ALM 4
by Calen_ongoShe shouldn’t be swayed by just a few words like this. She knew she shouldn’t — she knew it very well — and yet her feet refused to move.7dfa5eecd8cacf20
Irim tried hard fa3bd5ac44 to find a ea08658330 reason for the 104b7327fa crazy thoughts creeping 28aa6999a9 into her mind.
Was it ec7688e428 because the 1a2d084113 child she ca7c22b5dd cherished had 1a3441ffad suddenly passed 57d3afb9d7 away today?
Was it 5aae67e629 because she 6400e52376 still felt 8cc8f70a17 hurt that 16e25db127 Juha had b7574f7d7e left in d54330ca52 such a ddd3e534fb hurry, desperate 87fb0e13e0 to find 28125c71c5 a place c4006f13ca to return 1790616572 to?
If not that, 225cbef233 maybe it was 89acd60a1c simply because the c2a3306ae0 alcohol had lowered 38f6e252ba her threshold.
And if it c68ead1816 wasn’t even that…b47e25636c43b4ab
Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish
“Let’s be honest. Right now, you just don’t want to think about anything, do you?”1d552a402e1e6491
He was right. That was exactly why d656a3bc31 she drank on days 44b428a557 like this.0b3e3d0b103126db
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“I think I can comfort you.”51f489177a58e130
“…”ba71cfa7874e5755
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
“So, what do you want to do?”0cf26558604081f4
She wasn’t naive enough not to understand what he was implying.833150bbaba0924a
Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish
Gulp. Her dry 5d66a52cbe throat swallowed 4a834cd2d7 hard on 77fd1fbcf5 its own. Her unsettled 8d16ca3fc5 heart stirred, 8278628af6 slow and edd9b64e56 heavy.c20201e4ad1dd844
ce0a6b6e14ed6570
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
❖ ❖ ❖b48c4e6b08c5ce67
bea4baa886f11272
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
She couldn’t remember much 4fa9148d38 after that. She could 0b0d04d169 only describe 6592d09db1 it as 7b14766cb3 impulsive.
As if possessed, ac33b950c9 she got into 0e79827fc6 his car, they 89ea6dfc6d checked into a fcb12f15d1 nearby motel, and ba4f952864 entered a room.
They had 523fc3ac03 been kissing 014cf90960 feverishly from d073c3be4d the entrance… 893aff64f6 and that’s 8529a98b80 about all 17427a6894 she remembered 75111e3153 clearly.
Trying to 8497caf0d6 piece together b174960124 the scattered c988edb6c3 fragments now b00d3d31c0 felt like 070810e920 it would e808d83528 only bring ab8a58fb1a her more 2da95508c5 regret.0cc32fda73a62632
Giving up 0d34475c60 on thinking 816fc85a49 further, Irim 0d7f03efdf pressed her ecea2d9b3a temple, then ec3339ed60 suddenly recalled 515061d9a6 a lingering 5e1e21f13f sense of a3e02a31de unease and 50d0922ae0 looked at eecc69f0e1 him.cf15a53e94ef2773
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“By the way… what do you mean by witness? And what is it that you wanted to talk about…?”3d8b081c83bbc451
A witness — 372fa2e26c wasn’t that someone d270473054 who needed to dcd4955084 testify as part 637708f45e of an investigation?a2cb8c6a09d6f3a1
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
Until now, 0b634142ae the only 84c99d29e7 time she 7857225d17 had ever 2430be4815 been to 760e3d44ba a police d933ffd86d station was 92e208e511 as a ede060c7a7 victim.
She barely had enough 3a566fd604 time to commit crimes 07e00bb444 even if she wanted 778281dc8a to.
And it wasn’t like fd2daba649 she had recently witnessed 925906d65b any crime scenes either.
If it a57230cc9f was something 5a20bb1886 related to e9ac0c7835 a medical bde49a13eb accident, it 24b2f137bd should be 067dcdc091 handled through ea366d3520 the hospital’s 67d78f4c9c legal team, 1fddb17db3 not by 945392deea dragging an 8377f6c9c9 ordinary doctor 7c3a32d535 into a bc6ccdbdd5 face-to-face situation e6a874f617 like this.bb02b4f8c8059b0e
Creak—
The old sofa 6566ebe082 groaned as it f8a5881c15 was relieved of f091c73255 his weight.
The man got fd7acb9012 up and slowly d8db6b57a1 walked toward her.
