When Venice realized Yeri was still standing outside, her eyes flashed with contempt.
She pretended to leave, but in reality positioned herself so she blocked Hadi Keir’s view of the hallway.
Hadi’s brows knitted. "That woman outside... do you know her?"
Venice almost couldn’t hide the irritation in her voice, but forced herself to answer, though she spoke with reluctant sweetness. "She’s my cousin. She’s... often sick, and her mentality is a bit unwell. If you’ve heard of the night market tragedy, she was one of the victims. But because of that, her mental state’s been worse lately. In fact, I just accompanied her from seeing a psychiatrist."
She said it all in one breath, low enough to keep Yeri from overhearing, yet soft and concerned enough that Hadi took it as genuine compassion.
"What a pity..." Hadi murmured. Such a beautiful woman, yet mentally unstable.
Then his mind twisted the thought into something darker.
’If she’s unbalanced, that means I can play with her as I please... and if she accuses me later, I can just say she’s delusional.’
"Go invite her over," he ordered. "If she’s lonely or needs someone to talk to, she can come here and talk with me."
Venice froze in shock. This man might look like a bruised pig, but if he was truly a Keir, she couldn’t risk letting Yeri snag him first.
Meanwhile, outside, Yeri was still trying to shake off the unsettling way the man inside had looked at her. His face... she wasn’t sure if she’d seen it before, but something about him got her thinking if she had seen him before.
She couldn’t hear what Venice was saying, but she saw her cousin’s back stiff with fake politeness.
Deciding this was none of her business, Yeri turned to leave only to bump into something hard and unmoving.
It was like hitting a wall... except warmer.
She looked up and froze.
"I’ve been looking for you. What are you doing here?" Shin Keir’s voice was low, casual, but his gaze pinned her like a hawk.
Her eyes darted around instinctively, as if someone had just pulled a fire alarm. Luckily, aside from the two people inside, the hallway was empty.
"I was just on my way back from some assessment tests," she whispered. "You, why are you talking to me without your mask?"
"If I don’t talk to you, who should I talk to?" Shin scoffed lightly.
It was then that he noticed which room she was standing by, but his face remained unreadable.
Inside, both Venice and Hadi had spotted him.
Venice turned, and for a moment she thought she was hallucinating. Yesterday, it had been Tristan Felan. Now, it was Shin Keir?
Still, seeing Yeri talking to Shin Keir now somehow triggered her.
’Yeri, this hypocrite... flaunting that face of hers again, pretending to be a saint?’ Venice’s lips tightened as she quickly left the room.
Originally, Venice had truly been afraid after her ordeal during the night market incident. Before transferring to Neri Medical Hospital, she had been suffering from PTSD, often plagued by nightmares.
She could still clearly remember the sinister face of that madman, the clarity of the panicked crowd screaming around her, the sharp crack of gunshots, and the chilling moment when he pulled out a bomb.
Perhaps it was guilt too because she had never forgotten how she pushed Yeri toward the madman, using her as a shield.
At that time, she had only thought that as long as she couldn’t see the madman, as long as Yeri was behind her, even if she herself couldn’t outrun him, she wouldn’t be the one harmed.
Thinking about it now, was she really to blame? She had simply done what most people would do in a life-and-death situation. Who asked Yeri to play the saint and try to save that girl?
She stepped forward quickly. "Young Master Keir, are you here to visit a relative?"
Yeri glanced at Shin. If the patient inside was a Keir, it suddenly made sense.
Shin didn’t even spare a look for Hadi or Venice, his gaze stayed on Yeri.
Before he could answer, Venice jumped in. "We happened to pass by and heard him asking for help. Strange, isn’t it, for such an esteemed hospital to have such a flaw? The nurses came, but they didn’t stay long." She shook her head, playing the concerned citizen.
No one noticed the way Hadi’s whole body went rigid the instant he saw Shin like someone had poured ice water down his spine. His veins seemed to shrivel in remembered pain.
Was Shin Keir here to finish what he’d started and kill him?
"Is Jj here too?" Shin asked, ignoring Venice entirely.
Yeri nodded, trying to sound casual. "Yeah. He had an assessment too, but if all goes well, he might get discharged today."
Venice bit her lip. She needed a way to pull Shin’s attention toward her. She couldn’t match Yeri’s looks, but surely Shin Keir wasn’t a man to fall for mere beauty.
