Fair Trade

Kimchi stew, stir-fried spicy pork, and tofu pancake. Along with white rice and seaweed soup.

Sei gulped as she watched the feast being set on the table. Chloe, who had just served fresh kimchi in a bowl, looked at Stefan and her alternately and then pointed her finger at the chair.

“I know you’re impressed but have a seat for now. Oh, my God… I didn’t know Korean food was this difficult to make.”

Chloe didn’t mind the sudden increase in the number of people at the table. But it appeared Justin did. He was stiffly holding a pot and standing at the back, his eyes trained on Stefan the entire time.

According to Chloe, Justin appeared in front of her previous house and made a fuss by treating Mark, who was moving her luggage, as a thief. In the end, Chloe had to step in and solve the problem.

After that, he followed her to her new house and demanded a meal.

“I don’t see you in that way, but aren’t you changing men too often?” Justin, who stuttered a little, was conscious of Stefan.

He was being ridiculously aggressive.

Sei, who sat down, smiled at Stefan’s side face.

“Stefan is a friend, Justin.”

“Friend?”

“Hmm, I have a lot of boyfriends.”

Justin, who turned pale at her relaxed words, glared daggers at Stefan and sat across from him. Seeing how he was being so harsh toward him, Stefan must’ve looked pretty young in Justin’s eyes, too.

Then Chloe, who had served all of the food, grimaced at Justin.

“You still can’t get your act together. Sei’s lover is Yuri. You know she has a boyfriend, but you can’t give up? Mr. Kuzmin, please understand. My brother has a crush on Sei. I didn’t know he could be this persistent.”

Then Stefan, who received wine from Sei, looked at the label and smirked.

“It’s a relief that Yuri isn’t here to listen to this conversation now.”

“Oh? Do you know that person, too?”

“It’s a problem because I know him too well.”

Sei hit Stefan’s arm with her elbow. She motioned him to stop his words before Chloe’s curiosity increased.

“Just open the wine.”

Stefan, who raised his mouth slightly, skillfully opened the wine and poured it into three glasses. And then placed them in front of Sei, Chloe, and himself. Stefan handed over the bottle and Justin complained about not getting any wine.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have the generosity to fill the enemy’s glass.”

Then he muttered, “Anyway, you’re going to die by Yuri’s hands…”  under his breath.

Sei glared at Stefan and filled Justin’s wine glass.

“Thanks for helping Chloe with the groceries, Justin.”

“Huh? Uh… But the bouquet I gave you before…”

“I threw it away. I’m allergic to pollen. Sorry.”

Justin’s face turned pale in an instant. Though she felt sorry for him, she still calmly picked up her spoon and fork and smacked her lips.

“I’m starving. Can we eat now?”

The meal started in a friendly atmosphere.

Not only Sei, who was confident in Chloe’s food but also Stefan, who was new to Korean food, was more satisfied than expected.

Except for one. It must have been the worst meal for Justin since he hated spicy food.

After a full meal, everyone dispersed. Chloe went back to her room saying she was going to unpack her things. Justin went back, disappointed, and Stefan still kept following Sei around.

“How long are you going to follow me?”

“Until I get a call from Yuri. And I’m going to tell you something. There’s some weirdo tailing you.”

“Yuri already knows it, right?”

“Yes. Do you still expect me to not follow you?”

“Then what should I do? Stop it, Stefan. I’m tired. I want to rest. As you said, I almost died.”

At her tired tone, he stopped his nagging. Only then did Sei start to look around her house.

The first house Chloe bought after signing a contract was pretty decent. It wasn’t luxurious, but the floors were high and there were private security workers in the building. The best thing was that their privacy was guaranteed.

After looking around the new house that Sei might be staying in for several days, she stepped out onto the balcony of the room. The cool night breeze cooled the heat on her cheeks. She crossed her arms over the wet railing and pressed her forehead against it.

The world went dark in an instant when she closed her eyes. What she said to Stefan wasn’t a lie. She was so tired that she would fall asleep as soon as her head touched the bed. Her head felt heavy, perhaps because of too many thoughts and worries plaguing her. She wanted to rest.

That’s when Stefan, who knocked on the balcony door, entered and handed over his cell phone with an embarrassed look on his face. The name on the screen showed that it was Yuri.

Sei let out a loud sigh and answered the phone.

“Yes.”

[There’s no strength in your voice.]

She turned around and smiled at his tone.

“I had a hard time today.”

[I heard it from Stefan, you rode a bike? Especially when it’s raining like this.]

“Lily is at the hotel. I hurried to her in case she got into an accident.”

[Sei.]

Even though she had sent him off this morning, his voice which she had heard in only a few hours felt very new to her ears.

[I’ll pick you up as soon as my work is finished here. So even if it’s uncomfortable for the time being, please stay with Stefan. Think of him like a well-trained Doberman. You can send him for errands at the mart, or you can hit him a few times when you’re pissed. That’s why I sent him to you.]

Yuri had the ability to tell jokes like they were the real thing. Sei giggled and leaned her head toward the sky. She thought it was a ridiculous situation. Helping the FBI under the protection of the Mafia?

She couldn’t speak for a moment.

Suddenly, she felt pathetic.

An illegal immigrant and stateless person who belonged nowhere. In real life, in relationships with people… her world didn’t belong anywhere.

[Sei.]

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something. What did you just say?”

After she cleared her throat in embarrassment, a low, soft voice continued.

[I said I want to hug you. I miss you so much that I can’t stand it.]

Her heart beat fast for a moment there.

“Then, come to me… right now.”