"There it comes," Zhenya murmured, his gaze lost in the sky.
They had been having a late breakfast when Kwon Taekjoo followed Zhenya's gaze and saw a helicopter approaching in the distance.
It was different from the usual supply helicopter. It's peculiar bright yellow facade, resembling an alien's face, was impossible to miss.
It had to be Matias Pérez's personal helicopter. Even the last one, which he had taken on his final trip off the island, was a deep purple, much like a beetle.
It was clear that Matias had more money than taste.
"Ew, there goes my appetite."
As Kwon Taekjoo grimaced in disgust, Zhenya smiled unexpectedly.
"He's really not your type, huh?"
"Is that even a question, bastard? I've never been interested in anyone with a dick, got it?"
"But now?"
"No, I still stand by that. Try going to an all-boys school, an engineering college, the military, and working in a male-dominated field. You'll get sick of seeing other men's faces all the time."
Kwon Taekjoo shuddered in disgust. Zhenya rested his chin in his hands, seemingly amused. The way his eyes curved with satisfaction was oddly attractive.
"Hello, friends! It's been a while! Did you rest well?"
Matias Pérez's characteristic laugh pierced through the roar of the helicopter blades, echoing in the air. His grand entrance had completely fist ruled the table where they were eating.
The powerful guts of wind caused Kwon Taekjoo's coffee to splash onto his hand. Both Zhenya and Kwon Taekjoo glared at Matias Pérez with disdain as he headed towards the helipad promising to see them later.
"That bastard… can we shoot his helicopter down."
"All you have to do is ask."
Zhenya's eyes tracked the helicopter with an icy gaze, ready to take Matias down as soon as kwon Taekjoo gave the go-ahead. Kwon Taekjoo wondered how the two had even met if Zhenya clearly despised the man.
"Seriously, how do you two know each other?"
"Why? Does it bother you?"
Zhenya's tense expression immediately softened when his gaze shifted to Kwon Taekjoo. Then he shook his head, dismissing his own ridiculous question.
" I swear, you're obsessed with me."
"That's not what I meant!"
"And you're much shyer than you seem. Taekjoo, you don't need to hide your jealousy. I'll take it as an adorable gesture."
Zhenya shrugged, keeping his head held high. Kwon Taekjoo clenched his fists at the sight of Zhenya's proud posture.
"Ah… it's pointless trying to talk to you."
Kwon Taekjoo gave up trying to argue with Zhenya and downed his now cold Americano in one glup, wiping his hand carelessly on the napkin on his lap.
Just then, Matias Pérez had disembarked from his helicopter and was heading toward the deck. Seemingly unfaced by Zhenya and Kwon Taekjoo's lack of reaction, he started cheerfully throwing out a series of greetings.
"Friends! You must've had quite a wild night, huh? You don't look so great. How's the hangover treating you?"
Zhenya stared at Matias with an indifferent expression as he spoke to Kwon Taekjoo.
"He's just another one of my loyal clients. He's been envious of my weapons for ages. Not to brag, but my weapons are unmatched in both destructive power and precision. If I wanted, I could even custom-make them or modify them to push physical limits. Sure, they'd be harder to handle, but that's part of their charm. That bastard's visted Russia several times just to see me."
"What a complete freak."
"The more dangerous something is, the more seductive it becomes, after all, if something is hard to master, it only fuels your desire to conquer it."
At some point, Zhenya's gaze had shifted back to Kwon Taekjoo. When their eyes met, Zhenya's lips curved into a smile.
Kwon Taekjoo pointed his fork at Zhenya's pretty face and grumbled,
"Yeah, and that's why I say both you and him are freaks."
Bragging about a weapon's destructive power, calling it seductive, and saying it fueled the desire to conquer… As a regular person, Kwon Taekjoo couldn't understand the logic. Did immense wealth drive people to seek more intense thrills untill they lost their minds?
Kwon Taekjoo felt uneasy seeing someone like Matias Pérez pretend to approach them with goodwill.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason he disapproved of the man. Matias raised his eyebrows at the prickly looks aimed at him.
"Come on, not even a response? Did I do something to upset you, friends?"
"For people you keep calling 'friends' you locked us up here and took your sweet time time coming back."
"Locked you up? How can you say that? I was just protecting you."
"Oh, is that how you protect people in Mexico? By spying on their private lives?"
"You mean the security cameras? We've been attacked so many times that it's a necessary precaution. You see, we've had too many guests with bad intentions. Since you two are fugitives, I just wanted to keep a closer eye on you… to protect you better, of course."
"So you decided to spy on us in the bedroom?"
"What's the big deal? At the time, you didn't seem to mind. In fact, I'd say you even enjoyed it, didn't you?"
Matias Pérez had watched them in private and showed no sign of shame. Instead, excitement and amusement danced in his eyes at the deal of revealing a side of Kwon Taekjoo he hadn't imagined before.
Seeing Matias' gleaming, almost intoxicated eyes made Kwon Taekjoo lose his appetite. Matias had frimly landed in the category of people Kwon Taekjoo couldn't stand.
Nothing good would come from continuing to associate with him.
"We need to head back home now."
"What, so soon? Why not stay a bit longer?"
"I'd rather not be a plaything for a pervert host, and I'm not not exactly in the mood for any more nonsense."
"I swear, it's all just a misunderstanding, Taekjoo."
At that moment, both Kwon Taekjoo and Zhenya's eyes locked onto Matias at the same time Matias quickly caught on and nodded toward Kwon Taekjoo.
"That's not your name? I heard Bogdanov calling you that several times last night."
"Should we just kill him?"
Zhenya asked coldly, revealing his anger.
"But then we'd be stuck here forever."
"We could always escape using his helicopter."
"And then what? The most important thing is getting back to Korea. We don't need to kill him yet."
The two exchanged an unsettling conversation with just a few words. Their eyes remained fixed on Matias the whole time. Unaware of their exchange, Matias commented shyly.
"Are you leaving me out again?"
Kwon Taekjoo shot a glance at Zhenya, silently urging him to handle the situation. Zhenya complied and began to pressure Matias.
"…keep your promise, Pérez. You don't want our deal to turn into a disaster, do you?"
The words were straightforward, but coming from Zhenya, they carried the weight of a threat. And Matias certainly heard it that way too.
"Hmm… I suppose I don't have a choice, then. It's been a while since I've had guests, it's a shame to send you off without even sharing a drink together."
Matias Pérez raised his glass in front of him, then clinked it against Zhenya's and Kwon Taekjoo's before letting the topic drop for now.
"I'll visit Russia one of these days. I hope by then you'll show me that infamous "Anastasia' my friend. I've been dying to Know if she's as 'beautiful' as the rumors say."
Zhenya flashed a knowing smile, locking eyes with Kwon Taekjoo as he replied,
"If that's what you're after, it's already right in front of you."
Though Matias didn't understand Russian, Zhenya seemed perfectly comfortable saying something so embarrassing in front of him.
Kwon Taekjoo shook his head and stood up. Zhenya followed shortly after.
All Matias Pérez could do was watch as the two left him behind once again, while he repeatedly reminded them of their promise.
.
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End of official chapter.