The moment Ji-ho entered the police station, everyone looked at him in surprise. People knew him as Mr. Donghyun's son, and seeing him there was unexpected.
Without glancing around, Ji-ho walked straight to the officer standing ahead.
"My employee has been arrested because of a misunderstanding," he said in a cold, controlled tone. "I want an explanation."
"Mr. Ji-ho, your employee? I don't understand. Today we only received one case… a stalker case—"
Before the officer could finish, Ji-ho stepped forward.
"She is not a stalker. She is my employee."
Pointing toward Minho standing beside him, he continued, "He was with her. They went to place an order at Mr. Jeon's house. You misunderstood the situation."
The officer looked at Minho, who immediately nodded, silently assuring him that Ji-ho was telling the truth.
"But Mr. Ji-ho, we didn't see your employee there," the officer replied. "There was only a girl."
Minho spoke quickly, "Yes, she had to go to her friend's house, so she stayed there. I returned to the restaurant."
The officer smiled slightly.
"Did you see the address where she was going?"
"No. But she said it was nearby," Minho answered.
The officer leaned forward.
"Mr. Ji-ho, from their statements, it doesn't seem like she was going to a friend's house. If you check the CCTV, you'll see she was standing there longer than usual. If she were a fan of Mr. Jeon, she would have taken pictures and left. Many fans come, take photos outside his house, and leave. But your employee neither took pictures nor moved forward. Now tell me — what should we assume?"
"I want to meet my employee," Ji-ho said firmly.
The officer signaled to a female officer standing nearby. She went inside. After a few moments, she returned with a girl.
Ji-ho didn't recognize her at first.
Whenever he had seen Zoya before, she was always wearing a scarf — even in the kitchen, she kept it on. But the girl standing in front of him now had her hair loose and messy over her shoulders. She was wearing a loose Pakistani black short shirt and trousers.
Ji-ho immediately turned his gaze away. Minho did the same, so that Zoya would not feel embarrassed about her condition.
"Zoya…"
As Minji entered and saw her, she quickly walked toward her. Gently holding, she turned her toward herself—guilt-filled Minji's eyes. What had happened could have been avoided if she had answered the phone.
"I'm sorry, Zoya… I don't know how to say this. Please forgive me," Minji kept speaking.
Zoya looked at her once, but remained silent.
Ji-ho and Minho were watching quietly when suddenly Minji's eyes fell on Zoya's cheek.
There were fresh marks of a slap.
Minji immediately turned toward the officers, anger rising in her voice.
"What is this? How dare you raise your hand without any proof? How did you even think you could do this? I will file a case against all of you right now!"
At her words, Ji-ho and Minho both looked at Zoya's face. Ji-ho's expression hardened as he turned toward the officer.
"Do you even know this is illegal? Touching someone without proof is against the law. And you slapped her."
The officer didn't know how to respond. Handling Ji-ho and Minji was becoming difficult.
He turned toward the female officers standing nearby.
"Who did this?" he asked.
They remained silent.
"I asked — who did this?" he repeated, his voice rising in anger.
"I did… I lost my temper," one of them finally said.
Minji stepped forward angrily, but Zoya quickly stopped her.
"No, Minji," she said softly."I'm fine."
_______________
Jeon.J couldn't hold himself back any longer. He stepped out of the car, adjusting his mask as he walked toward the police station.
"Jeon.J…"
Jae's voice stopped him.
Jeon.J turned.
"Please stay in the car. I'll go inside," Jae said calmly, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry."
"She needs to be okay," Jeon.J replied, his voice low and cold, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable.
Jeon.J turned back toward the car, but before he could open the door, Jae called out again.
"Jeon.J… is Zoya the same girl? The one from the plan… the one you were looking for?"
Jeon.J froze.
For a moment, he didn't turn around.
Then slowly, he looked back at Jae, who was waiting for an answer.
Jeon.J said nothing.
But his eyes spoke—Nothing should happen to her.
Jae understood.
He had been with Jeon.J for seven years. By now, even the silence in his eyes had a meaning. Teahun was right—Jae wasn't just his staff anymore; he was practically his shadow.
"I don't know if she's okay or not," Jae said firmly. "But I'll bring her to you. Then you can see by yourself."
With that, he turned and headed inside the police station.
Jeon.J watched him go, then slowly got back into the car.
As he sat there, his gaze fixed on the station entrance, he murmured under his breath—
"She'll be fine…"
But the tight grip of his hands betrayed the storm he was trying to control.
