TPWLM 14

Chapter 14

However, the one who had been digging into the forces behind it—Charlotte—suddenly died.

After an extensive investigation from multiple angles, her death was concluded to be a simple accident.

But Damian could not shake the suspicion that his sister had been murdered.

That was why he had reacted so sensitively earlier when the fortune-teller drew the Death card.

There may have been hidden pressure behind the conclusion that Charlotte’s death was just an accident. Corrupt factions have infiltrated both the royal family and the intelligence agencies.

That was why he had settled here under the pretense of a trip to Monaco, secretly continuing his own investigation.

“I wonder how decisive the evidence he has really is. Once his intentions become clearer, attempt contact.”

—Yes, understood.

After the call ended, Damian took a deep breath.

For some reason, he felt as though her scent lingered on the shirt Bada had bought him.

The tension in his nerves seemed to ease.

He pictured Bada’s face again.

Things were complicated in many ways, but he could not lose her.

How should I approach her?

If he pressured her and she ran away again, that would be a disaster. He had to move carefully.

For now, his movements were restricted. If possible, it would be best to keep her close to him.

There are always ways.

Having finished his thoughts, Damian slowly walked back toward his bedroom.

Two days had passed since their date at Devil’s Den.

To enjoy the little vacation she had left, Bada went to the beach again to surf.

She had been taking lessons every day, and now she was skilled enough to surf alone without a coach’s help.

Wearing a rash guard, she lay flat on her surfboard, floating on the water.

The frangipani-shaped hair clip River had bought her sparkled in the sunlight.

As she scanned the waves and glanced at the other surfers nearby, she let out a small laugh.

Why do I keep looking for River?

The words he had said when they parted a few days ago echoed in her ears.

“See you again.”

They hadn’t set a place to meet. They didn’t even know each other’s contact information. How were they supposed to see each other again?

Well, he’s probably forgotten me by now.

With a face like that, he must have plenty of women clinging to him.

This was the very spot where she had first seen him riding the waves.

If he found out she had come here hoping he might appear, would he laugh at her?

It felt ridiculous to be lingering over someone she had only gone on one date with.

She wasn’t the type to fall in love at first sight.

Yet she had been drawn to him in a strangely fateful way.

It was almost frightening—to feel something like this after only a few meetings.

Even if we meet again, I’m not planning to do anything. I just… want to see him once more before I leave Bali.

Just then, as she was lost in thought, a massive wave began rolling toward her from afar.

Bada lifted her gaze and quickly checked the line.

This time, it was her turn.

She paddled hard, and as the swelling wave reached her, she rose to her feet at the perfect moment.

She succeeded in her takeoff and balanced herself with both arms as she stood atop the wave, a smile naturally spreading across her face.

But she barely had time to enjoy the thrill.

A beginner to her left had tried to force himself onto the wave and was swept away, falling off his board.

The man was carried by the wave and collided with Bada.

“Ah!”

It happened in an instant.

Thrown off balance by the impact, Bada was slammed into the water along with the violent wave.

The wave’s rotation spun her body like she had been thrown into a washing machine.

Underwater, she could not tell up from down, and fear gripped her.

Clinging to her board like a lifeline, she waited for the wave to pass.

When the surface finally calmed, the board’s buoyancy lifted her back up.

“Gasp!”

She had just raised her head to breathe—

When she saw, right in front of her, a heavy longboard being swept toward her by the wave.

It was the board the beginner had lost.

Her eyes widened in terror.

If that thick board struck her square in the face, it could shatter her bones.

No!

Even as the thought flashed through her mind, the board crashed hard against her head.

“Ugh!”

A splitting sound echoed as pain exploded through her skull like a hammer striking down.

Her body went limp instantly.

Like the corpse of a jellyfish, her slender form floated and was pushed toward the shore.

Whoosh—

Carried all the way to the sand, she lay face down, coughing violently.

Salty seawater streamed from her nose and mouth.

Only then did people notice her collapsed in the distance and begin screaming.

“There! Someone’s down!”

A ringing filled her ears, and her vision blurred.

Am I going to die?

If you get hurt while surfing, travel insurance doesn’t even cover it…

Even in this moment, worrying about money felt absurd.

But if she died, none of it would matter anyway.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and sensation slowly faded from her body.

Then, through her dimming vision, she saw something.

Piercing blue eyes staring at her.

“…River?”

He placed his hand at the back of her neck to check her pulse, then pulled down the zipper of her rash guard.

Veins stood out on his neck as he shouted something.

But to Bada, it sounded as if the world had been muted.

A faint laugh almost escaped her.

We only went on one date. Did I really like him enough to hallucinate him before dying?

The only clear sensation was the cold water droplets falling from his body onto her cheek.

Soon, as her consciousness faded, Bada slowly closed her eyes.

It felt as though she were sinking into endless darkness.

Burning with a high fever, Bada had a nightmare.

More precisely, it was a memory—an incident from sixth grade, before she left to study in the United States.

That day, she had left school early because of sudden stomach pain during class.

She had taken medicine in the nurse’s office, but the pain only grew worse.

Sweating cold sweat, she barely made it home and opened the door—

Only to see her younger brother, Kangsan, dressed head to toe in expensive golf gear.

Grinning mischievously, he shouted,

“Mom! Noona skipped school!”

Her mother, Mrs. Kwon Hyun-sook, favored Kangsan, who was two years younger.

She firmly believed he would someday become a successful professional golfer.

Thanks to their father, who ran a small-to-medium business, the family was financially comfortable—but only her brother received full support.

Seeing Bada appear suddenly, her mother spoke irritably.

“Why do you have to be sick on a day like today? Kangsan has golf lessons. Do you know how long we waited for him to get lessons from that pro?”

She tossed a bottle of medicine at her as if she were annoyed.

Clutching her aching stomach, Bada said,

“I already took medicine at the nurse’s office. The school nurse said I should go to the hospital.”

Her mother snapped angrily.

“What does a school nurse know? She’s not even a doctor! It’s all stress. You get stomachaches because you stress yourself out trying to study.”

Meanwhile, Kangsan spun his golf club playfully, threatening her as he mocked her.

Their mother hugged him and glared at Bada.

“Stop exaggerating, you brat!”

A few hours later, Bada was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

A neighbor had found her crying in the hallway, clutching her stomach.

The cause of the pain was acute appendicitis.

Only when she saw the medical staff scolding her mother—asking what she had been doing while her child suffered like this—did Bada finally feel relieved.

She hadn’t been pretending.

After that day, she developed a strange habit of enduring pain silently.

Even when she was seriously injured during a lacrosse game in high school, and even when she collapsed from overwork and was taken away in an ambulance from her office, she pretended to be fine.

Without realizing it, deep inside her was the unconscious belief that she was not someone worthy of protection—even if she was hurt.