Her Tempestuous Villain

Sunye hesitated before typing in the passcode. SD had left the office early which was worrying her. After what he told her about Song Tamlin's map, she could not help but wonder what was the relationship between them. She knew that they had worked together on various tasks related to their businesses but that was it.

Were they so close that Song Tamlin would give away the map of the most secure prison in the country to SD?

She took a deep breath and entered the house. It was shrouded in darkness so she switched on the lights only to be startled. SD was sitting on a couch, drinking whiskey. He needed a lot of drinks to brace himself for what he was about to tell her.

"Are you drunk?" Sunye asked, putting her bag aside.

"On the contrary, I feel more sober than ever," he mused. "Sit."

Sunye slowly sat on a couch opposite to him, waiting for him to speak.

"What do you know about me, Han Sunye?" SD asked, sipping his drink. He was casually leaning back against the couch, staring at her with his lazy eyes.

"Just that your surname is Kim," she stated. "And…"

Sunye trailed off. What else did she know about him? She was sure that he was not referring to the likes and dislikes he had divulged to her but his question had a deeper meaning.

"That you're unpredictable," she finally said. "No one can read your mind and also, you are trying to achieve a seemingly impossible goal."

"Do you think I can kill someone, Sunye?" SD asked.

Sunye felt her heart skip several beats. Her palms were getting sweaty and she was suddenly very nervous. Could he? Could he really kill someone?

Yes. The sly voice in her head was egging her. He can kill someone.

"You're hesitating," SD noted. "It means that you think I can kill someone."

Sunye looked away, feeling guilty. She should have had more faith in him. How could she even think that he could kill?

"You're right," SD confirmed. "I can kill someone. In fact, I killed many people."

He spoke as if commenting on the weather. Sunye was not entirely shocked but she felt something in her go cold. Her brain was trying to process the dilemma she was now in, torn between her work as a lawyer and SD's lover.

He had said something which she knew all along but either shut it away or simply did not want to face it.

"Why are you telling me this now?" she whispered, her voice cracking from the pressure she felt.

"Because now, you're an accomplice," he pointed out. "And you'll have to do what I want you to do."

"Did you kill Song Tamlin?" she blurted out.

"Yes," SD said. "I did. I poisoned his drink and made him drink it."

"Why?" Sunye demanded. "Why did you kill him?"

SD eyed her for a while before saying, "I had a deal with him. Once we were done helping your brother, I'll kill him."

"Huh?" Sunye frowned. "That makes no sense! Why will Song Tamlin make such a deal? His wife was dead and his daughter was mentally challenged! How could he simply agree to let you kill him?"

"Years ago, Tamlin made a mistake," SD said. "And if you knew Tamlin, you're aware that the man might have been a criminal but not a scum. He wouldn't hurt innocent people. But he did. Unknowingly, but there was a time when he hurt innocent people. And it was his guilt which drove him to make a deal with me. You see, I'm the living example of his guilt."

"So you killed him?" Sunye echoed.

"Yes," SD replied. "Poured the poison in front of him and he drank it. I tried to make it painless for him since he was truly feeling remorse."

Sunye was about to let out a sigh of relief. "That's a suicide," she reasoned. "Not a murder-"

"And then there was the President of Country I…" SD went on. "Rihan. He wasn't easy to assassinate. Had to use a hooker to kill him. Took me a few months but I managed to get rid of him. And got that list from him too. The suppliers' list."

Now Sunye was truly shocked. Assassination? He carried out an international crime?

SD was observing her reactions. Sunye was conflicted over the many revelations, unsure of how to react. He was well aware that she was confused and scared. As a lawyer, she was bound to the law and now, she was being an accomplice to his many grave crimes.

"But that's not all," she finally said. "There's more. There are more body counts."

She looked at him, silently demanding the answer.

"Lim Byungsoo," he revealed. "I was the one who broke into the prison to kill him. Not Hyun."

Sunye's hands were now shaking but she held them together to hide her nervousness. She took a deep breath, trying to figure out why he did all this.

"You never work without a reason," Sunye stated. "If you killed them, there's a reason behind them. Song Tamlin was a suicide no matter how I look at it. But not Rihan and Byungsoo. What are your reasons to kill them?"

Sunye was giving him the benefit of doubt. She was sure that their deaths were somehow related to the goal SD was trying to achieve. Even if he was secretive, they had come a long way. He must tell her why he was doing all this and what he was trying to achieve.

SD glanced at his watch.

"Confession time is over, Sunye," he said. "Today is not the day for you to find out my real motive."

"You have to tell me!" she demanded. "Why are you going on a killing spree? What are you trying to achieve here? I know those men are not innocent in any way but they were also people! If you're systematically killing them then there must be a reason!"

"If you can manage to give this map to Jonghyun…" SD began. He took out the map from his pocket and pushed it forward.

"I'll tell you the whole truth," he promised. "Whatever you want to know. You have only…"

He glanced at his watch again. "Twenty four hours," he stated. "Make sure he gets the map."

Sunye took the map from his hand and stared at it. This thing was the key to solve the mystery known as SD. It was her only chance.

SD got off the chair and was about to walk away when Sunye said, "If you lie to me, I'll leave this place and never see you again."

He turned around and they looked at each other, their hearts mixed with complicated feelings. Sunye meant her words. This was a test of trust and both of them must pass it.

"And if you fail this test, you'll never see me again," he promised.

With that, he walked away, leaving her behind once again.