. Anyway, the doenjang stew tastes particularly good today. There’s a crab flavor to it, isn’t there?”
Her father trailed off, prodding at the stew with a puzzled expression.
“The flavor is there, but I don’t see any crab.”
He peered into Hui-ju’s soup bowl. Two crabs jostled in the narrow space.
“Didn’t you know Hui-ju likes crab? Look how thin she’s gotten. Are you thinking of stealing your daughter’s food?”
“Steal? I just said the flavor was there, that’s all.”
“Here, let’s be fair. Dad gets one, Mom gets one.”
As Hui-ju divided the crabs between them, both parents waved their hands in perfect synchronization.
“You eat it, you eat it. We had some just the other day.”
“Please have them. I prefer the broth anyway. But what’s this about? Is something the matter?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes.”
Her mother, who had been shredding crab meat onto Hui-ju’s rice, faltered. Her face clouded for a moment before returning to its usual softness.
“Let’s finish eating first, and then we’ll talk.”
“All right. I’ll stop fussing. Mom, please eat.”
“I’m eating. You finish up too.”
After the meal, the three of them sat in the living room, swallowing a bitter silence.
Her father fidgeted with his fingers as if missing a cigarette he’d quit, while her mother stared blankly at the cold stove.
Hui-ju knitted her brow, unsure what she was meant to understand. She turned her gaze from one parent to the other.
“Bio……Father?”
A heavy silence descended again—thinner than before, but still oppressive.
Her mother nudged her father sharply in the ribs. Pushed forward, he nodded resignedly.
“It’s Terminal Cancer. Not much time left, it seems. He wants to see your face one last time.”
“…….”
“We’re not asking you to meet him. But we felt we should tell you. Otherwise you might have regrets later, right?”
Without meaning to, Hui-ju swallowed hard. Her lips moved as though she were about to speak, then closed again. There was so much to say, yet she couldn’t find the right words.
“Hui-ju.”
Her mother took her hand and stroked it gently, her pale skin tender.
“Don’t think about how we might feel. Don’t worry about disappointing us. Think about what you want first. That’s all that matters to us. What do you want to do?”
“I…….”
The two of them waited for her, patient and unhurried.
They always had been. Despite having adopted her—the daughter of an old friend—they had never once treated her as anything less than their own child.
Hui-ju had never doubted their love.
Yet sometimes, very occasionally, there was a hollow in her chest. A cavity through which cold wind whistled freely.
—Presumably, both biological parents deceased; no siblings. Outwardly cheerful and conscientious, but harboring an unresolvable, fundamental loneliness deep within. Others perceive her as even-tempered and kind, though in truth she possesses a rather sharp streak of cynicism.
She didn’t know why those words suddenly surfaced. Because he saw through her at first glance? Because he’d caught her carefully hidden true self?
Perhaps. But one thing was certain: Liam’s assessment had been entirely correct.
Would meeting her biological father fill this hollow?
“I’ll meet him.”
After long deliberation, Hui-ju nodded. Her father’s laughing response—”Good thinking”—somehow carried a bitter edge.
Hui-ju opened her mouth as if to explain.
“Not because I miss him. Not because I want to see him. It’s just… hearing that he’s dying soon…”
“I understand. I do.”
Hui-ju turned to her mother.
“So where is he? In the United States?”
***
5:55 a.m.
Yawning, Hui-ju grabbed her Laptop and entered the Counseling Room. She glanced at the clock, then stepped back outside.
She filled a tumbler with hot water and tore open a tea bag, dropping it in.
The clear water stained crimson. Only when she checked the wrapper did she realize it was hibiscus.
“Of all things, red.”
Hui-ju muttered absently, shook her head once, and moved on. Between the cold and getting almost no sleep last night, she was exhausted.
She’d spent the entire night thinking about this biological father she was meeting for the first time, her mind threatening to split.
“Work first.”
After a short sigh, she logged into the link. She watched the screen turn pitch-black, the ring tone playing softly in the background. Her mind remained foggy, as if shrouded in mist.
Finally the screen changed, and Liam appeared, grinning broadly. In the moment she hesitated without meaning to, Liam raised an eyebrow lightly.
―Shouldn’t we be firing the tech team member?
“Why would we fire someone who’s been working quietly? Is the feed still not coming through on your end?”
―You there—pardon me. Sahara, was it? You said your adoptive parents enjoy hiking, and you’re the second of three siblings?
“You have a good memory.”
Liam smiled with his eyes and tapped his temple lightly with his index finger.
―You have to remember things about people who interest you. Don’t you?
Interest? Hui-ju’s brow creased involuntarily. Then she realized her face wasn’t visible on his screen and exhaled with relief.
Firing him? They should be giving him a raise.
In that moment, Liam murmured softly.
―I’m becoming increasingly curious about Sahara’s face.

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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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