______________
The officer spoke quickly, trying to calm the situation.
"We apologize, but you know how fans react after any stalking incident related to TBS artists. It becomes very difficult for us to control the situation. Today there's a festival, so everyone is busy, and the streets are relatively empty. Before any crowd could gather, we brought the girl here.
"We came to the opposite building after receiving a complaint. We checked their CCTV footage and made the arrest based on that."
Officer Minji's anger didn't fade.
"Even then, you had no right to touch her when you still don't have solid proof," she said sharply.
Zoya stood silently, just as before.
Ji-ho looked at her. Tears were slipping from her eyes. He stepped closer.
"Zoya, don't cry. We'll handle this. Just because they're the police doesn't mean—"
His words stopped midway.
"Ji-ho… my scarf," Zoya said softly.
Ji-ho looked at her, understanding immediately.
"Wait here," he said, and hurried outside.
Inside, Minji was still arguing with the officer, her voice firm and heated. No one noticed what was happening around them.
But Zoya wasn't thinking about any of it.
Her heart was heavy for only one reason—
She wasn't wearing her scarf.
No one could understand what that scarf meant to her. It wasn't just a piece of cloth. It was her comfort, her protection, her identity.
Slowly, she lowered her head even more, trying to make herself smaller, invisible.
____________________|
Jeon.J's gaze remained fixed on the police station.
The way he once felt that watching over a scarf was his responsibility… now he felt the same about that building. As if he had been assigned a silent duty—to keep his eyes there, no matter how long it took.
Then suddenly, his expression changed.
First, surprise.Then, a cold stillness settled into his eyes.
Ji-ho walked out of the police station.
Jeon.J watched as he headed toward the car parked across the street. Ji-ho opened the door and began searching for something inside.
Jeon.J's eyes followed him without blinking.
After a few minutes of searching, Ji-ho finally found what he was looking for. Holding something in his hands, he shut the car door and quickly went back into the building.
Jeon.J returned to his silent watch.
But this time, there was worry in his eyes… and a quiet, unfamiliar coldness.
Ji-ho was holding a coat and a woolen cap.
They had been lying in his car for days. Every day he forgot to take them home.
But today, for the first time, he felt that forgetting them had been the right thing.
He walked toward Zoya.
Minji and the officer were still arguing. From Minji's expression, it was clear she wasn't going to let the matter go easily.
Ji-ho stopped in front of Zoya.
"I couldn't find any scarf," he said gently. "But wear this coat… and cover your head with the cap."
Zoya looked at him. Her eyes were filled with tears.
Ji-ho nodded softly and handed both things to her.
She took the coat and wore it.
Instantly, it felt as if walls had risen around her—like she was standing inside a protected space.
Then she covered her head with the cap.
And in that moment, she realized something—
For a long time, she had been searching for a roof.And now, suddenly… she had found one.
A sense of safety settled over her.
Her eyes filled even more.
After everything that had happened, she slowly lifted her head.
Her gaze moved toward the entrance.
And she saw him.
Jae.
Jeon.J… she took his name silently in her heart.
"Mr. Jae."
The officer noticed him standing behind Minji. He still couldn't understand why everyone was trying so hard to protect this girl when the CCTV seemed to show her as a stalker.
But this time, he didn't say that word again.
"Mr. Jae, thank God you're here. You know situations related to Jeon.J are always sensitive for us. We were trying to handle—"
He stopped.
Minji's furious glare silenced him.
Jae stepped forward, his voice calm but cold.
"Thank you. You always try to protect us. You know Jeon.J never treats strangers—or even stalkers—harshly. He believes that somewhere, they are part of his RAMY family."
His eyes moved to Zoya's face.
"But this time, you mistook his guest for a stalker. You arrested her. And without any proper investigation… You hurt her."
The marks on her face were visible.
The officer's expression changed immediately. The officers standing nearby also grew uneasy. The one who had slapped her looked the most shaken.
After a few seconds, the officer spoke nervously.
"Sir… we apologize. The crowd of strangers around celebrities has been increasing a lot. That's why there was a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding is one thing," Minji snapped, losing control again. "But why did you slap her?"
Zoya couldn't take it anymore.
She just wanted to leave.
She turned toward Ji-ho, who was standing beside her.
"Ji-ho… I want to go. Please."
Ji-ho looked at her, then at the officer.
"If you don't need any more proof, we'd like to leave."
The officer nodded quickly.
"Yes, sir. Of course. Please take Ms. Zoya. And Ms. Zoya… we sincerely apologize."
