Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 42

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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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42.
Hee-joo shook her head and walked toward the convenience store. The office door opened, and a gas station attendant strolled out leisurely.
“Fill it up.”
“Yes.”
Liam watched the attendant pump the fuel, then pulled out his phone. It was 4 a.m. The east hadn’t yet broken into dawn, and the surroundings were dark as midnight.
“By now it should be 9 a.m. back home.”
“All done.”
Liam handed cash to the attendant, who shuddered slightly before disappearing back into the office.
He glanced toward the convenience store. Through the glass, Hee-joo’s silhouette appeared and vanished repeatedly. Finally, she turned toward the counter.
Liam pressed the keypad on his phone. The line connected. He waited, but the other end didn’t pick up for a long time.
Just as he was about to hang up, a familiar voice came through.
—Hello.
“……Grandfather.”
A brief silence fell.
Liam looked up at the night sky and exhaled slowly. White breath scattered like cigarette smoke. He craved a cigarette—one he’d never even lit.
His grandfather’s silence had always made Liam uncomfortable. This time was no exception.
—What is it?
“I heard there’s a birthday celebration planned. I won’t be able to attend because of work, so I called to pay my respects beforehand.”
—Work, you say. Are you still doing that nonsense?
There was no anger in the voice—only contempt—and it gnawed at Liam’s nerves bit by bit.
He spoke in a flat tone.
“Happy birthday to you. I’ll visit you separately once I’m in England.”
He was about to hang up with a cursory greeting when his grandfather clicked his tongue.
—Take care of yourself. Your body is not your own.
Liam’s expression vanished in an instant. The features that had been cooling suddenly froze—sharp and cold.
It was a phrase that shattered his patience every time he heard it, no matter how many times.
“I’m aware. My body isn’t mine—it belongs to my brother and the family. Isn’t that the fate of a Spare?”
—Liam Kloff.
His grandfather called his name—a warning delivered quietly.
—Do you know how much it costs to conceal the fact that you’re a member of this family? Be half the man your brother is.
“No matter how hard I try, can I even hope to match my brother’s heel? A Spare daring to compete with the Heir.”
—That’s why you should come to your senses now and…….
“Coming to my senses won’t mean you’ll pass the family business to me, will it?”
—Don’t talk nonsense.
“You won’t pass the title either. Just because I married a Korean, surely you won’t give me a title that even Father didn’t inherit.”
—Greed invites ruin.
“Greed? I know my place well. Wealth and reputation belong to my brother anyway. I’ll have to find my own way.”
—Is that why you’re doing this nonsense? You’re still not thinking straight…….
“Ah, the departure procedures are starting. I should hang up now.”
His grandfather likely realized that Liam wasn’t at an airport. That this was merely an excuse to end the call.
“Happy birthday. I hope you live long and healthy. You should at least see your brother inherit the family, shouldn’t you? It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
—Liam Kl…….
Click. He hung up abruptly.
Liam stared at his darkened phone and clicked his tongue softly. After talking to his family, his mouth always tasted bitter.
The Kloff Family was one of England’s most distinguished noble houses. Unlike his grandfather, his father had shown no interest in politics and hadn’t entered government service, yet the family’s influence hadn’t diminished one bit.
Much of England’s prime real estate was owned by the Kloffs, and they ran several enterprises. The most prominent of these was a military contractor.
But all of that belonged to Philip, the designated heir. For Liam, a Spare, there was only a manor and a trust fund.
That was a Spare’s life. Clear, unmistakable discrimination.
No one needed a Spare, and no one wanted one—at least not while the Heir was alive.
Liam had turned away with a hardened face, then froze. A familiar shadow stood a few paces ahead.
Liam smiled and asked.
“Did you buy something?”
Hee-joo, who had been standing motionless, stepped out of the shadows. She smiled awkwardly.
“There was only canned coffee.”
Liam climbed into the driver’s seat without a word, as though nothing had happened. Hee-joo opened the passenger door and held out what she’d bought. “Let’s have some coffee and bread.”
Liam opened the canned coffee and brought it to his lips. After a sip, he frowned.
“Selling this beverage under the name ‘coffee’ should be illegal. Actually, I think I could report them right now. False and misleading advertising. How is this supposed to be coffee?”
