[CONTENTID1]re:turn[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter 12[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

The sounds of conversations and music ebbed away as Soojin and Joowon moved through the villa. She observed her surroundings with feigned interest, but in truth, she was looking for suspicious items or documents he might have hidden somewhere.

“You have a taste for art,” she commented when they passed a framed painting. “My husband could learn a thing from you.”

“You’ve grown bored of him, hm? Maybe you need a distraction,” he drawled, eyes flickering from her lips to her chest. “I’d be willing to assist you.”

“Really? You’re so kind to me, Joowon, I can’t believe it!”

Her giggle would have sounded fake to anyone who knew the real Soojin, but to him, it was perfectly normal. She was about to reach the end of her patience—inwardly, she was boiling in anger because everything about this man was infuriating. Even the weird pattern on his tie.

As they crossed several rooms of the extravagant building, she was forced to listen to his gloating and rambling about his wealth. His entire personality seemed to be built on money and showing it off—it was annoying. While he was busy talking, Soojin continued to study their surroundings, and when they reached his personal office, she noticed something peculiar. In the back of the room next to a tall antique shelf was another door—and he brushed it off instead of showing her what lay behind it.

“It’s just an empty room I’m no longer using. I’ll show you something more interesting. Why don’t we head up to the jacuzzi now?”

“But I’d love to see this room too! I bet it also has an incredible interior design. I’m impressed by your taste, you know?”

His face hardened, increasing her suspicion. This was it, she had found what they were looking for. “That’s not possible, sweetheart. Now follow me.” His touch on her back became more urgent and rough, so she grudgingly gave in and continued to play her role. She needed to distract him so that Baekhyun could sneak into the office and take a closer look at the room in question.

“If you say so,” she shrugged and they left together, giving her partner the perfect opportunity to investigate. Joowon was tense and took no more detours with his guest. He showed her the stairs to the rooftop and they ascended them, reaching the flat roof of the villa. When he the lights, she was shocked by the sight. The jacuzzi was right in front of the glass railing that encased the roof, allowing a beautiful view over the city lights. Lamps on the stone floor illuminated the way to the jacuzzi, highlighting it. Exotic flowers framed the bubbling water, perfecting the scene. Soojin found this place lovely—but it wasn’t exactly pleasant to be here with Joowon…

“I reached the office. Buy me a bit more time,” Baekhyun’s voice announced, and Soojin cringed inwardly, hoping he would be done quickly because spending more time with Joowon wasn’t a nice outlook. The man got more pushy by the minute and she didn’t know for how much longer she could stall without doing anything physical.

Baekhyun was silent for a moment, she heard rustling and rummaging through the earpiece. “Can you do that for me? Also, if the bastard gets touchy or does something you’re not comfortable with, don’t let him off the hook. I wouldn’t either.”

A little smile snuck on her lips—there it was again, his protective side. She would do as he said. Distracting Joowon didn’t necessarily entail enabling his behavior. Unaware of this, Joowon caught her wrist and pulled her towards the jacuzzi. With every step, the pit in her stomach grew. She eyed the dark water doubtfully, her gaze snapping to Joowon when he slipped off his jacket. Soojin swallowed—this guy was too damn fast.

“I think it’s a bit too cold for this tonight,” she smiled and shivered slightly. Of course it was a lie, and judging by his reaction, he didn’t buy it.

“What? But didn’t you say you wanted this? Come on, it’s not fair to lead me on. You should keep your word, Eunji.” The coldness in his eyes increased as his brows furrowed. He took a step toward her, and her instincts kicked in. Her body steeled itself for a fight; muscles tensing, eyes narrowing.

“I changed my mind,” she answered and wondered how much more time her partner would need… As if reading her thoughts, his voice sounded through her earpiece.

“Remember what I said. If he crosses a line, feel free to do what it takes to stop him.” He growled a curse, and she could imagine his angered expression even without seeing him. “I need a keycard to enter the room. The door has a complicated lock. Is there any chance he’s carrying it on himself? I can’t find it anywhere in the office, I checked everywhere.”

She scanned Joowon’s outfit, mumbling a, “Yes.”

Joowon inclined his head, confused by her reply, but Baekhyun had heard her loud and clear. “Okay, then you have permission to knock him out and search him. Make it look like he had too much to drink and fell asleep.” The schadenfreude in the agent’s voice was hard to overhear, and Soojin would be lying if she said she didn’t share the sentiment. Finally, she could say goodbye to Joowon.

Soojin moved closer to him, and he was visibly surprised by her sudden change of heart. Her red dress billowed in the breeze on the roof. She smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek, capturing his attention with her enthralling gaze. Joowon never saw it coming. The poor fool fell unconscious instantly after she targeted a pressure point on his head. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground. Soojin made a half-hearted attempt to catch him and hauled him to one of the sun loungers. The agent draped his body over it as if he had fallen asleep under the starlight. It would take a while for him to wake up—and it was unlikely that anyone would check the rooftop soon.

She threw a glance over the railing to check on the other guests. They enjoyed the night even without the host, chatting, eating, and drinking. After hours of partying, only a few remained sober. Soojin tore her eyes away and heaved a sign before she searched the pockets of his jacket, discovering his wallet. Her fingers skimmed through several cards he kept in there—credit cards and business cards made of expensive paper. Still, finding the keycard was not hard. It was silver and engraved with a number. Other than that, it looked unremarkable. She took it and put the wallet back in his jacket.

“I got it. We’ll rendezvous in his office.”

“Perfect,” Baekhyun replied.

Her hands grabbed the red fabric of her dress, raising it so that she could run without tripping. The agent left the rooftop behind and hurried downstairs to the office, careful to avoid anyone who might have asked questions—but the staff was occupied with the party outside, so the hallways on this floor were deserted. She flew into the office and closed the door behind her. A breath escaped her lungs, and she visibly relaxed at the sight of her partner.

He studied her, ensuring she was fine, and when he found nothing amiss, a corner of his mouth tilted up. Thanks to the keycard, unlocking the door was easy. Baekhyun’s hand pushed it open and he slipped inside, hitting the light switch. A modern lamp illuminated the interior and revealed countless file cabinets. Their content was arranged in an orderly manner, luckily for the agents. This made locating the specific information they needed much easier. In teamwork, they browsed through several folders and photographed everything that seemed important.

The agents spent no more than fifteen minutes in the hidden room before they decided that they had everything they needed. With the necessary evidence, the couple returned the keycard to Joowon, who was sleeping soundly where Soojin had left him. Then, the agents mingled with the other guests and made their way through the crowd. They didn’t plan on staying and steered towards the exit, but before they reached it, they were intercepted by the butler who had greeted them hours before. Soojin was already searching for an excuse as to why they were leaving before the party was over, only to realize the man didn’t care in the slightest. He simply wished them a safe drive home, so they thanked him and left the villa.

Soojin’s red dress dragged over the rough pavement as she walked, so she held the fabric and lifted it a little, not wanting to ruin it. The cloudless sky above them was sprinkled with tiny stars, a beautiful sight. They spent the walk to the car in silence. Baekhyun watched her, though admired probably would have been a more accurate description. The adoration in his eyes was simply too strong to remain unnoticed. During the party, Soojin had believed it to be a part of his charade, but now she realized it had been real all along. He may be a great actor, but he wasn’t as good as to fake an emotion so pure. Her cheeks flushed, complimenting the vibrant color of her dress.

“While I would have rather spent the night on a real date with you, seeing you dressed like this was worth the trouble of coming here,” he muttered huskily, his dark eyes meeting hers. Something sizzled beneath his calm expression,