Zoya looked at him, her voice calm but firm.
"Whether I was a stalker or not—that's a separate matter. But you should have respected my values. As far as I know, Korea gives great importance to humanity, and people grow up learning that."
She didn't wait for a response.
She walked out with Ji-ho. Minho followed them. Jae signaled Minji to come along after completing the remaining formalities.
Outside—
After what felt like hours, Jeon.J finally saw her.
He let out a long breath.
She was safe.
But then Ji-ho stepped out behind her.Then Minji.Then Jae.
Jeon.J immediately stepped out of the car.
His eyes were fixed only on Zoya.
Minji came closer, already about to speak. He knew she was asking him to come with them.
But Jeon.J wasn't listening. But he observes
He wanted to see where Zoya would go.
And then something caught his attention—
Something that stayed in his eyes like a sharp sting.
Zoya was wearing the same two things…
The coat and the cap.
The ones Ji-ho had just taken from his car.
_________
"Zoya, let's go," Minji said as they stepped outside.
Zoya nodded. From a distance, far from them, his eyes fell on Zoya, and somehow, the heaviness inside her eased a little.
"Are you okay?" Ji-ho's voice stopped her as Minji and Jae walked toward Jeon.J's car.
"I'm fine, Ji-ho… and thank you so much for coming," Zoya said softly.
"We don't leave our own people alone," Ji-ho replied.
His words made her eyes fill again.
But my own people… were the ones who left me, she whispered silently in her heart.
"Zoya…" Ji-ho called gently.
She came out of her thoughts and looked at him.
"You're still the same person you were a few hours ago. Forget whatever happened in between."
She gave a faint, wounded smile.
Ji-ho looked at her carefully. Zoya noticed he wanted to ask something.
"Ji-ho, I know what you want to ask," she said quietly.
Ji-ho shook his head. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."
"Bye. See you tomorrow," he added softly.
"Bye," Zoya replied and started walking.
But she stopped again.
Jeon.J was standing near the car, talking to Jae and Minji. He had seen her approaching—but he continued talking as if he hadn't.
Then he simply walked to the driver's side and sat behind the wheel.
Jae left the way he had come. But before going, he glanced once at Zoya sitting in the back seat—then walked away.
Silence filled the car.
After a while, Minji broke it. She wanted to talk.
"Zoya, you called me earlier. I couldn't pick up. I feel really bad."
Zoya, who had been staring out the window, turned and looked at her in the passenger seat.
"It's okay, Minji."
That was all she said before looking outside again.
Through the rearview mirror, Jeon.J was quietly watching her.
"But it was good that you called Ji-ho," Minji added.
Jeon.J's expression hardened slightly, but he said nothing.
"Hm," Zoya replied simply.
"Why didn't you say anything when they slapped you without proof?"
Minji's question made Jeon.J press the brakes.
The car stopped.
For the first time, he turned back and looked at Zoya closely.
Her complexion was light golden, yet the clear marks of fingers were still visible on her cheek.
Which meant—
The slap had been hard.
Zoya felt deeply uncomfortable under his gaze and lowered her eyes in embarrassment.
Realizing it, Jeon.J turned forward again and silently started the car.
After some time, the car entered the same street.
The same place where Zoya had felt completely alone.
Where her scarf had fallen.
Her eyes began searching restlessly outside.
And then she saw it.
Near Jeon.J's house, caught between the plants—
Her scarf.
"Please stop the car," Zoya said suddenly.
Jeon.J looked at her through the mirror.
"I need to pick up my scarf," she said, looking toward Minji.
"Zoya, it's not safe to stop here. We'll go inside and stop," Minji replied.
Zoya went quiet and didn't argue.
The car entered the garage.
Minji came around to Zoya's side and walked with her inside.
Jeon.J stepped out, went to the guard, and said something quietly. The guard immediately went outside.
Minji and Zoya went inside the house.
But Jeon.J stayed back.
Waiting.
After a few minutes, the guard returned.
There was a scarf in his hands.
He gave it to Jeon.J.
Jeon.J looked at it.
It was a very ordinary piece of fabric.Simple. Inexpensive. Nothing remarkable.
Yet he found himself surprised.
That something so ordinary… could matter so much to her.
What Jeon.J didn't understand yet was this—
The value of fabric isn't in how expensive it is.
For Zoya, covering her head with it wasn't a choice.
It was dignity.It was comfort.It was protection.It was a part of who she was.
To be continued.......
Regards
ZK