My Beloved, Whom I Desire to Kill - 235

—Is that why you were staring straight ahead like you were sucked into the movie?

The soft, low resonance that penetrated her ear went deep into her body. Giselle felt a shiver run down her skin and began to regret it.

I should have just told him to come to my place for a drink instead.

She had trusted the distance between the chairs, but the voices around them and the sound of the bartender mixing cocktails were so loud that they had to put their mouths to each other’s ears, which made the distance meaningless.

No, that’s not right. All I have to do is be the loudest person here.

Giselle pretended to lift her head to drink her beer, but instead pulled back and raised her voice.

—What do you think happened to Bernstein?

—Who?

—Veronica’s original fiancé.

—Oh… I don’t know? He probably found new love and lived a good life.

—…But he went to jail, didn’t he? He’s on death row.

—Oh… was he?

Giselle glared at the man who was trying to gloss over it with an awkward smile.

—How can you not even remember the name of a minor character or the ending of a movie you just watched? Did you watch a different movie than I did?

—I didn’t watch it.

—What?

—I was too busy thinking about how to bring this up with you.

This was it. The moment she had been waiting for all day had arrived. Giselle, even though her story wasn’t going to be long, took a sip of her beer to wet her throat and turned her body completely to face the Director. As she did, her knee awkwardly brushed the inside of his thigh, which was already angled towards her, but the Director didn’t seem to mind. He just stared at her intently, his faint smile unwavering.

—Tell me. The story you were going to tell me today.

She would tell her story at the end. It wasn’t a very pleasant topic. However, the moment she heard the confession he made with a nervous and shy smile, Giselle’s story became unnecessary.

—I’ve fallen in love with a woman.

—…Really?

The Director bit back a smile and nodded.

—My God.

Thank you, God.

Giselle felt like she wanted to stand in the middle of this den of wicked debauchery and raise her hands in praise to God.

She was finally escaping the terrible swamp of the name Edwin Eccleston forever. She thought she was sinking back into the swamp, but instead, she was rescued. She was so happy and relieved that she momentarily forgot she was supposed to be celebrating someone else’s good news.

The smile on his face instantly withered like a frost-bitten flower. An emotion that could only be described as disappointment grew thick in his eyes.

He must have been hurt that she didn’t congratulate him. Or perhaps he misunderstood, thinking that Giselle was still not over him, and her exclamation of «My God» and her subsequent silence were due to shock from hearing he had a girlfriend.

But my expression probably doesn’t look shocked or hurt at all.

Giselle smiled even brighter and raised her glass for a toast.

—This is the news I’ve been waiting for, so I’m as happy as if I’ve found love myself. Mister, my sincere congratulations to you.

This is the sincere heart of a girl who once had a crush on you. She clinked her glass against his. He put his glass back down without drinking, but Giselle emptied hers in one go and let out a sigh of relief.

—I had a feeling… it felt like you had a girlfriend.

—Did it? Why did you think that?

—I don’t know, I just had a feeling.

As if to say anyone would have come to the same conclusion, Giselle’s eyes swept over him from head to toe, taking in his unusual appearance.

—You came here from a date earlier today, didn’t you?

The man, who was propping his chin with his hand and staring at Giselle, burst out laughing. He didn’t say no, so it must have been true.

—How long have you been dating her?

—It’s just one-sided love for now. I’ve only just started to express my feelings, and I don’t know how she feels about me.

So there was a field that Edwin Eccleston wasn’t confident in. And it was love. A one-sided love, at that. He finally looked like a human being just like her. She was incredibly curious about what kind of woman she was to have melted Edwin Eccleston’s icy heart and turned him into a human. But she was sick of being misunderstood as still hung up on the past if she asked.

—It’s going to work out.

She didn’t think there was any need to worry about who she was. If you get to know this man, you can’t help but fall in love. Of course, the problem was that you also got the worst man in the world, Lorenz, as a package deal.

—I’ll pray for you every day.

—Thank you, but I don’t need prayers, I need you.

—What?

You need me? Did he mean he wanted her to help him win her over?

—Can I be of any help?

—Of course.

What woman would be happy to have another woman—especially one with bad rumors circulating about her and the man—hanging around? If anything, she’d only be a hindrance to his love life, unless she was helping him get rid of a woman he didn’t like.

—How?

—Because you’re the most critical key to this relationship.

What did that even mean? How could she possibly hold such a vital solution to someone else’s love life?

As she blinked in confusion, the Director leaned his upper body over the bar table next to her, resting his arm on it. If it were any other man, she would have moved away, thinking he was about to kiss her, but this was Edwin Eccleston, the man who had just confessed he was in love with another woman.

He stopped when his nose was almost touching Giselle’s. She understood that he had to get his face closer to lower his voice for a private conversation. But the Director remained silent.

The expression on the man’s face, who was just staring into her bewildered eyes, changed from moment to moment. Frustration, disappointment, hurt, and hopelessness. At times, she even glimpsed emotions that didn’t fit the current situation. Was she seeing things because it was dark, the cigarette smoke was thick, and the alcohol was fogging her mind? Whatever it was, his silent gaze was strange.

—What’s wrong?

—I was wondering what you’re thinking right now.

Was he testing her, suspecting that she still had feelings for him?

—I was thinking that I hope your love works out.

—Really? Giselle, then will you make my love come true?

—Yes, of course.

I have no lingering feelings for you at all. So I can help you without any problem.

Did he get the message? The moment Giselle promised, the man’s dark face lit up with a smile. He filled her empty glass with beer and clinked his glass against hers first. He looked truly happy, as if his love had just been fulfilled.

But why did he stop just as he was about to drink, lean his head on the bar, and groan?

—No. You have no idea what you just promised.

—Why? Did you just scam me?

—You could say that. Because you don’t know who she is.

A woman who would make me feel scammed just by knowing who she is? She had no one in mind.

—Then who is she?

He must have considered the woman he loved too sacred to casually mention her name. He straightened his posture to face Giselle and finally answered.

—She’s a brilliant beauty, so stunning you can’t tear your eyes away from her.

‘Well, of course.’ She would have been surprised if he had said she was ugly. She wasn’t asking why he loved her, but who she was, so why was he going on a tangent? She was all hyped up, but now she was deflated.

—And she’s cool.

This was surprising and unexpected. A «cool» woman was rarer than a «beautiful» one. And wasn’t it extremely rare for a man to describe a woman as «cool»? Giselle was curious.

—What makes her cool?

—The way she works is cool. Her mind works quickly, but she also thinks deeply, so she often notices things others miss. She even takes me by surprise sometimes. She doesn’t just rely on her good mind but constantly works hard to improve her skills, which makes her even more reliable. She has a strong competitive spirit but also a sense of responsibility and isn’t selfish, so she works well with her colleagues. She’s a woman I respect, even though she’s much younger than me.

The profuse praise, so glowing it would make every other member of the intelligence department green with envy, went over Giselle’s head.

‘…The way she works?’

That would mean…

Unable to hide the shock from the hint, Giselle’s mouth hung open as she just blinked. The Director quietly watched her. Perhaps because his praise for the woman he loved was so long, he moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue and asked,

—Do you know who I’m talking about now?