Burning The House Of Cards: taking revenge on my billionaire family
Chapter 42 - 41. Speedy Distraction

Chapter 42: Chapter 41. Speedy Distraction

At the unexpected request, Hajin raised his brow and stopped on the side of an empty road, turning around to see his master’s face. To his surprise, he saw a pair of sparkling black eyes and a bright expression that he could see even while obscured by a helmet.

What? She likesit that much?

"Uhh...can you ride it, Master?"

"Would I ask to if I can’t?" Sarah scoffed.

The grey eyes narrowed. "Do you have a license?"

"...no?"

"Can you actually ride it?"

Sarah pursed her lips and hit Hajin’s arm with adorably curled fists. "I said I can!"

Again, Hajin raised his brow. Oh? This was different. Seeing her acting like a child wanting to try a new toy...

"Alright," he said amusedly, and Sarah jumped down from the bike excitedly. With the bike still propped on its kickstand, Hajin slid back and let Sarah try to climb into the front seat.

Try, because determination alone could not solve the lack of length her legs needed to balance the bike properly. Sarah frowned incredulously as her feet failed to reach the ground on both sides and protested.

"Why is it so high?" he scolded the ’owner’ of the bike.

"Well...this bike is for me, after all," Hajin grinned.

Indeed, the one Sarah tried abroad was owned by a member of the self-defense studio, so it was customized for women. It was shorter, and even then, she had to tiptoe while balancing the bike.

The bane of having a petite frame.

Looking at his master’s annoyed face, Hajin chuckled and patted the front seat. "It’s okay, Master--just hop in, I’ll keep it balanced."

Sarah pursed her lips again, feeling like Hajin was treating her like a child. But the prospect of riding the cool-looking bike was more enticing than her ego, so she jumped on the front seat in the end--at least, she could still work the clutch and gears. The bike barely wobbled, as Hajin promised, and she could ride it without a fuss.

To Hajin ’s surprise, Sarah did know how to ride the bike. He was ready to take over if it wobbled or she failed to change gears, but the ride went smoother than he expected. A bit of awkwardness for the first minute or so, but once she got used to it, the technicality didn’t matter anymore.

Moreover...

"My face shield!" she shouted for the man on her back.

The perceptive bodyguard chuckled and lifted the transparent film. The night wind blasted her face, and Sarah laughed at it. Oh, how fun! How refreshing! The adrenaline from the speed and the sense of control under her hands filled her with thrill and joy.

It was probably weird, seeing the smaller figure riding at the front, but Sarah did not care. Who had the time to react to the weird look the passerby gave them when she had so much fun? The only thing she needed to do was avoid the police because she had no license, but off the main road, even CCTV had become scarce.

"Master, can I hold onto your waist?" Hajin asked when the wind wasn’t blowing so much around them.

"Do whatever you want," Sarah replied nonchalantly--or rather, distractedly, as she was in the middle of concentrating on climbing an incline.

Hajin chuckled and gently had an arm around the small waist--more to secure the girl than himself. He whispered the timing for Sarah to change the gear, which his master followed diligently. Thanks to that, they arrived at a park on a hill and stopped in an empty, elevated parking lot where they could see the city below.

As Sarah hit the brakes, Hajin leaned forward and held the grips, putting his feet on the ground to balance the bike as it stopped before lowering the kickstand.

With the engine stopped and the adrenaline waning, Sarah finally realized the way their body practically pressed onto each other. The weight on her back and the scent she had chosen and sprayed on the man herself earlier made her subconsciously take a deep breath.

"Good job, Master. I’ll see if I can get you something warm to drink," Hajin patted Sarah’s upper arm lightly and left with a cheerful whistle.

"Phew..."

Sarah exhaled slowly once Hajin was away, looking for a vending machine. She took off the helmet and shook her head, before looking up and closing her eyes, once again feeling the summer breeze.

It was fun, in many ways. Distracting enough for her to momentarily forget the anger she had spewed the night before. Poison, when thrown out, sometimes splattered back on the one spitting. While she felt satisfied for talking back, the emotions swirling inside her in the aftermath hadn’t been good.

That was why she was so emotional and spiteful while talking to her father.

She said she was having fun wasting away the family’s money for trivial stuff, but...it was honestly annoying. Sarah, who wanted to get away from her family, was not delighted about using their money. That was why she bought nothing for herself and only shopped for Hajin.

