Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 30
“Look at what?”
“Sincerity. You did that before. You said you can tell if I’m lying or not by looking at my eyes. From now on, please pay attention to whether what I say is a lie or not.”
What I said a long time ago was true. “I can see it in your eyes,” I told him when he was sick and lying about not being sick. Helios who, like a hedgehog, was full of spikes when you approached him, but is actually a tender-hearted man whose eyes would tremble when he lied. The tremor was fleeting, so only I, who had been watching him for a long time, noticed it.
In those days, Helios would often say, ‘Why do you keep staring? It’s bothering me, look away.’
I used to stare at him because I didn’t know when he was going to collapse. Or so he thought.
“Rienna.”
The sound of Helios calling pulled me out of my reverie. His face was in front of me—his breathtakingly handsome face.
Did I just enjoy seeing the amazing face that turned everyone around him into a puddle? My gaze darted up and down. My eyes wandered over his face, with its moderately thick and dark eyebrows, cheekbones that rose beautifully when he smiled, a nose that looked like the masterwork of a plastic surgeon, and red lips.
Helios cupped my cheek with his hand. “Look at my eyes.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as his bass pierced my ears. It’s amazing how handsome a voice can be.
I lifted my chin slightly, mesmerized, and my gaze locked on his red eyes. He had eyes that drew people in. At first glance, they were just red, but if you stared at them long enough, they had as many colors as a rainbow. They were as red as blood, as dark as wine, as clear as red ink in water, and as vivid as a rose. In reality, there was no way to change eye color, so his irises must have already encompassed all those shades.
They say he was so mysterious that once you were captivated by his eyes, you couldn’t look away. It was fascinating to look into, dotted with twinkling stars. It was like looking into the universe.
“Rienna, I’m upset that you imprinted.”
I could tell he was telling the truth. I felt my spirits drop. He’s not happy about the imprint after all. The tip of my nose crinkled.
“But I’m happy it’s my name.”
His eyes never wavered. This, too, was the truth.
My fingertips and toes tingled. I opened my eyes wider to look at him more closely. It was hard to believe that was how he felt. Finally, the question that had been lingering in my mouth came out.
“Why are you happy?”
I didn’t like the way my voice sounded, maybe because I’d heard Helios’s gorgeous voice so closely. I clamped my mouth shut.
“Because this is my chance to pay you back.”
I squinted at him.
Helios’s mouth curved into a smile. “You saved my life, so it’s my turn.”
He gently stroked my cheek with his large hand. His strokes moved effortlessly to my ear and neckline. Every place he touched felt hot. The part of me that wanted to pull away clashed with the part that wanted more of his touch.
Reason and imprinting instinct were battling within me. I fidgeted with my fingers, unable to do this or that, trying to decipher his thoughts.
He thought I was doing him a favor. So was he trying to be the magpie who returned the favor[1]? Magpies are black, so he must be some kind of golden eagle instead.
“Rienna, it’s your turn to answer this time.”
Helios’s hand dug between the pillow and the back of my head. It felt like he was trying to prevent me from getting away. I was pinned down.
“Well, what are you asking?”
Helios blinked and opened his eyes, the color of his irises darkening.
“My name, where is it?”
He wanted to see it.
Oh my, I sucked in an involuntary breath.
¹ There is a Korean folktale about grateful magpies who save a man from being killed at the cost of their own lives. ↩