“Just drink what you’re given and shut up.”
Liam drained the rest of the coffee and flinched. He glanced sideways at Hee-joo, whose innocent face smiled at him.
“What?”
“Just now…….”
“Oh, I forgot to pay for the gas. I’ll go pay.”
“I already paid.”
“With a card?”
Hee-joo turned back toward Liam as she was opening the passenger door.
Liam drained the last of his coffee and rolled down the driver’s window. He tossed the empty can. It landed perfectly in the trash bin with a clink.
He rolled the window back up and said,
“Cash.”
“Where did the money come from? Did you have cash the whole time and extort money from me?”
Hee-joo’s voice took on a suspicious tone. Liam started the engine and shrugged.
“Someone might misunderstand. Who extorted whom.”
“Didn’t you say you had no cash?”
“I grabbed some from Ottimo.”
“Wait, that’s theft…….”
Hee-joo stopped herself before finishing. If she pressed that point, she should be behind bars by now.
Forged ID cards, car theft, assault and coercion of a high school student.
Hmm, what else? Ah, yesterday’s rental car was parked in some building’s basement.
“And firearms violations, too.”
Hee-joo, who had possessed an unregistered gun and had actually fired it, closed her eyes tightly.
Crossing the line slightly made you anxious, but leaping over it made you strangely at peace. Whether it was resignation or acceptance, she couldn’t tell.
This was her first such major transgression in a life that had otherwise run smoothly even through adolescence. It probably wouldn’t happen again. ……Probably.
Hee-joo glanced at Liam with an ominous look.
“I’ll drive from here on. You should sleep.”
“Wake me in four hours. We’ll switch then.”
“I know. Just sleep.”
Hee-joo reclined the seat slightly and closed her eyes. Liam asked, “Can I turn on the radio?”
“Do whatever you want.”
Liam turned on the radio. His hands froze as he was tuning in. An old pop song he thought he’d heard once before came through.
The car pulled onto the road. It quickly picked up speed, racing down the highway. The wind roared.
Hee-joo, quiet as if asleep, suddenly spoke.
“About earlier…….”
Liam turned, but Hee-joo didn’t open her eyes or continue. Only the old pop song lay between them.
What would knowing change? What would understanding solve?
“What about earlier?”
Liam waited, but when no answer came from Hee-joo, he asked again.
Suddenly, his own words came back to him.
‘Do you want to know about me?’
‘Are you ready to handle it?’
Was she ready? Ready to pull him into her life, ready to step into his?
Hee-joo’s lips moved. A voice so small it could have been drowned out by the pop song emerged.
“After paying for the gas, how much is left?”
Liam laughed softly at that.
“About fifty dollars? The cash box didn’t have much in it.”
“I’ve almost used up the cash I had too. I think I need to withdraw some money.”
“If you do that, they’ll come flying immediately.”
“A government agency? Or the Russian Mafia?”
“Either way.”
“As for the government agency, do you really think the Russian Mafia will keep chasing us? They’re based out of San Francisco, aren’t they?”
“Hmm.”
Liam tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully with his fingers.
The music on the radio changed in the meantime. It was a song Hee-joo had never heard before.
“Doesn’t it depend on how valuable the item you have is?”
Hee-joo sighed and spoke in a sleepy voice.
“I’m going to sleep for now. Wake me later.”
“Sleep well.”
His soft, gentle voice sank into her ears. Hee-joo was pulled into sleep almost instantly. She must have been quite exhausted.
And rightfully so.
With that thought, consciousness faded. The faint vibration of the car traveling down the road felt infinitely comforting.
Liam glanced at the sleeping Hee-joo and quietly raised the corners of his mouth. He knew she had been listening to his conversation.
More accurately, he’d made the call after confirming she’d left the convenience store.
Tap, tap. Liam tapped the steering wheel with his fingers.
“The difference between Noel and me.”
It was a question that had followed him since he met Noel. Noel was someone within Hee-joo’s boundaries, but he was not.
So what drew that distinction?
The length of time they’d known each other? That couldn’t be it. This was Hee-joo’s first time directly meeting Noel, and there was a rather long gap between them, so time wasn’t that important.
Then what was it?

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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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