BRF Chapter 12

“Do you think you can help me?”

“I can help you.”

Eunseong looked at her with confident eyes. Her network of contacts, built up during her years as a broadcast reporter, was meant for times like these.

The woman gave a shaky smile and murmured,

“Even if you help me, Reporter, it probably won’t work.”

She seemed to doubt herself more than she doubted the reporter, Kang Eunseong, she had just met.

“Goodbye.”

Eunseong couldn’t stop the woman as she fled.

Eunseong slowly followed the path the woman had taken. She wanted to make sure she got home safely. The woman headed towards the parking lot and got into the driver’s seat of a white compact import car.

Eunseong could only watch as the car drove away from the police station. Even though she was a reporter armed with a pen mightier than a sword, she felt powerless in situations like this.

“Is your interview over?”

“Oh my god!”

Eunseong yelped involuntarily. Jung Woojin, who had approached without a sound, was standing beside her like a grim reaper.

“Why are you so startled?”

He narrowed his eyes, a suspicious glint in them.

“I thought you left.”

She hadn’t expected Jung Woojin to wait for her. Preoccupied with the distraught woman she had just let go, she had completely forgotten about him.

“I told you to go on in. I parked my car in a nearby parking lot.”

He seemed to have been serious about not wanting to leave his precious car in the police station parking lot.

“How did you know when I would come out?”

“I was going to leave if you didn’t come out soon.”

Despite his words, she had a feeling he would have waited indefinitely. Eunseong frowned, her heart still racing from the surprise.

“Are you going home now?”

Was he planning to follow her home?

“No, I’m not going home.”

“Why not?”

The man shook his head and his face hardened. Eunseong briefly considered running back inside and filing a stalking complaint against him.

“Just go home. It’s getting late, so don’t wander around.”

“You’re the one who’s scaring me right now.”

At Eunseong’s question, he flinched as if she had accused the most innocent person of some heinous crime. His face contorted in sheer indignation, and Eunseong felt a baffled laugh bubbling up inside her.

“What did I do?”

“You followed me from the broadcasting station. Intentionally.”

“That’s because you’re in dan…”

He stopped mid-sentence, sighed, and looked up at the sky.

“Dan…?”

“Never mind. Just take a taxi from here and go straight home.”

Eunseong was about to call a taxi using her app, keeping an eye on him. Suddenly, someone shouted her name loudly from the police station courtyard.

“Hey, Kang Eunseong!”

The owner of the voice, clearly with a cold, was Gong Taeyoon. When she turned her head, she saw his large figure waving at her.

“Sunbae?”

“Hey, the rookie said you were here covering something.”

Taeyoon, his voice hoarse, glanced at Woojin, who was standing beside Eunseong, as if noticing him for the first time.

“I’ll see you later.”

Jung Woojin, who had been clinging to her like glue, turned abruptly and walked away. Eunseong stared at his retreating figure.

“Who was that?”

“Just someone asking for directions.”

“Who asks for directions at a police station?”

Taeyoon, despite his bear-like appearance, could be surprisingly sharp at times.

“Exactly. He’s a strange guy.”

Eunseong dismissed Jung Woojin as a strange person and ended the conversation.

Woojin clenched his jaw as he walked towards the paid parking lot where he had left his car. He had felt strangely agitated from the moment the man who appeared to be Kang Eunseong’s senior colleague arrived.

Why… did Kang Eunseong seem safe with that guy?

The moment the bear-like man called her name, the ominous aura that had been hovering around Kang Eunseong dissipated.

Had she felt safe whenever she was with that bear-like guy?

Just how many hours a day did they spend together?

He had started sensing the strange aura around Kang Eunseong since the day after the cafe incident.

She was the first person whose well-being, despite being far away, he had felt concerned about. She was also the first whose heartbeat he could hear even without her being present.

It felt like someone was approaching her with malicious intent. He couldn’t identify the source, but it was definitely there. And he had a feeling tonight’s dinner was the trigger.

That was why he had come looking for Kang Eunseong, who seemed to be avoiding his calls. He didn’t want to see news of her death. That was the only reason.

As soon as he thwarted the ominous dinner plan, a different, sinister aura had appeared, targeting Kang Eunseong. He had been serious when he said she seemed to attract trouble, but she had taken it as a joke.

And what was that about welcoming incidents because it meant more scoops?

