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Chapter 24. This Man’s Embrace
“Noona?”
In the suffocating situation, Ahn Hyun-joo heard someone call out “Noona” and turned her head.
The moment she did, a familiar face appeared before her.
“Taewoong…”
Without thinking, his name slipped from her lips.
“What’s going on?”
Ha Taewoong stepped closer.
Just those few words carried the overwhelming presence of a fearless, masculine man.
“Hic…”
At that single question from Ha Taewoong, all the sorrow she had been holding back burst out.
She immediately threw herself into the embrace of the tall Ha Taewoong.
It was an instinctive reaction born from fear.
To everyone else, she was praised and treated like a professional athlete.
But from her own perspective, she was still little more than a young woman in her early twenties, just beginning her life as an adult.
Moreover, she had even less social experience than most people her age.
She had devoted herself solely to golf in pursuit of success.
Now she was being treated coldly by a world she had never truly known.
Contrary to what she had believed, the world was harsh and dangerous.
Whenever people saw a beautiful flower, they wanted to pick it.
Even if they left it alone, swarms of insects gathered around it from every direction.
Today was no different.
She had gotten her driver’s license, but it had remained unused for years.
This weekend, however, she had no choice but to drive herself.
Before everything had happened, someone would have driven her whenever necessary, so she never needed lessons.
But things were different now.
Fortunately, she still owned a car, so she had decided to start driving.
Since she wasn’t confident behind the wheel, driving lessons were essential.
She had just finished registering for lessons and was on her way back.
She should have ignored him from the beginning.
The man had openly stared at her body with bloodshot eyes fixed on her.
It wasn’t the first time she’d encountered such a gaze.
That bastard, the chairman of Shinyang Financial Group, who had pushed her into this miserable situation—
This man belonged to the same kind.
There had been fathers and teachers at Cheonghwa High School like him.
Even among golf spectators, there were men like that.
Men who viewed female golfers, whether professionals or amateurs, as nothing more than eye candy.
If people said it was simply another obstacle female golfers had to overcome, she had nothing to say.
But this wasn’t one of those situations.
He treated her like a wildflower blooming by the roadside, insulted her, and even tried to pluck her for himself.
Slapping him had been a mistake.
She should have endured it, but the humiliation had been impossible to bear.
And now the filthy bastard was trying to use that against her.
He wasn’t someone who could be reasoned with.
The indifferent stares of the people watching only fueled her anger.
They were nothing more than bystanders satisfying their curiosity with someone else’s suffering.
Just when she had reached her greatest crisis—
As if by a miracle, Ha Taewoong appeared before her.
A high school boy she had only met once, yet one who had left an unforgettable impression.
“Noona, are you okay?”
His gentle, warm voice reached her ears.
Rustle.
Naturally, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
To her, he felt like a guardian sent from heaven.
“Y-You! Who the hell are you?!”
The man who had been relentlessly cornering her shouted.
“Are you deaf? I’m Hyun-joo noona’s younger brother, Taewoong.”
“You little punk! How dare you speak informally to an adult! You’re obviously just a high school brat with no manners!”
A perfect old-fashioned bully.
The kind of adult whose only source of pride was being older than everyone else.
Even if time were turned back, he’d still be exactly the same.
“An adult? Where? All I see is a horny dog sexually harassing a defenseless woman.”
“D-Dog? Did you just call me a dog? You little bastard! You think you can flap your mouth like that? Do you even know who I am?”
He roared like a wild beast.
His voice echoed throughout the lounge.
Ahn Hyun-joo was too frightened to even raise her head.
This was the first time in her life she’d met someone so completely unreasonable.
“And do you know who I am?”
Ha Taewoong calmly fired back with a heavy, fearless question.
“Isn’t that the Cheonghwa High School uniform?”
“You’re right. He’s a Cheonghwa High student.”
“Oh dear… That man really stepped in it. Picking a fight with a Cheonghwa High student…”
As expected of wealthy Gangnam housewives, they caught on quickly.
They began whispering among themselves about Cheonghwa High School.
It was Korea’s most prestigious high school, attended by the children of many of the country’s most influential families.
Simply living in Gangnam wasn’t enough to get in.
“C-Cheonghwa…?”
Even the man knew what Cheonghwa High represented.
Most of its students’ parents belonged to Korea’s ruling elite.
Gulp.
Realizing that, he swallowed nervously.
He had been acting so confidently, but compared to the parents of Cheonghwa High students, he was insignificant.
He owned a golf equipment store in Gangnam.
Assets worth several billion won meant almost nothing compared to the wealth of those families.
If rumors spread, his business could collapse overnight.
His face turned pale yellow as cold sweat poured down his back.
A year earlier, he had lost his driver’s license after being caught driving under the influence.
Now that his suspension period had ended, he was attending classes to obtain a new license.
That was when he’d happened to meet Ahn Hyun-joo today.
Since he owned a golf shop, he followed golf more closely than most people.
He especially enjoyed watching beautiful female golfers.
