Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

“Because I have work to do.”

As he replied, Si-woo gently stroked her exposed thigh.

“You work too much.”

“With so many expenses here and there, I must work hard.”

Ha-yeon lifted her head and looked at him.

“Stop doing that already. Ivanov is practically a bank. My father’s salary isn’t exactly small either.”

She shrugged her shoulders and added.

“Sure, my mom’s school business takes a lot, but Uncle’s books are selling well too. Plus, there’s Eugene, who brought over the entire Fuger-Dulloch fortune.”

Ha-yeon had always thought Hisha was a complete failure who would spend his whole life leeching off his aunt and uncle. But when things finally unfolded, Hisha ended up earning more money than anyone except Si-woo.  

“Anyway, we’re managing just fine on our own.”

“But this is exactly why I inherited ISLE in the first place. I wanted my family to live comfortably.”

Ha-yeon stared directly at Si-woo.

“You have a bit of a pushover streak.”

Si-woo smirked.

“I hear Captain Alex will be visiting soon.”

“My father? He didn’t mention that to me.”

“He will soon. There’s an MCTC symposium in Seoul.”

Si-woo also thought that since Alex couldn’t make it for Ha-yeon’s birthday, he would surely come this time.

However, Ha-yeon slightly furrowed her brow and stayed silent, so Si-woo asked.

“Are you worried?”

Ha-yeon looked at Si-woo.

“You should be the one who’s worried.”

“You’re right.”

Si-woo admitted it easily.

He couldn’t predict how Alex would react once he found out about their relationship. Given the age gap between the two and the fact that Si-woo had taken on the role of looking after Ha-yeon, he expected Alex’s reaction wouldn’t be particularly positive. That was why the news of Alex coming to Seoul filled him with mixed emotions.

“Let’s go for a swim.”

At that moment, Ha-yeon stood up and walked toward the veranda.

“Right now?”

Si-woo asked, turning to look at her. As Ha-yeon headed to the veranda, she pulled off her T-shirt over her head and tossed it aside.

Her bareback, without even a bra, was exposed. Then, she slipped out of her loose shorts and kicked them off, walking completely naked without a thread on her.

Her smooth, naked body softly glowed in the light coming in from outside.

Si-woo, who had come close without realizing it, grabbed Ha-yeon. His fiery gaze was in complete disarray.

“Where did you learn to do this?”

Ha-yeon wrapped her arms around Si-woo’s neck and whispered.

“This kind of thing is instinct.”

* * *

While looking down at the sleeping Ha-yeon, Si-woo recalled something Nasiri had said before.

“Modified VAC has been circulating, mainly in clubs under the bridge, for a while now.”

Nasiri had spoken and displayed a photo of one such club.

“And there were witnesses who saw a bartender passing by one of those clubs.”

Si-woo had many enemies due to running his company, but most didn’t want to kill him cleanly or steal industrial secrets. Instead, they wanted to see him humiliated by the effects of the drug. In that sense, Si-woo knew exactly who had fed him the modified VAC.

Changwon-gun Lee Seong.

In the end, Changwon-gun’s ultimate goal might be to kill him, but it wasn’t going to be through a clean method like ambushing him to slit his throat or blowing him up with a bomb.

‘He probably wants me to writhe in pain and die, just as he had to endure for days, trapped in a pit, eating away at his own flesh to survive.’

For decades, Changwon-gun had hidden in the shadows, pulling strings to torment the Ivanov clan, and this was likely part of that plan.

For a long time, Si-woo had been pursuing Changwon-gun, but he always remained thoroughly hidden. It was only when Si-woo finally gained power that Changwon-gun appeared, and their roles in this cat-and-mouse game reversed.

In the past, Changwon-gun had been sloppy in his methods—after killing Eop-ji, he carelessly dumped the body near his own house and left servants who could testify against him alive. But now, Changwon-gun was no longer the same man.

Si-woo looked at Ha-yeon.

He can do it. He can protect her.

A surge of conviction stronger than ever filled him. It wasn’t just simple confidence. It wasn’t some resolution based on self-justification about an uncertain future either. It was an unwavering certainty, so firm that even he couldn’t understand it.  

He had to protect Ha-yeon at all costs.

* * *

Bang, bang, bang.

Ha-yeon knocked on the door, but there was no answer from Joo-hwan. She stepped back and looked at the door.

“Strange. He’s still nowhere to be seen.”

Just then, a woman living upstairs was coming up the stairs, and Ha-yeon asked her.

“Have you seen the man who lives here recently?”

“Hmm? I haven’t seen him for quite a while.”

With that, the woman continued up the stairs.

Ha-yeon frowned and looked back at the door.

“Something’s suspicious…”

Disappearing as suddenly as he had appeared.

Ha-yeon tried to recall if Joo-hwan had ever mentioned anything about the clan or ISLE during their time together, but nothing significant came to mind. The most unusual thing was that she had introduced him to Si-woo, but considering Si-woo wasn’t the type to slip up, there wasn’t anything particularly problematic about that.

Still…

Ha-yeon looked at the door again.

