Soo-min's POV:
I run down the street, barely seeing where I'm going.
I've always known he's a monster. I knew exactly what I signed up for. I even asked some of his exes to prepare myself for how to anticipate his moods, how to avoid triggering his wrath. I know it's hard to satisfy his needs, and I know how dangerous it is to fail at meeting his impossible expectations.
Luckily, I'm good at enduring humiliation. I can tolerate cheating. I can take a lot as long as I stay safe.
At least, safer than I would be anywhere else.
I press my fingers to my cheek, hiding the swelling. I don't want others to see me like this.
When I found out Seok-ho would be away on a business trip for a few days, I thought I'd finally be able to breathe.
But it's been anything but peaceful.
I just can't seem to satisfy Tae-Jin demands recently, no matter how hard I try.
He rarely got physical before. Only the last few days. This was the first time a slap had been violent enough to leave a mark.
Until now, I had miraculously managed not to push him too far.
But this time, I messed up.
He asked me to take one of his more delicate suits to the dry cleaner. A rare, custom-made piece, fastened with intricate buttons. On the way home, one had come loose. I hadn't noticed until it was too late. One of those precious buttons… gone.
Tae-Jin had exploded.
He'd screamed that I was careless. That I didn't respect his things.
Then he hit me.
And I ran.
Not away from him.
No. I ran to find it.
I retraced every step I had taken. Scanning the sidewalk, crawling on my hands and knees through dark patches where the streetlights can't reach. My palms scraped against the cold ground.
Suddenly, I hear footsteps.
Closing in.
I recognize the shoes.
I freeze. I must just imagine it.
"Soo-min. There you are," a raw voice says, amused. "I should've known to look for you on the ground, crawling like a dog."
The man chuckles, then grabs my arm and yanks me roughly to my feet.
"Look at that bruise. You still need discipline, don't you? Some people never learn how to behave."
He reaches for my neck.
"Don't," I say, my voice weaker than I want it to be.
"Tae-Jin is expecting me back. What do you think will happen if you lay a hand on me?"
I try to keep my tone steady, like I'm not afraid.
He hesitates. Just a second.
Then smirks.
"You really think he'll miss you if you don't come back?"
His voice drops, dark and mocking.
"You're just another trophy he likes to keep on the shelf.
You think he'll start a war over you? That house won't protect you forever. You belong to your family."
"You are not my family…"
He shoves me backward, his fist ready to strike.
I stumble and squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for the pain.
But it never comes.
Instead, I feel a strong grip around me, catching me just in time.
I snap my eyes open.
An arm blocks the blow mid-air.
My body leans into someone… solid, strong, and surprisingly warm.
A crisp, clean scent wraps around me.
Familiar.
A sudden rush of safety floods through me.
A rare feeling to experience.
Just for a moment.
Seok-ho.
But… He shouldn't be here.
A few days ago, he had to leave the country for business.
He was supposed to return the night of the gala.
So why is he back already?
And yet, seeing him now…
I'm glad he's here.
He doesn't strike back.
He doesn't need to.
He just stands there, radiating fury like a storm barely held in place.
I feel his breath brush against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.
"I'm curious. What makes you think you're allowed to touch her?" he asks, voice low. Calm.
Deadly calm.
He doesn't even have to play the Kang Tae-Jin card. The other scatters away without even knowing who he is. His pure presence is enough to break him.
He pulls away from me, his face is still burning with fury. His eyes scan me for injuries before looking away.
Did he hear what we said? Did he understand any of it? God, I hope not.
"Do you really have zero survival instinct? Wandering the streets alone at night, seriously?" he mutters.
"I lost something important, a button from your father's suit," I say. "How could I face him and return without it?"
"Why return at all?" he asks, eyes locked on mine like he's genuinely waiting for an answer.
You wonder about that, don't you?
I don't expect him to understand. I never had anyone care about me. I grew up in a family that only adopted me to use me. No one ever protected me. So, I learned to survive on my own. Any way I could. Tae-Jin might be cruel, but he's careful about keeping up appearances. And beside him, I'm somewhat protected. At least from the things I'm trying to escape from.
"I don't need you to understand," I say quietly. "Go back if you want. I still need to find the cufflink."
He exhales sharply, as if I were the biggest burden in the world.
Then, without another word, he reaches into his pocket and presses something into my hand.
The button.
"It fell on our pavement," he says irritated. "If you had looked properly, you wouldn't have needed to crawl around half the city."
Of course. I always manage to annoy him.
Saek-ho. He's the one who gives me the most trouble.
None of Tae-Jin's exes had warned me about him. They all said the same thing: he never cared, never got involved. He stayed out of their way, indifferent.
But not with me. From the moment we met, he's made it clear; he doesn't want me in that house. I never expected him to like me, of course. I'm just one of the many women who walks in his father's life. But his hostility is something else. Like it's his personal mission to drive me out.
And yet, I keep trying.
I cook his favorite meals, make his space more comfortable, try to serve him however I can.
But he rejects it all.
It feels strange. I don't know how to act around him.
I'm his father's partner, but I'm closer to him in age than to his father.
He's twenty, I'm twenty-eight. Yet he still seems so much more mature than me.
So composed. So grounded. So independent.
And his body... honed to perfection. Lean and well-toned.
I catch myself admiring him and immediately scold myself for it.
"Would you stop staring at me?" he snaps.
I jerk my gaze away, cheeks burning. But something is off. His hair is damp, his clothes sticking slightly to his chest. His breathing shallow.
Had he been… running?
He couldn't have been looking for me, could he?
"And what were you doing out here, anyway?" I ask.
"I went for a run," he says flatly. "It's cooler at night."
Then he turns, walking away without looking back.
An unspoken invitation.
Follow me, if you don't want to be left behind.
I don't care either way.