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Chapter 20
Suyeon stepped out of the car, lifting her bag over her head to shield herself as she hurried toward home.
The heavy downpour had overwhelmed the drains, and as Yoonjae had once said, the narrow alleyways filled with water up to her ankles.
Her clothes were already drenched and ruined.
She slipped off her heels and carried them in one hand.
Her pace slowed naturally against the current, but just as she was about to move forward, her eyes caught sight of a man staggering from the opposite end of the alley. He reeked of alcohol, the stench carried on the wind sharp enough to stab her nose from a distance.
Rain had soaked through her blouse, and beneath it, her undergarments were plainly visible.
The man’s shoulders shook as he chuckled. His bloodshot eyes glittered like a hyena’s that had found prey, never once leaving her.
There was no other path home but this narrow alley. Lowering her head, she quickened her steps, trying to slip past him.
Smack.
The drunken man’s hand clamped around her wrist.
“Well now… you’re pretty.”
“Hey! Let go!”
Suyeon tried to yank her hand free, but his grip only tightened, twisting her wrist cruelly.
“I like what I see. Very much.”
His gaze slid to the delicate skin revealed through her soaked blouse. He licked his lips and gave a sleazy grin.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Come on, it’s raining. Let’s grab another drink somewhere. Booze tastes better with company. What’s the point of drinking alone?”
“Are you insane? Let go of my hand!”
“Pretty girls make the drink go down smoother, don’t they?”
Suyeon twisted her body with all her strength.
“Don’t make a fuss. Let’s just grab one drink. Don’t waste your energy.”
Her wrist grew redder by the second under his grip.
“I said let go! Didn’t you hear me?”
And then—suddenly, a shadow fell over them.
“What, are you deaf? Can’t you understand plain words?”
A heavy, low voice filled the narrow alley.
The man froze. Suyeon turned, eyes widening.
Yoonjae stood there, his eyes glinting with a cold, murderous light.
“If you don’t want tonight to be your last, let go of her hand.”
His gaze fell briefly to Suyeon’s reddened wrist, his brow furrowing deeply. Rage burned behind his calm expression—rage that begged to be unleashed.
Step by step, he closed the distance.
The man, cowed by that murderous glare, finally let go and stumbled backward.
“I—I just didn’t want to drink alone! Why are you butting in?”
“You chose the wrong person.”
“Wh-what?”
“I don’t like repeating myself.”
Yoonjae grabbed the man’s collar without hesitation.
“L-let go! I can’t—urk!”
“And if I don’t?”
The man gagged, suffocated by Yoonjae’s iron grip.
“If you want to drink, do it quietly at home. How dare you put your filthy hands on her?”
Suyeon’s eyes locked on him, startled by his unusually harsh tone. His gaze was sharp enough to kill. She hurriedly grabbed his arm.
“Director, I’m fine.”
“Even in this situation, you dare say that?”
The man dangled in Yoonjae’s hold, his face turning pale as he clawed at the air for breath.
“Director!”
“The world’s full of trash. No one would miss one more piece of garbage.”
“Please! Something terrible will happen if this continues.”
At her repeated plea, Yoonjae ground his teeth, then finally released him.
The man collapsed in the water, coughing up metallic, rasping breaths.
But almost immediately, his hand darted into his pocket. He pulled out something sharp.
“What are you, her boyfriend or something?”
“You never know.”
He rose unsteadily, a knife glinting in his hand.
“Damn it, I knew my dreams were bad this morning.”
“Listen to yourself. With enough strength to run your mouth, I should’ve finished you earlier.”
“Come closer. I’ll kill you both!”
“That won’t do. She, at least, deserves better than to die at the hands of scum like you.”
The man lunged.
A flash of steel caught Yoonjae’s wrist. Blood bloomed through his rain-soaked shirt.
“So this is how you want it?”
Suyeon, frantic, dug through her handbag and pulled out a small canister. She sprayed it straight into the man’s face.
“Aagh! What the hell?!”
Blinded and writhing in pain, he dropped the knife after Yoonjae’s sharp kick.
“Secretary Chae… you had that?”
“I carried it just in case. I never thought I’d actually use it. I’ll call the police.”
“Here—your phone.”
Yoonjae pulled her phone from his pocket.
“You dropped it when you left the car. I came to return it. Good thing I did.”
Moments later, police arrived. The man, pitiful and disheveled, was taken away in handcuffs.
“Director, we need to go to the hospital.”
“It’s just a scratch. With hospitals as crowded as they are, I’d only take resources from someone who really needs it.”
“But you’re bleeding—”
“I won’t die from this much blood.”
“At least let me clean and dress the wound.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, Director. You’re not fine.”
Unable to turn her back on him after he risked himself for her, Suyeon brought him inside. Both of them were soaked to the bone, their clothes ruined.
She handed him a towel, then went to fetch a first-aid kit. While she was away, Yoonjae’s eyes wandered.
In one corner lay the unopened appliances and gifts he’d sent her.
“I bought those to be used, not to sit gathering dust.”
“I don’t need them. I can clean with my hands, open the windows for fresh air. Why bother with gadgets like vacuums or purifiers?”
“Why deny yourself modern comforts?”
He rolled up his bloody sleeve, revealing the cut.
“If only I’d returned the phone tomorrow… you wouldn’t have been hurt tonight.”
“I wanted an excuse to see you again.”
“This isn’t the time for jokes.”
She disinfected the wound. He didn’t flinch.
“I never liked this alley. Too dangerous for you to walk alone.”
“I’ve lived here a long time, and this is the first time anything like this has happened.”
“And what if it happens again? Almost everyone in this building is a man, except you.”
His knowledge of even the residents unsettled her.
“Maybe you should move.”
“That’s for me to decide.”
She finished dressing the wound and stood.
“Still, you should visit the hospital tomorrow.”
“You’re the one who needs the hospital. You’re shaking.”
He was right. Despite her brave front, her body trembled from shock.
“Rest tonight. Take some medicine. Don’t let this turn into an illness.”
As he moved to leave, she hurried to stop him.
“Director, wait—this.”
She held up the shopping bags.
“What’s this?”
“The clothes you bought me. I’ll keep just one outfit for the event, but the rest… they’re too much for me.”
Her voice was low, her body still trembling. Yoonjae gave a faint smile.
“I bought those for you. Return them, toss them, do what you like.”
“Are you sure?”
“I told you—I hate repeating myself.”
His gaze lingered on her pale face.
“It’s the weekend. Rest. I’ll see you Monday.”
After he left, Suyeon’s legs gave out and she collapsed onto the floor.
If the knife had struck deeper… if Yoonjae had lost his life tonight…
She squeezed her eyes shut, heart hammering wildly at the unbearable thought.
