Hyun-Ki stared at Hyun-Jae with a wide smile on his face. Even though she had shut him off immediately, he still didn't think twice before speaking again as if he didn't fear for his life.
"You know, Miss Hyun-Jae. I'm very good at reading people. You can say that it's one of my biggest strengths. Which means I can look at someone and know exactly what they're thinking of." He said casually.
Hyun-Jae opened her eyes slowly as she stared at him for a moment. "And what does that have to do with anything?"
"What I want to say is. I know things about you that you might expect others to know."
Squinting her eyes, Hyun-Jae pushed herself away from the wall and approached the man as she pulled her sword out. "Mhm, continue." She said as she pointed the sword at him. "Depends on what you say next, I might slice one of your eyes off."
"What is up with you guys choosing violence every time?! Tsk, this is insane!" Hyun-Ki blurted out annoyedly.
"It's way easier than talking to a scumbag like you. I would rather hear your cries than hear you speak." Spinning the sword in her hand with great technique, she explained casually.
"Ouch! That one hurts!" He faked pain as he shook his head. "Anyway, what I wanted to say or to be more precise, what I wanted to ask is... For how long did you fall in love with him?"
"... Excuse me?"
His question made Hyun-Jae's sword freeze for a moment as her eyes subtly widened. Her brain froze at that question. But, it quickly returned to normal as she continued playing with the sword.
"What is this nonsense you're spouting?" She asked coldly as she glared at him.
For some reason, his words made her react strongly and her heart started beating a little faster than before.
"I can see it in your eyes when you look at him. You're very deeply in love, Miss." He smiled as he repeated the same words with confidence, not fearing her threats at all.
"You are wrong." She replied. "I know that you are trying to get into my head. But, it won't work, not now, not ever."
"Hahaha, I am not really trying to do that. I was curious, that's all. The daughter of the Ran family fell in love with an unknown man. If this was the world before the end, it would've been in the headlines across the world." He laughed.
"..."
"I wonder if that happened, would it work like in romantic fairy tales or would the world change you, Miss Hyun-Jae?"
Squinting her eyes, Hyun-Jae shook her head. "It is irrelevant."
"Oh, it is very relevant. I know very well how it feels when you're in love, especially as deeply as you do. The world suddenly becomes a lot better, and clearer. More roses and less sadness. You feel like you're on top of the world and rightfully so. Isn't that what you're feeling now?" As he spoke those words, a weird glint flashed across his eyes that Hyun-Jae noticed.
But, she didn't speak a word as she listened to him. In reality, his words resonated with her far deeper than she would've wanted. She understood everything he said because that was indeed what she felt.
After meeting Talon and getting to know him, the world around her, as gruesome as it was, suddenly became a lot more bearable. She felt eager to wake up every day and see him, even if it was a struggle for survival against monstrous creatures. She still felt more alive than ever standing by his side.
"... You..."
'Who am I talking to?' Hyun-Ki asked himself as he shuddered. He felt like he wasn't talking to someone normal. 'Why is it so hard to manipulate anyone close to that bastard?! Do they have some kind of magic spell over their heads?!'
As they were like that, the door to the room opened again as Talon entered. "It took a few minutes to find it. But, here it is, the transceiver." In his arms was a big wooden box.
Putting it down, Talon stared at Hyun-Jae and then at Hyun-Ki. "Did he do or say anything stupid?"
Hyun-Jae gave the limbless man a side glance that made him frown visibly before she turned to Talon. "No, he was silent the entire time."
"Oh, interesting. I expected him to try something funny. Well, at least you're behaving. That will increase your chances of coming out of here alive." Talon said as he opened the box and pulled the device out.
"Now, how do I contact someone using this thing?"
"Huh? Oh, you tap that button over there."
"This one?"
"Yes, and then you turn that one on."
"Hmm, ok. It activated."
"All you have to do now is adjust the frequency to the location you want to connect with. Which country do you want to start with?"
"Which one you had the most contact with?" Talon returned the question with a question of his.
"... Smart. It's Japan."
"Japan?"
"Yeah, though, we have no actual partnership going on. They're simply a little friendlier than the others. They're the ones you should worry about the most."
'Japan, huh... I have kind of expected that considering how close they are to us. But, I wonder if they're really friendly enough to come to the rescue in case they sensed something suspicious.' Running his hand through his hair, Talon contemplated it carefully.
He didn't want to make a mistake at such a crucial moment, not after everything he did to reach this point.
"If that's the case. Then, we are going to contact Japan first." With that, Talon turned the button. The device immediately made a loud noise.
'Time for the truth.'
A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!