Jonghyun stopped the car in front of Sunye's apartment building. The latter was sitting beside him, wrapped in his coat. As soon as the ship had anchored at the deck, Hyun was whisked away towards the police station. The media still did not get the whiff of the news but it would not take them long to find out and the whole issue would become a public scandal.

He glanced at Sunye who was surprisingly calm.

​​

"Are you alright?" he asked, feeling worried. "Are you feeling cold?"

Out of consideration for her state, he did not even turn on the air conditioner in the car. She nodded and replied, "I'm fine. I managed to eat the medicines on time."

Jonghyun frowned. "How did you manage to have them?" he asked. "You didn't take any purse with you. Even your phone is lost. How did you manage to take your medicines? And the clothes? Who left them there?"

"I had some of my medicines in my gown's pocket," she lied unflinchingly. "Thankfully, the medicines were not lost in the sea. And I found these clothes in the washroom. "

"I'm sure that I've seen them lying near you when I got off the phone," he stated.

"Maybe you were hallucinating," Sunye shrugged. "I found them in the washroom. They were kept beneath the sink. It's not uncommon for ships to have spare clothes lying around for guests."

"But I thought I saw the clothes when you regained consciousness," Jonhyun insisted but was unsure of his own words. He was so focused on saving her that he could not think of anything else. Yet…

"You think a lot," Sunye noted. "But you tend to overthink too. I found the clothes in the washroom. Go ahead and check the CCTV footage."

She said it with such confidence that Jonghyun was doubting himself. Sunye, on the other hand, knew very well that the so-called masked man who kissed her had tampered with the CCTV. So her lie would never be caught.

And she knew very well who that masked stranger was.

"I'm gonna go and rest, sir," she went on. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at the office. The media is going to make a mockery out of the whole situation so we have to be prepared."

She paused for a second before asking, "Will you be alright?"

Jonghyun looked at her with interest. "You were the one who nearly drowned tonight and you're asking me if I'm gonna me alright?" he laughed. "That's a strange question to ask in this situation."

"The Finance Minister of this country has been arrested," Sunye said in a cool tone. "Your father is the Prime Minister. Aren't you worried about the hell he's gonna go through? This will question his authority. People might rise against him."

"He'll be fine," Jonghyun assured her. "He punished many ministers who were disobedient. Yes, Shin Hyun's case is going to shake him but he will emerge unscathed. In his words, if one has nothing to hide then he has nothing to lose."

"Your father has nothing to hide?" Sunye asked, raising an eyebrow. "Everyone has something to hide. And politicians always hide things."

"My father doesn't hide things," Jonghyun said. "He does them in the open. It's the people who choose to turn a blind eye."

There was a strange bitterness to his tone. His face darkened as if he was remembering something painful. Sunye did not pry but did not leave either. She simply sat there, observing him.

Sometimes, he reminded her of Kim San. The way he talked with others and the occasional feeling of being trapped in a world which was not of his choosing was something she had seen San suffer from.

But then, the night of the coup flashed in front of her and San's bloodshot eyes were staring back at her. It was as if the person standing in front of her was not her friend San, but someone else. That night, San had perished with his family. His body was never found but Sunye did not attribute it to death. Whether he was alive and probably hiding somewhere, she did not know.

All she knew was that night the identity of San had died along with their innocence.

"Thank you," she finally said. "For saving me."

She flashed him a rare smile to convey her gratitude. To his surprise, she leaned over and hugged him. Jonghyun blushed, unsure of whether to hug her back or not but before he could, she let him go.

"See you tomorrow," she said and got out of the car. She waved at him and Jonghyun waved back before driving away.

Sunye silently watched him leave, a faint smile on her lips as he disappeared into the dark night. She stood there for a while before letting out a sharp breath.

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked, turning around. The familiar devilish grin flashed at her as the dark silhouette came closer.

"I was just feeding you the meds," SD shrugged.

"You could have done it with your hands," Sunye pointed out.

"I could have," SD shrugged. "I didn't want to."

"That was sexual harassment."

"Technically, I saved your life," he countered. "But I guess there's no appreciation for good deeds!"

He sighed loudly, lamenting at the lack of justice in the world.

"Don't ever kiss me again," Sunye said bitterly. "Just because we work together on occasions, doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want!"

She turned on her heels and headed for the building. Even though she tried to walk fast, SD easily caught up with her, keeping up with the pace. They headed for the stairs to climb up to the fifth floor where Sunye's apartment was situated.

"Tomorrow is the night when I'll need you to accompany me," he went on. "Do remember that you have to pay me back for the information I gave you on Shin Hyun."

"Tomorrow?" Sunye echoed. "I can't! I have to deal with the media and Hyun's case! I have to work on the notes and how to send him to jail-"

"If you don't pay your dues with me, then I'm gonna leak information which could acquit Shin Hyun and you'll become the laughing stock," SD said with a cryptic smile.

She paused on the staircase, glaring at him. "You're sick and twisted!" she hissed. "How can you be so immoral? I know very well that you gave me this information so that you can get something from me! You're using these favors to trap me in your twisted game!"

SD smirked and stepped forward. Sunye did not back off but he was uncomfortably close to the point, she could smell his faint cologne. He towered over her, both of them looking directly into each other's eyes.

He raised a finger and fiddled with a strand of her hair. She did not flinch but glared at him as he toyed with her hair.

"I am the bad guy," he said softly. "And yet, you'll always turn to me. It's not because you want to. Nor is it coz you have to."

He leaned in closer. Sunye winced and tried to back out but he held the back of her head to keep her steady. Their proximity only reminded her of their earlier kiss and despite her internal struggle, her heart was beating loudly against her chest.

"You come to me because you're addicted to me," he whispered. "Just like I am to you, little tigress. You know that I'm a villain. But you also know that if there is one place where you're safe, it's with me and me only."

"What makes you so confident about that?" Sunye asked in a hoarse voice. She was outwardly calm but having him so close was messing up her thoughts.

"Because, my sweet Sunye," he began. "For your sake, this villain will destroy the entire world."

He winked and kissed her hair before letting her go. Sunye blinked several times, trying to remember how to breathe.

SD began to walk away before pausing to turn around and add, "Next time, you'll be the one who'll take the initiative to kiss me. And that's a promise."

With that, he left her standing on top of the stairs while she reeled from the shock of the effect he had on her.

What the hell just happened? She wondered.