Hmm...now she felt kind of sorry for him...

Sarah turned her head toward the direction Hajin had taken earlier, and like a ghost, the man was already on his way back to her with two canned drinks in his hand. Sarah swung her leg and shifted her body so she was sitting sideways on the bike, facing the shimmering urban landscape below.

Hajin held out a steaming mixed grain milk and placed it between Sarah’s hands. "Here you go, Master."

It was perfectly warm, not too hot to the touch. Sarah held the can and let the temperature seep into her palms, sighing comfortably. "I don’t know they have warm drinks in the summer..."

Hajin shrugged and leaned against the bike, propping his arm over the handle while sipping on his own drink. "Maybe because this place is rather chilly at night?"

"Hmm..." Sarah brought the can to her lips and drank the nutty-flavored milk while staring at the sweet cold latte in Hajin’s hand. "Isn’t it weird that you always nag me about eating healthy when you like sweets so much?"

"I balance it with more healthy stuff, Master," the bodyguard winked. "And it’s already too late for me--you shouldn’t ruin your body when it’s still good."

"What nonsense..."

Sarah scoffed and drank her drink again, but there was a little chuckle playing from her lips. Her body, which had been blasted by wind, gradually warmed up, pushing away all the bad thoughts swirling in her mind all day.

Watching the simple but genuine smile on his master’s lips, Hajin found the corner of his mouth curled by itself. "Was it fun?"

"Mm," Sarah replied briefly, but the lightness in it was unmistakable.

"I’m glad; you look happier doing this than shopping."

Sarah chuckled and shrugged. "Well...I’d rather order something from the catalog."

"Ah, so you cared more about the result, not the process of shopping itself," Hajin nodded.

"Is that so?" Sarah tilted her head and shrugged again, shifting her gaze to the twinkling lights below.

It looked like stars in the night sky, which was ironic because they could barely see the stars in the real night sky, thanks to that brightness below. Still, it was an undeniable beauty. Perhaps humans were made to compensate for things they had destroyed with their own hands.

Sarah rubbed her inked shoulder unconsciously, exhaling slow and steady. Was what she did a compensation, or was it a destruction? She had no idea...

"Did you come here often, Master?" Hajin asked after a while of silence, snapping Sarah’s wandering mind back to the chilly hill with a beautiful night view.

"No," Sarah looked up to recall her past; the one that technically happened more than a decade ago already. "Maybe only three or four times," she paused, before continuing in a strained voice. "With my mother."

"Ah..."

Sarah took a deep breath, absorbing the bittersweet, nostalgic air. "She said...she used to come here before she married."

And could only return after she was divorced. People would think they could do anything if they married rich, but...her mother had to be careful with her every step, since she wasn’t shameless enough to put the workers through extra hours trying to shield the family from public scrutiny--something that even the head of the family couldn’t seem to understand.

"It’s a nice place," Hajin commented.

"Right?" Sarah smiled, although her eyes felt a little blurry afterward. "..but it feels so different."

It was different without her mother there, pulling her hands and putting a scarf on her neck to keep her warm. It was different without her voice telling her stories from her maiden days, stories about the grandparents Sarah unfortunately could never see.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah felt the air settle heavily in her lungs. "I don’t think I’d be able to come here if I’m alone."

Hajin widened his eyes slightly at this sudden instance of honesty and display of vulnerability. He had thought Sarah could only do it when she was drunk.

"You can ask me anytime for things like this," he said gently. "You know that, don’t you?"

"I know..." Sarah chuckled, glancing at the bodyguard. Something inside the gaze, however, got Hajin tensed up slightly. "What I don’t know is...why do you do this."

Hajin tilted his head, and Sarah sterned her gaze more.

"Why do you want to work for me so much?" she frowned. "With your ability, you can find work anywhere."

It was already weird the first time, inside that hotel room. But it was even weirder after Sarah knew how skillful this man was. With his appearance alone, Hajin would be able to achieve success, or at least a comfortable life. Throwing it away to work as her dog, even though she said the path might lead to ruin...

"Why are you sticking yourself to me, Ryu Hajin?"

She just couldn’t understand.

"I want you to answer me truthfully," she stared at the grey eyes, which looked darker under the shadow of the night. Dark and unreadable. "No glib, no flirt, no bullshit."

It was time for her to decide whether she could truly trust him, or should merely use him as nothing but a mindless tool.

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