But realistically, he never had the chance to meet them.
Playing a round with top-tier beautiful golfers was a privilege reserved for society’s elite.
He had always been jealous of that.
Then today, Ahn Hyun-joo appeared before him.
The unfortunate golfer who had disappeared from professional golf after her scandal with the chairman of Shinyang Financial Group.
The rumors about her affair with a married man had spread throughout the industry.
Among glamorous female golfers, Ahn Hyun-joo had been known for taking excellent care of herself.
But the man deliberately provoked her with gossip.
The stories weren’t entirely fabricated, but he didn’t care if it amounted to defamation.
He simply wanted to provoke her.
He might never again cross paths with such a famous golf star.
Tremble.
When she reacted exactly as he intended, he felt a thrill.
Watching her respond so sensitively to a few words amused him.
He thought that if he pushed just a little further, he might even get to see her cry.
His destructive urge—to destroy what he could never possess—began to stir.
Victory was almost within reach.
Then suddenly, a high school boy stepped in.
What rotten luck.
He was well over 180 centimeters tall.
For a moment, the man mistook him for an actor.
The kid was absurdly handsome.
Short hair.
A cold, imposing aura.
Even though he wore a high school uniform, his presence was so commanding that it almost looked like a tailored suit.
And then—
“Mister, what exactly are you? Part of some chaebol family? A senior prosecutor at the Central District Prosecutors’ Office? Or at least the owner of a major building in Gangnam?”
One realistic possibility after another rolled off his tongue.
The problem was—
Not a single one applied.
“T-Then who the hell are you?!”
The man’s pride had been wounded.
Not every Cheonghwa High parent was wealthy.
He even knew several acquaintances whose children attended the school.
Some of his regular customers included ordinary prosecutors and high-ranking government officials.
“Mister… you don’t want to keep living in Korea, do you?”
“…W-Who do you think you are…?”
“Ha! Tae! Woong! Doesn’t that ring a bell? The surname Ha! Doesn’t it remind you of anything?”
“D-Don’t tell me… Ha… Haryun Group?”
“Oh my! That’s right. The surname Ha is pretty uncommon.”
“If he’s a Cheonghwa High student, then he must be from Haryun.”
“My goodness… I can’t believe we’re seeing a young master of Haryun Group here.”
The housewives realized it before anyone else and excitedly began chatting.
“H-Haryun…”
Only then did the man’s eyes shake violently.
His expression shifted from suspicion to pure terror.
Anyone living in Gangnam knew the influence wielded by certain conglomerate families.
For ordinary residents, a single word from them could end their livelihood.
“Starting to understand now?”
“A-Ahn Hyun-joo Pro and…”
“Pro-nim.”
Ha Taewoong immediately corrected him.
“What’s your relationship with… Pro-nim?”
“Our school’s golf instructor. Personally? She’s my noona. Got it?”
“…”
The man was left speechless.
He had truly picked the wrong person.
A golf instructor at Cheonghwa High wasn’t someone he could casually mess with.
“Apologize. Right now. Get on your knees.”
His voice was icy and commanding.
Panicked, the man quickly glanced around.
Every housewife present was staring at him with unconcealed curiosity.
Among them was even a woman he personally knew.
If he knelt here…
He’d be utterly humiliated.
But—
“Should I call my personal lawyer? Mister, you realize you’ve already crossed the line with sexual harassment and criminal insults, right?”
As expected of someone from a conglomerate family, he was well versed in legal matters.
Ordinary people didn’t have personal lawyers.
That alone proved beyond doubt that he truly belonged to the Haryun Group family.
Thud.
The man dropped to his knees.
His pride wasn’t worth challenging someone this powerful.
It was better to swallow his dignity and beg for forgiveness.
“Pro Ahn Hyun-joo… I’m sorry. Please forgive me…”
His voice was barely audible.
Even now, traces of his wounded pride remained.
“Be specific! Put your heart into it so the victim can actually feel your sincerity!”
Like the stern judgment of a magistrate, the student’s voice rang through the room.
“Why are you embarrassed now? Weren’t you shouting so loudly just a moment ago? Go on! Speak up!”
“I-I’m sorry! I ran my mouth without knowing anything! Please be generous enough to forgive me!”
Bang!
The man slammed his forehead against the floor.
Instinctively, he knew this was his last chance.
If he stubbornly clung to his worthless pride, he could end up socially ruined.
“Noona, are you going to accept his apology?”
Ha Taewoong asked Ahn Hyun-joo, who was still leaning against him.
She slowly turned her head and looked at the man with his forehead pressed against the floor.
“…Yes. It’s not enough… but…”
A faint blush spread across Ahn Hyun-joo’s face after hearing his apology.
Only moments earlier, she had felt both humiliation and terror.
Only then did she fully realize she was still in Ha Taewoong’s embrace.
But…
She wanted to stay like this just a little longer.
For a brief moment, Ahn Hyun-joo thought—
Ha Taewoong… this high school boy’s embrace…
…was incredibly warm.
