Fatal allure
Chapter 3
Episode 2
The Investigator and the Siren
Sleep never came easily to Yoo Hae-rin.
Not after the photograph.
Not after the message written in blood-red ink.
You’re next.
The words stayed in her mind long after midnight, echoing through the silence of her penthouse like a warning she couldn’t escape.
Hae-rin stood barefoot near the kitchen counter, staring at the photograph again. Three dead men stood beside her in smiling perfection, unaware of what their futures held.
Or perhaps someone had planned those futures from the beginning.
Her fingers tightened around the picture.
Someone wanted her afraid.
Someone wanted her blamed.
A sudden vibration pulled her attention away.
Unknown Number.
She hesitated before answering.
“…Hello?”
For several seconds, only silence answered her.
Then a distorted male voice whispered:
“How long do you think you can keep pretending?”
The line disconnected immediately.
Hae-rin’s heartbeat slowed instead of racing.
Fear was dangerous.
Fear made mistakes.
And Yoo Hae-rin could not afford mistakes anymore.
⸻
The next morning, Royal Auction House was drowning in reporters.
Camera flashes exploded outside the entrance while journalists shouted questions the moment Hae-rin’s black car arrived.
“Miss Yoo! Did you know Kang Min-ho personally?”
“Are the rumors true?”
“Did you benefit from his insurance payout?”
Her bodyguards pushed through the crowd while Hae-rin remained calm behind dark sunglasses, refusing to answer a single question.
But the moment she stepped inside the building—
She stopped walking.
Because he was there.
Lee Tae-jun stood near the center lobby waiting for her, dressed in a black suit that matched the cold expression on his face.
Sharp eyes.
Controlled posture.
A man impossible to intimidate.
Unfortunately for him—
Hae-rin enjoyed impossible things.
“You’re becoming difficult to avoid,” she said softly while removing her sunglasses.
Tae-jun watched her carefully.
“And you’re becoming difficult to defend.”
A faint smile curved her lips.
“That sounds almost personal.”
“It’s my job.”
“No,” Hae-rin replied quietly as she stepped closer. “If it were only your job, you wouldn’t keep looking at me like that.”
The tension between them tightened instantly.
Tae-jun hated how composed she remained under pressure. Most suspects either panicked or overexplained themselves.
Yoo Hae-rin simply watched him like she already understood every thought crossing his mind.
Dangerous woman.
“Three dead men,” Tae-jun said coldly. “All connected to you.”
“And yet I’m still free.”
“You think that makes you innocent?”
Hae-rin’s eyes darkened slightly.
“I think it makes you frustrated.”
For the first time, Tae-jun stepped closer instead of away.
Close enough to notice the faint scent of expensive perfume mixed with wine lingering around her.
Close enough to realize how effortlessly she invaded a person’s senses.
“You enjoy this, don’t you?” he asked quietly.
“Enjoy what?”
“The attention. The obsession.”
Hae-rin tilted her head slightly.
“And if I do?”
Their eyes locked.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
The air between them felt heavier now—less like an interrogation and more like something dangerous slowly unfolding beneath the surface.
Then suddenly,
Tae-jun grabbed her wrist.
Fast.
Unexpected.
Hae-rin’s breath caught softly at the sudden contact.
“Tell me the truth,” he said in a low voice. “What really happened to those men?”
For one brief moment, the calm mask she wore cracked.
Pain flashed through her eyes.
Real pain.
But it disappeared just as quickly.
“You’re asking the wrong person,” she whispered.
Before Tae-jun could respond, his phone rang loudly.
The moment he answered, his expression changed instantly.
Another body had been found.
And this time,
The victim had a recent photograph of Yoo Hae-rin in his wallet.
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