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Chapter 17
After a moment of thought, River spoke.
“A transparent man.”
“A transparent man? Why?”
“It’s just… you’d be free.”
Bada fell into thought.
Why would he say that? That means he isn’t free right now.
Was it because he was some elite secret agent after all?
Suppressing her curiosity, Bada asked playfully,
“Is it because you’re too handsome and everyone stares at you when you walk down the street?”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Oh, please.”
They giggled, and their eyes met. His gaze soon turned serious.
“Actually, I’m searching for something too. Like you.”
“Then we’re both soul-searching.”
“Two lost children who met on a tropical island.”
After taking a sip of her cocktail, Bada glanced at the English newspaper he was reading.
“Anything interesting in there?”
“Not particularly.”
As she skimmed the headlines, her finger stopped at an article.
“Here’s some good news. The Crown Princess of Sweden gave birth to a son.”
There was a photo of the crown prince and princess holding their baby.
“Do you think this child knows he was born a prince?”
River, who had been silent, spoke quietly.
“What do you think?”
“Huh?”
“If you were born as that child, how would you feel?”
“Well… it’s such a distant concept for someone like me, a Korean. I’ve never really imagined it.”
Bada looked at the baby’s picture with clear eyes.
So small and precious. I bet the top of his head smells like warm milk.
After a brief pause, she spoke.
“…Wouldn’t it feel suffocating sometimes? And lonely?”
River took a sip of his whiskey on the rocks, watching her as if urging her to continue.
“Having your entire life decided from the moment you’re born—isn’t that both a blessing and a curse? What if he doesn’t want to be a prince and just wants to own a bakery?”
River smiled faintly.
“If he truly wants to own a bakery, he could renounce the throne.”
“How cold. But look—his photo was spread across the world the day he was born. From now on, every little thing he does will be recorded and gossiped about, won’t it? Unlike ordinary kids, he probably won’t even be allowed a single small mistake. People will be watching him like hawks. As if his life were…”
“……”
“Public property.”
After a moment of silence, River inhaled deeply and said,
“Well, it can’t be helped. If you’re born a prince and enjoy all the privileges, you can’t complain.”
“Maybe.”
He studied her eyes intently and called her name in a gentle voice.
“Bada.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever dreamed of becoming a crown princess?”
“A crown princess? Well… what does a crown princess even do?”
It was such a strange question.
In a country like Korea, which isn’t even a constitutional monarchy, who dreams of becoming a crown princess? Probably not even a princess.
“Smile and wave, cut ribbons at events, shake hands with people?”
“Come on. That sounds too easy.”
“You’re right. It’s not easy. She would have to attend royal duties like overseas visits and state banquets. Like you said, she’d have almost no private life and would need to be careful with every word. Everything she says or does would carry political meaning.”
“……”
“But there are advantages too. For one, she’d inherit, jointly with the crown prince, the royal family’s jewelry collection worth billions, as well as properties around the world. You said you wanted to do something meaningful, right? A crown princess could sponsor numerous charities with the royal fortune—tens of trillions in assets.”
“Tens of trillions… I can’t even imagine that.”
“Wherever she goes in the world, she’d be treated as a state guest and experience things ordinary people could never imagine.”
His seriousness was so unexpected that she almost laughed.
“If someone overheard you, they’d think you were posting a job opening for crown princess. What, do you know a prince? If he’s handsome, I might consider it.”
He stroked his chin with his index finger, as if troubled.
“There is one. But he’s far less handsome than me.”
At his shamelessness, Bada burst out laughing.
“Then tell him I’ll pass. I’ve already seen an incredibly handsome man, so my standards have gotten unnecessarily high.”
This time, he laughed brightly, his eyes curving.
“Good thing you care about looks.”
“What about you?”
Grinning mischievously, she nudged him with her elbow.
“Do you care about looks too?”
His gaze slowly traced the outline of her face before he answered,
“I only recently realized this, but… I think I do.”
He winked and clinked his glass against hers. The sound of the glasses meeting was unusually crisp.
After finishing his drink in one go, he set the glass down. Then, casually, he grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and slowly pulled it up.
As his sculpted body was revealed to the air, Bada unconsciously stopped breathing.
Broad shoulders and pectoral muscles that looked ready to burst.
Below them, sharply defined abs carved as if by a chisel.
Above his black shorts, the hollow of his hip bones and the blue veins beneath his skin were almost indecently striking.
She had known he was muscular, but seeing him shirtless with her own eyes made him seem almost unreal.
What kind of ordinary person has a body like that? And even with all that muscle, his arms and legs are long and elegant.
His shorts were clearly loose-fitting, yet the fabric stretched tightly as if something large were concealed beneath.
At first she thought it was an optical illusion. It wasn’t. Was that even possible?
Are you crazy? Where are you even looking?
Flushed with heat, Bada downed the rest of her Aperol Spritz.
But the ice had already melted, and the cocktail was lukewarm. The sticky sweetness only made her thirstier.
“It’s hot. Let’s get in the water.”
Standing up, he jerked his chin toward her.
“You’re not coming in?”
“I’ll… go in later.”
“Alright.”
Leaving her behind as she suddenly grew awkward, River dove straight into the pool.
Splash!
After swimming underwater, he surfaced near the railing by the cliff, foam swirling around him.
The way he slicked his wet black hair back with both hands was sensual enough to be used in a Giorgio Armani perfume commercial.
“……”
Soon, he turned his back to her, resting his arms on the edge of the pool and gazing out at the Indian Ocean.
Bada sipped her cocktail and studied his back.
His slightly sun-kissed skin shimmered like caramel. Would it taste sweet if she licked it?
The shifting muscles of his back and the straight line of his spinal erectors—he was perfect.
She didn’t know how long she watched him.
Before she realized it, dark gray clouds had gathered above his head. It looked like a squall would arrive soon.
The air grew heavier and more humid, making it hard for Bada to breathe. Sweat trickled down her skin, leaving it sticky.
An urge rose within her to dive into the cool water immediately.
But she hesitated, as if there were an electric current running through the pool.
Because the sight of River, drenched in water, was far too provocative.
Slick and wet.
If their skin were to touch in the water…
It felt as though something irreversible might happen.
Just then, he turned and looked at her—only his eyes visible above the water’s surface.
Like a crocodile waiting for its prey to come closer to the water’s edge.
