Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 37

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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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37.
While Liam murmured to himself, Noel gripped the hammer that clung to her hand like a handle and lifted the floorboard. With a creak, the wooden panel rose.
A space barely large enough for two people to lie down appeared. Noel whispered urgently.
“Grandfather made it for emergencies. Our line of work sometimes tangles us with rough people. Get in, quickly.”
As Hee-ju moved to enter, Liam spoke.
“I’ll go first.”
Inside, Liam lay on his back, one hand gripping his pistol, the other extended palm-up toward the ceiling.
“Come here.”
Hee-ju hesitated for a moment. Noel, catching the reason, shrugged.
“Tight fit, right? I made this when I was five—didn’t think I’d grow this much.”
No. The truth was, Grandfather hadn’t expected Noel to stay in this business long enough to grow at all. He’d wanted to raise his granddaughter safe and at peace.
Bang, bang, bang! The impatient men outside started hammering the door again. There was no time left to hesitate. Hee-ju hurried forward, pressing herself against Liam’s body.
The two of them fused into a single form.
Noel closed the panel, laid down a carpet, and placed the hammer back into the figurine’s hand. Then she mussed her hair a bit more and headed for the door.
“I’m not good at lying, but for Hee-ju’s sake, I have to try,” she muttered softly to herself.
Noel opened the door. The panel that Lucas had repaired poorly squeaked in protest as it swung wide.
Two men in tailored suits loomed in the entrance like massive mountains. Noel squinted up at them.
“Who are you? If you’re a lawyer Marsha sent, come back another time. I need to hire my own lawyer, too. You do know I’m a minor, right? I can’t give any statement without my guardian’s consent.”
At that, the man’s eyebrows shot up. He produced an identification card.
“We’re from the CIA.”
“The CIA?”
Noel’s expression grew even more suspicious. The man tucked his card away and continued.
“I’m Hunter. This is Anthony.”
As Hunter introduced himself, Anthony’s gaze swept over Noel’s shoulder, scanning the space beyond.
“Could we step inside and talk?”
“My grandfather told me never to let strangers into the house.”
“Isn’t Victor at a nursing home?”
“Something he hammered into my head since childhood. Even without him here, I haven’t forgotten his teachings.”
The next moment, Anthony spoke with a hard expression and a voice to match.
“This is important.”
Unable to resist the weight of that tone, Noel stepped back reluctantly.
“Come in. Oh, leave the sign as is. I’m not operating today—or rather, I can’t. As you can see, the shop’s a mess.”
“Looks like you’ve inherited Victor’s business.”
Noel’s clientele was diverse. Not just the National Intelligence Service, where Hee-ju worked, but the CIA, the FBI, even private customers—she turned none of them away.
Noel shrugged.
“Even without Grandfather, I have to eat.”
“Impressive.”
Hunter, examining the broken door frame and cracked glass wall, asked with pointed interest.
“What happened here?”
“Don’t even ask. Some girl named Marsha did all this. Apparently I flirted with her boyfriend? Well, I’m not letting it slide. I’m filing for damages.”
Hunter’s expression fell—that wasn’t the answer he’d expected. Anthony opened his mouth instead.
“Hee-ju—did she come by?”
“Who?”
Noel blinked at Anthony. Her heart felt ready to burst from the fear of being caught in a lie, but she did her best to play dumb.
“Hee-ju.”
“Should I know that name? So many people want me dead these days that I can’t keep track of everyone. Probably one of them, huh?”
Hunter fixed her with a piercing stare—as though he could see straight through her lie.
Thump-thump. Her heart was nearly bursting from her chest. The room spun.
“Mind if we take a look around the house?”
“What if I say no?”
“Things will get complicated. If you want to keep doing business here.”
“This is exactly why Grandfather said never to work with government agencies.”
Hunter let out a short laugh.
“Don’t forget Victor’s teachings.”
With that, Hunter and Anthony moved forward. Anthony swept quickly through the First Floor, then headed for the stairs.
“I’ll check the Second Floor.”
“Fine.”
