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Chapter 3
“Jinkyung… let’s go to that club called Nine.”
“Really? You don’t even like places like that.”
“After everything that happened with Jinho… I feel like I’ve been living my life the wrong way. So why not? Let’s give it a try.”
The moment she heard me say that, Jinkyung lit up with excitement. She immediately started doing her makeup and styling her hair.
Just like the trip itself is often less exciting than the anticipation of getting to the airport, maybe the most enjoyable part of going to a club is getting dressed up beforehand.
She even hummed to herself as she got ready from head to toe.
She looked completely fired up.
I told her I wanted to go because I didn’t want her worrying about me, but my real goal was simply to let my friend enjoy herself while we were abroad.
So I just dabbed on a little cushion foundation and figured that was enough.
Jinkyung stared at me in disbelief before dragging me back into the chair.
“Harin, if you go out looking like that, it’ll disgrace Korean women. At least put in the minimum effort.”
In the end, I wasn’t allowed to escape until she’d given me a full makeover.
When I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I gasped and hurried over to her.
“Wow… I don’t even look like myself. Jinkyung, do I look weird?”
“If you’re going to make a fresh start, this is the least you can do!”
“A fresh start?”
“There’ll be guys everywhere. You’re seriously going to waste an opportunity like this?”
“I… I’m not ready to meet anyone yet…”
“You should be! Doesn’t it make you angry that Jinho treated you like that?”
“Being angry won’t solve anything…”
I’d been trying to forget him, but the moment his name came up, my mood sank again.
Realizing she’d brought up the wrong subject, Jinkyung gently pulled me back toward the mirror.
“Harin, please dress up once in a while. Look at yourself. Why are you wasting such a pretty face? If I looked like you, I’d have a dozen guys wrapped around my finger. Forget that trash who couldn’t recognize a diamond when he saw one.”
Encouraged by my friend’s determination to boost my confidence, I looked carefully at my reflection.
The shimmering eye shadow made my eyes look deeper than ever.
My softly tinted lips glowed as though anything they said would be worth listening to.
After passing through Jinkyung’s professional hands, I looked prettier—and far more confident—than I ever had before.
* * *
This dress was…
Way too short.
Was I seriously supposed to wear this?
No matter how much I tugged at it, the black dress barely covered my hips.
“Harin Min! It’s a crime to keep something this good all to yourself! Those amazing legs deserve to be seen!”
Thanks to Jinkyung’s enthusiastic recommendation, I barely had time to protest before I found myself wearing a black sequined mini dress.
She’d even lent me the outfit she’d bought earlier that day.
I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.
Still, the dress was so thin that goosebumps covered my skin in the chilly night air.
I couldn’t help laughing at the situation.
I wasn’t a teenager anymore.
Yet here I was, borrowing my friend’s clothes and heading to a nightclub in the middle of the night.
If I’d still been back in Korea, I’d probably have been curled up under my blanket crying alone.
The moment Jinho crossed my mind, heat surged through my chest.
Oddly enough, that made the cold night air feel refreshing.
Walking beside Jinkyung became enjoyable.
The chilly breeze cooled the anger burning inside me.
Luckily, because we’d chosen a hotel downtown, the club was within walking distance.
Since it was Saturday night, crowds of people packed the entrance.
You didn’t even need to ask.
One glance and you knew—
That’s the club.
Unlike what I’d expected, there were plenty of foreigners—Black, White, and people from all over the world.
As a complete club newbie, I blended into the crowd without standing out.
Still…
Only people who know how to enjoy clubs can actually enjoy them.
Meanwhile…
I was faithfully guarding the wall.
I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.
The music thundered through the room while everyone danced effortlessly.
Unable to speak a word of Japanese, Jinkyung had somehow already started swaying to the music and was happily chatting in English with a blond foreigner.
Watching her, I couldn’t help smiling.
Looks like her next English test score is going to improve.
Then—
I made eye contact with a man.
If I was guarding this wall…
He seemed to be guarding the opposite one.
As the saying goes, only someone in the same situation truly understands.
I smiled and nodded slightly.
Trying to silently convey:
“Looks like it’s your first time here too. I know exactly how you feel. I’m already wondering why I came.”
Suddenly…
It was as though my smile had been the starting signal.
The man began walking directly toward me.
Wait…
Was he actually coming over here?
The closer he came, the clearer I could see him.
He looked like a living sculpture.
Long arms.
Long legs.
A remarkably small face.
Thick black hair.
He was easily over 180 centimeters tall, with proportions rarely seen among Asians.
If this had been a fashion runway instead of a nightclub, he would’ve looked perfectly at home.
I’d never seen someone like him in Japan before.
He looked exactly like the handsome male lead from a shoujo manga.
Though…
This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.
By the time I came back to my senses, he was already standing in front of me.
Looking straight down into my face.
Without saying a word.
So I simply looked back.
If we’d been in Korea, staring this openly would’ve been rude.
But I’d had a little alcohol.
And this wasn’t Korea.
I’d be leaving soon anyway.
As long as I wasn’t committing a crime, I suddenly felt oddly fearless.
Looking at him this close…
He was unbelievable.
Usually, when someone has such an incredible physique, you’d expect at least one flaw.
But his face was flawless too.
His deep, Eastern eyes held your gaze effortlessly.
His straight nose added masculine charm to his otherwise elegant features.
His skin was as white as fresh snow.
