Ho-Seok blinked once.
"Dream sister-in-law? Wow, this is—"
Before he could finish, No-Gul grabbed his wrist firmly.
"Can't you do a single thing properly? How did you forget the luggage?"
Ho-Seok frowned. "Luggage?"
"Come with me."
No-Gul didn't give him time to argue. He pulled him toward the door, then paused and glanced back at Nora.
"We'll be back."
And then they left.
✦ Meanwhile – Inside a Cab ✦
Ho-Seok leaned back in the seat, arms crossed.
"So… what exactly is going on? Where did you even find her?"
He looked sideways at No-Gul.
"First, you take off on a plane without telling me — mid-air."
He lowered his voice.
"…Are your powers stable?"
No-Gul stared ahead, calm.
"They are fine."
A pause.
"I found her with Dragunov's men."
Ho-Seok's expression sharpened.
"She remembers nothing. The doctor said the shock caused temporary amnesia."
"She believes she ran away and married me."
Ho-Seok choked slightly.
"She what?! Are you married now?"
"Keep your mouth shut. Don't ruin anything by talking carelessly."
Ho-Seok studied him carefully.
"…Do you like her?"
Silence.
"I've never seen you care about any woman before. You interrogated me this whole trip about what she likes and doesn't like. You've destroyed my body. So what does that mean?"
A slow grin appeared on his face.
"My 'dream sister-in-law' is now officially my real sister-in-law?"
No-Gul ignored that.
"What did you do with the car?"
Ho-Seok blinked. "What do you mean?"
He shrugged casually.
"It's… in service."
No-Gul turned his head slowly.
"You sold it."
Ho-Seok sighed dramatically.
"And what else was I supposed to do? Your paintings, the shipping costs, moving expenses — money doesn't appear from thin air."
No-Gul simply said,
"Check your phone."
Ho-Seok frowned and unlocked it.
"Two million won?!"
"Where did this—"
"I sold my Tokyo shares. For our next move, this is necessary."
Ho-Seok stared at him.
"You're serious about this."
The cab slowed.
It stopped.
Ho-Seok looked outside.
"…Mall?"
He turned back.
"Why are we at a mall?"
"To buy clothes."
✦ The Mall Incident ✦
The automatic doors slid open.
Ho-Seok stopped walking.
"…We are not seriously doing this."
No-Gul walked straight ahead without answering.
They entered the women's section.
Ho-Seok looked around.
"Moscow's most feared man… standing in the ladies' department."
A sales associate approached them.
"Sir, may I help you?"
"Yes. I need this in a small size."
"For… your girlfriend?"
"My wife."
Ho-Seok coughed loudly.
"Newlywed couple."
The staff member smiled warmly.
"That's sweet. What about footwear?"
No-Gul paused.
He remembered.
Kneeling in front of Nora. Slipping slippers onto her feet. The exact length. The width. The curve.
Ho-Seok stared.
"What are you doing?"
No-Gul measured precisely.
"This one."
The staff member looked impressed.
"You know her size exactly?"
"Hm."
Ho-Seok leaned closer.
"You memorized her complete measurements already? Incredible. Mafia Nozh… shopping for his wife."
No-Gul ignored him.
They moved toward cosmetics.
Rows of colors.
No-Gul picked one.
Then another.
Then another.
Ho-Seok's eyes widened.
"…You're not choosing. You're collecting."
"Pack all of them."
"All of them?"
"Yes."
The staff's smile grew brighter.
"Your wife is very lucky."
Ho-Seok muttered,
"Are you building a boutique?"
No-Gul added another bag.
"You have good balance."
"I am not a trolley bag! Why am I carrying everything? You have hands."
"You need exercise."
Ho-Seok glared.
"Unbelievable. International mafia, black nine-tailed fox, Professor Vincent… such a devoted husband."
A pause.
Ho-Seok smirked.
"Oh, so you finally started thinking about me? It's fine — I'll manage with just one or two dresses."
No-Gul turned to the assistant.
"I need a brown teddy bear. About this size."
Ho-Seok blinked.
"…Huh? A teddy bear?"
"Yes."
"For what?"
No-Gul's voice lowered slightly.
"In her post, she had one exactly like this. Same color. Same size."
A brief pause.
"It will comfort her."
Ho-Seok stared at him.
"Fall in love? No… fell in love."
✦ Inside the Apartment ✦
Nora's gaze fell on the black cat carrier.
"Aww…"
She opened it gently.
"You're so pretty… pretty cat queen."
She lifted the cat carefully.
"You're even more beautiful up close…"
The cat suddenly leaped away.
Nora blinked.
"Hey! Why are you running? I'm not scary!"
The cat watched her cautiously.
"Come here. I just want to play."
She stepped forward.
"Don't run. I promise I won't squeeze you."
She lunged—
The cat leaped off the sofa.
"Hey!"
It dashed across the room.
Nora followed.
"Stop!"..............
The door suddenly swung open.
"Welcome back—!" Ho-Seok shouted as he stepped inside, exhausted.
A chair blocked his way.
He stumbled.
"What is—"
His foot landed on a fork.
He yelped.
"Aaa!"
"Why is there cutlery on the floor?!"
He tried to regain balance—
His heel slid into a slipper.
Then—
His shoe hit spilled water.
Silence.
Realization.
"No—"
He slipped.
Hard.
The bags flew upward.
At that exact moment—
No-Gul stepped inside.
Their eyes met.
There was hope in Ho-Seok's expression.
Help me.
No-Gul calmly looked down—
—to the brown teddy bear in his hand.
He lifted it higher, carefully shielding it from the spilled water.
He protected it first.
Only then did he look at Ho-Seok on the floor.
"…Are you alive?"
✦ To Be Continued… ✦