“Thank you for your hard work, Vivian.”

On the way back after successfully confining the silver-haired, blue-eyed handsome man in the room.

Ren greeted me warmly and seated me on a chair piled high with plush cushions.

Due to the interference of the investigators, I used my ability a bit longer than usual today.

I took out a small circular metal watch from my pocket.

‘I used it for about 3 minutes.’

This watch was a timer to measure the time I used my ability.

The longer the ability was used, the more it drained my physical strength.

So I always had to carry this watch to prevent a situation where my energy would be completely depleted.

‘Honestly, even using it for just 3 minutes is too tiring, but…’

I sat down on the chair, practically lying on it, releasing all the tension in my body.

Ren offered me orange juice with ice cubes floating in it, which he had prepared at some point.

The tangy fruit juice went down my throat with big gulps.

“Phew, now I feel a bit more alive.”

It was a moment of relaxation I hadn’t felt in a long time. Recently, I hadn’t been able to rest properly due to Dietrich’s interference.

“You’ve been looking tired lately, so I prepared something refreshing on purpose. I’m glad you like it.”

I felt a bit more energized as the vitamins were replenished.

“Finish your drink and rest well. I’ll take care of the rest, Vivian.”

“Ah, no. I feel energized after drinking this. Besides, I should work while that guy is behaving. I’ll check on the status of the confined targets.”

I looked at the wall filled with video devices.

The screens on the left showed the view of Hildes Street, while those on the right displayed the rooms where the targets were confined.

‘Well, let’s observe what the kidnapped handsome men are up to.’

First, my eyes fell on Dietrich’s room. As promised, he was quietly reading a book in his room.

‘To think that guy is actually keeping his promise… Honestly, it’s unexpected.’

Next, I turned my attention to the room of the man I kidnapped today.

He was a handsome man with silver hair and blue eyes, exuding a sharp aura.

Given his appearance that would fit well in a tragic novel, I had an inner expectation that he might be Callys.

However, I soon witnessed an unexpected scene.

‘Why do my uneasy premonitions never miss?’

I put my hand to my forehead, seeing the man’s bewildering behavior.

Somehow, the silver-haired man was staring directly at the hidden surveillance device.

With a grin, he spread out a white paper with both hands.

I read the large text written on it.

Vivian, I came to see you♥

Only the last heart next to the black letters was colored in deep pink.

I couldn’t help but sigh at this headache-inducing situation.

Apparently, the man I had just kidnapped seemed to be a very familiar figure to both Ren and me.

“Melphis, that bastard again…”

I felt like crying at the realization that the person we had brought in with such effort was him.

So, Melphis was the fifth person I had kidnapped, and he had a very unique appearance.

A hairstyle that looked like it had sky-blue bridge dyeing between strands of pink hair.

With transparent sky-blue eyes and snow-white skin, he had an overall cotton candy-like image.

As you can see, his appearance was more suited for a romantic comedy heroine than a tragic novel’s male lead.

That’s why I initially hesitated whether to kidnap him or not, but I brought him in just in case.

Really… I didn’t know then. I didn’t know he would be such a troublesome man.

After the first kidnapping, Melphis wandered around Hildes Street in disguise.

It was solely for the purpose of being kidnapped by me again.

Each time, I fell for it and brought him in, and around the 20th day of confinement, he would reveal his true identity through the surveillance device by removing his disguise.

At that moment, I recalled the first time I kidnapped him.

It was about two weeks after I had confined him in the room.

Ren had gone out somewhere briefly, and I was catching some sleep alone in the hideout when he suddenly woke me up.

We had set up a system that would sound an alarm if the handsome men escaped, but I still wonder how he managed to get out so quietly.

Anyway, he woke me up and begged to chat.

I didn’t want to comply with such an absurd request, but I fell for his promise not to report me.

After chatting for about two hours, he smiled brightly as if refreshed and said goodbye, saying he would go back now.

“It was a fun time. See you again, Vivian.”

It was a casual farewell, but I was startled. I had never told him my name.

“How did you know my name…”

“Hm? It’s written right there.”

Melphis pointed at my hand. I was holding a document with my name written on it.

‘What’s this? This document was definitely put away in the drawer.’

But before I could feel the strangeness, Melphis winked cheerfully and went outside.

I thought that would be the end of our relationship, but…

‘To think he would come to see me even in disguise.’

It would have been fine if it was just once or twice, but including this time, it’s already the tenth time.

When I kidnapped him for the fourth time, I was so frustrated that I asked why he was doing this.

His answer then was really…

“I’m interested in Vivian.”

