novelChange and Progress (1)
| ← Ch.168 | Ch.170 → |
Haejin had dated girls before, so it wasn't his first time hugging a girl. Still, his heart was beating fast, maybe because he was shocked to see her alive.
However, Haejin then came to his senses. He checked the hallway and dragged the princess inside.
"What happened? I was surprised to hear that you were dead. I did what I could to find out more about it, but I couldn't figure out much."
Hassena nodded and smiled comfortably. Then, she took off her veil while saying, "Of course. Because of the strict Islamic rules, checking the dead body and conducting an autopsy is not easy. It couldn't have been easy to find out about my death, especially as you were a foreigner."
"First, the... Saliyah! Why did she try to kill you?" Haejin then asked. Hassena looked down, "Saliyah had been working for the organization. I don't know if it was because of magic or money... maybe they threatened her. Anyway, she thought it was a good chance to kill me as I left my father's palace. So, she poisoned the juice I drink every morning."
"Then how did you avoid it?"
Hassena shook her head. She then started to explain, but she still seemed to be afraid as if she was going through it all over again.
"I couldn't avoid the danger. I drank that juice. I asked her why, struggling in pain, but she didn't say anything. I... I have never seen her look at me so coldly. She looked at me as if I was her greatest enemy..."
Haejin was enraged while thinking about the pain she had suffered, "Your father will punish her."
Hassena replied, "Yes, she will have to live in pain until the day she is dead. She will be tortured every day. My father is not weak. And he had to watch his daughter die in front of him..."
Haejin thought her explanation was quite strange, "Are you saying your father saw your death with his eyes..."
"I know it's hard to believe... no, you should be able to believe me. You are the only one who can perform real miracles. I died, but I also didn't die."
Was this the resurrection which religions talked about?
"What do you mean?" Haejin then asked.
"I was lucky. The poison started affecting me just when Vellin arrived there. He realized I only looked dead, and this necklace was protecting me, " she said while showing the necklace with the red ruby that hung around her neck. Haejin could feel that radiant gem had magic in it, he then commented, "That isn't an ordinary necklace."
"Yes. When I got this, I thought it could one day save my life, and I was right. The necklace stopped the poison from spreading to my heart and brain, instead, it was detoxifying it. However, from the outside, my body had a dark shade and looked dead."
How strange...
Hassena continued, "Vellin knew I was poisoned, but as he was the only one who knew about the necklace, he was sure I wasn't dead. However, he thought I would still be in danger if he announced that I was alive, so he didn't tell anyone. He quickly got a coffin and hid me inside."
"Then, no one checked your condition?" Haejin asked.
"Only few can touch my body. As my body had a dark shade, and I wasn't breathing, everyone thought I was dead. After Vellin then put me in that coffin, no doctor in America could examine me and announce my death, " Hassena replied.
"He has done a great job. However, that couldn't have been enough to fool your father, " Haejin commented. Hassena replied, "No. When I arrived in Abu Dhabi, I had already recovered a lot and could even talk to him."
"But you just said he watched you die."
Drops of tears started running down her cheeks. Hassena then explained, "I told him I couldn't live as the daughter of the Abu Dhabi family anymore. He didn't want to accept it, but I said I wanted to live my own life. It wasn't because I couldn't stop my death. With his authority, I could have lived safely in his palace, but I wouldn't have been able to lead a proper life. I rather thought I had found a way to get away from the rules. Although he didn't want this... I was then officially proclaimed as dead."
Haejin could now see why she was crying. She wouldn't be able to go home or meet her family again.
He comforted her for some time and then made her a cup of warm tea.
She sipped it and smiled brightly as usual again.
Once she was feeling better, Haejin asked, "Then how did you get here? You probably needed a passport and visa..."
Next, she took out her passport from her handbag while saying, "Here... my father gave me a new ID as the last gift."
Funnily enough, the handbag looked luxurious. She must have taken anything she could grab under the circumstances, but still, she had an expensive bag.
"Let me see, " Haejin then looked at the passport. It belonged to an American named Eran Silvia.
"America? How did you get an American passport?" Haejin asked. Hassena explained, "My father asked this to the American Office of the Director of National Intelligence for it. They don't know who is using it. Although they made the ID, this passport was made in Abu Dhabi. Anyway, I am an American businesswoman who now owns a small bank."
"Wow... your father really cares about you. He even got you a bank, even if it's small..."
"No, I took care of it. In secret, I prepared things like this. It was the fund that I could use in case I were to live as a runaway, " Hassena replied.
"Hu... that's good. Should I call you Eran Silvia now?" Haejin asked.
