Ensnared by the Trap (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
“It’s an earring that has that kind of meaning. That earring is really, really precious to me.”
Kyle was still listening to Se Hee’s story about the lost earring even though he wasn’t particularly curious.
Just how many times was she going to repeat the same thing?
The moment he got out of here, his first priority would definitely be finding that earring.
“You have no idea how much I agonized over it with the money I earned from my very first part-time job. The price back then was…….”
“I’ll definitely find that earring for you.”
Kyle, unable to bear it any longer, declared firmly.
“Huh? Really? You’re actually a much nicer person than I thought, Mr. Graham.”
Se Hee’s face lit up as she scooted closer.
“I just couldn’t see any sign of you ever stopping talking if I didn’t find it for you.”
At Kyle’s reply, Se Hee’s expression instantly crumpled.
So.
It wasn’t out of pure kindness—he was saying he’d find it because he didn’t want to listen anymore?
“It’s fine. I’ll look for it myself. And from now on, I’ll keep my mouth completely shut.”
Upset, Se Hee pouted and turned away.
“No, I’ll definitely find it for you.”
“I said it’s fine.”
“I promise I’ll find it.”
Kyle’s voice grew stronger and stronger, as if he were making a vow.
What’s wrong with this guy?
He’s obsessed over the weirdest thing.
Se Hee stared at Kyle in disbelief.
At that moment, with a loud creaking sound, the hull suddenly tilted heavily to one side.
It was Se Hee’s first time on a cruise ship, and the unfamiliar swaying threw her body completely off balance; her face turned pale.
“Kyaaah!”
Startled out of her wits, Se Hee screamed and threw herself into Kyle’s arms like lightning.
Kyle looked down with a flustered expression at Se Hee, who was clinging tightly to his waist and trembling.
Was she this terrified?
Could it be that she had been talking nonstop to hide her fear?
Kyle suddenly felt sorry for misunderstanding the frightened Se Hee.
Given the size of the ship, it usually barely moved even inal waves, but it seemed the waves were quite high today.
Just as he was about to pat her back to comfort her, the feel of her smooth skin under the deeply cut back of her dress made Kyle’s hand freeze.
Kyle took off his suit jacket and carefully draped it over Se Hee’s shoulders.
“The Decora Ho of Evans Shipping Company was built from start to finish by Royden, the finest shipbuilding company in the UK, and we can proudly say it’s the safest in terms of safety.”
His large hand grasped Se Hee’s shoulder and slowly helped her stand.
“And the special material used for the hull was introduced for the first time in British history. Developed with the full support of the Evans Group, unofficial data shows that material isn’t easily damaged even by reefs or glaciers.”
Kyle’s deep-sea-like eyes met Se Hee’s directly.
“So don’t worry. This ship is stronger and safer than any other. And if anything does happen… I’ll save you.”
His serious gaze.
His low voice seemed to carry powerful strength.
When he said that, Se Hee really felt reassured.
The trembling in her shoulders slowly subsided.
Se Hee, who had been staring blankly at Kyle, slowly pulled away from him.
“…Sorry for screaming. I kept imagining scary things. But hearing you say that really puts me at ease.”
Se Hee wiped her slightly damp eyes and gave a faint smile.
The way she forced a bright expression somehow made Kyle feel uncomfortable.
“Actually, I was scared from the beginning. I really hate being trapped in dark, small spaces like this.”
When Se Hee was young at the orphanage, whenever she did something wrong, she was always locked alone in a tiny storage room.
She couldn’t leave that small, musty-smelling space until the darkness grew thick.
That’s probably why she was so afraid of dark, cramped places.
And to top it off, they were inside a hatch with a watertight door.
For Se Hee, who couldn’t even swim, it was a horrifying space.
But at least today, she felt she could endure the fear of this place a little.
She had thought his sharp gaze meant his body temperature would be cold too, but the hand that had wrapped around her shoulders had transmitted warm heat.
A refreshing scent from the man close to her pleasantly filled the air.
Even though it was a subtle fragrance, Se Hee felt dizzy, almost addicted.
