Sei couldn’t think or say anything for a long while.

Only last night, she was told that he had swam back safely to land.

And then suddenly, he was shot. And that by Giulio too?

Since she found out that Giulio Parenti hadn’t returned to Italy, she felt an unexpected anxiety fill her heart. This distorted information meant that Giulio Parenti knew exactly who she was and was responding accordingly.

Putting her sneakers on her feet, Sei crouched down with her face covered. When Yuri came in with two cups of freshly brewed coffee, she got up and reached out to take her mug. Yuri’s eyes were fierce as he pulled a chair and sat down in front of her.

“I should have killed him when I had the chance. At that time, I should have pulled the trigger. Don’t you regret it? Didn’t I say I should’ve killed him…?”

But if Giulio had been killed by Yuri on the spot, an uncontrollable battle would have begun. There would have been an unofficial war because the Italian and Russian criminal gangs would have crossed their borders, clamoring for payback.

If not war, Giulio Parenti’s death by the Red Mafia would mean that terrifying things would happen that couldn’t be held accountable.

Even amid seriousness, the coffee brought by Yuri was delicious. The warmth immediately hit her soft throat. She raised her head as she felt her body slowly heat up, and he sat with his legs crossed, waiting for her answer.

“He’s looking for me, isn’t he…? He knows that you’re the one who tampered with the account. Come to think of it, Gavin hasn’t done anything wrong to Giulio. It was just the FBI itself that was the problem. I think Giulio’s purpose is me. What do you think?”

“The thing has been handed over to me, and Giulio probably doesn’t know that someone instigated Jang Young-guk. And yet, you’re wondering if he’s looking for you for a personal reason. Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?”

He pressed both of her knees with his elbows and leaned forward. Sei fidgeted with her coffee cup and stared straight into Yuri’s eyes. Then, bringing his face closer to her, he continued, “Let’s go to Russia together. DE:A’s departure date is just around the corner. I was going to say it then, but I’m being honest now, Sei. I want you to always be by my side.”

He sounded serious like never before. Sei thought about it before giving an answer. If she went with Yuri, what would happen to her mom’s hospitalization and her dad’s release.

Moreover, as Gavin said, unless the person behind the instigation had yet to be revealed, the ordinary life she had dreamed of was literally just a big dream.

Yuri was already aware of Sei’s worries. He pulled a chair close to her and locked her between his knees.

“Your parents will naturally lead a normal life. I don’t want you to believe what Gavin says, but shouldn’t you believe what the FBI says? If it had been as planned, Jang Young-guk would have died as soon as he handed over my stuff. The person who did it knew I was watching, so he couldn’t have left your father alive since he’s like a witness. Maybe… Maybe he’s still alive because he didn’t hand it over.”

Sei bit the soft flesh on the inside of her lips as she watched Yuri say all the right things every time. But it was something that was already known. It’s just that she had been thinking about it because she couldn’t come up with an answer. However, she knew that he would help her if she just reached out her hand.

Strangely enough, she had that conviction.

But why was this man acting so earnest? The way he spoke was as if he was coaxing or requesting her. At first glance, these were strange feelings that seemed to be pressing down on her happiness.

She was a little confused. Was this affection, possessiveness, or curiosity?

Sei let out a long breath.

She didn’t know when she would die, so she lived a life full of fear. She didn’t know whether to choose a life, one on par with a top predator or the other covering herself with a diamond blanket. Of course, at the end of the latter, there might be more waiting for her than death, but these were only two options available to her anyway.

“Yuri, are you really asking that…?”

“I know it’s a bit of an extreme request.”

“Why? As Gavin said, I’m a walking time bomb right now.”

“The more dangerous you are, the more fascinating I find you. Also, you’re so breathtaking that I have a hard time taking my eyes off you. After all, I’m a romantic Russian man.”

“… I’ve never heard of a Russian man being romantic.”

“That’s a prejudice.”

Sei didn’t think so, but she didn’t say anything.

No matter what happened, his fresh and beautiful appearance remained the same. Even if he furrowed his brow, even if he got angry, he was a man with a face that would be beautiful even if he was sad.

Her heart was beating strangely. It wasn’t clear at first… For her, he had just been a guy whom she was attracted to just because he was handsome and charming, and she had drawn a line because he was a mafia member.

But strangely, her heart was racing now. She felt cold and wet as if she was sinking slowly to the ground.

“Well… Do you happen to know what +4/N means?”

Sei got up because she was afraid she would spill the coffee if he got any closer. Rubbing her flushed face with the back of her hand, she approached the desk in her bedroom, wrote a cryptic sign on her paper, and held it out to Yuri.

He accepted the paper, knitting his brow, appearing to not like the way she was slipping away between his knees.

“What is this?”

“Dad gave this to me. It was a little blurry because he wrote this with his fingernails. I think… Dad seems to know who he is.”

Yuri, who had been quietly looking at the papers, got up and opened the laptop on the desk. Sei stepped closer behind him with a curious look on her face.

Man, why does this guy always smell like shampoo?

Her heart, which had been pounding, was now on the verge of exploding. She impulsively hugged the man’s neck. Then, as he ran the program he had never seen before, he turned his head.

“You little… you’re going to drive me crazy.”

“Well, I don’t feel very well.”

“Shall I call a doctor?”

“Here?”

“You can see the one who’s currently on DE:A.”

“Ah…”

Sei shook her head. While trying to think something quickly, she nudged her chin against his wide shoulders and saw the corners of the man’s mouth curving up.

After that, he shook his head and said, adding it as a code to several formulas.

“There is no matching formula. Let’s think about Jang Young-guk’s personality and tendencies. Is he meticulous?”

“… No. Come to think of it, my dad was quick with his hands but he didn’t have much guts. Actually, he had never aimed for anything big or got involved in something complicated. That’s why it’s even weirder. What the hell does this mean?”

Her father had sold all his stolen goods that were said to be a bit of money at a bargain price to an ill-tempered black market dealer. A man like that left a significant code?