“Right after the shooting, the parade quickly left the scene of the incident. President Findel was immediately transported to a nearby hospital, but he suffered a fatal wound to the back of his head…”

 

The radio, which had been coming through clearly, suddenly cut off. 

 

Liliana, who had been sitting blankly, turned her body.

 

When had he come in so silently? Theodoro, who had pressed the radio button to turn it off, was crossing the waiting room for the performance and walking toward her.

 

“Why are you listening to something like this? What part of it is supposed to be pleasant?”

 

“Just… I need to know what happened.”

 

“You heard he died instantly. Isn’t that enough?”

 

Before she knew it, he had reached right in front of her and lifted the tip of her chin.

 

Tired-looking eyes thoroughly scanned every corner of her face. 

 

Even though his gaze seemed unfocused with those slightly upturned whites, it felt like he could see straight into her restless heart, so Liliana timidly averted her eyes.

 

By now, he should have known that avoiding him like this was pointless after everything they’d been through. Theodoro braced one arm against the vanity and leaned deeply toward her.

 

“The—Theodoro…?”

 

She called his name in bewilderment, but there was no way she could stop him. In an instant, Theodoro closed the distance and murmured in a low, rumbling voice.

 

“You really never listen to a word people say. This morning, the moment we opened our eyes, didn’t we promise? Just for today, let’s not pay attention to that matter.”

 

“Ah… y-yes, we did…”

 

That had been the original plan. She had intended to close her eyes and ears to it as if it were completely unrelated to her.

 

But it wasn’t working out the way she wanted. For some reason, like someone under a spell, she kept seeking out news about Findel. 

 

Perhaps because deep down she already knew—no matter how much she tried to avoid it, she could never truly escape it.

 

“Anyway… we’re going to have to face it eventually, aren’t we?”

 

“So? Does that make your heart feel at ease?”

 

“…”

 

No way. How could I possibly feel at ease?

 

Liliana shook her head bitterly to herself, then cautiously opened her mouth when she met Theodoro’s dry, emotionless gaze fixed on her.

 

“…What about you?”

 

At her question, Theodoro’s brows subtly furrowed. He was probably trying to figure out her intentions.

 

But even after thinking it over, he seemed unable to grasp it, so he raised one eyebrow slightly and asked in return.

 

“Hmm. You want me to be honest?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“I don’t know what kind of answer you’re hoping for… but people ask me this question all the time. The only difference is that the target this time is quite a big shot. To me, it doesn’t make any difference.”

 

“Ah… I see… Yeah, that makes sense.”

 

His voice held no warmth at all. 

 

Considering he had been living in the organization for nearly ten years, the answer wasn’t particularly surprising. 

 

Suddenly, all the strength drained from her body, and a hollow, self-mocking laugh leaked through her lips.

 

Yeah… I almost forgot for a moment, but this is the kind of man he is.

 

The way he deliberately sought out places with no TV or radio so she wouldn’t hear the news.

 

The way he suggested a morning walk in the park.

 

The way he took her out for a drive.

 

The way he passed right by the diner and instead ate fried chicken together in the spotless car, even prepared to let crumbs fall everywhere.

 

All those actions had been nothing more than consideration for Liliana.

 

His true nature hadn’t changed one bit from before.

 

‘Thank goodness…’

 

Even though a corner of her heart stung, she still thought it was a relief.

 

Because she could avoid attaching too much meaning to those heartwarming gestures. Because she could realize that no matter what he did for her, nothing would change.

 

And because, with that, she felt she could finally put the brakes on the feelings that kept slipping away uncontrollably.

 

Actually, this afternoon when I briefly stopped by home… I listened to the voice message Wayne left.

 

It said that Theodoro had his men threaten Demercy to leave, so he wouldn’t be able to see me for a while.

 

My heart sank as if it dropped to the floor, yet I still shamefully admit that I tried to rationalize it like an idiot.

 

That Theodoro had simply lost his mind to jealousy and was trying to drive him away.

 

But now, the truth I had refused to see back then finally became painfully clear.

 

No matter the reason, the fact that he had harmed Wayne.

 

This time it ended with threats, but just like in her previous life, it wouldn’t be strange at all if someday Wayne ended up as a cold corpse.

 

‘I… I had forgotten. Even after experiencing that… I got so swept away by the way he treated me kindly.’

 

Liliana put on a bitter smile at the corner of her lips and lightly brushed away the hand that had been holding her chin.

 

Theodoro stepped back with a slightly bewildered look as she put distance between them and rose from the chair.

 

“I have to… go to work now.”

 

Her statement, closer to a notice than anything else, seemed far from welcome—his eyes narrowed in displeasure.

 

He quickly grabbed the arm of Liliana as she started to move.

 

“If you want to rest, then rest. There’s no need to force yourself to sing—”

 

“No. It’s fine.”

 

Liliana gently removed Theodoro’s hand and lifted only the corners of her mouth into a neat, composed smile.

 

“You don’t have to worry.”

 

Theodoro couldn’t hold onto her any longer.

 

Seeing that smile which carried not a shred of sincerity, he froze as if turned to stone. She left the performance waiting room just like that and took hold of the microphone on the small stage hall.