She then smiled. The Islamic laws said that a woman cannot show her face to a man except for her husband, and Haejin knew the reason now. Her smile was so beautiful.
"Yes. I am Silvia now, " she confirmed.
"Then why did you wear your veil?"
"Out of habit, and because I was worried that people would recognize me. The organization must know my face very well."
Haejin then asked, "You're now staying at a hotel?"
"No, I came here straight from Incheon Airport. It wasn't hard as Vellin had given me your address. I just gave it to the taxi driver, and he brought me here."
As Haejin had signed a lease contract with Louvre Abu Dhabi, finding out his address could not have been difficult.
"Then what are you going to do now?"
At hearing the question, Hassena straightened her back and met Haejin's gaze. Then, she smiled and asked, "Which part of my face do you think I should change to become prettier?"
What, now?
"What? Change what? You are already beautiful enough, " Haejin answered. She, however, shook her head, "Cosmetic surgery is necessary. You know it. Changing my ID is not enough. So, tell me. What should I change?"
She was right, but... Haejin didn't like the idea of someone modifying that pretty face.
"But you are pretty enough now, what if the surgery gets rid of your beauty?"
Hassena then replied, "I have no choice. So please tell me, what should I fix?"
Haejin then started speaking, "If you really have to..."
"Yes?"
Hassena's face was beautiful, but if Haejin had to find a flaw, then her chin was slightly big.
Haejin finished, "It would be better if your chin was a little smaller..."
She nodded and agreed, "Yes. My chin is a little big compared to Asian women. Changing the shape of my face would make the biggest difference. I thought so, too. I should leave for now. We don't have much time."
She was right, there wasn't much time. The members of the organization were about to come from all over the world.
Haejin then said, "I will take you to Gangnam."
"No, I can take the taxi. I will stay at a hotel until I recover from the surgery. And..."
She took Haejin's phone, typed her phone number, and pressed the call button. Then, she showed her ringing phone.
"Save the number under Silvia, " Hassena said.
After that, she left for Gangnam.
Hassena had said that she had to go through that surgery to be safe, but was it Haejin's imagination, or did she really look excited about it?
Haejin packed his things and put his home on sale. From now on, staying in one place was very dangerous. He had to move from place to place every day.
Next, he heard from Hyoyeon that she had found that young man and given him to the police. Although she was in trouble because she didn't get her money back, thankfully, the chaebols who had bought the fakes said that they could wait.
Even if she said she was going to retrieve the money as fast as possible, it was not going to be easy since the bank account belonged to the organization.
On the other hand, even though SH Global had gained ten billion won, they probably were not feeling that happy. After all, Haejin ruined the young man's magic ability.
In the meantime, Eunhae got herself more bodyguards and had frequent meetings with the merchants of Insadong. Information was both money and life.
Haejin had also cast a listening spell on a flower vase and put it in the man's hospital room without showing himself.
As now he could hear everything that happened in that room, he could find out instantly if anyone went there.
Even though no one had gotten close to him until now, someone was going to come to him eventually.
Haejin had changed his face with an illusion spell when he attacked him, and they were going to come for revenge, so he thought he could get hold of them first.
Hiding wasn't going to protect him forever. He decided that if he had to go through with it, he would get them first.
The young man woke up four days after he fainted. Additionally, because of the cops around him, he couldn't move easily.
And then, someone came to Haejin's museum looking for him.
"I must meet Mr. Park Haejin, " The woman, who seemed to be over 50 years old, said to a member of the staff with a warm tone. The staff then asked, "May I ask who and from where you are?"
Normally, she would tell visitors that meeting Haejin wasn't easy, but the woman's charisma told her she wasn't just an ordinary person.
"I am An Haewon from Bundang. Please, I must meet him, " the woman in her 50s replied.
"Could you wait for a minute?"
The member of the staff then went to Eunhae and told her about the woman, and she realized the visitor was an important person. The name of the prime minister's wife was An Haewon, and they lived in Bundang.
She immediately went down, talked to Haewon, and used her phone to call Haejin.
"Where are you?" Eunhae asked.
"Me? I'm just walking around."
Eunhae knew it meant he was looking for them and replied, "There's a visitor looking for you."
"Me? Is it a VIP?"
Haejin knew that Eunhae wouldn't have called if it hadn't been for a VIP.
"Yes. She is the prime minister's wife."
"Ha... a politician again?" Haejin asked.
"Actually, I would have politely refused if it had been just a politician asking a favor, but it's a little weird."
"Weird how?"
"It was the same method. I then immediately recalled SH Global..."
| ← Ch. 168 | Ch. 170 → |