Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 50

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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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50.
At the sound of a voice from the entrance, all three turned their heads in unison.
Liam seemed unsurprised, as though he’d already sensed Peter’s presence, while the other two wore expressions of genuine shock.
“Peter.”
“Stay here at my house, Margaret.”
“But I can’t impose on Hui-ju and Liam like this…….”
“This time, I’m relying on their goodwill. You can’t live in fear of James forever. Now you have to live your own life. You deserve that, Margaret.”
Margaret turned to look at Hui-ju. Hui-ju nodded with a smile on her face.
“Let’s do that.”
In that moment, Liam added in a flat tone.
“You too, Hui-ju.”
“What do you mean?”
“Go with them.”
“No.”
Hui-ju shook her head firmly. Then, hesitating, she asked carefully.
“Am I a burden to you?”
Liam, uncharacteristically, faltered in his response. If he said no, she would stay; if he said yes, she would be hurt.
He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
“Tell me, Liam. Am I your weakness?”
“More like my Achilles’ Heel.”
Hui-ju, as if she hadn’t heard that remark, fixed Peter with a steely gaze.
“Peter, leave with Emma for a while. Leave this to us.”
Us. The word carried the weight of a declaration. Liam furrowed his brow and inwardly cursed under his breath.
It was strange. How could one word be impossible to defy? Why did he hesitate when her feelings mattered so much?
In the end, he had to accept reality: there was no breaking Hui-ju’s stubbornness.
It was an odd feeling. The man his grandfather couldn’t bend was taking a step back before someone else, yet it didn’t feel entirely unwelcome.
Unable to comprehend his own current thoughts, Liam found himself staring intently at Hui-ju’s face. She immediately glared at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have something to say?”
He had no confidence in persuading her, but he decided to try anyway.
“It’s dangerous…….”
“Don’t forget what you said.”
But before he could finish, Hui-ju cut him off with a warning. Liam’s eyebrows tightened.
“What did I say…….”
“That I only need to give orders and you’ll handle the rest. So this isn’t a suggestion—it’s a command. We’re staying in this house together.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Liam gave a light shrug of his shoulders and turned to Margaret.
“Do you happen to have any firearms your husband used?”
Margaret’s face went pale in an instant. Only then did she seem to realize what would happen in this house, and her eyes clenched shut.
Instead, Peter spoke up.
“We do. Hunting was a hobby of his.”
“Good. Show me later, would you?”
“Of course. They’re in the Study Room, so I’ll show you after we eat.”
“Do you have any sense of how many of them there might be?”
“I can’t say for certain, but I’d estimate around ten. James seems to have attracted about that many of the right sort of people.”
“Good.”
As Liam nodded, Emma entered the dining room carrying a tray and whispered quietly.
“This is for the best, ma’am. You’ve already faced dangerous moments because of James. He’ll do anything to seize your fortune.”
With Emma adding her voice, Margaret finally seemed to make up her mind and nodded.
“Peter and Emma could be put in danger because of me. I’m asking you, Liam, and you too, Hui-ju. I’ll compensate you generously.”
Emma walked over to Margaret and drew her into an embrace.
“You’ve made the right choice, Margaret.”
Hui-ju watched the scene and allowed herself a thin smile. Margaret had no family, but she had bonds tighter than blood.
Her own parents and siblings in Seoul suddenly came to mind. To them, Hui-ju was family. And to her, they were family too.
Hui-ju closed her eyes slowly, then opened them. Once she found what her father had left behind, she would return. To the place where family waited for her.
Perhaps with Liam.
***
Peter laid two Hunting Rifles on the desk. Liam examined them and spoke with displeasure.
“Is this all?”
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like them?”
Hui-ju leaned in and asked. Liam set down the gun he was holding.
“These are Shotguns. The pellets scatter in all directions, making Precision Strike difficult, and they lose effectiveness at medium range.”
“There were a few Handguns as well. Let me search for them. Just a moment.”
While Peter rummaged through the closet in the Study Room, Hui-ju strolled slowly through the space.