After passing through the glass wall, Hunter opened the Storage Room door first. The pawnshop’s inventory sat arranged in perfect order.
Walking along the metal shelves, he suddenly reached out.
“This is a toy my son wanted.”
“Manufactured in 2020, but the company went bankrupt and it vanished—a tragic toy. That bankruptcy gave it a premium value, ironically. Given our business relationship, I can bring it down to 999 dollars.”
“What’s the normal price?”
“1,000 dollars.”
“Hmm. So our relationship is worth one dollar.”
“Don’t forget Victor’s teachings, right?”
Noel trailed after Hunter, rattling off the provenance of every item his eyes landed on. It was enough to make her ears bleed.
Hunter shook his head and left the room. Across the way, another door stood waiting.
He turned the handle. This room was smaller and more sparse than the other—just a Computer, a Camera, and a couple of unidentifiable machines.
“Victor’s Workshop, I take it.”
“It’s my workshop now.”
Hunter stepped inside. Noel swallowed hard without meaning to. Hunter heard the sound and turned back to her.
Noel shrugged lightly.
“Grandfather always taught me to let no one inside the workshop.”
***
Like a coffin, Hee-ju thought.
Victor, couldn’t you have dug it just a little deeper?
Resentment toward Victor flooded through her as she squeezed her eyes shut. The two bodies were pressed together so tightly there wasn’t even room for a sheet of paper between them.
Even trying to think of other things, her awareness centered entirely on the contact. It was impossible not to notice. Every time Liam breathed, her body rose and fell with him.
Liam held his pistol in one hand, pointed upward, his muscles coiled and taut, ready to fire the moment the panel opened.
She felt the ripple of every micro-movement in his muscles.
That meant Liam was feeling her just as keenly. Every breath she exhaled, every shift of muscle, every touch of skin.
Her breathing quickened. Where just moments ago her breath had been one with Liam’s rhythm, it was now slipping out of sync.
There was no way Liam hadn’t noticed. Evidence of it lay in the grip around her shoulders, which tightened.
Enough.
Hee-ju, who had been holding every muscle rigid, finally surrendered and collapsed against him. The moment she released the tension, bodies that seemed unable to draw any closer pressed even more intimately together.
She rested her forehead against his chest. The Underground Compartment reeked of mustiness, yet from him there came the scent of wind.
Perhaps that was Liam’s essence—someone who never stayed in one place, always free to leave.
Then distant footsteps echoed down.
……
Three people—no, two people’s footsteps drew slowly closer.
Click. The sound of a turning doorknob. Sharp tension descended over Hee-ju’s face.
“Victor’s Workshop, I take it.”
A strange voice. Noel’s answer followed.
“It’s my workshop now.”
She was trying to sound casual, but her voice came out stiff.
“Grandfather always taught me to let no one inside the workshop.”
Thud, thud. The footsteps drew nearer.
Hee-ju’s breathing accelerated. Her heart raced dangerously fast. It was the kind of reaction she couldn’t consciously control.
The faster she breathed, the louder her breathing became. Startled by the noise, she held her breath.
But the faster her heart beat, the rougher her breathing grew.
A vicious cycle. I’m going to get caught by my own breathing. I’m ruining everything.
Just as panic threatened to consume Hee-ju’s mind entirely—
!
Liam covered her mouth with his own.
She was caught off guard. His warm tongue parted her teeth and slipped inside.
Her held breath flowed into his mouth. Gulp. Liam swallowed her breath. He withdrew his lips slowly.
She wanted to say something. He probably did too. But neither of them could form words.
Not just because of the man moving above their heads, but because no words adequate to this moment existed.
……
The footsteps faded. The man hadn’t left the room—he was treading deliberately on the carpet.
He was directly above her. Each step sent a heavy vibration through.
Liam stroked the back of her head gently—as if to ease away the tension.
An eternity passed. The steps crossing the carpet finally shifted to the bare floor, and at last he left the room.
Thud, thud. The footsteps faded into the distance.
A long, shaking exhale.

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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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