A short while ago, unaware that Seong Tae, who was the youth association president, had not returned the keys to the village head after letting travelers use the community center as lodging, Eun Seo ran into Seong Tae right in front of the bathroom.

Eyes greedily staring at the water droplets trickling down from black hair to the white nape.

In the moment she recognized the fierce, bloodshot eyes flashing before her, Eun Seo pushed Seong Tae away with all her might and jumped into the room.

If the entrance had been closer, she would have chosen that path, but unfortunately the entrance was behind Seong Tae, and her choice was the most rational decision possible.

It was then that she heard the slurred speech of someone drunk.

The cell phone to call 112 was in the living room, and the room’s window was firmly blocked by security bars. There was nowhere to escape.

The most she could do was open the window so someone passing by might hear.

“Eun Seo, open the door! Why are you avoiding me?!”

‘Sir, why are you really doing this?’ The words rose to her throat, but fearing she might provoke Seong Tae, Eun Seo barely swallowed even her bursting tears.

Then, trying to cool her head, she carefully surveyed the room.

“Eun Seo! Just once, open this damn door! I could just smash this door with a hammer and come in! Come out while I’m asking nicely!!”

It was a mop. In the corner of the room stood a mop used for cleaning floors with a wet cloth, leaning diagonally.

Though it was a light, round stick made of aluminum, she knew from being hit by her grandmother as a child.

The cold, merciless sensation that wrapped around her calves and thighs. The pain of muscles tearing and bones shattering into pieces at the moment of impact.

Would that be enough to strike once and run outside?

There was no one around the community center at this hour, but with luck, she might be able to outrun the drunk Seong Tae.

She had always been good at hiding and running since childhood. Skills used to evade her angry grandmother.

“Come out before I drag you out!”

Bang! It was the sound of him kicking the door. The impact jolted Eun Seo’s bottom.

“You have nowhere to go anyway. That old hag said you’ve burned all your bridges!”

A sinister sound, unclear if crying or laughing, grotesquely gripped the space. Her heart leapt out of her chest and a chill ran down her spine, spreading throughout her body.

“Just once, Eun Seo, please!”

Eun Seo crawled away from the door towards where the mop was. Judging by the closing gap in sound, the door seemed about to open.

Intending to strike Seong Tae anywhere she could, Eun Seo grabbed the mop and began twisting the handle to remove it from the head.

Thwack! Along with the sound of a foot kicking the door, a long crack appeared in the middle of the plywood door.

Eun Seo, momentarily hesitating, rotated her hands even faster. Again, thud! The vertical crack widened askew, splitting the plywood.

Just open the door. I’ll kill you first.

As Eun Seo swung the stick in the air for practice, the door handle came off with bull-like strength and bang! The door flew open with a thunderous sound.

Not missing a beat, Eun Seo swung the stick forcefully through the air. Thwang!

“Argh!!”

Seong Tae let out a painful groan as his shoulder was hit squarely.

However, as Eun Seo raised the stick to swing again, a thick hand swiftly snatched it, threw it to the floor, and grabbed her shoulder, pushing her into a corner.

Screech, her feet slid across the floor as Eun Seo’s body was helplessly pushed back.

“Are you crazy, trying to die!”

As the greedy eyes wrapped around Eun Seo like a snake, crash! Sharp glass shards cut through the air.

As Seong Tae’s head turned right to assess the situation, it whipped back in the opposite direction.

With a thud, a black shoe fell on his chest, and Seong Tae’s neck crumpled like paper as he fell.

“Ha, bastard. You play dirty.”

With that coldly delivered intonation, the owner of the voice silhouetted against the light cast a solid shadow on the wall.

It was Kwon Tae Ha.

Gasping shallow breaths, Seong Tae flailed his limbs like a dying gazelle.

Overwhelmed by pain, his thick hands desperately gripped Tae Ha’s ankles, but even those hands were mercilessly kicked away by the other foot.

The arm that had risen and fallen quickly swelled red and bent unnaturally. His eyelids twitched and curled.

“Ugh, kuh. Kuh. Who, who… are… you……”

“Song Eun Seo’s husband.”

Cold eyes devoid of warmth dominated the surroundings.

“Kill him, Tae Ha.”

Woo Young, who had come in behind, placed a hand on Tae Ha’s trembling shoulder, adding fuel to the fire. Then he took off his jacket and draped it over Eun Seo, who was sitting with unfocused eyes, shaking.

“Why are you closing your eyes? Praying?”

The eyes of Seong Tae beneath his feet widened in terror.

The expression of the man far above was like a beast that had smelled blood, and his voice, subsumed by darkness, evoked primal fear.

I’m really going to die here.

His shallow breathing was uneven. The bright light bulb flickered gray, and the thick blood vessels on his reddish temples throbbed violently.

The crunching sound of his neck being crushed was chillingly vivid. The earthy smell from the shoe sole was the scent of a grave.