Kyle finally realized one more thing he had misunderstood.
When they first got trapped, the “bad kind” Se Hee had mentioned might not have been about him, but about this space itself.
“I have one more piece of good news. The patrol team will arrive in five minutes.”
Feeling sorry for misunderstanding the terrified Se Hee, Kyle spoke gently to reassure her.
For the first time, smiling at Se Hee.
* * *
They checked all the CCTV footage, but neither the passenger from room 1305 nor Kyle could be found anywhere.
“Damn it.”
Marcus spat out an irritated curse.
“Where the hell are we supposed to start looking?”
“The last sighting of the two was at the cocktail party, so we should recheck the surrounding areas first.”
Dave, sitting beside him, also let out a heavy sigh.
With a worried expression, he asked the crew member waiting in front of the monitor to check the CCTV again.
“No. We need to search the sea immediately. If we request rescue from headquarters right now, we should get a quick response from the Greek navy.”
Marcus spoke decisively, as if he had already made up his mind.
“Contacting headquarters is a decision for the CEO to make. Please wait a moment.”
“How long?! The CEO is missing right now. Do we have to wait until their bodies float up in the sea before we start rescue operations?”
Marcus roared ferociously at Dave, who had dared to object.
“Captain! Watch your words. The CEO is not the kind of person who would irresponsibly disappear. There must be a reason.”
Dave spoke up in defense of Kyle.
“And as you know, in emergency situations, I am delegated authority as the CEO’s proxy. Please don’t forget that contacting headquarters is impossible without my permission.”
Dave refused to back down any further.
Although the CCTV couldn’t clearly track the two, Dave was certain at least that they hadn’t jumped into the sea.
That’s why he pushed his opinion even harder.
“What reason? We’ve mobilized every regular crew member to search the ship, and they still haven’t been found anywhere. Give me exactly one more hour. If we can’t find them after that, we’ll stop the ship immediately and begin rescue operations.”
Captain Marcus spoke almost like a threat and stormed out of the office.
“Sigh, where on earth are you, CEO?”
Dave slammed the desk with a grim expression.
* * *
Let alone five minutes, more than thirty minutes had already passed.
Since the time Kyle had confidently reassured Se Hee.
The patrol team should have come to check this place exactly thirty minutes ago.
Could they have touched the regular personnel deployment just to find the missing him?
Dave, who knew his personality, would never have done that.
Then it must be the captain?
The captain’s stubborn expression flashed through Kyle’s mind.
“…It feels like more than five minutes have passed…”
Se Hee, who had completely believed his words, began to grow anxious.
Kyle’s expression also darkened.
“Precisely thirty minutes have passed.”
“Th-then did the patrol team already pass by? They should have at least knocked to see if anyone was here, but they must have missed it. What do we do? Oh no.”
Se Hee made a tearful face.
“They haven’t come.”
Kyle’s voice dropped even lower than before.
“…They didn’t come?”
Se Hee asked with desperate eyes, hoping he would say no.
“For now, it seems we need to find another way.”
A bolt from the blue came out of his mouth.
Shocked, Se Hee collapsed right where she was.
“We’re… not going to die like this, right?”
“If I were going to die from something like this, I wouldn’t be in this world anymore.”
“…Huh?”
Se Hee looked at Kyle with a startled expression.
“So trust me. Anyway, the only person you can trust in here is me, right?”
Saying that, Kyle immediately began examining the interior.
How many people could respond this calmly in a situation like this?
Se Hee was simply amazed at how composed he was acting, as if it were nothing.
“What are you doing? Should I help?”
Seeing Kyle take action so proactively, rather than feeling anxious, Se Hee felt a stronger urge to find a way to help him.
“If you spot anything that looks like a vent, let me know.”
With that, the tall Kyle took charge of the ceiling area, while Se Hee was assigned to check the upper parts connected to the ceiling.
“This seems to be it.”
Not long after, Kyle found the ventilation shaft.
But the vent cover was firmly sealed.
Kyle unfastened his cufflinks one by one, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and found a stable position to pull the vent panel with both hands.
