TIN 119

“…”

I blankly turned my head in the direction he pointed. At the entrance of an alley leading into a building, two blocks away, I could see a crowd gathering.

“With that kind of trait, of course…”

The whispered voice was barely audible. I just stood there frozen in place. In my blank mind, someone’s face appeared vividly.

Only one person in the whole world had golden eyes. Someone with a precious trait that others didn’t possess. The only existing dominant alpha.

“Why would someone like that come here?”

As another man asked this, the crowd in the distance began to stir. The crowd parted in half, and someone slowly walked out from the alley. A man who stood out distinctly even among the numerous people, drawing attention just by standing there.

He was an alien presence that didn’t belong in this dirty alley. From his properly worn suit to his relaxed but upright posture, even to how he naturally gave directions to those around him.

Even from a distance, I could tell it was Joo Do-hwa.

“…”

Why is he here…?

I instinctively took a step back. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I thought its sound might give me away. Though I wanted to leave this place immediately, my feet felt nailed to the ground.

There were many suited people around Joo Do-hwa, probably bodyguards. Though I couldn’t see clearly from behind, the man standing closest to him was probably Henry. I could tell from how he whispered something to Joo Do-hwa and then stepped back half a step, just as he always did.

In front of Joo Do-hwa, who stood with his hands in his pockets, there was a man subdued by the bodyguards. The man, dragged out from the alley, had given up struggling and was quietly kneeling.

I narrowed my eyes to examine the captured man’s face. I had an uneasy feeling and a vague sense of familiarity about him.

Surprisingly, the face I confirmed was one that I already knew.

‘Here’s the ID card. And here’s the boarding pass.’

It was the merchant I had bought the tickets from. The stupid fellow who tried to cheat me but ended up losing money instead.

“That bastard’s getting caught too.”

“Good grief, what misfortune…”

While Oceans might deal in goods and information, 4HAE Group had no reason to come here to catch merchants. Even less reason for the heir Joo Do-hwa to come personally. What reason could there be to suddenly regulate the black market they’d been turning a blind eye to all this time?

No way, it couldn’t be.

My anxious mind raced. Though I hoped it was just needless speculation, I couldn’t help thinking such things. That Joo Do-hwa had come here looking for me and was catching ticket sellers as a means to that end.

The hypothesis was surprisingly realistic yet simultaneously surreal. It seemed too troublesome and bothersome a method to employ just to catch one person, to recover one runaway doll.

“But they say the ones selling goods are fine?”

“Yeah, only the ones selling tickets…”

I swallowed hard to suppress a bitter laugh that threatened to escape from my lips. You bastard. Once again, I felt the same impression I always had of him.

“Besides, it’s amazing seeing an alpha for the first time.”

“What are you talking about? That kid who used to do money lending was an alpha too.”

“What? Kei was an alpha?”

I retreated as quietly and slowly as possible. Making any noticeable movements would surely draw attention and I didn’t want that. The best option was to escape by blending into the crowd while everyone was distracted by the commotion.

“But this is my first time seeing a dominant one…”

But just as I took three steps back, Joo Do-hwa turned his head. Rather than discovering something, it seemed more like he was casually looking around. As if bored, or uninterested.

Each time his gaze landed somewhere, I could hear people nearby drawing in sharp breaths. Whether from fear of the strange outsider or amazement at the legendary dominant trait, I couldn’t tell.

The only problem was that his slowly scanning gaze was fixed in my direction.

“…”

“…”

Our eyes met. Time seemed to stop and the air changed in an instant.

But I was wearing a hat, had dirty hair attached, and my face was covered with cloth. There were many people around me who looked even more ragged, and I blended secretly among them, dissolving into the crowd.

The distance was too far to identify someone. While faces might be vaguely distinguishable, it was too far to make out expressions.

So spotting me at a glance shouldn’t be possible.

“…”

Yet why did I feel like he had detected me? Why did I feel so exposed, wanting to hide immediately, as if I were standing there naked?

There was no time to hesitate. Just as he took a step forward, I turned and slipped through the crowd.

And then I ran without looking back.

***

It was fortunate my quarters were far from where Joo Do-hwa was. After running through the alleys to reach the building, I had only enough time to pick the lock, enter, and pack my belongings.

It was similar to when I fled from Joo Do-hwa’s house. I frantically gathered everything and prepared to leave without time for cleanup. I felt no attachment to items I couldn’t pack, and my mind was filled with questions.

It had been over ten days since the wanted notice went out, and the flyers plastering the city had become a familiar sight. While I was tense even walking the streets at first, now I was confident the residents wouldn’t notice me.

Then Joo Do-hwa suddenly appeared at this moment in time. Just when I thought everything was proceeding according to plan. What reason could there be to turn the alleys upside down now?

“Damn it…”

I’d never been this scared even when facing death. Right now I was so flustered my hands were shaking. My heart was beating so wildly that I fumbled several times while packing my bag.

Fortunately, thanks to having simulated this many times in advance, packing didn’t take too long. In less than 5 minutes, I had gathered everything and could head to the entrance.

Just as I grabbed the doorknob…

“…”

A cold sensation brushed the nape of my neck. You might call it an instinctive feeling. A chill ran up and down my spine making my fingertips tremble.

It was an unspoken rule to leave the lock open when leaving a space. While some didn’t follow it, I usually tried to comply. There was nothing more foolish than being needlessly greedy when you didn’t know what each day would bring.

But today was different. Instead of opening the doorknob, I pressed the lock. After placing the chain on top for double and triple security, I slowly backed away from the door.

You could call me crazy and I’d have no defense. But the sense of crisis raising the hair on my neck was impossible to ignore. It felt like the survival instinct I’d cultivated since childhood was sounding an alarm.

As if possessed, I strode to the window on the opposite wall. It was a place I’d never examined while staying here. The small window, barely big enough for one person to pass through, required crouching low to exit.

The process of opening the window and climbing up was familiar since I’d done it before. The only difference was the outside height, but fortunately, despite being on the third floor, it was much lower than at the mansion.

This was actually easier.

As soon as I steeled myself, I crossed the windowsill. Thanks to protruding bricks here and there, climbing down the wall was much more stable than at the mansion.

And just as I completely exited the window.

Bang!

A loud noise came from the door. As I placed my other foot on a lower brick, the sound of something breaking also rang out.

Bang, bang, bang, bang! The continuing sounds made me anxious. Perhaps it was my own heartbeat.

From the third floor to the second, from the second to the first.

Finally, when I reached a position slightly higher than my height, I jumped to the ground without hesitation.

“…Ugh.”

Thwack—a sharp pain shot through my ankle as I habitually stepped down. I wondered if I might never be able to use my ankle again. I couldn’t even laugh at the thought that briefly crossed my mind. Though I straightened up after nearly collapsing, I couldn’t move for a moment.

So I unconsciously looked up. To confirm if he really had followed me, how far he had come.

At the same time.

“…”

“…”

Our eyes met. This time I could only say he truly saw met. From the window I had escaped through, two eyes rippling like a golden sunset sea were directly fixed on me.

It was like an illusion. The disheveled hair, the hardened face, and finally, lips that moved ever so slightly.

“…Hyung.”

Ah, you recognized me. You really did recognize me among all those people and followed me here.