Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 70

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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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70.
“I’m not sure. Why would it be there?”
Hee-ju answered in a dejected voice. The woman gestured for her to get dressed.
As Hee-ju hastily pulled on her clothes, she watched the man carefully, her whisper barely audible.
“You don’t seem like the type of person who should be here.”
The woman said nothing. Instead, she stood her ground with her arms crossed, as if to monitor Hee-ju until she finished dressing.
Hee-ju glanced sideways at the woman’s clothes and accessories, then spoke matter-of-factly.
“Are you Sergei’s wife?”
Again, she offered no answer. She simply picked up the USB she’d been holding.
Hee-ju decided to gamble on her instinct. She prided herself on reading people well, and something about this woman suggested she wasn’t cut from the same cloth as Sergei.
“What’s your name?”
“Rozy.”
Hee-ju glimpsed a thread of hope. The fact that she’d shared her name was a good sign.
Hee-ju spoke in a low, rapid whisper.
“I’m Hee-ju. Rozy, I’m begging you—could I make just one call?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Rozy refused flatly, her brow furrowed. Hee-ju clasped her hands together pleadingly.
“Just to tell my parents not to worry. One sentence, that’s all. I haven’t been able to contact them for days while running from Sergei’s men. They must be frantic. They won’t sleep, just waiting for word from me. If you have parents, you understand. They worry about their children their whole lives.”
For a moment, Rozy’s eyes wavered. Hee-ju had spotted her weakness—family—and decided to press it.
“Just one sentence. They’re not my biological parents, but they love me as much as if they were. I don’t want to cause them more suffering.”
……
“Rozy, please.”
“If you’re deceiving me? If you’re calling someone other than your parents instead, my situation becomes difficult.”
Hee-ju nodded as if she understood completely. Having drawn out even this much of a response felt like she’d won half the battle already.
“All right. Then how about you send the message for me instead? I’ll give you the number.”
Rozy’s eyes wavered again. Hee-ju was now certain: this woman was not the same kind of human being as Sergei.
Rozy likely had parents and siblings who worried about her. Perhaps that was even why she’d married Sergei in the first place.
It was a story that wasn’t particularly uncommon. Men like Sergei had no qualms about using any means necessary to get what they wanted.
She could guess why he hadn’t searched her himself but had sent Rozy instead. It wasn’t because he was a gentleman, as he’d claimed.
It was to make Rozy his person. By making her complicit, he could crush any desire she had to escape.
For that to work, he needed to give her a role. He needed to make her feel like she belonged to the organization.
It was a technique Hee-ju had seen used before—usually by operatives deployed abroad.
“I received word that my biological father is dying. I came all this way to say goodbye, but if contact goes silent… they’ll be heartbroken. I don’t want them to doubt that I love them.”
……Let me write down the number. Whether I send the message is my decision.”
“Thank you, Rozy. I mean it sincerely.”
Hee-ju glanced toward the door, then entered South Korea’s country code and her cell phone number into the phone Rozy held out.
“It only needs to be one line. Since it’s an unfamiliar number, they’ll be startled, so tell them my name. And tell them not to worry, that I’m doing well. That I love them.”
“I already told you. Whether I send it is my decision. I might not.”
Rozy snatched the phone back with a sharp gesture and left the room with a curt expression.
The man standing guard at the door lifted his head at the sound of her footsteps.
“How’d it go?”
“Stop slacking and keep a better eye on the hostage.”
“Don’t worry. I’m at least better at this kind of thing than you are.”
Bang. The door closed. Hee-ju exhaled the breath she’d been holding and collapsed onto the bed. Her heart hammered in her chest as if she’d just sprinted at full speed.
Would Rozy send the message? She hoped so. No—more than that.
“When will they realize the USB is fake?”
What Rozy had taken was a USB containing copies of Hee-ju’s passport and a hotel voucher.
It was password-protected, so she wouldn’t be able to open it immediately, but she would discover it was fake soon enough.
“They’ll keep me alive until they crack the password, right?”
How many days would that be? Or hours?
Hee-ju walked to the window, measuring the time remaining to her. The cold sea wind battered fiercely. Her hair whipped wildly in the wind.
She looked up at the sky. Heavy clouds hung low, threatening rain at any moment.
