I got out of the taxi and peered into the alley.

I was a bit worried that the loan sharks looking for In Tae might be here again today.

I talked big, but the truth was I was scared.

It’s also true that dealing with those rough and vicious men is overwhelming.

“Maybe I should learn self-defense.”

Gathering her reluctant feet, Yeo Eun scanned the alley once more.

The alley dimly lit by old, worn streetlights was as desolate as ever today.

“Doesn’t seem like anyone’s here?”

After double-checking for any signs of people, Yeo Eun carefully stepped into the alley.

It had been a tough day.

It felt like those 24 hours that pass the same for everyone else moved especially slowly just for her.

Despite crawling by so tediously, her sense of reality was painfully sharp, reminding her acutely of her situation.

It was a little…

No, it hurt quite a lot.

That’s when it happened, after taking a few steps.

Her heart plummeted to her feet with a thud.

She had checked carefully, but now she saw red brake lights on a car parked at the end of the alley.

Then the back door of the car slowly opened.

She needed to find the pepper spray in her bag, but she was so flustered her hands wouldn’t move properly.

As she fumbled in her bag, Yeo Eun froze.

Of course it had to be a broken streetlight.

And of course it had to be one flickering on and off as it neared the end of its life.

A pair of long legs stepped out of the black car parked under it.

Only able to make out a silhouette in the shadowy figure, Yeo Eun unknowingly held her breath.

“It can’t be…”

It was a familiar silhouette.

Even the long, stretched shadow cast by the streetlight looked familiar.

The car door closed and an imposing voice quietly echoed through the alley.

“…Send me one too.”

As the legs moved slowly into the light, the face was revealed.

Cha Do Ha?

How could Cha Do Ha be here?

Frozen stiff, Yeo Eun could only silently watch as Cha Do Ha approached her.

On the phone with someone, he continued speaking while fixing his gaze on her.

“It’s not Itaewon. I’m here to catch a runaway toy.”

Runaway toy?

His words made her chest ache.

Was he checking on the wellbeing of his toy?

Cha Do Ha hung up the phone and languidly looked her over, stopping in front of her.

From her eyes to her lips, cheeks and earlobes. Back to her lips, down her neck, and below her collarbone.

As if savoring a taste, Cha Do Ha slowly moved his gaze before finally speaking.

“The sixth axe strike.”

She had guessed from his words about catching a runaway toy.

It seems there’s no escaping Cha Do Ha, the Hanjoo Group delinquent who always follows through once he’s made up his mind.

“Let’s begin.”

Why? She felt like bursting into tears.

Yeo Eun bit her lip hard as her shoulders trembled slightly.

It had been a sufficiently miserable day, and she resented the god who made her end it like this.

Barely swallowing back the sobs threatening to escape, Yeo Eun opened her mouth.

“Do I have the right to refuse?”

From her first meeting with Cha Do Ha until now.

Her heart had clung to Cha Do Ha as if drawn by a powerful force.

She was helplessly shaken by him, not even trying to push away as he kept stirring up her heart.

But in this moment, she wanted to push him away.

It felt like that was the only way she could breathe properly.

“I’m having a hard day today.”

Kim Hae Ri and Jin Yu Hee.

Cha Do Ha’s current lover and future wife.

Meeting those two in succession had made her realize something.

And what put the final period on that realization was the envelope handed over by Chairman Cha Ji Seop.

“I don’t have the strength for an axe strike, Director.”

If she didn’t push him away like this, it really felt like she wouldn’t be able to endure the rest of the day.

Cha Do Ha stared down at her intently.

There wasn’t a shred of warmth in the gaze fixed on her.

No matter how much she searched those pitch-black eyes, she couldn’t find a trace of mercy.

He simply looked at her impassively.

After a long moment, Cha Do Ha reached out his hand.

Yeo Eun startled and tried to back away, but Cha Do Ha had already grabbed her hand.

“Let’s be generous.”

Lifting her hand, Cha Do Ha took in the half-peeled bandage.

“We’ll do about half of the fifth time.”

Blood had seeped into the loose bandage.

Was that why? Cha Do Ha’s brow furrowed slightly.

What could he be thinking?

It’s not like her injury was worth looking at so seriously, furrowing his brow like that.

It certainly didn’t seem like he was worried.

“Director, I…”

Whether it was half of the fifth time or the sixth.

She was going to say that any meeting seemed impossible.

That she didn’t want to be shaken today of all days.

But Cha Do Ha, with no intention of hearing the rest of what she had to say, carelessly dropped her hand and spoke.

“Give me a cup of coffee then.”

The flickering streetlight made Cha Do Ha’s face look colder than usual.

When the shadows fell across his sharp features, it seemed to subtly reveal his cruelty.

