EPILOGUE Part  2

As Luca frantically searched for the florist’s phone number in his phonebook, he recalled a conversation he had with Anton two months ago.

[Silent Monster.]

That’s what Anton had called the boss. It was the boss’s nickname during his active duty with the Green Berets. 

Thinking about the evening when Anton had unexpectedly contacted him still sent chills down Luca’s spine.

― Luca!

As soon as the call connected, Anton’s gruff voice boomed as if on speaker mode.

[Anthony, my darling! What’s up at this hour?]

― Damn it, it’s Anton, not Anthony… Ah, never mind. Listen carefully.

[Hmm! I always listen to you, Anthony. Wait a sec! Daisy, not that color, the one I always use, Shellac No. 61, yes, that one.]

That day was Luca’s weekly appointment for a manicure and pedicure at the nail salon.

[Sorry, Anthony darling. What’s the call about—]

― Luca!! Please, just shut up and listen to me for a moment!

[Holy Mother of God! Why are you suddenly yelling?]

Luca grimaced and pulled the phone away from his ear, then put it back when he heard Anton’s heavy sigh.

― Listen carefully. The boss got into a fight with kidnappers who tried to abduct Rose and was shot. He’s been taken to the emergency room at Mount Sinai Hospital on 97th and 5th Avenue. Miss Minhee seems okay except for a slight injury to her side, and she just rode the ambulance with the boss. Thanks to the two of them risking their lives, Rose is safe. I’m taking her grandparents and Rose in a limousine to the Park Avenue penthouse now.

[…]

For the first time in his life, Luca was at a loss for words.

― Luca, are you listening?

[…Yes. I’m listening, go on.]

Luca’s voice trembled thinly, shocked.

― The boss left some instructions for you before getting in the ambulance. First, find and hire the most competent criminal lawyer in Manhattan. All three perpetrators will be charged with Class A-1 felony and first-degree kidnapping, aiming for the maximum sentence of 40 years. Although defending others falls within legal self-defense, they might sue the boss for excessive defense and assault, given his special forces background, so keep that in mind. Clear?

[Yes.]

― Second, relay to Kim Jun and the executive secretary that he might not be able to come to work for a few days. Clear?

[Clear.]

― Third, the boss’s phone was destroyed when the car he was driving hit the bumper of the car in front. Get a new phone set up and bring it with a work laptop to Mount Sinai Hospital tomorrow afternoon.

[Okay.]

― Lastly, go to the penthouse now and check if Rose and her grandparents need anything.

[Got it.]

― That’s all.

[Sob. Anton, is our boss in serious condition? …Is he going to die?]

Tears welled up uncontrollably.

What if these are the boss’s last instructions?

Wiping away the tears streaming down his face, Luca was surprised at how sad and heartbroken he felt. Apparently, he had grown more attached to the boss than he thought.

The man who seemed like a fossil trapped in ice had just started to become more human, and now, what if he goes like this? What about Rose, and Minhee…

And where will I find another boss who pays this much and requires minimal emotional labor?

A whirlwind of thoughts spun through Luca’s mind in that instant.

Anton snorted on the other end of the line.

― You think that Silent Monster would die from just two bullets? It’s not his first gunshot wound. This is the monster who survived even when his body was shredded by bomb shrapnel.

[…Silent Monster?]

Luca wiped his tears with his freshly manicured fingers. Hearing Luca sniffle over the phone, Anton’s tone softened slightly.

― That was the nickname the Green Beret A-Team gave the boss. Silent Monster. He’d quietly read books or scribble math problems all day, but turn into a monster in battle. I never thought I’d see that side of him again. If I had arrived a bit sooner, I could have joined in on the action.

[How did the boss know to go there? I thought he went to New Jersey for a meeting today. And what was Minhee doing there instead of Mei-ling?]

― I’ll give you the long story later. I don’t know why the boss showed up there. I dropped Mei-ling off at the hospital and headed to Randall’s Island when I heard a bang near the tennis courts and saw a tree fall. I thought there was an accident, but from a distance, I saw the boss’s car had crashed into the car in front. Then suddenly, he kicked open the crumpled driver’s door and started flying around. When I saw the guy from the other car shooting at the boss, I floored it and jumped out, but the situation was already over. Took about, what, 2 minutes to take down the kidnappers?