He shouldn’t have approached her in the first place if he was just going to vanish. Now she’s just stuck worrying.

With a sigh, Ha-yeon descended the stairs.

* * *

Ha-yeon was watching from a distance as crowds of people gathered at the entrance of the event. Standing beside her was Myung-jin.

“Oh, that guy’s handsome.”

Myung-jin commented, whistling softly. Ha-yeon glanced at the man and shrugged.

“Si-woo is much better looking.”

Myung-jin shook her head.

“I almost feel betrayed. I thought every woman in the world could become a doting fool, but at least the cool and chic Kate would treat men like dirt under her fingernails.”

Just then, a car slid up next to them. A man in military uniform stepped out and gave a slight bow.

Ha-yeon got into the car, and Myung-jin, sitting beside her, whistled again.

“I still can’t believe you’re from such a wealthy family.”

They arrived at the hotel and were escorted to a room upstairs. After waiting for a while, a man in a military uniform with blonde hair entered the room. He looked surprisingly young, almost like a man in his late twenties, youthful enough to be mistaken for someone far younger than most soldiers.

“Ha-yeon.”

MCTC Captain Alex Yachthund reached out to his daughter as he spoke.

“Father.”

Alex lightly hugged Ha-yeon and then looked her up and down.

“It’s been a while. Why are you so thin?”

“I’m not thin. I’m the same as always.”

At that moment, they heard the door open again. Si-woo appeared, dressed as Selena. Alex turned and smiled slightly.

“Selena.”

Si-woo bowed politely.

“How have you been?”

Si-woo had considered coming to meet Alex today in his male form, but it seemed too suspicious to suddenly do so, so he decided to refrain for now.

Alex spoke.

“Thank you for taking care of Ha-yeon. I know she’s difficult, so it must’ve been hard for you.”

Si-woo glanced at Ha-yeon before responding.

“It wasn’t.”

Then his gaze fell on Myung-jin.

“She’s Ha-yeon’s friend.”

As Alex spoke, Si-woo extended his hand to Myung-jin.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh, no. I just…”

Myung-jin stammered as she instinctively shook Si-woo’s hand, trying to string together a coherent sentence. Ha-yeon gave her a light nudge with her elbow, and only then did Myung-jin snap back to her senses, pressing her lips together to stay silent.

“In that case, since we’ve all met, why don’t we have a meal together?”

Alex suggested. Si-woo, however, responded with a regretful smile.

“I’m sorry, I have another appointment, so I’ll need to leave first.”

“Then let’s have a meal together sometime soon.”

Alex said, thankfully not pressing Si-woo further.

“Yes, enjoy your meal today, the three of you.”

Si-woo replied before exiting the room.

* * *

“We’re heading off now.”

“Alright, let’s catch up soon.”

Alex replied as Ha-yeon and Myung-jin turned and walked away. Once they were a bit further, Myung-jin muttered in a daze.

“Wow, he’s even prettier than I thought.”

She started to talk rapidly, unable to hold back any longer.

“He’s a bit intimidating, but how can someone be that beautiful? He’s stunning, a real beauty. Honestly, doesn’t this make you the thief in the relationship?”

Ha-yeon, clearly pleased by the compliments about her boyfriend, had a satisfied look on her face. Myung-jin gave her a once-over.

“But seriously, you’re something else. Are you okay with your boyfriend going around like that? It’d be one thing if it was before you started dating, but even now that you’re together?”

Ha-yeon simply shrugged.

“As long as I’m the only one who truly knows Si-woo, it’s fine.”

Myung-jin shook her head, almost in disbelief.

“I’m not going to lie, as a woman, even I nearly fell for his masculine charm.”

* * *

Si-woo sat with a serious expression, watching the CCTV footage. The bartender who had disappeared was seen meeting a man at the UB club under the bridge. The man was familiar to Si-woo—he was the one Ha-yeon had introduced to him as ‘Joo-hwan,’ her senior.

‘What’s the connection between these two?’

Si-woo’s thoughts grew darker.

Meeting at a club known for distributing altered drugs—did that mean Joo-hwan had given the bartender the drugs? If so, why?

As Si-woo pondered this, the doorbell rang. Expecting Ha-yeon, he turned off the video and headed to the entrance.

“You’re he—”

The door opened, and standing there was Alex. Si-woo froze for a moment. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. But the fact that Alex bore such a striking resemblance to Ha-yeon surprised him. Even the way Alex glanced up casually was identical to Ha-yeon’s, which startled Si-woo even more.

“Expecting someone?”

“It’s fine. Come in.”

Si-woo replied and later would feel proud of himself for how calm he remained at that moment.

However, Alex seemed to sense that Si-woo had prior plans.

“If you have an appointment, I can come back another time.”

“No, it’s alright.”

Si-woo assured him.

Alex finally stepped inside the house.

“What would you like to drink?”

Si-woo asked, knowing that Alex had recently stopped drinking alcohol. But unexpectedly, Alex asked.

“How about a drink?”

Si-woo couldn’t hide his surprise as he looked at Alex.

“That’s unusual, sir.”