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Chapter 23
Startled, Bada sat up and looked around.
She searched the bedroom, the living room, and even the kitchen downstairs—but he was nowhere to be seen.
‘Where on earth could he have gone?’
The clock now read 3:24 a.m.
A suspicious thought flashed through her mind.
Come to think of it, River sometimes took calls in secret, hiding away.
As if he were communicating with someone clandestinely.
Her mind spiraled with anxiety.
‘Who could he be talking to?’
Could he really be a secret agent or a spy whose identity he couldn’t reveal?
Or perhaps the hidden son of a world-famous actor or businessman.
‘Wait… could he be a drug dealer?’
She remembered seeing a few students rumored to be drug dealers back when she attended college in the U.S.
They usually supplied drugs at house parties, yet appeared entirely ordinary.
Without being told, no one would have guessed.
And they mostly operated at night—just like River now.
‘Well, it wouldn’t be easy to acquire this level of wealth at such a young age otherwise.’
Her heart thumped with unease.
Letting out a deep sigh, she turned and caught sight of the living room dresser he used.
Perhaps there was something in there containing information about him.
Click.
Bada opened the drawer and searched carefully, but found nothing special.
Then, a thought struck her.
‘Check his passport.’
She pondered briefly, then climbed the stairs back to the bedroom.
Entering the dressing room, she began rifling through the wardrobe.
She touched each high-end shirt and jacket on the hangers until her fingers felt a rectangular silhouette inside the pocket of a dinner jacket.
‘Bingo.’
She quickly pulled out the passport, opened it, and used her phone’s light to read it.
His nationality: Irish.
The photo matched him, and the name was indeed River Grant.
‘At least his identity checks out.’
A strange mix of relief and guilt washed over her.
Guilt for snooping on him.
If she had really wanted to investigate him, she could have gone further.
She could have secretly taken photos to search online, rifled through more of his belongings, or even interrogated him.
But instead, she wanted him to tell the truth willingly.
Once he trusted her enough, he might share his secrets on his own.
‘Someday, he’ll tell me.’
As she sighed and turned her body, the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs reached her ears.
“Ah!”
Startled, she quickly shoved the passport back into the jacket pocket.
Standing on tiptoe, she rushed toward the bed.
Just as she threw herself under the covers, the door creaked open.
Creeeak.
She heard him quietly enter the bedroom, muffling his footsteps.
Bada clutched the blanket tightly, trying to calm her racing heart.
River entered, moving like a large beast descending from the mountains.
He quietly removed his clothes and stood by the bed, looking down at her.
Even with her eyes closed, she felt as though his gaze scanned her body like a laser.
She feared her heartbeat might give her away.
‘I hope he hasn’t noticed anything.’
With a lazy sigh, River carefully lay down next to her.
His warm breath brushed her neck, and she flinched reflexively.
“….”
River ran his large hand through her hair and kissed her shoulder.
“Good night, darling.”
Muttering softly, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled the blanket over them.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice her snooping.
Relieved, Bada tried once more to fall asleep.
But the fresh, early-morning scent lingering on him kept her from drifting off easily.
Time passed inexorably, and a few weeks went by.
Bada was living the happiest days of her life—but a seed of unease had begun to grow in her heart.
She knew she couldn’t escape reality forever.
Yet being here with him felt like heaven, and she could not let go.
A tacit rule had formed between them.
They never spoke of when or how they might part.
Only by avoiding such talk could they pretend that this paradise would last forever.
One late afternoon, River said he wanted to show her something and led Bada to the private beach.
He held her hand as they descended the stairs from the garden to the sand.
In the center of the beach, she saw a picnic mat and parasol set up.
“Wow, what’s all this? When did you prepare it?”
“When you went to do yoga earlier.”
Approaching the mat, she saw colorful cushions laid out.
In the middle were a hamper, a small table, and a bucket with champagne on ice.
“Wow… you must have worked hard to set this up.”
Bada leaned back on a cushion, and River took food from the hamper, arranging it on the table.
Soon, cheese and fruits on a wooden board, mason jar salads, and finger sandwiches were set.
He turned on a Bluetooth speaker, playing sweet old jazz music.
Sipping the champagne he handed her, she gazed at the pink-and-purple sunset over the horizon.
For some reason, River remained silent, holding the stem of his champagne glass, simply observing her profile.
Bada munched on a grape and asked,
“Why? Is there something on my face?”
“No.”
“Then why are you staring like that?”
“Just… you’re too beautiful. I want to memorize every detail.”
“….”
The sunlight reflected in his eyes, making them glimmer with an oddly melancholic light.
Bada stiffened.
Why did he suddenly seem like he was about to leave? Was this some kind of farewell?
She forced away the anxious thoughts, lifting her head and blinking.
“Geez, don’t be so dramatic. Fine, look all you want.”
After hesitating, River slowly parted his lips, seeming to make up his mind.
“Bada, I should have said this a long time ago… I…”
His brows furrowed, as if in pain.
What on earth was he trying to say?
Tensed, Bada gripped her champagne glass tightly.
“I…”
After a pause, he exhaled and said softly,
“I like you.”
Caught off guard, Bada’s lips parted in surprise—but she quickly burst into a bright smile.
“Haha, I thought you were about to make some dramatic announcement!”
What a secret.
The champagne bubbles seemed to tickle her stomach, as if her body might turn into pink bubbles and evaporate into the air.
She looked at him with love in her eyes, shyly saying,
“I like you too. River.”
Strangely, the moment she said his name, a small twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
But in her excitement, she didn’t notice it.
“I like you… very much.”
Watching her quietly, he gave a faintly lonely smile.
He cupped her chin and pulled her close.
“Kiss me.”
Their lips met softly, tongues intertwining warmly.
Their breath smelled of champagne and sweet grapes.
He buried his hands deep into her hair, pulling her closer, almost reaching the root of her tongue.
It was rough, yet somehow tender.
Bada wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking his hair gently.
“I like you,” his voice whispered, echoing in her ears.
Like a favorite song, she could never tire of hearing it.
The sun, now dipping beneath the horizon, bathed them in radiant light.
As soon as they entered the living room, they began hastily undressing each other while standing.
With skilled hands, Bada’s naked body was revealed into the air.
Meanwhile, she struggled awkwardly with River’s pants buckle.
