CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 193. GOOSEBUMPS

Inside the car that drove away from the consultation company, Hajin glanced at his princess, who was humming quietly while looking outside the window.

How weird--Hajin chuckled inwardly. She looked happier than the moment she heard that Joseph was no longer around this morning. But then again...it was just like her, the soft-hearted princess.

Looking at her brightening up like this made him feel like indulging her.

"We haven’t eaten the cake earlier," Hajin said when they were about to reach an intersection. "Should we visit a drive-thru?"

Sarah gasped and quickly turned her head to look at Hajin with widened, sparkling eyes. "You’re allowing me some junk food?"

"You know, Princess..." Hajin laughed while turning the car toward an area with many fast-food restaurants. "You’re technically my employer, you know? Even if I said no, you can just force your way."

"Well..." Sarah pursed her lips--even she knew it was ridiculous. But...Hajin wasn’t just an employee...was he? She grumbled; "Eating under someone’s disapproving gaze makes the food less tasty, you know."

Hajin kept his laugh inside. "Hmm..."

"And your healthy food is delicious too, so..." Sarah added, before pausing and clearing her throat. "Anyway, junk food only tastes good when eaten between healthy food as a kind of cheat anyway."

"I see..." Hajin tapped the steering wheel, asking teasingly. "But you won’t cheat on me just because it might taste good, right?"

Sarah frowned and replied sharply. "Don’t even joke about it."

Hajin stiffened, immediately realizing his blunder. He glanced at the deeply knitted brows and knew Sarah was pissed. Even while teasing, he should have known better than to mention one of the things Sarah hated the most. Hajin pressed the emergency light and stopped the car on the side of the street.

"I’m sorry," he smiled helplessly and held her hand. Thankfully, she didn’t pull it away, so Hajin could kiss her hand apologetically. "Soufflé pancake for tomorrow?"

Sarah pursed her lips in annoyance. How dare he look at her with those beautiful eyes while tilting his head like a cute puppy?!

"With that runny curtain omelet stuff on top," she grumbled.

"So many eggs..." Hajin groaned quietly, but his protest immediately replaced by a fluster agreement when he felt Sarah started to pull her hand away from his hold. "I mean, whatever you want, Princess. But are you sure? Might cause acne--"

"Are you telling me you won’t like me anymore if I have acne?" Sarah narrowed her eyes.

"How many layers would you like it to be?" Hajin replied quickly with the sweetest, most charming smile he could muster while cold sweat was running down his back.

Sarah let out a satisfied, smug smile. "A tower--oh, let’s go there. I suddenly carved chicken and soda. I heard they have a new spicy sauce too," she pointed at a store sign they could see from afar with the hand that Hajin didn’t hold. "Let’s have those while watching a movie back home."

Movie night! More cuddle time! It meant she forgave him, and Hajin kissed her hand again. "Your wish is my command."

He turned off the emergency light and drove the car again with one hand, without letting go of Sarah’s hand. It was honestly amusing for Sarah how he could juggle the stick and perfectly turning the car into the drive-thru with one hand, but then again, he was someone who flew across the mountain on a motorcycle to hit a truck.

Sarah took advantage of Hajin’s guilt to pick whatever she wanted--which was everything--including three different new fruitade flavors that got Hajin grimacing in his seat. How weird--he wanted Sarah to taste more sweets but drew the line on carbonated drinks. He even mumbled audibly about his lament while they were waiting for their order, which got Sarah rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Still, she didn’t pull her hand away from Hajin.

It was during this mumbling episode that Sarah felt her phone ring, and she had to put some effort into taking it out because Hajin refused to let her hand go. It was from the chairman though, so she didn’t feel particularly guilty about picking up late.

"Hello?" she answered after placing it on the dashboard in a speaker.

[How have you been?]

Sarah tilted her head curiously. "Just fine, I guess? What do you want, Chairman-nim?"

As always, she didn’t bother with greetings, and they could hear the chairman’s sigh from the other side. [Mason is missing]

Both Sarah and Hajin arched their brows, glancing at each other in surprise. Thankfully, Sarah was a trained liar. "Okay? So?"

[I just want to tell you] the chairman said. [You know I kicked him out after that exhibition...fiasco, don’t you? He was supposed to go to his mother’s--and I guess father’s--place, but Helene called me two days later asking about him]

"Hmm..."

[We were trying to look for him, but there had been no trace, so...]

"So?"

Sarah glanced at Hajin again, wondering if the chairman was suspecting them. She knew Sol was good at his job and Hajin was professional at erasing traces, but the people at home also knew Sarah had a whole motive to get rid of Mason. Not that there was any evidence, but...