[2 minutes?! How did he take them down??]

― The guy beating Miss Minhee got a screwdriver in the shoulder and a cracked skull. Even if he recovers, he won’t be much of a person anymore. The shooter got shot in the wrist and went into shock from a severed artery. The woman in the passenger seat got slammed from behind by the car and had her head smashed against the windshield with a tree falling on top. Ha. He did all that in such a short time. That silent monster.

Goosebumps started on Luca’s arms and spread to his scalp.

Luca already knew Taejun was a special forces veteran deployed in actual war, but to him, it was just a line on a resume.

As a boss, Baek Taejun was extremely rational and cold, so much so that Luca sometimes wondered if he was incapable of feeling emotions. 

The mysterious aura that made people tremble at a glance or a word was always a mystery. Luca felt like he finally found the answer. But anyway…

[Woman? Was there a woman among the kidnappers?]

― Yeah. According to the boss, she used to work as Rose’s weekend nanny for a short time.

[Weekend nanny?? Wait a minute, what was that lunatic’s name… Chloe??]

― I don’t know her name, but she was a young woman. Her forehead was smashed, and her nose was broken, so I didn’t get a good look at her face. Oh, she had long brown hair.

[Oh. My. God. Chloe! That woman should be torn limb from limb and ground to dust!!]

― Whoa… Okay. Anyway. That’s all the instructions. You have a lot to do. Take care.

[Wait!!]

― What! Why!

[Anthony darling, so what was your nickname during your Green Beret days?]

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

― …Boulder.

As soon as Luca couldn’t hold back his laughter, the call abruptly ended.

Since that day, Luca had been incredibly busy carrying out the boss’s instructions.

Rose’s grandparents requested that she be taken to Korea as soon as possible to ensure her safety. So he moved their flight to Korea, originally scheduled for a week later, to the next day and assisted with their departure.

The next day, Luca visited the hospital with a new phone and work laptop. He opened the door to the VIP room, bracing for the worst, expecting to see the boss hooked up to tubes and medications.

The beds lined up were empty.

Across from the beds, a man and a woman in hospital gowns sat entwined on the sofa, passionately kissing, oblivious to his entrance.

More than the sight of the two seemingly fine individuals, Luca was stunned by the scene he never expected to witness while working as Taejun’s secretary.

The man, who was like a snow-covered iceberg in midwinter, could kiss so hotly, sexily, and passionately.

‘Minhee, you lucky one.’

Luca, who had been watching them for a moment, raised his fist to his mouth to announce his presence with a cough, but his jaw dropped when he saw something glittering.

A large, dazzling diamond ring was on Minhee’s slender finger wrapped around the boss’s neck. Without realizing it, he squealed.

[Ack!! Boss! Minhee! Congratulations on your engagement!!]

* * *

A sleek black luxury sedan came to a stop in front of the stately building on Park Avenue, heated by the midsummer afternoon sun.

A tall man with broad shoulders opened the backseat door and extended his long legs. The man was neatly dressed in a sharply tailored dark navy suit and a well-tied tie.

At first glance, he appeared to be an impeccably sophisticated businessman, but when he looked up, the scar running from his forehead across his eyebrow aroused curiosity above his sharp eyes and defined nose.

The man, who had exited the car and squared his shoulders, walked with a no-nonsense stride. His commanding presence seemed to cool the air around him, creating an impression of lowered temperature.

He carried a fresh bouquet of yellow tulips and a shopping bag with a famous jeweler’s logo embossed in gold.

[Welcome home, Mr. Baek!]

With a polite welcome from the doorman, Taejun entered the revolving door. Striding briskly past the concierge desk like a sharp breeze, he stood in front of the private elevator to the penthouse, impatiently pressing the button repeatedly.

As soon as the elevator chimed and the doors opened, Taejun stepped out into the entrance, hastily inserting and twisting the key with eager hands.

Stepping inside, Taejun looked around as if searching for something and then paused.

An envelope tied with a ribbon lay on the bench in the entrance hall.