Chapter 118. Beef Stew Just for You (3)
Yukgap descended into the basement with a pot in his hands, looking unusually tense.
One of the mercenaries guarding the place recognized him and gave a small nod.
It was nothing more than a casual greeting, but for some reason Yukgap felt uncomfortable.
Still, he did not show it and continued inside.
Fortunately, no one tried to stop him.
At the far end of the basement stood a massive prison made of special alloy.
Inside, No. 7 lay with her back turned to him, her body wrapped in thick chains.
“Ahem.”
Yukgap deliberately made some noise.
No. 7 answered without even turning around.
“How many times do I have to tell you people that I don’t know anything?”
“I was just a combat operative.”
After the battle ended, Kevin’s mercenary group had found No. 7 lying on the ground, slowly regenerating.
Her fight with No. 5 had apparently been so brutal that she had lost consciousness.
Some of the mercenaries had suggested killing her just in case.
Kevin had chosen to imprison her instead.
He believed they might be able to obtain information about Abraxas through interrogation.
And now Yukgap had come to see her.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.
“I didn’t come here to ask about that.”
The moment No. 7 heard his voice, she shot upright.
She whipped her head around and glared at Yukgap.
Anger, hurt, and joy were all tangled together in her eyes.
“Why are you here?”
“...”
“I asked why you came.”
Pressed by her, Yukgap awkwardly held out the pot.
“I thought you might be hungry, so I made you something.”
Steam still clung to the lid.
Apparently, the food had only recently been cooked.
They had locked her up in here, and now he was bringing her food.
No. 7 merely scoffed.
“You seriously think I can eat in a situation like this?”
“You used a lot of energy regenerating your body.”
Yukgap answered awkwardly.
“If you don’t get enough protein, even you could be in trouble.”
“Forget it!”
No. 7 suddenly lunged toward him.
The chains wrapped around her body snapped taut all at once.
They were made from a special alloy strong enough to restrain several elephants, yet they looked as though they might break at any moment.
“You ran away the moment you saw me.”
“And now that I’m stuck like this, you come crawling over?”
“So what?”
“You think I’m supposed to eat your food and forgive you?”
She growled through the bars.
She looked exactly like an enraged wild beast.
“Sorry, but the moment I get out of here, I’m killing those mercenary bastards.”
“And I’m cutting off your arms and legs and dragging you away with me.”
“Do whatever you want after that.”
Yukgap looked resigned as he opened the lid.
A comforting aroma of slow-cooked vegetables and meat filled the area.
“But I still want you to eat this.”
“I made it for you.”
No. 7’s expression faltered.
“For me?”
“Beef stew.”
Yukgap looked at her.
“Do you remember?”
“You used to like it.”
“I did?”
“Do you remember when we pretended to be newlyweds in Argentina?”
No. 7 gave a faint laugh.
“You mean when we joined that group tour to get close to the target?”
“We did pretend to be newlyweds back then.”
“We even had fake wedding rings made.”
Yukgap quietly searched his own memories.
“But the target was suspicious, so it was hard to approach him.”
“We ended up following the whole group to a dinner banquet at a restaurant.”
“They served beef stew there.”
“And while you were eating it, you muttered, ‘I’d like to come here again someday.’”
No. 7 answered casually,
“It was pretty good.”
“I had fun.”
Yukgap’s hand trembled slightly around the pot.
He could not remember the last time he had spoken this emotionally to someone.
“I never showed it, but I really did.”
“Even if it was all an act, that was the first time I got to enjoy sightseeing without having to kill anyone.”
“For one day, I laughed and had fun like everyone else.”
“That was the first time I ever felt free.”
At least there, they had not been weapons.
They had simply been newlyweds enjoying a trip through Argentina together.
They had needed to make the act convincing, so they had held hands affectionately and followed the guide from one tourist destination to another.
They had even laughed foolishly together to fool the target.
“Pretending to be newlyweds with you was fun too.”
“And more than anything, that was the only time I ever saw you show any interest in something that wasn’t part of a mission.”
“That’s why I remember it.”
No. 7 answered with a mocking tone.
“What good is it for a weapon to have feelings about anything?”
“Right?”
“But you did.”
Yukgap’s reply left her speechless.
He stared directly into her green eyes and spoke earnestly.
“No. 7.”
“You and I aren’t weapons.”
“We’re people.”
“...”
No. 7 said nothing.
She simply stared at the pot Yukgap had brought.
Yukgap slid the pot and a spoon through the small opening beneath the bars.
“It probably isn’t as good as the beef stew we had in Argentina.”
“But it should be decent.”
“So please eat it.”