Then, suddenly, Hadi let out a strangled scream. His body shook violently, like he’d been struck by lightning.
Yeri startled, but before she could react, Venice dashed inside, eager to grab the spotlight. "Sir? What’s wrong? Are you alright?" She grabbed his arm in fake panic.
The monitor behind Hadi started beeping frantically.
Yeri moved to step in, but Shin caught her wrist. "Ignore that idiot. He won’t die."
By the time Venice pressed the emergency button, she turned back, only to find that Shin Keir and Yeri were gone.
Venice’s jaw tightened. Surely Yeri wouldn’t let such a golden chance slip. She must be after Shin Keir too.
Thinking of chasing the two, her thoughts were interrupted when a clammy hand clamped onto her wrist.
"Don’t go! Don’t go! If you leave, that demon will kill me!" Hadi babbled incoherently.
"Grandma...Grandma, save me!"
Venice: "..." Chapters first released on N()velFire.net
Was she this ridiculous when she faked PTSD?
Still, Hadi’s grip was iron, and she couldn’t break free until the doctor and nurses arrived.
"Who are you? What did you do?" the doctor demanded, already checking Hadi’s vitals.
Feeling wronged, Venice quickly claimed that Shin Keir had been there earlier and must have gone to fetch help.
Meanwhile, back in Yeri’s ward, Jj wasn’t there yet.
Shin locked the door. Before Yeri could ask why, he pulled her into a tight embrace and without warning, kissed her deeply.
Her eyes flew wide. Is he insane?! In broad daylight?! What if Jj walks in?!
She tried to push him away, but his kiss only deepened. One hand cradled her head, the other wrapped firmly around her waist, his height forcing her onto her toes.
By the time she was sure she’d suffocate, he finally pulled back only to kiss her again before she could speak.
Her face was hot, her pulse thundered, and she couldn’t tell if she was furious, embarrassed... or something else entirely.
"I missed you," Shin murmured against her ear, his lips brushing her cheek.
His warm breath made her skin tingle. This man... was a walking sin.
"We’re in a hospital," she muttered, trying to sound firm even as the wall at her back felt like it was on fire.
He chuckled, effortlessly lifting her and placing her on the bed.
"Are you out of your—" she began, eyes widening when he loomed over her.
He only smiled, his gaze burning with longing, passion... and something that might’ve been madness.
Suddenly, Tristan’s words crossed her mind: that if Shin ever acted strangely, she should just think of it as him worrying.
More like a hooligan pretending to worry!
And what was with that look between them, as if they hadn’t seen each other in years?
"What’s the matter with you?" Yeri asked.
"Is it wrong to miss my girlfriend?" Shin muttered, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Young Master Keir, I’m not the only one staying in this room. Even if Jj knows about us, this situation is still not appropriate," Yeri reminded him.
"Why do you always get yourself into trouble, hmm? How are your injuries?" Shin cupped her cheeks, studying her face as if searching for something, his gaze even close enough to inspect her pores.
"Uncomfortable!" Yeri glared.
Shin stared at her for a while, as though memorizing every inch of her face, touching her hair, murmuring something under his breath...just a bit more.
Then the door lock rattled, someone was clearly outside.
Yeri patted him urgently, he studied her for a long moment, and whispering something she almost caught, "It’s really you, my..."
Fortunately, he didn’t make things harder, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She shook her head and sat down just as the door opened.
Jj stepped in, visibly startled at the sight of Shin Keir.
His gaze flicked between the two...Yeri’s hair messy, her hospital gown slightly disheveled, her face flushed. Shin looked expressionless, but his shirt was noticeably rumpled.
Jj didn’t need to be a detective to guess what was going on. The rattling door lock earlier already told him these two were up to no good.
His mouth twitched, torn between scolding Yeri and punching Shin Keir. But weighing the pros and cons, he forced himself to stay calm.
’Shin Keir, this big wolfdog... daring to sink his teeth into my sister!’
"Are you being discharged today?" Shin asked casually, settling beside Yeri and wrapping an arm around her waist.
Damn it, he really wanted to hit him.
"...No. They said they still need to run more checks." Jj’s tone was stiff, his scalp prickling with irritation.
Truthfully, he could leave but how could he abandon his sister to this wolf in designer clothing?