“Liam.”
She spoke his name without thinking. The moment she did, her throat tightened. Tears forced their way up through her chest.
Hee-ju quickly shook her head.
“There’s no time for despair.”
Right now, escape was the priority. Even if her efforts would be futile, she decided to do whatever she could in this moment.
She began tearing the bed sheets and tying them to the end of the curtain rod.
***
Anthony frowned as he bit into his donut. He quickly swallowed and asked in a suspicious tone.
“Clove’s grandson?”
Hunter answered by picking up a donut instead and nodding. Anthony pressed his aching head.
“I don’t understand why such a major player’s grandson is involved in this.”
“Maybe Clove is trying to stay ahead of the game. Considering that his family has grown wealthy as arms dealers, it’s not all that strange.”
“The U.S. government, the Russian Mafia, and the former British Foreign Secretary. This is turning into a headache.”
Anthony unconsciously reached into his pocket. It had been a long time since he’d quit smoking, but the habit remained.
Hunter continued in a flat tone.
“But now both of them have gone missing.”
“Damn it. Did they ascend to heaven or sink into the earth?”
“Wait.”
Hunter raised one hand and pulled out his cell phone. Anthony swallowed the last of his donut and washed it down with coffee.
After ending the call, Hunter turned to Anthony with a thoughtful expression.
“There’s word that Hee-ju received a message?”
“Hee-ju? From who? And where is she now?”
In response to the flood of questions, Hunter walked toward the vehicle and shrugged. He inserted his coffee into the cup holder as he answered.
“Sang-jin.”
“Sang-jin? In South Korea?”
“A text message arrived saying she’s doing well and not to worry.”
“It might be someone else. Hee-ju wouldn’t send a message to Sang-jin. Not at a time like this.”
Anthony raised a reasonable objection. Hunter started the engine and sat with his hands on the steering wheel, thinking.
Anthony asked again.
“You traced the location, right? Where?”
“San Francisco.”
“What?”
Just as Anthony’s brow furrowed, Hunter continued matter-of-factly.
“We’ll need to request support from local police.”
“Why?”
“The message came from the Russian Mafia boss’s residence.”
Anthony’s head whipped around. Hunter pulled the car into traffic. A heavy silence filled the vehicle as it gradually picked up speed.
Anthony leaned his head against the window. His hand reached into his pocket, but still no cigarettes.
“That’s not a good sign for us. She might already be in their hands.”
“We can only hope she isn’t.”
“Still, it’s remarkable she managed to send a message to Sang-jin.”
Lost in thought, Anthony turned to Hunter with a “Wait.” on his lips.
“On purpose?”
Hunter nodded. The thought that had been weighing on his mind since before now found its way into words.
“She was probably sending it to us. An SOS Signal.”
***
Noel was on his third reading of “A History of Poisoning.”
Lucas, who had come several times to retrieve the book, would ask “Haven’t you finished yet?” whenever he saw the pages barely opened.
When Noel nodded, he would simply say “I suppose not. I’ll come back tomorrow” and leave without fuss. Then Noel would laugh with sinister delight, hiding his true intentions.
If he kept saying he hadn’t finished, perhaps someday the book would become his own.
“Lucas is too soft to be a businessman.”
Noel muttered smugly to himself as he turned a page.
“A real businessman should be ruthless. Keke.”
Though he’d already memorized every word of the content, Noel read the text with genuine interest.
Ding.
“Welcome.”
He instinctively looked up at the sound of the door opening. The first rule of success in business was kindness, and that began with a greeting.
And Noel was indeed a successful businessman. By most people’s standards, he was perhaps a bit young for it.
“Ahem.”
Noel paused mid-gesture as he made a distinguished clearing of his throat. His eyes widened.
The figure stepping into the dim shop was darkly complexioned and strangely familiar. Noel’s voice took on a bright note.
“Liam!”
Not that he was particularly glad to see him. Noel had not forgotten the grudge of Page One.
Noel peered behind Liam’s back. When Hee-ju didn’t appear, he leaned forward to look past him entirely.
“Huh?”
As Noel craned his neck, he finally turned his gaze to Liam.
“Where’s your sister?”
But the moment his eyes met Liam’s, he caught his breath without meaning to. The nape of his neck went cold.

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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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