Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 38

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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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38.
Hee Ju buried her face in Liam’s shoulder and exhaled a long breath. The breath that had been caught in her throat finally broke free. She breathed as though she’d just sprinted a short distance.
Throughout it all, Liam remained perfectly composed. He listened quietly to the sounds coming from outside.
Suddenly Hee Ju lifted her head. Their eyes met. Though she couldn’t see an inch ahead in the darkness, she felt it.
The two of them faced each other in the thick darkness. Liam’s breath mingled with hers. The temperature in the confined space seemed to rise.
“Liam…….”
Hee Ju called his name softly. He tilted his head slowly and pressed his lips to her forehead.
It was as gentle as a goodnight kiss given to a child, and as reverent as a oath of loyalty offered to a lord.
Then, footsteps approached once more. But Hee Ju didn’t tense. Liam wasn’t vigilant.
Click. The wooden panel above them lifted. As light flooded into eyes adjusted to darkness, Hee Ju reflexively squinted.
When she opened her eyes again.
“…….”
She saw slate-gray eyes staring directly at her. She couldn’t move—as though her hands and feet were bound.
A strange sense of discomfort washed over her. As if she’d stepped into a deep marsh.
“Hee Ju?”
Noel’s innocent voice pulled her back to reality.
Supporting herself with both arms, Hee Ju slowly pushed herself up. After remaining still for so long, every bone in her body seemed to cry out.
Liam helped her out first, then rose to his feet. As they emerged from the Underground Space, Noel closed the wooden panel and spread a carpet over it.
Noel, having placed a hammer in Hero’s hand, perched on the edge of a desk.
“They said it was the CIA?”
“The CIA?”
Hee Ju instinctively turned to look at Liam. His guess about them being a government organization had been right. The problem was that she had no idea why they were after her.
“Why are they looking for me?”
“I’m not sure. They didn’t say. Do you think I should have asked?”
When Noel’s expression grew worried, Hee Ju smiled warmly and shook her head.
“No. You did more than enough already.”
Noel let out a relieved breath and glanced toward the door as he spoke.
“Still, it’s probably best we don’t leave right now. They might still be nearby.”
“You’re right.”
Hee Ju agreed, her gaze settling calmly on the entrance. Unbeknownst to her, circumstances were shifting rapidly.
***
The vehicle moved at a steady pace. Yet inside the car lay a deep silence.
Liam, gripping the steering wheel, glanced sidelong at Hee Ju. She rested her arm on the window frame, gazing out at the scenery with vacant eyes.
No—she wasn’t looking at anything. Her gaze held nothing at all.
Liam tapped his fingers against the wheel. Just then, the car hit a red light. He pressed the brake smoothly and frowned as he stared ahead.
He didn’t know what to say in moments like this. His dissatisfaction with his own helplessness made him click his tongue silently.
The light changed. In the end, he said nothing, and the car moved forward. The silence inside remained thick and unbroken.
Gradually, the landscape began to change. Thick trees appeared one by one, and in the distance, the steeple of a Church came into view.
Liam headed toward the back of the building rather than the parking lot. After stopping the car, he looked around.
It was quiet. For a funeral, there were far too few visitors.
Ashen clouds hung low overhead. Tap, tap-tap. Raindrops struck the windshield.
Liam turned and pulled an Umbrella from the back seat.
According to Noel, it was an expensive brand umbrella. He’d added that it was left behind by a woman addicted to drugs.
“Should we go in?”
“Will you be alright?”
Hee Ju asked in a composed voice. Liam frowned slightly.
“Will I be alright? You mean me, not you?”
“Whether it’s the Russian Mafia or the CIA, someone will certainly be waiting for us in there. And whatever fallout comes from it, it’s not me who’ll have to bear it—it’s you, Liam.”
Even now, Hee Ju was worried about him. For a moment, something flickered in Liam’s eyes.
What was that feeling that had just torn through his gut in an instant?
It wasn’t fascination. Something heavier than that.
It wasn’t amusement. Something deeper than that.
“Do you want to see, or would you rather not?”
“…….”
“Tell me what you want, and I’ll handle the rest myself.”
At those words, Hee Ju slowly lowered her eyes. She was used to holding back. Even when she desired something, she would swallow it down.
