Yeri cursed inwardly, thinking she must be incredibly unlucky to run into two lunatics in a single day.
"Don't be in such a hurry to curse me. I just want to talk," Bryce said lightly, letting out a soft laugh.
Yeri: "…"
"Your expression says it all," Bryce added with a shrug.
"If you just want to talk, why drag me in here?" Yeri asked, taking a step back.
"To avoid any misunderstandings. It wouldn't be good if people saw us talking," Bryce replied casually, then briefly explained his presence.
"What exactly do you want?" Yeri crossed her arms.
"I think I understand now why you caught Shin's attention. In some ways, you're just like him. You don't give a damn about other people," Bryce said. "Anyway, it seems Calin offended someone… and now that person is targeting her."
Yeri: "…"
"You're not a fool. I'm sure you've suspected Calin's involvement in the incident at the economic forum... the one where you were knocked out," Bryce continued. Though his tone was relaxed, his eyes had sharpened.
Yeri was speechless.
Whether she did anything or not, people like Venice and Bryce seemed determined to cast her as the villain in their stories.
Not bothering to explain herself, she moved to open the door but Bryce stepped in her way, blocking it effortlessly.
"Alright, don't be so uptight. I was just joking. I don't think you're behind Calin's accident," Bryce said with a laugh, clearly amused.
"Young Master Gate, I don't think we're close enough for you to joke around with me," Yeri replied coldly.
Ignoring her tone, Bryce continued, "You know, it's strange. No matter how much I investigate, I can't figure out how you and Shin got engaged. Sure, your programming skills are impressive, but that alone seems too shallow for someone like him, at least, based on what I know."
"And what does that have to do with you?" Yeri asked.
Bryce smiled meaningfully. "I don't like things I can't figure out. You're a very interesting person, Yeri Zhi."
"That sounds like your problem, not mine," she said flatly.
"Maybe. Or maybe everything between you two is just an act," Bryce mused, amusement dancing in his eyes. "That's why I decided to test it. Are you really in love… or just using each other for your own hidden motives?"
Yeri frowned, a bad feeling creeping in as she glanced around.
Aside from the balcony in the spacious VIP room, there was no other exit but the door firmly blocked by him.
Then she heard it.
A faint mechanical hum.
Her gaze snapped toward the balcony just as a drone came into view, steadily approaching.
"I wonder…" Bryce said casually, as if discussing the weather, "would Shin still marry you if you were missing a limb or two?"
Yeri's attention locked onto the drone. Before she could react, Bryce had already stepped back and slipped out of the room.
A chill ran down her spine, her scalp prickling with dread.
She rushed after him but the door was already locked.
"You crazy bastard! Get me out of here!" Yeri slammed her fists against the door, but it didn't budge.
The drone drew closer, her eyes widened when she saw what was attached to it.
No… that couldn't be real.
"Brother Jj! Are you there?!" she shouted, pounding harder.
How could no one hear her? This was a hospital.
"Someone help! Hello?!"
"Yeri Zhi, break up with Shin and I'll let you out. Hmm?" Bryce's voice came from the other side of the door.
"You psycho!" Yeri shouted, rage surged through her.
She quickly scanned the room. The balcony doors were shut tight, but there was no guarantee the drone couldn't break through.
"You really think that glass wall can withstand a bomb?" Bryce's voice echoed again. "Give it up. I've got people watching Shin, he's in a business meeting right now."
Yeri ignored him and reached for her pocket only to realize her phone was gone.
Outside, Bryce leaned lazily against the door, casually playing with it.
"When I was abroad, I picked up a few tricks from people on the streets. Cute phone, by the way. But your lock screen… a dog? Shin didn't complain?"
"Is that one of those 'skills' committing crimes in broad daylight?!" Yeri shouted.
"I'm just trying to get to know you," Bryce chuckled. "But is now really the time for conversation? That bomb is modified, not powerful enough to destroy the whole room, but more than enough to take a limb. Are you sure you want to gamble? Do you really believe Shin's feelings wouldn't change if you were… damaged?"
Silence.
Then hurried footsteps. Furniture scraping.
"What a stubborn woman. Barricading yourself now?" Bryce taunted. "I'm just curious about your relationship. Do you really have to be so stingy at this moment?"
----
Meanwhile, Jj stepped out of Venice's room, only to be stopped by two men in the hallway.
"Sir, please head the other way. The left wing is currently closed."
"It wasn't closed when we came through earlier," Jj replied, frowning.
"There's been an unusual incident involving an important patient. Management is investigating," one of them explained.
