Chapter 1485.2

“Chris.”

His eyes widened at the sight of a woman who had come to the Sacred Group.

“I was looking for you.” As soon as she saw him, she walked straight up to him and tried to hug and kiss him.

‘How would I have acted normally?’

He would’ve probably just played along and thought about what to do next, but, before he could even consider it, his body instinctively pushed her away.

The woman called, stunned, “Chris?”

“I’m sorry, Stella. Forgive me, but I can’t do this anymore.”

“What are you saying? I remember you never being the type to turn anyone away.”

“That’s ancient history,” he solemnly told her. “Weren’t most of those just business transactions?”

“Does the purpose matter? We got along pretty well back then.”

“I'm sorry, but I only have room for one person in my heart.”

The woman called Stella scoffed, arguing, “Then I’ll just have to be that one person.”

“Stella.”

She was a B-Class Awakened working for the US government. Of course, there was no ridiculous law saying that B-class people couldn't even make eye contact with S-Class, so the two of them treated each other without regard for rank.

However, the fact that her father was a fairly influential congressman also played a part in their relationship history.

She flashed him a captivating smile and tried to win him over.

He simply told her, “Listen, Stella. I’m making it absolutely clear that I have no intention of getting involved with you.”

“So, everyone else is fine, but I’m not?”

“They were all just arrangements. Except for a few of them, we only pretended to be involved for appearances.”

Despite his reply, she paid no mind. “Well, I’m not acting. I like you.”

“I have someone else I love. I won’t make any decisions like this anymore, for her sake.”

The reason the notorious playboy had virtually no scandals was that he had almost never slept with women. There were plenty of photos in the media showing him being intimate and affectionate with women, but those moments had simply been part of his way of protecting himself.

That was why Hyun-Ah would get angry and call him a playboy, while Davey thought he was more decent than he expected.

“Chris,” Stella called. “Take me sightseeing in Korea when you’re done with work today.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m leaving for the states with my team members in a few days. We have a gate to take down.”

“Don’t worry about something so trivial...”

“Trivial? The gate is pretty enormous. Don’t you know that if the gate you’re talking about goes wrong, a catastrophe could happen?”

Then, with the sound of high heels, Hyun-Ah appeared, dressed in a suit.

Stella frowned and asked, “Sorry, who are you?”

“I’m his manager. And you?”

“Ah. I’m Stella.” She quietly and quickly scanned Hyun-Ah from head to toe. It seemed she didn’t recognize her, which wasn’t too strange for someone so self-absorbed that lived across the world in America.

Stella clung even closer to Chris with a satisfied smile. “Chris, you’re not meant to be tied down to the Sacred Group. There are plenty of other people who can work here besides you.”

“Are you joking?” Hyun-Ah remarked indifferently. “Take your tantrum somewhere else. Guard, escort this person out.”

Stella frowned. “You’re so annoying. You look like a damn monkey.”

“What?”

Stella smirked, looking at Hyun-Ah. “Did I say something wrong? Oh, was that rude? I’m sorry. I get so clingy sometimes.”

Stella then took Chris’s hand and told him, “Think back to the passionate nights we spent together. It’s not too late. I won’t say anything about you being in the Sacred Group, but I’m the only one who can love and satisfy you.”

Hyun-Ah looked as if she was about to explode.

Yet, feeling a surprisingly strong grip from behind, Stella briefly screamed and staggered backward. “Chri... Hmph?!”

Just as Stella was about to get angry at Chris, she saw him giving her an icy look she had never seen from him before.

He coldly told her, “Stella. Apologize right now.”

“Wha... what did you say?” She couldn’t believe it.

“I said apologize right now for what you said to my manager.”

Hearing that, she scoffed sharply and gasped. “Chris, are you mad at me right now? Me, someone you once dated?”

“The public announcement that I was dating you was partly because of the contract I made with your father. You might’ve thought otherwise, but I never gave you the slightest affection.”

“Chris!”

“I won’t warn you twice,” he coldly told her. “Apologize right now.”

Hearing that from him, Stella glared at Hyun-Ah and then pulled the corners of her own eyes with her fingers. “You ugly-ass slant-eyed bitch! Who do you think you are, flirting with Chris?! Do you think you’re something special just because you manage a guy like him?!”

Hyun-Ah sighed in response. “Haaah.”

Despite being well-known, Stella didn't recognize her and simply assumed she was an ordinary employee.

“Chris! Is this the bitch you’ve given your heart to?!”

“Yes. I’m glad you know. Stella, I love this person. So, if you don’t apologize right now, I might just do something to you.”