Then he yanked the panel with all his strength.
Once, twice.
Finally, on the third try.
With a loud creak, the ventilation shaft opened wide.
In the atmosphere that felt like it deserved a standing ovation, Se Hee clasped her hands together and looked at him with an expression of pure admiration.
But as he lowered his arms, his brow slightly furrowed.
“Are you hurt? Does it hurt a lot? Of course it does—you ripped it off with your bare hands when there were screws.”
With a worried face, Se Hee quickly approached and grabbed his arm.
“I’m fine…”
Kyle flinched and tried to pull his caught arm away.
“Fine? I can tell it hurts. Stop that and stretch your arm out.”
“I told you I’m fine.”
But Kyle turned serious and shook off Se Hee’s hand.
When he spoke so firmly, Se Hee couldn’t say anything more.
“Are we escaping through there?”
Feeling awkward, Se Hee peered into the vent.
“Both of us trying to fit in there seems impossible.”
“Then why?”
“We need to send a signal for escape. Like this.”
Tap tap tap.
Kyle knocked on the inside of the vent at regular intervals.
“What’s that?”
“Morse code.”
“Mo-Morse what? You don’t mean the S.O.S from really old spy movies? People still use that now?”
Wasn’t that a long-disappeared symbol that only existed in very old movies?
Se Hee looked at Kyle in disbelief.
“In extreme situations, it’s sometimes used as a last resort. Sound traveling upward through the pipes can carry surprisingly far, but with the current engine noise being so loud, it probably won’t be heard.”
Kyle sighed and checked the vent again.
“If we’re lucky, someone might hear it.”
“I’m… not really the lucky type.”
At Kyle’s words, Se Hee’s expression immediately darkened.
She had never once had the luck to meet new parents at the orphanage.
“In my opinion, Miss Lee Se Hee seems like the luckiest person in the world.”
Watching Se Hee’s changing expression, Kyle spoke with certainty.
“Huh? Me? Why?”
Se Hee looked at Kyle with surprised eyes.
“Because you met me.”
His deep eyes gazed down at Se Hee.
In that moment, Se Hee’s heart thudded.
“Wh-what are you saying.”
Worried she might have been found out.
Se Hee looked away, pretending otherwise.
Because of that, she didn’t see the corner of Kyle’s mouth lift slightly.
Kyle reached as deep as possible into the vent and continued sending the signal for a while.
“Let’s switch. A lot of time has passed. Your arm must be killing you. And I’m worried about your injured arm too.”
Se Hee, who had been sitting to the side watching him the whole time, approached Kyle.
“I can still endure it.”
“Don’t be stubborn—switch with me. If you collapse from the pain too, Mr. Graham, I’ll really be scared.”
At Se Hee’s genuinely worried and anxious eyes, Kyle hesitated for a moment before stepping away from the vent.
“Shall I rest a bit then?”
“You worked hard.”
The moment he stepped out, Se Hee boldly approached, grabbed his arm without hesitation, and started massaging it, making Kyle flinch and pull back.
“Your arm is completely stiff. And it’s the injured one too—of all directions. You have no idea how nervous I was watching. Look, it’s all knotted up and won’t loosen.”
Se Hee even clicked her tongue and frowned.
“…That’s… usually called well-maintained muscle.”
Kyle said meaningfully.
“Ah… muscle. No wonder.”
Se Hee’s face instantly turned red as she jumped up and headed toward the vent.
“I have a good idea. The echo here should carry pretty far too, right?”
“Probably?”
The moment Kyle finished speaking, Se Hee started yelling “Help!” into the vent at the top of her lungs, as if it were a speaker.
But soon her throat clogged and she started coughing.
Kyle watched her bizarre behavior with a puzzled look, his brow slightly furrowing.
“This probably isn’t great, right? I have to think of Mr. Graham’s precious ears too. Singing would be better. Something with long lyrics?”
Se Hee began singing the only song she knew all four verses of.
“The waters of the East Sea and Mount Baekdu shall endure until they dry and wear away~ May God protect and preserve us…….”
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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