His vivid red lips almost made him look like a male version of Snow White.
Every woman nearby kept stealing glances at him.
He was that attractive.
…
Not my type.
I didn’t like faces like his.
Men that handsome almost always knew they were handsome.
My personal philosophy was simple:
Never get involved with men who gave off that kind of dangerous aura.
So I calmly examined every one of his features without the slightest romantic interest.
What else was I supposed to do?
I’d never been in a situation like this before.
Looking away somehow felt like admitting defeat.
Perhaps Jinho’s betrayal had unknowingly made me far more combative toward men in general.
Then another thought crossed my mind.
Wait…
Did he come over because he thought I was flirting with him…
…and now that he’s closer, he realizes he isn’t interested?
Then why was he still standing here making things awkward?
I glanced around for Jinkyung.
Somehow she and the blond guy had completely disappeared.
Unable to endure the awkward silence any longer, I decided to ignore the man—who oddly reminded me of my late father—and leave.
If I walked away first, he’d understand it was a rejection.
I set my half-finished beer on the bar and started walking past him.
Suddenly—
He grabbed my wrist.
“Where are you going?”
He spoke in Japanese.
So he really was Japanese.
I’d wondered because there were so many foreigners around.
But…
“Where are you going?”
Were we supposed to know each other?
Well…
A few guys had casually tried talking to me earlier.
None of them had been this persistent.
So this was probably the same thing.
Pretending to be friendly…
While hoping for something more.
And since I was a foreigner…
I could more or less guess what was on his mind.
Sorry, but if he was hoping for some vacation fling…
I wasn’t interested.
I just wanted to leave.
Then I came up with what I thought was the perfect excuse.
“I’m going to the bathroom… for number two!”
The music was so loud that I had to shout.
Everyone nearby turned to look at me.
Well…
I suppose they didn’t hear women announce that very often.
Honestly, neither did I.
The man’s eyes widened in surprise.
He immediately let go of my wrist.
Taking advantage of the moment, I hurried off in search of the restroom.
I hadn’t slept at all because of Jinho.
I’d spent the entire day sightseeing around Japan.
Now I was at a nightclub.
It honestly felt like I’d lived through forty-eight hours in a single day.
I was exhausted.
And then some random foreign guy had started hitting on me.
It was simply too much.
The TV program had shown plenty of seats inside this club.
But because it was the weekend, every seat was occupied.
At this point, I just wanted to sit on a toilet for a few minutes and take off Jinkyung’s ridiculous ten-centimeter heels.
Normally, even seven-centimeter heels were torture for me.
These felt like medieval instruments of punishment.
“Where on earth is the bathroom? If someone actually had an emergency, they’d never find it.”
No matter how hard I searched among the flashing lights for the sign that read Toilet, I couldn’t spot it.
As I walked on my aching legs…
I had the strange feeling that the handsome man was following behind me.
…Wait.
Surely he wasn’t actually following me?
Come on, Harin.
Get a grip.
Even if this was your first time in a club…
No one hears a woman say she’s going to the bathroom and interprets it as:
“Follow me.”
Finally, I found the women’s restroom hidden among the dazzling lights.
“Oh… I finally made it.”
At that moment, it felt like the women’s restroom was the only safe haven in the entire club.
Even the restroom was dramatically lit.
The red lighting made me think of those old horror stories asking,
“Do you want the red toilet paper… or the blue one?”
At least I’d activated international roaming on my phone.
Before taking a break, I decided to call Jinkyung.
Just then—
Someone entered the restroom.
Hearing footsteps, I stepped farther inside.
Suddenly—
Someone grabbed my shoulder.
My body spun around.
I wasn’t exactly fragile…
Yet I was turned around effortlessly.
“Huh?”
Between the unfamiliar high heels, my swollen feet, and my exhausted legs, I completely lost my balance.
Before I knew it…
I’d fallen straight into someone’s arms.
A cool, sweet fragrance drifted toward me.
Startled, I looked up.
It was the same man from before.
“W-What… what are you doing?”
Ignoring my trembling question, he calmly scanned the inside of the women’s restroom.
What was going on?
Why had he come in here?
I was beginning to get scared.
More importantly…
This was the women’s restroom.
He looked so completely at ease that for a second I wondered whether I’d accidentally entered the men’s room.
But that couldn’t be.
Less than five minutes earlier I’d carefully checked the restroom signs before going in.
So why was he here?
His model-like height now felt less impressive…
…and more like that of a monster capable of doing whatever he wanted.
Frozen in place, I could only blink.
He released the arm that had been holding me…
Then gently guided me toward one of the restroom stalls.
Why there?
I planted my feet firmly and resisted with all my strength.
Somehow…
I had the terrifying feeling that if I went inside—
I’d become the victim of a “Japanese nightclub assault case.”
Seeing the fear on my face, he looked utterly dumbfounded.
Then he said,
“Go do your business.
I’ll wait outside.”
He shut me inside the stall.
I stood there blankly, staring at the closed door.
Then—
“Mmm…”
“Ah…!”
What…?
Strange sounds drifted in from somewhere.
They were coming from the neighboring stall.
Listening carefully…
I realized they weren’t just a woman’s moans.
There was a man’s heavy breathing too.
My mind went completely blank.
So this restroom…
was being used for that.
Then I remembered the man waiting outside.
“…Wait.
Did he actually follow me…
because he was worried about me?”
