193 I hope that you will find me cute

the air is wet and cool after the light rain. two hello kitties, one short and the other tall, walk awkwardly in the crowded street. their bottom paws are getting dirty. the two men are walking only a little ahead of them. ren sighs when he notices the gazes and whispers. some people are even taking pictures. why did she send hello kitties costumes? this is embarrassing beyond words.

he is already on the verge of crying when a boy appears out of nowhere and slaps his chest. hello kitty theme song starts to play, attracting more attention. they are surrounded by people.

nina is already on her limit. the song is pretty annoying. children start to gather and dance, urging them to dance too. "hello kitty, dance!"

"this stupid dance... i will kill rie," nina growls. that woman is having fun, isn't she? 

"kitty, dance with us." the little girl raises her arms and sways her hips. her mother giggles from the sidelines while holding a phone in her hand. she's clearly taking a video. 

the two men shake their heads at them. they don't know how to react. they have to wait until they can get out of there.

ren gives into the children's demand in the end. he copies their actions and starts laughing. nina rolls her eyes. there's no escape. she waves her arms up and down, making the little girl laugh. a smile forms on her lips. she looks at ren who clearly enjoys dancing like an idiot with the kids. she can hear him laughing too. it's ridiculous, but it's making her forget her worries. the more she gets to know him, the more she feels that she doesn't deserve a man like him. perhaps, that's why she fell for him. he's someone who fought an assassin with a bottle of urine when he could have run away. he's someone who came back for her when he knew how dangerous it was. he's also the first person who offered to be her friend.

in this moment, the past is forgotten and the future hasn't arrived. it's only the present. she's dancing with the man she loves and the little kids who are yet to be corrupted by the world. this happiness is contagious, affecting everyone who is watching them as if they are all under a spell. she laughs, but her eyes are crying. however, those aren't the tears of pain or sadness. for the first time, she's crying because she's happy. 

the song ends and the tall hello kitty grabs the paw of the shorter hello kitty to escape. the children wave them goodbye. the two men sigh and continue walking. nina is still laughing. ren's heart becomes warm when he hears her laugh that sounds like the ringing of the bells. he leans down and kisses her head, though their heads are covered. 

nina blushes and looks up at him. this man will be the death of her.

all of a sudden, she grabs his arms and moves him around. ren chuckles. is she still in the mood of dancing?

the deafening sound of gunshots is heard. his mind turns blank. nina wraps her arms around him and pushes him down. the two men shoot at the sniper.

yuan bo looks through the scope and focuses on the men next. with another shot, the bearded man is down. the short man hides behind the car. he aims for the sniper hidden in the window. in the next instant, the bullet pierces the spot between his brows. the man's body drops to the ground like a broken doll.

"nina..." she's lying unmoving on top of his body. ren can smell the blood. he turns her over and removes the head mask. he can hear the sound of her laboured breathing. he can't wrap his mind around it. how did this happen so suddenly? 

in the eye scope, yuan bo can see ren's head. he wonders if he should finish this man. should he teach instant a lesson? he is only supposed to finish off nina. maddox only wants to take care of the useless paw. he can't understand maddox's interest in rie. after rie destroyed the dh, maddox's obsession became worse.

then, there's a war in the future. everything is at stake. he doesn't want to admit it, but rie can become a strong shield for the heir when the battle starts. rie is an emotional woman and emotions can be controlled.

just then, his phone rings. he straightens up. ren will live today.

"i guess that you are going to die a virgin." nina lets out a laugh that ends up with her coughing out blood. in the end, it's someone else's bullet that kills her. how long does she have?

her only consolation is...

"help!" he screams. the street is quiet. there are two dead bodies only three meters away from them. he reaches for the zipper. he must stop the blood first. "hold on. don't die, nina. you can't die. you have to live. please."

...is that she can see him frantically trying to save her.

"this must be god's punishment for deleting your porn," her voice is growing faint. she smiles at him. should she tell him that she loves him? will he take her seriously in her last moments? 

"shut up." ren yells at her, "don't speak. don't make it worse."

she won't say it. she will keep her pride and die as a woman who likes to seduce men. she closes her eyes as a teardrop slowly leaves the corner of her eye.

"i hope that you will find me cute in the next life."

the smile hasn't vanished from her lips. ren rocks her hard, not wanting to accept the meaning of her stillness. he checks her breathing. he presses his ear to her chest. there's no sign of life. the emptiness fills his heart.

he sits beside her. his body becomes as still as hers. the rain is falling again, washing away the blood.

"i am sorry that i lied to you." ren kisses her cold lips. "you are cute, nina-chan. you are cute. you affected my heart many times. you succeeded in making me fall for you. wake up now. stop this act. i know that you are pretending, nina-chan. open your eyes. i won't lie to you anymore."

the sound of rain mingles with the sound of muffled pleadings, but the woman doesn't open her eyes ever again.