Chapter 7

The place Valentine guided him to was the entrance of a store located at the corner of the first floor of the building.

Ding-a-ling.

A small bell rang as he pushed the door. Eugene momentarily stopped moving, surprised by the unexpected interior of the store.

The colorful candies filling each wall and display case overwhelmed the view. Round and flat lollipops, cane-shaped candies, various flavored lollipops, and long, round display tubes filled with candies and jellies. Small candy bags and large candy bags. Candies of all colors, flavors, and shapes filled the spacious store.

After briefly surveying the array of candies, Eugene's eyes caught the front glass window of the store. The store name was written in colorful letters on the glass window.

"Candy Store"

He scanned the other front glass window and the interior of the store, but no other store name was visible. Candy Store. That was simply the name of the store.

Though it appeared narrow and cluttered at first glance due to the display cases and candies filling the store, the interior was actually quite spacious. There wasn't a single customer in the store. How many people would actually come to a store in this location to buy candy? Perhaps the small children visiting the small park by the East River across the street would be the main customers.

Leo, who had definitely entered with them, had somehow disappeared in that short time. Since the bell on the door hadn't rung, he must have vanished somewhere inside the store. Moreover, even the clerk wasn't visible. In conclusion, Eugene was alone with the blonde killer in this sweet and colorful candy store.

Eugene had largely shed the worry of being killed immediately. If they were going to kill him, they wouldn't have bothered taking him to the Italian restaurant and this candy store. If they had wanted to kill Eugene, he wouldn't have woken up in bed with a headache this afternoon.

The blonde killer Valentine, still with his hand on Eugene's waist, extended his other hand to a nearby display. There was a long, round column that almost reached the ceiling, and various lollipops were densely inserted into it.

The long, well-shaped white fingers slowly wandered over the densely packed lollipops. It was just a simple movement, tracing from top to bottom, but it was as elegant as playing a musical instrument. After briefly feeling over the candies, his fingers suddenly stopped at one point. The blonde killer pulled out the candy from where his fingers had stopped and held it out to Eugene.

Red berries were abundantly drawn on the roundly wrapped plastic packaging over the white stick. It was cherry.

As Eugene just stared at it, Valentine personally unwrapped the candy. When the plastic wrapper was removed, a red candy was revealed. Valentine pushed it toward Eugene's mouth.

"Open," Valentine said briefly. His voice was as calm and low as Eugene remembered from last night. Though it was a short word, it was a voice that strangely penetrated the ears strongly. Eugene opened his mouth without hesitation.

The candy pushed through the gap between his parted lips. The candy touched his tongue. Strong cherry flavor. It was exactly the same taste as Valentine's lips that he had tasted last night.

As Eugene docilely accepted the candy, Valentine's eyes curved slightly. He was smiling with satisfaction. A radiance suddenly emitted from those blue eyes as they looked at Eugene's lips with the white stick in them. Eugene briefly had the absurd thought that there might be car headlights installed behind those blue eyes.

"It's torn," Valentine said.

Valentine looked at Eugene's mouth and said. He then gently touched it with his finger and added.

"That must hurt."

When his finger touched the torn corner of Eugene's mouth, it naturally hurt. Eugene instinctively furrowed his brow. It seemed like the scab that had formed was torn open again. When he explored it with his tongue, he could definitely taste blood.

"Oh dear."

Valentine clicked his tongue in apparent sympathy. Amusingly, he had a look of concern in his eyes, even though he was the reason Eugene's mouth was torn in the first place, and also the cause of it tearing again just now. Like giving medicine after causing the illness.

"Does it hurt?"

Valentine asked. How could it not hurt? Eugene cursed harshly in his mind but said something completely different out loud.

"It doesn't hurt."

Hmm. Valentine examined the torn corner of Eugene's mouth with narrowed eyes and barely managed to pull his gaze away.

"Is it tasty?"

Valentine asked, looking at the stick in Eugene's mouth. Cherry flavored candy. It wasn't particularly delicious. Of course, his answer was different.

"It's delicious."

When Eugene answered, Valentine gave a subtle eye-smile. Whatever his true identity might be, his appearance alone was gorgeous enough to put angels to shame, so having one's heart drop at his eye-smile was only a natural human reaction.

Valentine turned his gaze to scan the nearby candy display. Then he grabbed one of the paper bags placed here and there between the displays. Opening the bag, Valentine began to sweep every candy in sight into it, starting with the nearest display.

Each handful of candy made a tuk-tuk-tuk sound as it fell into the bag. The paper bag, about the size of a child's head, quickly filled with candy. The bag, so stuffed that its sides bulged, looked precarious as if it might burst at any moment. Some of the candies that had been precariously piled on top eventually tumbled to the floor. Valentine extended the candy-filled bag to Eugene.

"A gift for you."

Despite the large bag full of candy surely being heavy, Valentine effortlessly held it up with one hand. Eugene alternately looked at the candy bag in front of his chest and at Valentine. And he thought: What is this man trying to do with me?

He had witnessed a murder scene. He was caught, threatened with a gun, and sucked someone's thing. He met with an elderly mafioso, was dragged to a candy store. And now he's being given candy as a gift. None of this made any logical sense.