✓ GREEDY HEARTS | JAY

18 - Allies On The Edge

Y/N'S POV

The night passes like a blur. I spend the hours restlessly tossing and turning in the unfamiliar bed, trying to block out the whirlwind of thoughts racing through my mind. The only explanation of how he knew about my vulnerable moment escapes my understanding. Did he come into the room and witness my breakdown? Or perhaps there are hidden cameras, and he's been watching my every move? The questions linger, demanding answers that seem to slip through my grasp like sand while I find myself eyeing the corners of the room as if expecting hidden surveillance.

Morning light filters through the curtains, and I force myself to get up. After a brisk shower, I open the wardrobe only to find all my clothes hanging neatly, almost unnaturally so. It's as if someone had taken the time to organize them and a shiver runs down my spine. He fucking broke into my place and went through my belongings—the realization hits me like a punch to the gut.

But I don't have to worry about him finding out about my sister. I make sure not to leave anything that could lead back to Yejin. My life was never a peaceful one and one slip on my part could endanger the only person I have left. I've always lived in the shadows, but now those shadows have grown darker, more suffocating.

When I step out of the room, the guards are always there, their eyes betraying nothing. For fuck's sake, do they ever sleep? But when I head to the kitchen, Park is sitting there, a cup of coffee in his hand while a notepad lies open in front of him. He glances up as I enter, a smirk playing on his lips. "Morning, Red. Sleep well?" 

I shoot him a glare, my guard up. "As well as one can in this hellhole you call a mansion." I want some coffee and one cue, Ms. Yoon, the same woman who showed me to my room steps inside and offers me a gentle, hesitant smile. I don't bite. 

"Ms. Baek, what do you like to have for breakfast?" She asks, her voice soft, almost apologetic.

"Just coffee." I take a seat in front of Park, crossing my legs and folding my arms over my chest. I know my body language screams defiance, but I don't care. If I'm going to play this twisted game, I'll do it on my terms. Ms. Yoon nods and goes about preparing my coffee, leaving me alone with Park and his infuriating smirk. His focus is on the notepad in front of him and I watch as his eyes dart across the pages, absorbing information that remains hidden from my view. I want to say something, anything to get under his skin but as much as I want to deny it, there's a growing realization that he holds more cards in this game than I do.

"What's on your mind? You look like you're contemplating how to escape." He says, his eyes finally meeting mine. I suck in a breath because his gaze makes my skin on fire. I might be Agent Red, and I might kill men in cold blood, but I'm just a woman and when a man like Park looks at me like that, it's hard to deny the shiver that runs down my spine.

"I'm contemplating a lot of things, Park," I mutter, looking away at the steam rising from my coffee. "Mostly, how to get out of this mess you've put me in."

He leans forward, his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers. "I have a mission for you." I look back at him, raising my eyebrow in skepticism. So now he's playing the commander giving out orders. I let out a dry laugh but I still wait for him to continue. "Someone has been meddling where they shouldn't. You find out everything about him."

"Why do you need someone like me to do this? I'm sure one of your men could handle it." I do know why he wants me to do it and I want him to say it out loud. To acknowledge that I'm the best person for the job, even if it means admitting that he needs me. "Or maybe you just enjoy sending me on your dirty work."

He leans back, his smirk never leaving his face. "There's an art to what you do, Red. My men are good at many things, but they don't really understand the delicate manipulation. You have a way of leaving people unaware that they're being played until it's too late. And let's face it, you're good at what you do."

I take a sip of my coffee, letting the bitterness linger on my tongue. Boy, I know how to play the game, and he's acknowledging it. Still, I won't let him see that I'm flattered by his words. "Cut the flattery, Park. What's the mission?"

He slides a folder across the table, and I open it to find a picture of a man I vaguely recognize. "His name is Kang Joon-ho. He's been sniffing around places he shouldn't be, gathering intel that's none of his business. I want to know why and what he knows." I raise my eyebrow and he smiles a little, though it doesn't reach his eyes. "He used to work for me, but he went rogue. I need to know what he's up to before he becomes a problem. Help me deal with him and I'll help you get what you want." 

"What I want?" I put the folder down, laughing like his proposition is the punchline to a joke. "And what makes you think you can give me what I want? Do you even know what I want? Do you even know anything about me apart from being a thug? Because if you think you can manipulate me with some vague promises, you're gravely mistaken-"

"Baek Yejin." The name slips out of his mouth, and my laughter dies on my lips. The room suddenly feels smaller, and the air thicker. I can feel every muscle in my body tense at the mention of my sister's name. Something in me shifts, and the walls I've carefully built around my emotions start to crack. "I know Choi Minho uses her to make you his little puppet. I know enough to understand that she's your weak spot. And I know that beneath that tough exterior, there's someone who's desperately trying to cling to control in a world that keeps slipping through her fingers."

I clench my fists under the table, my jaw tight. "How the hell do you know about Yejin? Park, I will fucking end you if you ever bring her into this mess."

"You could have thought about that when you decided to work for Choi Minho. But I understand you might have needed the money and ended up in deeper than you intended." He leans back in his chair, watching my reaction carefully. Why do I feel like he's dissecting me, peeling away the layers I've carefully constructed over the years? "You don't know what he might do to her. But if you decide to cooperate with me and stop being a stubborn foul, I can promise she'll be safe and sound and you'll be able to see her again." A choice presented to me, wrapped in the twisted allure of safety for my sister. A choice that I never thought I'd be faced with. The realization that I might not be as invisible as I thought unsettles me.

"Cooperate with you?" I scoff, a bitter taste lingering in my mouth. "You're no better than Choi Minho, using my sister as leverage. Don't pretend like you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

"I will never harm her, Y/N, whether you cooperate or not." His gaze pierces through me, and for a moment, I almost believe him. Almost. "I might be many things, but I would never put an innocent person in harm's way. Unlike Choi Minho, I have principles."

"Don't call my name like that." I look away, swallowing a lump that forms in my throat. "I don't need you throwing my name around as if we're on familiar terms. Fine, I'll help you out. I can't trust anyone but I really hope you keep your word about my sister. Otherwise, I promise you, Park, I'll make sure your world crumbles around you."

A small, satisfied smile tugs at the corner of his lips. He leans back, taking a sip of his coffee as if the exchange was nothing more than a casual conversation. "Good. I trust you. So trust me with keeping keep my end of the deal." I feel a knot form in the pit of my stomach when I nod.