Hearing his quiet but firm warning, Stella trembled as if frightened. “I... My dad won’t stand for it if you hurt me, Chris! Comparing me to a mere employee is—”

“Who said she’s a mere employee?” Chris lifted Stella up as if she were a potato sack and continued to say, “She’s the most important person in the Sacred Group. Might even be the future CEO. She’s incredibly capable, noble, beautiful, and pure. She’s nothing like you who does drugs, drinks too much, and sleeps around.”

He strode to a corner of the room without paying any attention to Hyun-Ah and her flushed, flustered face.

Then, he forcefully opened a window.

Stella started to struggle, shrieking, “C-Chris?! We’re on the thirtieth floor!!”

“I don’t know how you managed to get up here, but aren't you an illegal trespasser? Don’t worry, though, Stella. I won’t personally smash you to pieces.”

“Are you really saying you’re going to marry an oriental monkey right now?!”

Her shout seemed to be the cue, and he unceremoniously shoved her out the window, dangling her by her ankle.

“Uh...” Stella hadn’t expected him to actually dangle her out the window by one hand, her eyes widening even bigger than before.

Chris ignored her reaction and spoke with an icy expression that Stella, or rather, almost no one had ever seen from him before. “The United States doesn’t need racists like you. And the way you spoke to Hyun-Ah... I won’t let you off easy.”

Giving that final quiet warning, he abruptly let go, and Stella screamed as she plummeted toward the ground.

Naturally, she passed out on impact with the ground floor, foaming at the mouth. After all, being a B-Class Awakened didn’t necessarily mean she was exceptionally durable.

Moreover, Chris knew very well that despite being B-class, Stella’s power was the culmination of corruption and artificial boosting, so her actual combat skills were two ranks below her official classification.

He looked down and then lightly jumped out the window. He fell at incredible speed before he landed on the ground. Normally, the landing should’ve caused a massive impact, but he touched down incredibly lightly, like a feather drifting to the ground.

He picked Stella up and said, “You were pathetic from start to end.”

The unconscious Stella could not hear him. He handed her over to the people waiting at the front of the building. They were his team members and specialists from various countries who were preparing for the mission with him.

“Take her to the airport,” he told them. “Send her back to the states.”

“Will that be enough, Boss?”

“Sorry. It’s a personal request.”

He chuckled, and a muscular black man laughed heartily. “I told you, Boss! That woman was always going to cause trouble someday.”

“I didn’t think she’d make a gesture like that to our princess,” another member marveled. “How brazen is she?”

She had made a racist gesture toward the potential future CEO of the Sacred Group, an organization whose influence was practically on the level of a global alliance. That alone was enough to warrant retaliation from the Sacred Group, even if Hyun-Ah herself chose not to act.

“I’m going back up to get ready, so I’ll see you at the airport. We can throw her on our plane and drop her off on the way.”

When Chris said that, his team members exchanged glances.

“Erm, Boss. No can do.”

“Hmm?”

“Going back with a woman who’s already causing problems? No matter what the truth is, from the outside, it’ll look like she played you and you’re running back to her.”

“And what does that matter?”

“It matters a lot. You’re sitting this one out, Boss.”

The man lightly slapped his back, then picked up the unconscious Stella and practically threw her into the vehicle. “Besides, our princess looks like she has other plans.”

Chris turned his head and saw Hyun-Ah looking at him with a complex expression.

The man called out, “Hey, Princess, sorry, but we’ll handle this trip on our own.”

She told them, “I should go with you.”

“No, no, no. It’s nothing serious, and aren’t you too busy to deal with this personally? We’ll take care of it while enjoying a nice vacation, so you just focus on taking care of our boss.”

Pushing the stunned Chris aside, his team members got into the car and drove off toward the airport.

Left on the first floor, Hyun-Ah stared blankly at Chris. She finally said, “Hey.”

“Uh... huh?”

“If you have nothing else to do, come with me.” Hyun-Ah, after a long moment of thought, muttered, “Who the hell was that bitch? No matter how clueless she is, being racist like that?”

“Some people don’t realize it’s a racist gesture. Of course, she isn’t exactly fond of other races, but those kinds of people exist in Korea, too, you know?”

People who showed animosity toward the West for no reason definitely existed in the East as well. It was foolish to judge an entire country's culture based on the actions of one person.

Despite that, she still huffed and puffed. “How dare she just waltz into HQ and cling to you?”

“Oh... Are you getting jealous now?”

She immediately shot back, “Don’t be ridiculous! There were guards, so how did an outsider get up to the thirtieth floor?”