It wasn’t that her parents discriminated against her. If anything, they favored her.
Things forbidden to her brothers were permitted to Hee Ju. They reasoned that as their only daughter, she should be raised as something precious.
Yet sometimes, she couldn’t breathe. Their love was vast and heavy, and with her chest so full, breathing felt impossible.
No one gave her any hint to be wary, but she was wary on her own. What might be called spoiled complaints weighed heavily upon her.
But now Liam was telling her to simply speak what she wanted. The rest, he said, he would handle himself.
It wasn’t so different from what her parents had said—yet it was neither large nor heavy. Perhaps because of Liam’s light tone. Or perhaps because it was merely a condition of their transaction.
Yes, she had something to give Liam. So this was a fair exchange.
Hee Ju, who would normally have shaken her head and said “Never mind. Let’s go back,” whispered in a dry voice instead.
“I don’t feel longing or sorrow.”
Liam kept his hands on the steering wheel and stared at Hee Ju. Pat-pat, pat-pat. The sound of rain striking the windows grew louder.
“I don’t feel a desire to see or any sense of guilt either.”
“…….”
“But I want to offer some final greeting on my way. I know it will bring troublesome complications. It’s just that without it, it will feel like I have no family. If I turn away now, I think it will haunt me with regret for a long time.”
“If that’s what you wish.”
Liam replied lightly and stepped out of the car. He opened the Umbrella and walked around to the passenger side. Hee Ju quietly opened her door and got out.
Pat-pat. Liam held the Umbrella over her head. The scent of damp wood grew stronger.
Without speaking, they walked forward. As they rounded the building and approached the small Church, they saw a group of people gathered in a circle.
Fewer than ten.
“This is far enough.”
Hee Ju stopped at the side of the building. Liam halted beside her and tilted the Umbrella more toward her.
A Pastor stood before the coffin, his Bible open, praying. A middle-aged man held an umbrella over his head.
Several men and women in black clothes stood nearby. One of them was Emily.
Looking at Emily’s somber expression, Hee Ju offered her silent thanks. The others were likely staff from the Nursing Home.
Suddenly, Hee Ju found herself curious about her father’s life. A life where only Nursing Home staff had come to his funeral. Why had he abandoned her and chosen to leave for the United States?
Perhaps the answer could be found at the end of this journey. Hee Ju felt the Key in her pocket.
Why did you leave this for me? What is it that you want from me?
Presently, she closed her eyes. The last image of her father’s face appeared in her mind.
If you wish, I’ll go a little further. Whatever lies at the end, I’ll find the answer. So rest easy now.
Hee Ju slowly opened her eyes. In that moment.
“…….”
Two men in black suits approached from the right. At first glance, they looked like guests attending the funeral.
But something was off. The way their eyes darted around, or how they kept a hand near their chests.
The instant Hee Ju turned her head, two more men appeared from the left. At a glance, they were clearly out of place here.
Cargo pants, aviation jackets, and tattoos that screamed their presence wherever the eye fell.
“Let’s go.”
At Hee Ju’s words, Liam’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Don’t you want to stay a little longer?”
“I’ve paid my respects. That’s enough.”
“Then.”
Liam and Hee Ju turned their backs. At that moment, the Russian Mafia members scanning the area spotted them.
“There they are!”
They rushed toward the two with menacing expressions.
Startled by the sudden commotion, the Pastor turned with wide eyes. Simultaneously, the CIA spotted them too.
Before Liam and Hee Ju could reach the car, the Mafia caught up with them.
“Stop right there!”
One man grabbed Hee Ju’s shoulder roughly. Liam snapped his Umbrella shut and swung it toward the man’s neck.
“Ugh.”
The man gasped and released Hee Ju.
“Run!”
Hee Ju bolted with all her strength, as if Liam’s word were a starting signal. The rain fell harder, but she paid no mind.
Another man chased after Hee Ju. Liam swung the Umbrella at his waist again.
The man quickly dodged the attack and knocked the Umbrella away. With a whir, it tumbled through the air and fell to the ground.
The man glanced at Hee Ju and turned his body toward Liam.
He clenched his fists and assumed an attack stance. He realized that unless he got through Liam, he couldn’t catch Hee Ju.
These men were on a different level from the high school students who had attacked yesterday. If Liam was a professional, so were they.

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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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