Since that last encounter with Han Joon-seong, Lee Hye-jin's life had become brighter. More colorful. It was as if she had opened a new window to the universe, seeing things in a different light. She felt happier. More inspired. More alive.
And all because of him.
Every time she thought about that day, her heart would flutter. She remembered it vividly: the dark alley, the cold dread in her chest, and then him. His beautiful hair, his perfect face, his sculpted body. He had crouched down in front of her, asked if she was okay, and she had been so overwhelmed she could barely stammer out a single word.
And then he had simply... fixed everything. Her debt, her fear, her despair — gone in an instant, like magic. He had paid off thirty million won without blinking, carried her out of danger, and vanished before she could even ask his name.
And there was that other day — the day she had gone looking for him, wandering through the city with his photo on her phone. That day had been a little scary. That gangster, Han Do-yun, had found her and cornered her in a park, telling her to follow him out. She was so afraid back then; she truly thought that would be it. But as soon as she saw Han Joon-seong, it all seemed worth it, even later that day. He had shielded her from that man and even paid for her meal at the restaurant.
But the conversation they had there — about gangs, about contract work — that had unsettled her. She remembered the way Han Do-yun spoke. He offered Han Joon-seong a job and explained the situation of the gangs of Busan to recruit him. It had made her nervous. She had wondered, in the days after, if she was wrong about him. If he was involved with those people after all.
But she always came back to the same thought: if he wanted to hurt her, he could have done it already, and he had plenty of opportunities to do so. And instead, he had only ever helped her and treated her with nothing but kindness.
So maybe he was involved with them. But if he was, it didn't seem to change who he was — at least, not with her.
She pushed the worry aside. It didn't matter. What mattered was that he had given her his number.
She felt like a teenager again, with her first crush, her heart racing at the mere thought of someone. It had been a long time since she felt this way about anyone.
She had his number now. That alone made her giddy. But she couldn't bring herself to message him as much as she wanted. Every time she tried, her heart would pound, her palms would sweat, and she would lose her nerve. She wanted to be brave. She knew she needed to take action if she wanted to deepen their connection. But she was just too nervous.
Still, the messages they did exchange made her incredibly happy. Just knowing that he was out there, and imagining the future possibilities, it was enough to make her smile like an idiot.
Lee Hye-jin was lost in her thoughts, daydreaming about her knight in shining armor, when a voice began to cut through her consciousness:
"Hye-jin. Hye-jin. Hye-jin."
She didn't respond. She was too far gone.
Then — *thwack.*
Something tapped her forehead.
She blinked, snapping back to reality. "Huh? What?"
Yoon Seo-yeon was sitting across from her, a half-eaten pastry in one hand and an amused expression on her face. She had just flicked Lee Hye-jin's forehead.
"Earth to Hye-jin," Seo-yeon said, grinning. "You were zoning out again. Thinking about a certain someone?"
Lee Hye-jin's face flushed. "I-I wasn't—!"
"You were," Seo-yeon said, laughing. "You've been doing that for days. Every time you think nobody's watching, you get this stupid smile on your face and drift off. It's cute. Also a little sad. But mostly cute."
Hye-jin buried her face in her hands. "Oh my god..."
They were sitting in a small eatery near the university, a casual spot with plastic tables and the smell of fried food in the air. Their classes had ended for the morning, and they had a gap before the next one.
"So," Seo-yeon said, leaning forward with a sly grin. "Are you going to tell me about him? You've been super secretive. I'm your best friend. I deserve details."
Hye-jin peeked through her fingers. "There's not much to tell..."
"Liar. You get that dreamy look every time you think about him. Who is he? Where did you meet him?"
Hye-jin hesitated. "I... I met him near the university. He helped me with something. He was really kind."
"Helped you with what?"
"Just... something. It's not important."
Seo-yeon studied her friend's face like she was watching a new species of bird — the way her eyes softened, the way she smiled just thinking about him, fascinating. She didn't press further. Hye-jin would talk when she was ready to.
"Okay," she said, leaning back. "So what's the problem? You have his number? Just text him. Ask him out."
Hye-jin's face flushed again. "I can't! Every time I try, I get so nervous. What if I say something stupid?"
"Then he's not worth it," Seo-yeon said simply. "If a guy can't handle a little awkwardness, he doesn't deserve you."
"That's easy for you to say—"
Hye-jin's phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down at it.
Han Joon-seong.
She nearly knocked over her drink grabbing it.