Seeing his face blushing shyly while spouting nonsense, I felt so annoyed.

The problem is that there’s no way to distinguish whether the target is Melphis or not.

His disguise was so meticulous that it was suspicious.

“Shall I go and drive him out?”

Ren asked with a gentle smile, but I could read the displeasure hidden behind it.

‘He particularly dislikes Melphis.’

Well, I understand. There has been quite a loss of property and manpower during the ten times we’ve kidnapped him.

“It’s fine. I’ll go myself. He came to see me anyway.”

I immediately headed towards the room where Melphis would be.

After opening the door with six locks, I scanned the silver-haired man up and down with half-open eyes.

Deep blue eyes like the deep sea. Sharp eyes with shadows cast over them. A nose bridge that looked like it could cut.

The man with an overall cold image had a completely different appearance from the Melphis I knew.

However, seeing his annoyingly bright smile, I was once again convinced that he was Melphis.

“Melphis, is it you again?”

When I asked in an exasperated tone, the man’s blue eyes narrowed mischievously.

“I’ve been waiting.”

His face looked so happy as he said this, as if something good had happened to him.

Despite the fact that he was actually in a situation of being kidnapped and confined.

“I was worried you might not recognize my disguise and stop catching me, but it still works. I’m glad, Vivian.”

“Are you trying to provoke me?”

When I glared at him with narrowed eyes, he laughed as if he was enjoying it.

“Of course not. What would I gain from teasing you, Vivian? I’m busy trying to build up your affection.”

I snorted at his glib behavior.

“Again, again. You always say that. If you want to court me, you should come see me directly. Who uses such extreme methods?”

“Does that mean you’ll accept if I ask you out on a date? Can I get my hopes up?”

“As if. You sure talk well, don’t you?”

Looking at his shameless face, I shrugged my shoulders.

‘I really can’t understand his true intentions.’

He says he has romantic interest in me, but is that even possible?

I’m a criminal who kidnapped him, after all.

At first, I even followed him, wondering if he had some other motive, but it was fruitless.

‘It only became more suspicious.’

Despite being kidnapped multiple times, Melphis had never once reported it to the Security Office.

‘Even if he promised me, who would actually keep such a promise?’

But it doesn’t matter now. I just need to stop kidnapping him from now on.

‘Today, I’m going to unravel the secret of that disguise.’

I took two more steps towards Melphis and reached out my hand.

“Bring your face closer. I need to figure out how you transform like this.”

Surprisingly, he obediently brought his face closer.

I brushed back his hair.

The hair that was too soft and fluttering to be a wig could be said to be identical to human hair.

I tried to find the boundary between the wig and his real hair, but there was none.

Next, I touched his eyebrows.

Eyebrows can’t be changed with something like a wig, so how could he create such an elaborate disguise?

I even pressed the tip of his nose, but all I could feel was cartilage.

I cupped his cheeks with both hands and pulled his face closer.

Where did his original sky-blue eyes go? Not even contact lenses were visible over the sea-colored irises.

Even when I rubbed his skin with my fingers, not a trace of makeup came off.

‘How is this even possible?’

I stood with my mouth agape, continuing to knead his face, bewildered by his eerily elaborate disguise.

But then.

“The disguise is just an excuse, and you actually just wanted to touch my face, right? Be honest, Vivian. If you say yes, I’ll be really thrilled.”

Where did such nonsense come from?

My hands, which were holding his cheeks, naturally tightened.

“Ow! It hurts, it hurts!”

I glared at Melphis and loosened my grip.

His cheeks swelled up red in the shape of my hands.

“I knew it, but you really are strong, Vivian.”

“If you know that, shouldn’t you behave yourself?”

“I tend to be attracted to strong women. The more you do that, the more charming you become to me.”

I gave up, seeing his attitude that couldn’t come to its senses even after being manhandled by me.

That’s when it happened.

The closed door opened, and Ren came in.

“Ren? What’s the matter?”

“There’s a problem with the device. I think you need to check it yourself, Vivian.”

I opened my eyes wide at the sudden statement and asked.

“With the device? Is it serious?”

“It seems so. I checked it, but I’m not sure what the cause is.”

For the all-solving Ren to say he doesn’t know.

Thinking it might be a serious issue, I felt a sense of urgency.

“I’ll go check right away. I’ll leave Melphis to you. Get him out quickly.”

“Yes! Leave it to me.”

As I was quickly heading out of the room, I paused for a moment. I had forgotten to say goodbye to Melphis.

“Melphis, see you next time! No, let’s not see each other again!”

After shouting that, I quickly ran to the monitoring room.