“The cocktail should be drunk in the event hall.”

Kyle, who stood like a barrier between Se Hee and the drunk man, spoke in a chilling voice.

The man, overwhelmed by the strength felt in his gripped arm, couldn’t even think of resisting Kyle’s intimidating gaze.

When Kyle released the man’s hand as if throwing it away, the frozen man’s body swayed greatly.

As if finally coming to his senses, the man who had been furtively looking around fled while backing away.

“Thank…”

Kyle’s head, about to turn at Se Hee’s voice from behind, faced forward again before their eyes could meet.

And Kyle just strode away.

“Ha.”

Se Hee let out a frustrated sigh at the man’s consistently arrogant attitude.

Thanks to him, she was going to say thank you for avoiding danger, but once again, she couldn’t properly greet him.

After escaping that situation, perhaps due to the tension easing, the pain in her earlobe that she had forgotten about felt quite severe.

Her hand instinctively went to the injured area.

As soon as her hand touched her earlobe, the loosely hanging earring fell, hitting Se Hee’s shoulder.

The fallen earring, unfortunately, disappeared into the passage connected to the underground engine room.

“Oh no.”

Unlike the cabin stairs, the engine room stairs made of steel plates had holes large enough for a small pearl earring to pass through.

The sound of the earring hitting the stairs grew fainter, as if it was still falling further down.

As it was an earring with special meaning, Se Hee quickly followed down the engine room stairs to find it.

The lower she went, the louder the noisy machine sounds became, and the lighting gradually dimmed.

It was becoming more difficult to find the whereabouts of the earring.

How many underground floors are there?

How far down have I come?

Feeling like she had almost reached the bottom, Se Hee looked around.

At that moment, through the space where a door was open opposite her, something that looked like a pearl earring was faintly emitting light.

Se Hee immediately went inside to check the floor.

She thought it was the lost earring, but what was shining on the floor was just a silver nut.

Se Hee, crouched down, let out a low sigh.

“What are you doing there?”

Startled by the sudden sound of a man’s voice, Se Hee turned around.

That man, when did he follow me again?

Because she had been so focused on the earring, Se Hee hadn’t noticed at all that the man she thought had left after saving her had followed her down.

“My, my earring fell this way. I saw something shiny and came in.”

Flustered, Se Hee even stumbled over her words.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Kyle, who had entered, said coldly.

The engine room hatch was not an area open to the general public.

“Wait a moment. I’ll check quickly and leave right away. I definitely heard it rolling this way. It’s a very precious earring to me.”

When Se Hee spoke pleadingly, Kyle made an uncomfortable expression.

Looking at the size of the earring remaining on Se Hee’s other ear, it seemed it would be difficult to find easily.

Just as Kyle was pondering for a moment.

Suddenly, the ship’s hull tilted to one side, and the open door closed shut.

Click.

With an ominous sound, the door locked.

Kyle quickly approached the door and pushed on the hatch door.

But the closed hatch wouldn’t open.

What on earth was going on?

He must have been possessed by something.

Otherwise, how could he make such a foolish mistake?

Kyle found it hard to accept this situation of being trapped in the underground hatch.

Wasn’t the ‘curse of the Jeina’ supposed to have ended after the first day of sailing?

Was the power of that curse working in a different way?

Kyle self-deprecatingly mocked himself for even imagining such absurd things.

Just in case, he pushed the hatch door with all his might once more.

Although Kyle had never been outdone by anyone in strength, the heavily closed door didn’t budge at all.

Completely trapped.

“Damn it.”

Kyle’s low voice escaped between his lips.

“What’s wrong? Won’t it open? We’re not trapped, are we?”

Se Hee, standing behind Kyle, approached nervously.

“Come on, stop joking and open it.”

“Does this look like a joke to you right now?”

Looking at Se Hee with a cold gaze, Kyle showed his hand, which had turned red from the strong pressure.

“No, it can’t be.”

Surprised, Se Hee tried to open the hatch door herself, but the door that even Kyle couldn’t open didn’t move at all.

Trapped with this man whose name she didn’t even know.

Just the two of them.

Moreover, in a narrow, dark, enclosed space.

At that moment, Se Hee glanced at Kyle with a wary look.

And slowly started to move away from him.

Se Hee tried to look as natural as possible, but to Kyle’s eyes, her awkward movement looked very unnatural.

“What… is that attitude now?”

Kyle asked incredulously towards Se Hee, who was slinking away while pulling up the front of her dress.