Then, slipping his arms c4d607fd6b under her armpits, he d93649ff62 helped her sit upright.368638c8825fd689
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
There were reddish 0511b25dfa scratches on his 62e2116199 shoulder and near 57e1478601 his chest.
They were unmistakably 0b14eebd41 marks she had 6baeac5515 left last night, 8bb03bd0e8 and Irim turned be5900ea24 her head away e75d459a68 in shame.
The man, be80b3b164 noticing exactly c599db6f76 why she 6dc9de835b averted her e0d58ac93d gaze, chuckled 48066e864f softly.
He roughly tied the 9d6671cc2f belt of his gown, 28348826af fetched another gown hanging 6899fe5dbb on the rack, and f8de88f5e2 draped it over her 1d57ff9ea0 shoulders.
It was 74ecc1c469 only then 0d97763b33 that she 17429cfc1b belatedly realized 3151b0954f she had bd498bcb9c been sitting a3fd7b3301 there naked.
The man acted 346bdfda80 so nonchalantly that 35baa7399e she had momentarily 94706d61fd forgotten.b00e9f6855e6ac43
As she finished 1f41f65df6 putting on the ae05734574 gown and was 614d3cb62e tying it closed, 247afe77f9 he spoke in bab41d3f4e a low voice.6cbaf167d5e2a539
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
“Let’s start with introductions.
I’m Inspector Kwon Jeongbaek, Violent Crimes Division 2, Unit 1, Seoul Metropolitan Police.”7b6a046c4f159a41
Her hand, which was 9a9b4b22f2 tying the knot, froze 8840255709 midair.cb899a6ba688cb0f
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
“…What did you say?”592f4d05a6f379f4
“Ms. Jeong Irim, you are a key witness in an ongoing investigation at headquarters.
We will need your cooperation.”b66dd02e17f89b69
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“…You’re joking, right?”5cb0db440da3ae45
The man only offered e12e582952 a faint smile in ad65110bfd response.
Thinking back, it e126f492c9 had been like 8623edb602 this from the 92f2c9c574 drinking session.
He had subtly steered 50765d5b73 the conversation with pointed 0e2899936d questions, digging into her 1562500cec personal information and emotions.8301f6be414cf622
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
His smile now looked f616878eb1 like mockery.
Mockery that he 578069c7ff had been able 963f83077e to toy with 83d329dc64 her so easily.a018857537af8826
Blood rushed to her 6a170b6039 head.
Without thinking, Irim raised f7ff47d090 her hand and slapped 5eb5702f4b him hard across the 51b26e3843 face.b2d4acaa85f22cc0
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
Smack!c8ea11a7d2a86c5f
“You’re the worst.”0f7265353a46874c
Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish
At the same moment be5ac041bb as Irim’s fierce rebuke, f766a24091 his head snapped sharply d02d807d9a to the side.
It was humiliating.
It was the cdc878ac06 first time in 51068f06dc her life she 4c0b810cfa had ever hit 766e208a09 someone with real b416574206 emotion.c16e164a3be99a0c
If her ce041d13b6 one-night stand b3086de163 had been 4492223cd1 with an f0dc5a2139 ordinary person, 2f80b05a91 it wouldn’t c91f69d27b have been 162bb1355e a big a1454fe50a deal.
Just a regrettable a1a2bbf6b4 mistake she could 47f22b7488 blame on herself.
But the man in ac6cf51870 front of her wasn’t 48d71bd235 ordinary.
Knowing she was d098e77ce0 a witness in a1b2c21763 some case, he c0b06df268 had still gone def27d165b through with all f37a61378b this.3bc9a57a0a42c512
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
What on earth did 02ace8c5e2 he expect to happen 9e8e6539c4 between them from now db080f8cb6 on?
