#6. Don't Stare at Me Either.

Hyeon-sin instinctively averted her gaze from Gye-yeong’s sharp, calculating eyes, forcing her chaotic thoughts to cool down.

Because she had always lived borrowing others' identities, she made it a strict rule during missions to disguise her hair and eye color, wearing thick clothing that inflated her build and high-soled combat boots. On top of that, she had been wearing a mask that covered half her face. She reassured herself that no matter how perceptive Gye-yeong was, pinpointing her true identity would be near impossible. Yet, the suffocating anxiety made it difficult to lock eyes with him, pushing her to fully immerse herself in the role of a terrified, fragile boy.

"Don't... keep looking at me like that. It's scary..."

"Is it just my imagination? He seems far too frail compared to that guy—looks like he doesn't have an ounce of proper stamina."

Just as she thought. Currently, Hyeon-sin was wearing a baggy jumper, stained jeans, and flat canvas shoes, making her look like a much smaller, younger boy than usual.

While she breathed an internal sigh of relief, she couldn't help but wonder why this man was showing such an obsessive interest in someone he had just met. Gye-yeong’s gaze swept across her skin so blatantly that she couldn't bear the pressure, her feet automatically taking a step back.

"Are your eyes gold? That's quite unusual."

Gye-yeong, who had been studying her face, narrowed the distance even further, stepping in until their noses were practically touching. She had noticed this before, but a fiercely sensual scent—whether it was his natural musk or a perfume—drifted from him, a pleasant fragrance that made her head spin.

Right then, the bodyguard who had maintained a domineering attitude from the very start stepped right in front of Hyeon-sin.

"Why are you acting so stiff? Shouldn't you bow to the gentlemen first!"

"Ugh!"

Hyeon-sin shrank her shoulders back, putting on the expression of a helpless boy. As Gye-yeong firmly grabbed her slender forearm, she feigned shock, lowering her waist and dropping her gaze to her toes.

"Careful."

"...Ah, thank you."

Keeping her head down while closely observing them, Hyeon-sin mentally stepped back to assess the identities of these dangerous intruders.

The blonde one looks quite refined, almost pretty. He seems like an idle playboy who grew up pampered in a wealthy family. The man next to him looks intelligent but rigid, without a shred of expression. There's a high probability he's a professional, like a doctor. And...

Finally, the man holding her arm—Gye-yeong.

The agility with which he had caught her was extraordinary. As she had felt during their last encounter, Gye-yeong clearly possessed a highly trained body. Was he the head of some massive syndicate? He looked like a sophisticated investor on the outside, making the underlying contrast feel even more ominous.

Is he a redevelopment developer backed by a gang? Or a construction mogul?

Whatever the case, he was a man she absolutely could not afford to form a connection with—especially if he had come all this way targeting this ruined orphanage property. Terrified that they might discover she was the actual owner, Hyeon-sin let all the tension drain from her body to play the part of the frightened boy.

"I... I should be going now."

"Hold on a second, cutie. What brought you all the way out here anyway?"

Wearing a bright smirk, Han Gyoo-ryeon approached Hyeon-sin, his voice casual yet creeping in smoothly like a snake.

"I saw some nice cars parked here... and got curious, so I wanted to look. People don't usually... come around here, so I wondered why. Who... who are you misters anyway?"

"Haha, cute. Our cars do stand out a bit. I guess a boy can't help but lose his mind over anything with wheels, huh?"

―Gye-yeong, by the way... did you compare this kid to that agent from RAON you mentioned?

Oh, no.

Hyeon-sin felt her heart completely stop at the unexpected word that slipped from Kim Gang-mu’s mouth.

Even this man knew about RAON? Just then, Kim Gang-mu uncrossed his arms and slowly stepped toward her.

The realization that they shared such detailed information about her mission grated heavily on her nerves. Hyeon-sin took a step backward for every step they advanced, desperately trying to open up some space.

―Our Kim Gang-mu, always sharp as a tack. The boy Gye-yeong was stressing over? The absolute monster who allegedly disguised himself as a gorgeous nurse... you think it could seriously be this kid? Pfft! Look at him, he's like a terrified rabbit. There's no way...

For all the space Hyeon-sin tried to clear, the three men closed right back in, scanning every inch of her face.

Damn it...

When it clicked that these very men were the ones who had taken the medical corruption evidence she had risked her life to secure and exposed it to the world, her mind went entirely blank. If they spent their own fortunes to eradicate social evils, they weren't inherently bad people, but having her identity exposed as an agent was a fate worse than death. Trapped in the classic guilt of a thief who thinks everyone is looking at them, Hyeon-sin's anxiety spiked to its absolute peak.

"That guy was taller. His eye color was distinctly different, too."

"External things like that can be changed easily enough. Whether he's an agent or not, what does it matter? Kid, whatever you're up to, don't live your life dangerously. Got it?"

Faced with Kim Gang-mu’s advice, which pierced right to the core of the matter, Hyeon-sin offered no reply, merely shifting uncomfortably under their scrutiny.

"Kim Gang-mu, if you keep nagging like that, kids these days will write you off as an old fossil. Go on, cutie, you can leave."

The moment Han Gyoo-ryeon gave the word, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief, offered a quick bow, and turned around. But in that split second, Kim Gang-mu cut across her path, his eyes flashing.

"Wait."

As Hyeon-sin's reflection caught in his eyes, the relaxed smile playing on Kim Gang-mu’s lips gradually stiffened.

"How old are you? What's your name? Suddenly, the urge to just let you walk away has completely vanished."

The sharp edge of suspicion laced in Kim Gang-mu’s voice brushed past her neck like a cold blade.

"...Pardon?"

At that, Gye-yeong walked up and stood right beside Kim Gang-mu.

"Kim Gang-mu, that's a crime. The kid is terrified, just let him go."

Han Gyoo-ryeon went a step further, signaling to the subordinates standing behind them, quietly calling someone over.

"Gye-yeong, what you just said is going to scare him even more. He's so cute I'm almost tempted to just kidnap him. But you see, this little guy walked right in here as if he owned the front yard. Now I'm getting curious about a few things myself."

Hearing the underlying threat in Han Gyoo-ryeon’s tone, Gye-yeong immediately threw an order to his man.

"Chief Ma Dong-hyeon, run a thorough background check on this kid. The three of us are going to look around the property a bit more, so make sure you don't lose him and keep him right here until we're back."

The moment his chilling command fell, the burly bodyguards—led by Chief Ma Dong-hyeon, the man who had threatened her first—closed in to surround her.

"Excuse me! I'm not a bad person! I told you, I just came to look around!"

Even though she was the rightful owner of this land, being treated like a suspicious intruder by these trespassers made Hyeon-sin lose her temper, her voice rising automatically.

Yet Gye-yeong and his entourage didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to her shouts. Leaving behind a cold afterimage, they disappeared straight into the hollow, fire-scarred skeleton of the orphanage.