“Well, actually, we’ve run into each other too often for it to be coincidence, and the situation of being trapped alone together is a bit… Well, not that I’m intentionally thinking in a bad way…”

Se Hee’s flustered words sped up.

“Bad way? Me? Ha.”

Kyle sighed as if dumbfounded.

“If someone intentionally created this situation… Naturally.”

At that moment, Kyle’s languid eyes looked down at Se Hee arrogantly.

And, as if it were obvious, he said.

“…I should be the one on guard.”

What, what is he saying now?

What kind of nonsense is this?

Bewildered by Kyle’s words, Se Hee looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“Right there. It would be better not to think about moving even a single step from that spot. If it’s entirely intentional.”

Kyle warned with a sharp gaze.

His edged voice oddly grated on Se Hee’s nerves.

“I’ve been trapped in bedrooms before, but an underground hatch is something new.”

Kyle looked down at Se Hee with an arrogant gaze, as if he already knew her next move.

“Hey. Are you in your right mind? Ah… I’ll admit you’re a bit handsome, but sorry, I absolutely hate men like you. I’m strongly against lookism. Me.”

Se Hee protested, fuming.

“Lookism?”

Kyle found it interesting how Se Hee, who had been cowering with anxious eyes just moments ago, changed her expression and flared up at his single comment.

“Yes. So, get rid of the idea that I’ll jump on you first. Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? I’m not that kind of person. I’m a Confucian girl, a Confucian girl. A Korean Confucian girl.”

Se Hee glared at Kyle with an unpleasant expression.

But why has this man been speaking informally since earlier?

“And listen here. We haven’t even properly introduced ourselves, so why are you speaking so casually? What if you’re younger than me?”

Se Hee asked challengingly.

“I’m not that young.”

Kyle answered calmly.

Oh my, this man speaks informally very naturally?

“Is that so? How old are you this year?”

Se Hee asked sarcastically.

“You want me to say first? Think I’ll fall for such a shallow trick?”

Kyle asked back as if he understood Se Hee’s intention.

“Do I look like someone who would use such a petty trick? Fine. Then let’s say it fairly at the same time. Count to three.”

Se Hee started counting seriously.

“One. Two. Three.”

“Thirty-three.”

“Twenty-nine years old.”

The man and Se Hee said their ages simultaneously.

What? He’s older than me?

I’ve lost my edge. I should have said a higher number.

Se Hee felt like she had unnecessarily lost out by speaking honestly.

“I’m older. I heard that in the land of Eastern courtesy, hierarchy is determined by age.”

“Hmm. You don’t look it. Well, I’ll acknowledge it for now.”

“Are we both speaking informally now?”

Kyle subtly picked up on Se Hee’s speech pattern.

“Then let’s both use honorifics. Originally, we use respectful language when first meeting in the land of Eastern courtesy.”

“It seems we’re already acquainted.”

He answered nonchalantly.

This man is really picking up on every little thing.

Se Hee pouted with a displeased expression.

“Ah… Yes, yes. I acknowledge it, good sir.”

And then, as if asking if he was satisfied now, Se Hee spoke in a playful tone.

That expression was so funny that Kyle almost let out a laugh, quickly covering his mouth.

After calmly composing his expression again, Kyle checked his wristwatch.

The engine room hatch was structured to only open from the outside.

So unless someone opened it, they couldn’t get out.

They would have to wait until the dawn patrol time.

Three more hours.

Kyle let out a long sigh first.

Dave, who knew he would be in the event hall, was unlikely to search all the way to the deep underground engine room.

And his mobile phone was with Dave at the moment.

If only he hadn’t seen that sparkling dress hem on the engine room stairs earlier.

No. If only he hadn’t followed her down.

Kyle’s uncomfortable gaze turned to Se Hee.

“What? Are you looking at me like that because you’re afraid I might pounce on you now? Really, what do you take people for. I’ll keep my distance, so step aside. We should knock on this door to let them know there are people inside.”

Se Hee waved her hand as if telling Kyle to step back, with a pouty look.

“Didn’t you hear the sound coming down the stairs? With the machine noise, I don’t think anyone would hear even if we shouted at the top of our lungs.”

“The door won’t open, so should we just stay still like this? We should try something. We need to get out quickly.”

Se Hee said worriedly.

“In three hours, when the patrol comes, we’ll be able to get out then, so don’t waste energy and just wait quietly.”

Kyle said in a calm tone.

“Three hours? The door is iron, and the space is small… What if we run out of oxygen here? What if it’s like a floodgate and water starts filling up when the door opens? What if we hit an iceberg and start sinking? Huh?”