 

She hadn’t asked with any particular intention, but after hearing Theodoro’s answer, the chaotic thoughts in her head finally felt calm.

 

All day long it had felt like she was wandering through confusion.

 

The assassination operation she had intervened in had ultimately succeeded, and the shocking news was now spreading across the entire world.

 

Yet her heart kept being endlessly shaken by Theodoro’s indifferent yet affectionate actions.

 

She feared she might end up being swallowed whole by the shadow cast by the mafia organization and Theodoro, leaving her with nowhere to place her heart.

 

Under the spotlight that illuminated her, Liliana felt the darkness slowly lifting away.

 

When she raised her head and looked at the blindingly bright light, a goal she hadn’t been able to see through the pitch-black vision stood there, embedded like a star.

 

Yes… Hadn’t she jumped into Findel’s assassination precisely to reach that star?

 

The path she had chosen—pushing herself into the abyss of evil—was absolutely not the one she intended.

 

‘Being swallowed by the shadows… That’s not going to happen.’

 

As the prelude to Nat King Cole’s Smile ended and she began singing the first verse, she thought to herself:

 

— Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it’s breaking. (Even if your heart aches, even if it feels like it’s breaking, just smile.)

 

The lyrics tell her to smile, but she decided she would never truly smile.

 

No matter how necessary it had been to participate in the assassination for the sake of her goal, she refused to use that as an excuse to lessen the guilt weighing on her conscience.

 

That was the vow Liliana made to herself.

 

She didn’t want to become someone who could do something this grave and feel nothing.

 

— Light up your face with gladness, hide every trace of sadness. (Brighten your face with joy, and hide every trace of sadness.)

 

She intended to grieve, to blame herself, and to fully bear the immense weight that the death of a single life carried.

 

And… in order to ensure that death would not be in vain, she would press forward unwaveringly toward the goal she had first set.

 

When she killed Antonio Benedetti, it had already been foreseen, but it was clear even then that she could never return to her previous life.

 

Now, more than ever, that was undeniable.

 

There was no turning back now.

 

Having come this far, she had no choice but to keep moving forward, eyes fixed only on the goal ahead.

 

She really had to.

 

‘Haa…’

 

It was around that moment, as she tried hard to gather her thoughts while gazing out at the hall.

 

At the end of her drifting gaze, Theodoro suddenly caught her eye. Unlike the bright spot where she stood, he was leaning against the darkest corner of the bar, arms crossed…

 

When she met those desolate eyes that had surely been watching her the entire time, for a moment her throat tightened completely.

 

— Smile, what’s the use of crying? (Smile, what’s the use of crying?)

 

Why on earth had she chosen this song as her first piece?

 

Even though she had barely managed to pull herself together, seeing that face made her feel like tears would spill out on a day like this.

 

💫

 

“It’s been a while since I last saw you. Your face looks completely worn out in the time I haven’t seen you.”

 

“Ah, haha… Is it that bad?”

 

“Something going on?”

 

“Nah, it’s nothing.”

 

Wayne gave a gentle smile toward the old man who was looking at him with worried eyes.

 

Even so, his pallid complexion remained unchanged, and Albert, the owner of the grocery store, clicked his tongue.

 

“Young man, come on. You’ve got to take care of your health.”

 

It was only natural, in a way, that he spoke with such concern.

 

For nearly ten days, Wayne had been buried in work with barely any time to sleep, and the aftermath was written plainly all over his face.

 

Still, Wayne thought this was the first peaceful day in a long time.

 

With a separate investigation team finally formed for the assassination case, he could breathe a little easier. 

 

Thanks to that, he even got off work on time and came to do some grocery shopping.

 

At least until someone caught sight of him.

 

Yes, he had thought it was a peaceful day.

 

“That guy over there… Isn’t that the one?”

 

“Huh?”

 

At that moment, John Bruno had come nearby on business regarding protection money and was leisurely smoking with his crew.

 

When the familiar, handsome face flickered in the distance, his eyes narrowed into slits.

 

The gang members who had turned to look around the grocery store along with him also furrowed their brows before one by one starting to recognize Wayne.

 

“What the fuck? He’s still hanging around here?”

 

“Man… this is insane. Look at that shameless bastard.”

 

They all began rolling up their sleeves without exception.

 

“No, don’t go.”

 

“Huh? You’re just gonna let him—”

 

“Stay here and wait.”

 

John Bruno took a deep drag from the cigarette he was holding, then roughly tossed it toward the ground.

 

After that, he started walking slowly toward the man who was absentmindedly picking out potatoes.

 

He had been carrying quite a bit of guilt anyway.

 

Wasn’t it because his wife Anna had unnecessarily recommended tango lessons to Liliana that all this mess had started?

 

On top of that, that very Liliana—or rather Moretti—had been the savior who personally bailed him out when he was locked up in jail like some nobody.

 

He owed her more than he could ever repay, so how could he just sit back and let some guy who was causing her trouble walk free?

 

‘It’s not like I’m taking the Benedetti name lightly. After getting beaten that badly, he should’ve learned his lesson by now.’