âI never believed you to be anyoneâs sweetheart,â he says, âonly Iâm confused as to why you wouldnât expect me to think low of you.â Of course, Jin doesnât have the same amount of loathing for Eris that comes for some of the other Black Lotus members. He knows that she is a killer and that she has put in a lot of work to protect the organisation he hates so much, and that is enough reason for him to keep away from her. But she never exhibited the same cruelty that others did in Lotus, at least not to him. Sure, Kwon and his underlings were awful, but many others were cruel simply on the basis that he ranked under them, and Eris was never that level of petty. She never caused him any harm. Except right now, he feels anxiety rip through his body. Sheâs going to turn him into Kwon and his cronies and if he ends up back in their handsâwell. He doesnât think heâd be lucky enough to be killed. Not immediately, at the very least.Â
Itâs the stuff of nightmares threatening to become reality, but he has no guarantee that even if he gives her what she wants she wont through him to the dogs. He canât help the way his eyes flicker around the room, seeking out the familiar face. âA surprise visit? Very well. A lot can happen in a little time. Maybe I would like to catch up with them too.â Only if it means putting a bullet through Kwonâs forehead. Now that is a meeting he would enjoy. âOf course I wouldnât expect you to give up here. But I do believe this task could be made a lot more difficult for you.â He shrugs, pulling out his phone, tapping the screen with a manicured fingernail. âWouldnât it be a shame if your target was tipped off that a certain organisation wanted his head? His security detail is already impressive, and if he increased it furtherâŚIâd imagine you would have quite a difficult time.âÂ
The name is in his contacts. Seokjin loathes the man, but right now heâs clutching at straws, desperately needing something to create a barrier between himself and Black Lotus. âAlternatively, you could walk away now. I wouldnât have any old catch-up, and you wonât have any unforeseen tip-offs. It might be the better option.â Seokjin doesnât beg for anyone (not anymore) but this is as close as he gets. âIâve never underestimated you,â he adds quietly, âthat doesnât mean you arenât overestimating yourself.âÂ
âI never expected you to think highly of me. Especially not now.â The excitement and anticipation of having him in a position that would be helpful to her was tapering off into something more...bitter. She wasnât one to throw a fit when she didnât get something she wanted, but she wasnât willing to lower herself to achieve that, either. Eris thought that perhaps, her lack of hostility in the past might have been in favor for her here, but she realizes now that that is not the case â not when sheâs so terribly dedicated to an entity that he wants no part of. One that she was threatening to hand him over to herself, an attempt to corner him seeming to slowly backfire.
She could only hope that she could talk her way into something more suitable, preferably for her case, but one that wonât necessarily be an empty promise for him, either.
âIt would be quite the shame. Might turn into a suicide mission, even.â The words fall from her lips without missing a beat, she isnât trying to pull guilt into this (especially not when she knows it would be of no use coming from someone that was, by definition, an enemy), but she didnât want to play it off as if she would have no trouble at all. She wanted to recognize that he did, in fact, have a bit of an upper-hand now in the situation, something against her. She could admire that, but she wasnât going to bow to it.
âItâs good to know he has a high security system that could be increased, if threatened. But isnât there the possibility that it could make you look suspicious? Youâd have to come up with something reasonable as to how you found the information...and even then, youâre not the only face of interest within his associates I found in my research.â Eris mimics the shrug he had made moments ago, slipping her phone out to hold in her hand. She wanted to counter and question him, try to convince him to reconsider. âAssociates probably more susceptible to bribes or fear...ones that might believe any twisted tales they hear. But if weâre being honest, I really donât want your name to be mixed with the Lotus name again. I donât want you to be involved.â
Her phone is put away, eyes raising to meet his. The fire of determination in her gaze is nothing but a quiet simmering flame. Even as much as she enjoyed the adrenaline of creating chaos in her wake, she didnât want war. Not now.
âAnd while your suggestion might sound like a better option, if I do walk away, thereâs no promise of either of us not going back on our word. You could still tip him off, and I could still tip off the Lotus. But you donât exist in their world anymore, and it could stay that way. It would be considered a violation for me to retain knowledge like this, should any issues come up...but, what if I donât know, either? I found your name easily, but I can get rid of it just as easily, if not easier. And...as a club ace bartender, I might also be able to give you current whereabouts of your old friends. I personally canât give you any secrets, but there might be some certain loose tongues around, too. Ones that Iâm sure you wouldnât have trouble charming something useful out of.â
Maybe she was offering too much, maybe she was beginning to sound desperate...but she wanted this to work. She needed this to work â especially with the risk of her hit being put out into the open.
âAnd...if I was truly overestimating myself, there would be blood by now and everything would be compromised. But, if you still want us to part ways, then I will. We may leave with uncertainty, but personally, all my efforts are towards Jang Wooshin. He will die, regardless, even if that means someone else has to take all the prior information I have and finish the job in the end.â
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