“Tae Ha. I don’t want to see your name on the front page. Then I’ll be busy.”

As Woo Young gently called his name, the hesitating foot pressed down firmly and slowly lifted from the neck.

Kugh, kuk, kuk. Unable to get up, Seong Tae turned to the opposite side, violently expelling his blocked breath and gasping for air.

As color returned to his face, Tae Ha took a step forward, and Seong Tae, watching his feet, flinched back and curled up.

“Let’s go.”

Tae Ha lifted Eun Seo into his arms, jacket and all.

He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her to walk.

“Woo Young, you clean up here and come up. I’ll send a car for you.”

“Forget the car. Can you drive with that arm?”

Only then did Tae Ha’s eyes follow Woo Young’s gaze to his right arm. The lower part of his shirt sleeve was completely stained a vivid red.

He hadn’t even noticed the pain. It could have been due to adrenaline, but it was also mild compared to the terrible pain in his shoulder blade.

Come to think of it, the unprecedented pain that had been tormenting him had completely stopped.

Tae Ha nodded once and left the community center. Eun Seo, seemingly very shocked, didn’t make a single loud breath even in his arms.

Woo Young opened the passenger door and reclined the seat all the way back. After fastening Eun Seo’s seatbelt and placing her shoes down, Woo Young closed the door.

“What about the chairman…”

Tae Ha placed his second finger over his lips.

“Quietly.”

“Where are you going?”

“A hotel has too many eyes and a high chance of being reported to Father. We can’t go to the police without a plan either. Nothing is as fatal as the rumor that Kwon Tae Ha was scammed in marriage.”

“So?”

“We need to go somewhere with tight security and no chance of rumors spreading.”

Woo Young seemed to understand and nodded willingly.

“That’s all fine, but treat your wound before you go.”

“I’ll take care of it. You just deal with that bastard.”

As Woo Young turned and disappeared, Tae Ha immediately got into the driver’s seat. Then he loosened his tie knot and bit it with his teeth. He undid his cuff buttons and rolled up his shirt sleeve.

The wound was below the elbow. It was a long, sharply torn wound about 5 centimeters long.

The community center had been tightly locked, and the sound of pounding on the door could be heard through the walls. The loud banging on the door poured roughly through the open window. In between, a frightened woman holding a stick, trying desperately to survive, could be seen.

He didn’t hesitate. Tae Ha took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around his arm a couple of times. Then he crashed straight through the living room window that had no security bars.

Roughly clearing away the glass pieces stuck to the bars, he used the wall as leverage and leapt over. That must have been when he got cut.

“Let me do it.”

Eun Seo was sitting up straight in the seat, having gotten up at some point. Tae Ha, looking down slightly, offered his arm along with the tie instead of refusing.

Eun Seo calmly and carefully wrapped the tie above the wound.

“The scratched part is severe. I think we should stop at an emergency room for treatment on the way.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“What should we do…”

Her furrowed brow moved busily, as if she had seen something quite terrible.

Warm body heat gently seeped through the thin skin. Simple, neat fingers moved carefully and nimbly over the firm arm.

However, the silky fabric was not easy to work with. It kept slipping smoothly, undoing the knot. Seeing this, he felt more like laughing than sighing.

She seemed to be trying hard, even offering to do it for him, but her pride appeared to be in tatters.

Eun Seo’s concentrated brow rose stubbornly. After failing a couple more times, she finally managed to complete the shape.

As Eun Seo released his arm, Tae Ha shook it once and placed his hand on the steering wheel. Watching him slowly turn the direction, Eun Seo opened her mouth.

“It’s late, but thank you for saving me.”

Tae Ha accepted the thanks with a slight nod.

“But… why did you help me? You think I’m a con artist, don’t you?”

She doesn’t seem to want to ask how he got here when he was suspecting her of being a con artist, but she wants to know why he helped her.

“That’s why.”

The answer after a not-so-short silence was simple and concise.

“You’re someone who went to the community center because you have no home. If you ran away, I’d have to go through hell to find you.”

“Ah, right. …I guess so.”

Eun Seo stretched her lips as if in self-mockery.

“But you’re wrong. I have nowhere to run even if I wanted to. It’s the worst.”

“Then today, run this way.”

In the car so quiet that even breaths become conversation. Eun Seo’s gaze slowly seeps in, resonating over Tae Ha’s firmly set gaze.

“Where are we really going?”

“Why, afraid we might go to the police station?”

It was a light joke, but Eun Seo didn’t laugh.

“The police station would be fine too. I need even a holding cell right now. I think it doesn’t matter where I go anymore.”

“It doesn’t matter?”

“No.”

Maybe she really isn’t a con artist. Her eyes, dry like a taxidermy specimen, said ‘whatever will be, will be.’ Following her slightly lowered gaze, Tae Ha’s voice returned with a heavy resonance.

“Do you know where I’m going?”