Seo-yeon watched, amused, as Hye-jin fumbled with the phone before finally unlocking the screen.
Her expression shifted. Confusion. Then worry.
"What is it?" Seo-yeon asked.
"I... he sent me a message. He just said, 'Can you help me?'"
Seo-yeon frowned. "That's... cryptic. What does he mean?"
Hye-jin shook her head. "I don't know."
She typed back: "What's going on? Are you okay?"
No reply. Another message came in: a location pin.
Hye-jin stared at it. An abandoned department store on the edge of the old market district.
"Why would he be there?" she murmured.
Seo-yeon leaned over to look. "That's not a nice area. Is he in trouble?"
Hye-jin's heart was pounding. "I don't know. But I need to go."
"Wait, what? Hye-jin, you can't just—"
Hye-jin was already standing, gathering her things. "I have to. He helped me. If he needs help now, I can't just ignore it."
Lee Hye-jin was already walking away when Seo-yeon stood up.
"Hye-jin, wait! Don't just—"
But Hye-jin was already at the door. She turned back briefly, waving.
"See you later!"
And she was gone.
Seo-yeon stood there for a moment, then let out a frustrated sigh. She sat back down and continued eating her pastry, shaking her head.
---
Hye-jin caught a bus. The ride took her across the city, and she watched the scenery change — the familiar streets of the university district slowly giving way to older, more run-down buildings. By the time she stepped off, the atmosphere had shifted entirely.
She walked toward the pinned location. The building loomed ahead — a large, abandoned department store with a multi-story parking garage attached. She looked up at it, her heart pounding.
She took a deep breath, psyching herself up.
"Come on, Hye-jin. You can do this. He saved your life before. He got you out of trouble. You owe him this!"
She let out a shaky breath and stepped inside.
The interior was silent. Eerily so. The sounds of the street faded as she walked deeper into the building, swallowed by the thick walls and empty spaces.
"Han Joon-seong?" she called out, her voice echoing. "Han Joon-seong, are you here? I got your message! Are you here?"
No answer. She kept walking.
The place was dim, dusty, with peeling walls and scattered debris. She moved cautiously, her eyes darting to every shadow. The silence pressed in on her, making her nerves fray.
Then she reached a larger open area — a kind of plaza inside the building, with a mezzanine above and multiple corridors feeding into it.
She stepped forward.
"Han Joon—"
Then she stopped.
The plaza was full of people. Dozens of them, scattered across the floor and on the mezzanine above. Young men in dark clothes, some in school uniforms, others in streetwear. They all turned to look at her.
She took a step back.
Behind her, four more figures emerged from the corridor, blocking her exit.
Her heart dropped. She was surrounded.
She backed into the center of the plaza, the crowd closing in around her. Her voice trembled:
"W-what do you want with me? What did you do to Han Joon-seong?"
She kept backing away, her hands raised. "Stay away! Don't come any closer!"
Her eyes were wet, her voice cracking with fear.
Then a voice cut through the tension, calm and gentle:
"There's no need to worry."
She froze. Turned toward the source of the voice.
The crowd parted, and a woman stepped forward. She had long black hair with streaks of red, wearing a pair of shorts, thigh highs, and a diagonal belt lined with small knives around her waist. She carried herself with an easy grace, and her expression was kind, almost apologetic.
She approached Lee Hye-jin, stopping a few paces away. She gave a small, polite bow — a formal greeting of about forty-five degrees.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lee Hye-jin. My name is Choi Yuna."
Hye-jin's eyes darted around nervously. "Where's Han Joon-seong?"
Choi Yuna straightened up, her tone soft and courteous.
"He's not here, unfortunately."
"What do you mean he's not here?!"
"The message you received was fake. I apologize for the deception. One of my subordinates knows a bit about hacking, so we took over his account for a few moments and sent that message from his number."
Hye-jin's face went pale. "Then... what do you want with me?"
Choi Yuna raised her hands placatingly, her voice soothing.
"No, no, no — nothing bad, I promise. Please don't be alarmed. We just wanted to invite you here for a conversation. It'll be quick! I swear. Just hear us out for a moment, and then you're free to leave."
Hye-jin looked around at the crowd surrounding her — dozens of thugs. There was no way out anyway. She swallowed hard.
"What... what kind of conversation?"
Choi Yuna straightened up, her expression turning serious but still respectful. She looked directly into Lee Hye-jin's eyes and spoke with sincerity:
"Would you be interested in dismantling the three gangs of Busan?"