Looking at her, Woojin felt exasperated. He shouldn’t have saved her at the cafe. He felt annoyed for getting involved in this troublesome situation.

She was a strange woman.

And looking into her honest, dark eyes, he felt a sudden urge to confide in her.

That was why he almost told her she was in danger.

What would he have said if she asked why she was in danger? That he had lived so long he’d developed the ability to sense the life force of those around him, and that lately, he’d been sensing and worrying about Kang Eunseong’s, even from a distance?

That would be insane. The thought of revealing his immortality to a scoop-obsessed social affairs reporter was terrifying.

As soon as he got into his car, Woojin called her. The sound of her racing heartbeat echoed in his ears. Usually, he could hear the heartbeats of those in immediate danger, the sound persisting until their life force faded.

Woojin, who had no desire to be a guardian angel for other humans, used to run away when he heard such sounds. But with Kang Eunseong, he couldn’t seem to distance himself.

And he couldn’t understand why he could still hear her heartbeat even after the ominous aura had dissipated.

As the phone rang, he could hear her heart beating faster.

– Why are you calling again?

“Are you still at the police station?”

He heard her sigh over the phone.

– No, I’m on my way home.

The question of whether she was still with that bear-like man was stuck in his throat.

He didn’t understand what he was feeling.

– You’re… not following me, are you?

“I’m not following you!”

Her precariously rapid heartbeat gradually calmed down, settling into a pleasant rhythm. Just knowing her heart was beating steadily eased his anxiety.

– Then… are you…

Her voice turned serious.

“Am I what?”

– Are you hesitating about giving me a scoop?

Her heartbeat quickened again, seemingly excited by the prospect of a scoop. The sound was so cheerful that Woojin almost chuckled in disbelief. This woman’s mind was completely occupied with nothing but news stories.

No, that shouldn’t be surprising.

If Kang Eunseong was focused on a scoop, using that as bait might be the best way to stay close and protect her.

Woojin didn’t even realize how pleased he was to have found a way to stay by her side. Kang Eunseong’s sudden presence in his life was so overwhelming that he was barely aware of his own emotions.

“It seems like it wasn’t meant to be today.”

He mumbled, feigning disappointment.

– Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…

Her voice trailed off, sounding genuinely concerned. There was some noise on the other end of the line, as if she was getting out of a taxi.

The faint, ominous aura that had been lingering around her disappeared completely. Kang Eunseong was safe now.

“It’s fine. I’ll contact you later.”

Woojin hung up, feeling a sense of relief.

But why did he also feel a sense of disappointment now that the call was over?

He pondered the question as he drove home, but the answers to his numerous questions remained elusive.

As he entered the house, Hyohyun rushed over to greet him.

“You said you were having dinner out, but you’re home earlier than I expected!”

Hyohyun seemed happy to see him come home early.

“I didn’t have dinner.”

“There’s no food at home.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Woojin took off his coat and went into the kitchen.

“How can I not worry about it? That’s why I’m here!”

Woojin smiled wryly, pausing as he took out the milk from the refrigerator. Several women had baffled him today.

“Have some conscience.”

Hyohyun, who used to be a wealthy housewife, wasn’t very good at household chores. Yet, she insisted on making things herself and pestering him to try them.

“I’m doing my best! Do you know how much your words hurt me every time you say that?”

“Then just quit. You’re a wealthy woman but you still take a salary from me every month.”

As Woojin shook his head and brought the milk bottle directly to his lips, Hyohyun fussed, scolding him urgently.

“Pour it in a glass!”

I can’t even drink milk in my own house?

Woojin stood there blankly as Hyohyun took the milk from him. She poured it into a clean glass and handed it to him.

“Thank you.”

Hyohyun smiled, as if pleased to have her efforts acknowledged.

Right, the need for validation…

Woojin drank half the milk and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Hyohyun, narrowing her eyes, handed him a tissue.

“Whose validation makes you happiest, Ban Hyohyun?”

Kang Eunseong’s words about the universal human need for validation echoed in his mind.

“All parents feel the same. It feels best when our children acknowledge us. Imagine your children ignoring you after they’ve grown up. It makes you wonder if you’ve wasted your life. It’s heartbreaking.”

Was it human nature to feel a sense of futility without validation?

Had he felt everything was meaningless because he had lived a life without being acknowledged by anyone?

Had he saved her, as she had suggested, because he craved to be validated?

A frantic heartbeat, uncertain whether it was hers or his, rang in his ears.