Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

‘Come to think of it, what is that place for?’

Hisha suddenly wondered. There was a door at the bottom of the stairs he was standing on. He saw it every day and thought it was just a storage room, so he never paid attention to it, but he had never seen it open. He had never seen Eugene go there either, so he hadn’t particularly noticed it…

Hisha put down the basket he was carrying, which contained gardening tools, and went down the stairs. The door was locked. And now that he looked closely, it seemed unusually thick and sturdy for just a storage room door.

After confirming that no one was around, he put his ear to the door, but there was no sound from the other side. He couldn’t try to break it open, so he went back up the stairs.

“What are you doing?”

He looked up as he heard a voice from above. Leah was leaning on the second-floor stair railing with her hands on her face, looking down.

“Oh, I didn’t know there was a basement.”

As Hisha answered, Leah came down the stairs. She was dressed in a robe and slippers as if she had just gotten out of bed.

“Well, old mansions usually have one. But have you seen Mr. Cox?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Really?”

“Why do you ask?”

When he asked, Leah shrugged.

“I need to deliver something to Eugene in writing. It’s inconvenient not having someone to take it to her.”

“Okay…”

Hisha responded unconsciously, then spoke up as a thought occurred to him.

“Shall I help you?”

“You will?”

Leah looked at him skeptically, and Hisha nodded.

“Yes.”

“Then come with me.”

Leah gestured and went up the stairs. He followed her to Leah’s room on the second floor. But he didn’t go in and stood outside, prompting Leah to look back and ask curiously.

“Why aren’t you coming in?”

“I’ll just wait here.”

At that, Leah smiled mischievously, as if she understood.

“Smart.”

She went inside and came out with a thin document envelope.

“Just deliver this to the executive director’s office.”

As Hisha reached for the envelope, Leah pulled it back slightly and warned him.

“Don’t ever open it, okay?”

“It’s not mine anyway.”

Since he had a different purpose, he wasn’t planning to open it. Leah handed him the envelope only after that response.

“Thanks, then.”

* * *

Hisha looked up at the Knox Genomics building, shining grandly in the sunlight. Like the interior columns of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the irregularly regular pillars at the entrance led to the glass doors through which well-dressed men and women were passing.

Hisha pulled his cap down a bit more and started walking. Passing through the revolving door at the entrance felt like stepping into a different world through a time machine. The enormous space, with white and glass as its motif, had a futuristic look inspired by architect Frank Gehry. The lobby, with sunlight pouring in through the curved glass above, resembled the futuristic interior of Noah’s Ark.

Hisha approached the reception desk beneath the golden ‘KNOX GENOMICS INT.’ logo. The receptionist, who was beautiful enough to be a model or actress, smiled professionally and asked.

“How can I help you?”

“Hello. Here…” 

Hisha said, pulling a business card from his pocket and handing it over. The receptionist’s expression changed slightly upon seeing the card, though it was subtle enough that most people wouldn’t notice.

“Please wait a moment.”

She said, pressing the earpiece she was wearing and making a call.

“Ms. Leah Mavrogiotis has sent an item to Executive Director Fuger-Dulloch.”

After listening to a response, she nodded and stood up, gesturing for Hisha to follow.

“I’ll guide you.”

Hisha followed her towards the elevator. As they approached, one of the elevators opened and two men in khaki military uniforms stepped out. Startled, Hisha lowered his head slightly and pretended to look at the fountain as the soldier with red eyes started to turn his way. He heard the footsteps of the two soldiers passing behind him and quickly turned back to follow the receptionist to the elevator, relieved that she hadn’t noticed anything.

A chill ran down his spine.

‘Why are MCTC soldiers here?’

He didn’t recognize their faces, but the fact that they belonged to MCTC troubled him. Afraid the soldiers might look back again, Hisha hurried into the elevator with the receptionist. Just as the doors were closing, Major Toner glanced back.

“What’s the matter?”

Another soldier asked. Major Toner scanned the unchanged lobby, where people moved about nonchalantly and the atmosphere was calm.

“Nothing… it’s nothing.”

He finally said, turning away.

Meanwhile, the receptionist who had escorted Hisha to the executive director’s office spoke.

