Yeah, he does all kinds of testing. Why??
I stare at the screen, my heart pounding against my ribs. Then I decide it doesn’t matter if I’m the paranoid grieving mother desperate to pin my tragedy on someone.
I need to know for sure. One way or another.
I might need a favor.
The lab is quiet at this hour, most of the fluorescent lights dimmed, the hallways empty of the usual bustle of technicians and researchers.
Kelly’s boyfriend, Hyun-woo, agreed to run the tests afterhours as a favor to her, though he’d raised an eyebrow at the unusual request and asked very few questions.
He’s a good guy—quiet, straitlaced and obviously so smitten with Kelly it makes me happy for her.
…even if I’m in the middle of my own relationship crisis.
I’m grateful for his discretion. I’m not sure I could explain this to anyone without sounding completely unhinged.
Itisunhinged; it’s extremely paranoid and crazy.
But the more I think about it, the more plausible it seems. The more I’m questioning even the smallest interactions I’ve had with Mr. Noh.
I stand near one of the workstations, watching Hyun-woo move between machines and monitors, his brow pinched in concentration.
Kelly’s beside me, perched on a lab stool and swinging her legs like a restless child, trying to fill the tense silence with her usual chatter.
I’ve been forced to bring along a guard—with Jin’s men outside the apartment door 24/7, there’s no other way to get around it—so I chose Sang-cheol.
At least I know him well enough that I trust him more than Jin’s other men. He’s been my driver for months and then was apparently put on my stalking detail, ordered to follow me around everywhere without my knowledge.
But I might have stretched the truth a little when telling Sang-cheolwhyhe needed to escort me to the lab this evening. I told him I was picking up results from a health panel I’d had done in the wake of my miscarriage.
I’ve rationalized that it’s not totally a lie. The tests I’m having Hyun-woo doarerelated to my pregnancy.
Just... not in the way he thinks.
He’d nodded without suspicion and taken up his post outside the lab doors, offering the privacy I needed for whatever this turnsout to be.
“You know,” Kelly says, interrupting my spiraling thoughts, “I once thought my brother was poisoning me. Dead serious. I was sick for like a week straight with it coming out both ends, convinced he was putting something in my food because I’d accidentally broken his PlayStation 3.” She pauses for dramatic effect. “Turned out I was lactose intolerant. Who develops lactose intolerance at seventeen? I haven’t been able to enjoy cheese fries the same way since.”
I try to smile, though it comes up short, the muscles in my face not cooperating. “That’s… um, quite a story, Kelly.”
“I’m just saying, sometimes the paranoid explanation isn’t the right one.” She glances at me, her expression softening behind the humor. “But sometimes it is. And if that creepy old man reallydiddo something to you, I want to know. I want to help you nail his ass to the wall.”
“Thanks… he seemed so kind. But maybe that was the point.”
“Pretty sure you’re aware how I’ve always felt about him. The jerk couldn’t remember my name. I mean, do Ilooklike a Kathy?” She scoffs, rolling her eyes. “That’s villain behavior if you ask me. Classic sign of a psychopath—they only remember people who are useful to them.”
I stare down at my phone and for the fiftieth time since my epiphany, I consider texting Jin. At least to let him know of my suspicions.
But I already know he’d be pissed I’ve come here with only Sang-cheol to cover me. That I came without even informing him first.
He’d question my theory and its validity.
…which is exactly why I need proof first to back it up.
Before I eventhinkabout reopening the can of worms that’s become our relationship and interactions as of late.
Hyun-woo clears his throat. “Test is done.”