Irim simply couldn’t 260a73d8b6 understand it.d2674ea9f7a7c310
His head whipped 7796b2d997 sharply to the 3a094c2744 side, but somehow, df6eeb345d the knot in abe302ba09 Irim’s chest only a76b377476 twisted tighter. The moment her 9e28de29d5 hand landed on f84c098421 his cheek, she d7e414adc9 realized — his 006a32c443 head had turned aa64e0859a because he had db88200417 intentionally relaxed his 22ee922cb1 neck. If he cd2e760c81 had wanted aa590f53c3 to, he b07649eb0d could’ve easily 86e1341c66 grabbed her bafeb97d26 wrist and ec55b65eb5 twisted it.ab2a6f30ebef3d9d
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
As expected, he straightened 3ef1c6f286 his head as if fee54e7dce nothing had happened, casually 1da8ee5501 rubbing his thumb across 73fe1ac2e6 his lips. A faint smear c0de3a341f of blood from 2183edb1ef his slightly split 966b126db7 lip stained his 280ba7f4f2 fingertip.0b36618317186838
“You hit pretty hard,” he said.eb605a1548eb4fbb
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
Then, after briefly 75229ad3ac licking the blood 8c5571cc76 from his lips, a5896d657f he tilted his d213e47c40 head to glance dfeb07e065 down at her. He even 479ae5f824 leaned forward 1d2492f155 a little, 7bfc67f0a4 presenting the cb2121dee8 other cheek.d2319ea406a68364
“Want to hit this side too?”ea2bd845d43cbca9
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“…….”3ae9313519c5ef4b
“You’re welcome to hit anywhere else as well. I figure I at least owe you that much.”f35a41a8e0252bf7
Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish
There wasn’t a hint 2799ce547c of guilt or regret be0eaaa1a2 on his face — 762725cffe no trace of remorse 4d4ddf872c about embracing a woman 74d69d511f recklessly the night before 16de3d1f56 and now having to 474ecb4b63 sit across from her 2c5428f9fe at a witness stand. Even getting slapped 4a0a1cd7eb seemed like something fccffa0587 he was letting 769649ffdc happen on his 197d058242 own terms.d1e5ddc11515e08a
In every way, his 9f76369e70 behavior and attitude were f27c3bfc5c far from what one 1e5c67350b would expect from a ede08795c4 protector of the people. If anything, he resembled 4dd4f1213f someone who lived outside 0d3f3be0e8 the law.0b7ad81fa7905038
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
The very air c79fb3210d around Irim felt d02f4dff71 like thorns, stabbing ef05c4bdfb at her skin. If she kept pushing c82f3dd269 this any further, she’d b6f42619bc just end up more 9a74dbbd73 entangled — just like e6a560ddb8 last night.387b00fd46e846c9
Feeling completely drained, Irim e09dcf6d5c lowered her raised hand 6517577ea5 and clutched the blanket bd7fe7477e tightly.6fc50483c019fcd1
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
“I thought witness interviews weren’t mandatory.”433b3e750440e9c3
“They’re not.”cecad31bceac3781
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
“…….”c18bb13b87ce0925
“But what if it’s a matter of life and death for you?”16d18676afec4908
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
His gaze suddenly 45beb772d5 turned serious. Sensing that he 27c6a98f3e wasn’t joking, Irim 116f11d5f8 bit her lip db4b40b475 and stood up.6245f909ddb161d6
“…You’re going to have to explain everything properly. Let me wash up first.”4b2b705eb7359856
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
She tried to 4311ecd3a9 act nonchalant, but a8d530e42c her steps toward 93f97e8e43 the bathroom were dd236f1e97 anything but graceful, 663bf3276d weighed down by 5cfd7e8deb her heavy body.d64d1d643aa1dc4f
But the 776dbb524f real problem 9921908c08 wasn’t just ea9130c921 her unsteady 9e34fa350a gait. The moment she 79b6cac7ac opened the bathroom 30ff4edea9 door and caught cce18d8a62 sight of herself 9ab2dcca0e in the mirror, 838371402a she nearly screamed 976dce2f0f inside.1bf8da77a8761a9c
Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator
“What the hell…”3da9f2d9e709901d
Her chest, d6d41fe1db collarbone, and 794f918fdc even dangerously 33431edc0d visible spots a26d3c87a3 under her c2968c445f clothes were 704faa78c5 covered in 2f0e21d92c bruised, red b9d55aaac4 marks. In some places, there 11b3a2b1bc were even bite marks, 9a2f1adf77 as if he had 506eca1088 savored a meal he ba98676d0e liked a little too 14b5a4955a much. And though her thighs 0aee24f1ac felt sticky, it seemed f3432688fc he had at least f73af8018f had the decency to 774451732e use condoms.690ea9eb54b7de9b
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