Yet at the same time, even that appearance was so breathtakingly beautiful that she felt suffocated once again.

“Or give me alcohol.”

Her heart trembled at his sardonic smile.

It was somewhat pathetic, and somewhat painful.

“I can’t just leave after coming all this way.”

Why can’t you? Just go.

She let out a heavy sigh.

Then suddenly she thought that maybe this was for the best.

Kim Hae Ri, Jin Yu Hee, Cha Hyun, Cha Ji Seop, Cha In Woo.

She had no idea how many dazzling figures she had encountered in just one day.

The Lotus Hotel party that was the epitome of decadent glamour, and the Hanjoo Group party at the Itaewon main house where she could glimpse the elegant upper class.

That was Cha Do Ha’s life.

Meanwhile, her life was just a crumbling villa in a Seongsu-dong factory alley. That was all.

A life where she could hear every little thing the neighbors did through the badly soundproofed walls.

A life where she was just grateful to have a place to rest her weary body.

When that was all she had, how presumptuous of her to try to hold Cha Do Ha in her heart, standing alongside Kim Hae Ri and Jin Yu Hee. Her greed had been excessive.

“Why? Want to see the inside of my humble home?”

Forcing a cold smile onto her trembling lips, Yeo Eun spoke.

“It’s not a place fit to receive someone as noble as you.”

If Cha Do Ha had eyes, he would see.

How unsuited she was for him.

Once he realized that, he wouldn’t dare proposition her.

Even toys have different classes.

Yeo Eun smiled faintly and looked up at Cha Do Ha.

“If you’re confident you won’t be shocked, I’ll give you a cup of coffee.”

Then she brushed past him.

Cha Do Ha’s scent tickled her nose, momentarily shaking her resolve, but she deliberately ignored it and headed up the alley towards the villa.

With each of her steps, Cha Do Ha’s footsteps mingled behind her.

An exciting yet unpleasant feeling.

An awful sensation that was beyond words tugged at the back of her head.

She desperately hoped he would turn back even now.

Crossing the parking lot, climbing the stairs.

Time stretched like taffy until they reached her front door.

As she took out her keys and unlocked the door, she thought she heard a soft sigh from behind her.

He must be appalled.

That this place doesn’t even have a proper locking system.

“The landlord has a phobia of keypads. Well, in reality he’s just being cheap.”

Yeo Eun gave an unsolicited explanation as she opened the front door.

Creeeeak.

The grating sound of metal scraping eerily echoed in the quiet villa hallway after midnight.

“I only have instant coffee.”

Without looking back, Yeo Eun went inside and took off her shoes.

As usual, she put her keys on the shelf by the entrance and turned on the lights.

Setting her bag down by the sink, she quickly filled the kettle with water.

“You’re the first person to come to this house. Not many people know I live here. I’ve never even brought my best friend, our CEO, here.”

Only after pressing the button on the electric kettle did Yeo Eun turn to face Cha Do Ha.

Having stepped into her shabby home, Cha Do Ha looked taller than usual.

As he slowly moved about, carefully surveying the place, his face showed no emotion whatsoever.

A quintessentially Cha Do Ha expression.

He extended his long index finger to tap a photo on the shelf, then turned his gaze to Yeo Eun.

It was funny.

This small, humble space suddenly seemed to expand infinitely, appearing spacious.

The area around Cha Do Ha looked bright, as if a filter had been placed on a camera lens.

Though it was the space where she lay down and got up every day, it felt unfamiliar.

As she chuckled wryly at how dispiriting it was, Cha Do Ha approached languidly.

Then he nodded towards the photo he had been looking at earlier.

“Your brother?”

The photo was a family picture taken in the living room just before leaving their Bangbae-dong house.

Though they had lost their home, it was a time when there were still ways to resolve things, so everyone’s expressions were quite bright.

It must be as different as heaven and earth compared to now.

“Yes, my brother.”

“Your brother looks a lot like his sister.”

“I’ve heard that a lot.”

Yeo Eun smiled faintly and nodded.

Just then, the electric kettle beeped to signal the water was done boiling.

“You’ve probably never had instant coffee, right?”

Turning away from Cha Do Ha as he drew closer, Yeo Eun took out cups from the shelf.

Cha Do Ha’s scent strongly enveloped her from behind, making her hands tremble.

Gripping tightly to steady herself, Yeo Eun tore open the instant coffee packets and poured them into the cups.

“But this is all we have here…”

Suddenly, Cha Do Ha’s chest pressed against her back.

Planting his hands on the sink counter on either side of her, trapping her in his arms, he whispered:

“What are you trying to show me?”

His hot breath tickled her ear.

Pinning her motionless body with his own, Cha Do Ha brought his lips even closer.

“You’re funny, Seo Yeo Eun. What do you take me for?”