Chapter 7
When the men shoved a piece of paper at him and gave a curt explanation, Seung-hyuk’s eyes swept over it quickly.
“So, what you’re saying is—chasing debts with an annual interest of 240%, harassing her at her workplace, and using intimidation tactics. Is that correct?”
“What the hell are you talking about, punk?”
Instead of panicking, Seung-hyuk’s calm demeanor seemed to throw them off. One of the men flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it underfoot irritably.
But Seung-hyuk just loosened his tie and continued.
“Violation of the Interest Rate Limitation Act, illegal debt collection. You do realize that alone can get you jail time, right?”
His voice was languid, but icy enough to make even Yu-ju flinch as she listened.
“D-Don’t make me laugh! What the hell did we do wrong?!”
One of them, face flushed with anger, stomped right up to Seung-hyuk.
“I happen to know a pretty good lawyer who specializes in this field.”
Seung-hyuk pulled out his phone and waved it casually. The loan sharks’ expressions twisted slightly. They exchanged uneasy glances, hesitation written all over their faces.
“Adding a few more years to your sentence wouldn’t be difficult. I can stack the charges however I like.”
He took one deliberate step forward. The men flinched and stepped back in unison.
“If you don’t want to rot in prison, then disappear. Right now.”
His once-lethargic tone turned razor-sharp in an instant. His voice alone chilled the hot summer night air.
“Damn it, you’re lucky today.”
They spat on the ground, shadow-boxed a few swings at the air, and then stalked off.
“…Are you all right?”
Once they were gone, Seung-hyuk turned to Yu-ju. Under the glow of the streetlamp, her face looked even paler than when he had last seen her.
For a fleeting second, his chest ached sharply—though he didn’t know why.
“…You didn’t have to come.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He extended a hand toward her as she sat trembling on the bench.
“I’ll take you home.”
“I’m fine.”
She rejected him immediately, though in truth she had no strength to stand. If he hadn’t shown up, who knew what more she would have suffered.
“You can’t even get up, so why be stubborn?”
He clasped her hand and helped her to her feet. Just as she wondered How did he know?, his voice dropped, tinged with suppressed anger.
“What is this?”
His gaze was fixed on the inside of her arm.
The scrape from earlier, when she’d been thrown to the asphalt. Embarrassed, Yu-ju yanked her arm away.
“It’s nothing.”
“…Did those bastards do this?”
“No, no. I just fell.”
His roughened voice darkened further as he turned in the direction the men had gone.
Panicking, Yu-ju grabbed at his sleeve. If she didn’t, he might actually chase after them.
“If you don’t treat that properly, it’ll scar.”
His voice carried so much restrained force that she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
“Wait here.”
He sat her back down on the bench and disappeared somewhere.
The moment he was out of sight, the air around her felt strangely hollow. She hugged her arms around herself.
Moments later, Seung-hyuk returned, slightly out of breath, carrying a bag with antiseptic, ointment, and bandages. He plopped down beside her.
“Give me your arm.”
“I’ll take care of it at home.”
She shrank away, avoiding his hand. Depending on someone else—it was an unfamiliar thing. She was much more used to enduring alone. And besides, ever since he sat beside her, her heart had been pounding furiously.
“Then at least let me drive you. In this situation, how could I possibly let you go home alone?”
His tone carried a trace of disapproval, but he simply stood up and offered his hand again.
Why was he doing this much for her? Reluctantly, Yu-ju nodded.
In his car on the way home, he didn’t ask her a single question. Even though it was obvious she’d gotten entangled with loan sharks, even though most people would be curious.
At red lights, he only stole brief glances at her, then looked away.
“It’s around here. I’ll get off on the main road. The alleys are too complicated.”
Near her house, Yu-ju spoke quickly. The idea of him knowing where she lived—or seeing the shabby villa she called home—was unbearable.
“…Thank you for today.”
She spoke quietly, realizing maybe his silence all this time had been his way of showing consideration.
He handed her the bag of medicine. His eyes lingered sharply on her injured arm for a moment before softening again.
She accepted the bag with a bow of her head.
“I only came up because of some work at the main hospital.”
As she stepped out of the car, he followed her. His sudden explanation of his schedule puzzled her, and she looked up at him.
“It’s just a two-day trip. I’ll be leaving early the morning after tomorrow. So…”
The late-summer night air clung sticky against their skin. In the distance, the chirping of insects mixed with the lazy rustling of leaves in the tepid breeze.
“Think carefully about my proposal. Give me your answer by tomorrow.”
“I already told you, I can’t.”
She called out after him urgently as he turned to leave.
“You don’t seem to have many other options.”
He smirked faintly, as though it didn’t matter.
“It wouldn’t be such a bad choice for you either, Yu-ju. So, think about it.”
Before she could respond, he climbed back into his car and drove away.
Yu-ju stood there for a long time, staring down at the bag in her hand. Slowly, she clenched it tightly.
At a red light, Seung-hyuk gripped the steering wheel hard. His patience with Cha Yu-ju had run thin, so he had called her—and by sheer coincidence, found her in danger. And even then, he had shamelessly repeated his proposal when she was at her weakest.
Yet, what consumed him now was an uncontrollable rage. At the center of that rage was her wound. That delicate skin scraped raw haunted him. And more than anything, the way she had hidden her arm, refusing his help—it twisted his insides.
When the light turned green, he hit the accelerator more harshly than usual.
It was a restless night.
The next morning, just as Yu-ju was about to leave for the piano academy, the director called.
—I’m sorry, Yu-ju, but you can’t come in anymore. Parents complained, and it’s become impossible for us.
“Yes, Director. I’m truly sorry for causing so much trouble.”
Yu-ju apologized over and over. She couldn’t blame them—who wouldn’t be angry? She had half expected it, but her chest tightened so much she could hardly breathe, and her hand trembled as she lowered her phone.
With the academy gone, she had to find new work. But without a university degree, her options were limited. The only reason she could even teach elementary-level lessons was because she had attended an arts high school.
But working in piano always carried the risk of running into old classmates. And that was something she desperately wanted to avoid.
When Gong Seol-a had destroyed her so thoroughly, no one had helped. People had turned away, pretended not to see, or gossiped quietly behind her back.
That was why she had to choose academies carefully—places with as little chance of running into her past as possible.
But even these jobs never lasted. How many times had she quit already? Her brother caused trouble, money was needed, and in the end, she was always the one who had to fix it.
She was tired of it all.
“Yu-ju, do you have any money?”
Still reeling from the director’s call, her mother, Young-ok, casually brought up money again. Yu-ju’s eyes squeezed shut.
“…I don’t have any.”
“Don’t say that. Gi-ju got drunk and picked a fight at another table… If they don’t settle, they’ll press charges. Are you going to let your one and only brother go to jail?”
Yu-ju had told her about the loan sharks showing up at the academy, but her mother had only shrugged. Even when she saw the scrape on her daughter’s arm, she hadn’t cared.
“There really isn’t anything left…”
Her voice cracked as though swallowing stones.
She clutched her phone tightly. No tears came.
Her pale hand trembled as she opened her call log. Her fingertip hovered, circling the same name again and again, until finally… she pressed the call button.
She wanted to run away. From her house. From her past.
She wanted to start over in a place where no one knew her.