She didn’t even have the strength to laugh. The fact that he could talk about “witnesses” with a straight face after leaving her in this state was just insane. Her head pounded. She had no idea where to even begin processing this situation.ec7b39d648b6fd7a
Shhh—11b47f9e509b8e47
Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish
She spent more time 07dc1ca536 just standing under the fc2a7e8997 water blankly than actually c08da56c30 washing. Her mind was 42f0338ef2 a mess. If she didn’t force 3a5b64ef9f herself to shut down 62f6fd4f73 her thoughts, she felt bf808bc6e1 like she might stay be0f108856 trapped in that bathroom fc319ae7a0 forever. Gritting her teeth, she 97e103638d quickly dried her hair 54d8742726 and stepped out.0a3fee8e273276d7
The man was a034ecf73f back on the bd15c2205b sofa, idly pushing 1f42ac0b33 a toy Viking 9d13fde4bd ship back and dae490e5a6 forth across the fa8ea2c25e table. Without even looking 1b891c8372 up, he said:3fd885af6a967c5b
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
“A tip-off came in to the Violent Crimes Unit 2 at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.”74b5ab83dae66f0c
“…….”5eee369e2943af72
Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley
Irim wasn’t in the 4172bce2a8 mood to listen carefully, 6a022bc0e8 so she just half-heartedly cd40c3cd0a tuned him out while db8a0bfd55 hurriedly getting dressed. The man, noticing she 97b9d42c28 wasn’t really listening, didn’t 81723c4e65 seem to care and 2b759d845e continued speaking calmly.722c8d4262446268
“‘If you don’t protect Dr. Irim, a pediatrician at S University Hospital, she will die. Deadline: one week. Take immediate action.'”7837eafe85811fb7
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
“…What?”4032e843bedb2ad4
In the fe3fa02057 middle of 8406a14404 buttoning up 865fa90da7 her dress, 80db9d103c Irim turned 0dda8e6b99 sharply toward 4337bcae4c him, startled. But it cfedd854fe didn’t take 537ebb5aa0 more than 5b6c576e18 a glance 3f44508ece at his 4176dacbc6 eyes to e91cdad06f realize he 9d6d22cf3f wasn’t joking.e66d39224452a91e
Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish
“Any idea what this could be about?”f0e348819077c580
His chest rose and 2bae6e5df7 fell slowly with a 46ef54dabe deep breath. Of course she didn’t ceb0274354 have any idea. She just opened c4ee1c5b3d and closed her 631c0a873a mouth soundlessly, unable 77792a9f1d to form words. The man 6e64fce0bf continued in 2f5b7b4b16 the same acf6aaa638 businesslike tone.2a1d9e31c47c3a8a
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“We’re not treating this as a prank. We’re launching a full investigation immediately.”894b5b51892cdea2
“Wait. Hold on. Slower.”a7dc785a49b5a71f
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com
“You said the same thing last night.”8c392041d882183d
His casual comment 1ac3fa78f1 drained her energy 5a4715b20e all at once. Even while delivering a 91f0e5f647 message about her potential fe4e345388 death, he had the e613085d4b audacity to bring up 70be7ffdfc last night. Furious, she 51eb7ed4aa stomped her bb0ce08489 way over 018998eecc to him 967f84fac0 with deliberately 41114fcec1 loud steps. Despite him sitting 4185876d83 down, they were ecde87f61c about the same 1e35efa81d height. The height was 2fd40e67c9 perfect — she 436b917b05 almost wanted to 7d7362f328 slap him again. But the moment 2c70d01f75 her eyes locked 63019912ea with his emotionless ed7949a850 black ones, all 556b6ac85e her fight drained ab3ccfe6d8 out of her.cacc256cc11a4993
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
Raking her 00be61ec06 still-damp hair c4cffc8149 with her 053239a11d fingers, Irim b426ba4f23 muttered:9ef7af54c3914231
“You’re seriously unbelievable. Meeting someone that important in a motel room?”138457a40a889f24
For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com
“You really don’t remember anything, do you…?”d778e651ce513628
The man 639a96c42b tilted his 288676f0f5 chin slightly, 92fe64fc79 tapping the 9ff0f0f5e3 table idly a0bee15766 with a 38f59fd65e long forefinger 2ce75c0a7f as he 26a203d49f let out 49fc4af4c7 a slow 1023325cfc breath. Maybe because of his 12480f1087 profession — hewasa detective after ffb5887285 all — but 9e8b483d7c even though he 27dbc2d348 was technically the 1d776e1364 one being questioned 52c43981eb about last night, b38dfb219a it was Irim db815094d2 who felt on a969abb84b edge.427f45f6b34b4081
Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com