“Well, she’s someone I... had a brief connection with a long time ago. She’s a unique Awakened. You know I was involved with various women back when I was called a playboy, right?”

She didn't respond.

“Honestly, most of them were contractual relationships, but she was... well, a bit different.”

Hyun-Ah seemed annoyed and stomped toward the underground garage. She then took out the keys to her personal sports car.

“You want me to drive?” Chris offered.

“No thanks. Don’t you know the passenger seat is the most dangerous spot in an accident?”

“That’s for normal people.”

“Humans instinctively steer the wheel to the left, you know?”

“Hey, don’t be mad.”

Hyun-Ah muttered, “Why did that idiot squid talk nonsense about a guy like you being a pure romantic?”

“Sorry, but it’s true. I’ve only truly loved two people in my life...”

“So, I’m not the first one, then?”

“A long time ago... I was in love with the girl next door... but I was betrayed. I saw something weird happening between her and some senior guy on a camping trip.”

She didn't know what to say to that.

Hyun-Ah turned her face away and muttered quietly, “I told you you’re not my type.”

Of course, there was no way Chris hadn’t heard her mutter.

“Well, that’s what I thought too. But I guess I was wrong. Going through something that feels like it came straight out of a cheesy romance movie... it makes me feel like everything I thought I knew has been turned upside down.”

At that moment, Chris grabbed her arm, which was holding the steering wheel.

He then pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in shock.

Using the cheesiest smile he could muster, he said, “God damn, girl. Why are you so attractive? Do you want to see me go crazy? I don’t want to end up in jail for anything.”

Seeing his flirty smile, she took a sharp breath, then hit him on the chest. “Give me back my kiss, you bastard! Do you want to lose your head?!”

“Whoa! Even your insults are amazing. If Sacred Group fires me, I’ll just help you out on my own. Heroes are supposed to be loners, you know... A lonely hero saving the heroine, doesn’t that sound romantic?”

“Forget it!! You’re an absolute joke, seriously!!” Hyun-Ah fumed and slammed the accelerator, making the car lurch forward.

Chris was momentarily pressed back against the seat by the acceleration. “Whoa. So, where are we going?”

At his question, she yelled as if trying to escape from what had just happened, “To the amusement park!! You damn playboy!!”

“An amusement park date? Nice. Alfland?”

“I’m going for inspection and management purposes!!” Even as she said that, her face was like a tomato ready to burst.

‘For management purposes? Really?’

Chris thought there might actually be hope for him after all.He had heard that quite a few people at headquarters were trying to help after noticing the strange atmosphere between him and Hyun-Ah, but the sheer scale of their efforts was surprising.

He looked down at his smartphone. He suddenly remembered what Davey had told him when he had offered to help.

- Chris, just a word of warning—if you ever make my sister cry, I’ll make sure you shed tears of blood.

On the surface, that man and Hyun-Ah looked like two people constantly fighting in a flirty way. However, Chris was one of the few people on Earth who knew the truth.

He knew what kind of person Davey truly was. That was why he was barely jealous of him.

“Hyun-Ah, don’t you think it’d be nice to walk around with one of those cute headbands you see people wear and eat churros?”

“Who said anything about going there to have fun?! You’re so annoying!”

“Then what’s this?”

He pulled the amusement park guide from the cup holder and chuckled, making Hyun-Ah shout in embarrassment, “T-that... that’s just to check if the customer service is being delivered well!”

Normally, she wouldn’t have gone herself. Chris found it unbearably adorable the way she insisted on going anyway.

“A-and my answer to your proposal is still no, you crazy person! What lunatic gets married before even dating?”

“Haven’t you heard of marriage first, then love? I saw something like that in one of your favorite romance novels.”

“Gah! You crazy bastard! You looked into my private life?! That’s erotica, you son of a bitch! Wait, was that weird proposal... something you copied from there?! What kind of nutcase are you?!”

It seemed Yeon-Hee had made a mistake by sharing the info.

“It all works out in the end, right?”

“And what if we don’t?!”

Chris tilted his head. “What kind of nonsense is that? Why wouldn’t you and I match up, Hyun-Ah?”

“What?”

“Don’t match up? That’s just a problem we need to fix by talking things out. We definitely match up.”

He pointed to her special coffee order in the cup holder.

“Look at this. We even like the same coffee, so how could we possibly have trouble getting along? We’re compatible even when it comes to the little things.”

Hearing that, Hyun-Ah finally clamped her mouth shut, her face burning red.

Only the roar of the vehicle’s engine, mirroring the turmoil in her heart, filled the air.