Se Hee fired off questions anxiously like a machine gun.

“Haa. Really.”

Kyle pressed his forehead.

“Look. The oxygen pressure gauge over there shows that oxygen is being supplied sufficiently. And the floodgate doesn’t open at any time. Lastly, we’re sailing in the warm Mediterranean Sea. So we can’t encounter icebergs.”

Kyle added explanations to each of Se Hee’s questions.

“I’ll say it again, but the patrol will arrive exactly three hours later, no, two hours and forty-five minutes later. The hatch is checked every twelve hours to ensure it’s operating safely.”

Kyle said the time precisely as if to reassure her.

But Se Hee’s expression didn’t improve.

She still looked visibly anxious.

“I see. Then, if we hit a reef or something, since this is the lowest space…”

“Evans Cruise Line’s ships are equipped with experienced crew members and cutting-edge technology, so they will never collide with a reef.”

Kyle said with certainty.

He immediately regretted it after saying it.

Explaining in such detail might make her realize he had some relationship with the cruise ship.

He got caught up in her fuss.

“Oh, you sound like an expert. You must travel on cruises often. When you explain it like that, I suddenly feel very reassured.”

Se Hee finally showed a smile.

For some reason, those deep blue eyes of his seemed to calm Se Hee’s anxious heart.

Kyle wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved or a bit flustered seeing Se Hee look at him with an innocent expression, thinking he was a cruise traveler.

“I’m Lee Se Hee. You seem to know I’m Korean.”

Se Hee, now much calmer than before, extended her hand to Kyle.

“Oh right. You probably don’t like this kind of skinship.”

Se Hee quickly withdrew her outstretched hand.

Kyle quietly gazed at Se Hee.

“…Kyle Graham…”

“So it’s Mr. Graham. I was really curious about your name.”

Se Hee cut off his introduction before it was even finished.

Kyle’s brow furrowed for a moment.

“Thank you for saving me. I wanted to properly thank you, but you didn’t give me the chance. I’m finally able to greet you properly.”

Unaware of Kyle’s change in expression, Se Hee continued with her words.

“Don’t just stand there, sit down. It seems like it would be very tiring to stand at attention in that posture for three hours. I won’t pounce on you.”

Speaking playfully, Se Hee found a suitable spot and sat down, keeping her distance from Kyle.

But despite Se Hee’s invitation, Kyle didn’t relax his posture.

* * *

“CEO, CEO.”

Captain Marcus roughly opened the door to Kyle’s office and entered.

“Captain Marcus. What’s the matter?”

Dave, who was in the office, stood up immediately.

“Dave, are you alone? Where is the CEO?”

“Ah… He’s currently inspecting the event hall, but…”

Dave trailed off, watching Captain Marcus’s expression.

“The event hall? The event hall isn’t the problem right now. We have a big issue.”

“What? Has an accident occurred?”

Dave asked hurriedly with a surprised expression.

“That passenger in room 1305 has disappeared.”

Marcus said gravely.

“What? The passenger from room 1305?”

Dave’s eyes widened.

Marcus, who had been paying special attention to the ‘curse of the Jeina’, had secretly ordered the crew members to keep an eye on Kyle.

It was an order for special surveillance on the passenger in room 1305.

Even off-duty crew members were mobilized to monitor her every move, but suddenly they received a report that she had disappeared from the cocktail party she was attending.

Only the mobile phone she had been using was left on the table where she had been sitting.

Captain Marcus felt as if his heart had frozen the moment he heard those words.

Hoping that the unsavory incident he was anticipating wouldn’t happen, he issued secret orders to all crew members to find the passenger from room 1305.

But even after two hours, no one had found her.

Convinced that there must be a problem, Marcus decided it couldn’t be resolved at his level and immediately came to find Kyle.

“We need to check all the CCTV in the cabins first. Hurry and report this to the CEO.”

As the CEO’s permission was needed to check all the CCTV cameras filming inside the cabins, Marcus urgently requested Dave to do so.

But Dave’s expression wasn’t good.

“Why are you dawdling? I said to contact him right away.”

An impatient Marcus urged Dave.

“Um… Captain.”

Dave, unable to settle down, looked at Marcus with anxious eyes.

“What is it?”

“Actually… the CEO’s whereabouts have also been unknown for the past 2 hours.”

Dave broke the news with difficulty, sweating profusely.

At those words, Marcus’s face turned pale with shock.

“…Wh-what… did you just say?”