“Please wait a moment. The director will be here shortly.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Hisha bowed his head, knowing she had guided him personally because he was the director’s guest. The receptionist gave a slightly more genuine smile and asked.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine.” 

Hisha declined, and the receptionist bowed politely before leaving. Hisha watched her go, then sat on the sofa and listened carefully.

He could hear all sorts of sounds: the secretary typing outside, various footsteps passing by, someone coughing downstairs…

Ugh, this damn hemorrhoid. It’s driving me crazy.

Oops, he heard something too personal. Shaking it off, Hisha scanned the office thoroughly. He didn’t hear any cameras whirring. Finally, he pressed behind his ear and stood up.

“Can you hear me?”

[I can hear you.]

Kate responded.

“I’m in the office. What should I do now?”

[You need to access the company intranet. Insert the chip I gave you into the computer.]

“It’s just like a movie.”

Hisha remarked in awe. Kate spoke to Myung-jin.

[Do we have to keep working with him?]

Hisha took the chip out of his pocket and inserted it into the computer. As he waited, the screen turned on by itself, and various programs began to open and close rapidly, likely controlled by Myung-jin, though Hisha couldn’t tell what was happening.

“Do I just wait?”

[Wait.]

Kate instructed.

As Hisha looked around the office, he heard footsteps approaching sooner than expected. He could recognize the energetic yet graceful steps as Eugene’s.

“Hey, she’s coming.”

Hisha whispered, keeping an eye on the door. Although he couldn’t see Eugene yet, he could tell she was heading straight towards the office.

[Wait, it’s not done yet.]

Kate said firmly. The footsteps grew closer, and Hisha, becoming anxious, whispered again.

“She’s coming!”

[It’s not done yet!]

Kate snapped.

Hisha shouted in a hushed tone.

“She’s coming, damn it! If I get caught and buried alive in the mountains, you won’t even come looking for me, you jerk!”

[Am I doing this? Is it my fault? Why are you blaming me for Myung-jin being slow?]

Myung-jin then interjected, sounding exasperated.

[Do you think I’m not doing my best right now?]

[We’re getting distracted because we can hear you arguing!]

Kate retorted. It was chaos.

This is why he hates working with amateurs, Hisha thought.

Ding.

The automatic door opened, and Eugene entered the office. She was greeted by an empty office.

“…?”

Eugene had come in after hearing that Young-soo had arrived, but she was puzzled to find no one there. Suddenly, someone pulled her by the arm and kissed her.

Eugene flinched at first but quickly realized who it was. Hisha pulled back slightly and whispered as he gazed into Eugene’s eyes.

“I missed you.”

Although he felt guilty for using Eugene to avoid detection while stealing data, he meant those words.

Even though he had seen Eugene that morning, he missed her. He couldn’t tell if he was excited about coming to the office or if it was because he would see Eugene again.

Eugene then grabbed Hisha by the clothes with both hands and kissed him again, pushing Hisha against the wall.

As they passionately kissed, they moved sideways, fumbling to open the door to a break room within the office. The room was dark, and there was a comfortable sofa where Eugene would take breaks.

As Hisha was pushed back by Eugene, he stumbled and fell onto the sofa, with Eugene climbing onto his lap. Excited by the bold action, he cupped Eugene’s face and kissed her passionately.

At that moment, Eugene’s hand gently brushed down his chest and went a bit lower.

‘Could it be, right here…?’

For a moment, Hisha had that thought, but the mischievous man inside him did not stop the hand from going lower.

Then, from outside the door, Nasiri’s voice, sounding curious about Eugene’s absence, could be heard.

“Director?”

They both froze. Then Eugene slightly turned her head and responded.

“I’ll be right out.”

Regretfully, Eugene got up and straightened her clothes. Watching her back, Hisha impulsively hugged her.

“I like you, Eugene. I know this shouldn’t be happening, but I’ve grown to like you.”

He couldn’t hold back the feelings that were about to burst.

Eugene gently held his hand. The soft and tender touch, as if accepting his feelings, made Hisha’s heart race.

Then Eugene smiled kindly and spoke.

“If it’s okay, shall we talk tonight?”