Gyuri's phone starts ringing as she's waiting for Max to arrive. The caller ID isn't familiar to her, but she has an idea of who it is.

She hesitates for a few moments before answering on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

"Gyuri, dear," comes the silken reply. Even though she had been expecting it, her blood chills a little.

"T.O.P," she answers. It takes all of her will to keep her voice even. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Let's cut the formalities, shall we?" T.O.P says; any warmth that was present in his voice is gone now. "I have not heard from you since our little meeting a few days back, which means that your target is still alive and breathing. That's not what we agreed on."

"You didn't give me a deadline."

"But I think we'd both agree that 'as soon as possible' means as soon as possible, wouldn't we?"

"Yes, but you see, there is a limit to what is possible, and I cannot kill a man I can't find," Gyuri snaps, even though it's all a lie. In less than an hour, Max would probably be in her presence, still alive and breathing.

"Ah, I thought you would say that," T.O.P replies, and the tone of his voice makes Gyuri wary. He sounds like someone who knows something that holds the world in balance. "As we speak," he continues, "Huang Zitao is on a plane to Paris. He's heard whispers, you see, about where his future wife is, and he just wants to make sure that she's safe."

Gyuri swallows, a chill running down her spine.

"Has our deal changed, Miss Park, or do we both agree that ASAP has come and gone, and that you need to get a move on?" He pauses for a moment, and she can practically see his thin smile. "There's always time for me to turn his plane around. It's not too late."

Her fingers tighten around the phone, betraying her otherwise calm exterior. She can't say that she's not nervous, or that she knows what the future holds, but she knows what she wants to do, and she knows that she will not allow herself to be toyed with.

"Let him come."

***

True to her prediction, Max arrives less than an hour later, stepping out of his car in a sleek black suit, wine bottle in hand.

The sight of the bottle pokes at the edges of Gyuri's mind, and she thinks she's seen this sight before, or at least has some memory of Max holding a bottle around her. But as hard as she tries to make the memories resurface, she can't recall ever seeing Max with a bottle, or with alcohol of any sort, actually.

In fact, all she remembers is kissing him, running her hands through his hair, and down his back, but after that... nothing. No recollection of this, of Max in a suit, with a bottle in his hand.

Gyuri shakes her head, realising she's probably over thinking things.

"Max," she says, the two of them exchanging polite kisses on the other's cheeks before heading inside. "You must be hungry."

"Mm, yes," he replies. Gyuri realises for the first time just how attractive he is. All the times they've met− in dark places, dim lighting, or behind glittery masks−she hadn't really noticed his sweeping jaw, dark eyes, the way his hair falls right in−

She shakes her head again. It isn't right for her to be thinking like this. A few moments pass as she wrestles with herself mentally, and when she resurfaces, she realises he's still speaking.

"...really, I thought it was very generous of you," he's saying, and she can tell by the tone of his voice that he's only speaking like this for the benefit of the staff. They both know that there's something else she wants to talk about, but neither can mention it with the staff listening.

Gyuri knows that she could just order them away, but after that mishap with one of her maids blabbing to the press, she doesn't want to risk it.

"I brought this wine for you as my thanks," Max says, offering her a tight smile, though his eyes flit back and forth, and seem to be saying, Tell them to leave. "I heard it's your favourite."

She forces the corners of her lips to curve upwards in a sweet smile. Just wait, her eyes say.

Gyuri transfers her gaze from his face to the wine bottle, and realises that it is indeed her favourite. "Oh, thank you," she finds herself saying. "You can hand it over to one of the maids, and the chef will pop it open for us−"

"Oh, there'll be no need for that. I've already opened it," Max interrupts, a glint in his eye.

Maybe he is more impatient than I thought. She nods once, letting him keep the bottle, and sweeps her hand out, towards the doors of the dining hall, which the maids are opening. "Shall we?"

*

Silence fills the room, broken only by the clink of cutlery against porcelain. There seem to be ghosts lingering in the corners, painting the room in irregular shades of monochromatic tones. The only colour sources in the space are the food and the two of them, Max and Gyuri, sitting opposite each other at a table that is clearly meant to seat more people. Even the staff, standing along the wall, seem to blend into the environment, as if they are only pieces of furniture and not living beings; they may as well be, for all the noise they make.

Gyuri has made progress with the wine, singlehandedly downing at least a quarter of the bottle before the second course arrives.

"I'm sorry for leaving early yesterday."

Gyuri looks up in surprise when Max speaks, and his Adam's apple starts bobbing uncertainly, his eyes flicking towards the wine bottle standing a little off to the side.

This is the first time they have met in circumstances that don't involve large crowds of people, or dark, cramped spaces. For the first time, he is actually sitting in front of her, at her dining table, and just eating a meal with her, as if that's all he came to do.

She clears . "Don't apologise. If you're sorry, then tell me why."

"I left because−"

"You're not attracted to me."

"I−wait, what?" Max splutters, almost choking on the piece of meat in his mouth. Suddenly it tastes too dry.

The staff have begun to stare in disbelief, and though they look away when Gyuri's gaze sweeps over them, Max can tell that they're still listening, which apparently sets Gyuri's nerves on edge, because she changes the subject.

"Wine?" She indicates the bottle, the contents of which are being poured into a glass for her by one of the kitchen staff.

"I don't drink."

She stares at him for a moment, her face unreadable. Then the corner of crooks up slightly. "Fetch him some lemonade."

Seconds later, a glass of fizzing clear liquid is placed by his plate and he nods once, though his eyes never leave Gyuri's and he doesn't touch the glass, even though hers is at her lips. "What were you saying?"

This time it's Gyuri who splutters, the choking sound wet as the wine tries to fight its way back up. "Excuse me?"

Max can't stand it any longer. Though his one reason for coming here tonight is to steal the Ravenheart, he can't help but be intrigued by this strange woman in front of him, who seems to wield a lot of power and yet, appears to be afraid of it. And if not afraid, then hesitant.

But why?

He turns to the staff lining the walls as Gyuri dabs at with a tissue, staining it red. "Leave us."

The staff look at each other uncertainly, but when their mistress does not object, they drop into low bows before exiting without a word.

As soon as they're alone, Max tilts his head to the side. "What did you say?"

She shakes her head. "I was just stating an observation," she says. "From what I can tell, you're not attracted to me."

Max looks at her in disbelief. "Is that what you asked me to come to talk to you about?"

"No," Gyuri says slow