Jj didn't argue. He turned away, pulling out his phone to call Yeri but suddenly paused.
A familiar ringtone echoed faintly from the blocked hallway, his eyes narrowed.
"Look, I came here with my sister. I can hear her phone and it's coming from that direction. She must've turned the corner earlier—"
"Impossible. It's probably just the same ringtone," the man cut him off.
Jj's suspicion deepened, his gaze flicked repeatedly toward the empty corridor behind them.
Something was wrong.
Just as he was about to force his way through, something loud shook the hallway.
Jj feigned a step back then struck, his kick caught one man off guard, sending him stumbling, while Jj drove his shoulder into the other, forcing a clear path.
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the source of the sound.
Turning the corner, he spotted an open door.
His heart pounded as he rushed in, only to stop short, confusion freezing him in place.
Yeri was crouched beneath a table, as if hiding from something.
The floor-to-ceiling glass wall leading to the balcony had been completely shattered, shards scattered like fallen ice across the floor.
And in the middle of it all someone was laughing.
Bryce stood there, doubled over, clutching his stomach as laughter spilled out uncontrollably.
"You- aren't you Bryce Gate?" Jj exclaimed, his gaze snapping between the two.
Yeri slowly emerged from under the table, her expression dark and menacing, her eyes locked onto Bryce.
Even then, she flicked a cautious glance toward the balcony, making sure nothing else was lurking outside.
"Are you alright?" Bryce managed between laughs. "It's just an AI device, a toy modified to look like a bomb. Same sound intensity and everything. But as you can see…" he gestured lazily toward the shattered glass, "the shockwave is only strong enough to break a window."
"What is going on?" Jj demanded, helping Yeri to her feet.
"Oh, relax. I was just pranking your sister," Bryce said, still chuckling under his breath.
Yeri shot him a murderous glare.
This psycho!
"Why do you have her phone? Give it back," Jj said sharply, stepping in front of Yeri as he noticed the device in Bryce's hand.
Bryce glanced at it, then casually tossed it over.
"I thought you young people would be more open-minded about this. How could I commit a real crime? I'm not a terrorist," he said lightly. "Besides, I was genuinely impressed by Yeri's programming skills. I just wanted to see what she'd think of this little test product."
"It's a stupid product," Yeri snapped. "Anything that can shatter a glass wall isn't a toy."
A flicker of suspicion crossed her mind, was this his way of getting back at her for humiliating his tech team during the competition?
Bryce only smiled. "It could be useful in certain situations. Who knows? Maybe even the military would be interested. Just look at how scared you were."
Jj ignored him entirely, turning to Yeri. "Are you okay?"
Yeri didn't answer immediately.
Of course she wasn't. Anyone would have been shaken, her nerves were still strung tight, the earlier fear lingering like a shadow that refused to leave.
And military? No, this wasn't just that. This kind of thing would most likely attract crime organisations. The kind that thrived in darker corners of the world.
"What happened here?!"
A cold, furious voice cut through the room.
Zahn Neri stood at the doorway, his expression thunderous.
Behind him were security personnel and hospital staff, drawn by the explosion.
Bryce straightened, completely unbothered.
"Zahn Neri, I'll compensate for the trouble I caused," he said with an easy smile. "Yeri was just too adorable, I couldn't resist playing a little prank on her."
Yeri's fingers twitched at her side. Somewhere between fury and restraint, she stood there, quiet, but far from done.
Learning what had happened, Zahn's anger erupted. The veins along his forehead and neck bulged, as if barely contained beneath his skin.
"Bryce Gate, do you think this is your territory?" he snapped, his voice sharp as broken glass. "What kind of place do you think this hospital is?"
"He brought that thing in here," Yeri added coldly. "And how did he even know I'd be here?"
The implication hung heavy in the air.
Premeditated.
Bryce simply shrugged, as if the accusation weighed nothing. "I admit I went a bit too far, but all of you are so guarded around me, I couldn't get close the normal way."
He slipped his hands into his pockets, posture relaxed, almost bored.
"Besides, even if I'm no longer a Keir, I still see Shin as my younger brother. Naturally, I'd want to know the woman he's planning to marry."
Yeri's gaze turned colder. She had no intention of arguing with him anymore. Clearly, he wasn't right in the head.
Every word he said sounded rehearsed, layered in half-truths and convenient excuses.
And she wasn't naïve.
A method like his, cornering someone, stripping away their sense of safety, would work on most people. Faced with what looked like a real bomb, who wouldn't break?
Even she had believed it. For a moment back there… she had truly thought she was in grave danger.