[For all we know, he’s still out there, and...since he was quite unstable the last time we saw her, I’m worried he might come to you]

Sarah blinked speechlessly for a while. This was more surprising for her than being suspected, and if she wasn’t in her happy place, she might already feel angry about the unwanted concern coming from one of the people she hated the most in this world.

"I see..." Sarah only replied when the car moved again because their order was up. "Well, I don’t think he can go past my puppy."

Maybe his ghost, but Sarah had no idea what his current situation was. Hajin only said he didn’t kill Mason, and the twins said something about ship--again--but otherwise...

[You might be right] the chairman agreed. At the very least, he knew that Hajin was trustworthy with how he protected Vivian back then. [Still, be careful]

"Alright."

Sarah was about to turn the call off, but there was an uncomfortable silence from the other side, as if her father was waiting for something.

"Thank you for the warning...I guess?" she said awkwardly.

[Are you going to come for the New Year? He’s no longer here] the chairman asked in a tone that reminded her of the way Chairman Yoo talked to Hajin, and it got Sarah flinching and shuddering for a second.

Sarah hit her chest in shock; fortunately, Hajin placed the bag of freshly fried chicken on her lap which calmed her down instantly. She glanced at Hajin, and then at the chicken, before looking back at the phone screen. "I...I guess I can show my face for a bit," she said after much difficulty, adding right away. "I’m not going to return or anything, though."

[Just showing your face is fine] the chairman said, sounding weirdly more energetic. [There won’t be many people from the family anyway]

Sarah shook her head to get rid of the goosebumps. "I guess your first wife won’t be there either."

[No, I’m talking about Joseph]

"Oh?"

[Something seemed to be wrong with him. He left a message to his secretary that he had to leave abroad due to a health problem last night] the chairman told her, although he didn’t sound very concerned. [I tried to call him this morning, but he didn’t answer the call]

Sarah glanced at Hajin, who shrugged in response. "What about his family?"

[I haven’t tried it] the chairman replied nonchalantly. [Well, he always looked healthy, so I doubt it’s something serious]

"Mm," Sarah tapped her lips in contemplation. "So...you think he won’t make it to the New Year’s event?"

[I have no idea, since he didn’t even tell me about it] the chairman said, still in a detached tone which made Sarah wonder why he even bothered telling her about it. [But you used to be close to him, so I thought you might want to know]

Ah, so that was why. She felt weird again. Annoyed too. But this was also good for her.

"I do," Sarah said, trying to sound concerned. "Please tell me if you find something."

[Alright]

This time, the call finally ended, and Sarah let out a breath of relief. Now she had a reason to ask about the group’s progress in looking for Joseph; she could see whether or not they could look for a connection to her.

They might have tried to erase every possible trace, but nothing was perfect in this world, and who knows...maybe there was something they had missed before.

"Will they be able to contact Joseph’s wife and daughter?" Sarah asked after sipping the yuzu ade to refresh her mind.

"Should be, if they’re even a little bit smart," Hajin shrugged. "But the only thing they’ll find out is that a local gang ambushed them in a robbery and took him away."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "You’re sure they didn’t touch the wife and daughter, right?"

"I’m sure," Hajin nodded firmly for his soft-hearted princess. "One of Aegis’s agents is watching them, and I told that person specifically," he added. "The wife and daughter are probably busy trying to reach the embassy--if not already."

"Alright..."

Sarah exhaled softly. She tried not to show it, but Hajin knew she was relieved. No matter what she said about not feeling guilty, the wife and the daughter did nothing to her. If those two were truly harmed because of her, it would make her feel no different than Joseph, whom she hated so much.

And she already hated herself, so there was no reason to add more to it.

"Nothing should lead to us. The authorities won’t touch the people I commissioned," Hajin explained further.

Sarah nodded; it was clear that she was more worried about Joseph’s wife and daughter rather than the possibility of something coming back to her--which sometimes frustrated Hajin. But he couldn’t protest when his soft-hearted princess rummaged through the box of chicken and brought a piece of drumstick to his mouth.

Hajin arched his brow. "Is this your way of saying good job?"

Sarah smiled, took the chicken to her lips and kissed it, before shoving it back in front of Hajin, who laughed before biting into the kissed part of the drumstick. He was waiting for Sarah to roll it around so he could bite the rest, but Sarah pulled her hand and tilted her head instead, staring at the vibrating phone in the dashboard.

"Why does she always call me right after?"

This time, it was from Amber.