Chapter 195:

“Oh, my eyes…!”

Lee-yeon caught a glimpse of a man’s slackened buttocks. Just as she was peering over to observe a couple engaged in an intimate moment, she suddenly lowered herself and accidentally grazed her fingertips against the unfurled pruning shears.

The sharp blades cut her hand, and she quickly wrapped her bleeding fingers, organizing her bag quickly.

Wait, was that the buttocks she saw? All Lee-yeon knew about buttocks was Kwon Chae-woo’s firm and solid ones. Strangely, she kept making comparisons. The night breeze incessantly carried away the sensuous moans.

“I found you.”

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice pierced through like a pillar.

“Did you find it here? Ah, I’ve been searching for a while.”

Lee-yeon’s body was crouched low when a man approached from her side, bowing his waist. He smiled widely, pleasedly, and his breath reeked of alcohol.

“So, you’re the one who designed this garden, right?”

A foreboding feeling ran down her spine.

“I tipped the security team members.”

“….”

“They all want to see who the interesting gardener is. As soon as those crazy bastards came in, they were laughing their heads off, holding their bellies. Can you believe these guys even put food on people’s bodies and eat it? They seem innocent but have some real mischief in them.”

Feeling that getting involved would only bring trouble, Lee-yeon quickly grabbed her king’s silk bag and tried to stand up. At the same time, the relaxed man caught her hand and began pulling her along.

“Hey, let go of me…!”

The man’s cheerful footsteps were accompanied by a hummed tune. Lee-yeon attempted to twist her hand free, but his grip was surprisingly strong.

However, it wasn’t an unexpected turn of events. The moment she smelled alcohol from him, she knew words wouldn’t be enough to reason with him. Lee-yeon clenched her teeth and firmly smacked his back with the sturdy king’s silk bag.

“Let go!”

“Ugh…!”

She followed up with a forceful kick to his calf. But, instead of a pained expression, a thick grin appeared on the man’s face.

“What should I do? Today seems like it’ll be really fun.”

“What are you saying?”

“As expected, the gardener’s mask will suit you well this year.”

He uttered incomprehensible words and suddenly placed the mask on Lee-yeon’s face. In an instant, her vision narrowed, and she felt suffocated. Without realizing it, she had stepped into the garden’s bustling center.

She involuntarily let go of the king’s silk bag and tried to remove the mask.

“Attention, everyone, attention!”

All eyes were fixated on Lee-yeon, or rather, on the mask. Their gazes swept over her from head to toe as if dissecting her inch by inch.

Her hand, attempting to take off the mask, froze. The cacophony of noise suddenly hushed, sending shivers down her spine. Something didn’t feel right.

For the first time since she arrived here, she felt a cold gust of wind. Terrified to reveal her face, she tightly bit her lips. And then, through the hole in the mask, she saw Kwon Chae-woo.

“….”

“….”

The man, touching his temples and chin with his fingers, suddenly furrowed his brow. He gradually straightened his posture and firmly turned his tilted head. His previously sluggish face turned chillingly sharp, and a vivid smile clung to his lips like a trace.

This gradual transformation was apparent even through a single hole in the ant nest.

“Could it be… did he recognize my work clothes?”

In no time, Kwon Chae-woo, like everyone else, scanned Lee-yeon’s body. The only difference was that he lingered on her hand, firmly held by someone, the index and middle fingers bleeding, and her trembling legs.

His jaw muscle bulged momentarily, and Kwon Chae-woo spat into the glass he held. But instead of saliva, a long trail of blood dripped down. His tongue tip, which peeked through for a moment, was so crimson it seemed to be on fire.

“As last year’s winner, I was able to choose,” the man with a smile said.

Lee-yeon, still under the influence of the man’s smiling charm, reluctantly turned her head.

“What on earth have you been saying all this time…?”

“Run away.” He said plainly.

“What?”

“It’s like a game of tag.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“W-what―”

“Don’t be scared. It’s not some terrifying abduction or anything. There are many scary ladies here and lots of girlfriends.”

“….”

“It’s just a stripping game. Until you have no clothes left. You keep taking them off.”

“….!”

Lee-yeon’s shoulders stiffened. It felt like her vision was going white.

“Is that all it is?”

Her mind was in complete chaos, more so than the lively voice of her counterpart. Her heart was pounding like an explosion, leaving her completely disoriented. Her breath became rough and erratic.

“Until the lights come on, if you have even a piece of clothing left, you win. Then, you get to take all the money bet here and take it all―”

Suddenly, a glass flew through the air.

“…!”