Chapter 8
The man didn’t miss his chance. Tightening his grip around her, he began pouring alcohol over her again—this time straight from the bottle.
“Good. Drink up. That’s my pretty girl.”
Hari kept her mouth shut, pretending to writhe in pain, letting all the liquor spill down her face instead.
If I drink all of this, he’ll order more. When the waiter comes in, that’s when I run out of this room.
She continued acting with that plan in mind—until suddenly, the man leaned in as if to kiss her. Hari shook her head with all her strength, refusing.
“Please don’t. I don’t want this…”
Without hesitation, he slapped her hard across the face.
“Ugh…!”
The blow was so strong that a metallic taste of blood spread through her mouth. After being struck twice with such force, her skin could no longer endure it.
She had only ever wanted to become an actress. Was it too much for an orphan like her to dream so big? Why did she have to go through something like this?
Tears streamed down her face from sorrow and despair, but even then, Hari struggled to stay calm.
“Th-then at least… I’ll drink until I black out. Could you give me more alcohol…?”
Feigning resignation, she spoke just as planned. The man picked up the intercom and ordered more drinks.
“See? When you behave, you’re so pretty.”
Hari endured the filthy hand brushing against her cheek, her eyes fixed only on the door.
Soon, she saw the doorknob turn.
At that very moment, Hari shoved the man away with all her strength and rushed forward, yanking the door open.
The waiter, who had been pushing the door inward, was knocked backward and fell with a crash. The bottle he was carrying shattered loudly on the floor.
Seizing the opportunity, Hari leapt over the fallen waiter and escaped the room.
Clutching the hem of her dress, she sprinted down the long corridor, her mind focused on nothing but the exit.
“Hey! You! Stop right there!”
The man and the waiter scrambled after her.
Her breath caught in her throat, but Hari forced every last ounce of strength from her body and kept running toward hope. She couldn’t look back, so she had no idea how close they were.
Finally, she spotted the exit. As she rushed up the stairs, the dazzling neon lights outside suddenly flooded her vision, leaving it momentarily blurred.
When her sight cleared again, the first thing she saw was a man in military uniform, standing there casually smoking a cigarette.
Thank goodness… a soldier.
To her, just having turned twenty, a soldier didn’t seem much different from a police officer.
Without hesitation, she grabbed his arm and pleaded.
“S-sir! Please, help me!”
“…Sir?”
His face was obscured beneath the brim of his cap. Still, she saw the cigarette fall from his slightly parted lips in apparent surprise.
In that brief moment of hesitation, a rough hand shot out and seized Hari by the hair.
“Are you out of your mind? Do you even know how expensive the drink you broke was?”
The man tightened his grip and began dragging her away.
“Ahh! No! Let go! I said let go! Please help me! Someone help!”
Burying her resentment toward the soldier who just stood there, Hari screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping anyone would hear her.
But no help came.
She was dragged back into the dark corridor.
Just as despair set in—just as she was about to give up—a sharp, rapid sound of footsteps echoed from behind.
Before she could even turn around, a black military boot shot past her and struck the man squarely in the stomach.
The man, who had been gripping her hair, collapsed instantly without even managing a proper scream. Clutching his abdomen, he writhed on the ground in pain, still trying to lash out.
“What the—what is this?!”
The soldier who had sent him flying stepped forward calmly, planted his foot firmly on the man’s back, and swiftly pinned both of his arms behind him.
The movements were so fast and precise that the man couldn’t even regain his senses.
“I told you to let go. Are your ears blocked?”
“What the hell? What’s a soldier doing here?”
“A ‘soldier’? If someone in your family enlisted, would you call them that too? Show some respect. Honestly, people in this country treat soldiers like garbage.”
Even his voice carried overwhelming authority. It was the same soldier Hari had just asked for help.
The man tried to turn his head to see his face, but the soldier pressed his boot down harder, forcing his face back to the ground.
Moments ago, he had seemed like a vicious beast while grabbing a helpless girl by the hair. Now, before a stronger predator, he could only struggle helplessly.
“Who are you? Do you even know where you are, barging in like this—”
“Got a problem?”
“Uh—”
The manager, who had approached as if ready to use force after assessing the situation, froze the moment he saw the soldier’s face.
Looking back and forth between the two men, he lowered his voice and spoke carefully.
“…That man is an executive of the Cha-Young Group.”
“Is that so?”
The soldier withdrew his foot without resistance, then said casually,
“Good. Then I don’t have to pay for damages, right?”
The manager helped the fallen man up and nodded. The soldier then called out loudly,
“Got anything like a blanket here?”
The manager quickly took off his jacket and handed it over.
“No blanket, but you can use this.”
“I won’t return it.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. I understand.”
The soldier draped the jacket over Hari’s shoulders, then lightly grabbed her slender wrist and led her back up the stairs toward the exit.
Having just witnessed something straight out of an action movie, Hari followed him blankly, still dazed.
Before she could even feel relief, all her attention was fixed on him.
As soon as they stepped outside, he released her hand and spoke firmly, almost like an order.
“Go home. And don’t ever come back.”
As if nothing had happened, he returned to his previous spot, rolled his neck from side to side, and took out another cigarette.
“What a damn exhausting night.”
Just as he pulled out his lighter to light it, he finally noticed Hari still standing there, staring at him with tear-filled eyes.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leaving?”
“Well, I—I didn’t get to thank you…”
Tilting his head slightly, he stared at her for a moment, then spat out the cigarette he had been holding.
He removed his military cap, ran a hand through his hair, and faced her again.
Meeting his gaze properly for the first time, Hari felt her breath catch under the sheer intensity he exuded.
If a black panther were turned into a human, wouldn’t it look like this? A sharp nose bridge extending cleanly from his forehead, a well-defined jawline, thick eyebrows, and strikingly dark eyes. Though undeniably handsome, his features carried a powerful, commanding charisma.
“Even though we’re strangers… thank you so much for saving me…”
Despite gathering her courage, her voice still trembled.
For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Oddly enough, in a situation like this, Hari found his gaze captivating. Entranced, she swallowed hard without realizing it. In the heavy silence, the sound of her gulp echoed embarrassingly loud.
“Thank you—really, truly, thank you, sir.”
Hari bowed deeply once more.
But the man seemed to latch onto a different part of what she said, his brow furrowing.
“Sir?”
“Aren’t you a soldier?”
“I am. That’s not the issue.”
Completely unaware of what was wrong, the innocent girl simply blinked her large eyes repeatedly.
Letting out a weary sigh as if giving up, the man lowered his gaze.
Hari continued chattering on her own.
“I’m an aspiring actress, and I got completely tricked by my agency’s CEO and dragged here against my will. I thought something terrible was going to happen, but then you showed up and saved me. Thanks to you, I’m safe now.”
For someone who had almost faced disaster, she was surprisingly talkative. The man scoffed.
“You sure talk a lot.”
“I tend to talk more when I’m nervous. Anyway, thank you so much, sir! I’ll treat you as my lifesaver.”
“Drop the ‘sir’ already.”
Grumbling irritably, he gestured toward her with his chin.
“How old are you?”
“I just turned twenty.”
“It’s January. Twenty?”
“Yes.”
“Tch. You’re barely more than a kid.”
His face twisted, a clear look of distaste spreading across it.