In truth, it would be more accurate to call it a hobby room than a study. There were far more hunting supplies than books.
Above the fireplace, Framed Photographs were densely arranged—mostly commemorating successful hunts.
“Hmm?”
Then she noticed the fireplace had no soot. She ran her finger across it. All that came away was white dust.
It wasn’t a matter of meticulous cleaning. The fireplace had never been lit at all. Why?
“I could have sworn I saw a Handgun, but I can’t find it no matter where I look. Let me search more carefully.”
Peter spoke uncertainly. Liam began leafing through the bookshelves, saying, “Let’s find it together.”
Hui-ju dropped to her knees and reached into the fireplace, feeling around carefully.
“It’s not showing up. This is strange indeed.”
“Maybe in another room……. What are you doing?”
Liam, noticing her actions belatedly, walked toward her. Hui-ju let out a soft grunt and slowly got to her feet.
Then, with a grin, she held out what she was holding.
“Better than a Shotgun, wouldn’t you say?”
“Ha.”
A sound escaped from between Liam’s teeth—whether a laugh or a sigh, it was hard to tell. He took the Rifle from Hui-ju’s hand.
Liam checked the barrel, the sights, and the muzzle before allowing a faint smile to cross his face.
“How did you know it was there?”
Peter was equally astonished. His face went blank as he looked back and forth between Hui-ju and the Rifle.
“I had no idea there was a rifle in the fireplace. I didn’t even know this house had such a thing at all.”
“The fireplace had no soot. As if no fire had ever been lit. Not using the fireplace even in winter means it was kept for another purpose. For instance, to hide something away where no one would find it.”
“It doesn’t appear to be a licensed firearm.”
“Try reaching in. I think there’s something else, but my arms are too short to reach it.”
Liam readily nodded, dropped to his knees, and thrust his upper body as far into the fireplace as possible.
His hand emerged with two Handguns. A satisfied smile curved across his lips.
“Much better than a Shotgun.”
“Well, it seems Melpis had hobbies I wasn’t aware of.”
Peter shook his head as if bewildered. Liam turned his attention to him.
“I understand there’s a Map marking Melpis’s private land in Wasatch State Park. Could you find that for me?”
“Of course. I believe I kept it after organizing the Study Room following Melpis’s passing. But where did I put it…….”
As Liam and Peter conversed, Hui-ju wandered through the room, seeming to have completed her part.
Her gaze passed absently over the Framed Photographs arranged on the mantelpiece.
Then her eyes came to rest on one. Slowly raising her hand, Hui-ju grasped a Framed Photograph.
“…….”
All expression drained from Hui-ju’s face. What was this? How was this possible?
“One of the Handguns I’ll…….”
Liam turned around absently and stopped mid-sentence. The color drained from his face as well. He hurried to Hui-ju’s side.
“What is it?”
His voice, uncharacteristically, was tinged with urgency.
Hui-ju slowly raised her eyes. Unable to bear the silence, Liam spoke again.
“What is it?”
Then he saw the Framed Photograph she was offering him. “What is…….” he murmured, then fell silent once more.
Hui-ju whispered quietly, glancing toward Peter.
“It’s the same as the photograph I found at my father’s house. The angle is different, but the Deer Taxidermy on the wall, the shape of the fireplace. And most of all…….”
“The Clock.”
Hui-ju nodded as if that was exactly it. Liam’s pupils rose. Their eyes met.
Her father’s Cabin and Melpis’s Cabin were the same place?
Faced with a reality that defied belief, both wore stunned expressions. No matter how hard they thought, they could find no plausible explanation.
“Found it! Here it is.”
Peter straightened up and called out loudly. Liam walked toward him with a languid smile.
Liam unfolded the Map on the desk. He asked in an offhand tone.
“Where is Melpis’s private land on this Map?”
“Let me see. ……Ah, here it is. All of this land is Melpis’s private property.”
Peter pointed to a region without the slightest suspicion. Liam gazed at where his finger touched, then broke into a thin smile.
“Since preparations seem complete, it would be best if you took the lady and Emma and left.”

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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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